• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

"Funk classics" from the 90's to now?

#61
WJGreer said:
You know what though? I think all of that stuff is cool, but little of it is a solid recommendation for the OP. It's all music for musicians, pretty obscure choices for a cover band's book. All awesome music though.
Click to expand...

The thing is, as far as funk goes (at least by my definition) there haven't been many songs that everyone would know that were made in the 90s or after. R&B? Definitely. Pop and rock with funk influence? Sure. But actual funk? Not so much. It seems like he's got plenty of stuff that folks already know and like so why not mix it up a little? Again, if he wants real real funk post-80s, his band doesn't have much of a choice, lol. And, like bass12 said, playing the right song at the right time at the right gig can have a nice effect on the crowd even if they can't sing along.
 
#62
Kwesi said:
The thing is, as far as funk goes (at least by my definition) there haven't been many songs that everyone would know that were made in the 90s or after. R&B? Definitely. Pop and rock with funk influence? Sure. But actual funk? Not so much. It seems like he's got plenty of stuff that folks already know and like so why not mix it up a little? Again, if he wants real real funk post-80s, his band doesn't have much of a choice, lol. And, like bass12 said, playing the right song at the right time at the right gig can have a nice effect on the crowd even if they can't sing along.
Click to expand...

Well put Kwesi, better than I could articulate.

I am so glad nobody mentioned Dave Mathews or I would have jumped out of the closest window. he had a funky drummer after that I have no use for Dave, strictly lamesville.

Thing is older guys like me, especially bass players that were playing out in the height of funkism have a hard time with you younger cats that were not around.

To each is own but my funk is not your funk.

Funny how older cats in here that know what I am talking about never come to my rescue.

blue
 
#63
KillianRussell said:
If you have any aspirations to play funk sucessfully, a guitarist with humility (i know a rare thing ) is a must. Funk was born in New Orleans where the guitar is the least important instrument in it's musical culture. Without googling can any of us name a James Brown guitarist ?
Click to expand...

Killian, the whole thing with funk being born in New Orleans is debatable.

I might say which funk? For example the funk of Sly Stone (Oakland) is different than the funk of James "There Was A time "Brown (Agusta GA)
 
#66
AfroCubanFunkMa said:
Sexy MF by Prince is one that always kills.. Can also add Willing and Able and In the Dark.. Two of my favorites.. Oh and Cream as well..

Blue, sorry man but being older just means you're older.. It doesn't mean you have an opinion people would deem as that of an authority..
Click to expand...

Afro Cuban, you make some good points and ocasionally I agree with your point of view.

However, the day people in this forum start to even understand what I am talking about half the time is the day I stop posting.

For me older just happens to mean I lived and played through the height of the funk era. I am holding on to my self proclaimed funk authority.

If you like,everyone can go listen to Dave Mathews and think your listening to funk, what a joke.

blue
 
#67
bass12 said:
Yeah, I thought about that. The OP didn't specify whether or not the audience would have to be familiar with the material. Regardless, it can be surprising how folks react to music they don't know if it's played at the right time with the right feel. I used to play in a band that did a lot of "commercial" funk and r&b. When the crowd wasn't responding we'd sometimes break out Me'shell's "The Way" as something of a "well fine, if you're not going to dance we'll just play something we'll get off on" gesture. On several occasions that song would actually get people up and dancing! I don't know if it was the song itself or the conviction with which we were playing it but, to our surprise, it worked. :)
Click to expand...
Personally I prefer the cleverly executed unpredictable cover. And that works well for a certain kind of band. There's another kind that has criteria for songs in the book, being money tunes, likely to be requested, that kind of thing. I'm not sure which kind of band the OP is in either.
 
#68
Well, I'm a but younger than bluewine, but I'm afraid I got his back to a certain extent here. I can also relate to the idea of 90's and newer funk, but it's kind of like calling Billy Joel a 50's rock and roll icon - sure the dude can play, but he just didn't roll the way the originals laid it down. Same thing with the funk. Some of the best funk to come out of the 90's IMO comes from Bootsy, but no point wondering why.

I give props to the younger guys as some of that stuff is supah funky, but it just won't make me get up off that thang the way the old boys can still do it. I think this is what bluewine is getting at as well. And don't get me started on Dave Matthews, the guy is watered down lame...
 
#70
Kwesi said:
The thing is, as far as funk goes (at least by my definition) there haven't been many songs that everyone would know that were made in the 90s or after. R&B? Definitely. Pop and rock with funk influence? Sure. But actual funk? Not so much.
Click to expand...
That's because funk was a pure play musical style in the 70s, and by the time new wave became popular in the 80s, funk as an exclusive style had lost its marketability and had been absorbed as an ingredient into music in general, which is the way it's been since.

So, I could name bands from the 80s, 90s, and now - The Fixx, Level 42, The Spin Doctors, Dave Matthews, and Maroon 5 for instance - that certainly aren't funk bands, but who use space, groove, and theme from time to time as they were introduced in funk music. Even Prince, when he came up in the early 80s, had added several musical ingredients to the established funk recipe and also taken a few away (horns, thematic basslines) to arrive upon his own excellent sauce.

Bluewine is right about there being no real funk anymore, but he's implying that is a deficiency of the contemporary musicians who use it as an ingredient, which is making him come off as a codger. ;)
 
#73
Beej said:
Well, I'm a but younger than bluewine, but I'm afraid I got his back to a certain extent here. I can also relate to the idea of 90's and newer funk, but it's kind of like calling Billy Joel a 50's rock and roll icon - sure the dude can play, but he just didn't roll the way the originals laid it down. Same thing with the funk. Some of the best funk to come out of the 90's IMO comes from Bootsy, but no point wondering why.

