First Listen: Marcus Miller – Free
I’ll be honest here, I did not know much about Marcus Miller before I decided to write this piece. I only knew him as the bass player for Miles Davis. Let’s see what Wikipedia has to say:
… a jazz musician, composer and producer, perhaps best known as a bass guitarist with Miles Davis, Luther Vandross and David Sanborn. Miller is classically trained as a clarinetist, and also plays bass clarinet, keyboard, saxophone, and guitar, and is a capable singer.
Well hot damn! He’s won a Grammy for his solo efforts and has played with a veritable “who’s who” of Jazz and Blues musicians. I stumbled upon his latest release while browsing through my Miles Davis links. It immediately grabbed me with it’s raga-inspired lead off track “Blast” and held me down tight delivering funk, soul and some of the tightest bass licks I’ve heard. Here’s a sample of the soulful side of this record featuring the beautiful Corinne Bailey Rae covering the 1977 Deniece Williams track “Free”.
Marcus Miller (feat. Corinne Bailey Rae) –
Free(MP3)Buy: Free (I highly suggest checking your local jazz/soul shop first!)
Link: Official Site | MySpaceGo Go Music: Chuck Brown (DC’s Best Kept Secret)
Pete and I must have had a cross country mind meld, as I swear the post you are about to read was started on my laptop late Friday night.
My first exposure to Chuck Brown came earlier this year in the way of an interview with Mike Scott (Prince, Justin Timberlake) in Guitar Player magazine. While the good Rev. Scott gave utmost props to his former band leader he also spoke in great detail about “The Godfather of Go-Go” and how he shaped his sound growing up in D.C. I ran out and picked up “The Best of Chuck Brown” and immediately understood how. Take equal parts funk and Latin music, mix in a dash of soul and new jack swing (way before it’s time) and you’ve got the recipe for yet more break-filled music to move your rump.
Check out a handful of tracks, and if you don’t tap your foot, nod your head and wiggle in your chair upon listening, check your pulse!
Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers – It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) (mp3)
Chuck Brown – The Love Theme From “The Godfather” (mp3)
Bonus Video!!
Here’s Chuck’s performance (With his band The Soul Searchers) of “We Need Some Money” from the 1986 movie Good To Go.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBpO2_gRYSE 336 278]
Buy: We’re About the Business | The Best of Chuck Brown
Links: Official Site | MySpace
Go-Go Music: Redds & the Boys
The in-laws came through on my birthday a couple days ago: an Ion USB turntable! The vinyl resurrection can now continue. One of the first to get the treatment yesterday was “Movin’ and Groovin'” by Redds and the Boys.
Go-go music has its roots in the Washington D.C. area, going back to the 70’s, when Chuck Brown was credited with creating the genre. It’s basically rhythm-percussion heavy funk. In the 80’s, Chris Blackwell, the Island Records head, heard Chuck Brown, and brought him and a lot of other D.C. area go-go bands in through Island subsidiary 4th & Broadway and T.T.E.D. records. Blackwell signed Brown, E.U., Trouble Funk, and Redds & the Boys.
E.U. probably had the biggest U.S. hit of the bunch: “Da Butt”, which was written by Marcus Miller for Spike Lee’s movie School Daze.
But “Movin’ & Groovin'” did very well in the U.K., reaching #1 on the singles charts.
Redds & the Boys –
Movin’ & Groovin’(mp3)Wikipedia entry on Go-Go.
Here’s a clip of Redds & the Boys performing the song in the 1986 movie Good to Go . The movie was envisioned by Blackwell to be a go-go version of The Harder They Come
, but didn’t quite turn out that way. Co-director Don Letts was let go about half-way through. Letts directed the Clash documentary Westway to the World
, and was a founding member of Big Audio Dynamite with Mick Jones.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_-5yLLOUbI 336 278]
Crazy Wonderful Indeed
It’d be easy to pass Amerie Mi Marie Rogers by as just another Beyoncé clone to be filed neatly before Ciara and Rihanna in the record industry’s attempt to strike gold more than once (as displayed perfectly by the latter’s more than 2 month stint atop the UK charts with her infectious “Umbrella”). It’s not that easy though, and Amerie is far from another clone.
With everything from the acid-jazz breaks of “Hate2LoveU” to the classic 80’s new-wave funk of “Some Like It” and “Crazy Wonderful”, Amerie delivers 13 tracks of pure funk. It may be a heady comparison but the overall record hearkens back to Sign O’ The Times era Prince. Covering ground from multiple styles while creating a cohesive album that really just makes you want to shake your behind and fall in love all at the same time.
While this record is not out in the states until August 21st, the UK crowd has had this record since May where it reached number 17 on the UK Album charts. Here’s a taste of what we’re in store for… check out “Crazy Wonderful” and pick up Because I Love It when it hits stores, or pick up the UK import which includes her 2005 breakthrough tune “1Thing”.
