A great release of stuff we'd otherwise probably never hear
Campbell Roark | from under the floorboards and through the woods.. | 04/20/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Egon and Peanut Butter Wolf bring it with this excellent compilation of long-out-of-print funk tunes, late 60's through mid 70's. How'd they do it? Well, they drove cross-country to hang with the greats and go bowling, and unearthed what you're looking at now... Instrumentals, upkey stuff, positivity, the shout-along proto-hip hop, 'What About You,' I disagree with one of the reviwers below- the material here is all top-notch. PLUS, the chances of finding these GEMS on original vinyl or 45- well, you ain't got a chance in this hell or any other, basically. So be thankful, be damn thankful, because damn near each and every track is sucker punch of funk fo yo nads. Great liner-notes by Egon. The whole thing fulfills. The pentultimate track ny Cut Chemist, 'Bunky's Pick,' takes you back through the wax as he mixes it up like no other. Full of wholesome funky goodness!"
Sick
Elliott Brown | San Francisco | 08/24/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"While this may not be the best funk album out there (there seems to be some disagreement in the reviews below), I think it's a must-own for anyone that's looking for some funk they haven't heard before. The songs are a little lo-fi, and their structures tend to be slightly looser and jazzier than the prototype set forth by James Brown, without ever losing vitality or becoming needlessly long or repetitive like the Meters and Maceo Parker sometimes do.
Make no mistake, this is rump-shakin' stuff that will have people at your next party asking you what's playing. Also, the liner notes, which detail the process of uncovering these lost classics, are priceless. The only reason I give this four stars instead of five is that many of the songs lack strong hooks. They more than make up for it with deep grooves, but those who like sing-alongs (like "I Feel Good") might feel a little short-changed.
"
Best Funk Comp Ever
Pike | 03/01/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've spun it over 25 times and i never get sick of this disc. One of those great ablums to put on at a party. Just like The Avalanches's "Since I Left you", it will get you up and moving.
It has it all: hard funk, smooth soul funk, jazz funk, instrumentals, shout-outs, anti-drug anthems, positive ghetto jams, and every kind of post-JB funk you can imagine-- seventy-plus minutes, all recorded between 1968 and 1974. If you checked out and like'd DJ Shadows comp "SCHOOLHOUSE FUNK", you'll love this one. One of the greatest funk comps ever. More energy then you can stand, by the last track you'll collapse. Stand out track's: Tighten Up Tighter, Southside Funk, Trespasser (by Bad Medicine, a bunch of white guys from upstate New York), and The Funky Buzzard. But really it's all great"
Super Rare Street Funk ! ! !
Eddie Landsberg | Tokyo, Japan | 02/15/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Groups like this may at one time have been a dime a dozen (JBs/Archie Bell/Jr. Walker/Fatback Band type copy funk acts with slick rhythm guitar, punchy horns, funky fatback drums and very big afros I'm sure) but now they ain't a dime a dozen - - and odds are you've never heard most the stuff on this album. I suspect a lot of these groups may have had a hit or two on their (very) local scenes,then faded into obscurity... before doing so, collectively they did make magic... The KICKER on the album definitey has to be the LAST POETS-ish ultra jivey "jump rope" type rhyme "But What About You" thang... And while some of the recordings might sound a bit lo-fi on the surface, I have to say, this compilation is well worth it... Its raw STREET FUNK like you've never heard... As an example take THE KASHMERE STAGE BAND or ERNIE AND THE TOP NOTES... I'm sure they offered no threat to Archie Bell OR JBs - - but then again, you gotta admit, who did? The stuff is kicking nonetheless... And there are plenty of other tunes that are ultra, slick, Jazzy, jivey and funky... almost something you'd expect to hear in one of those clubs that would pop up in those old Rudy Ray Moore films.
All in all, more and more compilations like this are showing up. You might argue that they all sound the same, but you know something... I think a lot of these compilation reissues are SPOILING us funkahaulics... because there was a time that ALL funk (including most The Meters, Funkadelic and even most of JB's stuff from the 70s) was virtually lost and out of print. Well not only are they back, but people are hunting down the 45's too.
My answer... keep 'em comin' bro's... I'm game.
(P.S. Correction... Fish Head by Slim and The Soulful Saints may have made Maceo sweat a bit... *just* a bit...)"