Allen Toussaint - From A Whisper To A Scream (1970)

By 1970, when this album was recorded, Allen Toussaint was already a New Orleans legend on several fronts: as pianist, arranger, songwriter and producer. In the 60's, he had written and produced hits for Irma Thomas, Art and Aaron Neville, Lee Dorsey and others, and his compositions had been covered by a range of artists, including Otis Redding, The Yardbirds, The Rolling Stones and The Who. Though not technically his debut, this marks his true start as a solo artist. The proper title for this release is a little confusing; it was first released as "Toussaint" on the Scepter label, and re-released in the 80's as "From A Whisper To A Scream" by Kent. The album is split into two parts: Side 1 is the "vocal" side, and Side 2 "instrumental." Vocal highlights include the title track, "Sweet Touch Of Love" (used recently in an award-winning TV commercial for Axe deodorants) and "Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky" (covered by the likes of Lou Donaldson, Claudia Lennear and O'Donel Levy). The breadth of Toussaint's influence in the music world is vast; other artists who have recorded his songs include The Judds, Devo, Robert Palmer, The O'Jays, The Band, Glen Campbell, The Pointer Sisters, Boz Scaggs and Herb Alpert, to name just a few. Legend indeed!

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Toussaint

From A Whisper To A Scream

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Chocolate Milk - Actions Speak Louder Than Words (1975)

Chocolate Milk formed in 1974, shortly after Kool & The Gang and Earth, Wind & Fire hit the big time. The band soon moved to New Orleans to replace The Meters as Allen Toussaint's studio and live backing band. The group is best known for this, their debut album, though they would release seven more increasingly discofied albums before breaking up in 1983. "Actions Speak Louder Than Words" is a gem of an album, with tight, funky rhythms overlaid with spacey, jazzy electrics. Although not overtly political, there are messages in many of the tracks. The title cut - a slow funk classic - has been sampled by numerous hip hop artists, including Eric B. & Rakim and Stetsasonic. "Time Machine" - another slow groover - is still a favourite, while "Pretty Pimpin' Willie," "Ain't Nothin' But A Thing" and "My Mind Is Hazy" are all strong efforts.

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Actions Speak Louder Than Words

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Creative Source - Creative Source (1973)

Creative Source formed in 1972 when several West Coast session musicians joined up under the management of Ron Townsend, of 5th Dimension fame. Their self-titled debut album was released a year later on Sussex, which also happened to be Bill Withers' label. THE highlight of the album was the drawn out, funky cover of Withers' "Who Is He (And What Is He To You)," which would become a staple track for club DJ's of the time. The song reached #21 on the US R&B singles charts in 1974. Two other singles, "You Can't Hide Love" and "You're Too Good To Be True," also charted, and the album made it to #21 on the R&B album charts in 1974. Four more Creative Source albums followed over the next three years, but none came close to the promise of their debut, and the group disbanded in 1977 after losing their recording contract.

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Creative Source

Bill Withers - Still Bill (1972)

Bill Withers' debut album, "Just As I Am," was a huge success, and expectations were justifiably high for the self-produced follow up, "Still Bill." Withers delivered, and then some, with a cohesive effort that expounded on all varieties of love, from purely romantic on "Kissing My Love," to jealous paranoia on "Who Is He (And What Is He To You)," to one-sided love on "Use Me," to supportive friendship on "Lean On Me," and everything in between. The music is sometimes laid back, sometimes gritty and funky, with able back up from friends and ex-Charles Wright band members James Gadson, Benorce Blackmon, Ray Jackson and Melvin Dunlap. "Lean On Me," number 205 on Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time, went to #1 on the Billboard Pop and R&B charts, and "Use Me" hit #2. "Who Is He..." has been covered numerous times, including a 12-minute stunner by Creative Source in 1973, and versions by Gladys Knight and Meshell N'degeocello. The album is available on CD, both as a standalone and as a 2-for-1 with "Just As I Am." Either disc makes a welcome addition to any collection.

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Still Bill

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Johnny "Guitar" Watson - A Real Mother For Ya (1977)

"A Real Mother For Ya" followed up the massive "Ain't That A Bitch," and showcased Johnny "Guitar" Watson at the top of his game. Confident, ever humourous, grooving, slinky and sexy, the album mixes funk, blues and soul, with some deft jazzy touches. The album featured three singles: the title track, "Lover Jones" and "The Real Deal." After this album, Watson continued recording into the 90's, with a brief hiatus in the 80's after the shooting death of his good friend Larry Williams. He died on stage in Yokohama in 1996 while on a tour of Japan. After collapsing mid guitar solo, his last words were, "Ain't that a bitch!" Watson influenced legions of guitarists and musicians, including Frank Zappa, Steve Miller, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Sly Stone and George Clinton. Bobby Womack called him "the most dangerous gunslinger out there," while Etta James said of him, "They call Elvis the King, but the sure-enough King was Johnny 'Guitar' Watson."

