The Blackbyrds - The Blackbyrds/Flying Start (1974)

EU import

Twofer reissue on the BGP label. The Blackbyrds were six students of Donald Byrd, then the head of the School of Music at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Talk about your authentic, practical university experience!

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THE BLACKBYRDS (1974)
8 tracks, 37 minutes

MIZELL BROTHERS MONTH (APRIL 2026)

This doesn't sound like a group of college kids. Or, more accurately, it doesn't sound like anything I could have produced when I was a college musician. It's crisp, economical, polished, and most importantly, funky as all get-out. The guidance of Donald Byrd and Mizell Brothers is evident and most welcome. The Allmusic review calls it "some of the finest groove-oriented jazz music ever recorded" and who am I to argue??

Reviews/ratings::

• Record World: "Zesty r&b overtones are set on a stimulating jazz background"
• CashBox: "one of those rare and delightful treats that knocks you out from the very first musical phrase to the last refrain."
• Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide (1985): ★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #96
• Billboard R&B: #14
• Billboard Jazz: #6
• Record World Jazz: #5

Tracks: All but two tracks were written or co-written by either Byrd or Larry Mizell. Most are instrumentals. The singles that charted are Do It Fluid (#23 R&B, #69 pop) and the instrumental Gut Level (#9 dance). As for the best cuts, I'm gonna hafta cop out and simply call dealer's choice. 

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FLYING START (1974)
8 tracks, 39 minutes

Kinda the same as above, but different (if that makes any sense). For this release, Byrd himself takes over the production duties and the band members are allowed more of their own original compositions, including their biggest hit, Walking In Rhythm. Plus, a few guest artists are brought in, namely Ernie Watts and Sigidi.

Reviews/ratings::

• DownBeat (★): "there is little space on this album for anything to happen, and nothing does."
• Billboard: "the mix of soul and jazz sounds is not an easy one"
• Record World: "these exceptionally talented musicfolk are ablaze on this recent release"
• CashBox: "The sextet is particularly adept at creating different textures and moods and weaving them into a unified whole"
• Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide (1985): ★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #30
• Billboard R&B: #5
• Billboard Jazz: #2
• Record World Jazz: #1

Tracks: I already mentioned Walking In Rhythm (#6 pop, #4 R&B, #5 AC) and it hits as good now as it did back in 1974 (I'm guessing I heard it '74, but who the hell knows?). It's the cream of this crop, but as for the rest, I'll repeat myself: pick 'em.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Action (1977)/Better Days (1980)

Donald Byrd - Street Lady (1974)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 1997 release in Blue Note's Rare Groove Series.

MIZELL BROTHERS MONTH (APRIL 2026)

The second album collaboration between Byrd and the Mizells. Yes, it's loaded with plenty of the same sort of smooth funk-lite music that meets at the intersection of jazz and R&B. From looking at the cover, one might expect a concept album about prostitution, but I'm just not hearing it. I think it was more of a marketing move made to capitalize on the trendy blaxploitation-film aesthetic of the time. If it was meant to convey a gritty-but-polished urban feel, I think they've done that. In any case, it's definitely Mizell music with the support of players such as Roger Glenn (flute), Chuck Rainey (bass), Harvey Mason (drums), and Freddie Perren (ARP synthesizer). Perren was a part of "The Corporation" at Motown Records along with Fonce Mizell. I'll admit that at times some of the grooves get unnecessarily repetitive and this is my least favorite of the albums Byrd did with Larry Mizell producing, but the tracks certainly fit in well with any Mizell Brothers playlist you might be putting together.

Reviews/ratings:

• Record World: "very strong"
• Billboard: "fine musical experience"
• DownBeat (★★): "depthless one-chord showcases, replete with monotony"
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★½
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #33
• Billboard Jazz: #2
• Billboard R&B: #6
• Record World Jazz: #1

Tracks: 6 tracks, all written, arranged, and produced by Larry Mizell. My favorites are Sister Love and Woman Of The World.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but since this music is already putting me in "summer mode," I'm making my favorite baked bean recipe today. I'm in a good mood, so I'll share my recipe so you can take your next backyard grillfest up a notch:

DOC'S FAMOUS BRISKET BEANS

Ingredients:

• 28 oz can baked beans (I use Bush's Original)
• 8 oz smoked brisket, chopped or diced
• 1/3 cup BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's)
• 2.5 oz sweet onion, finely chopped
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar
• salt and pepper to taste (if your brisket has a peppery bark, you might not need any pepper)

Lightly sauté the onions in a skillet. Throw all ingredients in a slow cooker, cook on low for around 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Serves 4-6. Easily doubled (and should be often because the leftovers reheat beautifully). I suppose the recipe could be made substituting other smoked meats, so if you live in a part of the country that prefers BBQ pork and a mustard-based sauce, give it a try and please report back. Sweet mama my house smells fantastic.

Printable recipe card.

current view of the official CDP HQ slow cooker

Well, that certainly took me beyond the scope of this blog. As you were.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Stepping Into Tomorrow (1975)
Love Byrd (1981)
A New Perspective (1964)

Various Artists - Soul Hits of the '70s: Didn't It Blow Your Mind, Vol. 16 (1995)

Volume 16 of a 20 volume Rhino series. I had no plans to collect all 20 CDs, but they keep appearing in used bins and I simply can't help myself so we'll have to wait and see where this leads. From what I can ascertain, the later volumes released in 1995 are getting harder to find which normally translates to higher price tags, so I'm lucky I happened across this one in 2024 even though it came with a $19.99 price tag (I'm not saying that's what I paid, simply stating what the price sticker read).

