GAP BAND - BIGGEST SCHIZOS EVER?

[QUINNY]

I mean, how could one band change its style so often and so much?
Think
Baba Boogie Woogie (pure disco).
Shake (showband funk, like George Duke meets E,W & F, meets Johnny 'Guitar' Watson - so derivative, but I love it for its groove).
Oops Upside Your Head (silly pop funk)
Burn Rubber On me / You Dropped A Bomb On me( from their heavy sado masochistic stage)
Outstanding (quality soulful funk)

I bet you could play those tracks to almost anyone not into disco or funk and they wouldn't know they were from the same band, eh?Was there any other band that were so chameleon like?

[K-Bee]

interesting topic.
The first artist that comes to mind is George Duke
for instance:

Broken Glass (elektro funk)
Reach Out (discofied pop)
Born To Love You (schmaltzy pop ballad)
Pluck (almost p-funkish)
Muir Woods Suite (orchestral jazz)
So I'll pretend (pure straight ahead jazz feat. Dianne Reeves)
Ten Mile Jog (retro jazz / fusion)
Heroes (pure pop - could have been in a Karate Kid movie)
Put it On The Line (pretty close to heavy metal / with Stanley Clarke)
History (I remember) (smooth jazz meets Nu Jack swing)

and the strangest of them all:
War Fugue interlude (sounds like classica baroque music with laser beam sounds added :lol: )

[Forrrce]

'Wide (Open Up Your Mind)' sounds like it should be The Bar-Kays
'Humpin'' kinda original at the time and the basis of Wreckin Crew's 'Chance To Dance'
'Disrespect'...er, kinda sounds a bit like 'Chance To Dance' by Wreckin Crew
'I Found My Baby' was 'Oustanding, Pt.II' and unashamedly so..
'Someday' sounds so much like a Stevie Wonder song...
'That's How Music Came About' ...kinda remimiscent of, er...Stevie Wonder

Love 'em all, though!

Their pre-Mercury Tattoo stuff is something else entirely. Musical chameleons indeed.

[QUINNY]

KBee: Only difference was that the Gap band were a huge club band and they had pop hits. George Duke was always the sort of guy who'd (a) have something interesting and (b) had almost no chance of crossing over, being a Jazz artist first and foremost. In that context I guess almost any artist could show signs of being chameleon like.

BTW: Of his well known stuff, Reach For It & Dukey Stick are a million miles away from Brazilian Love Affair.

[efunk_adelic]

since it was not mentioned yet.... how bout the weird but funky hit Beep A Freak #2 Soul Hit in the states....


not only did they have strange/quality funk/quality smooth grooves.... they can also sing a bonified & top notch ballad

#5 hit

yearnin' for your love

[K-Bee]

KBee: Only difference was that the Gap band were a huge club band and they had pop hits. George Duke was always the sort of guy who'd (a) have something interesting and (b) had almost no chance of crossing over, being a Jazz artist first and foremost. In that context I guess almost any artist could show signs of being chameleon like.

Well you're right about George Duke primarely being a jazz artists Quinny, but since this is the jazz funk part of the forum, I thought he'd fit in nicely.
If I had to choose another artist/band i'd definetely go for cameo. They've done evrything from Party funk (most of the 70s stuff) over new wavish rock stuff (Leve Toi) to jazzy ballads (I Got Your Image) and even reggae (the last cut on the "Single Life" album - can't remember the title)

[efunk_adelic]

I 100% agree that George Duke should be mentioned here... from Broken Glass to Sweet Baby ballad... you bet... Duke, dipped into a lot of formats...

Even Cameo did a few .... everything mentioned above... plus the disco hits Find My Way and It's Serious


I wanted to mention the Bar-Kays we used to call them the copy kays because they did a song so similiar to rick james called Freaky Behavior :lol: :lol:

[Forrrce]

I
I wanted to mention the Bar-Kays we used to call them the copy kays because they did a song so similiar to rick james called Freaky Behavior :lol: :lol:

...and what about 'Night Cruisin''!!!!!

So - how's about a best of Cameo - or we been there already?!

[QUINNY]

Forrrce: Yep, Cameo was the subject of an Artist # thread. I just know you love to Shake Your Pants to those guys.

[Forrrce]

Forrrce: Yep, Cameo was the subject of an Artist # thread. I just know you love to Shake Your Pants to those guys.

Forrrce and friend hit the floor to the latest C-Funk bonanza and partied like t'was 1899. Trouble is, it was....

[QUINNY]

Forrrce: I didn't know you were of Bavarian extract or they had those sordid V-Funk extravaganzas at beer festivals. Sounds like an almost perfect combination.

[Nano]

I said in another post some time ago that listening to the "Gap Band II" album you can hear them doing á la Earth, Wind & Fire, Parliament/Funkadelic, Kool & The Gang, etc. etc. Every song is different (and all of them are very good).