#he is the funky buddah

[mywifeleftme]

7: The Impressions // Finally Got Myself Together

Finally Got Myself Together The Impressions 1974, Buddah/Curtom

Finally Got Myself Together is a bit of a mixed bag, but shows that there was still quite a bit of care being taken with the Impressions brand despite dismal sales for previous post-Curtis Mayfield efforts. Half of the tracks here were written by Ed Townsend, fresh from co-writing and producing side one of Marvin Gaye’s smash Let’s Get It On; Rene Hall, arranger on many of Gaye and Sam Cooke’s seminal recordings is here too.

Townsend and Hall deliver a stone classic in the title(ish) track, “I’m a Changed Man (Finally Got Myself Together)”. Swept along by a string arrangement that somehow signals both triumph and relief, Ralph Johnson (one of the replacements for Mayfield’s original replacement, Leroy Hutson) gives a radiant performance. Despite the number of great songs about being a fuckup, there aren’t nearly enough about getting your shit together—but the existence of this one means everyone slogging away at the work of being better has the perfect soundtrack for that moment when the sun finally breaks through. Johnson earns all heaven allows for the bridge alone. As his crooning bandmates beg you to “Look me straight in my eyes,” Johnson’s silken “Hey, I’m changed!” slides up into a delighted squeal like a spellbound toad discovering he’s been turned back into a man.

Townsend knows how to play to the Impressions’ strengths and each of his other contributions is a minor gem: “Miracle Woman” is a charming return to the pop sound of their ‘60s heyday, while on “Guess What I’ve Got” and “Try Me” the uncredited backing band provides a superb canvas for Johnson’s vocal pyrotechnics.

The non-Townsend half of the record, helmed by up-and-comer Lowrell Simon of fellow Chicagoans the Lost Generation, is less strong, though always listenable. Producer/arranger Rich Tufo, who’d recently worked on Mayfield’s Back to the World echoes some of that record’s funky, polyrhythmic style here, but it’s not a perfect fit for his former bandmates. The light-and-shadows suite “If It’s in You to Do Wrong” is the strongest of this bunch, and together with the Townsend tracks, it’s validation that Curtis was right in thinking there was at least a little more life in the Impressions.

7/365

[randomvarious]

Gladys Knight & The Pips - “Take Me In Your Arms And Love Me” Soul Decade: The Sixties Song released in 1967. Compilation released in 1990. Soul

From Gladys Knight & The Pips’ 1996 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction essay, written by Dave Marsh:

Although they are best known for their great recordings at Motown in the late 1960s and the ballad hits they scored in the early ‘70s, Gladys Knight and the Pips, in fact, have had a career that encompasses the majority of rock history. Indeed, Knight is one of the few Hall of Famers who have continued to make hits from the ‘60s until the present day. 

The key to this success is Gladys Knight’s voice, one of the more remarkable instruments of the rock, soul and R&B eras. A perfect blend of grace and grit has allowed her to record such masterpieces of balladry as “Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye),” “If I Were Your Woman,“ “Midnight Train to Georgia” and “Every Beat of My Heart” while also making such funky dance numbers as the original “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “The Nitty Gritty,” "Friendship Train,” “I’ve Got to Use My Imagination” and “Love Overboard.”

Missing from that list of masterpieces, however, is a criminally slept-on classic, “Take Me In Your Arms And Love Me,” recorded in the earlier days of the group’s tenure at Motown. “Take Me In Your Arms” originally appeared in 1967 on Gladys Knight & The Pips’ Motown debut LP, Everybody Needs Love, and while the single did rather well in the UK, peaking at #13, it fell surprisingly flat in the US, managing to only grace the upper reaches of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. 

So, why did that happen? Well, there appear to be a few reasons: one, Berry Gordy really ran the Motown label in a tiered structure. While some artists that Motown spent less of their attention and money on were able to squeeze out a gigantic hit here and there (Martha and the Vandellas and The Marvelettes, for example), most of the label’s resources (session musicians, promotion, and their best songs) were devoted to the acts at the top of their pyramid, like The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, and The Temptations. And Gladys Knight & The Pips simply were not ever in Motown’s top tier, even though they certainly deserved to be. Case in point, before Marvin Gaye wound up selling four million copies with his own rendition of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” Gladys Knight & The Pips’ original version, released subsequently after “Take Me In Your Arms And Love Me,” managed to sell two and a half million copies, becoming Motown’s bestselling single at the time. And still, despite that awesome accomplishment, Knight & The Pips continued to play second fiddle at Motown.

