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PrintableMuthaFunka said: For all intents and purposes, Beverly is the concept and visionary for the group, similar to how George Clinton is the vehicle through whom Parliament/Funkadelic breathed. The charismatic Beverly not only founded the group and is the lead singer, but is its primary producer and songwriter.
Thank God GC wasn't ego-trippin' to call it Parliament Featuring George Clinton.   Sho Nuff. What would P-Funk be w/out the genius musicians of Bernie Worwell, Bootsy and ect. George is full aware that Good Funk is a collaborative effort. | |
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funkpill said: MsLegs said: Hey whatever floats his boat. Of course some forget that before he stepped in as principle writer, his band use to be Marvin Gaye band before Marvin passed. This is why they dedicated the song to Marvin called Silky Soul Singer in his honor. [Edited 8/2/07 9:22am] Well Marvin helped them get a record deal Let them stay at his home, when they were struggling In fact, Marvin suggested that they change their name. They were orignally known as Raw Soul Frankie stated that he was always appreciative of Marvin They were well established when Marvin died tho'   | |
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MuthaFunka said: Najee said: No, George Clinton ego-tripped by coming up with different personas for himself, while basing every song on himself and essentially signing the same concept and members to various record labels. [Edited 8/2/07 16:24pm] Personas are at least under the guise of fun and creativity (Shock G/Humpty Hump, Garth Brooks/Chris Gaines, Prince/Camille/Alexander Nevermind). That's a lot better than naming a group and then adding yourself as a "feature".  Dig it. | |
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Like I said, I always got the impression it was Capitol Records that marketed the band as "Maze featuring Frankie Beverly," not the group itself (or Beverly) calling itself that. In all the years I've heard interviews of the group refer themselves as "Maze," and there was never a sense of separation between Beverly and the other members.
And even then, there have been numerous acts that had names that broke out one particular member (namely, the leader singer and/or the creative visionary) -- Little Anthony and The Imperials, Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes, Martha and The Vandellas, Sly and The Family Stone, Gladys Knight and The Pips and K.C. and The Sunshine Band are but some of the examples. That's not even counting rechristened acts like Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, or people like Prince putting his backing band on the marquee. The fact that some people are trying to imply some character issue with Beverly based on the name of his band seems silly, especially when there have been numerous acts named with the same treatment. The name also could be a homage to Beverly's namesake Frankie Lymon, who was the lead singer of Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers. But in the end, does it really matter? [Edited 8/2/07 20:17pm] THE TRAFFIC JAMMERS, The Org's house band: VAINANDY -- lead singer; NAJEE -- bass; THE AUDIENCE -- guitar; PHUNKDADDY -- rhythm guitar; ALEX de PARIS -- keyboards; Da PRETTYMAN -- keyboards; FUNKENSTEIN -- drums. HOLD ON TO YOUR DRAWERS! |
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Trivia: Did you know Frankie's real name is Howard Beverly???
He change it to Frankie when he saw Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers | |
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Najee said: MuthaFunka said: Personas are at least under the guise of fun and creativity (Shock G/Humpty Hump, Garth Brooks/Chris Gaines, Prince/Camille/Alexander Nevermind). That's a lot better than naming a group and then adding yourself as a "feature".
I always got the impression that it was Capitol Records that started marketing the group as "Maze featuring Frankie Beverly." After all, the group's previous name was Raw Soul and Beverly's name was not attached to the end of it. On their self-titled debut album and follow-up albums, Beverly's name is in small type or not even tied in with the name "Maze:" 
In fact, some of Maze's albums such as "Golden Time of Day" and "Joy and Pain" didn't even have "featuring Frankie Beverly" attached to Maze's name. Also, in the interviews I've heard Beverly and crew talk they never identified themselves as "Maze featuring Frankie Beverly" as if he separated himself from the group. They generally referred to themselves as "Maze." Another difference between Beverly and George Clinton is that Clinton was not the only colorful, standout member in the P-Funk mob (see Bennie Worrell, Bootsy Collins). Maze is totally centered around and dependent on Beverly, both from a creative and a visibility standpoint and no one else in the band stands out. [Edited 8/2/07 19:26pm] I always got the impression that it was Capitol Records that started marketing the group as "Maze featuring Frankie Beverly." After all, the group's previous name was Raw Soul and Beverly's name was not attached to the end of it. On their self-titled debut album and follow-up albums, Beverly's name is in small type or not even tied in with the name "Maze:"
Now that may be true. I can see how that could come about from Capitol. Another difference between Beverly and George Clinton is that Clinton was not the only colorful, standout member in the P-Funk mob (see Bennie Worrell, Bootsy Collins). Maze is totally centered around and dependent on Beverly, both from a creative and a visibility standpoint and no one else in the band stands out
That's true as well. So maybe it should be the way it is. nWo: bboy87 - Timmy84 - LittleBlueCorvette - MuthaFunka - phunkdaddy - Christopher
MuthaFunka - Black...by popular demand | |
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MuthaFunka said:[quote] Najee said: Now that may be true. I can see how that could come about from Capitol. Another difference between Beverly and George Clinton is that Clinton was not the only colorful, standout member in the P-Funk mob (see Bennie Worrell, Bootsy Collins). Maze is totally centered around and dependent on Beverly, both from a creative and a visibility standpoint and no one else in the band stands out
That's true as well. So maybe it should be the way it is. | |
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Happy Feelings always brings back special memories for me  Love them  | |
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funkpill said: Trivia: Did you know Frankie's real name is Howard Beverly???
He change it to Frankie when he saw Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers I heard that during his interview with Donnie Simpson. | |
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Looking back on the mid- to latter 1970s, there were a lot of bands out with similar, descriptive one-name titles (Brick, Switch, Lakeside, Pleasure, Slave) when Maze came out. Whether it was the band itself or Capitol Records, adding "featuring Frankie Beverly" to the name had several benefits from a marketing standpoint:
* It allowed the name "Maze" to stand out a little bit more; * It immediately gave the group a focal point for fans to identify the band; * Beverly was the driving force behind the band, a la Earth, Wind & Fire's Maurice White and P-Funk's George Clinton. In addition to Maze's distinctive sound, Beverly's presence gave the band an identity most of its counterparts coming through the ranks did not have. That identity may have come out on its own down the road, but by marketing it from the beginning Maze's ability to separate from a lot of its peers IMO was made a lot easier and faster. [Edited 8/2/07 20:15pm] THE TRAFFIC JAMMERS, The Org's house band: VAINANDY -- lead singer; NAJEE -- bass; THE AUDIENCE -- guitar; PHUNKDADDY -- rhythm guitar; ALEX de PARIS -- keyboards; Da PRETTYMAN -- keyboards; FUNKENSTEIN -- drums. HOLD ON TO YOUR DRAWERS! |
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"Before I Let Go" is my favorite.  "Whitney was purely and simply one of a kind." ~ Clive Davis | |
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