Tracks, with Billboard chart peaks:

1. Patches - Clarence Carter (1970, #4 pop, #2 R&B)
   I dig the building pre-chorus, but not so much the spoken word verse. And it's such a depressing song. Nevertheless, it won the 1971 Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Song.
2. Betcha By Golly, Wow - The Stylistics (1972, #3 pop, #2 R&B, #7 AC)
   From the mind of Thom Bell comes this classic, oft covered tune. So dadgum smooth it could glide on sandpaper.
3. You're Still A Young Man - Tower Of Power (1972, #29 pop, #24 R&B)
   Love this waltz with its screaming trumpets and doo-wop vocals. I don't care much for the abbreviated single edit included on the compilation.
4. Misdemeanor - Foster Sylvers (1973, #22 pop, #7 R&B)
   11 year old Foster does his best Michael Jackson imitation and sounds almost exactly like him. Unfortunately, the backing group isn't up to the standards of the Funk Brothers or The Corporation. That's Foster in the CD's cover photo. A couple of years later, he'd contract a bad case of boogie fever.
5. Nobody Wants You When You're Down And Out - Bobby Womack (1973, #29 pop, #2 R&B)
   In which a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer takes an old blues tune, completely deconstructs it, and makes it his own.
6. Cheaper To Keep Her - Johnnie Taylor (1973, #15 pop, #2 R&B)
   Part bluesy jazz tune, part Stax groove, all good.
7. Put Your Hands Together - The O'Jays (1974, #10 pop, #2 R&B)
   Another cut on this compilation performed by members of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Written and produced by the legendary Gamble & Huff team, containing the same formula - both musically and lyrically - as the group's 1972 hit Love Train. What a joyful chorus!
8. Trying To Hold On To My Woman - Lamont Dozier (1974, #15 pop, #4 R&B)
   Also a member of the Rock Hall. This song is a pleading slow burn and was Dozier's biggest hit as a solo artist.
9. Sexy Mama - The Moments (1974, #17 pop, #3 R&B)
   Take a smooth groove, add some strings plus a little pillow talk and you've got a sexy stew goin'.
10. Touch A Hand, Make A Friend - The Staple Singers (1974, #23 pop, #3 R&B, #27 AC)
    The Staple Singers (Rock Hall 1999) recorded tunes that were so basic they immediately hooked you, lyrics so positive they immediately uplifted you, and arrangements so perfect they always gave you something new. This track is no exception. 
11. Skin Tight - Ohio Players (1974, #13 pop, #2 R&B)
    A sweet chunk of polished funk from the boys from Dayton. Between the bass line, the horn licks, and the immediately identifiable "well, well, well" from Sugarfoot, I can't decide which I like more.
12. Sha-La-La (Make Me Happy) - Al Green (1974, #7 pop, #2 R&B, #28 disco)
    They literally saved the best for last. What a legend. Of course the Rev. Green is in many Halls of Fame, including Rock, Grammy, Gospel Music, Songwriters, Memphis Music, etc. And here's a picture from the time I saw him in concert in Austin, April 2012.

Previously revisited for the blog:

Volume 2	Volume 13
Volume 5	Volume 14
Volume 6	Volume 15
Volume 12	Volume 18

Idris Muhammad - Power Of Soul (1974)

Blurb from the back CD insert:

A frequent drummer on some of the most visible Kudu sessions, Idris Muhammad was finally signed to the label as a recording artist, and marked his album debut with the sensational POWER OF SOUL. With Bob James writing the charts, and Grover Washington, Jr. providing some exquisite contributions on the saxophone, the album made quite a splash at the time, and quickly established Idris as a force to contend with on the music scene.

That hyperbolic statement is, I believe, intentionally vague and misleading as this was not the drummer's first album, but rather his "album debut" on the Kudu label. He had previously released two albums on the Prestige label.

Nevertheless, this is a good - albeit brief - instrumental album put together with a whole lot of recognizable names from the smooth jazz genre. Recorded at Van Gelder Studios and engineered by Rudy Van Gelder, the album was produced by Creed Taylor, and the pieces were arranged and conducted by Bob James. If you're a fan of Taylor, James, or Grover Washington, Jr., this is an album worth checking out.

2002 reissue liner notes by Didier Deutsch who, in 1974 at the time of this album's release, was publicity director at CTI records.

Idris Muhammad - drums
Grover Washington, Jr. - soprano & tenor saxophones
Bob James - keyboards
Gary King - bass
Joe Beck - guitar
Ralph MacDonald - percussion
Randy Brecker - trumpet & flugelhorn

Ratings/reviews:

• Downbeat (★★★): "quite good"
• Billboard: "a real blockbuster"
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★
• The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide (1985): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #15
• Record World Jazz: #9

Tracks: Only four tracks, and three of those four I had heard previously on other recordings prior to purchasing this CD.

1. Power Of Soul - a cover of a Jimi Hendrix tune, a.k.a. Power To Love. A tune which is much harder than the remaining tunes. Beck delivers a scorching solo, but is ultimately upstaged by Washington.
2. Piece of Mind - a midtempo Bob James original. Silky smooth with tasty work from Washington, Brecker, and, of course, James.
3. The Saddest Thing - this track, written by Joe Beck, was rerecorded for the 1975 Beck album and retitled Star Fire. So relaxing and calm with a restrained string arrangement, this is my favorite track on the album.
4. Loran's Dance - a Grover Washington, Jr. tune which the saxophonist later recorded on his 1978 album, Reed Seed.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
You Ain't No Friend Of Mine! (1978)

Gil Scott-Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (1974)

I'd like to imagine a world where we heeded the message of this beautiful poet. As for the music, "Dance and hip-hop have borrowed (or stolen) so much from [Pieces Of A Man] that it's easy to forget how original Scott-Heron's mix of soul, jazz, and pre-rap once was." - Nick Dedina, Rhapsody (remember Rhapsody?) Special mention of Brian Jackson, Ron Carter, & Hubert Laws.

