Bεε Gεεs - Spiяits Hαviиg Flowи (1979)

First of all, R.I.P. Robin Gibb: you were one in a million, and a lot of people out there are going to miss that voice of yours.

This particular post is my dedication to the former B.G. Arriving in 1979 a couple of years after the Saturday Night Fever OST catapulted these disco-savvy brothers into a level of megastardom equivalent to that of The Beatles at their peak, Spirits Having Flown is considered to be not only their last great stamp upon a rapidly changing musical landscape (disco was just about dead), but their most ambitious LP as far as their artistic prowess & execution is concerned. To put it lightly, the arrangements are such that I'd say this is a pop masterpiece up there with Michael Jackson's Thriller and The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds: most of the songs here don't even need an introduction from me, and will most likely persist prominently in mankind's culture consciousness long after I'm six feet under.

Anyway, I'm not going to tell you regulars to stop hating soft rock, post-disco, etc. or whatnot, but I personally think its a shame to hate on this collection of sublime funk-pop crossover deliciousness, especially since the album boasts some of the best three-part vocal harmonizing of all time. Dig it!

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Uиdεя Thε Iиfluεncε Of Giαиts - S/T (2006)

Two bros from Home Town Hero hooked up with Audiovent's drummer and made some funkay music together in 2006, resulting in one of the few quintessential pop/rock/funk albums of the Noughties. Sounds pretty good, capiche?

To put it another way, amalgamating Maroon 5, Earth Wind & Fire and the edgier side of classic Prince into something simultaneously stunning yet cohesive is no small feat, but these boys bring home the bacon with extra munchies to spare!

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Boввy Lylε - Tнε Gεиiε (1977)

Smooth groovin', tripped out jazz-fusion masterpiece from the late 70's, complete with psychedelic keyboard ebb/flow and space horns! Easily on par with the best of Lonnie Liston Smith as far this sort of vibe goes, so don't pass it up!

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Sнuyα Okiиo - Dεstiиy (2011)

Long awaited sophomore release by producer/pimp Sнuyα Okiиo of Kyoto Jazz Massive, and it cuts helluva deep in all the right musical arteries.

Unlike his more House oriented debut a few years back, Dεstiиy sees Okino-san attempting to revitalize the sort of rhythmic space funkiness that a lot of late 70's/early 80's groups like Change and Cameo (and to a lesser extent guys like Alexander O'Neal and Leon Ware) crafted into near perfection back in the day, thus reigning over many a popular music circle until R&B balladry gained the upper hand near the close of the age.

Alternating classic covers with entertaining originals and bringing in a score of great vocalists to get the most out of the tracks themselves, I'm going to assert that this is a pretty fuckin' jammin' recreation of a long-dead era and one of 2011's more compelling under-the-radar gems to boot. Get cookin'!

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Joнииy Bяisτol - Sτяangεяs (1978) [2010 Remaster]

Underused and under-appreciated somewhat despite his megastatus as one of Motown's elite producers back in the Golden Age of soul, Joнииy Bяisτol was a gifted songwriter who put his talent to work in his solo career as well, part of which is exhibited in this 1978 collection. My favorite track is the one which opens the bunch in fact, "Strangers In The Dark Corners", which turns on a dime from strings to chorus and still brings a damn good chorus to the table.

Remastered in 2010 with loving, immaculate care.

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Eαяτн Шiиd & Fiяε - I Aм (1979)

At one point the biggest soul/funk band on the planet in terms of sheer popularity and also the favorite group of guys like Miles Davis and Quincy Jones, this particular 1979 release caught EW&F at the point they were transitioning from a harder edged funk unit into post-disco pop stars, providing Philip Bailey and co. the environment they needed to work with some excellent people in creating music that straddled both sides of the musical divide with almost intuitive excellence. A couple of killer cuts (the thinking man's pop-funker 'In The Stone' and the languid 'After The Love Is Gone') and near-claustrophobic chemistry in the rhythm section only make this deal sweeter methinks, so nab it while it lasts.

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The Jacksons - Triumph (1980)

Before there was Thriller, there was MJ's work with his brothers as part of The Jacksons, and some of it nearly surpasses his solo material. Hell, this record is a classic alone for the track 'Heartbreak Hotel', which is about as perfect as post-disco ever got after '79.

So yeah, a remastered stone cold essential is tonight's toast muchachos - don't miss the opportunity to let it into your collection.

Listen Here - "Heartbreak Hotel"



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Grum - Heartbeats (2010)

Graeme Shepherd, AKA Grum, is an odd bloke hailing from the U.K., who up until his 2010 debut Heartbeats was mostly known in production/DJ circles for his various lauded remixes of popular House staples. In taking off with thirteen tracks of original material though, it seems he's set his sights on new horizons with the hopes of making his own stake in clubs across the world.

That said, this record certainly works wonders for the dancefloor - it's a curious blend between Daft Punk inspired electro pumping and 80's soft pop along the lines of Genesis and Madonna, with certain tendencies from both sides of the equation taking their own particular emphases depending on the track at play. Hell, 'Cybernetic' and 'The Really Long One' wouldn't be out of place on Discovery at the very least. But then you hear something like 'Through The Night', with that whole Yamaha keyboard layering the atmosphere and watery vocals going in and out, and you're like "Why is Hall & Oates Private Eyes playing? 1981 was a long freakin' time ago!" But as my ex-roommate used to say - "The party's only over when the music stops."

Fans of the 80's, fun, early House and less chaotic electro-pop will find much to love here. Everybody else will probably be too busy listening to Sonic Youth B-sides or something. Their loss!

Listen Here - "Through The Night"



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Prince - Love Symbol Album (1992)

Pretentious as the artist-formally-known-as-Prince may be, this was one hell of a kickoff record from his Warner Bros. days and easily on par with some of his best 80's material once given a bit of time to sink in. Reggae, funk, pop, soul, and whatever other genres tags you see attached here is what you get people, so 13EE PW33P41R3D.

I mean, seriously now, it's fucking Prince, what more can I say? Get this and everything else he did prior to 1992 and save yourself the humiliation later.

Listen Here - "And God Created Woman" 


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