Esther Phillips - From A Whisper To A Scream (1971)

Esther Phillips (who went by "Little Esther" early in her career) recorded seven albums for Kudu/CTI. This was the first, and it's outstanding! The album was nominated for a Grammy, but Esther lost out to Aretha Franklin. Aretha presented the award to Esther telling her she should have won instead. The standout track, "Home Is Where The Hatred Is," gave an account of drug use and addiction. Penned by Gil Scott-Heron, the song was especially personal to Esther as she herself had battled with drug addiction years earlier. This one is a "must-buy," if you can find a copy.

Album info:

From A Whisper To A Scream

Japan Import available on Amazon:

(amazon.com) From Whisper To A Scream

(amazon.ca) From Whisper To A Scream

Blue Mitchell - Graffiti Blues (1973)

Most famous for his time with the Horace Silver Quintet in the late 50's and early 60's, and then with his own quintet through the late 60's, Blue Mitchell recorded 5 albums for Mainstream Records in the early 70's. These albums were not received as well by critics as his "traditional" hard bop albums (a common theme when jazz musicians "sold out" and played in a more funk-influenced style). This is perhaps the funkiest of the Mainstream albums, with killer groove following killer groove following killer groove, and almost 4 decades after it was recorded, the album still feels fresh and relevant.

Track info. as usual at Discogs:

Graffiti Blues

Maceo And All The King's Men - Funky Music Machine (1972)

See the previous post for group history. This was the group's 2nd album together. Another masterpiece of the funk genre.

Album info. at Discogs:

Funky Music Machine

Album available on Amazon:

(amazon.com) Funky Music Machine

(amazon.ca) Funky Music Machine

Maceo And All The King's Men - Doing Their Own Thing (1970)

Maceo Parker, leader of this troup, started out playing with James Brown in 1964. In 1970, Maceo and a bunch of his Brown bandmates took off for two years when they got tired of JB's shenanigans, and this was their first album project. During their time together the group produced two albums and toured extensively. In 1974, Maceo returned to working with Brown, and also spent time in the late 70's working with Parliament and Bootsy Collins. "Doing Their Own Thing" is a funk bomb, as is "Funky Music Machine," the group's 2nd album of 1972.

Track info. from Discogs, as usual:

Doing Their Own Thing

Album available on Amazon:

(amazon.com) Doing Their Own Thing

(amazon.ca) Doing Their Own Thing

Eddie Kendricks - Goin' Up In Smoke (1976)

Eddie Kendricks was one of the founding members of The Temptations. He was responsible for vocal arrangements, and he also managed wardrobe. In performance, he mostly sang harmony, but he lead or shared lead on several of the group's hits. He left the band in 1971 as he was increasingly uncomfortable with the "psychedelic" direction the band was taking. Of the 9 solo albums he put out in the 70's, this is perhaps the best, though some might argue that 1972's "People... Get Ready" or 1975's "He's A Friend" should have that honour.

Track info. available at Discogs:

Goin' Up In Smoke

F.B.I. - F.B.I. (1976)

Another funky gem. this time from 9-piece, UK-based F.B.I. (Funky Bands Inc.) This, their only album, was popular on radio in the UK, but sadly the potential of the group did not result in any further output.

Album info. can be found on Discogs:

F.B.I.

Album available on Amazon:

(amazon.com) F.B.I.

(amazon.ca) F.B.I.

The Spirit Of Atlanta - The Burning Of Atlanta (1973)

Arguably one of the funkiest albums out there, this is an underground classic. Originally the album was supposed to be the soundtrack to a movie about the burning of Atlanta in 1864, and subsequent rebuilding efforts. Not sure if the movie was ever completed, but thank goodness the album was! I just can't understand why this band and album aren't better known. Not a weak track in the collection, and a real head bobber and foot tapper!

Track and recording information available at Discogs:

The Burning Of Atlanta

Marvin Gaye - Love Man (1979)

An album closely associated with the "In Our Lifetime" project. Marvin's original idea was to put out an album of love songs for the disco set (called "Love Man"), but he had second thoughts and shifted attention to love lost and a coming Armageddon. Songs already recorded got new titles and lyrics, and were released as "In Our Lifetime." "Love Man" was never officially released, and "In Our Lifetime" ended up forcing the break-up between Marvin and Motown (Motown remixed and renamed the album - removing the question mark - without Marvin's permission). The original "Love Man" tracks were released with the 2-disk, extended edition of "In Our Lifetime?"

More info available here:

In Our Lifetime? (Expanded Love Man Edition)

24-Carat Black - Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth (1973)

Superb concept album from Stax, focusing on the hardships of inner city ghetto life. The album was re-released on CD in 1994, but is almost impossible to find. The group only released one album in their time, though there was an album of unreleased material called "Gone: The Promises of Yesterday" released in 2009.

More info available on Discogs:

Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth

CD Available on Amazon:

(amazon.com) Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth

(amazon.ca) Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth

Marvin Gaye and Pink Floyd?

I found this while trolling looking for Marvin stuff. Planned to put up some of his album covers in my next post. Imagine my surprise when I ran across this "collaboration" album! I have no idea if it's real or fake (though I'm guessing fake as there's no mention of the session or project anywhere prior to the big "reveal" in December 2010). So, it's probably a mash-up... but you know what? I don't care. It's very well done, the mash blends seamlessly, and the whole thing is worth at least a listen.

More information here:

http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/blog-1635-marvin-gaye_pink-floyd-collaboration.html

And here:

http://harvestingheritage.com/