Compilation originally released in 1974 with the following cover:

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #21
• Record World Jazz: #35

Tracks, taken from Scott-Heron's first three albums: 1) Small Talk At 125th And Lenox (1970), 2) Pieces Of A Man (1971), and 3) Free Will (1972):

1. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised²
2. Sex Education: Ghetto Style³
3. The Get Out Of The Ghetto Blues³
4. No Knock³
5. Lady Day And John Coltrane²
6. Pieces Of A Man²
7. Home Is Where The Hatred Is²
8. Brother¹
9. Save The Children²
10. Whitey On The Moon¹
11. Did You Hear What They Said?³

1988 CD bonus tracks

12. When You Are Who You Are²
13. I Think I'll Call It Morning²
14. A Sign Of The Ages²
15. Or Down You Fall²
16. The Needle's Eye²
17. The Prisoner²

With the inclusion of the 6 bonus tracks, all 11 tracks from Pieces Of A Man are included on this compilation.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised is a classic and rightfully earns the pole position here. Others impacting me today are Lady Day And John Coltrane, Pieces Of A Man, Save The Children, Whitey On The Moon, and When You Are Who You Are. 

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Various Artists - Soul Hits of the '70s: Didn't It Blow Your Mind, Vol. 12 (1991)

Volume 12 of a 20 volume Rhino series. I had no plans to collect all 20 CDs, but they keep appearing in used bins and I simply can't help myself so we'll have to wait and see where this leads. Singles included on this volume charted in 1973 & 1974 at the dawn of disco, and it is quite possibly the best volume of the series.

Tracks, with my favorites indicated (✔) and Billboard chart peaks:

• Love Train - The O'Jays (#1 pop, #1 R&B) ✔
  In 2006, this single was inducted to the Grammy Hall Of Fame.
• Soul Makossa - Manu Dibango (#35 pop, #21 R&B) ✔
  Originally released in Cameroon in 1972, this single is considered by many (including this humble blogger) to be the first disco record.
• Stoned Out Of My Mind - The Chi-Lites (#30 pop, #2 R&B)
  The group from Chicago ultimately placed 5 tunes in the Top 40; this was their fifth and final pop hit. The group would continue to place singles on the R&B charts thru 1984. I'd like to hear Casey Kasem backsell this one.
• Theme From Cleopatra Jones - Joe Simon With The Mainstreeters (#18 pop, #3 R&B)
  Taken from a "blaxploitation" film which I've seen and wholeheartedly agree with this CD's liner notes when they claim "its most redeeming quality is its music."
• The Love I Lost (Part 1) - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes (#7 pop, #1 R&B) ✔
  Originally written by Gamble & Huff as a ballad, the group turned it into a funk-disco tune with Teddy Pendergrass on vocals.
• Show And Tell - Al Wilson (#1 pop, #10 R&B) ✔
  Originally a very minor hit for Johnny Mathis, this version became Wilson's biggest hit of his career. The mid-tempo ballad with its soaring strings also saw action on the adult contemporary chart, peaking at #3.
• Boogie Down - Eddie Kendricks (#2 pop, #1 R&B) ✔
  The second big solo hit from the former member of The Temptations. Nominated for a Grammy in the category Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male, ultimately losing to Stevie Wonder's Boogie On Reggae Woman.
• Jungle Boogie - Kool & The Gang (#4 pop, #2 R&B) ✔
  This funky thing contains one of the best horn licks of the early '70s and that's really sayin' something.
• TSOP (The Sound Of Philadelphia) - MFSB Featuring The Three Degrees (#1 pop, #1 R&B) ✔
  More proto-disco goodness from Gamble & Huff, who wrote the tune as the theme for Soul Train and it went on to become the first television theme song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. As if that weren't enough, it won a Grammy award in the category of Best R&B Instrumental Performance.
• Lookin' For A Love - Bobby Womack (#10 pop, #1 R&B)
  Womack originally recorded the tune in 1962 as a member of The Valentinos. This solo remake would become his only top ten pop hit.
• Just Don't Want To Be Lonely - The Main Ingredient (#10 pop, #8 R&B) ✔
  The second of three Top 40 pop hits for the group; it was also a minor hit for Ronnie Dyson a few months prior.
• Be Thankful For What You Got - William DeVaughn (#4 pop, #1 R&B) ✔
  Diamond in the back, sunroof top, diggin' the scene with a gangsta lean.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  None from the '70s, but my very young sons and I danced to Jungle Boogie a lot back in the late '90s. A lot.

