Barry White lit up the airwaves and got folks moving on the dance floor with this irresistible disco/funk smash back in 1977. The song is hooked-filled and superbly arranged and orchestrated. And it nicely showcases White’s rich bass-baritone, which drove all the ladies crazy back in the day. The intro’s nothing short of epic; it kicks off with a bumpin’ backbeat coupled with a bodacious bass line, and the soaring strings eventually set in, lifting the groove to the heavens; it’s pure sonic joy. The song was written by Ekundayo Paris and Nelson Pigford, and was produced and arranged by White.
"It's Ecstasy" was the lead single from White’s 1977 album Barry WhiteSings for Someone You Love. The song performed extremely well on the charts, shooting to #1 on the U.S. R&B singles charts, where it remained for five weeks. And it peaked at #4 on the pop charts. It's one of White's most popular tracks, and it still gets a lot of play on old-school R&B stations. Also, it was featured in a steamy scene between John Leguizamo and Mira Sorvino in Spike Lee’s controversial 1999 film Summer of Sam.
White had the Midas touch during the 1970s. The gifted musician, composer, arranger, producer and singer/songwriter released a string of hits in that decade, including the R&B classics “You're the First, the Last, My Everything,” "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby," “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe” and "Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up." During his amazing music career, White accumulated a heap of gold and platinum records and had international sales of more than 100 million--making him one of the world's best-selling music artists of all time.
White enjoyed a big career resurgence in the late ‘90s when some of his hits were featured on the popular TV series Ally McBeal. The Maestro made three guest appearances on the quirky series, including its finale in 2002.
The Temptations reflect on the troubled state of the world on their powerful political track “Ball of Confusion (That’s What The World Is Today),” released in 1970. It was written by the legendary Motown songwriting/production team of Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. This hard-hitting slice of psychedelic soul is among the best of the Whitefield/Strong compositions, which is saying a lot considering their sterling oeuvre. The track effectively captures the chaos, uncertainty, fear and collective anger during that period. The instrumentation—provided by the Funk Brothers—is tremendous. Bob Babbitt sets the tone with a foreboding bass line, giving the feeling of a ticking time bomb counting down to detonation. It’s one of the most iconic and recognized bass lines in popular music.
Additionally, the track is filled with ferocious horn lines and trippy sound effects provided by guitarist Dennis Coffey using Echoplex. It also contains some marvelous harmonica work from Mike Campbell. And the Temps bring tons of soul and passion to their vocals. Lead singer Dennis Edwards really shines on this track. His gritty vocal performance is filled with righteous anger and conviction, and his rapid-fire delivery on some of the verses gives the song a strong sense of urgency. The song touches on many of the burning sociopolitical issues of the early 1970s: rising unemployment, segregation, drug addiction, civil unrest, racism, corrupt politicians, gun control and war. Sadly, most of these issues are still big concerns today, making the song as timely and relevant as ever.
“Ball of Confusion (That’s What The World Is Today)” had a very strong showing on the charts, peaking at #2 on the U.S. R&B single charts and #3 on the pop charts. It also charted in other parts of the world, climbing to #7 on the UK singles charts and reaching #5 on the singles chart in Norway. The song was featured on the Temptations’ 1970 album Greatest Hits, Vol. 2.
The track has been covered by a slew of artists from various genres. Some of the notable artists who have covered the song include Tina Turner (with the B.E.F.), Love and Rockets, The Undisputed Truth, Duran Duran, Anthrax and the Neville Brothers. And Whoopi Goldberg performed it in the 1993 comedy Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.
The lineup for the Temptations at the time of the song’s release was Dennis Edwards, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, Melvin Franklin and Otis Williams.
Time to get wild and crazy! I’ve made a list of my
favorite songs with the word “crazy” in the title. Check ‘em out:
14)Crazy Chicken – Graham Central Station
(1977)
Larry Graham and GCS get busy with some fowl funk on this percolating, irresistible groove. It’s from the band’s fifth studio album Now Do U Wanta Dance (1977).
13)My Ladies Run Me Crazy – The Ohio Players
(1976)
This loose funk groove is a track from the Ohio
Players’ excellent Contradiction album.
