Music - Real Music - I Love It!

Pooky · Apr 15, 2009 , 07:16 PM

I am re-discovering music from my childhood and my parents young adulthood. It is a wonderful thing – real music and superior vocalists. I know there are many videos and I had to shorten my list so I would not bombard y'all. However, they are well worth watching if real music is you thing.

I will first start off with the Dramatics. I love these men. There are five superior vocalists. Each one sounds different and has their own style even though they are dressed alike. They look good. They look and behave like real men. Though I love anything they sing, I think my favorite is It Ain’t Raining. Listen to the lush and beautiful introduction, then the beautiful vocals are introduced. This is grown folk music.

Following the Dramatics videos, will include some of my new found or re-discovered favorite artists from the past.

I hope this will encourage some of y’all to re-discovered real music.

Pooky · Apr 15, 2009 , 07:31 PM

I love the Soul Train line. Dog gone it. I have become a You Tube fanatics. I love these videos.

Pooky · Apr 21, 2009 , 08:44 PM

Hey Music Lovers,

I know these are a lot of videos. However, I invite you to check out at least one on every artists. I know y'all have more to do than look at videos all day. However, I know that your soul will be fed or you will simply smile.

This post features Bill Withers. He song writer and a story teller. I listen and say to myself - wow. That is deep. His songs are so true to life experiences. Lyrically his songs are so beautiful – no garbage. Please just listen to the lyrics. He is still very much alive. He is primarily a song writer. I saw an interview and he basically said he doesn’t have to do concerts. He said he was too old to hopping planes. So I imagine his income comes primarily from his songwriting.

Pooky · Apr 21, 2009 , 10:02 PM

Tengallon,

Hey this is specifically for you. Do you remember a while ago I was telling somebody on the Music I Like thread why Jazz fell out with the masses of Black folks. I think this video tells the story very well. If you remember, I gave a short history of what happened to Jazz. People lost interest in it. They could no longer dance to it. Jazz and jazz dance went hand in hand. The music basically lost its relevance for every day folk - the masses.

tengallons · May 7, 2009 , 06:22 PM

That's a good look up there Pooky. Real good. We already had our jazz convo. I have to agree, Bill Withers is a force (a quiet one albeit) of nature. one of the most distinctive voices in the game. As for Al Green, he defines the marriage between soul and gospel. He and the late Curtis Mayfield are my all-time favs in their category. They make music you can listen to in a dark room without twitching a muscle -- and still get feverishly lost in it! If you haven't seen the original Wattstax movie, go do so. The Dramatics' "Whatcha See.." provides a dramatic opening to it. Pay special attention to the Rufus Thomas set where the camera pans in on a young girl in a pink dress -- an iconic moment.

Cheers!

ps. If you love Kool and the Gang's Jungle Boogie, you have to like The Jimmy Castor Bunch's "Troglodyte". Look it up. Uncut funk.

Pooky · May 8, 2009 , 02:20 PM

Tengallon,

How you be? I knew you would have an appreciation for my kind of music. We are music soul mates. Smilin'!

I own Wattstax DVD. I love it. I will look up the funk artist you mentioned. I just love real Soul, R&B, Funk, Original Jazz, and Big Mama - The Blues. My musical interest doesn't extend beyond 1985, and I am being generous in order to include a few artist. R&B is currently dead!!! We need to have a homecoming ceremony (funeral) to bury it, so it can be reborn to its former greatness.

In reference to Wattstax and the young girl, I know exactly what you are talking about. It is very memorable.

Are you familar with Undisputed Truth and New Birth?

Ciao,

Pooky

elgaxton · May 8, 2009 , 02:56 PM

Jazz & Soul it is for moi

Pooky · May 8, 2009 , 05:53 PM

Tengallon,

Thanks for introducing Jimmy to me. I was totally unaware of him. Triglodyte is really comical. I have included the lyrics for the folks who want to sing along.

Lyrics to Triglodyte:

What we're gonna do right here is go back, way back, back into time.
When the only people that existed were Troglodytes...cave men...
cave women...Neanderthal...Troglodytes. Let's take the average
cave man at home, listening to his stereo.

Sometimes he'd get up, try to do his thing. He'd begin to move, something like this:

"Dance...dance". When he got tired of dancing alone, he'd look
in the mirror: "Gotta find a woman gotta find a woman gotta find a
woman gotta find a woman".

He'd go down to the lake where all the woman would be swimming or washing clothes or something. He'd look around and just reach in and grab one. "Come here...come here".

He'd grab her by the hair. You can't do that today fellas cause
it might come off. You'd have a piece of hair in your hand and she'd
be swimming away from you (ha-ha).

This one woman just lay there, wet and frightened. He said: "Move...move". She got up. She was a big woman. BIG woman. Her name was Bertha. Bertha Butt. She was one of the Butt sisters. He didn't care. He looked up at her and said: "Sock it to me sock it to me sock it to me sock it to me sock it to me sock it to me sock it to me sock it to me!". She looked down on him. She was ready to crush him, but she began to like him. She said

(falsetto):
"I'll sock it to ya, Daddy". He said: "Wha?". She said (falsetto):
"I'll sock it to ya, Daddy". You know what he said? He started it way
back then. I wouldn't lie to you. When she said (falsetto)
"I'll sock it to ya, Daddy"

He said "Right on! Right on! Hotpants!
Hotpants! Ugh...ugh...ugh".

tengallons · May 9, 2009 , 02:07 PM

LOL, thanks for posting those lyrics Pookie. Yes, they are quite comical -- in a Parliament/Funkadelic kind of way. But that was part of the project wasn't it?

