Isaac Hayes - 2003 - Instrumentals

The only thing better than Isaac Hayes' vocal tracks are those wicked funky instrumentals that he used on a lot of his best early 70s albums and soundtracks , most of the best of which are included in this excellent little set! The CD does what someone should have done a long time ago , collects all the best dope instrumentals from Ike's classic Stax albums, with a focus on laidback grooves and slow funk numbers, including those that have been sampled over the years. And sure, you might already own a few of these on the original albums, but hearing them together like this opens a whole new door to Ike's genius , one that makes us appreciate him even more, and feel like we've been lucky enough to find a crate full of studio tracks laid out in a completely different way.

1. Hung Up on My Baby

2. Ike's Mood, Pt. 1

3. No Name Bar

4. Let's Stay Together

5. Café Regio's

6. Blue's Crib

7. Now We're One

8. Dorinda's Party

9. Type Thang

10. Pursuit of the Pimpmobile

11. Driving in the Sun

12. Ellie's Love Theme

13. First Time Ever I Saw Your Face [Mono Version]

Link:Downalod

Gil Scott-Heron

Gil Scott-Heron was born in Chicago , Illinois , on April 1st 1949. He attended Lincoln and John Hopkins University. He wrote two novels. The Vulture and The Nigger Factory. He met Brian Jackson, his frequent collaborator. Gil Scott-Heron began playing keyboards and, teaming up with Brian Jackson, setting his political poetry to a jazz-funk fusion. First releases were on the Flying Dutchman label in the 70's.

This is the man whose attitude, poetry and "bluesology" influenced a whole generation of radical rap musicians. Renowned in the '70s and '80s as the "Minister of Information", Gil Scott Heron is the voice of humanity, whose prose dissects the ills of the world with scalpel-sharp precision. He is a writer/poet/musician and one of America's great originals. Performing work from his latest album 'Spirits', Scott Heron is a man with something to say and a message worth listening to. During the 1970s and 1980's for Arista label, Scott-Heron released twelve albums. Then, after a twelve-year break, he signed with TVT Records and released Spirits in 1993.

The first cut of this album, "Message To The Messenger," is a warning to today’s rappers, urging them to take responsibility in their art and in their communities. Since then, he has played to sell-out crowds all over the world, performing at major festivals in England. More recently he has been arrested for possession of a gram of cocaine and now faces about a year in prison. He is also working on a book "The Last Holiday" for Publisher Canongatе www.canongate.net.

Defiant as ever he turned down rehabilitation as an alternative to prison. Maybe in prison he will get a fresh perspective and produce more of his articulate insights. Gil Scott-Heron got out of prison on the 28th October 2002. Since getting out of prison he has teamed up with Brian Jackson. He has played SOB with Brian on October 2003 and there is BBC Documentary showing in December 2003. At the end of October 2003, on his way to a gig in Chicago, he was arrested at La Guardia airport, New York. He’s charged with possession of a controlled substance and detained at Rikers Island Penitentiary in New York. He got out in June 2004...

Gil Scott-Heron - 1981 - Reflections

This is one of the most incredible albums of Gil Scott witch contains real soul classics . I truly recommend that album of that "genius" of his time .I hope to enjoy the creativity of his mind like i i'm ...

The album opens with a pair that fit this sound-- "Storm Music" is a bit lifeless, limping along in reggae rhythms and "Grandma's Hands" is seeped in funk and D.C. slap bass, although "Is That Jazz?" ends up being a revelation-- a modern update on jazz and '70s fusion, with a fantastic lyric about what makes jazz and a superb fretless bass solo from Robert Gordon. Add to this a gun control statement ("Gun") rooted deep in electric Motown sounds and a couple spoken word pieces ("Morning Thoughts" and the fantastic anti-Reagan statement, "'B' Movie") and you almost have a fine album. What's missing is a completely brilliant statement, and in this case it's made in a cover of Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues". As frank a discussion of inner city life as Scott-Heron could have written himself, one master performing another with a brilliant trumpet solo courtesy of Kenny Sheffield works out to be the centerpiece the album needs.

01 - Storm Music

02 - Grandma's Hands

03 - Is That Jazz?

04 - Morning Thoughts

05 - Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)

06 - Gun

07 - 'B' Movie

Link:Download

Gil Scott Heron - Is That Jazz?

