Day 0851 - Homework

 Daft Punk "Homework" (1997) 

DP grew from the ashes of the guitar-based band 'Darling'.  One critic slagged them off as "Daft, punky trash" which at least set up Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter with a name for their subsequent band.

The duo moved away from guitars and into synthesizers, drum machines and samplers.  The duo released singles "Da Funk" and "Rolling and Scratching", they went back into the studio to record some more singles but came away with enough material to constitute an album.

The band leaned reasonably heavily on funk sounds, nice deep bass grooves and catchy wah-wah synth hooks.   The tracks definitely follow the dance music format of slowly building on repetitive loops, but the music is catchy, memorable and creative beyond that.

 

Day 0810 - Better Living Through Chemistry

Fatboy Slim "Better Living Through Chemistry" (1996)

Norman Cook was the bass player for an indie rock band called the Housemartins.  Following the breakup of that band he formed the electronic group Beats International, Cook already had a few years of clubbing and DJing under his belt by then.

Cook then adopted the moniker Fatboy Slim to begin his solo career proper.    

This first Fatboy Slim album features tracks already recorded and released by Cook at different times throughout his career, but, despite this and the mix and match of sounds, it's a fairly cohesive collection of fun and funky big-beat tracks.   It already has that Fatboy Slim feeling of mixing a little bit of old with a bit of new to create something fun enough to dance to, but universal enough it its appeal that non-dance fans can get in on it too.   

Pretty sure I recognised "Going out of my head" from different tv shows and/or commercials.   I'm guessing that that commercialism may have earned Cook some criticism.   Accusations of 'selling out' and all that.  Who cares though, when the music is good.

Day 0696 - Apocalypse 91... the Enemy Strikes Black

Public Enemy "Apocalypse 91... the Enemy Strikes Black" (1991)

Increasing concerns from record companies around copyright laws were not conducive to Public Enemy's 'wall of noise' approach, building tracks from large quantities of samples.  To add to their woes, the data discs containing all the samples and bits and pieces for their fourth album were stolen, forcing them to go back to the drawing board.  The PE production group the Bomb Squad took a back-seat as 'Executive Producers' leaving the Imperial Grandmasters of Funk to handle the bulk of the production duties.

The arrangements are less dense, more conventional hip-hop production, but still a bit more interesting than just 'beat-n-bass'.

As usual, the mixture of MCs' styles adds a nice bit of variety to things.  Not really up to the standard of "It takes a nation of millions" or "Fear of a black planet" but it holds its own.

Day 0672 - Sex Packets

Digital Underground "Sex Packets" (1990)

I got some enjoyment out of this, but that is based more on the source material that the album is built from than from anything D.U. bring to it.  Funky samples are used from artists like George Clinton, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, and Herbie Hancock.

I have to admit that this is not what I'd thought Digital Underground would sound like.  I was expecting a nascent electronica album; instead, it's rap built on top of funk grooves with a sense of humour and, unfortunately, a touch of misogyny.

Apparently it's a concept album with a narrative around a drug that provides sexual pleasure.  I didn't really take any of that in though.  As I've said before, I'm not generally a lyrics person.

Day 0664 - Heaven or Las Vegas

So we enter the 1990s.  I expect I'll get through this decade a little quicker, as I'll possibly own a few more of these releases.   The 1960s and 1990s have always been prominent decades in my music collection for some reason.  I guess in the cyclical nature of music, the 90s were trying to revisit the psychedelia (though with a lot more distortion) of the 60s, with a lot of even the heavier bands citing the Beatles as an influence.  The fluidity of genres as displayed by the Beatles and even more straight-ahead acts like Zeppelin, the Stones and the Beach Boys was also drawn upon with aplomb.  

Anywhoo....



Cocteau Twins "Heaven or Las Vegas" (1990)

Really loved the last Cocteau Twins' album on the list "Treasures".   The dreamy, ethereal pop with stark desaturated album cover seemed to be the modus operandi for their first few albums.   With "Heaven or Vegas" they change things up.   From the bright, colourful neon album cover to the slightly more polished pop within.   The vocals are much clearer and more prominent than on previous releases.   The balance had definitely shifted more towards perky pop with propulsive bass.  Robin Guthrie's guitar continues to be a shimmering clean presence.

