70's Funk

[tomsewell]

Did a search and couldn't really find a thread about old school 70's funk. I know it's not the genre for everyone but I'm sure there are plenty who have listened to and been influenced by it to some degree. I would list my top 3 favorite tunes, in no particular order:

1) The Ohio Players - "Fire"
2) Parliament/Funkadelic - "Tear the Roof of the Sucker (We want the Funk)"
3) Kool and the Gang - "Jungle Boogie"

 

[Commreman]

Look here:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=314342

Tons 'o nasty funk for ya!

 

[stingray69]

I'm guilty of loving old funk lines as well. There are lots of great funk bands - Graham Central Station (Larry Graham), Leon Haywood, Barkays, Curtis Mayfield, Sly & The Family Stone, Brothers Johnson, Jamiroquai (modern funk), are the ones that come to mind without my morning coffee. I'm sure others will add many more suggestions I'm forgetting about at the moment.

 

[tomsewell]

Yep, I missed that thread. Good stuff there.

 

[jymyben]

i'll play.....

james brown,especially the era with the collins boys in the band...

for me,it doesnt get any funkier or tighter than this performance....

 

[David Jayne]

Average White Band always does it for me.

 

[3toes]

I'm not much of a 70s/disco funk fan... but Tower of Power is always good.

Now if you wanna discuss some NOLA funk...

 

[two fingers]

I'm not much of a 70s/disco funk fan... but Tower of Power is always good.

Now if you wanna discuss some NOLA funk...

You beat me to it! T O P!!!

 

[Ray C Parrish]

Anybody that has ever played tunes like this live knows the effect.....filling the dance floor!

The cover band I play in now plays "Brick House" and "Play That Funky Music" and no matter what kind of crowd it is the dance floor fills up.....mission accomplished!

 

[Ablebasser]

For me a really underrated gem of a funk track is Soulfinger by the Fatback Band, really nice raw bass sound, not busy but oh so funky.

 

[pedro]

I tend to prefer ‘soul’ vs funk albeit it’s fine line. Great stuff.

 

[paul_wolfe]

Firstly +10 on Tower of Power.

Might be slightly out of genre but Paul Jackson's 70s work with Herbie is funky as anything.

And finally - though it's 'disco' - Bernard Edwards played some seriously tight and funky grooves with Chic, Sister Sledge and others....

 

[bubinga5]

Firstly, just want to say Jamiroquai is not funk, although i do love em, i would say there more jazzfunk than funk...Brand New Heavies are funkier..

I tend to prefer ‘soul’ vs funk albeit it’s fine line. Great stuff.

I always have loved the mix of funk/soul/groove/jazz...Soul funk is AWSOME! Look at 'Maze' for that!!!!! But for true Funk

These are (imho) the best of the best..

Maceo Parker (this guy is amazingly funky)
Tower of Power
James Brown
Ohio Players
Parliament
Sly
Average White band

many GO GO tunes..

There is a fine line between Funk and genres like groove, disco, soul.
for true funk that has no other influences (IMHO) starts with the above

 

[pedro]

See to me James Brown straddles the soul/funk line. Which is why he was so good. Same w/ Sly.

My $.02.

 

[dougjwray]

Let's not forget New Orleans!

 

[netface]

give it up for the 80's

 

[bass12]

See to me James Brown straddles the soul/funk line. Which is why he was so good. Same w/ Sly.

My $.02.

The first part of J.B.'s career was as a soul singer. Funk came from soul and, yes, in many cases there is a fine line between the two. There is no "in a vacuum" funk. Any of the funk bands from the 70s were influenced by soul (many were soul bands who adopted the "new sound"), just as many (if not most or even all) were also influenced by rock. Listen to the guitar in Slave's "Slide"...

Or Funkadelic, for that matter...

 

[DougD]

I'm not much of a 70s/disco funk fan... but Tower of Power is always good.

Now if you wanna discuss some NOLA funk...

Disco should not be confused with funk. They very different, but people get them confused all the time Staying Alive (Be Gees)=Disco TOP? now that's funky

 

[powerbass]

check out Slave's album "Show Time" & Earth Wind & Fire's tune September

 

[bass12]

Disco should not be confused with funk. They very different, but people get them confused all the time Staying Alive (Be Gees)=Disco TOP? now that's funky

No, Bee-Gees = commercial unfunky disco. There's a lot of good disco out there and a lot of it is seriously funky. I'll take Bernard, Nile and Tony over T.O.P. any day...