Monthly Archives: March 2008

Joyous.

Monday: March 31, 2008 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Soul 2 Comments

Artist: Isaac Hayes
Title: Joy
Year: 1973
Label: Enterprise
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 2.0/5.0

Front

Review
NOT one of Isaac Hayes best releases, honestly. So this review will be quick. I posted this lp anyway, due to the fact that the title track “Joy” is a winner, and a must-hear. Funky, groovy, and has a killer drum break throughout…ALL 18 minutes of this masterpiece of a song…yes, 18 minutes! The rest of the album is of a much lesser quality. With that said, enjoy the one track I’ve posted for this record.

Check out the sound!

Joy

Design
I really like the typeface used for this record cover, it’s also debossed (look closely). I must add, however, it seems a bit odd seeing Isaac Hayes in a major prance here (his ballet leap), it’s something I wouldn’t expect from him. Flipping to the back cover, check out this chain linked vest…only a celebrity can pull this off…only a celebrity.

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Sidenote: Record Digging Documentary.

Saturday: March 29, 2008 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Video 2 Comments

Looking for a quick Saturday night flick, an interesting one? Well check out this documentary about digging for records, features a few legends, such as Showbiz (from Showbiz & AG), Evil Dee (of Black Moon), just to name a couple. I enjoyed this thoroughly…hopefully you will to.

Herbie On His Fairlight CMI.

Saturday: March 29, 2008 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Video 1 Comment

A very talented dude, Herbie Hancock, explains and rocks out on his Fairlight CMI with Quincy Jones, this is such an amazing video! Enjoy.

The Jackson 1.

Friday: March 28, 2008 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Soul 2 Comments

Artist: Jackie Jackson
Title: Selt-titled
Year: 1973
Label: Motown
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 4.0/5.0

Front

Review
Now, when I first got this record, I was excited due to the fact that, at the time, I wasn’t even aware that Jackie Jackson had his own LP. (For those that don’t know, Jackie Jackson is the oldest of the brothers in the famous Jackson 5 group.) So I was anxious to hear this record to see what he could do without his younger brother Michael running the show. Folks, let me tell you, I was blown away. First off, the production team on this release was none other than The Corporation, which included Fonce Mizell of the great Mizell Brothers, and Freddie Perren, just to name a couple. Second, Jackie represented in a major way, delivering strong love ballads, simple songs about life, heartbreak, relationships, etc. It seemed real personal, which made the record believable, and interesting, because everybody can relate. Finally, he got funky on a track that caught me waaaaaay off guard, I feel like that song came staight from the heart, “Is It Him or Me?”. A lot of cats only dig this record because it contains a nice little drum break, but I am a lover of music and endorse this entire album as a banger to go and get….for music sake.

Check out the sound!

Love Don’t Wanna Leave

Is It Him Or Me?

Design
Basic layout with a picture within a picture effect. Nothing spectacular, and I’m not a fan of the font that’s used. Uhhh, this one is up in the air. OH! I do, however, like the warmth overall, the autumn color palette, and the nice use of white space. That does it for this one…

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Cobra Kai.

Tuesday: March 25, 2008 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Jazz 4 Comments

Artist: Dale Jacobs & Cobra
Title: Cobra
Year: 1978
Label: Epic
Format: Vinyl LP (Original Promo White Label)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 4.0/5.0

Front

Review
An amazingly obscure album from the unknown Dale Jacobs. I picked this album up due to the intrigue of the cover alone initially, but after listening, I was a fan. This is an album that explores electronic sound, a one-time thing from the musician/producer. Jacobs is traditionally known for writing and producing film/television/radio scores and live performances. This Cobra album came about while in the studio with his friends and fellow musicians…just experimenting with some new electronic equipment. These experiments (in my mind), turned out to be classic compositions! The type of music that happens once in an artists career, and this just-so happens to be Jacobs’ first and last album. I think he knew that he got it right the first time around. Keep your ears open and get hip to “Almost Home”, probably my favorite track on the LP, due to the chords that he plays out, and the overall subtle nature of the cut. But again, the whole album is a gem, if you can find it, add it to your collection for sure.

