• Funk,  Soul

    Back to the Roots: James Brown Live

    James Brown

    Dec. 25th Update: With the passing of James Brown on this Christmas Day, I’m reposting this show. I don’t have time right now to link up all the individual songs below, but if you go here you can download the songs. Or, if you want the whole show in a RAR file, click here (it’s right around 50 MB).

    Today’s R&B, soul, hip-hop, and music scene overall would be a vastly different place without James Brown. His influence is immeasurable. Where would Prince’s live show have been without the signature James Brown splits and mic stand tricks?

    So we cruise back to the year 1973, and across the pond to Switzerland, to listen in on a James Brown show. The JB’s featuring Maceo Parker had just played an opening set, and then on came James.

    For a great accompaniment to this show, read this great James Brown article in Rolling Stone.

    James Brown
    Live in Switzerland, 1973 (exact city & date unknown)
    “Avalanche of Funk”

    01 Intro
    02 Get On The Good Foot
    03 Soul Power
    04 Make It Funky
    05 Bewildered
    06 Super Ad
    07 Try Me
    08 Hot Pants
    09 Sex Machine
    10 I’ve Got A Bag Of My Own
    11 It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World
    12 Please Please Please
    13 I Can’t Stand Myself
    14 Cold Sweat

    james brown

  • Funk,  Soul

    A Closer Look at Nino

    null

    Having had time to sit back and take in Nino Moschella’s LP, The Fix, I can report back to you that yes – we have a funky white boy on our hands (takes one to know one). Yes, the man channels Innervisions-era Stevie Wonder. Yes, the man channels Prince. Yes, the man records out of a home studio not far Fresno, California.

    The Ickmusic Seal of Approval is hereby affixed – dingggg! – on to The Fix.

    Nino Moschella: Didn’t You See Her (mp3)

    Related: Nino Knows Funky | Nino’s MySpace page | His Official Site | His Ubiquity Records profile

    Purchase The Fix:
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  • Funk,  R&B,  Soul

    Being James Brown, by Jonathan Lethem

    James Brown

    If you haven’t had a good fix of James Brown lately, or if you’re not that familiar with his stuff other than what you’ve heard in hip hop samples, allow me to steer you toward a great piece in Rolling Stone magazine by Jonathan Lethem. It’s an in depth look at the James Brown of 2006, and the James Brown Band of 2006. From spending days with the band in an Augusta, Georgia recording studio, to a JB gig in Gateshead, UK, Lethem really captures James Brown: the soul / funk superstar, the strict and unforgiving band leader, the lonely, abandoned inner child, and the troubled older adult (with the law, marriage, etc.). It also captures those surrounding him, his band in particular. Obedient and respectful servants of the man on stage and in the studio, but very real people with real musical aspirations behind the scenes.

    Lethem is an amazing writer, as you’ll see. I’ve enjoyed a few of his imaginitive sci-fi books (Gun, With Occasional Music, Girl in Landscape, As She Climbed Across the Table), and was happy to come across this RS article.

    The online article also has a link to a James Brown Essential playlist, 9 full songs including “Cold Sweat”, “Think”, “Please, Please, Please”, and “Lost Someone”. There is also a 20 minute mp3 interview with Lethem. Take a few minutes out of your online cruising and enjoy this…

    Article: Being James Brown – Rolling Stone article written by Jonathan Lethem
    The Artist: James Brown’s Official Site | Wikipedia Entry | Buy His Music
    The Author: Jonathan Lethem’s Web Site | Bibiliography

  • Funk,  Prince,  Soul

    Prince after hours at the Fillmore

    One of the coolest parts about being a Prince fan is, if you’re lucky, catching one of his patented ‘aftershows’. I’ve only seen a couple in my day, one at the Utopia nighclub in Las Vegas (’97 I think), and another at the Electric Ballroom in Tempe, AZ (’97 too I guess… gee gotta love my memory these days). To see him perform in an intimate setting in the late night hours (his prime time hours) is a real treat. They’re relaxed, funky, extended jam sessions.