The track features tight horn lines and some badass drumming from James “Diamond”
Williams.
Marvin Gaye laid down some of his patented smooth soul on
this this catchy R&B/pop cut. The song was the B-side of the Motown legend’s
hit “Can I Get a Witness.”
This atmospheric electronic/pop/soul track was Seal’s big
breakthrough hit and put him on the map in the U.S. music market. The British singer’s
vocals are soothing, soulful and reassuring; there is a richness and depth in
Seal’s voice that just works so well on this track. “Crazy” peaked at #7 on the
Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and #2 on the UK singles chart. It topped the
singles charts in Belgium and several other countries. It was the lead single
from Seal’s self-titled debut album, released in 1991.
Legendary Seattle rock band Heart scored their first hit
single with this dynamic, mesmerizing rock track. The song is noted for its
unique mix of electric and acoustic guitars. It boasts a cool quasi-classical acoustic
guitar intro from Nancy Wilson. And her sister, Ann Wilson, delivers a searing
lead vocal performance. This track nicely showcases Ann’s considerable vocal
power. Lead guitarist Roger Fisher provides the memorable main electric guitar
part, which is one of the most instantly recognizable guitar riffs in rock music.
“Crazy on You” was written by the Wilson sisters and is from the band’s debut
album Dreamboat Annie (1976). The
track peaked at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It’s one of Heart’s signature songs and still receives heavy airplay on classic rock stations.
Heavy metal pioneer
Ozzy Osbourne burned up the airwaves with this powerful, high-voltage track. The
Ozzman delivers a rousing vocal performance, and Randy Rhoads’ fantastic guitar
work keeps the rock factor high. And the hard-driving main guitar line is lauded
as one of rock’s most iconic guitar riffs, and it’s also for noted for using
the full minor scale. “Crazy Train” was the lead single from Ozzy’s solo debut
album Blizzard of Ozz, released in
1980. The song climbed to #9 on the Billboard
Mainstream Rock chart in 1981 and peaked at #49 on the UK singles chart.
Freddie Mercury channels a bit of Elvis on this irresistible
rockabilly track. In addition to singing lead vocals, Mercury plays the acoustic
rhythm guitar part. And Brian May keeps things rockin’ with some sweet
rockabilly licks, and John Deacon anchors the groove with his solid bass playing.
The track was the lead single from Queen’s multiplatinum-selling album The Game (1980). The track became the
band’s first #1 single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also topped the
charts in several of other countries, including Australia and Canada.
Beyoncékicked off her solo career in style with this infectious slice of R&B/pop.
The song has an indelible horn-driven hook, which was sampled from the Chi-Lites’
1970 song “Are You My Woman? (Tell Me So).” The celebratory horns fit nicely at
the intro, sounding as if they’re heralding Beyoncé’sarrival as an exciting new artist on
the R&B and pop scene in the early 2000s. The young singer/performer shows
off her impressive vocal chops here, and future-hubby Jay-Z lends the track a
bit of street cred with his smooth rap verses.
The song shot to the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
singles chart in 2003, where it remained for eight weeks. It ended up being one
of the best-selling R&B singles of all time, with sales of more than eight
million copies worldwide. It’s also recognized as one of the top songs of the 2000s by
a number of noted music publications. British music publication New Musical Express (NME) named “Crazy
in Love" the #1 song of the decade (2000-2010), and it placed at #3 on Rolling
Stone’s 100 Best Songs of the 2000s. The song also won two Grammys (Best R&B Song and Best Rap/Song Collaboration). It was the first single off Beyoncé's multiplatinum-selling solo debut
album Dangerously in Love (2003). And
the song’s music video is pretty iconic in its own right.
English glam rock band Mud thrilled fans with this dark, mysterious
track. The song has a nice fuzz bass part and some quality guitar work from Rob
Davis. And Les Gray’s haunting lead vocals
add to the track’s sinister vibe. “Crazy” peaked at #12 on the UK charts and
was the first of a succession of top-20 UK hits for Mud.
