2025 Funk / Soul Journal

Willie Hutch - The Mack. 1982 Motown (LP) (1973). Famous blaxploitation flick, that is considered one of the best in the genre (I haven't seen it). The music follows course, as it's mostly heavy soul funk in the Isaac Hayes / Curtis Mayfield tradition. The sound is awesome, with funky wah wah guitar, tight horn charts, bright production, and some crooning from Hutch. Back when ghetto life was depicted as charming and almost laughable. Having lived through it myself in the late 70s and early 80s - being school bussed to the Projects, not to mention working in the industrial districts of the ghetto - I can tell you it was anything but charming. I only wish I'd appreciated the music I was subjugated to at the time. I do now at least. Which gets us back to The Mack's soundtrack. Good title, but not exceptional like Shaft or Superfly. Going to let it sell, which it should do quickly. (9/4)

Strictly Taboo - Playing with Fire. 1991 private (MC). One of many obscure cassettes I've picked up in the last few years. This came from a thrift shop in Albuquerque, which is where Strictly Taboo are from. Side 1 is mostly blues rock with light funk and smooth jazz touches. Female vocals are provided by Hillary Smith and she has a great voice. The guitarist is Steven Katz who seems to be the leader. He has a nice tone and recalls Stevie Ray Vaughan in his style. Rick Allen's sax is where the smooth jazz comes in. Side 2 is mellower with more of a jazz and sophisti-pop influence, and one can hear some Sade here given Smith's vocal approach. No documentation of this existing on tape as I write this, though the CD can be found in Discogs (sold out). I found the album online, and both Katz and Smith have pages out there. RYM: 3.0 (7/29)

The Foundations - Build Me Up Buttercup. 1968 Uni (LP). Found this curiosity at an estate sale recently. I was unfamiliar with the band, so why not try it? The Foundations were a UK group, and on Build Me Up Buttercup, they essentially play a type of soul rock. Not really psych, and certainly not funk. A little bit like The 5th Dimension but lacking in memorable hooks. Organ is the primary instrument with a smattering of horns. The songs become increasingly annoying, perhaps because I wanted them to develop in some form or fashion. But they never do and eventually the rating begins to slip. (7/18)

*Fela Kuti - Beasts of No Nation. 1989 Shanachie (MC). Now here's an artist I'd long forgotten about. Finding this tape at a thrift shop was also quite the surprise. And adding even further to the confusion (to use a Kuti title) is the album was released on Shanachie here in the States. A label I associate with Irish folk music like Planxty and The Chieftains. And well, one more crazy part of the puzzle: There are two different distinct releases of Beasts of No Nation. This one has two tracks. The other has the title track spread across both sides, one vocal, the other instrumental. It is the latter that was reissued by Knitting Factory to modern audiences. Back to Fela Kuti. I bought one of his 2-on-1 CDs at the height of his posthumous fame in the late 90s / early 2000s. While I enjoyed it, I did decide to move it out. And I was reminded why on Beasts of No Nation. As the cover suggests, Kuti was a radical political figure, already having been jailed by this time. And he was not to be silenced. The tracks set a deep funk groove (Afrobeat) with plenty of excellent tight horn charts. And then Kuti goes on his rant. Whether everything he sings is the gospel truth or the psychotic ramblings of a lunatic, one has to endure the duration as he goes on about it forever and a day. Still, those grooves. And to find this at a thrift shop. Way too cool. (6/26).

Sun - Sun-Power. 1977 Capitol (LP). When the album opened with rhythm guitar and tight horn charts, I thought I may have found my new favorite group. Especially given we have a full ten piece band here. But it quicky devolved into the typical funky soul disco of the day. Nothing really resonated with me. Sun-Power is the sophomore release from Dayton, Ohio based Sun. I was previously unfamiliar with them, but they had a nice seven album run on Capitol, no small feat. Later they added one more on the fledgling local Air City Records that also featured another Dayton area has-been: the Ohio Players. I'm up for hearing any and all, and will keep my eyes peeled, especially since many carry some value. (5/25)

Harvey Mason - Marching in the Street. 1975 Arista (LP). Mason is bumping against the perimeter of the type of music I really enjoy and keep. But the funk is too slick and friendly. I prefer a more raw sound. Mason's solo debut is better than Funk in a Mason Jar, but falls a few feet short of making the next round. (5/12)

