Soul searching (and other 70's black music)

[alan nagsworth]

I'm getting into a lot of soul stuff lately but I've only really heard stuff by Sam Cooke, Ben E. King and the likes. What I'm really after is some of the funkier stuff from the 70's, the kind of stuff that you hear a lot in Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown, and also the kind of stuff Quasimoto/Madlib samples in his tunes (like the freaky soul god that he is). Can anyone help me out?

[Viero_Berlotti]

Sly and the Family Stone would be a good start for freak out funk stuff. I'm sure there's some "Nuggets" style compilations out there of obscure 70's funk and soul.

My major recommendation, although pretty obvious and mainstream, but still one of the best soul / funk / pop records of the 1970's is Stevie Wonder's "Innervisions".

[buttgammon]

Sly and the Family Stone would be a good start for freak out funk stuff. I'm sure there's some "Nuggets" style compilations out there of obscure 70's funk and soul.

I don't know much about funk or soul but I would definitely recommend Sly and the Family Stone's 'Stand'. I got that recently and it's brilliant. 'Don't Call Me n**ger, Whitey' and 'Sex Machine' are especially mindblowing but the singles from it like the title track are great too.

[non capisco]

You can't go wrong with a bit of New Orleans' finest, The Meters. If you're going for a single album of theirs I'd recommend either 'Cabbage Alley' or 'Rejuvenation', the latter has the brilliant 'Just Kissed My Baby' on it, but there are loads of best ofs out.

Betty Davis, Miles' missus, has just had all her stuff re-released for cheap. I recommend 'They Say I'm Different' especially, if only for the funky-as-fuck track 'Shoo-B-Doop & Cop Him'.

For compliations, Harmless Records did a good set of comps a few years back of 70's black female funk vocalists called 'I'm A Good Woman'. They're all worth getting but the third volume in particular I thought was outstanding.

[alan nagsworth]

Thanks for these, got some Sly & The Family Stone downloading now. Coming back to Quasimoto if any fans of his happen to read this, has anyone heard his Journey Into Fresh Diggin' album? It's like an hour-long single-track mix of a lot of Quas's tunes broke up with segments of old soul and funk, some including vocals and some just being unedited sections of old songs thrown in without dubbed beats or MCing. A very defining album for me, hard to explain why, but it's utterly fantastic.

[MuteBanana]

Baby Huey.  Only released one album and that was after his death. But what a voice and what a cracking band he had.

'Listen To Me' is a good starting place.

[Al Tha Funkee Homosapien]

Funkadelic! Get 'Maggot Brain'. More funk that soul but it's all good.

[buttgammon]

P-Funk is great too. Apart from the aforemntioned Maggot Brain (which I also endorse - the title track's guitar solo is brilliant and I also love the closer 'Wars of Armageddon') Mothership Connection by Parliament is a very good album. Really funky stuff with George Clinton's classic out of space theme and sampled by millions of gangsta rappers.

[Pseudopath]

My major recommendation, although pretty obvious and mainstream, but still one of the best soul / funk / pop records of the 1970's is Stevie Wonder's "Innervisions".

Oh yes. Innervisions is obviously at the top of the tree, but you might as well pick up 'Music Of My Mind', 'Talking Book', 'Songs In The Key Of Life' and 'Fulfillingness' First Finale' whilst you're at it. They're all full of incredible songs (and several ballads that are so mawkish they become great).

[NoSleep]

This is an area that I've always been interested to find out more about. I was luck to receive some guidance from a keen soul collector who made a couple of compilations of mp3s for me (amounting to 350 tunes - PM me). When asked who were the outstanding artists in his opinion, he told me Candi Staton was tops, followed by James Carr, both of whom I can second.

Several people have mentioned Sly & The Family Stone - My favourite of his is There's A RIot Goin' On, also the Greatest Hits compilation is outstanding. Watch out if looking for "Fresh" (anothe Sly classic) as for years the CD available were rejected mixes, and this has only been rectified in a recent reissue to the original mixes as they were on vinyl.

Hot Buttered Soul by Isaac Hayes is a great over the top classic with full funk orchestrations.

[quadraspazzed]

Post-Impressions Curtis Mayfield is always good (not that he was bad when he was with them, but they were more straight soul* than funky soul). Definitely check out the 'Superfly OST', as well as 'Back to the world' and 'Got to Find a Way'. I say that because I own them and are the only ones I'm really familiar with apart from a Greatest Hits that I have too (which bizarrely doesn't feature either 'Superfly' or 'Pusherman').