Check out the sound!

Almost Home

Cobra

Computer Samba

Design
This is an intriguing cover to say the least…drunk chick on the couch, bull constrictor on the floor (…bull constrictor on the floor???) That’s right folks, the first thing I noticed is that the snake that appears on this cover is NOT a cobra, clearly you can see by the head/neck area, and the pattern of the snake skin, this is a bull constrictor. Otherwise, however, this is a very nice album cover. I love the setting, the props, and the type. Notice the relationship of the “RA” in COBRA. I have also taken a liking to the ampersand, I have never seen one that looks that odd before, but it’s a sweet little detail that does not interrupt the main lockup. The tone and overall hue of the cover is appealing, feels sort of pine-esque (not a word). Finally, the white space and the five column grid on the back cover is working wonderfully, that’s a perfect example of how to create tension with the space, notice the relationship (on the back cover) of the placement of “Dale Jacobs & Cobra”, to that of the rest of the copy. Nice.

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Additional info on Dale Jacobs & Cobra

Dancing Shoes.

Tuesday: March 25, 2008 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Jazz Leave a comment

Artist: Bobbi Humphrey
Title: Fancy Dancer
Year: 1975
Label: Blue Note
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 4.0/5.0

Front

Review
Another Mizell production!!!…yes, another one. This is a wonderful album, contains the bangers “Please Set Me At Ease” and “Uno Esta”. Great production work from a major part of the Sky High team, Chuck Davis. I feel that Davis produced the best track on the album, which you can listen to below, “The Trip”, which has a deep sound to it all throughout, which meshes well with the softer tone of Humphrey’s jazz flute. This album is about the melody, this artist is about the melody, take it in, it always goes down smooth.

Check out the sound!

The Trip

Uno Esta

Please Set Me At Ease

Design
Very fun illustration done for this cover. It’s very abstract to say the least, but I like the detailing…done by Barbara Nessim. But what’s also nice is the type treatment on the front cover, the close tracking of the words gives a nice bold presence, and looks clean, too.

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Additional info on Bobbi Humphrey

The WIZ.

Friday: March 21, 2008 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Boogie, Funk, Jazz, Soul 2 Comments

Artist: The WIZ (Soundtrack)
Title: Self-titled
Year: 1978
Label: Motown
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 4.0/5.0

Front

Review
Let me start by saying that this movie is an absolute CLASSIC…PERIOD! For those that don’t know, The WIZ is an African-American production of the Wizard of OZ. The film starred Diana Ross, Richard Pryor, and a young Michael Jackson, amongst others. One of the most amazing things about this movie is the score, the music itself…so naturally when I saw the soundtrack in the record store, I picked it up without hesitation. Not a rare record, not an expensive record, but this is definitely a record with many great tracks on it. Produced by none other than the great Quincy Jones, this album is a sleeper! But I’ll wake you all up (be sure to check out the sound clips below). For anybody that’s in the mood to hear some killer grooves, be sure to listen to the Emerald City sequence of Green, Red, and Gold…those three tracks are a MUST.

Check out the sound!

Green

Red

Gold

Mean Ol’ Lion

Poppy Girls

Design
This is a dope painting, and the inside cover is amazing, a very dynamic piece that captures the feel of the film. Dark, but sort of electric in a sense. Not much of a concept cover, and rightfully so, it’s representing a movie, so it is what it is. The nice touch of sparkle on the hand-painted bold typography on the cover is a subtle detail that I rather enjoy.

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Stang Soul.

Thursday: March 20, 2008 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Soul 4 Comments

Artist: The Moments
Title: Those Sexy Moments
Year: 1974
Label: Stang
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 5.0/5.0

Front

Review
Holy grail piece! They are officially one of my favorite groups now.