Harvey Mason - Funk in a Mason Jar. 1977 Arista (LP). Clever title though a bit inaccurate. Light on funk and heavier on disco and smooth soul. It's not until A3 that my ears perk up. Guitarist Ray Parker brings out his inner Ernie Isley and Eddie Hazel. The album is filled with guests and this would be his sole cameo. Side 2 is better. The first two tracks have a nice smooth groove and B3 sounds more like the complex fusion of Return to Forever. Nice album but not an uncommon sound for 1977. (5/10)

Lifestyle - Katrina / Love Can Make You Cry. 1977 MCA (SP). Recently found two of these at a local thrift shop. 'Katrina' is a nice disco song with a sweet melody. The B) side is whiny soul and far away from my boundary. Got to let them both go. (2/15)

The Red Hot Chili Peppers - Freaky Styley. 1985 EMI Manhattan (MC). In the late 80s, when first hearing The Red Hot Chili Peppers, I thought they might be a band I could get into. It's still possible I might, but this is an earlier work and not considered a good one by fans of the band. It's as much rap as it is funk rock. But even the latter is lacking the groove and gravitas to pull it off. Sounds like a bunch of white junkies to me. (1/30)

* - Keeping for the collection

2025 Classic rock / AOR Journal Vol. 1

Alice Cooper - Easy Action. 1975 Warner Bros (LP) (1970). It's true what they say when folks tell you this is nothing like the Alice Cooper you know. Musically this is a post psych, early prog, slightly jazzy release. If the songs were more memorable, I'd probably hold onto it. Apparently the band hadn't found their glammy hard rock sound yet, one they were to create on their next album Love it to Death.(Jun)

x - Cricket. 1979 Z-Brah (LP). Grabbed this out of a garage sale and it was strangely the only thing of interest in their stack. Signed copy of a private press rock album from Los Angeles is an immediate purchase for me. Guess the homeowners may have known the band in some way and the signature was for them. In any case the music displayed here is Female Fronted AOR (FFAOR), a subgenre that's become popular is recent years. Musically it's too brash for Yacht Rock, too rigid to be disco or boogie, and too AM poppy to be FM oriented. The songs are OK but mostly standard issue efforts looking for hits. Not near as charming as, say, Airborne. This is a very professional looking release. The band had a full management team and must have thought they were backing the winning horse. However, this horse was a loser and the LP was the only thing the label released along with a single (both cuts are from the album). No fame and fortune here. 2.5 stars. (May)

New England. 1979 Infinity (LP). I've been reading some very positive reviews about this album, some saying it's one of the great examples of late 70s AOR. I'm very much into that sound of late, so I thought this might be a good time to revisit the LP. And this copy has been signed by all four members of the band, giving it some value (maybe). I say revisit because I'd heard it real time when a buddy bought the album. I'm not entirely sure of the track we both liked but I think it was 'Shoot', which not coincidentally is also the heaviest thing on here. The one song that receives the highest praise is 'Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya' but I would not have liked that back then, and most certainly not now. In hearing the album throughout again for the first time in 46 years, I'm not swayed anymore now than I was when I was 14. The LP also draws in the prog rock crowd since it has an inordinate amount of mellotron for an album such as this. But not as much as Small Wonder, one of those obscure AOR albums I do appreciate today. New England comes from the time when many bands took on regional, city, or state names as their moniker. No takers for Scranton however. (May)

Brian Eno - Before and After Science. 1977 Island (LP). As I've mentioned before regarding Eno, his albums are unpredictable and generally fall under the guise of "art rock". Before and After Science is no exception to that motif. My observation is that Brian Eno pretty much got to do whatever he wanted to, and today is highly praised for his innovative approach to various kinds of music. I think a lot of artists would have had a similar trajectory had they been afforded the same freedom Eno received. Good for him though, because he took full advantage of it. Before and After Science is another mixed bag of before-its-time New Wave, before-its-time New Age, electronic music, Roxy Music stuff, and whatever else he could cram into 40 minutes. As is usual with him, each side is very different from the other. I'm going to let this go and take the profit, but if I find a cheapie CD out there, I may hold onto it. (May)

