“Everybody Is a Star” is a gorgeous psychedelic-soul ballad that Sly & the Family Stone released in December of 1969. The powerful anthem is about equality, self-worth and human dignity. Its main theme is that every individual has inherent worth, no matter what their social station, income level, race, religion or ethnicity; and also that people should remain true to themselves and not try to change who they are to conform to what society or the powers that be tell them they should be: “I love you for who you are/Not the one you feel you need to be.”
The vocals on this track are absolutely stunning. Sly Stone, Freddie Stone, Larry Graham and Rose Stone trade off on lead vocals, and they all bring the fire. This song highlights just how formidable the vocal talent was in Sly & the Family Stone at the time. And the horn charts are magnificent. The song also features some of the most beautifully poetic lyrics that Sly has ever written. Additionally, the musical arrangement is superb, and the production is flawless.
“Everybody Is a Star” was written and produced by Sly and released on Epic Records. It was released as the B-side of the band’s influential funk classic "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).” It’s also included on their 1970 Greatest Hits compilation album and the two-disc best of/career overview The Essential Sly & the Family Stone (2002).
“Everybody Is a Star” has been covered by a host of well-known artists, including The Pointer Sisters, The Jackson 5, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Joan Osborne, Fishbone (featuring Gwen Stefani) and Al Jarreau and Miki Howard. It has been sampled by Madonna (“Everybody 1994”) and The Roots (“Star/Pointro”). And it has been featured on the soundtracks for the films Crooklyn (1994), Moonlight Mile (2002) and Molly’s Game (2017). The song was also performed in a 1977 episode of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour.
The players on “Everybody Is a Star” were Sly Stone (vocals, keyboards), Cynthia Robinson (trumpet), Larry Graham (vocals, bass), Rose Stone (vocals, piano),Greg Errico (drums), Freddie Stone (vocals, guitar) and Jerry Martini (saxophone).
Earth, Wind & Fire’s 1975 chart-topping smash “Shining Star” has a similar theme to "Everybody Is a Star," that all individuals have value no matter who they are. Sly & the Family Stone were a major influence on EWF and many other funk artists and bands from the '70s to the present.
Cool Cool Cool is a talented group of musicians who have been creating quite a buzz recently with their exciting live shows and unique mix of funk, house and R&B. Formed in 2022, the septet is composed of former members of the funk band Turkuaz. After working with Turkuaz for more than a decade, they decided to form their own band. They had developed a strong musical synergy after working together all those years in a variety of settings–from international festival stages to dive bars. And they have brought that chemistry to Cool Cool Cool.
The band released their debut single “Never Noticed” last November. This dreamy, atmospheric groove takes the listener on a majestic sonic ride. The song sets a soothing, tranquil mood. It boasts a marvelous horn arrangement, exquisite vocals and a hypnotic bass line. In a statement, the band explained the meaning behind “Never Noticed”: “The realization of our universal connectedness is at the heart of this song, which we hope the listener can associate with their own lives.” The band added that they “want people to contemplate and discover how our stories are told and how they interconnect.” Cool Cool Cool also produced "Never Noticed," which was released on the Color Red label.
The members of Cool Cool Cool are Sammi Garett (vocals, percussion), Chris Brouwers (trumpet, keyboards, synthesizers), Michael Carubba (drums), Shira Elias (vocals), Craig Brodhead (guitar, keyboards, synthesizers), Greg Sanderson (alto sax/tenor sax, vocals, EWI) and Josh Schwartz (baritone saxophone, vocals). In addition to Turkuaz, individual members of Cool Cool Cool have toured with notable acts such as George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic, Zac Brown Band, The Motet, Andy Frasco & the U.N. and more. The band has enlisted a number of great bass players for their live performances. They brought in Garret Sayers from The Motet to play bass on “Never Noticed.”
Up until the release of “Never Noticed,” the band drew from its members’ individual solo projects and various artistic influences to create setlists for their live shows. This includes everything from performing as both the opening act and backing band for Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew’s Remain In Light Tour to supporting Andy Fraso & The U.N. on their L’Optimist tour.
