dimanche 26 octobre 2008

Defunk t- Thermonuclear Sweat 1982


Tracklisting:

A1 Illusion (5:33)
Guitar - Richard Martin (3)
A2 I Tried To Live Alone (5:08)
A3 Cocktail Hour (Blue Bossa) (3:26)
A4 Ooh Baby (6:05)
B1 Avoid The Funk (4:26)
B2 Big Bird (Au Private) (2:07)
B3 For The Love Of Money (5:54)
B4 Believing In Love (7:14)

Mothers finest - mother factor - 1978

Can't Fight the FeelingTell MeWatch My Stylin'
Love Changes
Don't Wanna Come Back
Give It Up
Mr. Goodbar
I Can't Believe
More and More

lundi 20 octobre 2008

JAKI GRAHAM - 1985 - HEAVEN KNOWS


1. Round And Round

2. Heaven Knows

3. Could It Be I'm Falling In Love

4. I Fell For You

5. Hold On

6. The Facts Of Love

7. You Re Mine

8. Loving You

9. What S The Name Of Your Game

10. Stay The Way You Are

JAKI GRAHAM - 1986 - BREAKING AWAY


Tracklisting:

A1 Set Me Free (3:37)
A2 Breaking Away (3:33)
A3 Still In Love (5:38)
A4 Love Under Moonlight (5:01)
A5 Let's Get Blue (4:31)
Vocals [Duet] - Derek Bramble
B1 Luv 2 Much (4:03)
B2 The Love Of Your Life (4:00)
B3 The Closest One (4:37)
Vocals [Duet] - Derek Bramble
B4 Step Right Up (3:57)
B5 Mated (3:51)
Vocals [Duet] - David Grant

samedi 18 octobre 2008

KELLIE MARIE - 1979 - FEELS LIKE IM IN LOVE


01. Feels Like I'm In Love
ç02. Take Me To Paradise
03. I Can't Get Enough
04. Get Up Get On Your Feet
05. Make Love To Me06. Hot Love
07. Loving Just For Fun
08. New York At Night
09. Run To Me
10. Feel Me With Your Love

dimanche 12 octobre 2008

AL WILSON DISCOGRAPHIE + BIO

BENTLEYFUNK NEWS

Décès d'Al Wilson (1939-2008)



Décès d'Al Wilson (1939-2008)
La chanteur s'est éteint le 21 avril 2008 à l'âge de 68 ans des suites d'une opération.
Originaire du Mississipi, il part pour la Californie où il cumule les petits boulots tout en chantant dans des formations locales.
Sa rencontre en 1966 avec Johnny Waters, lui ouvre les portes de l'industrie musicale. Il signe après deux singles pour un album sur Soul City qui n'aura pas le succès escompté. Il lui faudra attendre l'année 1973 pour enfin atteindre les charts et le succès avec "Show and Tell" produit par Jerry Fuller et qui s'inscrit dans la ligné d'artistes tels que Johnny Bristol ou O.C. Smith. Une soul sensuelle aux arrangements précieux et un chant à mi chemin entre le crooner et le lover.
Il collabore d’ailleurs l’année d’après avec Johnny Bristol sur son album « La La La Peace songs » et continue sur sa lancée.
En 1976, il part sur le label Play Boy et garde la recette de ses précédents albums mais elle ne marche plus aussi bien qu’avant. Il s’essaye au disco en 1979 en intégrant une fois de plus un nouveau label, puis disparaît, comme tant d’autres en laissant derrière lui son héritage : des chansons indémodables.

Discographie AL WILSON

DOWNLOAD ALBUMS

1968 / Searching For The Dolphins / Soul City
1973 / Show and Tell / Rocky Road
1973 / Weighing In / Rocky Road
1974 / La La Peace Song / Rocky Road
1976 / I've Got A Feeling / Playboy
1979 / Count the Days / RCA

Biographie en anglais sur http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Wilson_(singer)





AL WILSON - 1973 - SHOW AND TELL


Tracklisting:

A1 Show And Tell (3:28)
A2 I'm Out To Get You (3:39)
A3 Queen Of The Ghetto (2:53)
A4 Touch And Go (3:09)
A5 My Song (3:43)
A6 Broken Home (3:43)
B1 What You See (3:46)
B2 Love Me Gentle, Love Me Blind (4:00)
B3 Moonlightn' (3:40)
B4 For Cryin' Out Loud (3:37)
B5 A Song For You (5:42)

Willie Hutch - Havin' A House Party 1977


Tracklisting:

A1 Willie's Boogie (5:46)
A2 We Gonna Have A House Party (4:11)
A3 What You Gonna Do After The Party (4:15)
A4 I Can Sho' Give You Love (5:00)
A5 I Never Had It So Good (4:12)
B1 We Gonna Party Tonight (4:31)
B2 After Love Is Gone (4:33)
B3 Soul Strut (3:53)
B4 Train Of Love (6:38)

WILLIE HUTCH "color her sunshine" 1976

Solid superdope soul from Willie Hutch -- a self-produced, self-arranged, self-composed masterpiece that proves that he was one of the greatest things Motown had going in the mid 70s! The album's got a bit less of the wicked edges of Willie's blacksploitation work, but in its place is a really well-developed sense of mature soul -- stretching out through the vocals, guitar work, and overall orchestrations -- and pushing Willie into territory that was also being explored at the time by Marvin Gaye and Leon Ware. Great stuff all around, and the kind of a record that gets better each time we hear it! Titles include "Come On Girl Let's Get It On", "I Like Everything About You", "Shake It Shake It", "We Can Make It Baby", and "I'm Gonna Be Around".
Tracks :
1. Come on Girl Let's Get It On
2. I Feel Like We Can Make It
3. Color Her Sunshine
4. I Like Everything About You
5. Shake It, Shake It
6. Let Me Be the One
7. She's Just Doing Her Thing
8. We Can Make It Baby
9. I'm Gonna Be Around

