On Soul Train




http://www.youtube.com/wa...wSllmP_eTM

Doing their best EW&F.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

theAudience said:

yup

it grew on me

but back in the day, i didn't like it because of the EWF sound.

Checked this clip out yesterday. Very cool
It's been added quite recently methinks.
Anyway, cool seeing James Alexander play a StingRay, I didn't know he had one

This is one of their mid tempo songs. They kind of took the brakes off
the funk on this one. Still a pretty cool track. I guess everyone is
comparing it to ewf on your face with the similar bassline but lyrically the
song is totally different. Dig the funky outfit larry dodson is wearing.

Well, they were known for grabbin' the lastest sound...

But still a great band


Where's Brotha' Vain on this one??

Here I am. I only have a computer at work so I have to sneak and look at the org when the boss is away.

I wish I could see the clip because I love The Barkays. Before they stop airing the old episodes of "Soul Train" on TV, they really need to show the episode with The Barkays doing "Hit and Run".

vainandy said:

!!!!!

funkpill said:

You mean like not only does "Shine" sound like EWF but other examples of the Bay Kays being influenced/inspired by other songs/artists are "Freaky Behavior" definitely inspired by "Super freak" - "Your Place or Mine" inspired by "Erotic City" and "Dirty Dancer" inspired by "Billy Jean".

But I still love the Bar Kays anyway. They are one of my favorite all time groups .

At least I think it was "Hit and Run" that they performed (it has been sooooo many years since it aired). I do know that the time I saw them on the show was in either 1981, 1982, or 1983 so that would be either "Hit and Run" or "Do It (Let Me See You Shake)". I think it was "Hit and Run" though.
.
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[Edited 3/13/07 8:52am]

[quote]

Sowhat said:

And don't forget "Freakshow On The Dance Floor" being inspired by Midnight Star's "No Parking On The Dance Floor" and "Dance, Party, Etc." being inspired by Prince's "D.M.S.R.".



They are my third favorite group of all time:

1. Prince
2. Rick James
3. The Barkays

And like Prince and Rick, the Barkays' producer, Allen Jones, had protegee acts such as Ebonee Webb and Kwick.

it shocks me how much attention this band gets on the org...correct me if im wrong here but based on everyone's discription of the band they are one step above a bar band (instead of doing covers they rip off songs and act like they are their own)...

am i wrong?

Not really. Lots of songs sound influenced by or have similar basslines such as:

Come Into My Life/Rick James - Thriller/Michael Jackson
Soul Makossa/Manu Dibango - Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'/Michael Jackson
White Horse/Laid Back - Erotic City/Prince

The Barkays just seem to do it more frequently and the similarities are more noticeable. However, they are very capable of coming up with things for themselves such as "Holy Ghost".
,
,
[Edited 3/13/07 9:14am]

vainandy said:[quote]

I barely remember kwick. The album they did in the 70's was good. I cannot
find anyone that has or know anything about kwick. Did not know allen jones
was their producer too. I know about ebonee webb. Something about you was one
of my favorite jams by them. I know some members of the barkays actually
played on ebonee webb's album.

sosgemini said:

The reason why the barkays gets so much love is because anyone that has seen
them perform live in the 70's or 80's know the barkays were probably the
baddest live band out there. They had their own signature sound but they also
kept up with their contemporaries by borrowing some of their ideas and creating
songs. The barkays always stepped it up on stage often stealing the show on
tour with big name acts like Kool & the gang. Watching the barkays live on stage was like going to a black rock show. You never knew what to expect.

vainandy said:

Funk at its best!!!




http://www.youtube.com/wa...3ng6X8pR5E

And to be fair, they were ripped off, too.

Didn't they do Soul Fingers, which is closer to the song Ray Parker Jr. ripped off for Ghostbusters than the Huey Lewis song he was sued for?
[Edited 3/13/07 10:55am]

I didn't know they had a 1970s album. I only have a 45 of their's from 1984 called "Too Lonely To Be Alone". If you were to hear it again, you would definately remember it. It's a slow jam about masturbation and the music and vocals sound just like The Barkays. After flipping the 45 over in recent years and listening to the B Side, "Will You", which is a bad ass uptempo jam, I wish I had bought their album.