Young-Holt Unlimited - 1973 - Plays Superfly

Fantastic! Young and Holt lay down a monster set of grooves from Curtis Mayfield's Superfly soundtrack (all the good ones -- like "Freddie's Dead", "Give Me Your Love", "Pusher Man", and "Superfly"), and they also get into some funky tracks of their own (like "Hey Pancho" and "Mystical Man"), and do a super-dope cover of "People Make the World Go Round". The album's nice and stripped down -- perhaps closest to their Oh Girl LP on Atlantic in feel, with loads of cool electric piano by Ken Chaney, laid out over the group's harder funky grooves! One of their rarest in the original, too -- and an essential bit of early G-funk!

01 - Freddie's Dead

02 - Give Me Your Love

03 - Pusher Man

04 - Superfly

05 - Hey Pancho

06 - Could It Be I'm Falling In Love

07 - (They Long To Be) Close To You

08 - People Make The World Go Round

09 - Mystical Man

Link:Download

Eddy Senay - 1972 - Hot Thang

A heck of a great little guitar funk album -- one of two rare sides cut by the amazing Eddie Senay! The record's all-instrumental -- and Eddie's fuzzed-out guitar takes center stage over tripped-out arrangements that recall the best psychedelic funk of the early 70s -- bubbling along with just enough drums, bass, and keyboards to make for a chunky bottom groove -- while Senay wails over the top on guitar! The record reminds us of similar guitar funk albums from the time -- including the work of Dennis Coffey, Eddie Fisher, or Donald Austin -- but the groove's even more laidback and trippy, with a few nice breakway moments from the rhythm section.

01 - Just Feeling It

02 - Down Home

03 - Hot Thang

04 - Zambezi

05 - Jubo

06 - Reverend Lowdown

07 - Ain't No Sunshine

Link:Download

Frank Owens - 1973 - Brown 'N Serve

A lost bit of mellow funk, and one of the few rare releases on the Encounter label -- which was sort of a doper, more soulful version of CTI! Frank Owens plays organ and keyboards, and the group includes Bernard Purdie lending his trademark soul jazz drums (a very welcome fixture on most of the albums that appeared on Encounter), Bad Bascomb on guitar, Rick Cutter on vibes, Norman Pride on percussion, John Helstone on violin, Julian Buck on viola, Kermit Moore on cello, and others. Purdie produced the session, which includes a nice version of "Freddie's Dead", plus "Everybody Is A Star", Aretha Franklin's "Rock Steady", "I Don't Need No Help", Galt MacDermot's "Suzie Moon", "Corner Of The Sky", Frank Owen's own "Brown & Serve", and more!

Bernard "Pretty" Purdie - Drums, Producer

Doug Bascomb - Guitar

Frank Owens - Organ, Piano

Hugh McCracken - Guitar

Julian Buck - Viola

Kermit Moore - Cello

Norman Pride - Percussion

Rick Cutter - Vibraphone

Selwart Clarke - Violin

01 - Freddie's Dead

02 - Brown 'N Serve

03 - Everybody Is a Star

04 - I Don't Need No Help

05 - Rock Steady

06 - Suzie Moon

07 - Corner Of The Sky

08 - Ben

Link:Download

Donny Hathaway

Biography

An exceptional soul singer from Chicago, Donny Hathaway's life ended early, but he left behind a legacy of classic music. He started singing and playing piano as a young child, and eventually attended Howard University on a music scholarship. In the mid-sixties, he played with a jazz group called the Ric Powell Trio, and was soon producing and arranging for many other acts. He also worked as a session musician, playing keys with the Staple Singers and Aretha Frankin among others. That led to him joining the Mayfield Singers, backing up Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions. In 1969, he got a deal with ATCO and released his debut solo single "The Ghetto Pt. 1." His first full-length, the timeless Everything Is Everything came out the following year, establishing Hathaway as a visionary artist able to seamlessly blend funk, gospel, and social awareness in his music. His second album, 1971's Donny Hathaway was a much more somber affair, with minimalist, piano-driven cover songs.

