2021-05-03 (Don't Funk With My Soul Edition Vol. 2)

What the fuck is up, perverts?! Welcome to the 2nd volume of the Don’t Funk With My Soul Edition of Monday Morning Aural fuckin’ Sex! It’s been over a year since the 1st one, actually. No particular reason why except that I know not everyone can hang with funk & soul. I think y’all are missin’ out, and I’ll bet ya just haven’t had any experiences in your lives for which funk or soul are appropriate soundtracks. Goddamn shame, and I hope for your sake that you learn to love it someday the way I do.

 

Anyway, this is obviously a grand departure in overall tonality from last week’s Vantablack & Neon Edition. I suspect this one won’t be listened to nearly as much, but like I said, you’re missin’ out. Lots of fuckin’ wonderful classics and newer jams in here. Some of them are tracks from previous editions that deserve to be featured here, some are old favorites from ages ago that just haven’t been played on this podcast at all yet. Frankly, between this edition and the 1st one I made last year, I think they’re both excellent introductions to the genres if you’re somehow entirely unfamiliar. There are a couple things I want to mention before we get goin’:

 

1. The song by H.E.R. called, “I Can’t Breathe;” I’ve played that a number of times on this podcast since I found it last year. It’s a beautiful and important song, and it deserves repeated listens. Keep your ears open for it if this’ll be your first time listening to it. The recited poetry from the latter half of the track is just… wow. Speaking as someone whose chosen creative medium for over 20 years has been poetry, that one’s jarring. It’s deliberately uncomfortable for anyone still in the dark about there being two Americas; two very different experiences largely dependent on nothing else but the melanin content of your skin. Listen to it, listen to it, listen to it. That’s all.

 

2. The James Brown song called, “King Heroin.” Another one with rough subject matter, but important nonetheless. Even in years past, I would’ve thought or said I knew enough about the subject. Now, I know too much. Funk & soul aren’t always the danceable jams you’re used to hearing on the radio and shit. Lots of really real shit spoken about on these albums; all you gotta do is dig a little, pay a little attention, be a little curious.

 

3. A good number of these tracks were ones I found or rediscovered through a show called Snowfall. It’s an FX show, but it’s also available on Hulu. It’s about how the crack epidemic started, how the CIA was involved, etc. I don’t know how true to life it is, but how it’s depicted gives you some pretty good insight into how ugly the whole thing was and continues to be. It’s a fantastic show, and it deserves awards. I’m never one to call for anyone to win awards, but Snowfall deserves them in my opinion.

 

4. I’ve never closely examined the differences between disco & funk, but so far as I can tell, disco has more poppy vibes whereas funk is more jazzy. Jazzier? I dunno. I only bring it up ‘cause I know there are probably all sorts of disco compilations that have Kool & The Gang tracks on them. I imagine a number of funk/disco artists may have either walked the line between the two, or fully transitioned at some point insofar as any group realistically can, given the already moderately blurry boundaries between them.

 

5. On a similar note, I have little doubt in my mind that either R&B formed from soul, or vice versa. I think those two especially share a lot of similarities. So, you may hear some R&Bish tracks that are being designated as soul for the purposes of this podcast, but ya know, try not to get your asshole tied in too tight a knot over it. I know there are some more notable differences, especially when contrasting two entirely different eras of popular music. Like, obviously there are differences between Boyz II Men and Four Tops, but I also think the two crowds wouldn’t have much to fight each other about if they were together at a concert.

 

6. Future funk is a thing. The first thing that popped into my head seeing that phrase is, “Daft Punk,” and I may very well include some of their jams in future installments of this. These editions might veer a bit into house territory at some point, but try not to punch yourselves in the face too hard over it. It’s just music, silly perverts. All that matters is whether or not it moves you. Both negative and positive reactions are just as valid and fascinating, by the way. Even the stuff that doesn’t affect you much at all. There have been numerous occasions when I listened to something, and it didn’t hit me that hard until I went back to it and paid closer attention. The first Slipknot album was like that for me, and now it’s one of my all-time favorites. You just have to remain open to the possibility that you may have missed something, and with a little curiosity, a little focus, you can go back anytime and find it. That applies to all sorts of stuff, actually.

 

7. The Labrinth track called, “Still Don’t Know My Name.” I’ve played that one numerous times since I discovered it. That one’s prominently featured in the HBO series called Euphoria. Another one that’s rough in subject matter, but painfully beautiful in depiction. Highly recommend that one along with Snowfall.

