Funk and/or Sould recommendations

[carliuxdelgado]

I've never been into these styles, but I was recently convinced (by reading several interviews to bassists) that listening to them would enrich my bass playing... Where should I start? How about two or three albums of either/each genra? hank you.

[DWBass]

For R&B/Soul, I would recommend any Motown compilation. Any pre-90's Earth, Wind & Fire. There are a couple of volumes of the compilation, Pure Funk. Any James Brown compilation. For some wet dripping funk bass, try and find Stellar Fungk [The Best Of Slave]. These are my suggestions. Others will chime in with their picks. There are quite a few cats here that delve deep into these particular styles and can give you a wealth of information.

[bassicinstinct]

Incognito: Live in Tokyo (Import) 1996 closely followed by anything else by the same band.

Randy Hope-Taylor/ Julian Crampton funkmeisters extaordinaire!!

You really don't need to look any further IMHO.

[DWBass]

Originally Posted by bassicinstinct

Incognito: Live in Tokyo (Import) 1996 closely followed by anything else by the same band.

Randy Hope-Taylor/ Julian Crampton funkmeisters extaordinaire!!

You really don't need to look any further IMHO.

True true! I meant to add anything by The Brothers Johnson would be beneficial as well.

[Juneau]

Kool and the Gang
The Meters
Parliment Funkadelic
Bootsy Collins Rubber Band
James Brown

All good places to start

[Don W]

Bootsy Collins - Back in the Day (Best of) is a good place to start.

Also I would check out Jamiroquai - Syncronized, or Travelling Without Moving are great albums.

[Planet Boulder]

Don't forget that there are a lot of jazzy funk artists from the 60s and 70s who blurred the lines between the genres nicely.

Here are some:

- Lonnie Liston Smith
- Roy Ayers
- Bobby Humphrey
- Jimmy Smith (specifically, his "Root Down Live" CD)
- Late 60s Freddie Hubbard - "Straight Life", especially

[carliuxdelgado]

Wow! That was quick... Thanks guys, I'm on my way to tower records... Keep posting your suggestions.

PS. Alright... I just checked out some of your suggestions. I truly enjoyed the following... Bootsy Collins, The Meters , Roy Ayers, and Jimmy Smith's "Root Down"... In those lines, any other suggestions? Also, to give you a better idea, one of the biggest factors that made me look for this type of music was the soundtrack of "City of God"... have you checked it out?

[bassjamn]

listening to liquid soul now, they would fall into this category too. Great band.

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

Nobody mention Tower Of Power? There's an excellent two-CD compilation: "What Is Hip? The Best Of Tower Of Power". Blood, Sweat And Tears is also an excellent band to listen to.

[purplegecko97]

If you like liquid soul you might also want check out soulive, a little smoother but still some pretty cool stuff.

Also for some more modern...lets call it "pop funK" (for the sake of having to label ALL music) you might want to check out Phoenix. The new album is pretty good but the old one is awesome.

Speaking of which, can anybody here recommend some more bands along the lines of Phoenix? I've never really found anybody that sounds like them.

[Planet Boulder]

Of course, one would be remiss if one failed to mention the fact that Soulive does not have a bassist.

[pyrohr]

Barkay's
T Connection
Fatback band
Jimmy Castor Bunch
Isley Bros
Graham Cenral station (Larry Graham)
Sly and the family stone
Dyke and the Blazers
Cameo
Rick James
Ohio Players

[adam on bass]

Two words:

Graham Central

[Whafrodamus]

Originally Posted by firkinahsoul

Two words:

Graham Central

I just got one of their albums off of BMG music.. I can't wait for it to arrive .

[James Hart]

Curtis Mayfield
Marvin Gaye
Gil Scott Heron
The Meters
Brand New Heavies
Incognito
Remy Shand
Joss Stone

couple mentioned, a couple not

[EricTheEZ1]

Don't forget to check out who played on basically every single motown hit for a decade. JAMES JAMERSON. He created some of the first funk lines.

Bootsy Collins both for his work with James Brown and his crazy stuff in Parliament and Bootsy's Rubber Band.

But I highly suggest James Brown and The Meters for that type of sound and Larry Graham in Graham Central Station and Stanley Clarke is another great for some real funky, slap stuff.

Good Luck.

[carliuxdelgado]

Alright my fellow bassheads, here's my update... So far I've listened to about 70-80% of your suggestions and my favorite ones were Soulive, The Meters, Phoenix, and Jimmy Smith's Root Down. Anything in that line? Particularly The Meters and Soulive.

[DWBass]

Originally Posted by carliuxdelgado

Alright my fellow bassheads, here's my update... So far I've listened to about 70-80% of your suggestions and my favorite ones were Soulive, The Meters, Phoenix, and Jimmy Smith's Root Down. Anything in that line? Particularly The Meters and Soulive.

So you're diggin' the more soulful grass rootsy greasy stripped down funk like stuff. I can't help you there. I'm more 70's-80's funk/r&b rooted.

[Juneau]

Soulive is also one of my favorite bands, not sure why I didnt list them. However, if you want some live shows of theirs, Id be glad to send you a link to them, just PM me. Also might like Medeski Martin and Wood if you liked Soulive. Little different vibe, but funky none the less. Maybe more Jazz than Funk, I dont know hehe.

Anyhow, End of the World Party [just in case], their newest one is awesome.

You might also dig Spearhead with Michael Franti.

Oh, and check out Alan Evans (Soulive Drummers) Solo Album called Let It Ride. Its awesome funky stuff