On it, he hooked up with Roberta Flack for a duet version of "YouA’ve Got A Friend." The track became a hit and led to an entire album of duets between the two, released the following year. From that LP came "Where Is the Love," a huge hit single that won a Grammy and topped the charts. While his career was at an all-time high, Hathaway was gripped by severe depression, so much so that he had to be periodically hospitalized. His third and final studio album Extension Of A Man came out in 1973, after which he kept a low profile, performing infrequently and then only in small venues. Several years later he reconnected with Roberta Flack and scored another huge hit with "The Closer I Get To You," but it would be his final one. In January of 1979 he committed suicide by jumping out a 15-story window in New York City. Although his career was short-lived, Donny Hathaway made a huge impact on R&B and popular music in general, dozens of hip-hop artists have since sampled his records, reconfiguring his tracks into numerous rap hits.
Donny Hathaway was a star that burned brightly and too quickly was extinguished, but his legacy was a set of albums which stand comparison with the Soul superstars of the era. His first album was a classic, and comtained an instrumental giant "The Ghetto" On this, his second album from 1971, Donny Hathaway showcases his great voice and the stand out tracks for me are the big ballads - He Ain't Heavy.., A Song For You and She Is My Lady. There is no "The Ghetto" soundalike here, just great songs beautifully arranged and performed, and the gospel influence is very evident here, probably more than on any of his other albums. This is a real Soul album therefore. With the addition of a couple of bonus tracks, including the great "This Christmas", this is an album for fans of Soul. It would also serve for those fans of more recent R & B, as Donny was an undoubted influence on so many contemporary artists like India Arie, Alicia Keys, John Legend and Leela James.
Many of us will never have heard of Donny Hathaway. He was of a time when African American musicians were particularly inspired and wonderfully creative at the height of optimism for change in the early 70's (Stevie, Marvin, Isley Bros, Staple Singers, Al Green the whole bit). It is only because my mother loved Roberta Flack that I knew he existed. I also found out that he also played keyboards on a few Aretha tracks. So when I chanced upon this disc in a discount store I took a chance. Top choice. The man's voice is silk and his arrangement on the cover of "He ain't heavy.." makes the song his own. There is simply no other voice like Donny's. The pace of the disc is intense if not unique, there is a real mixture of gospel and contemporary influences, cosy up to the voice, composition and musical talents of Donny. For all the romantics in the world go straight to "Take a love song" (sing it in the air) and for the best Christmas song ever it has to be "This Christmas" then stay on for "Be there". I have all the other Donny's now and can't get through a day without listening to him.

...


Donny Hathaway - 1970 - Free Soul - The Classic Of Donny Hathaway

1. What's Goin' On (Live Version)

2. Little Ghetto Boy (Studio Version )

3. Love, Love, Love

4. Someday We'll All Be Free

5. Sack Full Of Dreams (Live Version)

6. The Ghetto (Live Version)

7. Hey Girl (Live Version)

8. Valdes In The Country (Live Version)

9. Flying Easy

10. Nu-Po (Live Version)

11. Little Ghetto Boy (Live Version)

12. The Ghetto (Live Version)

13. Voices Inside (Everything Is Everything)

14. Magnificent Sanctuary Band

15. This Christmas

16. You've Got A Friend (Live Version)

Link:Part 1 & Part 2

Donny Hathaway - 1973 - Extension Of A Man

Perhaps Donny Hathaway's greatest album from the 70s, and certainly the one with the most amazing arrangements! The record was Donny's last studio session, and it's got him working at a level that's far advanced from even his groundbreaking earlier work -- using complicated rhythms and sophisticated string passages -- but also throwing in some killer jazzy bits that make for some of his funkiest work ever!

01. I Love The Lord He Heard Me Cry (parts i and ii)

02. Someday Well All Be Free

03. Flying Easy

04. Valdex In The Country

05. I Love You More Than You Ever Know

06. Come Little Children

07. Love Love Love

08.The Slums

09. Magdalena

10. I Know Its You

11. Lord Help Me

Link:Download

Donny Hathaway - 1972 - Live

Massively beautiful work from the great Donny Hathaway! After two studio albums that had firmly put him on the map as one of the 70s best soul talents, Atco had the genius to have Donny record this live album before very enthusiastic crowds in Hollywood and New York. The result is one of the best soul albums ever -- one that shows a totally different side of Donny, and which has him jamming with a smaller, hipper, jazz-oriented group in long versions of some of his best tracks. Features a massive 12 minute version of "The Ghetto", which has loads of excellent instrumental breakdowns, a 13 minute version of "Voices Inside (Everything Is Everything)", a superior version of the track "Little Ghetto Boy", which was only ever on a soundtrack, and covers of "What's Going On" and "Jealous Guy" that really transform them from the original versions. Very similar to the classic Curtis Mayfield 2LP live set on Curtom -- and with a similar "Chicago studio soulster goes jazzy and intimate" feel.