And the reason for all that shunning might actually lay at the feet of Diana Ross’ own politicking. Gladys Knight claims in her autobiography that Ross, out of fear for her act being possibly upstaged, actually ordered Knight & The Pips kicked off of a Supremes tour in 1968, simply because their performances were just too good. It’s possible that Berry Gordy didn’t want to upset one of his cash cows by giving more attention to Knight & The Pips, who could’ve ultimately ended up usurping Diana Ross & The Supremes’ status as Motown’s top female-led group (and the same could hold true for all of Motown’s other numerous girl groups, too). Knight also claims in her book that it was actually she who suggested Berry Gordy sign The Jackson Five, but in transcribed Motown lore, Diana Ross is the one who is usually credited with discovering them. Needless to say, regardless of whether it was mutually felt or not, there was clearly bad blood between Knight and Ross, and after Knight & The Pips’ contract expired with Motown, they jetted on over to the Buddah label, a move that enabled them to really spread their wings and have their talent properly nurtured

Another reason why “Take Me In Your Arms And Love Me” might have failed to succeed stateside is the song’s lyrical content. The words in this one may have been just a tad too sexually suggestive in 1967 for radio DJs to take a chance on. I mean, just look at some of these lines:

This feeling is too strong to hold Any second now I'll explode Now's the time, now's the time Take all of this love of mine

If you knew that playing this sexy song about sex on the radio could possibly land you in hot water and cost you your job, would you still spin it? Probably not, right? 

And although I was personally unable to find any trace of the following allegation, a censored version of this song apparently originally appeared on the Everybody Needs Love LP, and ended up really messing with the song’s overall flow, both musically and lyrically, reducing it down to a forgettable tune whose obvious and sloppy editing was worthy of an incredulous eyeroll. But it appears that the original unedited version has been restored on issues of the album for years now because I’m unable to locate a deliberately censored version of this song on YouTube. 

There’s also the fact that Berry Gordy was someone who sought to sell his records to as broad an audience as possible (read: white), and a black woman freely expressing her sexuality so transparently in 1967 might’ve ended up ruffling some feathers and causing some unwanted blowback for Motown, which is something they probably had no intention of inviting for a second-tier act on their roster. But if that’s the case, one has to wonder why the song was recorded with those lyrics intact in the first place. Although a watering down of the lyrics would’ve caused the song to partially lose its intended impact, they still could’ve just tried to sell it that way instead of taking an axe to its entire structure for the  album cut, no? The sound of the song would’ve been just as good, but its lyrics would’ve been compromised. And that’s clearly better than changing both the flow of the music and the lyrics, right? Something just doesn’t add up with this whole line of thinking to me.

Either way, the song somehow managed to slip past the censorious ears of the UK’s pop culture gatekeepers and went on to rightfully succeed there instead. And that’s why this track is included on UK soul retrospectives, like Soul Decade: The Sixties, and not US ones, despite the fact that it’s clearly such a good tune.

“Take Me In Your Arms And Love Me” is really just a piece of late 60s Motown soul perfection that more than deserved to be a top hit in America. It was produced by Norman Whitfield and he would then go on to become a frequent collaborator with Gladys Knight & The Pips at Motown, including with the group’s following single, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” And Whitfield’s production on this particular song is really nothing short of sensational. 

“Take Me In Your Arms And Love Me” comes with wonderfully slow and carefully crafted build-ups, and is chock full of different instruments, including a harpsichord, an acoustic guitar, horns, snare drums that guide the music’s overall intensity by alternating between a calm heartbeat and a bouncy thump, and high-pitched strings that creep from the background to the foreground to match Knight’s own vocal melody at the end. And speaking of Knight, she is of course an indispensable piece of this song, too. Her vocal “blend of grace and grit” that Dave Marsh alludes to in one of the paragraphs quoted above is on full display here as she shows her ability to go from a soft, irresistibly inviting tenderness to a loud, exhilarated passion in a split-second’s time. Knight is singing as if she is in the midst of an extended, ecstasy-inducing sexual experience and that’s what she, Whitfield, and The Pips were going for all along.

Really, just one of the most underrated songs in the history of Motown. It’s a total shame that it didn’t perform better in the U.S., but that appears to have been for a confluence of reasons that were ultimately out of Gladys Knight & The Pips’ control.

