Search - Ripple :: But It Sure Is Funky

MORE MEAT THAN MANDRILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mr. K. Sinclair | leeds, w yorks United Kingdom | 08/07/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If, like me, you think the tunes on Mandrill's Fencewalk Anthology or any other mandrill album are musically first class and funky as hell, then this album is an essential purchase. The songs and structures are generally out of the same bag as the Mandrill sound, but include a definate nod or two towards the classic Meters sound, particuarly on there well known minor R&B hits"i dont know what it is but it sure is funky" and "aint nothing going on but a funky song". Whilst those two songs stand out as funk classics its the rest of the album wher things get really interesting. Ripples sound encompasses funk, soul and rock( black rock anyone? ) and forges into a style that had hardly been invented as yet , early Philadelphia disco.Its all here and will appeal to any musically open minded people. Id go as far as to say these guys forged a revolutionary style that was and is still ahead of its time, perfectly assimilating white and black culture into that wonderful melting pot that only a few bands tapped into( war, early santana, mandrill, black nasty,Cold blood etc). What is better about this album, and why it should be your first choice, before any other is the fact it contains almost every known recording by them, the first album in full and then the tracks that have been lying around since 1973 that were intended for a new album that never happened.OK there are about three weak tracks that are a bit worrying but only a few, id definitely say that there are fifteen really good tracks that will make you smile. There are some liner notes but there not the best so i dont know quite what happened to them, do you know?"