Head East. 1978 A&M (LP). Another $1 record. I was in the mood to go as fast as I could through my budget finds and get them into the show boxes. But this title caught my attention. Hey, not bad at all! I had little expectation for it, but it's solid Midwestern AOR with a hard rock punch. Not sure I heard enough to keep, but these guys showed up for this title and earned their place in the late 70s FM landscape. (Mar)

John Mayall - A Hard Core Package. 1977 ABC (LP). Later era Mayall trying to keep up with the times by adding a little funk. But it's still blues rock all the way. Stayed true to his principles, especially considering it was the late 70s, and I think this would be a fine album for loyal fans. Too straight up for me, but not an unpleasant listen. (Jan)

Ten Years After - Cricklewood Green. Chrysalis (CD) (1970). Generally considered their best album, the first two tracks hold out promise this is going to be a heavy psych winner. But it eventually bogs down into the blues, and even country music. It's not until the last track that my ears perk up again. Seems Ten Years After had a lot of influence here in North America, as you can hear this sound in a multitude of obscure major label bands from the same time frame. A good album, but nothing more for me. (Jan)

Billy Squier - Emotions in Motion. 1982 Capitol (LP). Squier is another character who dominated the radio in my high school years. He had a unique sound that brought 80s production techniques to 50's rock n' roll revivalism. He was much better at it than his female counterpart Joan Jett. Not so bad on the whole, and a decent ride at the memory theme park, but everything here is wide brushstrokes lacking in any kind of nuance. Similar to the cover painting. And not just anyone can claim that Andy Warhol painted your portrait. (Jan)

x - One Aisle Over - Live @ UAS 2-28-09. 2009 private (CD). Got this for free from a local shop. Couldn't find it in Discogs so why not try it? Sounds like a more modern version of Fleetwood Mac. Naomi Hooley's voice is a reasonable facsimile of Stevie Nicks. What we used to call Adult Contemporary music I suppose (maybe they still do). You will hear bands like this occasionally playing at some upscale bar / hotel in the ritzy Colorado mountain towns such as Vail, Aspen, Breckenridge, or Telluride. UAS is the University of Alaska, so same kind of regional identity. Not really for me. Would be 2 stars on RYM. (Dec 2024).

Other albums heard but not reviewed: Jefferson Starship - Dragon Fly (Mar); Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Deja Vu (Apr); Supertramp - Crisis? What Crisis! (Apr); Neil Young - Live Rust (Jun); ELO - A New World Record (Jun); ELO (1971) (Jun); Roxy Music - Manifesto (Jun); Idle Cure (Jun).

* - Keeping for the collection; x - Not in RYM

Gigur ~ Mexico

Fin del Tiempo (En Tus Manos) (2005)

I could have sworn I wrote about this album when I received the CD, as I was writing a lot of reviews in 2005 / early 06. I think it arrived just as I was burning out hard (I recall walking away from music entirely for a couple of months to regain my enthusiasm). Well no time like the present and here is my second listen, some 19 years later. 

The album starts off in a similar mode to Fripp & Eno, with atmospheric guitar and electronic music. It curiously moves to vocal rock for the title song, and then onto more space rock realms. I'm often reminded of Djam Karet, though there's more than a few references to fellow Mexican space rock travelers like Humus and Frolic Froth, especially in the heavy sections. Ivan Tamez is the primary force behind Gigur and his guitar dictates the direction of the music. He achieves a wonderful tone throughout. And does a very good job of adding melody to his solos.

Ownership: 2005 Conarte (CD). Oversized tri-fold digipak with a 19 page booklet pasted in. Very elaborate. Acquired in 2006.

4//06; 5/26/25 (review / new entry)

2025 Fusion / Jazz Journal Vol. 1

*John Klemmer - Blowin' Gold. 1977 Cadet (LP) (1969). I know Klemmer best from his perennial thrift shop buck bin album of Touch which is a landmark smooth jazz album, and quite boring at that. This is almost the polar opposite. Borderline free jazz though just enough cohesion for me to remain engaged. Pete Cosey's psychedelic guitar gives the album a real edge, and the atmosphere describes a dingy club somewhere in the older industrial suburbs of Chicago. Moody, dark, uncertain, and exciting. Miraculously I found this for a dollar as well, and the cover drew me in. Not sure if this is a long hauler yet, so I'll keep it in the journal for now. I have another one of his early 70s albums here, so we'll see how that goes. (Apr)