“Never Noticed” is Cool Cool Cool’s first offering of new material that they created entirely as a unit. In an interview with website Live Music & Review.com, Greg Sanderson said the song was born out of “a true collaboration from the band.” “It started from a multi-day writing session, bouncing ideas around between Craig and the horn section, then passed around to really bring it to life,” he said.
The band has some concert dates lined up in February, March and April for their Never Noticed tour. Visit their website for more tour details. "Never Noticed" is available on all streaming platforms.
Chic were one of the premier disco acts in the world during the late ‘70s. Led by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards, Chic dominated the airwaves and filled dance floors across the globe with their thrilling brand of R&B, disco and funk. The band cultivated their own singular sound–adding a dash of sophistication and class to their dance grooves. This distinguished them from other popular bands on the scene at the time. Hits like “Good Times” and “Le Freak” are era-defining classics that still get a lot of play to this day. And in addition to the hits that everyone is familiar with, Chic have some great underappreciated tracks in their discography that deserve more recognition.
One of them is the incredible instrumental “Open Up.” The track is exquisitely arranged and produced. And the musicianship is simply phenomenal. Edwards brings equal shares of funk and smooth elegance to the groove with his brilliant bass work. The track features a magnificent string arrangement, sizzling drums and Rodgers’ super-tight rhythm guitar riffs. The sleek, intoxicating groove demands repeated plays. This is stylish funk as only Chic could do it.
“Open Up” is the opening track on Chic’s fourth studio album Real People, released in 1980 on Atlantic Records. It was written and produced by Edwards and Rogers. It has been sampled on four songs, according to WhoSampled.com.
The full personnel for Real People is Nile Rodgers (guitar, vocals), Bernard Edwards (bass, vocals), Andy Schwartz (keyboards), Tony Thompson (drums), Alfa Anderson (lead vocals), Raymond Jones (keyboards), Luci Martin (lead vocals), Michelle Cobbs (vocals), Fonzi Thornton (lead vocals) and the Chic Strings: Cheryl Hong, Karen Mine and Valerie Haywood. Gene Orloff was concertmaster. The album was produced by Edwards and Rodgers.
Chic pretty much defined the disco era and had a major impact on contemporary music. Their influence is far-reaching–touching genres such as hip-hop, dance, funk, R&B and more.
1977 was a banner year for funk and R&B music. That year, Parliament, the Isley Brothers and Earth, Wind & Fire released albums that rank among their best works. ‘77 also saw a slew of other great releases from major funk acts such as Brick, Cameo, The Commodores, Slave and the Brothers Johnson. Bootsy Collins’ second album, Ahh...The Name Is Bootsy, Baby!, was another excellent funk release that year. He set the music world on fire the year before with his fantastic debut album Stretchin’ Out in Bootsy's Rubber Band, which received tons of love from funk fans and music critics. Incredibly, Ahh...The Name Is Bootsy, Baby!is even better. It’s widely hailed as Bootsy’s best album and regularly appears on greatest-funk-albums-of-all-time lists. The charismatic funkster and his talented Rubber Band brought their A game to this superb collection.
The album kicks off with the exciting and tremendously funky title track. It’s driven by Bootsy’s powerhouse bass line, which is augmented by a Mu-Tron III Envelope Filter to give it a funky elastic sound. The track features a killer horn arrangement and some dope chicken-scratch rhythm guitar licks. Bootsy, assuming his funky-ghost alter ego Casper, responds to questions from his ardent fans with witty retorts. Also, sax legend Maceo Parker serves as the band's emcee and hype man at the song’s opening, enthusiastically introducing Bootsy and his funky crew. Bootsy often opened his live shows with this thrilling funk track, which eventually became his theme song.
