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70ts Soul, R'n'B, Funk, Jazz Fusion
Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters
70ts Soul, R'n'B, Funk, Jazz Fusion
Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters
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"…Funkify Your Life…"
This brilliant addition to the Warners Music Group Original Album Series strips the five 2001 Rhino CD remasters of The Meters Seventies LPs of their bonus tracks and presents them in simple album form - 5 x 5" singular card repro sleeves (no inners) inside an outer card slipcase. And what a New Orleans blast they are too. Here are the rejuvenating details y'all...
UK released January 2014 - "Original Album Series" by THE METERS on Rhino/Warner Music Group 8122796156 (Barcode 081227961565) is a 5CD Capacity Wallet Mini Box Set of Remasters with Five Repro Artwork Card Sleeves and breaks down as follows:
Disc 1 (40:27 minutes):
1. You've Got To Change (You've Got To Reform)
2. Stay Away
3. Birds
4. The Flower Song
5. Soul Island
6. Do The Dirt - [Side 2]
7. Smiling
8. Lonesome And Unwanted People
9. Getting' Funkier All The Time
10. Cabbage Alley
Tracks 1 to 10 are the album "Cabbage Alley" - released June 1972 in the USA on Reprise Records MS 2076 and in the UK on Reprise K 44242
Disc 2 (44:13 minutes):
1. People Say
2. Love Is For Me
3. Just Kissed My Baby
4. What'cha Say
5. Jungle Man
6. Hey Pocky A-way - [Side 2]
7. It Ain't No Use
8. Loving You Is On My Mind
9. Africa
Tracks 1 to 9 are the album "Rejuvenation" - released October 1974 in the USA on Reprise MS 2200 and October 1974 in the UK on Reprise K 54027
Disc 3 (45:59 minutes):
1. Out In The Country
2. Fire On The Bayou
3. Love Slip Upon Ya
4. Talkin' 'Bout New Orleans
5. They All Ask'd About You
6. Can You Do Without? - [Side 2]
7. Liar
8. You're A Friend Of Mine
9. Middle Of The Road
10. Running Fast
11. Mardi Gras Mambo
Tracks 1 to 11 are the album "Fire On The Bayou" - released August 1975 in the USA on Reprise MS 2228 and August 1975 in the UK on Reprise K 54044
Disc 4 (42:16 minutes):
1. Disco Is The Thing Today
2. Find Yourself
3. All These Things
4. I Want To Be Love By You
5. Suite For 20 G
6. (Doodle Loop) The World Is A Little Bit Under The Weather - [Side 2]
7. Trick Bag
8. Mister Moon
9. Chug-A-Lug
10. Hang 'Em High/Honky Tonk Woman
Tracks 1 to 10 are the album "Trick Bag" - released September 1976 in the USA on Reprise MS 2252 and September 1976 in the UK on Reprise K 54078
Disc 5 (41:10 minutes)
1. No More Okey Doke
2. I'm Gone
3. Be My Lady
4. My Name Up In Lights
5. Funkify Your Life - [Side 2]
6. Stop That Train
7. We Got The Kind Of A Love
8. Give It What You Can
Tracks 1 to 8 are the album "New Directions" - released June 1977 in the USA on Warner Brothers BS 3042 (No UK release)
There's no booklet as is usual with these card packs but the front and rear album artwork looks great. Also there's no mention of who mastered what but on comparing with my "Rejuvenation" CD of old - these are all the 2001 Rhino remasters done by GIOVANNI SCATOLA - and they boogie like a mother. There's fantastic presence and warmth to these discs that clobbers you time and time again as you go through the albums.
Fronted by Art Neville (brother of Aaron Neville) - The Meters already three albums under their belt on Josie Records before they signed to Reprise - "The Meters" and "Look Ka Py-Py" from May and December 1969 and "Struttin'" from June 1970 - so their New Orleans choppy-guitar bad backbeat Funk style was well established.
The Reprise/Warner Brothers albums refined their simpler Josie Records funk and featuring the songwriting chops of mentor and friend ALLEN TOUSSAINT – 1972 to 1977 contained some of their best-loved songs like "Do The Dirt" and "Cabbage Alley" (1972), "Hey Pocky A-way" and "People Say" (1974), "Running Fast" (1975), "Disco Is The Thing Today" and "Trick Bag" (1976) and "Be My Lady" (1977). The non-album single "Chug Chug Chug-A-Lug (Parts 1 & 2)" is not here - they're bonus tracks on the Rhino 2001 CD of "Cabbage Alley" if you want them.
Killer album cuts include the Little Feat Funk of "Stay Away", "Getting' Funkier All The Time" and their mellow cover of Neil Young's "Birds" (all on "Cabbage Alley") while "Rejuvenation" provides unexpected moments of melody warmth and mid-tempo Hall & Oates soulfulness amidst the butt-boogie - "Love Is For Me" and "It Ain't No Use" while "Jungle Man" has a fantastic nasty groove (might just be their best album).
One of the prizes on here is the stunning "Fire On The Bayou" album from 1975 - which is a wonderful combo of sophisticated Soul meets their unique brand of Orleans Funk. It opens on a nasty groover "Out In The Country" – followed by the guitar chug of "Fire On The Bayou" where they sound like the title – on 'fire' – the tightest rhythm section ever. They go a bit Funk-Rock with their cover of the Russ Ballard/Argent song "Liar" - while nasty returns with "Can You Do Without?" complete with "Meow! Vocals. Things get mellow with "You're A Friend Of Mine" – so Allen Toussaint – so sweet. A keyboard tinkle introduces the Little Feat/Atlanta Rhythm Section slink of "Middle Of The Road" – a fantastic 8-minute instrumental that has been a Jazz-Funk prize for decades. What a winner this track is and it features gorgeous audio too as Leon Nocentelli lets rip with those warm summer evening fret flourishes – sounding not unlike an ultra-inspired George Benson circa "Breezin'".
I've always loved the "Trick Bag" album because of their funkified covers of an obscure James Taylor instrumental from "One Man Dog" called "Suite For 20 G" and their New Orleans version of the Stones "Honky Tonk Women" while their cover of Earl King's "Trick Bag" is superb too. They get a great groove going on "Doodle Loop..." too.
The final album "New Directions" sees the Funk and Brass get louder and more Isley Brothers - opening with the fab funk of "No More Okey Doke". Their New Orleans roots come out in their cover of Allen Toussaint's "I'm Gone" and a nod is given to Reggae in their take of Peter Tosh's "Stop That Train" (sounding contemporary). But the tune for me is "Funkify Your Life" which is just fantastic - a guaranteed floor-filler and a sure fire way to lose a few pounds after those Festive indulgences. "New Directions" ends with another dancefloor winner in the shape of "Give It What You Can".
So there you have it - Funky, Soulful and Nasty - The Meters had it all. A properly great addition to a series that's getting better and better...
PS: See also my review for the stunning SoulMusic Records 6CD Box Set of 2020
"Gettin' Funkier All The Time: The Complete Josie, Reprise & Warner Recordings 1968-1977" by THE METERS...
