Various Artists - New Millennium Funk Party (2001)

A first-rate compilation I quickly snatched from a used bin for the following three reasons:

1. Funk Party
2. Rhino compilation
3. I already owned a copy of the "old" Millennium Funk Party

If a little bit is good, more is better.

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

Tracks with chart peaks from the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts plus links to previous appearances on this blog:

Song	Artist	Year	Pop	R&B	Prev.
That Lady Pt 1	The Isley Brothers	1973	6	2	1
Fire	Ohio Players	1974	1	1	1
Shining Star	Earth, Wind & Fire	1975	1	1	1, 2
Super Freak Pt 1	Rick James	1981	16	3	1, 2
Flash Light	Parliament	1978	16	1	1
Word Up	Cameo	1986	6	1
Freddie's Dead	Curtis Mayfield	1972	4	2
Take Me To The River	Al Green	1974			1
For The Love Of Money	The O'Jays	1974	9	3	1
Cold Sweat Pt 1	James Brown	1967	7	1
You Sexy Thing	Hot Chocolate	1975	3	6	1, 2
Respect Yourself	The Staple Singers	1971	12	2
I Gotcha	Joe Tex	1972	2	1
Cut The Cake	Average White Band	1975	10	7	1
Lady Marmalade	LaBelle	1974	1	1	1, 2
One Nation Under A Groove Pt 1	Funkadelic	1978	28	1
Bustin' Loose Pt 1	Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers	1979	34	1
Got To Give It Up Pt 1	Marvin Gaye	1977	1	1	1, 2, 3, 4
Down To The Nightclub	Tower Of Power	1972	66		1
(Every Time I Turn Around) Back In Love Again	L.T.D.	1977	4	1

Some thoughts on the eight tracks that were new to my CD shelves:

• Word Up*: this song has a great funk groove and Larry Blackmon's vocals are immediately identifiable and a blast to imitate. [insert codpiece joke here] Even the synth drums don't bother me much. Two quick asides: 1) I still use the dated phrase "word up" in conversation to note my agreement with a statement, and 2) a local Catholic institution, University of the Incarnate Word, tried to use the phrase "Word Up" as the battle cry/hashtag for their athletic teams, but it didn't catch on. Go figure. I'd have driven down the street to buy a Word Up hoodie at the very least.
  
• Freddie's Dead: Mayfield could write/arrange/produce some of the smoothest funk grooves and here's a great example. The insistent bass line with the strings and lilting flute accompaniment - it all works perfectly. Originally written for the blaxploitation movie Super Fly, it was ruled ineligible for the Academy Award for Best Original Song because its lyrics are not sung in the film. I'm incredulous.
• Cold Sweat Pt. 1*: A simple bass line punctuated by some horns over a syncopated drum part all taken to the next level by the Godfather of Soul and a tasty tenor solo by Maceo Parker. Sadly, we're not treated to the full 7½ minute version here.
• Respect Yourself*: Backed by The Swampers, songs from The Staple Singers are deceptively simple but passionate and that passion makes all the difference.
• I Gotcha: What a fantastic pairing of bass line and horn licks. Add some pleading lyrics from Joe Tex and this tune meets multiple definitions of the word "nasty."
• One Nation Under A Groove Pt 1*: This dance-funk tune definitely has me moving a bit in this chair as I write these words. Part spoken-word, part singing, part chanting - all good.
• Bustin' Loose Pt 1: Now we head to the DC area for some music from The Godfather of Go-Go. Love the organ parts, the staccato EWF horn licks, and the Clavinet which seem oddly out-of-time for 1979 yet exactly what is needed. And it wouldn't be Go-Go without some call-and-response.
• (Every Time I Turn Around) Back In Love Again*: What great lick doubled by the guitar and bass then the incomparable Jeffrey Osborne completely nails the vocals. That would probably be enough but we're also treated to some horns and background vocals that kick things up a notch.

*I would have sworn that already had copies of these cuts on CD. Looks like this disc was a worthwhile pick-up at $3.

Just for fun, let's see which acts were funky enough to place a track on both volumes:

• Ohio Players
• Parliament
• Earth, Wind & Fire
• Average White Band
• The Staple Singers
• Curtis Mayfield
• Tower Of Power

And if you put Parliament, Funkadelic, and solo George Clinton together, that grouping placed a total of 4 tracks on these compilations.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Millennium Funk Party (1998)