[harryisntstraight]

remember when liam was a promoter at funky buddah, honestly he belongs on love island

i’m screaminggggg literally u could drop liam into any season of love island and i wouldnt bat an eyelid

[blackkudos]

Curtis Mayfield

Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music. He first achieved success and recognition with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the late 1950s and 1960s, and later worked as a solo artist.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Mayfield started his musical career in a gospel choir. Moving to the North Side he met Jerry Butler in 1956 at the age of 14, and joined vocal group The Impressions. As a songwriter, Mayfield became noted as one of the first musicians to bring more prevalent themes of social awareness into soul music. In 1965, he wrote "People Get Ready" for The Impressions, which displayed his more politically charged songwriting. Ranked at no. 24 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, the song received numerous other awards, and was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, as well as being inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.

After leaving The Impressions in 1970 in the pursuit of a solo career, Mayfield released several albums, including the soundtrack for the blaxploitation film Super Fly in 1972. The soundtrack was noted for its socially conscious themes, mostly addressing problems surrounding inner city minorities such as crime, poverty and drug abuse. The album was ranked at no. 72 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Mayfield was paralyzed from the neck down after lighting equipment fell on him during a live performance at Wingate Field in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York, on August 13, 1990. Despite this, he continued his career as a recording artist, releasing his final album New World Order in 1996. Mayfield won a Grammy Legend Award in 1994 and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995, and was a double inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a member of the Impressions in 1991, and again in 1999 as a solo artist. He was also a two-time Grammy Hall of Fame inductee. He died from complications of type 2 diabetes in 1999 at the age of 57.

Early life

Curtis Mayfield was born on June 3, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Marion Washington and Kenneth Mayfield and grew up one of five children in an impoverished family. Mayfield's father left the family when Curtis was five; his mother moved the family into various Chicago projects before settling at Cabrini–Green when he reached his teenage years. Mayfield attended Wells Community Academy High School until dropping out his sophomore year. His mother taught him the piano, and she, along with his grandmother encouraged him to enjoy gospel music; when he was seven he was a singer with the gospel quintet, the Northern Jubilee Gospel Singers. When he was 14 years old he formed the Alphatones when the Northern Jubilee Gospel Singers decided to try their luck in the heart of Chicago. Fellow group member Gooden was quote "It would have been nice to have him there with us, but of course, your parents have the first say." Mayfield stayed behind. When he was 14 he joined his school friend Jerry Butler's group the Roosters in 1956, with Arthur and Richard Brooks. He wrote and composed for this group who would become the Impressions two years later.

The Impressions

Mayfield's career began in 1956 when he joined the Roosters with Arthur and Richard Brooks and Jerry Butler. Two years later the Roosters, now including Sam Gooden, became the Impressions. The band had two hit singles with Butler, "For Your Precious Love" and "Come Back My Love", then Butler left. Mayfield temporarily went with him, co-writing and performing on Butler's next hit, "He Will Break Your Heart", before returning to the Impressions with the group signing for ABC Records and working with the label's Chicago-based producer/A&R manager, Johnny Pate.

Butler was replaced by Fred Cash, a returning original Roosters member, and Mayfield became lead singer, frequently composing for the band, starting with "Gypsy Woman", a Top 20 Pop hit. Their hit "Amen" (Top 10), an updated version of an old gospel tune, was included in the soundtrack of the 1963 United Artists film Lilies of the Field, which starred Sidney Poitier. The Impressions reached the height of their popularity in the mid-to-late-'60s with a string of Mayfield compositions that included "Keep On Pushing," "People Get Ready", "It's All Right" (Top 10), the up-tempo "Talking about My Baby"(Top 20) and "Woman's Got Soul".

He formed his own label, Curtom Records in Chicago in 1968 and the Impressions joined him to continue their run of hits including "Fool For You," "This is My Country", "Choice Of Colors" and "Check Out Your Mind." Mayfield had written much of the soundtrack of the Civil Rights Movement in the early 1960s, but by the end of the decade, he was a pioneering voice in the black pride movement along with James Brown and Sly Stone. Mayfield's "We're a Winner" was their last major hit for ABC. A Number 1 soul hit which also reached the Billboard pop Top 20, it became an anthem of the black power and black pride movements when it was released in late 1967, much as his earlier "Keep on Pushing" (whose title is quoted in the lyrics of "We're a Winner" and also in "Move On Up") had been an anthem for Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement.

Mayfield was a prolific songwriter in Chicago even outside his work for the Impressions, writing and producing scores of hits for many other artists. He also owned the Mayfield and Windy C labels which were distributed by Cameo-Parkway, and was a partner in the Curtom (first independent, then distributed by Buddah then Warner Bros and finally RSO) and Thomas labels (first independent, then distributed by Atlantic, then independent again and finally Buddah).

