What albums do you consider Essential for a comprehensive funk RnB collection.

I'm thinking along the lines of albums that rarely get mentioned but you consider essential.

For instance Parliament / Mothership Connection is an Obvious choice.

Mine Choices would be

Don Blackman / Blackman.
Maze / Joy And Pain
Tower Of Power / Tower Of Power
Mandrill / Composite Truth

thedoveoflove said:

Tower Of Power is a pretty good album.
My pick is Slave's Stone Jam. Top notch album in my book.

Cameo "Alligator Woman" - definitely Side 1. Bloody classic!

thedoveoflove said:

Zapp :: The Many Facets of Roger (1981)

It got remastered in 2002.

L.A. people LOVED this album. This is widely considered a West Coast classic even though he's from Ohio.

If you want to read about ZAPP click this :: http://www.soul-patrol.co...pp_sng.htm

I'd add Zapp II and III to that.

Mara said:

I got Zapp I and II. I should check out Many Facets...

Damn, L.A. loves their Zapp hehe

Shuggie Otis
Inspiration Information
Enough said.

karmatornado said:

Totally.

Zapp IV also has its moments

It Doesn't Really Matter and Itchin' For Your Twitchin' are fantastic

Madame X - Madame X (1988)

CinisterCee said:

By the way D.J. Cinista... That is an excellent album to sample off of, I have many times.
[Edited 8/13/06 12:05pm]

Donny Hathaway - Extension Of A Man
Stevie Wonder - For Once in My Life
[Edited 8/13/06 12:17pm]

CinisterCee said:

AW MAN ! i've seen him perform in the London Jazzcafe around 2000 .
Within a month he'll be there again .

http://www.meanfiddler.co...3&URLID=19

I'm going to schuck the rules somewhat and nominate the Blackbyrds as being an essential Funk/RnB group that gets overlooked in general. These cats were on it. And almost anything you pick up from them is essential. 'Do It, Fluid', 'Rock Creek Park' and 'Walking In Rhythm' and 'Happy Music' are classics.

jjam said:

The upfollowing STYLE-album is even more overlooked , let alone mentioned in some biographies/discographies .
The Reagonomics were at a crucial highpoint this time .

FuNkeNsteiN said:

I believe that one and Showtime got pretty much exposure in the Soulcharts at that time .

Mara said:

Actually, the album is credited to Roger, not Zapp.
But I do agree with you, it's a great album.

CinisterCee said:

You should definitely get The Many Facets Of Roger it's a great album. It's got a killer version of I Heard It Through The Grapevine on it

FuNkeNsteiN said:

Actually you're the one that put me on to the album, in an earlier thread.

FuNkeNsteiN said:

Agreed!

CinisterCee said:

,

The track on "Many Facets" that does it for me is "So Ruff, So Tuff". But the bonus track of "Superman" on the CD re-issue is damn good. Can't believe I got this album (on vinyl) years ago for 49p!

Three Miles High - Mass Production - Slow Bump, Groove Me, I Just Want To Make Love To You and Sky High are funk classics, thanks to my aunt I own a copy of this great album.

Another one that just came to mind is Steve Arrington's Hall Of Fame's second LP "POSITIVE POWER". 15 Rounds, Money On It,Sugar Momma Baby,What Do You Want, Hump To The Bump and my personal favorite Mello As A Cello are all funk gems.


Why this album is not on CD is a mystery to me

Abdul said:

I've got Steve Arrington's Hall Of Fame Vol. I and Dancin' In The Key Of Life. Haven't seen Positive Power or Jam Packed anywhere

You can find Chuckii Booker's Niice N Wiild on CD for less than $5 almost anywhere. It is a classic slice of 90's funk.

For R&B - I think the 'Leon Sylvers III sound' is often overlooked. His Dynasty production work is fantastic. The Dynasty album Right Back at Cha also has an early Jam/Lewis track; the slow jam "The Only One".

Hopefully we all feel that Mint Condition, and D'Angelo are not overlooked.

B

ps - Starpoint? Afterbach?

I am a music freak.

bobsteezy said:

The title-track is my alltime 90-s funkjam

bobsteezy said:

Most rare is his unreleased album from the group Real To Reel , with slammin' tracks like " Love Me Like This " and the Jam & Lewis-production " Can You Treat Me Like She Does "

bobsteezy said:

Highly recommended indeed

bobsteezy said:

From 1981 to 1984 is my fave era of them
Renee & Ernesto

bobsteezy said

Robert & Michael Brookins .
Solid production by Verdine White & Beloyd Taylor .
The were already spotted by the EW&F crew in the 70's until they got a record-deal with CBS a few years later .
2 years after that album , Robert went along on a Japanese tour with George Duke , from which his slick skills can be seen on a recent released dvd from that tour .
2 more years after that he was part of the Stanley Clarke Band with the album " Find Out" . He did some more guest-appearances on George Duke and Stanley Clarke -productions before his eventual solo-debut in 1986 .
His composer-buddy Tony Haynes has always been a force in the background .
I saw him once perform with EW&F in 1997 and eventually met him some years back at a George Duke gig , and had the Afterbach-album and his solo-debut autographed .... cool dude with a powerful voice
.
.
.
[Edited 8/14/06 3:12am]

100MPH said:

Good shout 100MPH. Real To Reel 'Love Me Like This' is one of the best 80's tracks ever. I've never heard the Jam & Lewis produced track, did it come out on 12"?

Any idea how I could get a hold of the Real To Reel album?