Reply With QuoteYou might be on your own Funky. Most of these are seriously obscure, eh?
Congrats, you've just become a genuine funk trainspotter. :lol: :lol: :lol:
Chart Hit [Level 6]
Hi all. Over the past several months I've gotten a hold of a lot of obscure funky music off Soulseek which some a lot are from albums like Funk Spectrum and Brainfreeze and Pulp Fusion and others. Anyhow thought I'd give these a mention and see what you guys think of them. To me they are top stuff:
Michael Longo - Like A Thief In The Night 1974 (very nice piece of jazz/funk/disco with a nice disco wah wah sound)
Nite-Liters - Buck & The Preacher 1972 (very funky Shaft/Superfly style funk music, fantastic!)
Sound Experience - Boogie Woogie 1975 (quite funny at the start when they go "boogie woogie boogie woogie" then they get right into the funky jam)
4th Coming - The Dead Don't Die Alive Pt 1 (top guitar wah wah funk with nice synth lines)
Jack Ashford - Do The Choo-Choo 1975 (this is a very fine piece of guitar funk music with a cool drum beat!)
Joe Thomas - Thank You 1972 (great cover of a Sly & The Family Stone hit with a real funky drumbeat)
Johnny Harris - Stepping Stones 1970 (really fast piece of funk with kind of a latin style to it, nice flute work and fast percussions)
L.T.G. Exchange - Waterbad Part II 1974 (cool instrumental version of part one, top funky disco guitar wah wah sounds and I think the triangles were used in this song too which give it a nice touch)
Sonny Stitt - Slick Eddie 1975 (nice piece of jazz funk, the start of the song is fantastic funky work and breaks out into a smooth jazz funky disco sound)
S.O.U.L - Burning Spear (fine piece of jazz flute funk which really stands out in the song)
Soul Searchers - Blow Your Whistle 1974 (another fantastic piece of funk by this group which has a funky guitar sound similar to their "We The People" song, the start sounds a little similar to an Elvis song that was remixed recently which was a big hit last year I think, top stuff!!!)
Banks & Hampton - Get On Up Shake Some Butt 1976 (fantastic piece of 1976 style funk/disco with great strings)
Tribe - Baby Feet 1975/76 (this has fantastic discotized funky sound I assume from guitar plus the horns really go off in the song with the drums and some awsome synths!!!)
Leroy Hutson - The Ghetto 1974 (great cover version of Donny Hathaway's)
Joseph Henry - Who's The King (great piece of James Brown style funk with a top guitar pluck funky sound and horn arrangement)
El Coco - Yakety Yak 1975 (a great cover of a 50s rock'n'roll song with funky disco keyboard/synth sounds)
Bad Medicine - Trespasser pt 1 (nice piece of early 70s funk with an infectious funky wah wah sound with synths)
Soulsistics - Jones N 1974 (awsome piece of guitar wah wah funk which sounds like a great early 70s car chase theme song)
Charles Pryor & Power Of Love - What They Doing (a really cool fast funky groover from around I guess the mid 70s, the horn lines really go off in this song especially when they hit the high notes!)
Luther Davis Group - To Be Free (a superb piece of late 70s funky disco music with a soulful touch to it, the bass and guitar funk is awsome!)
Crown Heights Affair - I Am Me 1975 (this is one of my favourite CHA tracks, the guitar wah wah and high-hats/drums are fantastic and the horns go off real well like that Charles Prior "What They Doing" song)
Fried Chicken - Funky DJ 1976 (nice slow funky jam with a great keyboard sound and hard funky sound when they sing "he plays that funky music....")
The Mystic Moods - Cosmic Sea 1973 (awsome smooth funky sound with a synthesizer line and distorted drumbeat and strings and keyboard sound and funky guitar wah wah sound!!!)
Pleasure Web - Music Man 1973 (nice piece of flute funk and drumbeat similar to Joe Thomas's "Thank You")
Simtec & Wylie - Bootleggin' (Pt 2) 1971 (great early funky song with a funky raw guitar sound to it!)
