Weekend Playlist

“All is spontaneity.” ~ Can lead singer Damo Suzuki

Junior Wells | Coming At You

Van Halen | Van Halen II

Guy Clark | Old No. 1

Ween | The Mollusk

The Meters | Cabbage Alley

The Incredible String Band | Wee Tam

Iron & Wine | The Shepherd’s Dog

Ray Charles | Ray Charles Live

Eric Clapton | 461 Ocean Boulevard

Little Feat | Waiting For Columbus

The Black Crowes | Before The Frost…

Ramones | It’s Alive

Metallica | Metallica

Miles Davis | Tutu

Lee Morgan | Lee Morgan

The Jimi Hendrix Experience | Live At Clark University

Can | Ege Bamyasi

The Byrds | Untitled

Memphis Slim | The Blues Of Memphis Slim: Steady Rolling Blues

Lightnin’ Hopkins | Lightnin’ Strikes
[album cover not pictured]

Various Artists | I’m Not There Soundtrack

Doubleshot Tuesday: C’est Si Bon/Funkify Your Life

[Today: The Saints go marching...]

Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints. By defeating Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings in overtime on Sunday, the Saints advanced to the first Super Bowl in the 43-year history of the team. This is a franchise that has practically defined the word awful during its lifespan, losing with a dreary regularity that inspired its fans to put paper bags over their heads. But these Saints are a different breed. Coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees have installed a high-octane offense that made the onetime ‘Aints perhaps the most exciting and watchable team in the NFL this year.

But the Saints’ rebound is nothing compared to what the city of New Orleans has been through. To see the Superdome awash in a blizzard of confetti and packed with cheering people was a stark contrast to the images beamed from that building during Hurricane Katrina. Then, it looked like the last refuge against the apocalypse – people huddled in small groups as fires burned throughout the building and gaping holes showed through the roof. On Sunday night it was host to a joyous party, and I can’t think of a more deserving city…

Listen: When The Saints Go Marching In [Louis Armstrong]

Listen: Funky Miracle [The Meters]

Weekend Playlist

“The release date is just one day, but the record is forever.” ~ Bruce Springsteen

Townes Van Zandt | Flyin’ Shoes

Bar-Kays | Soul Finger

Ween | Chocolate & Cheese

Black Sabbath | Never Say Die!

Mylo | Destroy Rock & Roll

The Four Tops | Anthology

X | Under The Big Black Sun

Bruce Springsteen | Darkness On The Edge Of Town

Sweet | Desolation Boulevard

Jackie Wilson | My Way
[Album cover not pictured]

Nick Lowe | Pure Pop For Now People

Dead Can Dance | Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun

Lee Perry & The Upsetters | Double Seven

MC5 | Thunder Express

Neko Case | Fox Confessor Brings The Flood

Robert Johnson | King Of The Delta Blues Singers

Mark Lanegan Band | Bubblegum

Outkast | Stankonia

PJ Harvey | Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

The Meters | Funkify Your Life: The Anthology

INXS | Underneath The Colours

Sly & Robbie | Sly & Robbie Present Taxi

Paul K & The Weathermen | Love Is A Gas

Weekend Playlist

“We almost caved the roof in.” ~ George Clinton

Whiskeytown | Pneumonia

Jerry Garcia Band | Cats Under The Stars

The Rolling Stones | Tattoo You

M. Ward | Duet For Guitars #2

Beastie Boys | Check Your Head

Black Keys | Thickfreakness

Dead Kennedys | Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables

Zeph & Azeem | Rise Up

Stevie Wonder | Songs In The Key Of Life

Outkast | Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

Toots & The Maytals | Funky Kingston

Pink Floyd | The Wall

Various Artists | Old School Vs. New School

Talking Heads | Remain In Light

Funkadelic | Cosmic Slop

Blue Mitchell | Blue’s Moods

Gerry Mulligan & Chet Baker | Mulligan/Baker

Marvin Gaye | Trouble Man Soundtrack

The Meters | Rejuvenation

Van Halen | Fair Warning

Buried Treasure: In Yo’ Face! Vol 1/2 – The Roots Of Funk

[Today: Pioneers of Funk...]

