The Beatnuts were a group that got a lot of love on Soul Strut. Their penchant for obscure funk and jazz samples cross pollinated with their comical, locker room rhymes made them an easy fit for your average hip hop loving 23 year old male circa 2003.
Their 1994 full length debut (sometimes referred to as "Street Level") is high powered golden era NYC boom bap at its finest, but it isn't your typical Nas or Big L type-record. Tracks like "Are You Ready", "Fried Chicken", and "Psycho Dwarf" are X rated Walkman ready party tracks not political street diaries. What Psycho Les and Juju lacked in substance was made up in personalty and punch. And this what we have grown to love about them (It's the Beatnuts!)
l just copped (borrowed from my local library) this CD. My indy rock friend told me I needed to hear it that it was really a "soul" album and the most "funky" the beach boys get. When i think beach boys i don't think of soul/funk but my friend doesn't make many musical recommendations to me so i took his word and damn this album is great. I can see why the indy rocker in him loves it the whole thing was recorded in a house, not a studio. It sounds like The Shins studied this album before they started recording. Wild Honey came out in 1967, pre White Album. It's not hard to imagine why this album wasn't popular when it came out. I wonder how hard it is to fine a vinyl copy in good condition.. Strutters should check out this album even if they hate the Beach Boys, even if they hate the Beach Boys & Pet Sounds....even if they hate the Beach Boys, Pet Sounds & "Don't Worry Baby" they should still give this album a chance. If you hate all that then fine you can give up on The Beach Boys.
Formed by Cream lyricist Pete Brown, The Battered Ornaments were a mixture of English jazz, blues, and psych rock in the late 60s. By the time they got around to recording their sophomore album Mantle-Piece, Brown was out of the band, yet they recorded his songs and sang his parts. The album was a critical and commercial disaster. It was later rediscovered by hip hop crate diggers for its raw funky production and open grooves especially on the track "The Crosswords And The Safety Pins".
The Banana Splits was a bizarre Saturday morning live action cartoon consisting of a fictional rock band in the late 60s / early 70s that ran for 30 episodes on NBC. Some called it Sesame Street on acid! Generation X touted the reruns and crate diggers championed the soundtrack LP which has everything from garage fuzz psych ("I'm Gonna Find a Cave") to blue-eyed James Brown soul ("Doin' the Banana") to your typical groovy sing songy 60s pop ("You're the Lovin' End").
Despite being from Oakland, The B.U.M.S (Brothas Unda Madness) hardly had a West Coast sound. Their beats were more DITC boom bap and emcees D-Wyse and E-Vocalist have no hint of that Bay Area twang. Many on Soul Strut regard this album as an under the radar gem of mid 90s hip hop, especially on the title track "Lyfe 'n' Tyme" which features one of the better female verses of the time by Mystic and the banger "Let the Music Take Your Mind". This is highly recommended for 90s sample based hip hop lovers.
Chicago's The Awakening is the only non solo artist to be featured on the fabled Black Jazz label. The Bay Area based Black Jazz label was formed in the early 70s by pianist Gene Russell with the intent to give spotlight to emerging jazz players. The label managed to release over 20 albums until fading into obscurity in the mid 70s. The emergence of acid jazz and crate digging culture sparked new interest in Black Jazz in the 1990s. At which that time the masters fell into the hands of an entrepreneur who later put the label's masters for sale on Craigslist!? There was a rather disturbing and hilarious thread on Soul Strut in 2011.
As for this record, this is the second and final release from the band commanded by ballsy acoustic bass, funky Rhodes work, and a tight horn section as evident on jazz funk cuts like "Slinky" , "Mode for D.D." , and "March On". The rest is your standard spiritual soul jazz.
With its anonymous, uncredited packaging, The Animated Egg looks like another studio created band corralled to cash in on the acid rock sounds of the 1960s, but the back story is much more interesting.
Jerry Cole was an in demand musician who worked with greats like The Beach Boys and The Byrds. He formed the group The Id in 1966 inspired by the changing psychedelic sounds of the 60s. The unreleased studio outtakes of their debut The Inner Sounds Of The Id were heisted by producer Paul Arnold and secretly sold to the budget label Alshire who then repackaged it as The Animated Egg. They also added strings to it and sold it as 101 Strings Astro-Sounds From Beyond The Year 2000. Throughout the 60s, the Animated Egg tracks made its way on to countless other budget label LPs released in the US and Europe (see The Black Diamonds - A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix).