    This aftershow from 2001’s Hit n Run tour is no exception. In the early morning hours of April 29th, 2001, Prince, his band the NPG, Larry Graham (formerly of the Family Stone and Graham Central Station, and apparently the man responsible for steering Prince toward the Jehovah’s Witnesses), Sheila E., sax man Najee, and Kirk Johnson’s band the Fonky Baldheads, took the stage at the Fillmore in San Francisco for some after hours jamming.

    The quality here is excellent. Make sure to check out “Joy in Repetition” (a great ‘Graffiti Bridge‘ tune), “Paisley Park”(f** yeah!) from ‘Around the World in a Day“, and please oh please listen to his guitar work on “Oye Como Va”. You’re in for a treat…….

    Prince (with the NPG, Larry Graham, Najee, Sheila E., Milenia, and the Fonky Baldheads)
    Hit N Run Aftershow
    The Fillmore, San Francisco
    April 29th, 2001

    1. The Daisy Chain
    2. Do Right Woman – Do Right Man (sung by Rosie Gaines)
    3. Carwash (sung by Rosie Gaines)
    4. Ain’t No Way (sung by Rosie Gaines)
    5. Joy in Repetition(feat. Najee on Sax)
    6. Paisley Park
    7. Santana Medley (feat. Sheila E.)
    8. Oye Como Va
    9. Come On
    10. Fonky Baldheads (Tracks played over PA system)
    11. Alphabet St.
    12. Outro
  • BritPop,  Soul

    Style Council, part two

    What kind of a person would I be if I didn’t follow up with the rest of the Style Council show? A wretched one, that’s what. So here’s part two of the Style Council’s 1984 Milan show. The first half is here.

    paul weller

    So I’ve been checking out Paul Weller’s impressive web site, and am looking forward to jumping in to some of his newer stuff. There’s a great video page on there with some cool live performances. It doesn’t indicate where the live footage is from, but it looks like one of those great British gatherings like maybe the Isle of Wight Festival. Paul is releasing a new live double album on June 12th too. We Yanks can pre-order it here. You Brits can pre-order it here.

    Part II, Milan, 24October, 1984

    • 11. Le Depart
    • 12. The Paris Match
    • 13. The Whole Point Of No Return
    • 14. Me Ship Came In!
    • 15. Money-Go-Round
    • 16. Headstart For Happiness
    • 17. Strength Of Your Nature
    • 18. Speak Like A Child
    • 19. One Nation Under A Groove (Parliament cover)
  • BritPop,  Soul

    An Evening with The Style Council

    style council

    It’s obvious I’ve been on sort of a live music kick lately, so why not some more? I first heard about The Style Council the way a lot of people discover music: an older sibling. My brother Steve was a big fan of theirs way back when, and truth be told, I never gave the SC much of a chance. But I did like their sound. I like-a-tha soul, and these boys had the soul. White boy soul, but soul nonetheless.

    The Style Council was formed in 1983 by guitarist and vocalist Paul Weller. Weller belonged to one of the great British bands to rise out of the mid-70’s punk revolution: The Jam. Not satisfied with the direction the band was going, and in need of more soul, R&B and jazz influence, he joined up with keyboardist Mick Talbot to form the Style Council (much to the chagrin of Jam fans).

    So I got a hold of a live recording from their heyday, 1984 (the year I got soul / r&b / funk crazy when I discovered Prince). I thought I’d post half of the show, and post the other half in a few days if the interest is there. I also will be checking out a 1980 Jam show I came across. But for now, Ladies and gentlemen, the Style Council….