Previously revisited for the blog:

Volume 5	Volume 14
Volume 6	Volume 15
Volume 13

Stevie Wonder - Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974)

I have so much love for the music of Stevie Wonder that I can't think of anything to write that I haven't already written in previous posts. So let's see if AI can do anything to help me. I've decided to see what ChatGPT fabricates when given the prompt "give me 150 words on the album Fulfillingness' First Finale." Here ya go:

Stevie Wonder's "Fulfillingness' First Finale" is a soulful masterpiece released in 1974. It marked a transitional phase in Wonder's career, blending elements of funk, soul, and gospel into a cohesive and emotionally resonant album. The record reflects Wonder's social consciousness and personal struggles, evident in tracks like "Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away" and "They Won't Go When I Go." The album's sonic diversity is striking, from the infectious groove of "Boogie On Reggae Woman" to the heartfelt balladry of "Creepin'." Wonder's unparalleled musicality shines through in every note, with his virtuosic talents on display through intricate arrangements and soul-stirring vocals. "Fulfillingness' First Finale" earned critical acclaim, winning multiple Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. It stands as a testament to Wonder's artistic brilliance and remains a timeless classic in the landscape of soul music.

Wow. About as exciting as a 8th grade reading comprehension test (I feel safe saying that because I just had a flashback to the 1997-98 school year when I taught Language Arts at a middle school). I think my blogger job is safe for now.

3 Grammy Awards: Album of the Year, Best Male Pop Vocal, Best Male Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance for Boogie On Reggae Woman. Love, love, love. After I post this, I'll be spinning Talking Book, Innervisions, and Songs In The Key Of Life and living my best life. In an earlier post, I quoted Elvis Costello when he called Wonder something along the lines of "Music Laureate of America" and today I heartily endorse that opinion.

Press of the time:

• High Fidelity: "Musically he can't do anything wrong at this point. We need only wait to see where he wants to go next."
• Robert Christgau (A-): "The two great cuts, meanwhile, get across mostly on momentum"
• Billboard: "Absolute brilliance."
• Record World: "Stevie's genius is amply exemplified, as he maintains and furthers his lofty musical position."
• Rolling Stone: "If Talking Book deals primarily with love of woman and Innervisions with love of humanity, FFF concerns the love of God."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #1
• Billboard R&B: #1
• CashBox: #1

Tracks:  Yes, please. What a freakin' masterpiece.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:

Song Review: A Greatest Hits Collection (1996)	Talking Book (1972)
In Square Circle (1985)	Music Of My Mind (1972)
Songs In The Key Of Life (1976)	Someday At Christmas (1967)
Innervisions (1973)

Various Artists - Soul Hits of the '70s: Didn't It Blow Your Mind, Vol. 13 (1991)

Today marks the 13th anniversary of this blog, so we're celebrating by spinning volume 13 of this 20 volume Rhino series, released in the early '90s. The series is now out-of-print and these volumes are sometimes difficult to find and obtain. However, as more and more people foolishly cast away/sell their CD collections in favor of streaming, CDs in this series are now hitting the secondary markets at reasonable prices (which is a wonderful development in my world).

Tracks:

• Rock The Boat - The Hues Corporation: Peaked at #1 pop, #2 R&B in 1974.
  A disco classic, full of soulful vocals over a syncopated bass line that drives everything forward. When this song hit, I thought the lyrics were about an actual boat. Apparently, metaphors are lost on 8 year old boys.
• Rock Your Baby - George McCrae: Peaked at #1 pop, #1 R&B in 1974.
  Now ain't that some clever sequencing? There's really not much to the thing - just some rhythm guitar scratching over an organ pad. So why is it so damn catchy??
• Hollywood Swinging - Kool & The Gang: Peaked at #6 pop, #1 R&B in 1974.
  I've always loved this tune and my youngest son had the nickname "Hollywood" up until he was about 9, but God help me, I can't hear this song now without thinking of this:
  
  
  
  
• Love's Theme - The Love Unlimited Orchestra: Peaked at #1 pop, #10 R&B in 1974.
  If my memory can be trusted, this was the first disco song I ever fell in love with. I was 8. All these years later, it still sounds as sweet as it did in '74. If the strings and wah-wah guitar don't get ya, those soaring French Horn parts certainly should.
• Sideshow - Blue Magic: Peaked at #8 pop, #1 R&B in 1974.
  This would almost be a novelty single if it wasn't so daggum smooth. Outstanding falsetto lead supported by characteristic Philly Soul harmonies.
• Hurts So Good - Millie Jackson: Peaked at #24 pop, #3 R&B in 1973.
  Well butter my biscuits that's some good ol' Southern soul with its laid back electric piano and an arrangement straight off Dusty In Memphis (or was it the other way around?). Spectacular vocals. I'm not sure, but this thing just had to be recorded in Muscle Shoals, right?
• Finally For Myself Together (I'm A Changed Man) - The Impressions: Peaked at #17 pop, #1 R&B in 1974.
  This song was recorded after Curtis Mayfield left the group, but it is tasty nonetheless. A slow build and worth the wait.
• Tell Me Something Good - Rufus: Peaked at #3 pop, #3 R&B in 1974.
  Written by Stevie Wonder, sung by Chaka Khan. Best cut on this compilation and that's really saying something.
• Hang On In There Baby - Johnny Bristol: Peaked at #8 pop, #2 R&B in 1974.
  You can almost hear the record executive proclaim, "Get me a song that sounds exactly like that Love Unlimited tune! Now!"
• Nothing From Nothing - Billy Preston: Peaked at #1 pop, #8 R&B in 1974.
  The incomparable, underrated Billy Preston. (Is it possible for a Hall of Famer to be underrated? Discuss amongst yourselves while I enjoy this funky track.) Bonus trivia: Preston performed this tune on Saturday Night Live on the show's premiere episode (October 11, 1975), making it the first musical performance ever on the show.
• Express - B.T. Express: Peaked at #4 pop, #1 R&B in 1975.
  Mislabeled on the CD packaging as (Do It) 'Til You're Satisfied. Express was that single's follow-up and it is all about the horn arrangements. One can hear its influence on the Brooklyn disco sound prevalent in Saturday Night Fever.
• Everlasting Love - Carl Carlton: Peaked at #6 pop, #11 R&B in 1974.
  This is such a happy, uplifting song that I'm just gonna sit back and float away on the waves of positivity.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Volume 5
Volume 14
Volume 15