7-Eleven - Dance the Slurp (a late 60s song with a good guitar/bass funky line and the sound of slurping a frosty, interesting track as I wonder if it was a theme for the 7-Eleven stores?)
Mack Rice - Three People In Love 1968 (some nice early style funk with guitar wah wah which was probably new at the time in funky music)
Gary Byrd - Soul Travelin' pt. 1 (The G.B.E.) 1974 (awsome piece of funky music with bits of popular funk songs like "Superstition", "Theme From Shaft", "Freddie's Dead" and others!)
The Fabulous Mark III - Psycho Pt 1 1972 (this is a bloody awsome piece of raw funk with organs, horns and percussion beat, and it starts with a real sharp guitar wah wah sound and there's more of it in areas of the song which sounds awsome along with the flutes!!!)
_______________________________________________
AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!!! OI OI OI!!!
Australia mate! The land of many great funkateers!
No Longer Charting
You might be on your own Funky. Most of these are seriously obscure, eh?
Congrats, you've just become a genuine funk trainspotter. :lol: :lol: :lol:
Gold Record [Level 7]
Looks like the track-listing for one of those £8.99 4-CD bargain boxes. Those tracks have all been wrung out, bootlegged, played and re-issued something chronic, over the past 20 years or so. If you're gonna insult peoples' intelligence like that, Funkydude...
What would you do without your muesli...where would you be without a bowl?
Double Platinum Record [Level 9]
Interesting as I only recognize a few of the groups and almost none of the music.Originally Written by Forrrce
Forrrce: Are you saying these were popular at the time? I'm asking because you said they've been 'chronically re-issued', which I guess means somebody wants them.
Chart Hit [Level 6]
As mentioned a lot of these tracks, well most actually come from the "Pulp Fusion" CD series, "Brainfreeze Breaks" CD series and "Funk Spectrum" CD series.Looks like the track-listing for one of those £8.99 4-CD bargain boxes. Those tracks have all been wrung out, bootlegged, played and re-issued something chronic, over the past 20 years or so. If you're gonna insult peoples' intelligence like that, Funkydude...
_________________________________________________
AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!!! OI OI OI!!!
Australia mate! The land of many great funkateers!
Double Platinum Record [Level 9]
Yakety Yak? I love Rinder & Lewis, but I think that's got to be the absolute worst track that they ever put out. A painfully bad cover of a painfully silly song...
Gold Record [Level 7]
Most of the tracks listed have been popular, over here at least. No doubt many were also big in the stone age (i.e., when Quinny was deejaying). They're no great secret - you'll probably know many snippets as samples and they're certainly not obscure by a long shot. But that's just the trainspotter in me getting uppity... 8)
What would you do without your muesli...where would you be without a bowl?
No Longer Charting
Believe me Forrrce, Neanderthals like me wouldn't have played most of these records. We had something called taste, even in those days.
Most of the cheapo CDs and even many of the full price ones mentioned, that delve deep into the vaults, contain some of the most awful drek I have ever had the misfortune to listen to. Most of it should have been laid to rest and never revisited.
I guess what's been going on over the past decade or so is similar to what happened on the Northern Soul scene, except........... The scene hasn't had the same following.
I for one do not understand people's obsession with rarity, or their need to evangelise the product with such intensity, or with such detachment from reality.
Gold Record [Level 7]
There's a lot of good stuff there regardless, Q - well above the average tosh that gets raved about these days. S.O.U.L's 'Burning Spear' was a big track for me - I played it at all of my gigs and it used to mesmerise people, literally. And this was before it was sampled and eventually sought after. It will always be one of the records I was asked about the most. To me, it was my discovery. :D
Similar story with 'Stepping Stones'. 'Slick Eddie' - suprised you don't like this...or 'Waterbed'. Good (great, even) cuts aplenty...but they're just not news.