Guitarist/songwriter Jesse Johnson teamed up with music
legend Sly Stone for this bass-poppin’, synth-filled funk party. The former
Time member and Sly really gel on this high-energy groove. Sly’s voice is in
top form here, and he really belts out the funk on this cut. The song was the lead
single from Johnson’s second solo album Shockadelica
(1986). It had quite an impressive showing on the charts, peaking at #2 on
the U.S. R&B singles charts and #53 on the pop singles chart.
4) Still Crazy After
All These Years - Paul Simon (1975)
This beautiful, poignant tune is one of Paul Simon’s most beloved
songs. The song’s narrator quietly reflects on his life as he approaches middle
age. He’s set in his ways and no longer feels the need to try to change in
order to please anyone else. The song has a bittersweet quality and sentiments
that many can relate to. “Still Crazy
After All These Years” is the title track from Simon’s 1975 Grammy-winning album.
The song peaked at #40 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and climbed all the
way to #5 on Billboard’s Adult contemporary chart.
3) I’ll Go Crazy- James Brown & the Famous Flames (1960)
This early James Brown classic was released five years before
he blessed the music world with The Funk.
The young Mr. Dynamite’s musical gifts are in clear evidence on this hard-groovin’
R&B cut, and the Famous Flames show why they got their name with some soulful
backing vocals. The track was written by Brown and was his fourth R&B hit, peaking
at #15 on the R&B charts. It was also the first single from his landmark
album Live at the Apollo, which was
released in 1963.
In 2006, dynamic musical duo Gnarls Barkley (Cee-Lo Green
and Danger Mouse) dropped this brilliant track, which is about the potential positive aspects
of losing your mind and the freedom and peace it can bring. “Crazy” was the first single from the duo’s critically
acclaimed debut album St. Elsewhere
(2006). The track’s huge success marked one of those rare occasions in which a
truly unique song became an international smash. The song topped the singles
charts in several countries and peaked at #2 on the U.S. pop charts. And it won
a Grammy for Best Alternative/Urban performance at the 2007 Grammy Awards. It
also topped Rolling Stone’s 2009 list
of the “100 Best Songs of the Decade” and placed at #32 on NME’s list of the“150
Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years.” And it has made a ton of other
best-song lists from major music publications.
1) Let’s Go Crazy –
Prince & the Revolution (1984)
Prince showed the world that he could rock with the big dogs
on this galvanic rock/funk transatlantic smash. The track features a
monster rock-guitar riff and a face-melting solo served up by His Royal
Badness. It was the second single from
Prince’s phenomenally successful Purple Rain
album and was featured in his blockbuster film of the same name. The
song topped both the pop and R&B singles chart in the U.S. in 1984. It’s one of
the Purple One’s most famous tracks and a crowd favorite at his concerts.
Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band (YMBFBB) is one of the baddest funk outfits on the scene at the moment. The Asheville, NC-based band has been killing it for several years now with their dynamic sound and electrifying live shows. YMBFBB was formed in 2002 and quickly established themselves as a great live act who brought massive doses of funk and excitement to each of their performances. And the band has shared the stage with esteemed groove masters such as Parliament-Funkadelic, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Galactic, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Bootsy Collins and Maceo Parker.
In 2007, the Booty Band released their debut album, Now You Know. The album was well-received by critics and music lovers and was named Album of the Year by Home Grown Music Network. The network also crowned YMBFBB its Band of the Year. The band released their gritty second album, Doin’ It Hard, in 2012, which also received high praise from music critics and fans. The collection was followed up by the extra funkified remix album Re-Doin’ It Hard.
Over the years, YMBFBB underwent a few personnel changes before becoming the super-tight unit they are today. The members of the talented quintet are the following: Mary Frances, aka “Mama Funk” (keyboards, vocals); Al Al “Sweet Nasty” Ingram (bass, vocals); John Paul “Smoke Machine” Miller (guitar, vocals); Derrick “Dr. Ock” Johnson (trombone, vocals); and Lee “Insta Funk” Allen (drums).
The band has a distinct and unique sound that encompasses funk, soul, rock and old-school rap. And they have a pretty eclectic selection of influences, which include P-Funk, James Brown, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dr. Dre, Frank Zappa, Bootsy, OutKast, Poets of Rhythm, Sly Stone, Snoop Dogg and Fishbone, among others.