Guthrie was dealing with a heavy drug problem, on top of that, he and singer Elizabeth Fraser had their first child (the album was released on her first birthday) and they had had issues with their management.   Maybe the Vegas reference is hinting towards the more faded, jaded neon side of Vegas rather than the glitz and glamour.

Day 0566 - Planet Rock - the Album

Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force "Planet Rock - the Album" (1986)

Amazing achievement, in that Bambaataa manages to be an early pioneer of hiphop, but also, through splicing various synth-heavy beats (including cuts by Kraftwerk) he also laid the groundwork for House music and other forms of electronic experimentalism.

I could easily see this being a reference point for bands as varied as early Red Hot Chili Peppers through to the Chemical Brothers.   Rage Against the Machine would go on to cover "Renegades of Funk" and the Beastie Boys would sample Bambaataa.

A true visionary musical force.

Day 0497 - 1999

Prince "1999" (1982)

Though Prince's next album "Purple Rain" would contribute to the parental advisory stickers being added to albums, this one is also pretty full-on (in typical Prince fashion).  It includes the ad-libbed line "I sincerely want to fuck the taste out of your mouth".

Barry White, Isaac Hayes and Marvin Gaye may have been masters of the bedroom groove that gave you the aural equivalent of being laid down on satin sheets, but I daresay Prince was king of the 'fuck-groove'.  The pull your panties down in the backseat and get buck-wild vibe.  "Lady Cab Driver" and "International lover" are pretty overt with this with Prince's ecstatic squeals and hard funk grooves, but the whole album has touches of the erotic.

Combining the warm grooves of Funkadelic with the machine-like rhythms of Kraftwerk, Prince was the future.

Day 0437 - Risqué

Chic "Risqué" (1979)

So, right off the bat the first song is essentially the basis for "Rappers delight", so that's pretty cool. The band were looking to make a fun, good-times album to counteract financial hard times that were going on at the time (kind of like the Black Eyed Peas apparently tried to do with "I've got a feeling" years later).

I still can't totally get on board with the idea that this is "disco", I guess because I have a certain set idea of what that genre is.  To me this sounds more like soft-funk with some slower jams (though, bleak slow-jams) thrown in for good measure. I prefer this album to the previous Chic album (C'est Chic) on this list.

Day 0429 - Street Life

Crusaders "Street Life" (1979)

 
Another album featuring a dose of light funk.  Though, that is just one side to their sound, which is more of a jazzy smooth pop-fusion kind of thing. The band used to be called 'the Jazz Crusaders', and though they dropped 'jazz' from their name, the sound stayed very firmly in the music.

These songs sound like they'd work just fine in either a disco/dance club or in a smokey jazz lounge. The pop flavour does dull the jazz edge a little, but it's still spicy enough.

Day 0428 - We are Family

Sister Sledge "We are Family" (1979)

Another album where soft-funk meets disco, much like Chic... not surprising as half of the musicians here backing the titular sisters are from that band.

I prefer this somewhat to "C'est Chic".  Those heavenly Sledge voices help, as does the fact this leans towards a more pleasing funk/soul fusion with only hints of some disco genre tricks.

Day 0423 - C'est Chic

Chic "C'est Chic" (1978)

 
A big hit from the short-lived height of disco, before the widespread "disco sucks" movement kicked in.

It's a mix of disco, and what I'd term "soft funk". Not a bad album, and pretty influential, as the light-funk guitar style would be borrowed wholesale by many post-punk rock and pop bands.  Arguably even the 00 indie-rock bands were taking notes from this directly or indirectly. Grooves from the album were sampled by the emerging rap movement too.

Day 0410 - One Nation Under a Groove

Funkadelic "One Nation Under a Groove" (1978)

 
I love George Clinton's funk bands (Funkadelic, Parliament, Brides of Funkenstein etc.) and I definitely dig the guitar-heavy, tight funk sound being rocked here by Funkadelic in one of their most popular (though I don't actually own... yet) and commercially successful albums. 

The first couple of tracks are tight, yet smooth grooves.  There are a couple of distorted guitar-backed funk-rock tracks, and amongst all of this there is still the space for looser extended jams like "PE Squad/Doo doo chasers".