Meters, The - Trick Bag 1976


Tracklisting:

A1 Disco Is The Thing Today (4:08)
A2 Find Yourself (4:10)
A3 All These Things (3:30)
A4 I Want To Be Loved By You (5:22)
A5 Suite For 20 G (4:30)
B1 (Doodle Loop) The World Is A Little Bit Under The Weather (3:50)
B2 Trick Bag (3:19)
B3 Mister Moon (4:00)
B4 Chug-A-Lug (3:20)
B5 Hang 'Em High / Honky Tonk Woman (5:35)

WHATNAUTS - 1972 - ON THE ROCKS

Side 1
01 - You forget too easy
02 - heads up
03 - Hurry up and wait
04 - I'm so glad i found you

side 2
01 - Only people can save the world
02 - Blues fly away
03 - Why can't people be colors too ?
04 - Ooh Baby Baby

Whatnauts - 1971 Reaching_For_The_Stars

01 - TRY ME
02 - FRIENDS BY DAY
03 - ALIBIS AND LIES
04 - I DIG YOUR ACT
05 - YOU GAVE ME TRUE LOVING
06 - WORLD
07 - WE WILL ALWAYS BE TOGETHER
08 - MY THING

samedi 11 octobre 2008

George Benson - The Very Best Of George Benson


Download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/73252334/GB-TveryBOf03.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/73253127/GB-TveryBOf03.part2.rar

George Benson is simply one of the greatest guitarists in jazz history, but he is also an amazingly versatile musician, and that frustrates to no end critics who would paint him into a narrow bop box. He can play in just about any style -- from swing to bop to R&B to pop -- with supreme taste, a beautiful rounded tone, terrific speed, a marvelous sense of logic in building solos, and, always, an unquenchable urge to swing. His inspirations may have been Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery -- and he can do dead-on impressions of both -- but his style is completely his own. Not only can he play lead brilliantly, he is also one of the best rhythm guitarists around, supportive to soloists and a dangerous swinger, particularly in a soul-jazz format. Yet Benson can also sing in a lush soulful tenor with mannerisms similar to those of Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway, and it is his voice that has proved to be more marketable to the public than his guitar. Benson is the guitar-playing equivalent of Nat King Cole -- a fantastic pianist whose smooth way with a pop vocal eventually eclipsed his instrumental prowess in the marketplace -- but unlike Cole, Benson has been granted enough time after his fling with the pop charts to reaffirm his jazz guitar credentials, which he still does at his concerts.

Benson actually started out professionally as a singer, performing in nightclubs at eight, recording four sides for RCA's X label in 1954, forming a rock band at 17 while using a guitar that his stepfather made for him. Exposure to records by Christian, Montgomery, and Charlie Parker got him interested in jazz, and by 1962, the teenaged Benson was playing in Brother Jack McDuff's band. After forming his own group in 1965, Benson became another of talent scout John Hammond's major discoveries, recording two highly regarded albums of soul-jazz and hard bop for Columbia and turning up on several records by others, including Miles Davis' Miles in the Sky. He switched to Verve in 1967, and, shortly after the death of Montgomery in June 1968, producer Creed Taylor began recording Benson with larger ensembles on A&M (1968-1969) and big groups and all-star combos on CTI (1971-1976).

While the A&M and CTI albums certainly earned their keep and made Benson a guitar star in the jazz world, the mass market didn't catch on until he began to emphasize vocals after signing with Warner Bros. in 1976. His first album for Warner Bros., Breezin', became a Top Ten hit on the strength of its sole vocal track, "This Masquerade," and this led to a string of hit albums in an R&B-flavored pop mode, culminating with the Quincy Jones-produced Give Me the Night. As the '80s wore on, though, Benson's albums became riddled with commercial formulas and inferior material, with his guitar almost entirely relegated to the background. Perhaps aware of the futility of chasing the charts (after all, "This Masquerade" was a lucky accident), Benson reversed his field late in the '80s to record a fine album of standards, Tenderly, and another with the Basie band, his guitar now featured more prominently. His pop-flavored work also improved noticeably in the '90s. Benson retains the ability to spring surprises on his fans and critics, like his dazzlingly idiomatic TV appearance and subsequent record date with Benny Goodman in 1975 in honor of John Hammond, and his awesome command of the moment at several Playboy Jazz Festivals in the 1980s. His latter-day recordings include the 1998 effort Standing Together, 2000's Absolute Benson, 2001's All Blues, and 2004's Irreplaceable. Three songs from 2006's Givin' It Up, recorded with Al Jarreau, were nominated for Grammy Awards in separate categories.

Track List

1. Give Me The Night
2. Turn Your Love Around
3. Never Give Up On A Good Thing
4. Love X Love
5. Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You
6. The Greatest Love Of All
7. Feel Like Making Love
8. Breezin’
9. This Masquerade
10. In Your Eyes
11. You Are The Love Of My Life
12. Lady Love Me (One More Time)
13. Kisses In The Moonlight
14. Love All The Hurt Away – With Aretha Franklin
15. Being With You
16. Moddy’s Mood
17. Nature Boy
18. Love Ballad
19. Shiver
20. On Broadway

LeROY HUTSON - 1978 - Closer To The Source



Tracklisting:

A1 In The Mood
A2 Where Did Love Go
A3 They've Got Love
A4 Get To This (You'll Get To Me)
B1 Closer To The Source
B2 Heaven Right Here (On Earth)
B3 Everybody's A Masterpiece
B4 You're A Winner