Jasper van't Hof - The Selfkicker. 1977 MPS (online). Jasper van't Hof is someone who shows up often in European jazz circles but remains somewhat obscure here in the States. I only know him from a Pork Pie LP I own and honestly don't remember much about it. I'll get to it for a writeup eventually. The Selfkicker is a very interesting release and it really isn't jazz fusion as you would normally associate the term with. It has just as much in common with electronic, sort of the same crossover territory we hear in the early ECM albums. His primary sidekick is guitarist Toto Blanke and we can here his solo works showing up as well. Even Focus's drummer Pierre van der Linden makes a cameo, along with a couple of Danish guys on rhythm. Side 1 is mostly introspective and recalls some of the French acts of the era. Side 2 starts off in funky fusion territory. It's clear van't Hof is enjoying his new toy - that of the PPG Synthesizer (original 70s analog version of course). He moves to piano recital after this as the album calms considerably down from here. Difficult album to assess as it's largely outside of my interest area in both genres attempted here: electronic and jazz fusion. The intersection seems awkward to me. This album remains without any kind of reissue. Not adding to the CDRWL because his catalog his huge and I'm sure there are others of which I'm not anxious to investigate. (Apr)

Ramsey Lewis - Don't It Feel Good. 1975 Columbia (LP). What was that I was saying about smiling guys on the cover? In any case here we have Ramsey Lewis looking at Herbie Hancock's success and saying to himself "I could do 'dat". "Maybe mix in some smooth soul to up my chances for great success." Bzzt. Covering Earth Wind and Fire's 'That's the Way of the World' is a clue. Funky fusion meets soul. It's a pleasant listen for certain but nothing stands out, and the album is over. I've had a few Ramsey Lewis works come through here, including his iconic The In Crowd, but these are my first notes. Not sure if he'll get a page, all I need is one album for me to keep. And I have another here so we'll see. (It was Salongo and nope). (Feb)

Charles Mingus - Tonight at Noon. 2000 Label M (CD) (1964). Garage sale find from last year. Always liked the Label M releases with what they call a Q Pack. The opening track mixes free jazz with more melodic fare. The remainder is more to my liking though it's pretty standard jazz to my ears. I do like that Mingus can sometimes set a nice groove with his bass. Doesn't seem to be one of his more revered albums, though its reputation is solid. I'm up for hearing anything by him at this point. Hope to find some of his LPs out there in the wilds. (Feb)

x - Gemini Soul - Live: The Liquid Soul Tour. 2007 Pearl Jazz (CD). Thrift shop find from 2022 that I'm just now getting to (Jan). This was an interesting drop and also included Soulive with Karl Denson (that I kept but didn't document for no good reason) and the Emerge album that I went on about recently. There were some other serious obscurities that I since sold off from that same find. Clearly the original owner was a deep diver in all things jazz. This title is in RYM, but not Discogs, an unusual reversal.  The back tray cover has many references to Herbie Hancock, Stanley Clarke, and Hendrix styled funk. Uhh.... no. The music can be best described as contemporary funk jazz. There's nothing fusion about it, it's almost smooth jazz. The trio is led by bassist Andre Marcel Ajamu Akinyele, and his instrument is way up front. Mostly in slap mode. Almost like a bass solo album. The other major player is Jon O'Bergh who plays electric piano most of the time. It's a pleasant listen, but not near at the level of the two albums I started this paragraph with.

x - Pro Midget Mafia - The Beat Inside My Head. 1997 Royal Flush (CD). Thrift shop find from earlier in the year, but just now getting to it (Dec 2024). According to Discogs this is Ska music but I don't hear it that way myself. To me it sounds like Budos Band playing Latin Big Band music instead of lounge funk. Interesting album nonetheless though falls outside of my interest area. Some very tight horn charts here, impressive musicianship. Looks like it's a rare one and sought after, so that worked out at least (and sold in one day).