Among Mayfield's greatest songwriting successes were three hits that he wrote for Jerry Butler on Vee Jay ("He Will Break Your Heart", "Find Another Girl" and "I'm A-Tellin' You"). His harmony vocals are very prominent. He also had great success writing and arranging Jan Bradley's "Mama Didn't Lie". Starting in 1963, he was heavily involved in writing and arranging for OKeh Records (with Carl Davis producing), which included hits by Major Lance, Walter Jackson, Billy Butler and the Artistics. This arrangement ran through 1965.

Solo career

In 1970, Mayfield left the Impressions and began a solo career. Curtom released many of Mayfield's 1970s records, as well as records by the Impressions, Leroy Hutson, the Five Stairsteps, the Staples Singers, Mavis Staples, Linda Clifford and Baby Huey and the Babysitters, a group which at one time included Chaka Khan. Gene Chandler and Major Lance, who had worked with Mayfield during the 1960s, also signed for short stays at Curtom. Many of the label's recordings were produced by Mayfield.

The commercial and critical peak of his solo career came with Super Fly, the soundtrack to the blaxploitation Super Fly film. Unlike the soundtracks to other blaxploitation films (most notably Isaac Hayes' score for Shaft), which glorified the ghetto excesses of the characters, Mayfield's lyrics consisted of hard-hitting commentary on the state of affairs in black, urban ghettos at the time, as well as direct criticisms of several characters in the film. Bob Donat wrote in Rolling Stone magazine in 1972 that while the film's message "was diluted by schizoid cross-purposes" because it "glamorizes machismo-cocaine consciousness... the anti-drug message on [Mayfield's soundtrack] is far stronger and more definite than in the film." Because of the tendency of these blaxploitation films to glorify the criminal life of dealers and pimps in order to target a mostly black lower class audience, Mayfield's album set this movie apart. With songs like "Freddie's Dead", a song that focuses on the demise of Freddie, a junkie that was forced into "pushin' dope for the man" because of a debt that he owed to his dealer, and "Pusherman", a song that reveals how many people in the ghetto fell victim to drug abuse, and therefore became dependent upon their dealers, Mayfield illuminated a darker side of life in the ghetto that these blaxploitation films often failed to criticize. However, although Mayfield's soundtrack criticized the glorification of dealers and pimps, he in no way denied that this glorification was occurring. When asked about the subject matter of these films he was quoted stating "I don’t see why people are complaining about the subject of these films”, and “The way you clean up the films is by cleaning up the streets.”

Along with Marvin Gaye's What's Going On and Stevie Wonder's Innervisions, this album ushered in a new socially conscious, funky style of popular soul music. He was dubbed 'The Gentle Genius'. The single releases "Freddie's Dead" and "Super Fly" both sold over one million copies each, and were awarded gold discs by the R.I.A.A.

Super Fly brought success that resulted in Mayfield being tapped for additional soundtracks, some of which he wrote and produced while having others perform the vocals. Gladys Knight & the Pips recorded Mayfield's soundtrack for Claudine in 1974, while Aretha Franklin recorded the soundtrack for Sparkle in 1976. Mayfield also worked with The Staples Singers on the soundtrack for the 1975 film Let's Do It Again, and teamed up with Mavis Staples exclusively on the 1977 film soundtrack A Piece of the Action (both movies were part of a trilogy of films that featured the acting and comedic exploits of Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier and were directed by Poitier).

One of Mayfield's most successful funk-disco meldings was the 1977 hit "Do Do Wap is Strong in Here" from his soundtrack to the Robert M. Young film of Miguel Piñero's play Short Eyes. In his 2003 biography of Curtis Mayfield, People Never Give Up, author Peter Burns noted that Mayfield has 140 songs in the Curtom vaults. Burns indicated that the songs were maybe already completed or in the stages of completion, so that they could then be released commercially. These recordings include "The Great Escape", "In The News", "Turn up the Radio", "What's The Situation?" and one recording labelled "Curtis at Montreux Jazz Festival 87". Two other albums featuring Curtis Mayfield present in the Curtom vaults and as yet unissued are a 1982/83 live recording titled "25th Silver Anniversary" (which features performances by Mayfield, The Impressions and Jerry Butler) and a live performance, recorded in September 1966 by the Impressions titled Live at the Club Chicago.

In 1980, Mayfield decided to move to Atlanta with his family, closing down his recording operation in Chicago and effectively ending the era of the Chicago soul sound. The label had gradually reduced in size in its final two years or so with releases on the main RSO imprint and Curtom credited as the production company. Mayfield continued to record occasionally, keeping the Curtom name alive for a few more years, and to tour worldwide.