The evolution of Funk from the wellsprings of soul and R&B was a gradual process that was kicked off by Mr. Dynamite himself, James Brown. With his hit singles ‘Out Of Sight’ (1964) and ‘Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag’ (1965), JB and his band emphasized the bass, played on the downbeat, and pointed the way forward for black music. But more than any musical embellishment, Brown injected his tunes with the badass attitude (“Papa don’t take no mess!”) that would come to define Funk.

Not coincidentally, Funk began to develop during an era of Civil Rights marches and the rise of Black Power. Following the path cut by James Brown, and reflecting the confidence of a just cause, black artists began to make music with a swagger and strut that set it apart from R&B and soul. The first piece of Rhino’s excellent 6-disc history of Funk, In Yo’ Face! Vol 1/2 – The Roots Of Funk captures a cross-section of Funk from 1966-1973, and serves as a thorough primer on the early pioneers of the form.

While a little bit of soul seeps through on early tracks by Lowell Fulsom (‘Tramp’) and Don Covay & The Jefferson Lemon Blues Band (‘Sookie Sookie’), things get fully funky by the third track, when Dyke & The Blazers weigh in with ‘Funky Broadway’. Some artists compiled here are known commodities (The Meters, Wilson Pickett, Lee Dorsey) while others are more obscure (Paul Humphrey & His Cool Aid Chemists, Fugi, Soul Brothers Six) but they all share a common sound and funky purpose. The recipe for the genre may already have been set, but these songs are driven by the genuine enthusiasm of musicians leaping headlong into a new style.

By the early 70′s, Funk was the dominant black musical style, and soul was on the wane (even soul holdouts like The Temptations and The Four Tops eventually came around). More danceable Funk bands, like Kool & The Gang and Earth, Wind & Fire, would prefigure the rise of disco, while heavier artists who reported from the streets, like Curtis Mayfield and Isaac Hayes, set the wheels in motion for gangsta rap. But before all that, Funk was party music, set to a nasty beat, with a ton of bottom. And …The Roots Of Funk captures many of the folks who got the party started.

Listen: Tramp [Lowell Fulsom]

Listen: Some Kind Of Wonderful [Soul Brothers Six]

Listen: Mary Don’t Take Me On No Bad Trip [Fugi]

Listen: Mojo Hanna [Tami Lynn]

Weekend Playlist

“You got to have smelt a lot of mule manure before you can sing like a hillbilly.” ~ Hank Williams

Hank Williams | 40 Greatest Hits

Duke Ellington | At Newport

The J.J. Johnson Sextet | J.J. Inc.

Donald Byrd | Long Green: The Savoy Sessions

Arnett Cobb | Smooth Sailing

Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry | Chicken Scratch

Eugene McDaniels | Headless Heroes Of The Apocalypse

Moby Grape | The Place And The Time

John Mayall | Blues From Laurel Canyon

The Modern Lovers | The Modern Lovers

Black Uhuru | Black Sounds Of Freedom

Freddie King | Texas Cannonball

Bonniwell Music Machine | Ignition

Gilles Peterson & Patrick Force | Sunday Afternoon At Dingwalls
[Album cover not pictured]

Lyrics Born | Everywhere At Once

Fania All-Stars | Live At Yankee Stadium, Vol. 1

The Art Farmer Quintet | Blame It On My Youth

Miles Davis | Nefertiti

Dave Alvin | Public Domain

Bo Diddley | The Chess Box

De La Soul | 3 Feet High And Rising

Kris Kristofferson | The Silver Tongued Devil And I

The Meters | Look-Ka Py Py

Iron & Wine | The Shepherd’s Dog

Weekend Playlist

“I’m more in love with Rock-n-Roll today than other things. It grows, you know?” – Bon Scott

