Partly inspired by the fact the first track my iPod spat out on shuffle this morning was Ice Cube's "It Was A Good Day", this is all I want to listen to right now.
Don't bother quibbling over genres or wrinkling your nose at the F-word - the point is these tracks have got enough swing and bounce to make you want to dance at your desk. If you're lucky enough not to be in work, even better. I was going to do this as a muxtape link but the site's down, so here's a zip file:
http://download.yousendit.com/34F699422CC19039
1) Charles Wright's "Express Yourself" is a great record, and even if you don't know you know it, you *know* it. This is an alternate version I just found on some dude's blog.
2) Joe Tex's "I Gotcha" - also brilliant, tougher, somehow made better and not worse by the possessive, menacing tone. Also one of the highlights of the Reservoir Dogs soundtrack.
3) The Meters' version of "Oh Calcutta!" - at one stage I listened to this band at least once a day for nine months. This is the track Rich Harrison got the beat for Amerie's "One Thing" from (around the 1:40 mark).
Now it's your turn. Tell me your favourites. If you've got links, even better.
Blocked at work..
..so I'll still be wary of funk- blame pretty much every single funk-rock band in Berkshire for that.
<something about Jamiroquai>
Thanks
Now I have 'Virtual Insanity' in my head. Or it could be the one from Godzilla. Or the one about Space Cowboys. They all sound the same.
JOe - www.anewbandaday.com
...
The Meters - Just Kissed My Baby. So sums up the pleasure of just having kissed one's bebeh, that it's actually impossible to listen to while you're in a relationship due to the voice inside your head constantly shouting at you to stop living a cliché. Luckily they also have Funkify Your Life.
We Want The Funk - Funkadelic. Self explanatory.
Chameleon - Herbie Hancock. Prog funk?
You Ain't Got No Groove - Victor Wooten. Best evocation of my opinion that it is physically impossible to have a good song without a good rhythm section.
That'll do for now.
Chameleon is awesome.
I love Herb.
DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist
Brain Freeze... now that is a funky as hell DJ set.
...
FAIL. Funk involves musicians.
they play a set completly out of
old funk record 45's its freakin amazing... goes thru 100s of tunes... you square.
...
Don't give two shits. I ain't paying no money to see someone play his record collection.
you obviously aint seen
a turntable master at work then have ya. they just play the best bits from each tune choped together in a massive party style its probibly the best funk experiance you will get hearing old the old tunes as those bands ant around anymore. Man your boaring.
...
He plays other people's work. Don't give a flying one.
you never listen to recorded music then?
or anyone else's music... do you just listen to live stuff all the time?... I'm not really fussed it just seems a bit strange to me.
I've been listening to Rufus Thomas in the car this week.
"The Funkiest Man Alive!". He's dead now of course...
you can't diss the funk!
Funkadelics first 3 albums are flawless and that Motor City Madness comp is a perfect summing up of their thang.
War - War Is Coming is a fantastic funk track (if you want one particular track right now).
"funk involves musicians" What a daft comment.
agreed
first 3 funkadelic albums are sheer funky perfection.
also most parliament is amazing. anything off 'mothership conection', 'clones of dr funkenstein' & 'funkentelechy vs placebo syndome' is worth a listen.
it's all about the p-funk really.
I'M NOT FUCKING DISSING THE FUCKING FUNK!
^^calm down sweetheart!!^^
my replies always drop into the wrong slots on here. It's obvious you're not dissing the funk so how would you apply my reply to you??? My reply was to the "funk involves musician" post. But re-reading that I can see I've made an error there as well. I have no brain today. That comm was directed to the DJ Shadow = no funk thing. Let's have a funk cuddle and forget all about it.
I just wanted to type "fucking funk"
(no offence taken really)
This thread makes me happy
I shall contribute when I've finished transcribing the war diaries of Rory Bremner's dad...
Everything I do Gon be Funky
by Lee Dorsey. Or pretty much anything else by him either
Cymande - Brothers On The Slide
always transports me to this perfect place where everyones dressed like Huggie Bear and smoking
^ this
one of the best.