In later years, Mayfield's music was included in the movies I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Hollywood Shuffle, Friday (though not on the album soundtrack), The Hangover Part II and Short Eyes (1977) where he had a cameo role as a prisoner.

Social activism

Curtis Mayfield was known for introducing social consciousness into African-American music. Having been raised in the Cabrini-Green projects of Chicago, he witnessed many of the tragedies of the urban ghetto first hand, and was quoted saying “With everything I saw on the streets as a young black kid, it wasn’t hard during the later fifties and sixties for me to write my heartfelt way of how I visualized things, how I thought things ought to be.”

Following the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, his group the Impressions produced music that became the soundtrack to a summer of revolution. It is even said that "Keep On Pushing" became the number one sing along during the Freedom Rides. Black students sang their songs as they marched to jail or protested outside their universities, while King often used "Keep On Pushing", "People Get Ready" and "We're A Winner" because of their ability to motivate and inspire marchers. Mayfield had quickly become a civil rights hero with his ability to inspire hope and courage.

Mayfield was unique in his ability to fuse relevant social commentary with melodies and lyrics that instilled a hopefulness for a better future in his listeners. He wrote and recorded the soundtrack to the 1972 blaxploitation film Super Fly with the help of producer Johnny Pate. The soundtrack for Super Fly is regarded as an all-time great body of work that captured the essence of life in the ghetto while criticizing the tendency of young people to glorify the "glamorous" lifestyles of drug dealers and pimps, and illuminating the dark realities of drugs, addiction, and exploitation. His work influenced many, and it is said that Mayfield truly introduced a new style of black music.

Mayfield, along with several other soul and funk musicians, spread messages of hope in the face of oppression, pride in being a member of the black race and gave courage to a generation of people who were demanding their human rights, without abandoning the struggle for equality. He has been compared to Martin Luther King, Jr. for making a lasting impact in the civil rights struggle with his inspirational music. By the end of the decade Mayfield was a pioneering voice in the black pride movement, along with James Brown and Sly Stone. Paving the way for a future generation of rebel thinkers, Mayfield paid the price, artistically and commercially, for his politically charged music. Mayfield's "Keep On Pushing" was actually banned from several radio stations when riots began flaring up in some cities. Regardless of the persistent radio bans and loss of revenue, he continued his quest for equality right until his death. His lyrics on racial injustice, poverty and drugs became the poetry of a generation.

Mayfield was also a descriptive social commentator. As the influx of drugs ravaged through black America in the late 1960s and 1970s his bittersweet descriptions of the ghetto would serve as warnings to the impressionable. "Freddie's Dead" is a graphic tale of street life, while "Pusherman" revealed the role of drug dealers in the urban ghettos.

Later years and death

Mayfield remained active in the 1970s. Then his career began to slow down during the 1980s.

On August 13, 1990, he became paralyzed from the neck down, after stage lighting equipment fell on him at an outdoor concert at Wingate Field in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York. Afterwards, though he was unable to play guitar, he continued to compose and sing. He also directed the recording of his last album, New World Order.

Mayfield's vocals were recorded, usually line-by-line, while lying on his back.

Mayfield received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995. In February 1998, he had to have his right leg amputated due to diabetes. Mayfield was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on March 15, 1999. Health reasons prevented him from attending the ceremony, which included fellow inductees Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Dusty Springfield, George Martin, and 1970s Curtom signee and labelmate the Staple Singers.

His last appearance on record was with the group Bran Van 3000 on the song "Astounded" for their album Discosis, recorded just before his death and released in 2001.

Curtis Mayfield died from complications of type 2 diabetes on December 26, 1999, at the North Fulton Regional Hospital in Roswell, Georgia; his health had steadily declined following his paralysis.

Awards

Hall of Fame

As a member of the Impressions, he was posthumously inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003.

Along with his group the Impressions, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.

In 1999, he was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist making him one of the few artists to become double inductees.

In 1999, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame just prior to his death.

Grammy

He was a winner of the prestigious Grammy Legend Award in 1994.

He received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995.

He is a 2-time Grammy Hall of Fame inductee: for the song People Get Ready with the Impressions, and for the award-winning album Super Fly as a solo artist.

Mayfield was nominated for Song Of The Year with "Same Love", performed by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Mary Lambert, on the 56th Grammy Awards due to the duo sampling the piano from "People Get Ready".

Rolling Stone

The Impressions' album/CD The Anthology 1961–1977 is ranked at No. 179 on Rolling Stone′s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

The Impressions hits, "People Get Ready" and "For Your Precious Love" are both ranked on Rolling Stone′s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, as No. 24 and No. 327 respectively.