_{* This may not be true, but from what little I've heard of them it seems to be the case.}

Bit obscure maybe, but the Skull Snaps' one and only (self-titled) album from 1973 is a lost classic. It's apparently also one of the most sampled albums in hip hop history. Bit more info here and some downloads of remixes - and check out that Diplomats song, aces.

Marvin Gaye's 'Trouble Man OST'* and to a lesser extent 'What's Going On?' are both quite funky - and if you don't have a copy of 'What's Going On?' remedy that IMMEDIATELY. One of the greatest albums of all time in any genre. And to think Motown didn't want him to make it, the fools!

_{* Actually I only know the title track and have never seen the film so this may not be the case. Happily this thread has inspired me to download a copy, so I can report back later on.}

Two compilations I heartily recommend would be 'Stax of Funk: The Funky Truth' and 'Funk Essentials', the latter is a 4-CD set with loads of classics, but also inevitably a few sorta dodgy ones (live versions of some of the tracks, just plain bad tracks - at least to mine ears).

Also fully endorse The Meters, Funkadelic/Parliament and Isaac Hayes.

[non capisco]

Bit obscure maybe, but the Skull Snaps' one and only (self-titled) album from 1973 is a lost classic. It's apparently also one of the most sampled albums in hip hop history. Bit more info here and some downloads of remixes - and check out that Diplomats song, aces.

Ooh, yeah, the Skull Snaps album is fucking excellent. "I'm your pimp/I wear my hat to the siiiiiide...and walk with a limp".

[quadraspazzed]

Some soul for your, erm, soul.

The Temptations - Ball of Confusion

The sound of late 60's black anger musicified.

Zapp - Heard It Through the Grapevine

If you like your funk vocodorized, Roger Troutman/Zapp is definitely worth checking out. Above is maybe the best version of 'Grapevine' I've heard.

Skull Snaps - I'm Your Pimp

As mentioned in the previous post, a real gem (warning: severe funky misogyny alert).

[Neville Chamberlain]

Funkadelic! Get 'Maggot Brain'. More funk that soul but it's all good.

Yeah, this has got the lot - moving guitar solos, funky-ass rhythms, a cool psyched out vibe and, er, cuckoo clocks.

[jonnycuba]

I'd heartily recommend anything by Eddie Bo (Edwin Bocage) From his late 50's RnB right through to his super funky early 70's stuff. He was a contemporary of Professor Longhair, they made a lot of proto funky stuff too.

Earth Wind & Fire's 1st 3 Lp's are heavy psychedelic funk jams.

From what I can tell most of the best funk stuff is on one off 45's from folk who justg cut a record to make a few extra $$$ at their shows, there are loads of compilations out there... DJ Ian Wrights 'Sisterfunk' comps are a place to start & Jazzman records put out loads of nice funk stuff.

[Goldentony]

P-Funk is great too. Apart from the aforemntioned Maggot Brain (which I also endorse - the title track's guitar solo is brilliant and I also love the closer 'Wars of Armageddon') Mothership Connection by Parliament is a very good album. Really funky stuff with George Clinton's classic out of space theme and sampled by millions of gangsta rappers.

The first 3 Bootsy Collins records (Stretchin' Out In Bootsy's Rubber Band, Ahh..The Name Is Bootsy Baby, and Bootsy? Player Of the Year) are worth checking out if you wind up really getting into the P-Funk stuff - they all seem to follow the same pattern though of first 4 songs heavy duty funk party stuff then it goes into slow jams or whatever - some of the faster stuff goes on a bit though, a lot of nothing but "BOOTSY!! YEAH BOOTSY EVERYONE NOW BOOTSY!!" for 6 minutes. once it gets going though it's worth it.

What I'm really after is some of the funkier stuff from the 70's, the kind of stuff that you hear a lot in Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown, and also the kind of stuff Quasimoto/Madlib samples in his tunes (like the freaky soul god that he is). Can anyone help me out?

There's some compilations called Pulp Fusion which have a lot of this sort of stuff on, token big names and some mad shit from bands you've never heard of and never will again. Warner did some albums of rare stuff called Funk Drops which are probably worth getting first before any other compilations, consistently fucking incredible whereas stuff like Pulp Fusion get a bit odd and stick on some latin rock or general crap on towards the end once all the classic stuff is out of the way.

Superfly by Curtis Mayfield, Black Moses and Hot Buttered Soul by Isaac Hayes are another three records i'd reccomend - especially the Isaac Hayes records for more soulful, slower songs rather than faster funkier stuff.