    The Style Council
    Milano Teatro Tenda, Milan, Italy
    October 24, 1984

      1. Big Boss Groove
      2. My Ever Changing Moods
      3. You’re The Best Thing
      4. A Man Of Great Promise
      5. Mick’s Up
      6. It Just Came To Pieces In My Hands
      7. Long Hot Summer
      8. Don’t Do It
      9. Shout To The Top!
      10. Infearing Beat
      11. Le Depart
      12. The Paris Match
      13. The Whole Point Of No Return
      14. Me Ship Came In!
      15. Money-Go-Round
      16. Headstart For Happiness
      17. Strength Of Your Nature
      18. Speak Like A Child
      19. One Nation Under A Groove

    Buy the Style Council’s Greatest Hits

  • R&B,  Soul

    Easter Sunday Soul

    As I wait for my wife to have our second little girl (any day now), I throw on some classics from back in the day to help me cope with the anxiety and impatience…….

    Prince: Soft & Wet [live, March 6, 1980] (mp3) – buy

    The Manhattans: Kiss and Say Goodbye (mp3) – buy

    Toussaint McCall: Nothing Takes the Place of You (mp3) – buy

  • Soul

    Stoned with Lewis Taylor

    Lewis Taylor

    You wanna hear some funky, contemporary British soul? I just found out about Lewis Taylor. He’s a multi-instrumental artist born and raised in Barnet, North London. He’s been making music for a good while (since the 80’s), including some years under the pseudonym of Sheriff Jack.

    This track caught my attention. It’s a laid back, funky soulful groove with nice lyrics (“you stoned me baby, I don’t think I’ll ever recover nowwww”). And then the powerful and fuzzy wah-wah guitar solo. Bugger this is a cool song. You Brits are probably way ahead of me on this one… what else am I missing?

    Lewis Taylor: Stoned, Pt. 1 (mp3) – buy the album Stoned

    • Here’s the video in Quicktime. Pretty cool video; hot model and all, but enough with the collagen already! Your upper lip looks like a pink bagel.
    • Update…after exhaustive research, it was found that the “model” in the video is Esthero. She’s a singer from Ontario, Canada. Her upper lip still bugs me though.
    • New (to me) blog alert: One Soulful Negro has a couple more Lewis Taylor tracks up here.
  • Funk,  Prince,  Soul

    this is not music

    One day Prince will compile and release all of the great 12″ extended remixes of his glory days. By request, here’s another: the extended “Alphabet St. (this is not music, this is a trip)”. Excuse the background vinyl noise.

    Prince: Alphabet St. (this is not music, this is a trip) – mp3 – original version found on Lovesexy

    P.S. A question for anyone out there who converts LP’s on to their PC’s: any recommendations for good software to efficiently remove the background snaps, crackles, and pops? I used Microsoft Plus Analog Recorder for a while, but it takes … a … long…time.

  • Funk,  Soul

    Sly as a Loon

    For some reason, I sat through the entire broadcast of the Grammies last week. Of course it was great to see the Boss perform “Devils & Dust” and sit in on the Wilson Pickett tribute (singing “In the Midnight Hour” with Sam Moore).

    Watching poor Paul McCartney sing “Yesterday” along with Linkin Park while Jay Z “uh-huh”ed and “yeah”ed in the background was one of the sadder moments for me. I don’t get it. Watching the immodest and overrated Kanye West lose awards did put a smile on my face though.

    But the jaw dropping moment had to be when Sly Stone shuffled out during a reunion / tribute to the Family Stone (along with the ubiquitous Joss Stone, John Legend, Fantasia, etc.). Hunched over, with a gold jacket and a giant peroxide Mohawk, he sang a few bars of “I Want to Take You Higher” and then was on his way. The man looked to be about 10 shades of crazy – priceless!!

    So naturally I dug through my LP’s and dug out a great song Sly did with Jesse Johnson (former guitarist for The Time), ironically named “Crazay”.

    Jesse Johnson Featuring Sly Stone: Crazay (mp3) – Found on ‘Shockadelica’, Jesse’s 1986 album.