Mayfield is ranked No. 34 on Rolling Stone′s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.

Mayfield is ranked No. 40 on Rolling Stone′s list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.

Mayfield's solo Super Fly is ranked No. 69 on Rolling Stone′s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Mayfield No. 98 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Other

The Impressions' 1965 hit song "People Get Ready", composed by Mayfield, has been chosen as one of the Top 10 Best Songs Of All Time by a panel of 20 top industry songwriters and producers, including Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Hal David, and others, as reported to Britain's Mojo music magazine.

Legacy

Mayfield was among the first of a new wave of mainstream black R&B performing artists and composers injecting social commentary into their work. This "message music" proved immensely popular during the 1960s and 1970s.

Mayfield taught himself how to play guitar, tuning it to the black keys of the piano, giving the guitar an open F-sharp tuning that he used throughout his career. He primarily sang in falsetto register, adding another flavour to his music. This was not unique in itself, but most singers sing primarily in the modal register. His guitar playing, singing, and socially aware song-writing influenced a range of artists, including Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Tracy Chapman, Sly Stone, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Sinead O'Connor.

Filmography

Super Fly (1972) as himself

Save the Children (1973) as himself

Short Eyes (1977) as Pappy

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) as Guest

Wikipedia

[cochinitasdance]

10.8.20DANCELIST for BubsRIP

Bubs, also known as Rodolpho, my brother, would’ve had another birthday today. I know he loved these bands.  I’m not gonna get over his death but I’ve learned to live with it. 

10.08

Duran Duran - Planet Earth 

Sci-Fi New Wave feelingzz. One of my favs lyrically of theirs. Skips and claps my way through.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NF6Qa84mno

The Pointer Sisters - Automatic

What to do with a heartbroken robot and 3 part funky DIVA harmonies?  Charge yer rotating wheels to the dance floor sparky!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNi8aW8Nf6s Leonard Cohen - Everybody Knows 

First time I heard this was in Christian Slater’s best teen angst movie, the pirate radio, down with authority, misunderstood weirdo epic: “Pump Up The Volume.” Also the first time I heard Was (Not Was) with “Hello Dad.. I’m In Jail” -a song I’ll have to include on a future dance list cuz its delirious. There’s just so much emo in that 2 step.                                                             

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4rf7bAApM4

Sun City Girls － The Shining Path 

Buddah on the mountaintop high on huffin gas.  Doesn’t seem enlightened but as the saying goes, “If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him” cuz having all the answers would probably get you killed.               

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLulItixzUo Kenny Loggins - I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man) 

Still my favorite song on the Footloose soundtrack. More importantly, it’s for the most pivotal part in the film, as the high school seniors learn they have convinced their parents to grant them a prom WITH DANCING ALLOWED. Also also also Kevin Bacon’s warehouse improv & town hall speech AND and and Lori Singer’s “Dance Your Ass Off” t-shirt!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdEvuQE6t5c Grace Jones - I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)

A velvet voice comes up out of 3 a.m. mist. Shifting eyes hiding in the gutter of an empty wine bottle. There’s a lipstick mark where an accordion used to play. That’s where the slow twisting comes in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIN3IE3DHqc

[fuckyeahgogomusic]

Maxx Kidd “was the Berry Gordy of Washington and got radio stations to play go-go,” says Gregory “Sugarbear” Elliot of EU, referencing the president of Motown in speaking of Carl Lomax Kidd, the music industry entrepreneur, producer, singer, and songwriter who died in Maryland on March 13 at the age of 75. ”He really fought for us. If it wasn’t for him I don’t think go-go would ever have really gotten on the radio."

Although best known for his involvement in promoting D.C.’s homegrown funky polyrhythmic style, Kidd had first established himself locally as a part of the 1960s and 1970s local soul music scene, and later as a music industry marketing person advocating for American R&B acts to get airplay at radio stations everywhere.

Kidd, who grew up in West Virginia, came to D.C. in 1960. After a stint as a calypso singer at a drive-in restaurant, Kidd joined The Enjoyables, whose 1966 Motown-flavored single “Shame"—written and produced by Kidd on the D.C. label Shrine—never became a hit but later became a sought after piece of wax by British vinyl collectors. Shrine was the 1964-1967 R&B label led by songwriter Eddie Singleton and his wife, Raynoma Gordy Singleton (the ex-wife of Motown’s Berry Gordy). Kevin Coombe, a local DJ who is working on a book about the local soul scene, says that Kidd was active at Shrine as a songwriter, and around that time he also met and wrote for Gene “Duke of Earl” Chandler and Billy Butler on other labels. Later, Kidd's connections got a single distributed through Curtis Mayfield’s label Curtom.