Eddie Henderson - Sunburst. 2002 Blue Note (CD) (1975). Collection revisit (Dec 2024). A couple of years ago I found Eddie Henderson's debut Realization on LP and noted how much it sounded like Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock. I quite liked it, and it's "hard filed" as they say. My introduction to Henderson as a solo artist goes much further back though, to 2005 and his third album Sunburst. This was long before my enthusiasm for all things jazz funk, and I couldn't remember anything about this. Funny enough even my notes from 2005 suggested not remembering much about it even after hearing it only a few weeks prior, other than it was a "kozmigroov" classic. So here we are again for the first time in close to 20 years. Seems Henderson is favoring funky Hancock more and more. The playing is incredibly tight, and these aren't easy meters to keep up with. I enjoy this album as well, though not quite as much as the debut. I do find LPs like this in the wilds, and I'll reevaluate again. Probably I'd keep it then.

---The following were leftovers from the 2023 journals, so I'll stick them here.

Hazchem - Strange Attractor. 1990 World Wide Records (CD). Collection revisit (Dec 2023). The UK group High Tide had a resurgence in the late 80s and early 90s resulting in a few contemporary albums being released in their sphere. Of those, the only one I'm keeping is Ancient Gates. Hazchem is similar, but on Strange Attractor the focus is on jazz rock, and the primary lead is none other than one-time Soft Machine member Lyn Dobson on saxophone and flute. The vocals are from the same Indian lady as Ancient Gates giving off more than a whiff of Indo-jazz. Tony Hill is only on one track here, so it's a stretch to make comparisons to the late 60s / early 70s High Tide sound. A good album, but I don't need to keep it.

Miles Davis - Four & More. 2005 Columbia (CD) (1966). Collection revisit (Nov 2023). This outing represents the more fiery and upbeat songs from a February 1964 New York show. The mellow tracks ended up on My Funny Valentine. For this stage of Davis I tend to enjoy his softer material. Can get a bit noisy, which I appreciate more in his electric era. The musicians are awesome of course. But I tend to want to be soothed by Davis not irritated. I also lent this to Mrs. UMR, and after one session, she handed it back. Nope. Between us we have enough Miles here already, so this one can go.

BBI. 2008 Soleil Zeuhl (CD) (1996). Collection revisit (Sep 2023). Archival release from group formed from 90s-era Magma and Xaal. Mostly an instrumental power trio very similar to One Shot's debut with guitar as the sole lead vehicle. Fairly one dimensional. There is more of a Zeuhl presence due to Bussonnet's bass style. I have enough material like this, so this one can go. 

Other albums heard but not reviewed: Ramsey Lewis - Salongo (Mar).

* - Keeping for the collection; x - not in RYM / Discogs

2024 Electronic Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

x - Jo Anna Burns-Miller - Snow Flower. 1990 Little Pond (MC). From the same thrift shop, but a year ago (Jul). From Portland, Oregon all-about-me Burns-Miller proves to be boring as hell and sleep inducing. Same music on both sides for "maximum relaxation". Snore. This kind of saccharine fluff is exactly why new age music fell out of favor. 

*Suzanne Ciani - Seven Waves. 1982 Finnadar (MC). From the same thrift shop as the Roth tape (Jul). As noted on The Velocity of Love review, I was curious how her debut sounded. And I wasn't disappointed. While very much a product of the early 80's, Ciani loads up on the analog gear anyway  and creates a wonderful soothing album with emulations of "Waves". Keeping this and, as a bonus, it's going for good money these days.

Gabrielle Roth and the Mirrors - Waves. 1991 Raven (MC). Thrift shop pickup (Jul). Here's the other title I bought along with Dancing Toward the One. My suspicion of that album being an "accidental" great work appears to be correct. Here Roth goes all in Tribal, and it's annoying as hell. She seems to know her audience and is far more self-conscious of her image, none of which interests me. Gone are the psychedelic edges. She's trying real hard to be "native American" and it sounds ridiculous. You're better off buying real Native field recordings from the 1950's/1960's on Folkways.