L.T.D - Love , Togetherness & Devotion

Long-running funk outfit L.T.D. -- Love, Togetherness and Devotion -- was formed in Greensboro, NC in 1968 by keyboardist Jimmie "J.D." Davis and bassist Abraham "Onion" Miller, both former backing musicians for the great Sam and Dave. Upon relocating to New York City, the twosome recruited guitarist Johnny McGhee, horn player Carle Vickers, saxophonists Arthur "Lorenzo" Carnegie, Toby Wynn and Abraham Miller, and trombonist Jake Riley, Jr. Vocalist/drummer Jeffrey Osborne also signed on before the group settled in Los Angeles, where Osborne's brother, keyboardist Billy Osborne joined the lineup as well. L.T.D. signed with the A&M label to issue their 1974 debut Love, Togetherness and Devotion. On their third LP, 1976's Love to the World, the group scored their first Top 20 pop hit, "Love Ballad." The follow-up, 1977's Something to Love, included the Top Five smash "(Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again," and four years later L.T.D. returned to the Top 40 once again with "Shine On." However, Osborne then exited to pursue a solo career, and despite the additions of vocalists Leslie Wilson and Andre Ray, the band's commercial fortunes dimmed. In the wake of 1981's Love Magic, L.T.D. disbanded, but during the early '90s McGhee reformed the group, with 1999's Marry You featuring vocalists Greg Henneghan, Nakeisha Turner and Ronnie Henson, bassist Terry Gamble, keyboardist Ryan Cooper, drummer Jay Nichols and percussionist Mamadi Nyasuma . pascal.gf.

L.T.D - 1978 - TOGETHERNESS


Tracklisting:

A1 Holding On
A2 We Both Deserve Each Other's Love
A3 Jam
A4 You Must Have Know I Needed Love
A5 Don't Stop Loving me Now
B1 It's Time To Be Real
B2 Concentrate On You
B3 You Fooled Me
B4 Together Forever
B5 Let's All Live And Give Together

L.T.D - 1979 - DEVOTION

One of LTD's biggest from the 70s -- a sweet mix of mellow soul and boogie, handled to perfection by the talents of Bobby Martin! Jeffrey Osborne's vocals are really running strong at this point -- well-suited to both funk and ballads, with none of the cliches that started creeping into his solo work in later years. Titles include "Stranger", "Share My Love", "Say That You'll Be Mine", "One On One", and "Dance N Sing N".

Tracklisting:

A1 One On One (5:18)
A2 Share My Love (4:20)
A3 Stand Up L.T.D. (4:43)
A4 Say That You'll Be Mine (5:04)
B1 Dance 'N' Sing 'N' (5:32)
B2 Sometimes (3:09)
B3 Promise You'll Stay (3:20)
B4 Stranger (4:29)
B5 Feel It (3:44)

L.T.D - 1980 - SHINE ON


Massively solid boogie work from Jeffrey Osborne and LTD -- still grooving beautifully at the end of the 70s, and working here with top-shelf production from Bobby Martin! The set's got that buoyant LTD groove that was a perfect foil for Osborne's soaring vocals -- a sound that never fell into the cliches of some of Osborne's later solo work, and which was a perfect match between ensemble funk, dancefloor rhythms, and the charisma of a strong lead singer. There's a few smoother ballads on the set that point the way towards later years, but the bulk of the set is very much in the group's best boogie mode -- and titles include "You Gave Me Love", "Lovers Everywhere", "Don'tcha Know", "Shine On", "Where Did We Go Wrong", "Getaway" and "Lady Love".

Tracklisting:

A1
You Gave Me Love (4:32)
A2
Where Did We Go Wrong (4:30)
A3
Getaway (4:28)
A4
Will Love Grow (4:21)
B1
Love Is What You Need (4:14)
B2
Shine On (3:58)
B3
Lovers Everywhere (3:51)
B4
Lady Love (3:40)
B5
Don't Cha Know (3:56)

vendredi 10 octobre 2008

MANCHILD featuring KENNY EDMONDS (Babyface)


Before The Deele.....BabyFace Was With Manchild, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds & Manchild is a career-spanning compilation that covers all three albums by the '70s soul outfit. They have a couple of good songs on this album such as "Especially For You" And A Cover song of Micheal Mcdonald's " Takin' it to the Streets" Manchild was certainly competent, and on a few songs Babyface suggests that he had the talent he eventually developed, but only diehard fans of the contemporary soul man -- or fans of vocalist Reggie Griffin, who later launched a solo career -- will need to explore this collection.

O'Bryan - the best of 1996

Multi-instrumentalist O'Bryan got into the business after a friend (who was in the choir he sang in as a young adult in Southern California) married Ron Kersey, who had worked in Philadelphia with groups like the Trammps in the 1970s. Upon her recommendation, Kersey got O'Bryan into a group he was forming. That quickly fell apart, but Kersey helped the singer connect with Soul Train impresario Don Cornelius, who helped O'Bryan land a deal with Capitol. During the '80s, he cut four albums and nine singles that made the R&B charts. His up-tempo tracks could sound something like a more mainstream Prince, though he tread far closer to the urban contemporary mainstream on his ballads. "The Gigolo" made number five in 1982, and over the next few years he had some up-tempo and ballad follow-ups. "I'm Freaky," which was reminiscent of "Gigolo," was the best of these; "Lovelite" was the most successful. In 2007, he returned with the ballad-heavy F1RST, issued digitally through the Headstorm label with plans for a CD version.