I give props to the younger guys as some of that stuff is supah funky, but it just won't make me get up off that thang the way the old boys can still do it. I think this is what bluewine is getting at as well. And don't get me started on Dave Matthews, the guy is watered down lame...
Click to expand...

Yeah,you know where I am coming from.In a way you had to be there to get it.

I am so glad you took a dig at Mathews, I agree, strictly lamesville. He's like the oposite of funk, the anti-funk if you will.
 
#74
WJGreer said:
That's because funk...
Click to expand...

Oh, I get all of that. I was just offering my 2¢ on it all.

Bluewine is right about there being no real funk anymore, but he's implying that is a deficiency of the contemporary musicians who use it as an ingredient, which is making him come off as a codger. ;)
Click to expand...

Anyone who says there is no real funk anymore, I completely disagree with though, of course, everyone may have a different interpretation of what funk really is. To me, KC Roberts & crew qualify as real funk and there are others like them.
 
#75
Beej said:
Well, I'm a but younger than bluewine, but I'm afraid I got his back to a certain extent here. I can also relate to the idea of 90's and newer funk, but it's kind of like calling Billy Joel a 50's rock and roll icon - sure the dude can play, but he just didn't roll the way the originals laid it down. Same thing with the funk. Some of the best funk to come out of the 90's IMO comes from Bootsy, but no point wondering why.

I give props to the younger guys as some of that stuff is supah funky, but it just won't make me get up off that thang the way the old boys can still do it. I think this is what bluewine is getting at as well. And don't get me started on Dave Matthews, the guy is watered down lame...
Click to expand...

I don't think anyone on this thread called Dave Matthews a funk band.

In the 70s, Funk was more mainstream in that you could hear it on the radio and in mainstream media. It was it's heyday in that it not only shaped music, but culture as well.

In the 90s, there was a little Funk revival. Old school players like Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, Meters, etc. continued to tour and make albums. During that time, some new funk emerged that was more to the original. But, most folks won't know of it because it's not as mainstream as it used to be. In some ways, the closest remnant to old Funk might be Acid Jazz. But there was and is funk being created in the old school way, and done well. Some keep it pure, some mix in new elements. You just need to look for it.

Here's some bands to check out:
Quasamodo: Invalid Link Removed
Greyboy Allstars: The Greyboy Allstars - Fried Grease - YouTube
All Good Funk Alliance: Invalid Link Removed
The New Mastersounds: The New Mastersounds - YouTube
Brand New Heavies: THE BRAND NEW HEAVIES - Never Stop - YouTube
Brooklyn Funk Essentials: Brooklyn Funk Essentials - You Don't Know Nothing - YouTube
Maceo Parker:

And there's more. Look up 'Nu Funk', 'Neo Soul' and Acid Jazz, and you'll be pleasantly surprised.
 
#76
KillianRussell said:
I never knew if Jimmy Nolen played on all of Brown's stuff, he is my hero ! The guitar and/or the tasteful use of the guitar is what makes Brown's **** epic. My point is and always will be that the guitar is not the featured instrument in funk and tasteful pickers are a rare find...Funk is the anti Van Halen. You would want a guitarist in your band to play the reverse role whats-his-face did in VH......
Click to expand...

Yeah, but we're talking two completely different bands.

EVH was the only instrumentalist in the band other than the rhythm section with a bassist who played simple lines, so he had to play alot to fill out the sound. JB had a huge band, with horns, backup vocalists, keyboards, multiple guitars, percussionists, and sometimes drummers. Jimmy Nolen had his spot, and everyone else worked around him.
 
#77
Hmmm, this has generated some very good conversation - I appreciate the discussion on funk history, where it got to, and the song suggestions.

I guess I was deliberately a little facetious with the title - "Funk Classics" from the 90's to now - to see what people thought. Really interesting to hear what people consider funky since the heyday of funk in the 70's though.

I guess what I'm looking for are songs that follow on in a similar funky vibe to the 70's tunes in the set list - there's plenty more classic 70's tunes we could add, but want to add a little more modern stylings to the repertoire. Danceable, great grooves, well recognized songs that put a smile on people's faces and make them want to dance.

We are unashamedly a funky covers band paid to get people on the floor having a good time - as someone put, the "money songs". The odd well placed "unpredictable cover" has a place as well though.

Thanks for all the song suggestions - looking forward to working through those and seeing what might work for us.

Please continue the conversation, and keep the ideas flowing.
 
#78
bluewine said:
YouTube Bass: Sly & The Family Stone - The Same Thing

It's pretty much my kinda of funk. Not the best quality and I am not sure what the kid is doing.

blue
Click to expand...

One of my favorites as well Blue.. Sly newly sober sounded the best he ever did IMO on "Back on the Right Track"

As for the Maroon5 and RHCP references (I never mentioned DMB) they both have some funky songs that can lead our TB brethren back to the originators of "Real Funk, Uncut Funk, The Bomb... Etc". The OP was asking for current stuff and IMO there isn't a lot either but any song can be made into a funk song with the right arrangement and players and there are plenty of songs that are already funky.. Even if not Funk in purist terms..

Jive, I totally dig on Greyboy Allstars.. Check out Groove Collective out of NYC..
 
#80
AfroCubanFunkMa said:
One of my favorites as well Blue.. Sly newly sober sounded the best he ever did IMO on "Back on the Right Track"
Click to expand...

Agreed it's some of his best stuff. Sadly, when Back on The Right Track was released the funk "Hey Day" was already over.

I have close ties to the band, unfortunately I don't think he has ever really been sober and I worry about him.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back