Funkadelic - Butt-to-Butt Resuscitation
One of the last good Funkadelic songs, featuring special guest Bootsy Collins on space bass.
Beastie Boys - In 3’s
A belated tribute to MCA, in which he drops the mic and lays down nothin’ but funk.
The Poets of Rhythm - Fondle Rock
I’m in ur Deutschland fondling your rocks. Froliche Flippig Freitag!
[Note: Thursday was the last day I had internet access until now, so here’s the no longer apropos German funk song that was supposed to post on Friday.]
Curtis Mayfield - Kung Fu
I’ll be spending the next 20 hours in airports and on planes, so I’m brushing up on some martial arts.
Betty Davis - Come Take Me
Friendly reminder to the uninitiated: You do NOT say no to Ms. Davis.
George Clinton & The P-Funk All Stars - Something Stank
How lucky for George that when he came up with a song about smoking weed he happened to have a granddaughter named Sativa to do the lead vocal.
L.A. Bare Faxx - Super Cool Brother
Thanks to a local record label, L.A. Bare Faxx put two of their originals to wax before breaking up and moving on. This is the A-side of their one and only record, released in 1971.
Rolling Stones - Hot Stuff
My favorite Stones songs are their most glaring embarrassments.
Lenny White - Chicken-Fried Steak
Drummer Lenny White dropped his first solo album in 1975, and launched it with this face melter. The song begins with some floppy-hat wearin’ stoner funk, and then about a minute in, unleashes full frontal funk nudity, without a care in the world that children may be present. Primarily a jazz drummer (pretend this isn’t jazz), Lenny is also credited here with “wandering clavinet”, which explains both nothing and quite a bit.
I somehow overlooked the fact that chicken funk month has five Fridays, so pardon me while I reblog myself in order to complete my mission.
Mats/Morgan - Chicken
To close out chicken funk month, these Swedish kids tear the fuck out of an old Jaco Pastorius funk tune. If you find yourself scraping your brains off the wall due to the insane musicianship, just try watching the video. Yes, Mats the keyboardist is blind, and yes, he’s wearing a watch.
Rufus Thomas - Do The Funky Chicken
Recorded live at the Wattstax festival in Watts, Los Angeles, on August 20, 1972.
The Meters - Chicken Strut
The opening track from their 1970 album, Struttin, complete with simulated chicken sounds, among other outbursts.
Leroy & The Drivers - The Sad Chicken
Legend has it that the band went into the studio to record their first single, to prove that they were a “show band”. They covered “A Rainy Night in Georgia” and then the engineer asked what they were going to put on the b-side. Being new to the recording business, they hadn’t thought that far ahead. Feeling doomed, one of them started playing Chopin’s Funeral March, the bass started laying down funk, the guitar joined in, and “The Sad Chicken” was born.
Earth, Wind & Fire - Shining Star
Their only #1 hit, from 1974, closing out a month of huge funk hits I’ve somehow never posted before.
The Commodores - Brick House
She eats mahi mahi, she’s lettin’ it all hang out.