Still, I have trouble with those 'deep funk' comps which come out now. I can't listen to all that run-of-the-mill backstreet, funky soul. It just sends me to sleep. No point in reissuing that dry stuff - why do these guys think these records never sold..? I'm caught between a rock and a hard place, here - overfamiliarity and stone cold disinterest! :lol:
No Longer Charting
One man's good grub is another's average spread.
I don't particularly go for S.O.U.L - Burning Spear. I'd rather have Richard Evans - Burning Spear any day. So that tells you something, I guess.
Waterbed I used to play and liked, but it was never stunning.
A few others I recognise but don't remember,(not a good sign) and there may be some others that I have but have never made any impression. However, the vast majority are still obscure to me. Ya see, I'm not a collector, I'm not a fanatic when it comes to music and I certainly ain't no trainspotter by choice. I don't eat, drink and sleep records and never did.:lol:
Lest we forget. James Brown is obscure to a large percentage of the population. Need I say more?
I genuinely feel sorry for you Forrrce 'cos I do have some understanding of what it's like to know a fair amount and be somewhat disinterested in the rest. So I assume you agree with me that obscure so often means garbage?
Gold Record [Level 7]
I didn't think you cared, Queeny. So I'm a lost cause through preferring S.O.U.L. to Richard Evans?
It is possible to be a collector and a music lover at the same time, though in your world the two can't possibly coexist. It's also possible for good records to have come and gone without the Mighty Q hearing them in the interim - but again, in Q's world, they're rubbish and that's why they didn't sell 30 years ago. True for some, not for others. It's that simple. If you can't appreciate something for what it is and forget that it bypassed you for reasons beyond your control initially, then you're not into music at all, Q.
What would you do without your muesli...where would you be without a bowl?
No Longer Charting
Forrrce: Oh dear! What did I say? :o :o :o
I merely said I like Richard Evan's version more than S.O.U.L.'s. No need to get uppity over that.
I don't know. In friendship, you puts yer hand on someone's shoulder, ya sympathise with 'em and they bites yer head off.
Double Platinum Record [Level 9]
:lol: :lol: :lol: I read your "Oh, dear..." to Forrrce and had to laugh. You actually have no idea why he's angry? READ YOUR WORDS, they're insulting.
And before you come after me I'm backing out. You just amazed me... again!
Gold Record [Level 7]
:D :D lol :lol: :lol: :D :D
what a funny thread.... I've never heard almost all of these records...
I have to agree with Q on one point... sometimes (but not all the time) obscure means ****.
However, when I hear these records... i'll be the judge for myself... you guys crack me up...
Triple Platinum Record [Level 10]
I think the Police summed it up quite aptly with "When the world is running down, you make the best of what's still around". :D
I've given up on today's music for the most part. :evil: Now, I'm fascinated by all the obscure stuff I missed back in tha day. I'd buy a compilation with all those titles on it. I've never heard of most of 'em. :o
I don't subscribe to the theory that ...if it wasn't successful back then, it wasn't any good. My list of favorites includes too many records that didn't exactly burn up the charts and aren't well-known today. BUT they're GREAT records!!!
Some of my absolute faves didn't even make the Top 700 as chosen by the DJs here. :roll: I've mentioned some of them before--won't get into that now. But, I'm always on the lookout for stuff that flew under the radar the first time around.
"Lost inside adorable illusion...."
No Longer Charting
I guess it all depends on whether or not you think the Holy Grail exists, or there is an infinite number of great records. Indeed, how great is great or how good is good? Also, are we judging records as a DJ, as a dancer or as a listener? Are we being purely subjective or objective? I tend to judge as a DJ (ex DJ) and rightly or wrongly, assume that my perception will be different to that of a listener. I'd hope that UK dancers might agree with me on more than they disagree, whereas US ones might totally disagree. There are so many factors when you think about it. So no big deal when we disagree, nothing to get hung up about and certainly nothing to be chastised, despised or ostracised for, either.
Generally, as far as I'm concerned, the deeper one delves, the less return one gets, n'est-ce pas? The world is full of forgetable music that's only marginally danceable.
