FUNK - Dave Thompson. $24.95. Published by THIRD EAR; BACKBEAT BOOKS copyright 2001.

Briefly, this is an overview of funk with major divisions in four parts. Then artists are alphabetic in the chronological period and essays follow each section delineating essential info that doesn't quite fit the breakdown, but is still relevant. Artist entries present a detailed and comprehensive discography (with catalog numbers!).

PART ONE: PRE-FUNK Highlights the less pop-oriented R&B acts; covering Archie Bell & the Drells, Booker T & the MGs, James Brown, Bobby Byrd, Dyke & the Blazers, Isleys, Fela Kuti, Mar-Keys, Last Poets, Stax, Sly Stone, Watts Prophets.

Essays
Frontiers of Funk: Gumbo and the Groove (New Orleans funk)
Frontiers of Funk: The Psyche-Funka-delic Experience (rock and Jimi)
Frontiers of Funk: Motown GetsWith It ("WGO?" and thereafter)


PART TWO: CLASSIC FUNK Highlights the first generation of Funk bands, artists and labels covering George Clinton , Bootsy Collins, Curtom. EWF, Larry Graham, Isaac Hayes, INVICTUS, JBs, Meters, War, Fred Wesley, Normarn Whitfield, Chas. Wright, etc.

Essays
Blaxploitation: Funk Goes to the Movies (sweet sweetback , SHAFT & Superfly)
The British Rock Funk Connection (ohh this is mindboggling!!! Eric Burdon, Jeff Beck & the Stones)


PART THREE: DISCO FUNK Highlights the bands and artists that rose and fell with the disco tide; covering Roy Ayers, BT Express DAZZ BAND, Fatback, Gap Band, Rick James, LTD, maze, Mutiny, Maze, Parlet, Praxis, Rose Royce, Slave, SOS Band etc.

Essays
Disco and the Death of Funk ('nuff said!)
Hot Grooves: Cold Storage (just a list of forgotten funk like AZTECA, BEGINNING OF THE END, CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARD, CYMANDE, ELEVENTH HOUR, MANDRILL, OSIBISA etc).

PART FOUR: THE NEW SCHOOL Highlights the Brit/Euro retro movement, NY electro funk, go-go, Chuck Brown & Soul Searchers, FishBone, Prince, The Time, Trouble Funk, Bernie Worrell Zapp and 24-7 Spyz

Essays
P-Funk Meets F-Punk (Euro and Brits get funky, while America goes punk)
The Birth of Go-go
Rap: The Sons of the P (How rap bit off a chunk o' funk - Digital Underground gets high marks here - and gave new life to Clinton and James Brown)
Funkin' Up A Storm: Essential Funk Compilations (how to collect all those one-hit wonders you missed)

My remarks:
Dave Thompson does a wonderful job here. He's broken things down and made the obtuse more understandable. This is written less "fannish" than Rickey Vincent's book and really tries to lay down a fundamental framework of appreciation. Blues roots are briefly explored, as is the jazz-funk of Miles Davis, but I bemoan the lack of entries for Stevie Wonder and Living Colour (though they do get a few sideways mentions). This is a definite GOTTA-HAVE for funkateers and Maggots; I copped mine at BORDERS

George Clinton gets the cover. James Brown has 20 pages (plus Bobby Byrd's entry for 2 pages immediately follows. All sections for Parliament, Funkadelic, P-Funk and PFAS are under George Clinton. He also gets 20 pages, while the Bootsy Collins entry follows for 6 pages. I guess JB rules supreme cuz there are separate entries for Lynn Collins, Maceo, Fred Wesley, Vicki Anderson and the JBs where he gets mentioned. (Separate entries abound for Eddie Hazel, Maceo, Fuzzy Haskins and Bernie Worrell).

Other notables: EWF gets 6; Sly gets about 7; Prince gets 7; RHCP gets 4.


CMT (aka Pfunkjazz)