In October of last year, Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band dropped their most recent album, titled ONWARD! The eight-song album is a marvelous collection of funk, rock, soul and rap. One of the album’s highlights is the Middle Eastern-tinged rock/rap cut “Precious Moments.” The track is superbly arranged, with powerful horns and keyboards and some sweet guitar riffs. And Lee Allen tears it up on the drums.
“Sanchez” is a sizzling, high-octane instrumental with a cinematic feel. I can imagine this full-throttle groove being used as background music for a high-speed car chase scene in an action flick. The infectious “Ante Up,” is another strong cut, which is elevated by Mama Funk’s soulful, sultry lead vocals. And “Trunk Fallin’ Off” is an irresistible hip-hop track that boasts a sick beat and a dope vocal hook from Mama Funk. And Al Al Ingram and JP Miller add to the booty-shaking festivities with their humorous rhymes.
Additionally, the band gets smooth and mellow on “Let Me In,” which features some stellar fret-burning from Miller. And “Juices and Berries” is a badass retro groove with percolating wah-wah guitars and blazing organ. Ingram accentuates the groove with a mackin’ bass line, and Derrick Johnson delivers the heavy-duty funk on his trombone.
ONWARD! is a very strong and consistent effort; all the tracks are quality and nicely complement one another. The collection shows the band further expanding their singular funk sound. The guest musicians on the album are Greg Hollowell (saxophone on all the tracks and flute on “Reasons”), Mike Dillon (percussion on “Precious Moments”) and Cactus (aka “Agent 23”) wrote lyrics for “Precious Moments.”
Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band have been busy bringing their powerful brand of funk to appreciative audiences across the U.S. The band plays an average of 150 shows per year and has a bunch of tour dates lined up for this month. Their next show is scheduled for Thursday, December 11 at Holy Mountain in Austin, Texas. Check out YMBFBB's website to learn more about the band and get tour info.
Acclaimed axeman Jimmy “Chank” Nolen showed off his prodigious guitar skills on this smokin’ rhythm-and-blues instrumental. This jumpin’ groove no doubt had folks cuttin’ a mean rug way back in the day. And you can’t go wrong with a hot sax solo. Nolen wrote and arranged the track, which was released in 1956 on Federal Records, a subsidiary of Cincinnati-based King Records.
Nolen is widely celebrated in the funk community as one of the genre’s most influential guitarists. During his long tenure as lead guitarist for James Brown’s band, he played on a number of seminal tracks that helped launch funk music—which became an important and integral part of contemporary music. Nolen is credited with inventing the chicken-scratch guitar lick, a signature of the rhythm-driven funk sound. He played his famous chicken-scratch lick on Brown’s 1965 classic “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag,” which is considered by many as the first funk record. Due to his creation of the chicken-scratch lick and his pivotal contributions to a slew of influential funk tracks, Nolen is known as the “Father of Funk Guitar.”
Nolen was born on April 3, 1934 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He became interested in music at a very young age and began playing the violin when he was nine. And after listening to records by legendary blues guitarist T-Bone Walker, he picked up the guitar at age14. Before long, Nolen was impressing audiences at local clubs with his considerable guitar chops. He was eventually discovered by blues singer Jimmy Wilson, who caught him playing at a club in Tulsa. Wilson quickly recruited the talented young guitarist for his band. Shortly thereafter, Wilson brought Nolen to Los Angeles, where he began playing guitar for trumpeter Monte Easter and tenor saxophonist Chuck Higgins. During this period, Nolen was also cutting his own tracks on Federal Records, including “Strollin’ With Nolen,” “It Hurts Me Too” and “Movin’ On Down The Line.”
Nolen joined Johnny Otis’ band in 1957, replacing guitarist Pete “Guitar” Lewis. Nolen played on Otis’ R&B smash “Willie and the Hand Jive,” released in 1958. Nolen left Otis’ band in 1959 to form his own R&B outfit, called the Jimmy Nolen Band. The band gigged around California and Arizona’s “chitlin circuit,” playing small clubs and ballrooms. And the band backed several big-name blues acts who came through Cali. The band only cut one track in the five years that they were together, as their key purpose was to make a name for themselves as a great backing band. By the early ‘60s, Nolen was backing blues harp legend George “Harmonica” Smith and leading his own band.