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First post, 2010: Paul Simon - Graceland (1986)
1st anniversary, 2011 (post #378): Electric Light Orchestra - Time (1981)
2nd anniversary, 2012 (post #694): Seal (1994)
3rd anniversary, 2013 (post #948): Fun Boy Three - Really Saying Something: The Best of Fun Boy Three (1997)
4th anniversary, 2014 (post #1127): Ultravox - Quartet (1982)
5th anniversary, 2015 (post #1231): Soul Hits of the '70s: Didn't It Blow Your Mind, Vol. 5 (1991)
6th anniversary, 2016: no post
7th anniversary, 2017: no post
8th anniversary, 2018 (post #1461): Pat Metheny - Watercolors (1977)
9th anniversary, 2019 (post #1524): Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever (1989)
10th anniversary, 2020 (post #1594): Various Artists - Windham Hill - The First Ten Years (1990)
11th anniversary, 2021: no post
12th anniversary, 2022 (post #1800): Talk Talk - 12 x 12 Original Remixes (1999)

Today's post is #1901.

Various Artists - Tribal Rites Of The New Saturday Night: Brooklyn Disco 1974-5 (2023)

EU import

From the back CD insert of this compilation from Ace Records:

In 1975, writer Nik Cohn investigated the burgeoning discotheque scene in Brooklyn for New York magazine; two years later, his feature would be filmed as Saturday Night Fever. These are the records Cohn heard in those dark dance dens - irresistible R&B and soul, disco, before it was disco.

Click the magazine cover below to read Cohn's (fictional) article from the June 7, 1976 issue of New York magazine:

Wisely, in addition to copping the article's title, the CD cover utilizes the magazine's illustration by James McMullan.

This compilation hearkens back to a time when DJs went out and found the music to play; dancers went out and found the clubs. In the early seventies, the disco was the venue and not a genre of music. It's always a pleasure to discover new-to-me disco music, perhaps the most joyous music ever produced. Pairs well with Super Rare Disco, Volumes One and Two.

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

Tracks with peak positions on the Billboard dance chart (to be fair, some of the tracks here weren't released as singles or were b-sides. Plus, Billboard first published a dance chart in the issue dated October 26, 1974; some tracks were released prior to that date):

Song	Artist	Year	Dance
Helplessly	Moment Of Truth	1975	3
After You've Had Your Fling (Get Down To the Real Thing)	The Intrepids	1975	-
Welcome To The Club	Blue Magic	1974	-
I Can't Move No Mountains	Margie Joseph	1975	-
Supernatural Thing (Pt. 1)	Ben E King	1975	-
Mellow Me	Faith Hope & Charity	1975	18
Georgia's After Hours	Richard "Popcorn" Wylie	1975	-
Date With The Rain	Eddie Kendricks	1972	-
Just As Long As We're Together (In My Life There Will Never Be Another)	Gloria Scott	1974	14
Wendy Is Gone	Ronnie McNeir	1974	-
Got To Get You Back	Sons Of Robin Stone	1973	-
Night Of The Wolf (Tema Del Lupo)	Ivano Fossati	1973	-
Good Things Don't Last Forever	Ecstacy, Passion & Pain	1974	-
Tell Me What You Want	Jimmy Ruffin	1974	5
Keep It Up	Betty Everett	1975	-
Free & Easy	Satyr	1975	-
Each Morning I Wake Up	The Major Harris Boogie Blues Band	1974	14
It's The Same Old Story	Act I	1974	-
You Can't Hide Love	Creative Source	1973	-
The Whole Damn World Is Going Crazy	John Gary Williams	1974	-
If That's The Way You Feel (Then Let's Fall In Love)	White Heat	1975	-
Wake Up Everybody	Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes	1975	-

According to my ear, the two tunes with which I was familiar prior to this CD purchase were Jimmy Ruffin's Tell Me What You Want as well as the final cut, Wake Up Everybody. While it's all very good and a great way to spend 76 minutes, my top picks today are I Can't Move No Mountains, Date With The Rain, Just As Long As We're Together, Good Things Don't Last Forever, If That's The Way You Feel, and the high energy instrumental, Night Of The Wolf. The set also includes a cover of Earth Wind & Fire's You Can't Hide Love that I wish I'd heard years ago.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Ramsey Lewis - Funky Serenity/Golden Hits (1973)/Solar Wind/Sun Goddess (1974)

UK Import

2018 compilation of four albums by Ramsey Lewis. I bought the set because, at the time, it was the cheapest way to get Sun Goddess on CD. Plus bonus Ramsey can't be a bad thing, right? Well...the other three albums turn out to be hit-or-miss, but, overall, not a terrible way to spend $20.

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FUNKY SERENITY (1973)
9 tracks, 46 minutes

Not all the Top 40 covers are winners, but that's balanced by some funky originals. The trio (Cleveland Eaton - bass, Morris Jennings - drums) is joined by violinist Ed Green on a couple of tracks.