In 1982, O'Bryan released his debut album, "Doin' Alright." The album peaked at #10 on Billboard's Black Albums chart and #80 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart.
His first single, "Still Water (Love)" peaked at #23 on Billboard's Black Singles chart. His next single was the upbeat dance hit, "The Gigolo" which peaked at #5 on Billboard's Black Singles chart, #62 on Billboard's Club Play chart, and #57 on Billboard's Pop Singles chart.
In 1983, O'Bryan released his next album, "You and I." The title song (written by the great Stevie Wonder) peaked at #19 on Billboard's Black Singles chart. Another single, "I'm Freaky" hit #15 on Billboard's Black Singles chart. His song, "Soul Train's A Coming" was used for TV's "Soul Train" from 1983-1987.
In 1984, his third album, "Be My Lover" was released. The album included the hit ballad, "Lady I Love You" and the funky soul song, "Lovelite" which hit #1 on Billboard's R&B singles chart. Two more singles ("Breakin' Together," peaked at #32 on Billboard's Hot R&B\Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks) and ("Go On and Cry," peaked at #62 on Billboard's Hot R&B\Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart) were also released.
In 1986, O'Bryan's final album, "Surrender" was released. The album included the top 40 R&B hit, "Tenderoni" which peaked at #35 on Billboard's Hot R&B\Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. Another single, "Driving Force" peaked at #6o on Billboard's Hot R&B\Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. After his final album, O'Bryan left the music business and faded into obscurity.
In 1996, "The Best of O'Bryan" collection cd was released, featuring his most popular songs. After a long break from the music biz, O'Bryan released his new album, "F1rst" in February 2007.

To see O'Bryan's official MySpace page, go to:

To see the video for "Tenderoni," go to:

To see the video for "Lovelite," go to:

To see the video of O'Bryan performing "Together Always" on Soul Train, go to:

To see the video of O'Bryan performing "You And I" on Soul Train, go to:

To see a fan-made video of "Soul Train's 'a Comin," go to:

Teena Marie - It Must Be Magic 1981


Tracklisting:

A1 It Must Be Magic (6:03)
A2 Revolution (4:27)
A3 Where's California (5:24)
A4 365 (4:10)
A5 Opus III (Does Anybody Care) (1:27)
B1 Square Biz (6:13)
Synthesizer - Allen McGrier
B2 The Ballad Of Cradle Rob And Me (3:42)
B3 Portuguese Love (7:47)
B4 Yes Indeed (4:57)

Teena Marie - Robbery (1983)

Teena Marie - Robbery (1983)
Robbery
Playboy
Shadow Boxing
Midnight Magnet
Fix It
Ask Your Momma
Dear Lover
Stop the World
Cassanova Brown

Teena Marie - Starchild 1984


b. Mary Christine Brocker, 1957, Santa Monica, California, USA. A singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer, Teena Marie is one of the few white artists to sustain a consistent career in the US soul market. Spotted by Motown Records' Berry Gordy in the 70s, he linked her up with funk star and labelmate Rick James, and her early career strongly reflected their joint influences. The highly commercial Wild And Peaceful saw her backed by James and the Stone City Band on a set that included their hit duet, 'I'm A Sucker For Your Love'. She returned the favour by partnering James on 'Fire And Desire' on his Street Songs album in 1981.

Afterwards, Marie took increasing control of her career and songwriting, singing both ballads and funk. Both 'I Need Your Lovin'' and 'Square Biz' reached the Top 20 of the US Billboard charts in 1980 and 1981, respectively. In the UK, 'Behind The Groove', a surprise disco smash at number 6 in the singles chart, led to confusion in public minds over her and the similarly titled Kelly Marie (it also, accidentally, picked up on the prevalent UK disco trend for songs with 'Groove' in the title). However, her greatest success followed her move to Epic Records, which some saw as an assertion of her independence, with the number 4-peaking US hit, 'Lovergirl'. Afterwards, her chart career declined. Emerald City was a funky outing, notable particularly for Stevie Ray Vaughan 's guitar solo on 'You So Heavy'. Demonstrating her talent for modernizing her technique with the advent of each new instalment in R&B's development, Ivory was produced by Soul II Soul 's Jazzie B

Tracklisting:

A1 Lovergirl (4:54)
A2 Help Youngblood Get To The Freaky Party (5:44)
A3 Out On A Limb (6:37)
A4 Alibi (5:23)
B1 Jammin (5:52)
B2 Starchild (5:35)
B3 We've Got To Stop (Meeting Like This) (5:06)
B4 My Dear Mr. Gaye (5:28)
B5 Light (1:18)

.

Central Line - Choice 1984

Bass-heavy soul from Central Line -- very much in the Kleeer mode, although perhaps with more funk and less harmony vocals. The bass pedals and keyboards are in full effect here -- and the vocals get dramatic at times just to keep up with them. Titles include "Man At The Top", "Time For Some Fun", "Betcha Gonna", "Bad Floyd", "Lost In Love", and "Lovely Day".

Tracklisting:

A1 Time For Some Fun
A2 Betcha Gonna
A3 How About You
A4 Lost In Love
A5 Bad Floyd
B1 Nature Boy
B2 Man At The Top
B3 Surprise Surprise
B4 You've Said Enough
B5 Lovely Day

Central Line-Breaking Point- 1981


Tracklisting:

A1 Walking Into Sunshine (5:02)
A2 I Need Your Love (4:55)
A3 Breaking Point (4:04)
A4 Goodbye (4:32)
Keyboards - Steve Jeffries (2)
B1 That's No Way To Treat My Love (4:50)
B2 Don't Tell Me (5:36)
B3 (You Know) You Can Do It (4:45)
Drums - Jake Le Mesurier
Remix - Roy Carter
B4 Shake It Up (4:25)

Karin Jones-Under The Influence Of Love 1982

A wonderful set of modern soul -- and one of the few excellent albums on the Handshake label! Karin's a singer we know nothing about, but she's got a great approach for this boogie-styled set -- one that's upfront and belting on the more uptempo numbers, but also wonderfully soulful on the mellower tracks -- which actually stand out as some of our favorite on the record! There's a proud, full sound to the album -- post-disco soul at its best, and handled with enough depth to match the best of the better-known modern soul of the time! Arrangements are by Dunn Pearson and Dennis Williams -- always with a warm sound -- and titles include "So Right", "Here I Go Again", "Under The Influence Of Love", "Ooh Baby Don't", "Last Night In My Dreams", and "Ready Ready Love".