With that said, the album is groovy fuzz rock. The track that gets everybody in a tizzy is the head nodder "Sock It My Way". It's the sonic version of a bad trip with high tremolo fuzz guitar over an ominious chord progression. Think The Door's "This is the End". The 101 strings version was named "Flameout" and is the same track with strings over it, duh. It's hard to believe this was a record marketed to the easy listening crowd at grocery store checkouts.
Jerry Cole had no idea his music was repurposed, later becoming a cult classic until it was divulged to him in a 2006 interview by Pop Matters. He later passed away in 2008.
This is one record I would grab if my house was on fire. I had been looking for this OST ever since I saw the movie 12 years ago. However, I was looking for the typical white jacket, painted collage of movie themes, and "The Andromeda Strain" in big capital letters. I had no idea the record was gonna be hexagonal (it fits in the camera shutter like opening on the front) !!! As far as the music it is like a more rational thinking person's Morton Subotnik. Weird, raw, electronic sounds…miles away from the usual theramin and molested Thomas organ sounds that predominate a lot of Sci-fi soundtracks. If you ever have seen the documentary, "Blue Note", Gil is the cigar chomping cat that is interviewed a lot. I have been told by some friends that he has some electronic/jazz hybrid records also…I will be on the lookout.
Quintessential album for fans of the 70s "sweet soul" genre. The Ambassadors released quite a few 45s on Atlantic and the cult Philly R&B label, ARTIC. This was their only LP. The harmonies on this record could melt butter and the production is the prototypical Gamble and Huff Philly sound. It was recorded in 1969, so the drums are nice and crisp which made it a favorite for hip hop production. Pete Rock fans will get a kick out of the tune "Ain'T Got The Love (Of One Girl On My Mind)". The ashes of this band went on to form Creme d'Coco which had a minor disco hit "Doin the Dog" in 1979 and was later featured in Grand Theft Auto 4.
Legendary contemporary jazz album headed by pianist Ahmad Jamal that has been sampled on countless 90s hip hop tracks (sorry this is not the-breaks.com). This and Jack Bruce's Things We Like were the go to sample fodder for the jazzy boom bap sound of the early to mid 90s (I see you Pete Rock.) Despite those accolades, this is just an amazing Sunday morning jazz album. More coffee please!
An album that continues to pop up as a 70s Roots Reggae recommendation. It features the monster title track. The Abyssinians are known for their tight harmonies and Satta Massagana is their best showcase. The initial pressings are rather rare, but thankfully it's been released in many different iterations over the years for all to enjoy.
Tom Verlaine is a guitar demigod. From the ringing wide open chords of the first 30 seconds, you know you're in for some shit. You got some punk attitude thrown in with some amazing lyrical (in all ways) songwriting and the whole album just has this nonchalance and restraint about it. You know these dudes could have just gone apeshit, but instead they leave you wanting more. It's even got a drum break hidden in here, but we won't get into that. Fuckin amazing record from start to back. I've never played this for anyone who hasn't been floored.
This record, by the odds, should not work. And were it not for my complete faith in Gary Mcfarland, I’d have run away from it screaming right after I read “An attempt to meld the Classical & Jazz idioms”, or whatever jive-ness is written on the back. But I was brave, and people lemme tell ya, everything is right about this one! Gary don’t play on it, but he wrote & arranged the whole thing. Steve Kuhn is in fine form, and he’s backed by some of the great players who frequented Impulse releases at the time. (names elude me right now) Plus there’s a small group of strings on one side & reeds on the other, which is a nice touch. The music is hard to describe. It’s very much Jazz, so you can basically ignore the Classical references which are so hyped on this. Which in my opinion is a good thing.
The age old debate on Soul Strut was "Which Steely Dan camp did you belong to?" Dentist waiting room music or genius audiophile jazz rock?
For those of the latter, their seminal 1977 Aja LP was the ultimate dollar bin vinyl record to toss on while cleaning the house or making dinner. With classics like the Michael McDonald hooked "Peg", "Black Cow" (Uptown baby!), and "Josie", it's hard to go wrong with this finely crafted smooth jazz, pop masterpiece. Even though Steely Dan was painfully unhip, their catalogue appealed to fans of all genres of music from all walks of life (including hip hop). Their 2000 Classic Albums documentary on the making of this record is a must see as well!