The album’s second track is the electrifying funk burner “The Pinocchio Theory.” The funk level on this imaginative groove is stratospheric. It’s flawlessly arranged and boasts impeccable musicianship from the Rubber Band. The track is elevated by Bernie Worrell and Joel “Razorsharp” Johnson’s inventive keyboard work and the Horny Horns incredible horn charts. And Bootsy rains down a thunderstorm of funk with his furious bass work. The line “Don’t fake the funk or your nose will grow” is a clever twist on the Pinocchio paradox that lying will make your nose grow. It also served as the inspiration for Dr. Funkenstein's arch nemesis Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk. The song also features a marvelous vocal arrangement that includes Gary “Mudbone” Cooper and Robert “P-Nut” Johnson spelling out “R-U-B-B-E-R F-A-N-S.” At the song’s opening, Bootsy proclaims, “This is the world's funkiest singalong.” No lies told.
Bootsy brings his signature droll humor and goofy charm to the irresistible “Rubber Duckie.” The super-funky groove features creative synth work and blazing horn lines. The vocal work is also topflight, with Mudone and P-Nut killing it with their smooth harmonies.
One of the things that distinguishes this album from a lot of other funk albums is that the ballads are just as strong as the funk cuts. “What’s a Telephone Bill?” and “Munchies for Your Love” are both exceptional and rank among the best ballads in P-Funk’s discography.
“What’s a Telephone Bill?” is a majestic soul ballad where Bootsy serves up a dazzling bass performance. His liquid-funk bass solos on this track are simply mind-blowing. All of the elements on this amazing track gel so perfectly, from the splendid musical arrangement to the stunning vocal work. This captivating slow jam stands up well after repeated plays.
“Munchies for Your Love” takes listeners on a soul-stirring sonic journey. The song is beautifully arranged and produced. It begins quietly with delicate guitar parts, soothing keyboards and Bootsy’s slippery bass. Then, it slowly builds to a rapturous crescendo where Bootsy, Mudbone and P-Nut unleash a passionate declaration of their love addiction. This powerful climactic section features some sensational drumming from Jerome Brailey. The song uses “munchies” (a strong and sudden craving for food, often after smoking marijuana) as a metaphor for intense romantic yearning and sexual desire. “Your love is kind of sweet, sweet enough to eat/I'm hooked on you chocolate star/I got the munchies for your love.” Bootsy’s bass work is phenomenal on this track, and he makes great use of the Mu-Tron III and Echoplex delay pedals to enhance the song’s cosmic, psychedelic vibe. This track is an absolute gem.
"Can’t Stay Away” is a funky ray of sunshine. Bootsy lays down a sweet bass line on this breezy, infectious groove. And Mudone serves up one of his best vocal performances. His vocals are at once mellifluous, butter-smooth and unbelievably soulful. The singer's fantastic vocal work on this album shows just how essential he was to the Rubber Band’s singular sound. The album closes out with a short reprise of the title track.
Ahh...The Name Is Bootsy, Baby! displays Bootsy’s great versatility as a musician, songwriter and producer. He co-produced the album with George Clinton and co-wrote all of its tracks. In addition to bass, he played guitar and drums on some of the songs. For instance, he played guitar and drums on both “The Pinocchio Theory" and “Can’t Stay Away.” The album also showed how amazingly talented all of the Rubber Band members were.
The album, which was released on Warner Bros. Records, topped Billboard’s R&B album chart and peaked at #16 on the Billboard 200. It was certified gold by the RIAA with 500,000 copies sold. “The Pinocchio Theory” had a strong showing on Billboard’s R&B singles chart, peaking at #6, and “Can’t Stay Away” had a solid performance on that chart, rising to #19.