Nolen’s soulful, gritty playing style would eventually catch the attention of James Brown. He joined Brown’s band 1965 and helped the legendary artist/performer make music history by playing on tracks that ushered in a new dynamic sound known as funk. Nolen remained with Brown for pretty much the remainder of his career, save for a two-year period (1970-1972) in he which played with Maceo & All the King’s Men; Brown’s controlling, mercurial behavior and tightfistedness got to be too much for most of the original members, which resulted in a mass defection in 1970. However, Nolen rejoined Brown’s band in early ’73, where he would remain until his death on December 18, 1983.
The stoic axeman quietly made his mark on the music world. His contributions to funk are undeniable, and his influence as a guitarist is massive.
In 1977, R&B/funk/jazz band Brick followed up their successful debut album, Good High (1976), with this surprisingly strong effort. The Atlanta-based quintet easily sidestepped the dreaded sophomore slump with this winning collection of R&B, funk, jazz, dance and pop. It proved that the success of Good High was no fluke, and Brick was definitely a band to be reckoned with. The LP is chock-full of great tracks that make for a very cool and enjoyable listening experience.
One of the album’s biggest highlights is the sunny, upbeat cut “Ain’t Gonna Hurt Nobody.” This breezy mix of soul, pop and jazz is pure sonic joy. Its irresistible chorus will have you singing along. Also, Jimmy Brown serves up a superb trombone solo, and axman Regi Hargis Hickman sweetens the groove with his dope guitar work. The song saw some significant chart action, climbing to #7 on the U.S. R&B singles chart.
And “Dusic" is just incredible. The powerful groove is driven by Ray Ransom’s hypnotic and extremely funky bass line. The song’s arrangement is tremendous: tight horns, phat beat, bumpin’ Hammond keyboard—all complemented by the band’s signature unison falsetto vocals. It also has a terrific bridge, which sounds like the band stopped off at a funk station to fuel up on some more funk before heading back into the main groove. Additionally, Brown augments the funk with a sick flute solo. Listening to “Dusic” today, it still sounds as original and fresh as it did when it first hit the airwaves more than 30 years ago. It exemplifies Brick’s singular sound, distinguishing them from other R&B and funk bands during that period. The track performed extremely well on the charts—peaking at #2 on the U.S. R&B singles chart and #18 on the U.S. pop charts.
“Happy” is a blithesome soul/pop track with an uplifting, positive message. The song has a fun, playful vibe that wouldn’t sound out of place on a children’s TV program. It’s a great cut to put on when you’ve had a rough day and need a little boost. Brown again displays his versatile brass and woodwind skills on this track, playing a trombone, flute and trumpet solo. And the vocal work here is topflight, particularly on the unison-sung falsetto parts.
Another album highlight is the relentlessly funky party groove “We Don’t Wanna’ Sit Down (We Wanna’ Git Down).” Ransom’s bass work is fantastic throughout this hot track, and he takes the funk to another level with a nasty thumpin' solo during the breakdown. The track also boasts some dirty guitar licks and funky brass lines.
And the band members show off their considerable jazz/funk chops on the Earth, Wind & Fire-esque “Living From the Mind.” This kinetic, high-energy groove will have you bouncin’ in your seat and bobbin’ your head. And Ransom gets busy with some sterling bass playing on this cut.
The band slows things down a bit for the infectious love song “Honey Chile.” The track contains solid vocal work from the band members and a super-smooth sax solo from Brown. Another great mellow track from the album is the soothing, reggae-flavored “Fun.” This is the perfect song to play while you’re just chillin’ and relaxing. And the track boasts some amazing flute work from Brown, who’s pretty much the MVP of this album.
After listening to this album, you realize just how underrated Brick really is. This album catches the band at the very top its game. There are literally no weak tracks to be found on this outstanding collection. It’s an extremely consistent effort that stands up well after repeated plays.