Throbbing Gristle - 20 Jazz Funk Greats + Live. 2011 Industrial (1979) (CD). Of course this is neither jazz nor funk, and the cover is purposely misleading. Complete dadaist styled music, where the band admits they're not even musicians. It's abstract experimental, minimal synth, industrial type music. There was a lot of this kind of music in the 80s, but Throbbing Gristle were doing this as far back as 1976, so they were indeed groundbreakers. It's musically interesting though not overly compelling for repeated listens. Going to earn you a sideways glance if playing for coworkers. From an antique mall in Hutchinson, Kansas (Oct 2023) (May)

Reuter / Boddy – Pure. 2004 DiN (CD). Collection revisit (Jan). Ian Boddy plays modern synths with sampled mellotron. Markus Reuter is a German “touch” guitarist. Each track is different from the other and all are unique in their own way. Elements of Ash Ra, spacey Schulze, electronica, and Berlin School can be found. But mostly it sounds like nothing I’ve heard. DiN’s mission statement is to provide electronic music between old analog and modern digital. They succeed here. 

Bernard Szajner – Some Deaths Take Forever. 1999 Spalax (1980) (CD). Collection revisit (Jan). Zeuhlish electronic piece. The album is often described as Magma meets Heldon, which is fair, with members from both. However it's more experimental, cold, and predicts the 80s style of electronic. To be discovered, as Musea used to say in their old catalogs. 

* - Keeping for the collection; x - not in RYM

Emerge ~ USA ~ Oakland, California

Now! (2006)

Emerge's debut CD is exactly the type of album I look for while haunting the thrift shops. It was over two years ago when I found this with some other intriguing jazz rock / fusion CDs. Some I kept, others I sold. But this one had no provenance so I stuck it in a pile of unknowns that I planned to review. I do this a lot - have projects ready to go - and yet never actually get around to doing them. Finally I'm plowing through a large pile of CDs just sitting here from buys going as far back as 2016.

Oakland's Emerge is unknown - but not really. This is one of the most hidden-in-plain-sight albums that I've run into in a long time. It's not in Discogs, nor RYM. But the label website is still going strong, some 18 years after this release. As well as a Facebook page that is active. Supposedly the label "reissued" this album in 2015. Hard to imagine there was that much demand in the first place. Where are all the existing original copies?

I could tell the tale above for many albums I find, but the music doesn't warrant the prelude. Now! obviously does. On the surface Emerge are nothing more than your garden variety guitar fronted jazz rock trio with competent lightly amplified six strings and funky rhythms. All well and good, but not enough to find room in my collection. That space is long occupied. You have to bring something else to get my attention.

And that's where this review has been going. The tone that Peter Jong Chang obtains here is absolutely delicious. We're talking heavy fuzz tone right out of the 1971 cookbook. He doesn't wail everywhere, but when he plugs in and gets the effects going - look out! A very unusual sound for the middle 2000's. This isn't the overamplified stoner sound of modern metal, no no, this is something from the 70s analog past. On most tracks, Chang savors the moment and unleashes his fury in the middle or end of the song. But if you want a stiff drink up front, go for 'Pipeline' which will get your attention quickly.

Ownership: 2006 Station of Dreams (CD)

7/18/24 (review / new entry)

The RH Factor ~ USA ~ Los Angeles, California

Cries of the Night (1988)

I've been sitting on this since last June (so says the price sticker anyway). Picked up locally for four bucks at the now defunct Independent Records. One of my best scores there (look it up on Discogs). There are a few RH Factors, this one stands for guitarist Robert Howell. Apparently a disciple of a one Frank Marino, though that connection is only apparent on 'Rock Me Baby', which is exactly the kind of cover tune Marino would do. The music could best be described as AOR metal, but I think I'll categorize it as hard rock all the same. The songwriting is really strong for this kind of thing, and the album remains engaging. Excellent guitar work as to be expected. Only B2 stuck out as something regrettable. There's even light proggy touches to be found here. Given its scarcity, I'm going to hang onto this one. Worth seeking out if you're curious (check out YouTube).

Ownership: 1988 Tem (LP). The colors are little more softer / realistic than this photoshop scan. 

No reissues as of 3/31/25.

4/19/24 (review / new entry)

2021 Funk / Soul Journal Vol. 5 - Complete

The New Birth - It's Been a Long Time. 1973 RCA (LP). From the quarter bin at Independent (Nov). The New Birth were a band from Louisville, Kentucky that featured cool titles and interesting album covers. The genres attributed to The New Birth are funk and soul, though there's very little of the former - unfortunately. As such this is way too soulsy for my liking. The funky 'Keep On Doin' It' was the sole highlight of the eight tracks presented. Hard to knock it too much, as it may very well be a good album for the genre, but it's not something I'm going to sit still for a listen.

