The below are all from a large estate sale find (Mar):
Afrique - Soul Makossa. 1973 Mainstream (LP). As soon as I saw the title, I snapped it up as quickly as possible. Of course I was thinking of The Lafayette Afro Rock Band. But they covered the same song Afrique is here - from a one Manu Dibango, who also has an album with that name. I'm a sucker for wah wah guitar, and in particular when used in rhythm, and there's plenty of that going around here. About half the album has killer grooves and some mean soloing. And the other half is mostly sugar free and reminds me of the dancehall RnB numbers from a decade past. 13 member band with five of the team on drums and percussion, so it's groovy for sure.
Curtis Mayfield - Curtis / Live! 1971 Buddha (Germany) (LP). This double album demonstrates that Mayfield could reinsert himself 50 years forward, and possess the most topical album of the moment. Seriously, the lyrical themes presented here are the headlines of today. For music fans, what you get is Mayfield in an intimate club setting. Stripped down to its core, it becomes clear this is Mayfield's show from beginning to end. There's a little bit of instrumental virtuosity allowed, but not enough to fully engage at that level. While I can appreciate this album objectively, it's yet another work that doesn't inspire me for multiple listens. I can let this one go. Comes in a nice gatefold cover with lyrics and photos inside the fold out.
Marvin Gaye - Trouble Man. 1971 Tamla Motown (Germany) (LP). I first sampled That's the Way Love Is (1969) and it pretty much sounded as I expected - pure soul. It went straight to the record show box, no need for a deep dive. But Trouble Man caught my ear, and a few weeks later, I'm digging in. Well it certainly starts off with a fine groove, and there are plenty of fine songwriting elements here. Even though it's fully a Marvin Gaye effort, he rarely sings. It's truly a soundtrack, and as such, most of the music is orchestrated incidental music to go with the film. Not bad on the whole, but not enough funk cuts for me to keep.
*Earth, Wind & Fire - Head to the Sky. 1973 CBS (Netherlands) (LP). Last of the EWF's from the soul-jazz collection. Side 1 is consistent with what was to follow - that of melodic funk and sweet soul. I like this better than Spirit for this style. But the money side is the flip. Here Earth, Wind & Fire show their considerable instrumental chops in addition to the funk. 13 minute 'Zanzibar' being an obvious highlight. This is what I've been looking for from the band. Nice gatefold cover as well.
*The J.B.'s - Doing it to Death. 1973 Polydor (Germany) (LP). Now this is the definition of raw funk. Lay down the beat, and let it ride. Tight as a drum. Except of course for James Brown himself who rants and raves wildly - and jams aimlessly on the organ. But the rest of the band dare not step out of line - or face a big fat fine (sing that last sentence as Brown would). I can never get out of my mind Eddie Murphy's 1980s comedy skit about James Brown's lyrics. Yet another individual worth reading about in Wikipedia while listening. I learned quite a bit about the man. An anomaly from the soul-jazz collection. Nothing sweet about this album. Keeper.
*Quincy Jones - Smackwater Jack. 1976 A&M (Germany) (LP). At the point of this release (1971), Quincy Jones was still a much sought after soundtrack composer. This is one of his transition albums moving towards more solo works. Having said that, Smackwater Jack features one of Jones' more memorable themes in 'Ironside' with the really cool Moog synthesizer and some fine flute. The other soundtrack piece is from 'The Anderson Tapes' (great movie BTW, starring Sean Connery in his prime), which is also great featuring electronics, which was pioneering in its day. The album has a nice sweet groove overall, including 'Cast Your Fate to the Wind', 'What's Going On?', and 'Hikky-Burr'. The final track is interesting as it seems to be a dissertation on blues guitar, including one fiery psychedelic rave-up (from Eric Gale), something you wouldn't think would come from a Quincy Jones composition. There's a cast of thousands performing here, and you know many of them. Nice album overall, with the fine gatefold cover being icing on the cake.
*Osibisa - Super Fly T.N.T. 1973 Buddha (LP). Perhaps this will be the album to keep Mayfield's Superfly company. One of the kingpins of the blaxploitation genre, I've never seen the flick myself, but I can pretty much guess how it goes. Osibisa is a band I remember from my early collecting days - who could miss those flying elephant Roger Dean covers? But I never pursued as funk wasn't my thing back in the 80s. Now I never see them - of course. Well in the wilds I should say - they're hardly rare or expensive. In any case, this soundtrack is mostly great, exactly what you would want from a film such as this. Plenty of flute, wah wah, organ, and brass. And it's very much like a fully realized album, not incidental music like Shaft for example. Neat gatefold cover. I look forward to finding those early Osibisa albums again. This collection didn't have any more, unless my competition pulled them down first.
Donny Hathaway - Extension of a Man. 1973 ATCO Quadra Disc (LP). This would be Hathaway's last studio solo album. He was a very troubled man, and suffered from mental illness which lead to his early death at age 33 of a suicide. This album is considered one of his best, as it balances his soul and funk sides evenly. To my ears, this is similar to the Mayfield album below. Definitely geared to the soul crowd, and the funk is pretty lightweight. Lots of strings and crooning. Fair enough, that's what the genre calls for. But it isn't for me.