1) Under The Influence Of Love



2) You Know Me, I Know You




3) Here I Go Again




4) So Right




5) Last Night In My Dreams




6) Ready,ready Love




7) If You're In A Hurry




8) Ooh! Baby,don't

MIDNIGHT STAR 1980 to 2002


Formed at Kentucky State University in 1976, MIDNIGHT STAR began as a self-contained party band in the P-Funk/ Earth Wind and Fire mode, and quickly earned a strong live reputation throughout the world. A 1978 New York City showcase inspired Solar Records chief Dick Griffey to sign the group, and early 80’s albums like The Beginning, Standing Together, and Victory gave MIDNIGHT STAR a chance to hone their chops. Every thing clicked together with the Certified Double Platinum Plus No Parking on the Dance Floor album that established MIDNIGHT STAR as world-renowned songwriters, producers, and entertainers.

The groups passion and love of the music and their strong desire to keep their fans ultimately satisfied, has shown up in Platinum and Gold as they’ve poured out streams of top 10 and No. 1 hits. It began in 1983 with dance-floor smashes like “Freak-a-Zoid”, “No Parking on the Dance Floor”, “Wet My Whistle” and the lovers ballad of the mid-80’s, “Slow Jam”, that to date no one can get enough of. The Planetary Invasion LP of 1985 took them to No. 1 with “Operator” and the sizzling “Curious”. In 1986 MIDNIGHT STAR struck gold with the chart buster “Midas Touch” and the title cut from the Headlines LP. The year of 1988 rowed them to the top once again with the No. 1 “Don’t Rock the Boat” (which featured rapper Ecstasy of Whodini) and the top 10 “Snake in the Grass” from their self-titled CD.

MIDNIGHT STAR broke into the 90’s with the smash “Do It (One More Time)” from their Work it Out CD which also featured the sultry ballad “Red Roses”.

After extensive international touring, some of the members decided to pursue other various projects. “Deep down inside, everyone had the intentions of getting back together again,” says vocalist/guitarist Melvin “McArthur” Gentry. “I’ve been behind the scenes a little bit, doing production projects on Toni Braxton, Shanice Wilson and others.” Vocalist and keyboard player Boaz Watson has worked as McArthur’s production partner. He has also co-written songs with renowned songwriter/producer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, including hits on Toni Braxton and After Seven. He has served as musical arranger for two Toni Braxton tours and as musical director for the Babyface tour. Boaz is also musical director for MTV’s Babyface Unplugged concert and CD featuring Stevie Wonder and Eric Clapton, and Babyface’s live performance on the 1998 Grammy Awards. Beautiful lead singer Belinda Lipscomb took her talents to the theater, with lead roles in several musical comedies and gospel musicals. “I’ve been honing in on who I am and where I want to go,” says Belinda. In addition, Belinda sang on several national radio and television commercials including a series of spots for the popular Caribbean resort “Sandals”.

So what can we expect from MIDNIGHT STAR today? Belinda adds “ We will hit the stage with the high energy performance that we are known for, remembering all the things that were so special about the group… letting everybody’s light shine.” Boaz sums it up by saying “ We’ve all been able to go out and have our individual success and we’ve learned different things. We’ve brought these experiences to the group, and now we can enhance the talents that MIDNIGHT STAR already had and make our music more exciting than ever” .

biographie

Reggie Calloway : flûte, trompette, clavier, chants
Vincent Calloway : vocorder, clavier, trompette, trombone
Jeff Cooper : Guitare, synthétiseur
Melvin Gentry : Chants, guitare, percussion
Kenneth Grant : Guitare basse, chants, clavier
Belinda Lipscomb : Chants
Bobby Lovelace : Batterie, percussion
Bo Watson : Chants, synthétiseur, clavier
Bill Simmons : Clavier, saxophone, synthétiseur

Le groupe Midnight Star s'est formé en 1976 à l'Université d'État de Kentucky par les frères Calloway, le trompettiste Reginald et le joueur de trombone Vincent et la chanteuse Belinda Lipscomb. Comme les divers membres du groupe ont été recompensés, le groupe voulait alors aller plus loin, transféré à Cincinatti à Ohio, le groupe s'est agrandi avec Melvin et Bo Watson pour le chant, Jeffrey Cooper qui joue de la guitare et du clavier, Kenneth Grant sur le chant et la basse, Bobby Lovelace sur la batterie et William Simmons pour la percussion, le saxophone et le clavier. Le groupe à jouer dans tous les endroits de Ohio, gagnant la réputation du meilleur groupe local ayant un talent certain et un style incomparable. Le groupe enregistre alors leur premier album "The beginning" sorti en 1980 avec RCA Records. Les titres "Make it last" et "You're the star" ont été sortis mais ils n'ont pas connus un franc succès et les ventes n'ont pas été énormes. Néanmoins, le groupe attire l'attention de Dick Griffey, le leader du label SOLAR. Il les as signés en 1981et le groupe sort un second album "Standing together" qui ne fait pas de grand impact, néanmoins, "Victory" leur troisième album sorti en 1982 est une réussite avec le titre "Hot Spot " (avec la participation de Bootsie collins). Le groupe trouve enfin sa place avec l'album à succès "No parking on the dance floor". Le premier single extrait de cet album fut "Freak-A-Zoid" et le titre un peu différent au niveau musical "Wet my Whistle". Leurs tubes sont alors classés dans le top 40 dans les R&B charts. "No Parking (on the dance floor)" et "Freak-A-Zoid" sont classés numéro un du top 10 des clubs. Le groupe a trouvé le juste mélange de funk et de fusion. Leur quatrième album "Planetary Invasion" sort en 1984 et à engendrer trois tubes : "Operator" qui est resté cinq semaines numéro un des charts, "Body Snatchers" et "Scientific Love". On peut entendre Vincent Calloway sur le vocorder sur ces trois tubes. En 1986, le groupe frappe une nouvelle fois avec l'énorme tube "Midas Touch" extrait de l'album "Headlines". Le groupe enregistre ensuite un album en 1987 qui les placent une nouvelle fois au sommet de la gloire avec "Don't rock the boat" classé numéro un du top 10 et "Snake in the grass" du même album. Midnight star commencent l'année 1990 avec "Work it out" et "15th avenue" en 2002 .