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A Real Mother For Ya

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Johnny "Guitar" Watson - Ain't That A Bitch (1976)

John Watson, Jr. was born in Houston, Texas in 1935. As a child he learned piano from his father, but was fixated on the electric guitar as played by T-Bone Walker and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. When he was 11, his grandfather, a preacher, gave him a guitar on the condition that he not play the "devil's music" (blues), but play blues was the first thing he did. At 15, Watson moved to L.A. with his mother after his parents divorced. In the early 50's he won numerous local talent contests, and made a name for himself on the West Coast, playing under the name "Young John Watson." In 1954 he saw the Joan Crawford movie "Johnny Guitar," and his new stage name was born. Watson was active through the 50's, 60's and 70's, both as an artist in his own right, and as an accompanist - he toured and recorded with Larry Williams, Little Richard, Johnny Otis, David Axelrod, and Sam Cooke, amongst others. As the popularity of blues music waned in the 60's, Watson transitioned to soul and then funk. "Ain't That A Bitch," released in 1976, and "A Real Mother For Ya," which followed a year later, were landmarks of 70's funk. "Ain't That A Bitch" went gold, selling over 500,000 copies. The album featured two highly successful singles, "Superman Lover" (later sampled by Redman, Ice Cube, Ghostface Killah, and others), and "I Need It." Although intensely musical, Watson's often humourous lyrics were typically spoken as opposed to sung, and as such he is seen by many as one of the forefathers of rap.

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Ain't That A Bitch

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Daniel Salinas - Atlantis (1974)

Daniel Salinas, from Sao Paolo, released only two albums. "Paz Amor E Samba," from 1972, was a collection of samba and other Brazilian styles. In 1974, "Atlantis" - a jazz-funk masterpiece in a Blaxploitation soundtrack style - was released. The ambitious album is a mix of electric grooves, Baroque instrumentations, horns, conga, flute, and Fender Rhodes, sometimes dance-funky and other times classical-mellow. The album features a killer funk version of Richard Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra," here named "Straussmania" (a song made popular as the theme to Stanley Kubrick's 1968 movie, "2001: A Space Odyssey," and recorded two years earlier by another Brazilian, keyboard maestro Deodato).

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Atlantis

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Junior Parker - Love Ain't Nothin' But A Business Goin' On (1971)

Bluesman Junior Parker was born in Mississippi in 1932. As a teen he worked with and learned from some of the early greats of Blues music, from Sonny Boy Williamson to Howlin' Wolf to Bobby "Blue" Bland to B.B. King. Parker released a string of singles through the 50's and 60's, with many scoring well on the R&B charts. He died from a brain tumour in 1971, the same year that "Love Ain't Nothin'..." was released. The album - a real gem from start to finish - combines soul, funk and blues in a hip pot-pourri that avoids many of the clichés of other blues albums of the time. Parker's velvet-smooth, honeyed vocals shine through on the title track, along with "Outside Man" and "River's Invitation," while three Beatles covers - "Taxman," "Lady Madonna" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" - are pure quality. Al Green, on his 1974 album "...Explores Your Mind," dedicated the song "Take Me To The River" to Parker, describing him as "a cousin of mine who's gone on, and we'd kinda like to carry on in his name." Strong tribute indeed!

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Love Ain't Nothin' But A Business Goin' On

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Exit 9 - Straight Up (1975)

"Straight Up" was the only album released by Exit 9, a nine-piece funk band out of New York. The group was a young one, with all members aged between of 16 and 20 when "Straight Up" was recorded. Originally called "Qualified Funk", the group built a reputation as a solid soul/rock outfit. A few months before this album was recorded, the group signed on with new managers, John Jenkins and Modeste Clark, changed their name to Exit 9, and shifted to a more dance music approach, with funky rhythms, strong melodies, tight brass, and guitars adding a raw edge to many of the songs. "Miss Funky Fox," an upbeat dancefloor favourite, is probably the best known track, but the entire album is strong, with highlights including the title track and "Jive Man," both infectious, up tempo groovers, and the mellow "Thoughts Of You." Exit 9's sound has been compared to pre-disco Bohannon and early Kool And The Gang - heady company to say the least! No wonder "Straight Up" is so popular with crate diggers and groove junkies!

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Straight Up

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Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson - Winter In America (1974)

For all that Brian Jackson played a large part in his first 3 albums, Gil Scott Heron's 4th album, "Winter In America," was the first to be released with both musicians' names on the cover. Like "Pieces Of A Man," this is a solid, cohesive effort, with not a weak track to be found. The two standout tracks are "H2Ogate Blues," a stinging commentary on Tricky Dick Nixon's second term as president, and the stellar "The Bottle," a grooving, lyrical and powerful anti-alcohol warning. This is another highlight of Heron's ouvre, and together with "Pieces Of A Man," a great place to start a collection of his works.

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Winter In America

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