^^^
All of that album is immense!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH9funS48DU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz3Ds0JABsM
also...
sly & the family stone - if you want me to stay
war - why can't we be friends?
bootsy's rubber band - i'd rather be with you
Bad Sandwich to thread
the Chili Peppers have a lot to answer for, but for all the non-believers, there is so much awesome funk out there it's untrue.
It's well worth looking beyond the usual funk touchstones such as James Brown, Funkadelic, Curtis Mayfield etc. as there are so many gems to be unearthed. There are plenty of obscure compilations to dip your toes into - i was just listening to this, fantastic and not a slap-bass solo in sight http://tinyurl.com/4tt9qn
We were going to play with Bad Sandwich this weekend!
They're absolutely awful. The gig got cancelled though.
If you like "It was a good day"
listen to the Isley Brothers "Footsteps In The Dark"
It's basically the same song. It's great! hurrah!
the Soul Jazz comps
like the New Orleans Funk one are tremendous. Or....
James Brown - There It Is
Going thru my ipod picking out funk nuggets. Funk and the warm weather just gives me the horn, know what I mean ;)
Yep,
The New Orleans one is another that I've been listening to this week. Hercules is probably my favourite.
Has anyone mentioned Baby Huey yet? No? Ok, Baby Huey & The Babysitters.
people who aren't into funk don't deserve legs
obviously everyone should know james brown, funkadelic, parliament, curtis mayfield, sly and the family stone (best band of all time?) .... i think my favourite funk-er is betty davis - wife of miles and she fucked jimi hendrix so she's certainly a bad mutha. heavy stuff indeed. cymande as mentioned are pretty great, reggae-ish. download 'theme de yoyo' from art ensemble of chicago's "les stances a sophie" album for a bit of jazz funk, or joe mcphee's "nation time" for something a bit looser. i picked up a great gospel funk comp recently too but i can't think of the name - fire and brimstone preachin' and testifyin' with an ass-shaking rhythm section. fucking great.
Blatantly been said, but...
...Headhunters is The Sun in this Solar System, and Herbie is the hottest part.
The Headhunters album is a proper, genuine work of brilliance. All of it, not just the bits you know.
A lesser known gem is Don Blackman's self titled 70s debut, which I think has eventually made it to CD in the last decade. It's a killer, and it's got the mighty Dennis Chambers fucking rocking out all over it, which will fuck you up like it should.
I could go on about this, but I probably shouldn't...
Here's some
The Jimmy Castor Bunch - It's Just Begun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFdO01AFFC8
or if you like it more ridiculous
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=182kaAEScUU
Blackrock - Yeah Yeah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv08MQtPSg0
Booker T & Thee MGs - Melting Pot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq4FFzDP8Ms
aye
and 'Blind Man' by LA Carnival. No youtube available for that though.
no ones mentioned
Earth, Wind and Fire.
Please let the flaming begin.
Funk
Anything with George Clinton in is good enough for me, even more so if it's got some "mouse" organ going on i.e. "Dr. Funkenstein"
Eddie Henderson - Say You Will
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1USj00M1OQ
Ok, so technically it's Jazz-Funk but it's more on the funk side.
Heatwave - Boogie Nights
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOe2H3tRjjM&feature=related
Again it's not straight funk, infact it's just disco but with a stomping funk backbone. Heatwave are also responsible for one of my favorite songs "star of a story" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmMxCkb-5XQ
you see,
thems the dangerous things. i loves my funk. really i do. but i wont lie. jazz-funk is a bit crap to be honest (with a few exceptions). and all my friends gloss over this and assume that i'll love it if its jazz funk.
earth wind and fire... disco funk. not proper funk.
check out robert randolph and the family band for the most amazing funk/blues/soul/gospel/rock/not-jazz thing you ever did hear.
http://www.myspace.com/robertrandolph
and they are playing soon. but i cant see them :(
no ones mentioned the ohio players yet? FOPP anyone?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gssnT3VT0I