*Ohio Players - Pleasure. 1972 Bellaphon (Germany) (LP). This is my last try for the Ohio Players. Oh yea - boom, this is what I'm looking for. Well, Side 1 is anyway. The title track is a mix of soul-funk and horn rock, the latter played to perfection. 'Pride and Vanity' is similar, and 'Walt's First Trip' is a killer instrumental. Fantastic start! If only the flip held serve. 'Varee is Love' is pure soul and 'Paint Me' is the kind of funk that the band would pursue later on. 'Funky Worm' is a hip-hop samplers classic, but I think it's just silly honestly. But not all is a loss. 'Walked Away From You' recalls the first side and 'Our Love Has Died' is a very interesting psychedelic soul piece. It's not really a combo of each style but rather each are featured within the song separately. Definitely shows the band could be serious if they wanted to be. For certain keeper here, and will push me to continue looking for their remaining albums during this era (pre 1976).
The O'Jays - Survival. 1975 Philadelphia International (LP). Put The O'Jays in the same category as Earth Wind & Fire, that is to say groups I'm actively seeking in the wilds. And yet another band that when I do find a copy, it's whipped. But this collection was pristine as already mentioned. Survival, which is a little later than the classics the O'Jays are known for, is very much indicative of this particular collection. A mix of smooth soul and biting funk. 'Rich Get Richer' is your hardcore liberal mantra, wrapped around a pretty great tune. 'What am I Waiting For' is another winner. Like the Mayfield album I just spoke of, I find this a pleasant listen, but in the end not something I need to keep.
Ohio Players - Skin Tight. 1974 Mercury (France) (LP). In that same Catholic charity sale last year that yielded Fatback Band's Raisin' Hell, it also produced a couple of Ohio Players albums, including their heralded Fire. They didn't do much for me, but I figured I'd go earlier in the catalog to see if I can find any better. Hmmm... a little bit I guess. The Ohio Players have a penchant to lay down a mean groove, but then they don't really do much with it. On Skin Tight, there are 3 heavy funk tracks, and 3 smooth soul songs. Not really my thing, but it's good for sure. I have one more, even earlier, album to still digest. Interesting "sexist" gatefold cover that would get you cancelled today. The 1970s are starting to seem like the 1800s. A faded, distant past.
*Deodato - First Cuckoo. 1975 MCA (LP) Yea, like with Mendes, I'm finding it hard to lay off Deodato's albums. Interestingly enough, I picked up Prelude from the same neighbor as Superfly. There's some synchronicity for you. First Cuckoo is the "4th" Deodato album, if one starts with the aforementioned Prelude (sort of like B.C. and A.D...). 'Funk Yourself' (hoho) is fairly typical of the era. Fine jazz funk if hardly revelatory. 'Black Dog' is an embarrassment. Who the heck thought it was a great idea to cover Led Zeppelin? As a jazz funk instrumental? It's terrible (first cuckoo indeed). And they have Jimmy Page as Gene Paige. To the best of my knowledge, he never went by that name. How coked up were these guys anyway? At this point, I figured I went too far with Deodato. But have no fear, it gets much better from here. Ah there we go, Deodato's original 'Crabwalk' is what I'm looking for. Some slow headbobbing grooves. Very nice. This is followed by a unique composition from Deodato's peer Marcos Valle called 'Adam's Hotel' (they worked together in early 60's Brazil). Beautiful track. Side 2 opens with a percussion number followed by one more Deodato composition entitled 'Watusi Strut', which recalls naturally enough, 'Super Strut'. This is the only place (unfortunately) where guitarist John Tropea lets loose. Still it's one more great track in his repertoire. 'Speak Low' is another nice late night groover recalling 'Crabwalk'. The album closes on a serious classical note with Frederick Delius' 'First Cuckoo', which is way out of place. Seems Deodato is screaming for respect here. Give it up man. Fascinating cover - note the naked woman with the baby carriage... One more keeper, but lesser than the other two I have.
Curtis Mayfield - Got to Find a Way. 1974 Curtom (L). The only Mayfield solo album I have heard (and own) is Superfly, which some of you may recall I pulled out of a very conservative Christian neighbor's house in Texas ("Jim was going through a phase..." lol). Remember when I said this collection veered more toward soul funk than jazz funk? This album underscores that perfectly. It has Mayfield's signature sound, with wah wah guitars and strings, and he sings in his higher pitched plea that we all "gotta-find-a-way" and "ain't no love lost neither". There's not much deviation here, and it all kind of blurs together after a while. It's a good sound, but not anything that I need to hold onto. There's an earlier Mayfield album I picked up as well, so we'll see then if it sticks around to keep Superfly company.
Earth Wind & Fire - Spirit. 1976 Columbia (LP). This is the album released after That's the Way of the World. OK, this isn't for me either. Way too much gospely whining for my tastes. The familiar 'Getaway' is probably the best composition, and I also enjoyed 'Imagination'. Personally speaking (of course...), the best track here is the instrumental 'Biyo'. And that's about it.
Earth Wind & Fire - Powerlight. 1983 Columbia (LP). This was probably the most marginal LP I bought (perfect place to start then), but as stated on the That's the Way of the World blurb, I'm anxious to hear all of the EWF's. But where to stop? Instincts told me this would be way too late. I don't recall liking any contemporary Earth Wind & Fire while still in high school, just their 70s stuff. And my instincts proved to be correct, though this was hardly a painful listen. Enjoyable in fact, but not enough room in the collection for it. It definitely falls to the disco side, and there's plenty of soul crooning as well. But the horn charts are killer, the synth playing is fantastic, and there's some excellent electric guitar soloing as well. For 1983 soul/disco, it's pretty darn good. But not really something I'll pull down for a listen.
* - Keeping for the collection