Reviews/ratings:

• Downbeat (★★★★★): "enough to commercially and artistically satisfy everyone."
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #117
• Billboard Jazz: #4
• Record World Jazz: #6

Tracks: The best covers are Betcha By Golly Wow! and Where Is The Love. The aforementioned funky originals are Kufanya Mapenzi (Making Love), What it Is!, and the laid-back Serene Funk. For a little variety, there's a tasty mid-tempo original from Green titled My Love For You. I avoid track 7, Dreams, and the cover of Nights In White Satin.

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GOLDEN HITS (1973)
9 tracks, 35 minutes

Full title: Ramsey Lewis' Newly Recorded All-Time Non-Stop Golden Hits

After he moved to Columbia Records in 1972, Ramsey and the rest of his trio made this album of 'modernized' remakes of Lewis' earlier, successful recordings on the Argo and Cadet labels. It's good, not great, but probably should have sold better than it did. However, the cover with small print of the full title make the release look like a greatest hits package instead of a new album re-imagined versions. Heck, even Allmusic mistakenly called it a "budget sampler of pop cuts."

Reviews/ratings:

• Downbeat (★★★★): "It isn't as 'non-stop' as proclaimed, nor all that 'golden' - but the verve is the same, rocking on."
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #198
• Billboard Jazz: #32
• Billboard R&B: #50
• Record World Jazz: #25

Tracks:

Song	Original Lewis version appeared on
Hang On Sloopy	Hang On Ramsey! (1965)
Blues For The Night Owl	More Music From The Soil (1961)
Hi-Heel Sneakers	1966 single
Carmen	Ramsey Lewis And His Gentle-men Of Swing (1956)
(Song Of) Delilah	Ramsey Lewis And His Gentle-men Of Jazz (1958)
Wade In The Water	Wade In The Water (1966)
Slipping Into Darkness	Upendo Ni Pamoja (1972)
Something You Got	The Ramsey Lewis Trio At The Bohemian Caverns (1964)
The "In" Crowd	The In Crowd (1965)

The better cuts are the clavinet-heavy remake of Hang On Sloopy (winner of the Grammy award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance) as well as (Song Of) Delilah, Slipping Into Darkness, and The "In" Crowd. 

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SOLAR WIND (1974)
9 tracks, 44 minutes

Lewis expands the instrumentation a bit, even bringing in legendary STAX guitarist Steve Cropper to write and produce three of the nine tracks. Other cuts come from Elton John, Seals & Crofts, Paul Simon, and Sonny Rollins.

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "Lewis' distinctive blend of melodic jazz ideas with insistent rhythmic funk has survived the transition to electric piano beautifully"
• Downbeat (★★★½): "continues to tread lightly on those delicate lines separating pop, r&b and jazz."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #29
• Record World Jazz: #20

Tracks: My picks for original cuts are Sweet And Tender and Jamaican Marketplace, while my picks for covers are The Everywhere Calypso and Summer Breeze. 

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SUN GODDESS (1974)
7 tracks, 37 minutes

You wouldn't know it based on the critics' ratings below, but they saved the best for last. One of Ramsey's biggest albums and one that would change the trajectory of his career for least the next decade. Lewis reunited with his former drummer Maurice White, who contacted Lewis about a song he had written. White brought the song to Chicago along with half of his new band, Earth Wind & Fire, and they cut Hot Dawgit (track 14 on this CD) in three days then wrote the title track, Sun Goddess. Add in a Stevie Wonder cover and four Lewis originals plus production from Teo Macero and the result is irresistible.

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "one very listenable record"
• Downbeat (★★½): "This is best judged as slick background music, a kind of hip Muzak."
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #12
• Billboard Jazz: #1
• Billboard R&B: #1
• CashBox: #13
• Record World Jazz: #1

Tracks: It's easy to call Sun Goddess (#44 pop, #20 R&B, #5 dance) and Hot Dawgit (#50 pop, #61 R&B) the stand-out cuts, but then you'd be missing out on the driving cover of Living In The City, and some fantastic original works from Lewis: Love Song and the funky Tambura.

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Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Fantasy (1985)
Tequila Mockingbird (1977)
Hang On Ramsey! (1965)/Wade In The Water (1966)

Joni Mitchell - Court And Spark (1974)

An album of dichotomies, starting with the album title itself. The album is intimate yet uses a large rhythm section; it's breezy yet tense, its arrangements are colorful and lush yet sparse, love is hopeful yet fearful, etc. The dichotomies give the thing a manic (yet relaxed!) feel - heck, the thing even ends with a song about schizophrenia. I love it.

The biggest album of Mitchell's career, this landmark set of jazzy pop-folk songs could only have come from southern California in the '70s. It immediately transports me to my carefree days of 1974 and such daydreaming has helped me through some rough patches during the past few years.

Mitchell's production is vastly underrated plus the names of the support crew here are immediately recognizable to me and they bring the goods: Joe Sample, Larry Carlton, and Wilton Felder (all of The Crusaders), Robbie Robertson of The Band, the playing and arranging wizardry of saxophonist Tom Scott, plus occasional backing vocals from ⅔ of CSN.

I'm not sure I could rank Mitchell albums - and, to be honest, I'm only familiar with her '70s output - but the algorithm over at besteveralbums.com has this one at #3, trailing only Blue and Hejira. I'll blatantly skirt the issue by saying my favorite Mitchell album is whichever one I'm spinning at the time. 

