THE BANDWAGON

I got a lotta shit to say , but until I promote this blog properly,and get some traffic I will prolly post once a week - Monday or Tuesday. Everybody hopped on the rap bandwagon not too long after Rappers Delight. I mean even Rodney Dangerfield and Mel Brooks had rap records! Teena Marie and Stevie Wonder dabbled with the mic device in the early 80s as well,but 2 joints by R&B legends never got air play.

Both of these jams dropped right after Rappers Delight. The first one is by the legendary Johnny Guitar Watson , and it's called Telephone Bill. He flows damn well for a singer/guitarist. He has a real smoove conversational style , and even rocks some multi syllabllic shit on here. Good shit from 1980.

The second one is by the great Mr Marvin Gaye. Again - I miss this cat......however he had this song called Ego Trippin' that Motown released as a 12" in 1979 , but it was pulled due to lack of sales. This one isnt as funky as Johnny's , but it is Marvin Gaye rappin' in 1979. Also these streams dont start automatically you have to click the play button....Peace...

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OBSCURE MOTOWN FUNK

This may not be that obscure,but I didn't miss much back in the days. I missed this one. A few years ago I was hunting for vinyl and I came across this lp on the Motown label by a group called Ozone. I already had one of thier previous lps,and nothing stood out as great on it (I'll have to go back and listen now). But this one called "Send It" had Teena Marie as a producer on one whole side of the album. I copped it for 3 dollars. Good funk on here. The gem is Gigolette. It starts with Teena Marie's trademark weeeeeeeeee that she did on the begining of "Square Biz". It's a ride from there on out,with Teena doing ad libs and backgrounds throughout - especially at the end. Heavy on the bass - it puts me in the mind of a Dazz Band , Aurra or Slave track.....well maybe not as dope as Slave , but the bass is funky. peep below...

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SMOKEY ROBINSON UNDERRATED JOINT

In 1980 my mom was playing this slow joint called "Let Me Be The Clock". I knew it was Smokey even at 10 years old - this cat has one of the most recognizable voices in music. I have never heard this song on the radio , or really anywhere else except when I play the lp (my moms original joint that I helped myself to). The lp was called "Warm Thoughts" , and Smokey is in pimp mode on the cover. Who else is down with this joint?...it's not even available on cd.

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CLAMS ON THE HALF SHELL & ROLLERSKATES - THE 80s

As a kid in the late 70's and early 80's we had some real shit to listen to. On the R&B front you had some summer anthems, that dealt with the "get away theme". I didn't understand as a 9 or 10 year old what this fascination with getting away was. What were these cats and chicks tryin' to get away from?

In retrospect, as a grown man I can appreciate what Chic was talking about when they welcomed the "Good Times". "Clams on the half shell and roller skates"...man the 70s & 80s were so special to me, that when I hear some of the great music from that era I can almost smell the incense burning in the record stores back then.

......In fact who remembers the fruity smells from the urban mom & pops record stores back in the days.(Pete Rock does).... And they always had weed paraphenalia to sell. EZ Wider rolling papers (where my old school heads?), bongs you name it. The 80s was a care free era.....

So back to the music.....now that I feel the perils of being an adult, I feel what T.S. Monk was sayin on Bon Vie. I see why when people said "Thank God It's Friday" Ma would agree whole heartidly. Yep, I can finally appreciate what Johnny Kemp meant when he "Just Got Paid" and the Ojays when they were "Livin' For The Weekend".

No fake thugs , no auto tune & no glamorization of guns and violence. Just that good shit!! Enjoy some less obscure joints than Chics "Good Times" below....... Same message on these joints - just didn't blow up quite as big. I can smell the summer air when I listen to these joints.....BRING THE MUSIC BACK......

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