Amerie – Crazy Wonderful (MP3)
Buy: Because I Love It
Links: Official Site | MySpace
Ickmusic Live: Parliament Funkadelic, 1978
A trip back to 1978, when I was all of 8 years old, buried in the snow of a northern Minnesota winter. Across the pond, George Clinton and his traveling troupe of funkateers were most likely highly enjoying themselves in Amsterdam, taking in the sights, and – no doubt – taking in all the town had to offer.
Parliament Funkadelic
December 8, 1978
Jaap Eden Halle, Amsterdam, Holland
aka Afrolicious & the Electric Pussy1. Intro
2. Cholly (Funk Gettin’ Ready To Roll)
3. Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucka)
4. Night Of The Thumpasaurus Peoples
5. James Wesley Jackson Monologue
6. Standing On The Verge Of Gettin’ It On
7. Mothership Connection
8. Flashlight
9. One Nation Under A GrooveNew Philly Phunk: The Blue Method
I’m liking a CD I was recently sent, by Philadelphia funk outfit The Blue Method. Catchy, hooky, fun-kay music. They’re releasing their second album, Kill the Music, Vol. 2, later this month. If you’re in the Philly area, go to the World Cafe on Saturday, June 23rd for their CD release party.
Dammit I know my funk, and these boys got it! They lay it down thick, my friends, and that’s a beautiful thing. From the head bobbing “Get Back Home” (below), to the laid back groove of “…And How Does That Make You Feel”, to the retro power soul of “Spinnin” (which you can hear on their MySpace site), to their tribute to the Godfather of Soul in “Let Me See You”, I know a lot of you out there will enjoy this.
Check out their links below and pick up their new CD when it’s available….
The Blue Method –
Get Back Home (The Bounce)[mp3]The Blue Method’s Official Site | MySpace
On the Sly – an Ickmusic Giveaway
Photo credit: SBMG Archives“Black, white, Puerto Rican everybody just a freakin,’ good times were rollin…” – Prince “Uptown”
Prince sang these lyrics on his 1980 album, ‘Dirty Mind.’ He practiced what he preached with his backing band from the very beginning. Surrounding himself with black folks, white folks, male, female. But it was nothing new. More than a dozen years earlier in San Francisco, Sylvester Stewart, aka Sly Stone, had assembled a band of much the same makeup. In 1967, Sly put together the now legendary Family Stone: Fred Stewart (guitar, vocals), Larry Graham, Jr. (bass, vocals), Greg Errico (drums), Jerry Martini (saxophone), and Rosie Stone (piano), and Cynthia Robinson (trumpet).
Their mixture of funky, psychedelic, rock & soul shook up the Bay Area, at a time when bands like Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead were doing some serious mind blowing of their own. Oh, to be a young person living in Haight-Ashbury in the late 60’s. Loord have mercy… Kaboom! goes the brain.
Sly and the Family Stone were signed to CBS’s Epic Records in 1967 by one Clive Davis. Between ’67 and ’74, they released seven groundbreaking albums which would go on to influence countless numbers of performers down the road, including our boy Prince. In fact, if you think about it, what band has been more influential overall on Prince? Larry Graham, after all, is the reason Prince won’t curse anymore, and the reason he changed “Sexuality” to “Spirituality”. Yep, Larry’s the one that turned Prince on to life as a Jehovah’s Witness. No birthday for you!
So Sly’s breakthrough album was 1969’s ‘Stand’, which included such funkalicious staples as “I Wanna Take You Higher”, “Sing a Simple Song”, and “Everyday People.” As the idealism and flower power of the 60’s ended, Sly pretty much lost himself in addictions to drugs, particularly cocaine and PCP. The man reportedly used to carry around a violin case full of drugs everywhere he went.
Sly pretty much dropped off the map as the seventies came to a close, and has struggled with addiction ever since. He popped up to help The Time’s Jesse Johnson on Jesse’s second album, ‘Shockadelica’, singing on “Crazay” in 1986. Since then, he was pretty quiet until 2006’s Grammy Awards, when he popped up on stage looking about 10 different types of cuckoo. I think he’s stil making an effort to clean up and get back on stage. I think I heard he showed up at a Vegas gig recently? There’s a great place to kick your addicitions…
So all seven of these albums (listed below) were reissued by Epic/Legacy in early April. I got my hands on ‘Stand!’, and for some reason, I’m going to give it away to one of you fine folks. This reissue has five bonus tracks: three mono singles and two previously unreleased bonus tracks.
The winner will be selected from the comments using a secret, proprietary formula. Or by having my one year old point to the screen. Or whichever one thoroughly entertains me. Or… you get the idea. No rhyme or reason really. Good luck! And check out some of these tracks and reissues.