Pleasure - Future Now. 1979 Fantasy (LP). I picked this one up online as a throw-in to another deal (Nov). I had found 'Joyous' at a thrift shop almost two years ago, and heard it a very good jazz funk album. 'Future Now' is later, but maybe even better. One would presume disco by this point, but Pleasure doubled down with some ripping hard guitar and a fine set of funky and fusion tunes. 

Faze-O - Riding High. 1977 She / Atlantic (LP). Thrift shop find (Oct). Solid funk / soul album with nods to disco but never really going there. Mostly party time music with 'Funky Reputation', 'Toe Jam', and especially 'Get Some Booty' (yea, OK, there's a term that didn't age well. Everything was "booty" in those days). Some whiny soul too. It definitely fits with the Earth Wind and Fire camp. Very good but no room left in the collection for albums like this.

Jiva - Something's Goin on Inside L.A. 1975 Dark Horse promo mono/stereo (SP). From RT (Sep). I don't know much about Jiva, but from what I've read, their sole album is a typical mid 70s soft rocker. If that's the case, then this track is truly an outlier. It's a hard funk song with some excellent guitar. But that would not have been uncommon in 1975. Odd choice for George Harrison's label regardless. I'd keep it if there was another side, but this is a radio promo with the same track. 

Cissy Houston - Think it Over. 1978 Private Stock (LP). From Independent and it was free, can't beat that (Aug). Actually this is pretty good disco, a little bit above the norm. So who is Cissy Houston anyway? Turns out she's the mother of a one Whitney Houston (and aunt of the Warwick sisters), and she was 44 years old when this was released (only her third album). That's two Whoa's right there! It's rare for someone to break through at that age, especially back then. Obviously she lived through great tragedy because of her daughter. 

The Blackbyrds. 1974 Fantasy (LP). From Independent (Aug). After researching it, I for certain thought this was going to be an easy keeper. All the ingredients are here. The name, of course, is a play on Donald Byrd, who was teaching at Howard University, the famous all black college in Washington DC (and where Lloyd McNeill also taught). Hence The Blackbyrds. Byrd writes about half the songs, and Larry Mizell is also lending a hand. Perhaps this will be a more funky version of Street Lady? Well, technically yes, but not so much to my liking. I've never been a big fan of "handclap funk" and constant references to "partay", but that's your openers on each side. Oddly, the more funky tracks here are written by Byrd in conjunction with a band member. I prefer Mizell's numbers, especially the instrumental 'Reggins', which is the highlight of the album. After two tries, my interest continued to wane. And considering the beautiful Van Gogh gatefold cover painting, it's a pity I have to let it go. But let it go I must.

Cymande. 1972 Janus promo (LP). Thrift shop find (Aug). Cymande's album cover looks dangerous, like we're in for some serious hard funk with a strong political message. It's something of the opposite. It's a very mellow and peace-loving album, with some excellent grooves. In particular I'm fond of the two longest tracks 'Rickshaw' and 'Dove'. Cymande is a London based group with a Caribbean heritage, and they don't have the edge that their American counterparts bring. What's missing here? Reggae. It's expected, and the band are playing around it, but specifically leaving out the distinctive rhythms. For their part, Cymande calls their music Nyah-Rock. Comes in a cool gatefold. 

Cymande - Second Time Round. 1973 Janus promo (LP). Fortuitously found this with the other one (Aug). Whereas the debut's best cuts are in the middle, here they can be found on the bookends on 'Anthracite' and 'Them and Us'. Fairly similar to the debut, though this is a bit more song oriented, and I'm picking up a bit of Highlife here as well. This one gets further from my personal tastes.

* x-Freddi and Henchi - Moonlightin' / Mr. Funky. 1974 Reprise (SP). These two tracks fall to the heavier side of the funk / soul spectrum. Some nice horns and fat beats. All the same, it's too vocal oriented to keep me engaged for long. And there's a bit of silliness like Funkadelic / Jimmy Castor Bunch - especially the B side. Fairly obscure single. Looks like they're from up the road in Denver! These two songs are not on their sole LP. I'll keep it for the local angle. (Jul)

* - Keeping for the collection; x - not in RYM