Interesting fact that I did not know: Funkadelic bassist and solo artist in his own right, Bootsy Collins was originally a member of James Brown's backing band, the JBs. Not such a crazy idea I guess, Hendrix used to be in the backing band for the Isley Bros before he did his own thing.

Day 0361 - Mothership Connection

Parliament "Mothership Connection" (got it) - 1971

Starts off with some nice roomy, minimalist funk, with the instruments creating tons of space that George Clinton drawls over... kind of reminiscent of Clinton's other band at the time Funkadelic. From there the album launches into a cathartic explosion of horns, bubbly bass lines and vocal ensembles.

Despite its political name, the songs seem keeps away from the socially conscious lyrics of some funk bands (and some of Parliament's own other albums), opting instead for a heady mix of sex, fun, and weird.

The sheer amount of talent Clinton had assembled in the band is made apparent by the fact that half of the members eventually left and started their own bands/solo projects.

Day 0269 - Let's Stay Together

Al Green "Let's stay together" (1972) - got it

 
As with Roxy Music, I got into Al Green through a slightly indirect route.  I saw/heard a slightly warped cover of his song "Simply Beautiful" by Mike Patton's band Fantômas.

Loved the song so I checked out a couple of Green's tracks on youtube ended up picking up a 4-pack of Green's classic albums for Hi records.

Green's voice is a thing of beauty.  It moves from a delicate, barely audible falsetto whisper to a raspy bold cry, giving each song exactly what it needs.  Whether it's the soul grooves of 'La la for you' and 'So you're leaving', the laid back RnB of 'What is this feeling?', or the epic, emotive 6 minute reading of "How can you mend a broken heart?" in which you could imagine that Green is actually searching for the broken shards.

0266 - All Directions

The Temptations "All Directions" (1972)

 
The Temps continue to prove themselves to be "more just that band who sung 'My Girl'".  The group continue to explore sounds outside of the standard Motown sound, as already heard in slinky funky wah-wah infused albums like 'Cloud Nine' and 'Psychedelic Shack'.

This album is full of funky grooves, including the nearly 12 minute jam of 'Papa was a Rollin' Stone' and gets in your face with the N-bomb laden "Run Charlie, Run" that definitely draw a line in the sand between this album and the clean, short-n-sweet pop of their earlier material.

It comes with a deceptively run of the mill album cover, featuring a clean-cut band photo that doesn't immediately hint at the interesting directions explored within.

Day 0233 - Live!

Fela Ransome-Kuti and the Africa '70 with Ginger Baker "Live!" (1971)

 
Fela had been working in the genres of funk and afro-beat for a while.  After a slow start, he gained some popularity in his homeland of Nigeria.  He met with Ginger Baker (himself a fan of African music) who agreed to produce some albums for Fela and his band.  This led rather organically to this collaboration.

It's a record that explores its grooves intricately, with some exciting drumming from Ginger.  Arguably, his playing goes beyond even his work in Cream.

Day 0165 - Hot Buttered Soul

Isaac Hayes "Hot Buttered Soul" (1969) - got it

Isaac was a hit songwriter before this album.  He was primarily writing songs for other artists.  I saw a documentary about Stax Records, and it sounds like at some point EVERYBODY got given a chance to do an album.  Isaac first release didn't fare so well, but his second go paid off nicely, and once he had the Shaft soundtrack under his belt his reputation was pretty well set in stone.

With music I generally prefer shorter more concise statements (but with plenty of exceptions to that rule).  The songs on this album are fairly long, but they are just so damned sultry and funky that it doesn't matter, plus this seems to be one of the earliest albums designed specifically for the audience to "get it on" to, so I guess you don't want the tracks to be 3-4 minutes long!  That being said, I definitely need to be in the right mood to listen to the lengthy spoken word intro to "By the Time I Get to Phoenix".

Day 0160 - Stand!

Sly and the Family Stone "Stand!" (1969) - got it

This has got to be one of the first serious 'funk' albums.  Those beats.  Dat bass.  Those horns. Sly and the family are one of those bands that have always been on my radar but I've never quite got around to checking them out properly.

A mixture of races and genders coming together to make great music, and one of the earliest bands to mix upbeat funky 'party' music with serious political commentary.  Great stuff, and as the "got it" at the top implies, I ended up picking up a copy of the album as a result of listening to it.