Sly & the Family Stone Streamage – comin’ at ya in Real format! Keepin’ it real! Kaboom!
Everyday People (single version)
Stand! Track List
(Epic/Legacy 82876 75912 2, originally issued April 1969, as Epic 26456)
1. Stand! (3rd single, R&B #14, Hot 100 #22) • 2. Don’t Call Me Nigger, Whitey • 3. I Want To Take You Higher (4th single, R&B #24, Hot 100 #60/1969, Hot 100 #38/1970) • 4. Somebody’s Watching You • 5. Sing A Simple Song (2nd single, R&B 28, Hot 100 #89) • 6. Everyday People (1st single, Hot 100 #1, R&B #1) • 7. Sex Machine • 8. You Can Make It If You Try • Bonus tracks: 9. Stand! (single version, mono) • 10. I Want To Take You Higher (single version, mono) • 11. You Can Make It If You Try (unissued/cancelled single version, mono) • 12. Soul Clappin’ II (previously unreleased) • 13. My Brain (Zig-Zag) (instrumental track, previously unreleased). Produced by Sly Stone.
Note: All tracks recorded 1969, except: tracks 5, 8, 11 recorded 1968.
Buy it:
Sly & the Family Stone’s Official Site
The Reissues:
• A WHOLE NEW THING (1967)
• DANCE TO THE MUSIC (1968)
• LIFE (1968)
• STAND! (1969)
• THERE’S A RIOT GOIN’ ON (1971)
• FRESH (1973)
• SMALL TALK (1974)Tony Allen and Ginger Baker Poundin the Skins
Kudos to Jefito for throwing a Fela Kuti / Ginger Baker tune on one of his Friday mix tapes a couple months back. It made me aware of Fela and the Africa 70’s “Live” album with Ginger Baker. It was originally released in 1971, but was reissued late last year with a 16 minute bonus track – a Ginger Baker / Tony Allen drum jam.
Tony Allen was Fela Kuti’s drummer for many many years, and is active today in The Good, the Bad, & the Queen, which also features former Blur frontman Damon Albarn, and former Clash – yes CLASH – bassist Paul Simonon. Hidden Track caught one of their shows over the weekend, and has some sweet pics posted in their photo review.
So I’m a percussion kind of guy, and can happily spend 16 minutes of my life listening to a fine Afrobeat / funkin’ drummin’ jam. Can you?
Ginger Baker & Tony Allen Drum Solo(mp3, 25mb) – Live at the 1978 Berlin Jazz FestivalBuy:
Attack Me With Your Love
Put a little Cameo into your Valentine’s Day….
Late Night Prince: Hamburg 88
The grandaddy of Prince aftershows, at least as far as 80’s Prince goes, is the ‘Small Club’ from the Hague in Holland, recorded late one night & early one morning on August 19, 1988 during the Lovesexy Tour.
Overshadowed by its excellent quality big brother, this aftershow from later that month is a treat in itself. The sound quality leaves a little to be desired, there’s some skips, there’s parts missing. Yeah, it’s imperfect, but totally worth it. It’s another glimpse into the real Prince, the Prince that liked to keep his band up until the wee hours of the morning, running them through the funky stuff, keeping them sharp, but very relaxed at the same time.
This is certainly the sweetest and funkiest “Strange Relationship” I’ve ever heard. Ten minutes of Strange Relationship-ness, no less. Prince brings up Taylor Dane during “Still Would Stand All Time”, where towards the end she gets into it with the late Boni Boyer (who can sing louder?). We get “Rave Un 2 the Joy Fantastic” a dozen years before it was officially released. A nice long “Love Bizarre”. And during “God is Alive”, Prince (sort of) explains why the ‘Black Album’ was pulled in favor of ‘Lovesexy’.
I’ll always favor this Prince.
Aftershow at Grosse Freiheit 36 club in Hamburg, Germany
August 30-31, 19881.
Just My Imagination[fades in after start]
2.Rave Un 2 The Joy Fantastic
3.Girls & Boys
4.Venus De Milo
5.Starfish & Coffee
6.Raspberry Beret
7.People Without
8.Condition Of The Heart
9.Still Would Stand All Time(w/ Taylor Dayne)
10.Strange Relationship
11.A Love Bizarre
12.I’ll Take U There
13.Down Home Blues / Blues In C
14.Cold Sweat
15.God Is Alive
16.I Wish U Heaven
17.Purple Rain[faded out before end]Prince’s Official Site.
Whilst on a “Lovesexy” YouTube search, I came across this dance interpretation of Prince’s “Sister” from ‘Dirty Mind’. I’m feverishly trying to track down her interpretation of the song that precedes “Sister” on the album. Now I don’t want to exclude anyone, so for those who don’t enjoy that, try this.