Ebonee Webb was BAD. "Something About You" sounds just like Prince from the "Dirty Mind" era, from the music to the vocals. I thought it was Prince the first time I heard it. There are some other great jams from that album also such as "Anybody Wanna Dance", "Keep On Steppin'", "Throw Down", and a nice slow jam called "Woman". Their next album has a bad ass jam similar to "Something About You" called "Too Hot To Be Cool". I don't have that follow-up album but I wish I did.
.
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[Edited 3/13/07 14:45pm]

I've seen The Barkays live about six or seven times and they put on a great show every time they perform. They are wild as hell with boa constrictors, fire, wild outfits, and plenty of hard ass funk! They are my favorite act to watch live.

NDRU said:

never thought of that

gotta check it out..

funkpill said:

funkpill .. Classic from a mellow yet funky lp.

I would use "Shine or You Can't Run Away" as a groove changer for a fast or slow song when i dj'd back in tha day. Songs like those always came in handy.





NDRU was the huey lewis rip "I Want A New Drug". I can hear some of both; SoulFinger and I Want A New Drug, on the RPjr. Ghostbuster track

tid-bit:

Lewis sued Ray Parker Jr. for stealing this on his hit "Ghostbusters." They settled out of court, but Parker sued Lewis in 2001 after Lewis revealed in a VH1 Behind The Music special that Parker paid him as part of the agreement.

I guess the Bar-Kays got no loot.. from either.

vainandy said:[quote]

Don't forget Chocolate Milk ...Allen Jones was doing the right thing but Mercury Records like other major labels started weeding out groups like the Bar-Kays and Con Funk Shun for one man acks.

vainandy said:

I can probably pinpoint it to one lp and that is :

DANGEROUS



all the rest of their lp's were pretty much a signature sound.. if it was new and you heard it for the first time you'd know it was the Bar-Kays

vainandy said:[quote]


I didn't know they had a 1970s album. I only have a 45 of their's from 1984 called "Too Lonely To Be Alone". If you were to hear it again, you would definately remember it. It's a slow jam about masturbation and the music and vocals sound just like The Barkays. After flipping the 45 over in recent years and listening to the B Side, "Will You", which is a bad ass uptempo jam, I wish I had bought their album.

The kwik album i am talking about now that i remember came out in 1980.
They had two decent radio singles here i go again. The other i can't remember.
I am going to try to get up with some lp collectors and see if they can hook
me up with some info on kwik.

vainandy said:

I'm looking for these two lp's


The Bar-Kays "Do You See What I See" Stax/Volt ? Label 1973



Do You See What I See?
God Is Watching
Be Yourself
You're The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me
You're Still My Brother
I Was Made To Love Her
Your Good Thing Is About To Come To An End
It Ain't Easy
Love Pollution
People, Unite To Save Humanity

---

The Barkay's "Cold Blooded" Stax/Volt ? Label 1974



Coldblooded
Harmony
In The Scheme Of Things
Waiting And Hating
Smiling, Styling, & Profiling
Frame Of Mind
(I've Got To) Use My Imagination
Fightin' Fire With Fire
Would I If I Could
Be Yourself

StarMon said:

I got Cold Blooded on lp. Paid 40$ or so for it.

FuNkeNsteiN said:

I seen "Do You See What I See" with the other jacket cover plus xtra songs, at Tower records well before they closed. I want them both on wax. If i have to pay an arm or leg for them..well.. I'll just try and grab the "Do You See What I See" cd somewhere and just pay an arm for Cold Blooded.

I really did not become a die hard until the flying high on your love album.
I listened to the do you see what i see album at amazon. It just seem
they were experimenting to find their niche and quite a few instrumentals. I
read an article on the band stating that cold blooded was a fine album that was released during their stax days. Is there anything on the album funky like
holy ghost or other songs with larry singing vocals on it or is it another album
with quite a few instrumentals?