Ohio Players:

Honey:(1975)

This album might be one of the peaks of 70's R&B sexploitation, and with the exception of maybe the Beatles legend that Paul was dead, it carries one of the best urban legends. You know, the one where the model from the album cover was injured when the honey adhered to her skin, and caused some painful wounds, then when she came to the recording studio during the recording of Love Rollercoaster seeking money for damages the band stabbed her death, and that's how they got that blood curdling scream you hear in the background. Ah, Rock'n'Roll myth.  

The Meters:

Second Line Strut:(1980)

You will not find any band funkier, or more talented than the Meters. I'm instantly transported to New Orleans when I here them, and isn't 'transportation' what music is all about. This record has been in rotation on my turntable for three days now. That's usually the case when I pull this one out. 

 

Dr. John:

In The Right Place:(1973)

Hollywood Be Thy Name:(1975)

Dr. John has to be one of the funkiest, and most soulful dudes on the planet. I mean, this guy draws water from the deepest wells, and hauls the richest soil from the darkest trenches. Throw on a Dr. John record, and the day just gets better. I really have nothing more to say than, I love this man's body of work.

Herbie Hancock:

Man-Child:(1975)

I hear the influence of Miles Davis all over this album, and no wonder since Hancock played with him for a long time. But it has that searching feeling that Davis' stuff had. This is also Hancock's most funky bit every. It's that element that keeps this album from becoming too full of itself.

Future Shock:(1983)

Of course, we all know this record. Supposedly important for being the first instance of record scratching on a mainstream recording, but Grandmaster Flash had stuff out before this. That said, Rockit is still a cool track, with an insane video to match it. However, I always feel like this record gets pretty tedious about a third of the way in, I don't know. I love Bill Laswell and Material's experimentation here. Very cool.

Marvin Gaye:

M.P.G.(1969)

There's really two different incarnations of Marvin Gaye. There's the Motown king of the two minute hit soul record, and there's the Sex king groove master of the extended 70's jam. To me this album bridges the distance between the two, and finds Marvin in transition.

Here, My Dear:(1978)

The infamous divorce album. In 1976 Gaye found himself in quite a pickle. He was in a very unhappy marriage to Anna Gordy, who also happened to be the sister of Gaye's Motown label boss, Barry Gordy. Sticky situation indeed. After a long drawn out divorce proceeding it was finally decided that Gaye would give Anna half of the earnings from his next album. Gaye thought he'd make a quick, intensionally bad record and get her off his back. Instead the album evolved into a double album that finds Gaye exploring deep complicated feelings about his now ex-wife, and the awakening feeling for the new woman in his life. Long story short, this is a very serious adult record that's bitter, sweet, sad, joyful, and above all very Marvin. Initially this album was panned, and didn't sell that well, but with the advantage of time, and consideration it has become regarded as one of Gaye's best produced, and underrated.  

In Our Lifetime:(1981)

This record is a victim of many, "howevers". By the time of this record cocaine was Gaye's best friend. This album began life as Love Man, a desperate attempt by Gaye to have a hit, and regain his position at the top. However, drug addiction, IRS trouble, and multiple lawsuits from breeched contracts had piled up on Gaye making it impossible for him to focus on music making, let alone "happy" music making. Finally he pulled it together enough to rewrite the album with concepts about good and evil and the human condition, and pull it away from pure sex talk. A move in the right direction...However, Motown was angry at how long Gaye was taking to finish this album, and unhappy with slumping sales, and uncontrolled spending. So when the first mixes were submitted to the label, they doctored them up, and released the album...Meanwhile, Gaye was holed up in the studio editing, and trying to finish the album as he saw fit. Needless to say, he was not pleased with the label or the released album. In spite of the mild disco feel on this record, I don't mind it, and find a lot of it to be a desperate stab at a return to form for Gaye.

James Brown:

Papa's Got A Brand New Bag:(1965)

I think this was the eleventh album James Brown released. In any case, good god! what a showman, both on and off record. You just really can't go wrong with any James Brown record. He seemed to be pushing boundaries every chance he got. Sure he pushed his musicians in inhumane ways, sure he was an asshole, sure he was abusive to everyone, including himself, but damn did the man see results. Name another person who's every name defines a genre of music like, James Brown. Mozart?