*****

AC/DC | Live From The Atlantic Studios

Bob Marley & The Wailers | Buffalo Soldier [12" single]

Jorge Ben | Ben

The Jimi Hendrix Experience | Live At Winterland

Paul McCartney | McCartney

Freddie Hubbard | Breaking Point

The Kinks | The Great Lost Kinks Album

The Police | Outlandos d’Amour

Iron And Wine | The Shepherd’s Dog

The Rolling Stones | Emotional Rescue

Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin II

Paul Simon | Negotiations And Love Songs 1971-1986

The Meters | Fire On The Bayou

My Morning Jacket | It Still Moves

Gary Higgins | Red Hash

Traffic | Welcome To The Canteen

Eric B. & Rakim | Don’t Sweat The Technique

Bruce Springsteen | We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions

Os Mutantes | A Divina Comedia Ou

John Prine | The Missing Years

Thin Lizzy | Johnny The Fox

James Luther Dickinson | Free Beer Tomorrow

Radio Birdman | The Essential Radio Birdman

Temple Of The Dog | Temple Of The Dog

Liz Phair | Exile In Guyville

The Juan MacLean | Less Than Human

G. Love And Special Sauce | The Best Of…

Various Artists | The Sun Records Collection

Steel Pulse | True Democracy

Otis Rush | Right Place, Wrong Time

Easy Star All-Stars | Dub Side Of The Moon

Weekend Playlist

Long weekend, short playlist…

Lee Perry And Friends | Give Me Power

Lee Perry | The Upsetter Box Set

Tosca | No Hassle

Balkan Beat Box | Balkan Beat Box

Blue Mitchell | Blue’s Moods

Bon Iver | For Emma, Forever Ago

XTC | Drums And Wires

Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings | Naturally

The Temptations | Anthology

The Meters | Rejuvenation

Calexico | The Black Light

Stereo MC’s | Connected

Fela Anikulapo Kuti & The Africa 70 | Up Side Down
[Album cover not pictured]

Dire Straits | Dire Straits

J.J. Cale | #8

Talking Heads | Fear Of Music

The Cure | Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me

Melvin Jackson | Funky Skull

Tim Buckley | Greetings From L.A.

Wynton Marsalis | Baroque Music For Trumpets

George Brigman | Jungle Rot

Led Zeppelin | Physical Graffiti

The Kleptones | A Night At The Hip Hopera

Rushmore | Soundtrack

The Beatles | Rubber Soul

Ike Turner | A Black Man’s Soul

Steely Dan | Can’t Buy A Thrill

Clarence Carter | Testifyin’

Weekend Playlist

Here’s a sampling of some of the music The P and I got into over the weekend…

Various Artists | Superfly Soul

Chet Baker | In Paris: Barclay Sessions 1955-1956

Peter Tosh | Equal Rights

Brazilian Girls | Brazilian Girls

ESG | A South Bronx Story

Simon And Garfunkel | Bridge Over Troubled Water

Bonniwell Music Machine | Ignition

Fela Anikulapo Kuti & The Africa 70 | Up Side Down
[cover not pictured]

The Black Keys | Thickfreakness

The Cars | Greatest Hits

Steve Earle | Washington Square Serenade

Dillard & Clark | The Fantastic Expedition Of Dillard & Clark

Lee Dorsey | Yes We Can

Tony Joe White | Tony Joe

Babe Ruth | First Base

HP Lovecraft | HP Lovecraft

The Meters | Look-Ka Py Py

The Clash | Live At Shea Stadium

Atmosphere | Seven’s Travels

Nas | Illmatic

Doubleshot Tuesday: Fire On The Bayou/ Crawfish Fiesta

[Today: The fattest Tuesday of the year...]

A pair of albums for a Mardi Gras day…

Listen: Talkin’ ‘Bout New Orleans [The Meters]

Listen: Big Chief [Professor Longhair]

Listen: Fire On The Bayou [The Meters]

Listen: Crawfish Fiesta [Professor Longhair]