Loading ...
« Music and Freedom | Home | Wow! Buddy Rich is Awesome! »
New Music…Some Funk
Post By: Alan
As any music lover worth his/her salt would do, I’ve gotten a little tired of all of the music I have, and I’ve been trying to discover some new music. I thank Pandora, the awesome service I recommended in an earlier post for helping me along.
You know how you’re looking through your music, and you’re like “I’ve heard this too many times”, and you can never decide on what to listen to? That’s been my life lately. I’ll be the first to admit that while I love music, I am in no way well-versed on everything out there. You could spend a lifetime listening to music, and still not hear everything. When I get into this situation, I have to go out and explore. For me, the easiest way is to listen to the radio. Since I am not a fan of actual radio (The kind where you have to tune in, get static, suffer through inane morning shows, listen to poor local businesses and their god-awful commercials, and maybe hear something you like), I have been listening to Pandora a lot lately. Check it out if you haven’t, I’m super serial! Thanks to this great service, I have made several new discoveries that I am really excited about…
Sly & The Family Stone
I heard a few of their songs on the Pandora Funk station like “Sing a Simple Song”, “Stand”, “Family Affair”, and “I Wanna Take You Higher”, and I was hooked immediately. It is clear to me why so many people in the 60’s and 70’s fell in love with this group. The music is upbeat and funky, and just a blast to listen to. Unfortunately, the group only lasted for a few years, but when they were hot, they were hot. Call me a NeWb, but hey, I wasn’t even alive when this group was around. I have already burned lots of copies of it of for some friends, and everyone has been digging it. My best description is rock mixed with a little blues, a little jazz, some disco, plenty of soul, and psychedelia. Sound good? Check out a greatest hits album to get started, then look for the albums “Stand” and “There’s a Riot Goin’ On”. Sly & The Family Stone Vinyl
Parliament
Another find from the Pandora funk radio station. Of course, I have heard a few of Parliament’s songs on the radio and in movies, etc. and I knew they were the quintessential funk group, but I didn’t really know very much of their music. Parliament is in your face funky. I would say that they really invented the genre, and have no equal. Their influence is extremely noticeable, especially in west coast rap. In fact, my first exposure to Parliament was back in the early 90’s when Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg were doing the G-Funk thing, and sampling Parliament in some of their hits. What I love about Parliament is that it’s like rock and jazz, but you can dance to it too. The bass and beats are heavy, you’ve got horns, plus the magic of the synthesizer filling out the other parts. If you want the bomb, you gotta make your funk the p-funk. Check out their hit album “Mothership Connection” for a taste of this lively music. Parliament Vinyl
So, there you have it. Just a few groups that you should pick up right now if you have an interest in funk. Get funked up, and enjoy the music!
Join the Conversation: Post a Comment!
Topics: R&B & Soul & Funk | No Comments »