Washington D.C.'s Sir Joe Quarterman and his band Free Soul were hot on the scene in 1872 with their locally released 45 "(I've Got) So Much Trouble In My Mind." R&B Lloyd Price was so impressed he signed the group to a one album deal to his GSF label (an ABC Paramount subsidiary). The result was a politically charged raw funk masterpiece. Highlights include the nasty wah grooves of "I Feel Like This", the cathartic "Give Me Back My Freedom," and the previously released aforementioned track "(I've Got) So Much Trouble In My Mind". The album is also notable for its unique hand drawn artwork. The passage below was written on the Soul Strut message board.
There's a neat little story behind the artwork for this album. Lloyd Price was a friend of Joe's and when he first heard the 45 of "So much trouble," released on D.C.'s local Mantis Records, he immediately signed Joe for a one-album release on GSF.
Lloyd asked Joe for some ideas for the cover artwork. Joe was in his car with one of his kids, and together he made a sketch of what he envisioned the cover to look like. He then submitted his sketch to the art director of GSF, hoping that he'd use it as inspiration to do something nice.
Weeks later, when the record was released, Joe was shocked to see that the art director had used his sketch unaltered. He was told that the art director liked it as it was - but my guess is that he was simply too lazy and not too enthusiastic about the album, which is why he just used what he got from Joe. At the time, Joe wasn't really happy about it - but today, he's proud of the cover because it is his own work and it's quite different.
The band would later release a couple 45s on the Mercury label. While a modest success, they that did not match the intensity of their debut. The GSF album later became a cult classic ("So Much Trouble" was even on the Grand Theft Auto video game series) encouraging the band to reform in the 00s and tour Europe.
Infamous album cover that looks like it could double as a Halloween mask. This is the second and last album of hippie jazz rock Bay Area group Shades of Joy who consisted of players who affiliations to bigger groups like The Grateful Dead and Quicksilver Messenger Service. On their second record they recreated the score to Alejandro Jodorowsky's film El Topo. What makes this version unique is the KILLER jazz funk tune "The Desert Is A Circle" which gets down to business about the 2 minute mark with jamming Hammond organ groove, "Freakout #1" is a 11 tense funky free jazz workout with a psychedelic buildup. The rest of the album has its moments, but can't compare to the lead off cut. Beware out in the field. Many have confused this with the official El Topo soundtrack. While it’s a great score, there is no funk to be had.
Before the days of Youtube and before the days of streaming services, folks used to lurk on the Soul Strut message board hoping to discover the next lost vinyl treasure for sampling and/or DJ purposes. Occasionally, to throw people off, contributors would start joke threads praising records like this claiming it was rare and full of "ill breaks". Needless to say, it made a lot of lurkers rather excited to find a Sergio Mendes And The New Brasil '77 LP with the soccer player cover in the $1 bin only to be quite disappointed when they got home and unveiled the latin disco cheese. Gotcha!
One of the grittiest and most solid hip hop LPs from the early nineties. Also one of the most slept on. Saafir's delivery and flow were way before their time and still go way over the average listeners head. Boxcar Sessions also contains some of my favorite quotable skits. Saafir and dj/producer Jay-Z (not of Original Flavor fame) blessed the world with this album and most ended up being cut outs and dollar bin fillers. Much like De La Soul's sought after "De La Soul is Dead" double LP, the double vinyl copies of this were available for promotional use only and do not rear their heads often.
One of the top funky soul jazz LPs ever from sax guru Rusty Bryant and one that embodies the signature Prestige record label sound of the 70s. The swinging beats of Idris Muhammad sets it off especially on the infamous title cut that spotlights a monster drum break sampled by a who's who of sample based producers. If you need a little more sip of the juice, Bryant's 1972 follow up Wild Fire had a similar sound and lineup.
When I finally received a near mint, original copy of this LP in the mail from a colleague of one of the band's promotion people, I got a Cheshire Cat grin across my face similar to Roy's on the cover. This is best known for the opening song, "Party Time". It's a massive funk cut which starts out with heavyweight drums (this is one of the two songs where Roy isn't on the skins. He plays the claves here), then the bass and guitar joining in before going into a Rhodes and Fred Wesley-style trombone jam. "Love You" is a mellow tune where Porter not only plays drums, but for the first time ever SINGS too. Well, let's just say he's no Al Green. "Panama" has a fast, buzzing bassline beat where the horns pull out all the stops and has beautiful fluting. This version of "Jessica" contains flattering vocals this time around with a fatter beat and wah-wah. "Wavering", which is based on Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Wave", swings with focus on the keys. Roy decides to serenade us with his vocal stylings once again on "Funny Feelin'". "Out on the Town" is another trombone driven instrumental. Overall, this is a very consistent album which is much more funkier than its laid-back predecessor.
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