Cobb

My sister-in-law is in her mid to late 20s.

I was talking about the Gap Band. She said, "The Gap Band? Who's that?"

When my wife and I were preparing for our wedding, the same woman said, "The reception is going to be a trip. I won't be able to dance because I know he wants to play funk!"

Now you KNOW I'm linkin' to this!

When you do, can you answer my question?

Where's the funk?

Man, Funk Brotha #2? wshew! that's hard. honest to goodness, I don't really see how Ray Parker makes it that high up the list, but of those who took the Parliament/Funkadelic vibe and extended it, I say Troutman and Co did it best.

As much as i grooved to every SOS Band hit (and, boy, there were so MANY), the folk in the "supastar funk" category generally had a touch too much pop sensibilities in there, imho (except brothers johnson -- them bass licks...! woo!).

y'know wut -- ignore that second paragraph above. on second look there's way more exceptions to that assertion.

i'll go with troutman and leave it at that.

'For Those Who Like To Groove' was one of the funkiest songs ever man. And then he came back with 'Still In the Groove'. Ray Parker knew how to funk. Right now, I'm regretting that I didn't put Tom Browne higher, because Funkin' for Jamaica and Thighs High are just classic.

Tom Browne is 'deep funk'. All you have to hear is the bass line and it's over. Brick House, I think is the world champion bass line, followed very closely by Glide.

The first Slave CD had a bass line that just stomped. *AND* the lead guitar work was just mind blowing.

I remember being at a community fair where 2 groups did Slide. The first group didn't have a lead guitar who was good, so the keyboardist took the guitar solo.

The second group played it and the lead guitarist stepped to the front and kicked it.

Ray Parker, Jr./RAYDIO, knew funk. The first instrumental on the RAYDIO alblum, rocked.

I saw Roger Troutman and ZAPP about 8 months before he was killed.

He played the bass, lead, keyboards, and harmonica. They tore it up. The younguns' had no clue.

Hot Chocolate gets honorable mention.

While I wouldn't stack my funk cred against yours, when you asked for #2 Ohio Players was the first in my mind. I've always felt there's a fine line between what I think of as natural, dirty funk (Parliament/Funkadelic, Ohio Players, War) and the more polished, "Hollywood" funk (Prince, Gap Band, EWF/TOP). The former has a looser feel, like everything is about two bars from blowin' apart into a riot of noise, while the latter is tighter than Morris Day's Stacey Adams' with just as much flash. Both are cool, but that first group was just made for doing the Freeky Deke.

re Gap Band tracks, how'd you miss You Dropped a Bomb on Me?

You're so right though. As I'm listening (and boy am I listening to a lot of funk these days), I see a lot of differences.

I swear that on the way to work this morning I had Slide playing full blast and it just brought tears to my eyes. After it was over all I could think of was two things. One, if the music industry wasn't so racial there would be a lot more music like this. Second, what I wouldn't pay to hear Prince, Vernon Reid or Carlos Santana do a cover of that song, which in my estimation has one of the great guitar solos of all time.

I think I would lean towards Ohio Players. Cameo was very slick and controlled. Lyrically Cameo can't really be touched and they reall had the arrangements that could keep going without losing their edge. Roger and Zapp could be really.. syruppy. I never saw him live except for a tape of one of Sinbad's Caribbean concerts. Arrington was 'Way Out' which is why he was extra cool artistically, but he wasn't laying out the really deep funk.

Now you look at the BarKays. That's just old school sweaty black man funk, complete with the falsettos and the 'yowww'. But they really never transcended.

So I'm thinking Ohio Players too, but I'm not finished listening.

There it is.

What about Art of Noise?

Art of Noise ain't funk. Yeah, it would make you shake your ass, but it at funk.

Please leave your PFunk card on the table.

Slide. That's funk.
Strawberry Letter 23. That's funk.
Play That Funky Music. That's funk. Done by a mediocre rock band but funk none the less.
Mary Jane...
Firecracker
DuzzIt.
Jungle Boogie.
MachineGun.

Ohhhhhh.....
WHERE'S THE FUNK!?!?!?!?!?

"Hey Man, Smell My Finger" -- That's the CD that has my H.K. speakers and subwoofer booming right now.

"Marshall Law" and "Paint The White House Black".

Crankin.

Bass. Not in your face.
Bass. In your azzz.

I love Martial Law, but George Clinton in that song makes the absolute worse rap ever recorded. I'd rather listen to 'Milk is chillin'.