Jubilee Offer: Patriotic Classics for £2.50 |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s
Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or
view the MP3 Album.
|
Product Description
CD Description
* Ray Dobard's Music City operation was at the heart of the Bay Area's black music scene from the 50s onwards. By the 1970s his shop and studio were places where aspiring funk, soul and jazz groups would go to attempt to find fame and fortune. Few did, but some great music was laid down, the best of which is here.
* The CD contains 17 tracks, 15 of which are previously unissued, and are a great view into a lost era of Bay Area music. The best known artists are Two Things In One and Darondo. Two Things In One were a big local attraction who released several singles on Music City, now very sought-after by funk DJs and collectors. Dorando has been lionised in recent years for his Music City 45 `Didn't I' and also appears with the Al Green-styled `Gimme Some', lifted from the vaults. BGP have also turned up an unreleased cut by the Houston Outlaws, a version of their Westbound B-side `Got To Keep Loving'.
* Elsewhere there is out-and-out funk from Vic Green - whose singles as Big Vick Hammond have made him a cult hero - and unknown acts such as Chuck Thurman, the Soul Sensations and Dry Ice. Jazzy grooves come from Charles Doc Williams and Al Tanner, hip folk funk from Bob Carson and the black consciousness message behind the Soul Messengers.
* The booklet features in-depth notes from Bay Area expert and Music City historian Alec Palao, and an introduction by compiler Dean Rudland that places the music in its contemporary context.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
It amazes me that BGP can release this superb compilation together with Dorondo's "Listen To My Song" CD at the same time as letting the distinctly sub-par "SuperFunk's Mission Impossible" out of the hutch. The less said about the truly lamentable "SuperFunk's Mission Impossible" the better but I suspect it'll mark the end of that largely excellent series of compilations. To happier matters; this compilation of largely funk orientated tracks from the '71-'75 time period recorded at the famed Music City record label based in the Bay Area of California (across the bay from San Francisco) is simply excellent. This was a great time for Bay Area music having been spurred on by the colossal late 60's / early 70's success of Sly & The Family Stone (with Tower of Power about to really get going as well). The album itself is enjoyably eclectic covering jazzy funk, wah-wah funk, string-laced funk, flute funk, political funk and even one or two funk-ballads which brings a welcome dose of variety so things don't get too monotonous. One thing it doesn't have is 'funky soul' which has become the mainstay of funk compilations these days even though a little of that stuff goes a long, long way and frankly I heard enough 'funky soul' for a lifetime or two since "samey" doesn't begin to describe it! Admittedly a good number of the tracks are instrumentals but their variety of sounds means that it all remains exceedingly listenable and very little outstays its welcome and the vocal tracks (about half the compilation) are universally strong with sadly one unexpected exception; the much heralded Darondo whose 1st take of "Gimme Some" is marred by some tacky ill-thought out lyrics (which he sensibly removed on the subsequent version).
Like the brilliant Memphis 70 compilation perhaps BGP would be better following this 'local scene' route with a greater variety of musical styles (much like Numero's "Eccentric Soul" series) rather than concentrating on 'pure-funk' compilations now that material of consistent quality is no longer around to fill them out with truly satisfying tracks (something the liner notes of this CD actually alludes to).
Like the brilliant Memphis 70 compilation perhaps BGP would be better following this 'local scene' route with a greater variety of musical styles (much like Numero's "Eccentric Soul" series) rather than concentrating on 'pure-funk' compilations now that material of consistent quality is no longer around to fill them out with truly satisfying tracks (something the liner notes of this CD actually alludes to).
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Music > R&B & Soul
- Music > Rock
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