Press of the time:

• Stereo Review: "You want to turn it off but cannot, you hate it and love it at the same time, you feel you are in the hands of a brutal but trustworthy genius and are somehow being tested."
• Rolling Stone: "the first truly great pop album of 1974"
• Record World: "It's simply wonderful!"
• Billboard: "Ms. Mitchell's most ambitious album to date."
• CashBox: "some of her finest work"
• High Fidelity: "I always say that Joni Mitchell's new album is her finest. It always is."
• Robert Christgau (A): "she's the best singer-songwriter there is right now"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #2
• Record World: #1
• CashBox: #1

This album topped The Village Voice's annual 'Pazz & Jop' critic's poll for 1974. In its 2020 list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Rolling Stone ranked Court And Spark at #110. Track 7, Down To You, won the Grammy award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s). The album was nominated for Album of the Year, losing to Fulfillingness' First Finale. Help Me was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Performance, losing in both categories to I Honestly Love You. The album was subsequently inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004.

Tracks:

1. Court And Spark: Perfect opener. Quiet piano intro then gently builds throughout.
2. Help Me: There it is. As comfortable as granddad's recliner.
3. Free Man In Paris: Possibly the most HPM (hooks per minute) on the album plus it's easy to sing along with.
4. People's Parties/5. Same Situation: A couple of laid-back odes to the insecure human condition. The lyrics are pure poetry.
6. Car On A Hill: The best Steely Dan song they never recorded.
7. Down To You: This beautiful ballad acts like a pallet cleanser. My wife is a former bassoon player and likes to point out the solo. Best arrangement on the album.
8. Just Like This Train: See tracks 4 & 5 above.
9. Raised On Robbery: This boogie tune moves seamlessly from Andrews Sisters vocals to a straight up rocker, complete with a (too brief) sax solo.
10. Trouble Child: I can barely get past that catchy bass line that works equally well in 7 or 8 when that gloriously uplifting chorus kicks in. 
11. Twisted: cover of a swing tune with some spoken word from Cheech & Chong. I don't want to like it but I can't help myself. The great muted trumpet licks from Chuck Findley certainly help.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: My introduction to Joni Mitchell was hearing Help Me on the AM radio sometime in 1974. I was 8 years old at the time and had no idea what was going on other than it had a catchy hook in the chorus. Still not sure I understand what's going on and living in such ambiguity is just fine with me.

 

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975)
Blue (1971)

Billy Joel - Streetlife Serenade (1974)

I would consider myself a Joel fan, having memorized many of his tunes and seen him in concert a couple of times. But if I'm being honest, I started my fandom with The Stranger when I was in middle school and never really explored his back catalog. I eventually picked up a copy of Turnstiles when I was in college, but didn't go any further. So, surprisingly, I've never heard the entire Streetlife Serenade album. However, I'm familiar with four of the ten tracks via live versions on Songs In The Attic and my (very) used copy of a 1977 promo-only sampler Souvenir.

To rectify the situation decades after the fact, I placed an order and here we are. Let's take the cellophane off this thing and give it a long overdue spin. But first, here's what Joel had to say about the album back in 2011:

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone: "Joel's keyboard abilities notwithstanding, he has nothing to say as a writer at present"
• Stereo Review: "achieving what I shall call a dark brilliance"
• Billboard: "each song has a brisk creative flavor, in terms of lyrics as well as arrangements"
• CashBox: "a high peak of creativity and masterful musical energy"
• Record World: "fulfilling all the promises shown in his prior set"
• Robert Christgau (C): "Here he poses as the Irving Berlin of narcissistic alienation, puffing up and condescending to the fantasies of fans who spend their lives by the stereo feeling sensitive."

Chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200 chart: #35

Tracks (many of these are first impressions, admittedly not the best way to write about an album):

1. Streetlife Serenader: I always liked the version on Songs In The Attic and this studio version isn't quite as bombastic and I could do with out the steel guitar, but it's a good album opener and the piano interlude about 3:50 in is classic Joel writing.
2. Los Angelenos: On the other hand, I never much cared for the version of this song on SITA and the cut here isn't any better. The stereotype-driven lyrics wouldn't fly today and probably offended some back in the '70s. Rightly so.
3. The Great Suburban Showdown: Completely new to me. Starts with Joel experimenting with a Moog synth. Country rock in the vein of the Eagles and Ronstadt of '74. I don't think the writing's bad; it's just a bad arrangement.
4. Root Beer Rag: A ragtime instrumental which shows off Joel's formidable keyboard technique. It's fantastic, it just doesn't really fit on a country-flavored pop-rock album.
5. Roberta: Worst song so far. There's a hook sequence in the chorus ("It's tough for me, it's tough for you") that almost saves the track, but it can't quite overcome the mediocrity that surrounds it.
6. The Entertainer: The single released from the album, it peaked at #34 on the Hot 100 and #30 on the AC chart. Classic mid-70's rock with a little prog-rock taste thanks to the synth licks. The banjo needs to go, though. I'm starting to think Joel got some bad advice and guidance from producer Michael Stewart.
7. Last Of The Big Time Spenders: This is more like it. A bluesy piano-heavy ballad that sounds more like the Joel I'm familiar with. Until the steel guitar comes in, that is. Sheesh.
8. Weekend Song: This Three Dog Night-ish rocker chugs along and while it isn't doing much for me initially, I could see this one growing on me over time.
9. Souvenir: Easily the best cut on the album. Joel reaches back into his classical piano training/influences (Chopin and Schumann, in particular) and produces a brief, beautiful, nostalgic ballad. Just Joel on piano and vocals. Should have ended the album, another decision I'll conveniently blame on the producer.
10. The Mexican Connection: A pop/Latin/orchestral instrumental consisting of several musical ideas that really don't have much to do with each other and then it just sort of ends. A piecemeal job that isn't terrible, but tracks 9 & 10 should have been swapped.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:

My Lives (2005)	The Nylon Curtain (1982)
2000 Years: The Millennium Concert (2000)	Songs in the Attic (1981)
To Make You Feel My Love (1997)	Glass Houses (1980)
River Of Dreams (1993)	52nd Street (1978)
Storm Front (1989)	The Stranger (1977)
The Bridge (1986)	Turnstiles (1976)
An Innocent Man (1983)	Piano Man (1973)

Maynard Ferguson - Chameleon (1974)/Conquistador (1977)/Hot (1979)

UK Import

Three albums on 2 CDs from the master of the stratospheric trumpet. Thanks, BGO. Almost 40 years ago, I discovered Ferguson while in high school through a greatest hits cassette. We (me and my fellow trumpeters) loved Maynard in high school, but my college trumpet-playing friends looked down on him. I continued to listen to him anyway and then Maynard came to our college campus in 1986 and all of a sudden these same jazz snobs were on the Maynard bandwagon. Shameless. Here's a photo taken at that show. Maynard is the one with the towel and white pants after Labor Day.

Excellent remastering job on these plus a fantastic liner note booklet that includes full credits as well as a nice essay by Charles Waring, jazz columnist for Record Collector and contributor to MOJO and Wax Poetics. Well done.

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CHAMELEON (1974)
8 tracks, 41 minutes

My on-again-off-again high school girlfriend had this on vinyl and I dubbed the good stuff to a cassette. Mostly covers, this thing's hit or miss, but I literally wore out that cassette.

CashBox, August 31, 1974, p. 22

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #13

Tracks: Choice cuts are the title track (by Herbie Hancock), Gospel John (an original by Jeff Steinberg), a high energy cover of McCartney's Jet and, my pick for top track: La Fiesta (by Chick Corea). Avoid Maynard's take on The Way We Were and his vocals on I Can't Get Started. Speaking of not getting started: the arrangement of Stevie Wonder's Living For The City. The title track, which came out within a year of Hancock's original, is now a jazz/funk standard and remains popular with high school marching band and jazz bands.

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CONQUISTADOR (1977)
6 tracks, 36 minutes

Famous for its lead track, Gonna Fly Now, which became Ferguson's biggest hit (#28 pop, #46 adult contemporary) and a signature tune for the pop/disco/Columbia Records phase of his career. Not surprisingly, this is also Maynard's all-time top selling album.

CashBox, March 19, 1977, p. 14

According to the liner notes, Gonna Fly Now was a last second addition at the recommendation of a record executive that had just seen the first Rocky movie. Hey! A record exec got something right! But he wasn't the only one: the tune is unique in that it had recordings by 4 different artists charting at the same time: Ferguson's peaked at #28, Bill Conti's original which was #1 for one week, while versions from Rhythm Heritage and Current both peaked at #94.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #22
• Billboard Jazz: #1
• CashBox: #45
• CashBox Jazz: #5

Tracks: My picks are Gonna Fly Now (natch), Mister Mellow with a tasty extended solo from George Benson, and Soar Like an Eagle which is a Bob James tune and in case you couldn't tell that from the very first measure, James contributes a nice electric piano solo. And even though the Theme From Star Trek is all cheese, I can't help but love it probably because it was on the aforementioned greatest hits cassette I bought in high school. People buying the album because they liked the Rocky theme were probably disappointed by the title track and the throwaway experiment, The Fly.

Exclusive CD longbox photo courtesy of
Dirk Digglinator of the Hambonian Archives.

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HOT (1979)
7 tracks, 42 minutes

Note: this release was originally purchased as a LP (twice), later replaced by this CD set.

This album contains Maynard's second (of only two) pop chart appearance; an attempt to cash in on the movie sequel, Rocky II.


If you believe that label (and I have no reason not to), the album was originally slated to be titled Blow Your Own Horn.

Of the album, in a one star review/pan, Allmusic writes:

"Hot could be the absolute worst of trumpeter Maynard Ferguson's '70s recordings. It's not just that it contains more over the top versions of theme songs -- "Rocky II Disco" anyone? -- and generally vomitive dancefloor-ready production, but more to the point, 'ol MF just doesn't sound good.

It's hard to argue any of that, but when the album brings back memories of high school, none of that matters. At least CashBox tried to put a good spin on things:

Cash Box, August 4, 1979, p. 17

To tell the truth, I never woulda picked up this LP (heck, I think I had it special ordered!), if I hadn't happened across the following sheet music in 1979 or 1980 at the local music shop (click images to enlarge):


So I had the sheet music and wanted to hear what it sounded like, so I got the album. Yes, I still have the sheet music but I don't think the value has appreciated much.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #188
• Billboard Jazz: #14
• CashBox: #175
• CashBox Jazz: #9

Tracks: There's not much to recommend here, to be honest, not even the aforementioned Rocky II Disco. I listen for purposes of nostalgia. The rehash of Gospel John (from the Chameleon album above) is titled Gabriel and is possibly the only instrumental disco funk gospel tune I've ever heard so there's that. Even though it's silly disco filler, my favorite track might be Topa-Topa Woman.

And what's Theme From Star Trek doing on here? Wasn't it also on Conquistador? Yes, it's the same recording, only shorter. The liner notes characterize the inclusion of the Star Trek theme as "a blatant attempt to capitalise on the release of the first Star Trek movie."

Previously revisited for the blog:
Master of the Stratosphere (1997)
Hollywood (1982)
The Best Of Maynard Ferguson (1980)