DOWNLOAD THE MIDNIGHT STAR ALBUMS

Midnight Star – 15th Avenue (2002)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4EUPCQP9

Midnight Star – Headlines (1986)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4MUJ27S6

Midnight Star – Midnight Star (1988)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=STI8HI9D

Midnight Star – No Parking On The Dance Floor (1983)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WZC25ZIO

Midnight Star – Planetary Invasion (1984)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=Y98LYJ8M

Midnight Star – Standing Together (1981)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HP94O3T0

Midnight Star – The Beginning (1980)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WGLQ5RST

Midnight Star – Victory (1982)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NA16688X

Midnight Star – Work It Out (1990)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=IBY8H1QE

FUNK BOMBS 7 BY BENTLEYFUNK


Track List:
1. Titus Williams - Give Me Some Love Tonight; 2. Stevie Jackson - Can't Get Enough; 3. Funder Cooper - She's All Right; 4. Eddie Cornelius - Release Yourself; 5. Lenard Lidell - Fallen Out Of Love; 6. Gift Of Dreams - Better Day; 7. Drew Richards - I Don't Want To Lose Your Love; 8. Power Of Attorney Band - For You; 9. Sho Nuff - Hold On For Love; 10. Precious - Taboo; 11. Love Light - Lovelight; 12. Larry Harris - Throw Down.

funk bombs 6 by bentleyfunk

Track List:
1. Lisa Hill - I Am On The Real Side; 2. Raven - So In Love; 3. Cookie - Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover; 4. Bliss - Stomp; 5. Billy Boomer - I Like What She's Doin'; 6. Jay Player - Love Is The Answer; 7. Dolette McDonald - Special; 8. Kim Herte - Do You Wanna Dance; 9. Zenda - The Waiting; 10. David Sea - Night After Night; 11. U-Neak - Nothin' To It But To Do It; 12. Fat Jack - It's Must Be Magic.

FUNK BOMBS 5 BY BENTLEYFUNK


Track List:
1. Jessie Rogers - One Monkey Don't Stop No Show (1983); 2. Can-Dee - Lucky Day (1984); 3. O.J.U. - You're My Latest Inspiration (1983); 4. Gustave White - This Time Is For Real (1983); 5. M.V.P. - She Is Naive (1986); 6. Zenith - Groove Time USA (1984); 7. Carla Bagnerise - Special Things (1985); 8. Walter Brooks - Right In The Middle (1984); 9. Charms - Giving It Up (1982); 10. Clarence Jackson - Wrap It Up (1988); 11. Tony Rome - What Does It Take (1981); 12. Pause - It's Just Amazing (1987).

mercredi 8 octobre 2008

the MANHATTANS - 1983 - LOCKED UP IN YOUR LOVE


This is one more track out the album Forever be your side from the Manhattans in 1983 .

the MANHATTANS - 1983 - CRAZY


This is a Wonderfull track from the album Forever By Your Side 1983 with the fantastic voice of Gerald Alston .

Curtis Mayfield – There’s No Place Like America Today (1975)

A great album by Curtis -- filled with some excellent lesser-known gems! There's No Place Like America was Curtis' scathing testament to the State Of The Union -- and it's got a hip political tone that's right up there with the best of his early 70s songwriting -- perhaps even more so, as the message is a bit subtler than on other albums, and laid out in this stoner mellow funk vein that's very tasty throughout, and which makes for an extremely unified album! The album includes a version of the cut "Hard Times", which was done earlier by Baby Huey, plus "Blue Monday People", "Love To The People", and "When Seasons Change". Also includes the great sweet love song, "So In Love"!
Tracklist
1. Billy Jack
2. When Seasons Change
3. So In Love
4. Jesus
5. Blue Monday People
6. Hard Times
7. Love To The People

Curtis Mayfield & The Inpressions – The Anthology


This is Chicago soul. With Mayfield singing (lightly, sweetly, gently), playing subtly amazing guitar, and writing songs, and Johnny Pate arranging with a deceptively easeful mastery, the group quietly charted the progress, triumphs, and failures of the Civil Rights movement under the cover of dozens of songs that, at first hearing, seemed simply romantic or devotional. You may think you've never heard of the group, but upon contact with "People Get Ready," "It's Alright," and "Keep On Pushin,'" you'll whisper to yourself, "Ohhhh, I know that song!" (At least, your parents will). After Dr. King's assassination in 1968, Mayfield was one of the few black songwriters who maintained his vision (check out "Choice of Colors" and "This is My Country”). After the group disbanded, he was called upon to score a blaxploitation film called Superfly, and responded with a set of songs (highlighted by "Freddie's Dead," "Pusherman," and the title track) that critiqued the message of the film itself—and later made him one of the most sampled artists in hip-hop history. He met a tragic and premature fate, all the more reason you should check this out post-haste.