The full personnel for the album was Bootsy (bass, drums, guitar, vocals), Phelps “Catfish” Collins (guitar), Gary “Mudbone” Cooper (vocals, drums), Garry Shider (guitar), Frankie “Kash” Waddy (drums), Bernie Worrell (keyboards), Jerome Brailey (drums), Joel “Razorsharp” Johnson (keyboards), Glenn Goins (guitar), Robert “P-Nut” Johnson (vocals), Michael “Kidd Funkadelic” Hampton (guitar); and the Horny Horns: Maceo Parker (saxophone), Fred Wesley (trombone), Rick Garner (trumpet) and Richard “Kush” Griffith (trumpet). Additionally, the Brecker Brothers, Michael (saxophone) and Randy (trumpet), contributed their considerable talents to the album. And Bootsy and Fred Wesley handled all the horn arrangements for this collection.
Ahh...The Name Is Bootsy, Baby! is another jewel in the P-Funk crown and one of the greatest sophomore albums in funk music history.
After electrifying the ‘70s with his powerful sonic brew of glam rock, protopunk, blue-eyed soul, post punk and art rock, music chameleon David Bowie kicked off the ‘80s with a bang with Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), released in September of 1980. The album’s lead single is the brilliant “Ashes to Ashes,” which continues fictional astronaut Major Tom’s saga that began with Bowie’s 1969 classic “Space Oddity.” The second single is the high-voltage funk/dance/rock attack “Fashion.” Bowie had previously shown his strong funk credentials on tracks like "Golden Years,” "Stay" and “Fame,” so it’s not surprising that “Fashion” is so funky. The groove is powered by a piledriver bass line and mammoth beat. Guitar wizard Robert Fripp tears it up with his inventive lead-guitar work. The funk is further deepened by some wicked rhythm guitar licks. “Fashion” was originally a reggae song titled “Jamaica,” but Bowie and his band gradually began funkifying the groove as the session went on until it evolved into the funk gem that we know today.
On “Fashion,” Bowie slams the fashion industry for its superficiality and commercialism. With tongue-in-cheek, he draws parallels between those who slavishly adhere to fashion trends and fascism: “We are the goon squad and we’re coming to town.” Bowie was initially fascinated with the disco/fashion scene of the ‘70s but then soured on it when it became inorganic, commercialized and regimented. He shared his thoughts on it in an old interview: “When I first started going to discos in New York in the early ‘70s, there was a very high-powered enthusiasm and the scene had a natural course about it. It seems now to be replaced by an insidious grim determination to be fashionable, as though it’s actually a vocation. There’s some strange aura about it.”
Bowie was an influential fashion icon throughout most of his career; he was constantly setting new fashion trends with his ever-evolving image and persona. Each of his new music eras involved a drastic transformation of his look and sound. He served as the blueprint for superstar pop/fashion chameleons such as Madonna, Prince and Lady Gaga.
“Fashion” was written by Bowie, and he co-produced it with musician, singer and producer Tony Visconti. The song was released on October 20, 1980 on RCA Records. It peaked at #5 on the UK singles chart. It also performed well on the charts in Sweden (#7), South Africa (#8), Norway (#9), Ireland (#11) and New Zealand (#22). And it rose to #22 on Billboard’s dance club chart in the U.S.
“Fashion” has been sampled on four songs, per WhoSampled.com. It has been featured on the soundtracks for the films Clueless (1995) and Raising Helen (2004). The song was also used for a tribute to the fashion industry during the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. New Musical Express (NME) ranked "Fashion" the eighth best song of 1980.
Here is the full personnel for “Fashion”: David Bowie (lead and backing vocals), Robert Fripp (lead guitar), Carlos Alomar (rhythm guitar), George Murray (bass), Dennis Davis (drums) and Andy Clark (synthesizer).
Director David Mallet shot the song’s music video in a New York nightclub called Hurrah. Shots of Bowie performing onstage with his band are interposed with footage of dancers rehearsing and a procession of New Romantics outside a soup kitchen. (The New Romantic was an underground subculture movement of the late ‘70s that was characterized by its flamboyant and outré fashion.)
Bowie often performed “Fashion” in concert, and he never failed to bring massive doses of funk each time. The song always got a rousing response from the audience.
David Bowie performing "Fashion" on The Jonathan Ross Show in 2002