01. What's Goin' On

02. The Ghetto

03. Hey Girl

04. You've Got A Friend

05. Little Ghetto Boy

06. We're Still Friends

07. Jealous Guy

08. Voices Inside (Everything Is Everything)

Link:Download

O.V. Wright - 1979 - We're Still Together

This is what is rightly called “Soul”. Soul with considerable feeling backing it up. Original Soul from the time that when given the label “Soul” meant that it was proud and unquestionably justifiable.

This is the music that you listen to when you are alone. When the highs of the day have already passed you by and now you are somewhat vulnerable. Relaxing with something other than watered down beer. This is when the meaning in the lyrics are so compelling, that you readily identify with them and find your mood is brought in line with the music – and not the other way around as we’re all so used to.

01. We're Still Together

02. I Found Peace

03. It's Cold Without Your Love

04. Baby Baby Baby

05. I'm Gonna Stay

06. The Hurt Is On

07. Today I Sing The Blues

08. Mirror Of My Soul

09. Sacrifice

Link:Download

O.V. Wright - 1969 - Nucleus Of Soul

O.V. Wright - "Nucleus Of Soul "

1968

Producer: Willie Mitchell

There were two distinct periods in Wright's 15-year secular career, delineated by the demise of his first record label, Back Beat, which had been owned and operated by the don of Houston rhythm and blues, Don Robey. Midway in his career, Wright migrated to Hi Records, where his longtime producer Willie Mitchell was the principal talent director. Few artists in any medium exhibit so huge a gap between artistic quality and commercial success as O.V. Wright. Wright's two most successful records, "You're Gonna Make Me Cry" and "Eight Men, Four Women," came early in his career at Back Beat, and neither recording received any airplay outside the circumscribed world of 1960s R&B radio. In fact, R&B radio in the late 1960s, the heyday of southern gospel-inflected soul music, is the only radio format during the years spanned by Wright's career in which it is possible to imagine Wright's chilling statements from the spiritual void finding a home. Wright is an artist whose reputation is destined to grow with the historical perspective afforded by time.

01. Blowing In The Wind

02. Gonna Forget About You

03. I Have None

04. You're So Good To Me

05. Why Not Give Me a Chance

06. Pledging My Love

07. This Hurt Is Real

08. I'll Hate Myself Tomorrow

09. I'll Take Care Of You

10. I Want Everyone To Know

11. Poor Boy

12. I'm In Your Corner

13. Gone For Good

14. How Long Baby

Link:Download

O.V. Wright - 1978 - The Bottom Line

O.V. Wright recorded one of the all time great slow-burners with The Bottom Line. Joining O.V. once again is super producer Willie Mitchell (who also wrote or co-wrote over half the tracks here), and the team he's assembled for The Bottom Line is nothing short of phenomenal. Aside from your basic Memphis rhythm section (which there is actually nothing basic about), The Bottom Line boats a 7-person horn section backed by four female gospel singers and The Memphis Sting Symphony. So many musicians could make an album cumbersome, noisy, or (as the album ages) sound dated, but under Mitchell's guidance (along with Aarion Nesbit focusing on the strings) this isn't the case at all.

The genius and pure pleasure of O.V. Wright doesn't have to continue on going overlooked. The Bottom Line is the kind of album that'll draw endless praise from fans of southern soul music, and could very possibly win over new fans who enjoy great heartfelt storytelling, skilled and accomplished musicians, and a singer who puts himself deeply into the song (country music, blues, and folk fans - I'm looking at you).

01. The Bottom Line

02. I Don't Do Windows

03. That's The Way I Feel About Cha'

04. Your Good Things About To End

05. Let's Straighten It Out

06. I Don't Know Why

07. No Easy Way To Say Goodbye

08. Little More Time

09. Since You Left These Arms Of Mine

10. A Long Road

Link:Download

Gary Chandler - 1972 - Outlook

Gary Chandler - “Outlook”

(LP Eastbound Records, 1972)

Catalog # LP 9001 Stereo

PERSONNEL:

GARY CHANDLER - TRUMPET

IDRIS MUHAMMAD - DRUMS

CEASAR FRAZIER - ORGAN

CORNELL DUPREEE - GUITAR

BUDDY CALDWELL - CONGA, TAMBOURINE

HARROLD OUSLEY - TENOR SAXOPHONE

01. Baby Let Me Take You (In My Arms)

02. Flamingo

03. Kaleidoscope

04. The Jet Set

05. Blues Dues

Link:Download