Between 1967 and 1975 Kidd wrote songs for various acts, from D.C. and elsewhere, that got released on a number of different labels from ABC Paramount to Buddah to his own Cherry Blossom label. D.C.’s The Stridells, a group from Eastern High School, had a regional hit in 1970, with a song he co-wrote called “Mix it Up.” A number of tunes from this era were compiled on a now out-of-print 2006 release called Washington Lost Soul—Carl 'Maxx' Kidd Singles Collection Vol. 1. It included girl group The Fawns, proto-go-go group The Young Senators, and Elvans Road Ltd., amongst others.

The roots of Kidd’s involvement with go-go also started around this time. Coombe notes that in 1972 “Maxx Kidd was actually the one who introduced Chuck Brown to the representative at Sussex Records” who released Chuck Brown and The Soul Searchers' We The People. In 1974, Kidd’s awesome and funky number “Blow Your Whistle”— that uses the term “go-go”—appeared on Brown and The Soul Searchers' Salt of the Earth.

Al Marks, who later worked for A&M Records, met Kidd in the 1970s when Marks was working for record stores, and as a buyer who sold records to various stores. “I was a 21-year-old white kid who didn’t know anything about R&B music," Marks says. "Waxie Maxie’s was the biggest R&B account in the town. Maxx took the time to educate me as to what it was all about. What the R&B scene was all about. What it took to make a record a hit.” Charles Stephenson, former EU manager and later co-author of the book The Beat! Go-go Music from Washington, D.C. called him “the professor," and says he "learned so much about the business from him.” [Read More]

[themousai]

Gig Review: Nation - Anthology Lounge, AKL

Friday nights are only spent right if you're seeing live music, so this Friday we went along to Nation’s gig at Anthology Lounge! Round Buddah and Nofo Lameko got things under way with their relaxed and funky beats, before Nation acquired the crowds attention with their Soul Pop tunes. The honest lyrics and melodies made for such a carefree Friday night with a really enjoyable atmosphere.

Cruising us into the evening was Auckland based, Nofo Lameko. You may have heard his singer/songwriter soul sound from X-Factor or from his 6 piece band, YASA MASA. Nofo shared his incredible guitar skills and chill vocals with the crowd at Anthology Lounge. He began the night by introducing a cover of Sunday Morning by Maroon 5, “So, I’m first on stage, that means I gotta get you guys warmed up! I’m sure you’ll know this one”. He followed with another cover, Is This Love by Bob Marley. The smooth vocals were paired wonderfully with a drink in hand and some good company. Nofo noticed one of the crowd members during his set, and remembered it was his birthday. Honestly, you can’t have a birthday without a sing along and public embarrassment, it just wouldn't be right. This is a well known fact so the crowd got to singing the classic “Happy Birthday”. The birthday celebration was matched with a few originals and a cover of the infamous Amy Winehouse song, Valerie, the perfect song to end on, and a definite crowd favourite.

Amping up the beat and the tempo were the Hip Hop, Neo Soul fusion - Round Buddah. Their set began with futuristic instrumentals which started slow before the tempo picked up and vocals from Holly Afoa and Jackson Lester began. The change of beat caught us off guard but within moments the whole room was dancing. Holly’s vocals were so passionate and soulful, reminding me of Nai Palm, while Jackson's rapping skills were faster than an auctioneer. The combination of rap, melodies and interesting instrumentals created an intriguing set. Everything flowed enticingly and sounded incredible. We were fortunate enough to hear some of their newer tracks like, Acting Strange & Keep Me Warm from their latest  EP ‘Acting Strange’. The honesty in the lyrics was really nice to hear and made for a creative composition. If you’re into Hiatus Kaiyote or Horrorshow you should give these guys a listen as they all have very similar vibes.

Headlining act, Nation, gave us 80s Funk and Soul realness. This Wellington band consists of insanely good Pop Funk Vocals, Keys, Bass, Guitar and Drums. Plus there were some crazy good looping and mixing skills throughout the set too. These guys know so many instruments, it really is impressive! Nation commanded the stage with originals like Shallows, which was recently released in December last year. Keyboardist and Vocalist, Miharo compelled the crowd with his spirit and talent during the next track, The Wild West, from their first self titled EP. This track reminded me of Jamiroquai’s, Virtual Insanity because of the tempo and similar groove in the melody. The combination of instruments and genres created such an entrancing sound. It all fit together beautifully and added a lot of unique dimension to the bands music. A few other tunes from their self titled EP were performed before the end the night. There was even an electric guitar solo fit in there to put the cherry on top.