DISC 1:

1. Gypsy Woman
2. Grow Closer Together
3. Never Let Me Go
4. Little Young Lover
5. Minstrel And Queen
6. I'm The One Who Loves You
7. Sad Sad Girl And Boy
8. It's All Right
9. Talking About My Baby
10. I'm So Proud
11. Keep On Pushing
12. You Must Believe Me
13. See The Real Me
14. Amen
15. I've Been Trying
16. People Get Ready
17. It's Hard To Believe
18. Woman's Got Soul
19. Meeting Over Yonder
20. I Need You
21. You've Been Cheatin'
22. Man Oh Man
23. Can't Satisfy
24. We're A Winner
25. I Loved And I Lost
26. We're Rolling On (Part One)

DISC 2:

1. Fool For You
2. This Is My Country
3. Choice Of Colors
4. Check Out Your Mind
5. Move On Up
6. If There's A Hell Below, We're All Going To Go (Don't Worry)
7. Makings Of You, The
8. Beautiful Brother Of Mine
9. Freddie's Dead
10. Superfly
11. Pusherman
12. So In Love
13. Only You Babe - (single edit)
14. Do Do Wap Is Strong In Here - (single edit)

Curtis Mayfield – Never Say You Can’t Survive 1977

A great album of mellow soul tracks from Curtis Mayfield -- laidback, slinky, and almost to his earlier work what Let's Get It On was to the early 70s career of Marvin Gaye! The album's got a warm, soulful vibe that's totally great -- not as all-out funky or politically righteous as before, and instead more deeply personal, and almost intimate at times -- in a way that really lets Curtis open up with those fragile and heartbreaking vocals that made his 60s work so great. The restraint here is totally great -- another mid 70s masterpiece from arranger Rich Tufo -- and at times, Mayfield hits a similar mode to some of Leroy Hutson's best Curtom work from the time! Titles include "Just Want To Be With You", "All Night Long", "When We're Alone", "I'm Gonna Win Your Love", "Sparkle", "Never Say You Can't Survive", and "Show Me Love"

BIOGRAPHIE
D’une aventure entre l’église et la rue, entre le saint et la sueur, naquit le funk. Ainsi l'existence de Curtis Mayfield, né avec le funk, ne fut qu’un prêche sans fin. Un peu comme si on avait croisé Martin Luther King avec Nat King Cole. Curtis Mayfield prêcha la fraternité et la foi. Il prêcha la fierté, la colère aussi. Enfin et surtout il prêcha l’Amour… celui de Dieu, celui des femmes, celui des siens. Et celui de sa musique, celle qui le transcenda, et lui permit l’expression de tous les autres… http://www.music-story.com/curtis-mayfield/biographie

Tracklisting:

A1 Show Me Love (5:11)
A2 Just Want To Be With You (3:11)
A3 When You're Alone (5:23)
A4 Never Say You Can't Survive (3:17)
B1 I'm Gonna Win Your Love (4:41)
B2 All Night Long (4:12)
B3 When You Used To Be Mine (3:39)
B4 Sparkle (4:00)

Curtis Mayfield – Heartbeat (1979)

A real dancefloor set from Curtis -- recorded with some sweet Philly production from the likes of Norman Harris and Bunny Sigler -- in the sweeping, soaring, strings-heavy mode of the Philly disco records of the time! And yes, this isn't classic Curtis from the righteous years -- but the surprising thing is how well his voice really holds up in the tracks -- coming through with a strength that's fresh and surprising, given some of his disco contemporaries, and sounding pretty darn nice overall, thanks to some tight arrangements by the likes of Fred Wesley, Norman Harris, and Gil Askey. Linda Clifford does a duet with Curtis on "Between You Baby & Me", and the other cuts include "Victory", "Tell Me Tell Me", "You're So Good To Me", "You Better Stop", and "Over The Hump"

Tracklisting:

A1 Tell Me, Tell Me (How Ya Like To Be Loved)
A2 What Is My Woman For?
A3 Between You Baby And Me
Vocals - Linda Clifford
A4 Victory
B1 Over The Hump
B2 You Better Stop
B3 You're So Good To Me
B4 Heartbeat

Curtis Mayfield – Something To Believe In (1980)

One of the last great Curtis Mayfield albums for Curtom -- often overlooked, but essential in any collection of his work! The sound is still very much in the classic Curtom mode, with less of the uptempo and disco groovers that were showing up on some of the other records from the time -- and more of the sweetly soulful styles that Curtis was also working on as his 70s career progressed. Includes the classic groover "Tripping Out" -- plus "Never Let Me Go", "Something To Believe In", "It's Alright", and "Never Stop Loving Me".