Chart Hit [Level 6]
Ok. From my perspective, songs that chart opposed to songs that didn't chart are irrelevant. Yes there's a lot of obscure stuff that doesn't sound too spectacular but at the same time a lot of the chart topping songs don't sound too spectacular too so it works both ways.
For instance the Billboard charts. I borrowed a Billboard book from the library a while back and looking at the 70s, a lot of not so exciting songs made the charts that are rather boring like "Knock Three Times" by Dawn Orlando, and there's really crap songs like "Brand New Key" by Melanie (her singing voice was terrible for the song). And there's a lot of John Denver country songs that made the top charts that I have absolute no interest whatsoever in no offense to him (RIP Johnny). Now there's plenty of obscure stuff that sounds 100 times better than some of these chart topping songs. Looking at rock music it seems poppy bubblegum songs from The Osmonds and The Partridge Family do better on the charts than heavy metal bands like Deep Purple, Yes, Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep, KISS who belt out ultracool hard sounds, no offense to the Osmonds and the Partridge Family as they are alright bands. Looking at disco what has made the charts is pretty good so I can't complain too much there, though funk seems to not make the top 5 as much.
I have a feeling that money, management, record contracters, sponsors and advertisement and commercialism also have bearing on how songs make the top charts. I mean there's obviously shitloads of bands that have far better songs but don't do buggerall on the charts due to lacking the above so their songs become obscure and only so many records are released, correct me if I'm wrong. Also radio stations obviously belt the **** out of certain songs which probably get drummed into listeners heads.
Now Quinny, I've got a lot of 70s Top Of The Pops episodes and there's a lot of great songs on there but some of them crikey they sound really bad, eg "Dippity Day" by Father Abraham which is a Smurf song, I'd hardly want to listen to that over a cool obscure disco or rock song just because it made the charts :lol: :lol: :lol: , and of course there's those symphony orchestras that somehow slip into the charts even though they are for the older generation and also "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby :o . Still it goes to show Britain has a very wide range of music taste which in my opinion is good.
But nonetheless the charts are meaningless as I think a lot of it was to do with money and management.
Also what hit the charts in the last 10 years is bloody crap as. In the mid/late 90s there were a lot of wussy commercial crappy boybands like Hanson and N-Stink hitting the charts, and also there were some real **** songs on the charts like "Milkshake" by Kelis, "Roses" by Outkast, "Barbie Girl" by Aqua, and a lot of Enema Em stuff too, makes you wonder how would such swill hit the charts. Then again that's todays charts and a lot of songs suck plumbers crack today anyways :lol: :lol: :lol: .
Now looking at disco, okay example Village People's "YMCA" was obviously at the top of the Billboard charts whereas "Ten Percent" by Double Exposure was maybe middle of the road say maybe within the top 100 Billboard. Which would you prefer. I myself like "YMCA" but "Ten Percent" wins hands down.
Anyhow I use to be biased more to the obscure stuff but these days I give both the obscure and the chart toppers a fair go as whether a song charts or not is irrelevant to me.
Anyways that's my take on this issue.
Lastly Quinny, if you hear any of those songs at somestage, let me us what you think of them and how they compare to the chart toppers as I'm sure they have just as much potential as the ones that made the charts.
_______________________________________________
AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!!! OI OI OI!!!
Australia mate! The land of many great funkateers!
No Longer Charting
Funky: In hindsight and with no historical context, it's soooo easy to say an obscure record deserved better and that a chart record didn't deserve as much. A whole industry has dined out on that myth for years.
What you fail to realise is that major record labels had most of the hits. Why? Well, that's simple to understand.
Back then, a handful of labels ran the show, with a fair number of quality smaller labels.
You must understand two things.
(1). Musicians making dance music were only in it for the money. They made records that they hoped would be commercial enough to appeal to shed loads of people and earn them bucket loads of dosh. Music is all about communication and successful communication by musicians usually resulted in healthy record sales.