The Moments come extra strong with this record. Delivering nothing but the best in what we call…soul music. Have you ever had a record where you didn’t have to skip any tracks? Well, for me, this is DEFINITELY one of those records! Nothing but quality on both sides of the vinyl. The arrangements are on point, the writing is phenomenal, and the sound is kind of gritty/dusty, which a lot of producers of today try to duplicate with their sound. I am especially drawn to the weird, unexpected chords that are played randomly throughout the LP, it kind of fools the metronome of the mind. Those Sexy Moments just feels like it came natural to the group, every element of making a great LP is personified to the maximum through this record.

Viewers, if you come across this record…make it an immediate purchase!

Note that the Moments eventually transitioned into the group, Ray, Goodman, and Brown later in the 70′s.

Check Out The Sound!

Seven Days

Next Time I See You

Sexy Mama

Design
This cover, in my opinion, is amazing! From the pattern of the wallpaper, to the animal fur rug, the big chow chow dog curled up on the floor, and finally, to the picture frame on the wall showing the members of the group. Designed by Stephen Saban, Joanna Saban, and Michael Longacre for Sokoloff Associates, Inc. They did a great job. I must say, there is a very strong sense of texture on the cover, starting with the headboard on the bed, then to the pink picture frame, next the fur carpet, and finally, the texture that the wallpaper pattern creates. A lot right? Right, but it works here for some straaaaange reason. That reason being the fact that there is not much color, it’s very saturated overall, minus the bright pink picture frame. This seemingly small design decision makes the busy cover work. In closing, notice the hand-written type…simply beautiful! I love the “S” in “Sexy”. This is truly a unique cover in my opinion…and it only adds to the greatness of how dope the music is already.

Additional info on The Moments

You’ve Been Stung.

Wednesday: March 19, 2008 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Boogie 2 Comments

Artist: Bumblebee Unlimited
Title: Sting Like A Bee
Year: 1979
Label: RCA
Format: Vinyl LP (Original Promo)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 3.0/5.0

Front

Review
A decent attempt. This is a studio group, a producers concept album, Bumblebee Unlimited is NOT a real group. Basically this album creates hot boogie instrumentals and fuses them with sped up vocals, and the idea of it actually works. It doesn’t sound bad at all, although I enjoy the music itself in this case, more than the sped up vocals. See what you think…

Check out the sound!

I Got A Big Bee

Lady Bug

Design
I tell you, these boogie/disco covers just get weird-er and weird-er…

Additional info on Bumblebee Unlimited

The First Cloud.

Tuesday: March 18, 2008 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Boogie, Soul 1 Comment

Artist: Cloud One
Title: Atmosphere Strut
Year: 1976
Label: P&P
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 4.5/5.0

Front

Review
A rare record, and a damn good one. I was attracted to this album for two reasons, ONE, when I turned it over to read the back I saw the name PATRICK ADAMS, TWO, I saw the name PETER BROWN. Need I say more? These are two of my favorite producers/musicians from the boogie era, each bringing a different dynamic to the table to make Atmosphere Strut a classic, yet underrated record. This album has a vibe that’s built off of the groove, with an electronic sound that pulls one in closer to the music. The synthesizer experimentation is on point, not many people were effective, in my opinion, during the late 70′s using synthesizers, they generally over-did it, over-saturated the track with terrible use of the equipment producing garbage. NOT Cloud One (a studio group…producer’s concept), they teamed up to make one of best albums of the era, they mastered the formula of “feel-good”, and delivered to us via vinyl. A testament to that last statement is the mellow sounds of my favorite track on the album, “Dust to Dust” (listen below).

Check out the sound!

Dust to Dust

Atmosphere Strut

Disco Juice

Design
Blurred photography is intriguing, in any case, but here the guy looks as if he’s in a trance or something. But that’s where this album will take you, into a trance…so it’s straight to the point, and definitely fitting.

The border is pretty traditional, for such a non-traditional album, I’m not sure why they went there (i’m not a huge fan of that design move), but it keeps the cover feeling clean. Along with the font of choice, clean and traditional, but I would’ve rather had seen the designer use something a bit more funky, a tad more visually interesting. Although very clean, it’s not much of an interesting cover, honestly, the photography saves this one for me.

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Additional info on Cloud One

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