I am quite familiar with New Birth and The Undisputed Truth. Its funny you should bring them up. In my opinion they were two of the most underrated
R & B groups of the seventies. While NB's "Wildflower" was a big commercial success, I think some of their best work were the instrumentals they did -- very experimental. They remind me of Earth Wind and Fire. As I recall, like EWF, there were quite a few of them in the group too. It made for some very complex and layered music. As for Undisputed Truth, Motown shortchanged them royally. They were always in the shadows of the Temptations. Apart from "Smiling Faces", most of their songs didn't go too far. I will pay good money for "Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me" from their "Face to Face with the Truth" album. Been hoping someone will put it on YouTube. I particularly liked them for their willingness to do socially conscious songs in a time when most of their peers were putting out safe antiseptic music. I could talk about the fetching sisters in the group, but that's another story!

So 1985 is your cut-off point eh? Don't be too hard on today's brood. I think people like Anthony Hamilton are doing just fine to protect the pedigree. Don't you?

Pooky · May 11, 2009 , 02:28 PM

Hello Tengallon,

I hope you weekend was a lovely one. Yes like George Clinton nem that Jimmy’s music had nonsense lyrics, but excellent musicianship. Today you not only nonsense lyrics, but often vulgar and ignorant, and absolutely no musicianship.

I believe the only reason Anthony Hamilton stands out is because he is surrounded by a sea of mediocrity. I think he is very average, not of the same caliber of pass artists. But compared to his fellow artists, he is a genius. Ten I am into live music, substantive lyrics, and excellent and powerful vocals. A good song is supposed to touch your spirit in some form or fashion. I just can’t get with the garbage masquerading as music. R&B is dead. So in order for me to hear real music I am forced, gladly I might add, to revisit the brothers and the sisters of the past who knew how do it right.

Oh so you had a thing for Londee? I believe that was her name. I would agree that Undisputed Truth was short changed. In regards to New Birth, I love many of their songs that did not give them the most commercial success. I find this to be true of many artists. The songs I love the most weren’t played too much on the radio.

What I love about the real musicians and artists the past is when you purchased their works, each track was worth your money. Today you are lucky to get 2 or 3 decent tracks from a cd. So now brotha, I think today’s artists deserve my disdain.

I understand how you feel when you listen to music and it soothes your soul. This is what real music does for me.

This is especially for you my brotha. I want to put a smile on your face, and she is fully dressed, yet sexy. Her boobs and butt ain’t there for the world to see. Enjoys!

Pooky · May 11, 2009 , 02:34 PM

TenGallon.

I just now discovered this site. You must take the time to watch it. Yeah! I am in hog heaven.

http://www.thirteen.org/soul/2009/04...mber-1-1972-2/

Pooky · May 13, 2009 , 10:09 PM

tengallons · May 14, 2009 , 05:42 PM

Originally Posted by Pooky

TenGallon.

I just now discovered this site. You must take the time to watch it. Yeah! I am in hog heaven.

http://www.thirteen.org/soul/2009/04...mber-1-1972-2/

Pooky,

Thanks for this gem and the earlier dedication. I enjoyed them thoroughly.

As for the state of contemporary R&B, if you think its bad now, wait till a new bill (working its way through the legislative process) sees the light of day. It will require radio stations to pay artistes every time their songs are played -- as distinct from the current Copyright fees and royalties structure. Many small radio stations are warning that it will be their death knell -- further consolidating the stranglehold conglomerates like Clear Channel and RadioOne have on the airwaves.

Have you seen Byron Hurt's excellent documentary on misogyny, homophobia, and hypermasculinity in Hip-Hop? I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Its called "Beyond Beats and Rhymes" by Independent Lens/PBS. A thoughtful critique that goes beyond the musicians to the social forces and the industry that generates much of contemporary popular culture.

Pooky · May 14, 2009 , 06:09 PM

Ten,

Man that sound like payola. In the not too distant past artists had to pay djs to play their music. Supposedly, it is no longer going on now. However, since you generally hear the same 20 songs all day, I suspect it never stopped. It is just more sophisicated.

I know that with the internet artists are losing much money. People can simply download music for free. You don't necessarily need to buy a cd. I have to admit I don't feel to sad for them. If you buy an artist's cd, you are lucky if there are 3 or 4 solid cuts. It it easier and cheaper to simply down load the songs you like, rather than spend money on a mediocre cd. I think the internet even things out a lot. I would be on their side if they produce excellent material, but since they are not, they should suffer financially.

I am glad you enjoyed Soul!. I enjoyed it too.

Meri Later,

Pooky

Pooky · May 14, 2009 , 10:31 PM

Ten,

I am feeling am really feeling this Joe Simon song, please listen to the lyrics.

Pooky · May 27, 2009 , 06:37 PM

TenGallon,

Please check this kid out.

Pooky · Jun 5, 2009 , 06:59 PM

The Temptations – Louis Price Leads – He’s singing behind the beat.

Pooky · Aug 26, 2009 , 10:00 PM

I will pay to go listen to these two artists in relatively small venue. I want be up close. Vocally both women are excellence and their music has live instrumentation - real music.

Jill Scott Live