[buttgammon]

The first 3 Bootsy Collin's records aswell are worth checking out if you wind up really getting into the P-Funk stuff - they all seem to follow the same pattern though of first 4 songs heavy duty funk party stuff then it goes into slow jams or whatever - some of the faster stuff goes on a bit though, a lot of nothing but "BOOTSY!! YEAH BOOTSY EVERYONE NOW BOOTSY!!" for 6 minutes. once it gets going though it's worth it.

They sound good. I really like Bootsie and he had loads to do with the whole p-funk thing (probably like George Clinton's deputy) yet I've never actually heard any of his solo stuff. I think I might be better exploring a bit more of the Parliament and Funkadelic back catalogues first, though. I've only got about three or four Funkadelic albums and the only Parliament one I have is Mothership Connection.

[NoSleep]

They sound good. I really like Bootsie and he had loads to do with the whole p-funk thing (probably like George Clinton's deputy) yet I've never actually heard any of his solo stuff.

Bootsie is a pillar of the whole P-Funk sound, but I'm betting the deputy role would go to somebody in the horn section, like Fred Wesley or Maceo, who had learned the art of signing to musicians from James Brown (they both held the same role in HIS band). Through this method, despite the apparent anarchy of the stage sets, the show could actually be modelled to audience reaction in a second, like a DJ. I've noted this at a number of gigs I've attended featuring both Fred & Maceo - amazing.

[NoSleep]

Almost forgot: True story recounted to me by Fred Wesley....

Fred Wesley is asked to write a horn arrangement for a P-Funk tune by George Clinton.

Fred: So, how do want these horns to sound?

George: I want them to sound baaad!

[monkhouse terror]

If you fancy a bit of reggae-infused soul i can heartily recommend blood and fire's darker than blue - soul from jamdown compilation (out of stock at boomkat unfortunately, since it was about half-price there). each track is an absolute corker

[buttgammon]

Almost forgot: True story recounted to me by Fred Wesley....

Fred Wesley is asked to write a horn arrangement for a P-Funk tune by George Clinton.

Fred: So, how do want these horns to sound?

George: I want them to sound baaad!

Typical George Clinton! I love the kind of instructions he gave to musicians and if the story about him telling Eddie Hazel to play the guitar on 'Maggot Brain' "Like his mother had just died" is true then that's another brilliant P-Funk related story.

[alan nagsworth]

Yeah yeah! Thanks again everyone, I'm now mad for Sly & The Family Stone, that Skull Snaps tune was fantastic and I've got some Funkadelic on the download. Anyone care to mention any of the more-soul-than-funk of that era?

There's a song in Pulp fiction which sums up exactly what I'm after. The description is a bit vague, but... There's a trumpet intro and the opening line is "I... I'm so in love with you."
Need more guidance? The trumpet goes 'Bum-PAH! Bum-PAH-PAH! Bum-PAH! Bum-PAAAH-PAH!'

Yeah... like that.

[NoSleep]

There's a song in Pulp fiction which sums up exactly what I'm after. The description is a bit vague, but... There's a trumpet intro and the opening line is "I... I'm so in love with you."
Need more guidance? The trumpet goes 'Bum-PAH! Bum-PAH-PAH! Bum-PAH! Bum-PAAAH-PAH!'

Yeah... like that.

That's probably Al Green - Let's Stay Together, and he's a definite one to check out thoroughly.

[alan nagsworth]

Aye, I realised that not long afterwards, downloaded the PF soundtrack and have since discovered surf rock! But that's another topic for another thread for another time...

[trotsky assortment]

Funkadelic! Get 'Maggot Brain'. More funk that soul but it's all good.

Yup.  Seconded.  'Hit It And Quit It' rocks.  You might want to have a go at 'Osmium' by Parliament while you're at it.

[Viero_Berlotti]

I've never been able to get into the whole Northern Soul thing, but someone played me this track the other day and I'm converted:

Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons - The Night

[TotalMink]

I find some very good ideas for songs to download or get hold of from the Norman Jay website. http://www.normanjay.com look in the cratediggers forum Also, Brownswood http://www.brownswood.co.uk  in  the beatcave formum is definately worth a look

[gmoney]

I've never been able to get into the whole Northern Soul thing, but someone played me this track the other day and I'm converted:

Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons - The Night

I'd recommend R Dean Taylor - There's a Ghost In My House as well.

[trotsky assortment]

When I just read R Dean Taylor, I got him mixed up with R Lee Ermey.  That's not good.
I need more sleep.

[trotsky assortment]

I'm mid-way through the Parliament/Funkadelic back catalogue yet again.  Further to my earlier post, I urge you to find it in yourselves to check out Funkadelic's 'Cosmic Slop'.  Wow.