Various Artists - Capitol Rare 3: Funky Notes From The West Coast (1999)

EU Import

I'm not sure if this ever got an official US release since all I've ever seen are promo copies from Europe. But no matter, this CD continues the funky tradition begun with volumes one and two, compilation albums that put together some soul-jazz, funk and soul deep album cuts from the vaults over at Capitol/EMI. All three volumes put together by Kevin Beadle (well done, Kev). Music on this compilation was originally released in the years 1969 - 1987; all but 4 of the tracks were originally released in the '70s. By my count, half of the 16 tracks are instrumentals. Overall, not quite as good as Volume 2, but better than Volume 1. I like to throw all three volumes into one big 46 track shuffle mix and let it fly, or if I'm feeling really funky, I'll also include the 91 tracks from the What It Is! box set.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart:  Did not chart

Tracks:

Artist	Song	Original Album	Year
Ronnie Laws	Always There	Pressure Sensitive	1975
Raul de Souza	Daisy Mae	Don't Ask My Neighbors	1978
Dianne Reeves	Sky Islands	Dianne Reeves	1987
Maze	Twilight	Too Many Games 12" single	1985
Labi Siffre	The Vulture	Remember My Song	1975
Ike & Tina Turner	Game Of Love	Workin' Together	1971
Bobbi Humphrey	Smiling Faces Sometimes	Dig This	1972
Lou Rawls	Season Of The Witch	The Way It Was, The Way It Is	1969
Doris	Beatmaker	Did You Give The World Some Love Today Baby	1970
Georges Garvarentz	Haschisch Party	Un Beau Monstre	1970
Robert Watson	Reachin' Searchin'	Estimated Time Of Arrival	1978
Eddie Henderson	Butterfly	Mahal	1978
Maze	Roots	Joy And Pain	1980
Barrett Strong	Is It True	Stronghold	1975
Maxi	Lover To Lover	Maxi	1977
David Axelrod	The Signs Pt 1	Earth Rot	1970

To me, the standout track here is Beatmaker by Doris, a happening 1970 tune from an obscure Swedish pop singer (and yes, I've already ordered the album from which it was taken, the beautifully titled Did You Give The World Some Love Today Baby.) The better (read: funkier) tracks are Always There, Daisy Mae, The Vulture, Reachin' Searchin', and Butterfly. Another of my favorites on the disc is Bobbi Humphrey's cover of Smiling Faces Sometimes which surprises me since I'm typically not a fan of the flute timbre. I'm not wild about the Ike & Tina tune and the Georges Garvarentz soundtrack cut, but I can see why each was included here.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Capitol Rare: Funky Notes From The West Coast (1999)
Capitol Rare: Funky Notes From The West Coast, Vol. 2 (1999)