If you’re ever in need of some neo-soul, funk, rock fusion; definitely go give Nation, Round Buddah and Nofo Lameko a listen! Whether you're after a chill tune or a track that will pick up the mood, these three artists will sort you out. 

Photo Galleries: Nation | Round Buddah | Nofo Lameko

Review by Helena Barnett Photography by Mandie Hailwood 

[smartrapper]

In this video I am going to talk about how to get a song on the radio. I've been on the radio before a few times and I want to talk to you about a couple of my experiences, how I got a song on the radio, how getting a song on the radio works and the best way of going about getting your music on the radio. Learning how to get your music on the radio isn't the hard part. *How To Build A Network Course* https://ift.tt/2CD9Svp *Facebook Ads Course I Talked About* https://ift.tt/2OJkHCA *Rob Level Chicago Music Video* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-_Pjoh0QRs *Rob Level Head Band Music Video* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA04ujHi4xM If you are wondering how I ever learned anything about getting a song on the radio... My last manager was Ray De LaGarza who was a radio guy. He ran 2101 Records which was Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez and I'm sure you know both of those names and that they BOTH always get their music on the radio. Even though he IS my former manager, We are still cool and anytime I need advice I know I can call him up. He is like a cool uncle. When he was my manager I learned more about radio than anything else since that was his specialty. If you look at his Linkedin you can see he has primarily radio connections for a reason. I'm not going to go into the extra stuff like BDS spins and stuff like that in this video. I'll save that for another time. Here are the 3 primary ways you can get on the radio and start getting your music played 1) You can establish relationships with the radio DJs and they might put you on the radio. First let me know talk about a time when I was able to get played during a mid day radio show and how it happened. I did a show in Chicago at the Funky Buddah lounge as the headliner for the New Years Eve bash. At that show was DJ Dime Piece and DJ 33 1/3 who is actually Rakim's DJ. And if you don't know who Rakim is than you don't know Hip Hop. Well during the show I performed a song called 'Chicago' (I'll put the link below) DJ 33 1/3 leaned over the stage and said he liked my stuff and I was mind blown. We connected. I did anything I could to help him and he offered me amazing advice on the industry. Long story short, he knew what songs were about to be hot and what was going to play on the radio. So he told me to do a remix of the BoB 2 Chainz song Head band... he told me if I did a remix he could mix it into his mid day mix which means 10s of thousands of people would hear it. He sent me the beat... and I instantly made the remix and sent it to him. I'll put a link below to that remix and the music video I made for it. It's still a fan favorite. I tell you these stories so you can learn from my experiences but that's one way it happens. Let me dig a little deeper into how to get a song on the radio Building a relationship with a radio DJ generally tends to work BEST by dealing with radio DJs that are more accessible and more capable of playing your music such as the night DJs. When music is playing during the day it is MUCH MORE heavily regulated and the DJs can't just randomly play you. They have to follow the rules of the radio and music plays in a rotation. I won't go too deep into that. But during the night shift there is at least some leeway for someone to get played. Yes, there are less listeners at night BUT people are still listening and you STILL get your music on the radio. Let me show you guys something so you know I'm not lying here. I personally catalogged every single person in the music industry inside of my browser so I can immediately keep in contact with them. I organized them all by city and radio station. I can instantly open their Instagram or Twitter into my browser and leave comments on their posts to build a relationship. I did this by taking weeks of my time to go through each cities radio station website and get the links to all the DJs information. You can do the same thing. Don't ask for favors, just be seen and be nice for a long long time and then eventually, see what you can do to possibly help them and then see if they will give your BEST SONG a listen. If you want more information on this method and how to network more and even how to infiltrate rappers networks and circles you can do so by checking out my How To Build Your Network 10 times faster course. **$400+ In FREE Rap Courses - A&R Contacts List, How To Book A Tour, How To Make Money As An Artist And WAY More ALL FREE** https://ift.tt/2GHkxmZ ** Smart Rapper Products Trusted By 1,000s Of Rappers Since 2015 ** https://ift.tt/2xmmx3B ** Rob Level - Best Song's On Spotify ** https://ift.tt/2LcVeLV ** 300,000+ Followers On My Instagram ** https://ift.tt/2p4anVL ** My Main Music Channel 115,000+ Subscribers ** https://ift.tt/2v7F0y0 by Smart Rapper

[baby-we-are-fire-proof]

We interrupt this abandoned tumblr page to bring you Liam’s incredible warrior two pose. This made my freaking day.