And Brick is one of the band’s most commercially successful albums. It topped the Billboard’s R&B album chart and also had an impressive showing on the Billboard 200, peaking at #15. The album was co-produced by Brick and Phil Benton and was released on the imprint label Bang Records. And all five of the band members tended to the songwriting duties.
The lineup for Brick when they dropped this album was the following: Jimmy Brown (saxophone, flute, trombone, trumpet and vocals); Ray Ransom (bass, keyboards, vocals and percussion); Eddie Irons (drums, vocals and keyboards); Regi Hargis Hickman (guitar, bass and vocals); and Donald Nevins (keyboards, vocals).
A daring and innovative artist, Sly Stone was never afraid to try something different and unique with his sound, and he embraced new technology in his recordings. He was one of the first big-name artists to incorporate drum-machine beats into his music. Starting in the early 1970s, he began using an early analog drum machine called the Maestro Rhythm King MRK-2 (aka the funk box) on some of his tracks. And he famously employed funk-box beats on tracks for Sly & the Family Stone’s groundbreaking album There’s a Riot Goin’ On (1971), including their #1 hit “Family Affair.” So for better or worse, Sly pretty much brought the drum machine into mainstream music with Riot.
And in addition to the Family Stone tracks, Sly also used funk-box beats for songs that he produced for artists on his short-lived imprint label Stone Flower Productions (1969-71). The label was set up by Sly’s manager David Kapralik with distribution by Atlantic Records.
A new compilation titled I’m Just Like You: Sly's Stone Flower 1969-70 explores Sly’s first experiments with the funk box. On November 4, independent label Light in the Attic Records released the LP version of the 18-track collection, which features tracks that Sly wrote, arranged and produced for Stone Flower signees Joe Hicks, Little Sister and 6IX. The album also contains tracks from Sly’s solo efforts during this period. Additionally, the LP has an early version of “Just Like a Baby,” a song that would later appear on There’s a Riot Goin’ On. It’s interesting to hear this future Riot track in its early incarnation.
I’m Just Like You: Sly Stone’s Flower 1969-70 also contains ten previously unissued tracks that are newly remastered from the original tapes. This album captures Sly as he was making the transition to a more dark, minimalist sound, which would define There’s a Riot Goin’ On. This new sound was worlds apart from the largely upbeat, optimistic and anthemic tracks found on the band’s previous album releases. These Stone Flower recordings served as Sly’s testing ground for the evolution of his new sound.
The album features two versions of “You’re The One” by all-female R&B trio Little Sister, which was fronted by Sly’s youngest sister Vaetta Stewart. The early version of the song has a much different arrangement from the recording that was eventually released to radio. And the final version (“You’re the One, Parts 1&2") was released as a single and became a hit. The percolating funk/soul track climbed to #4 on the R&B charts and #22 on the pop charts.
The album also contains Little Sister’s stripped-down funk-box driven cover version of Family Stone track “Somebody’s Watching One,” as well as the trio’s full-band version of the song. The bare-boned, funk-box version of the song was released as a single and also became a hit, charting at #8 on the R&B charts and #32 on the pop charts.
Additionally, I’m Just Like You features tracks Sly wrote and produced for soul singer Joe Hicks, including the soulful, hard-groovin’ cut “I’m Goin’ Home” and its B-side “Home Sweet Home.” Another noteworthy Hicks track on the album is “Life & Death in G&A (parts 1&2).” This track has that singular, brittle, stripped-down funk-box sound that would distinguish many of the tracks on There’s a Riot Goin’ On.
And the collection also contains tracks Sly wrote and produced for six-piece multiracial rock group 6IX; these tracks are characterized by Sly’s new sonic direction, with slowed-down grooves and a heavy funk-box presence. One of the standouts of the 6IX songs on the album is a slowed-down, extremely funky version of the Family Stone track “Dynamite.”
I’m Just Like You: Sly's Stone Flower 1969-70 is a terrific collection of tracks and a fascinating snapshot of Sly exploring new sonic terrain and mining a brand-new sound in the process. This new innovative sound was introduced to the world through There’s a Riot Goin’ On, which has had a significant impact on contemporary music; today Riot’s influence can be heard in the genres of R&B, hip hop, funk, soul and even pop and alternative music.