(2). Much of the obscure stuff that gets churned over today didn't get released nationwide (or if it did failed miserably) either simply because, yes it wasn't deemed commercial enough by the public, or simply not good enough by the A&R men at the record labels to even warrant a release. It was their job to scout for new talent and scout for individual records that they thought might be worth plugging. In other words, if a record wasn't picked up on BITD, there was a very good chance that it wasn't very good.
I happen to think that the A&R men did a good job and so I'm led to believe that many of the tracks in your list are probably not that special.
BTW: Both 10 Percent and YMCA were both Disco chart toppers. I like neither of them much.
Funk was generally less popular than Soul or Disco and with a Disco top 100, plus R&B (Soul/Funk) charts, there was a hell of a lot of product that got some recognition. However, a record that reached #97 and stayed there or disappeared the next week is unlikely to be a classic. Give us old timers some nous.
Where the hell does The Partridge Family, Deep Purple or John Denver come into a Disco/Funk forum discussion?
Chart Hit [Level 6]
QUINNY wrote:
I was using those as an example of how the charts are to me a bit on the commercial side. Then again I'm being biased as I also like rock music and think that heavy rock songs of the 70s win over bubble-gum pop songs anyday and there are hordes and hordes of hard rocker fans out there as there are fans for bubblegum pop bands, so it makes me wonder why softer pop songs are preferred over the harder stuff? I felt I had to mention these.Where the hell does The Partridge Family, Deep Purple or John Denver come into a Disco/Funk forum discussion?
I guess the obscure disco/funk stuff is more people who acquire a taste for it, also same goes with rock. Whereas pop music is obviously would be of what the majority of people would acquire a taste for no matter what their tastes are. Then again it's hard to say as a lot of pop songs people say are "crap" and wonder how they get into the charts, like I ask how would a STUPID song like "Milkshake" by Kelis become popular when it sounds so dumb, is it because blokes like the boobshake or something :lol: :lol: :lol: ??? I love bagging that song as it's one of the shittest songs I've heard this year next to "Roses" by Outkast.
Anyways not to continue arguing about obscure over pop, you have your opinions and I have mine and whilst I don't fully agree I respect your opinion all the same. I love me obscure stuff as well as pop and it makes me happy and that's all that matters :D !
_______________________________________________
AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!!! OI OI OI!!!
Australia mate! The land of many great funkateers!
Gold Record [Level 7]
:-?
Come come now...Don't be so defeatist!!! Good music didn't stop being produced in 1986 tha-knows!! :lol: :lol:
There's some great deep house (disco, basically) around on the airwaves. Just listen out for it...You'll agree with me I'm sure.
Gold Record [Level 7]
:-?
Come come now...Don't be so defeatist!!! Good music didn't stop being produced in 1986 tha-knows!! :lol: :lol:
There's some great deep house (disco, basically) around on the airwaves. Just listen out for it...You'll agree with me I'm sure.
Gold Record [Level 7]
Think about this everyone....
The general public can only like a few songs at a time... don'tcha agree... or can afford to buy 1 or 2 a month... hardcore music fans like us bought maybe 2 or 3 a week.
at the clubs.... you can only keep a crowd interested by playing hits... with just a few new songs a week. Cramming way too much music down one's throat never worked for me... how 'bout any other jocks?
I rarely played over 30 tracks or 40 tracks in one night at the club.... because if I played something popular earlier in the night... a few got double play on the turntables.
No Longer Charting
EFunk: I mainly agree with your sentiments and that's why I get upset by fanatics.
BTW: I'd manage about 90 - 100 records a night. Never could play anything for more than about 4 minutes without dying of boredom. Maybe it was because I started DJing when only 7" 45s existed and my internal DJ clock was forever set to 3' 15" (the average length of a 45).
Double Platinum Record [Level 9]
I thought you started DJing when only 78s existed. :lol:
...ya gotta beat the street......
Triple Platinum Record [Level 10]
I thought you used a bird's beak as your needle.... like the Flintstones did...waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in da day.
I thought you started DJing when only 78s existed. :lol:
"Lost inside adorable illusion...."
Permissions
Bookmarks