Tracklisting:

A1 Love Me, Love Me Now (7:56)
A2 Never Let Me Go (3:07)
A3 Tripping Out (6:59)
B1 People Never Give Up (5:50)
B2 It's Alright (3:53)
B3 Something To Believe In (4:45)
B4 Never Stop Loving Me (3:34)

mardi 7 octobre 2008

KANO - 1983 - ANOTHER LIFE


Tracklisting:
I Need Love (6:12)
Mad In Love (6:13)
Dance School (6:01)
Another Life (7:14)
Ikeya Seki (5:58)
China Star (5:45

lundi 6 octobre 2008

Chocolate Milk - Who_s Getting It Now _1982_ US 12

GARY'S GANG - 1982 - KNOCK ME OUT

Shalamar - There It Is _1981_ UK 12

Chuck Cissel - Just For You - 1979


'Just For You' I bought on import when it arrived on these shores in 1979. The preceeding 12 inch single, 'Cisselin' Hot', was the 'bee's knees' on the dancefloor back in those days. A real stomper that sounds dated these days. What made this album such a great release was the production involvement of Skip Scarborough and Dave Crawford. They really gave this outing a feeling of 'freshness' that is epitomised by the dancer 'Don't Tell Me You're Sorry'. A great tune. The real cream cut for this punter has to be 'Do You Believe', which is set around mid-tempo and is part written by Art Wilson (check the audio on him at this site, excellent stuff). It is one of 'those' timeless pieces of soul music. Great album.

Three years down the line, and still with Arista, came 'If I Had The Chance'.....came and went that is! I guess that that 82 was a vinatge soul music year that certain albums just didn't cut it. This LP has it's moments but is not a patch on his first release, however, it would be folly to miss the excellent 'Love Is Missing From Our Lives'. A great piece of soul music that would have sat happily alongside any tune from the first album.


Tracklisting:

A1
Just For You (4:34)
A2
Emergency (3:55)
A3
River Of Love (4:54)
A4
Don't Tell Me You're Sorry (3:38)
A5
Forever (3:49)
B1
Cisselin' Hot (5:30)
B2
Lady In My World (3:17)
B3
I've Been Needing Love So Long (3:46)
B4
Do You Believe (3:41)

LEW KIRTON - TALK TO ME - 1983

01 - Talk to me
02 - I can't live without you
03 - Don't give up your dream
04 - Always will
05 - Just can't get enough
06 - Hooked on you
07 - Got to find somebody to love
08 - Here's my love

Rufus - Party 'Til You're Broke 1981


One of the most commercially successful funk groups of the '70s, the multi-racial Rufus are today best remembered for launching the career of soul diva Chaka Khan, whose fiery lead vocals were easily the band's focal point. Powered by Khan -- who was eventually billed in addition to the group -- and an unerring sense of groove, Rufus scored an impressive string of hit singles on both the pop and R&B charts, which lasted through the '70s and up to Khan's official departure in 1983.

Rufus grew out of the Chicago band the American Breed, which had a hit in 1968 with the oldies-radio staple "Bend Me, Shape Me." Guitarist Al Ciner, bassist Chuck Colbert, drummer Lee Graziano, and keyboardist Kevin Murphy had all played in the band at one time or another before forming a new group, originally called Smoke, with vocalists Paulette McWilliams and James Stella. Stella was quickly replaced by lead vocalist/songwriter/keyboardist Ron Stockert, and Colbert by bassist Dennis Belfield; the group changed its name to Ask Rufus, which was later shortened to Rufus. In 1972, drummer Andre Fischer -- another former American Breed member -- replaced Graziano, and a young female vocalist named Chaka Khan (born Yvette Marie Stevens) replaced McWilliams. Although Khan's dynamic stage presence helped this version of the band take off, Stockert was still the guiding force when they signed with ABC in 1973, and he lent a more pop/rock flavor to the group's self-titled debut, released later that year.

Although the album sold poorly, Rufus gained a fan in Stevie Wonder thanks to their cover of his "Maybe Your Baby." Wonder gave them a new composition, the slowly grinding "Tell Me Something Good," that he'd written specifically with Khan's vocal style in mind. Pulled as a single from their second album, 1974's Rags to Rufus, "Tell Me Something Good" was a Top Five smash that turned Khan into a star; she also co-wrote the R&B chart-topping follow-up, "You Got the Love." Clearly, the band had found its niche, and a number of personnel shifts ensued: Stockert left, Belfield was replaced by Bobby Watson, and Ciner was replaced by Tony Maiden. Their funk sensibility thus bolstered, Rufus returned with a strong new album before year's end, Rufusized, which spawned two more hits in "Once You Get Started" and "Please Pardon Me (You Remind Me of a Friend)." The billing on 1975's Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan made the singer's star power official, and produced one of the group's biggest hits in the R&B number one "Sweet Thing." Dave "Hawk" Wolinski joined as a second keyboardist for 1977's mellower Ask Rufus (the hit was "At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up)"), and William "Moon" Calhoun replaced drummer Fischer on 1978's Street Player.

Following the release of Street Player, Khan made what was perhaps an inevitable move into solo recording with the release of her debut, Chaka; despite scoring a significant hit with "I'm Every Woman," she remained an official member of Rufus. Still, the band's next album, Numbers, was recorded without her, and upon its release in 1979, it stiffed. Khan was back on board later that year for Masterjam, produced by Quincy Jones, and the band (featuring new drummer John "J.R." Robinson) was back on top of the R&B charts with "Do You Love What You Feel." However, Khan split again for 1980's Party 'Til You're Broke, and although she returned for 1981's Camouflage, Rufus' chart fortunes were slipping away. The George Duke-produced, Khan-less Seal in Red bombed, but Khan returned for one last go-round on 1983's Stompin' at the Savoy, a double-record set featuring three sides of live material and one side of new studio recordings. One of those new songs, "Ain't Nobody," became Rufus' final number one R&B hit, and also won a Grammy, allowing the group to end its career on a high note. Her contract up, Khan finally left for good afterwards and became a superstar thanks to a cover of Prince's "I Feel for You." ~ pascal.gf.

Tracklisting:

A1 Tonight We Love
A2 Hold On To A Friend
A3 Love Is Taking Over
A4 Secret Love
A5 Party 'Til You're Broke
B1 Can I Show You
B2 You're Made For Me
B3 What Is It
B4 We Got The Way
B5 Afterwards