 

8. Nah, nothin’ else to say except yojne, so yojne your yojnin’ socks off, muthayojners!

 

01 James Brown - Get Up Offa That Thing (from Cold Sweat & Other Soul Classics: James Brown) [00:03:34]

 

02 Kool & The Gang - Get Down On It (from The Very Best Of Kool & The Gang (Reissue)) [00:07:41]

 

03 Isaac Hayes - Theme From "Shaft" (from Top 50 Funk Hits) [00:11:07]

 

04 Newcleus - Jam On It (from Jam On Revenge) [00:15:39]

 

05 The Isley Brothers - It's Your Thing (from It’s Our Thing) [00:22:02]

 

06 Ray Charles - Roll With My Baby (from Ray’s Blues) [00:24:44]

 

07 Lakeside - Fantastic Voyage (Extended) (from The Best of Lakeside) [00:27:18]

 

08 GRiZ, Ganja White Night - Ease Your Mind (from Ease Your Mind) [00:33:23]

 

09 Rick James - Mary Jane (from Come Get It! (Expanded Edition)) [00:38:04]

 

10 The Universals - New Generation (from Florida Funk) [00:42:59]

 

11 Average White Band - Pick Up The Pieces (from Let’s Go Round Again: The Best of AWB) [00:45:22]

 

12 Parliament - P-Funk (Wants To Get Funked Up) (from Mothership Connection) [00:49:19]

 

13 Cameo - Word Up (from Word Up) [00:57:00]

 

14 Lyn Collins - Think (About It) (from Think (About It)) [01:01:14]

 

15 Zapp - More Bounce to the Ounce (from Zapp) [01:04:32]

 

16 Ronnie Hudson - West Coast Poplock (from Magic Disc Records- West Coast Rap-thology) [01:09:41]

 

17 Kool & The Gang - Hollywood Swinging (from Wild And Peaceful) [01:15:06]

 

18 George Clinton - Atomic Dog (from Computer Games) [01:19:39]

 

19 Dazz Band - Let It Whip (from 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Dazz Band) [01:24:17]

 

20 The Gap Band - Oops Up Side Your Head (12" Single Version) (from 12” 80s Classics) [01:28:55]

 

21 Maceo And The Macks - Soul Power 74 (Pt. 2) (from Us) [01:37:31]

 

22 Zapp - Dance Floor (from Zapp II) [01:41:35]

 

23 Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music (from Wild Cherry) [01:52:18]

 

24 Final Solution - Brotherman (from Brotherman: OST by The Final Solution) [01:57:11]

 

25 Ray Charles - Black Coffee (from The Atlantic Studio Albums In Mono (Remaster)) [02:01:43]

 

26 Earth, Wind & Fire - Fantasy (from All ’N All) [02:07:08]

 

27 O.T. Sykes - Stone Crush on You (from Stone Crush: Memphis Modern Soul 1977-1987) [02:11:44]

 

28 Kool & The Gang - Jungle Boogie (from Wild And Peaceful) [02:16:46]

 

29 The Hygrades - In the Jungle (Instrumental) (from Wake Up You! The Rise and Fall of Nigerian Rock, Vol. 1 (1972-1977)) [02:19:48]

 

30 Snoh Aalegra - Whoa (from - Ugh, those feels again) [02:22:53]

 

31 daste., DVNA - here with me (from here with me) [02:26:07]

 

32 Lou Ragland - Understand Each Other (Instrumental) (from I Travel Alone) [02:29:45]

 

33 Raleigh Ritchie, Elsa y Elmar - STFU (Duet Version) (from STFU (Duet Version)) [02:34:41]

 

34 Teddy Pendergrass - Love T.K.O. (from The Essential Teddy Pendergrass) [02:38:31]

 

35 Stretch - Why Did You Do It (Remastered) (from Elastique (Remastered)) [02:43:23]

 

36 Bill Withers - Use Me (from Still Bill) [02:46:52]

 

37 Johnny Burgos - ALL Outta Fucks (feat. Jonny Tobin) (from Gone Into The Grey) [02:50:32]

 

38 Fousheé - single af (from single af) [02:54:53]

 

39 War - Galaxy (from Galaxy) [02:57:55]

 

40 The Isley Brothers - Footsteps In the Dark - Pt. 1 & 2 (from It’s Your Thing: The Story Of The Isley Brothers) [03:05:56]

 

41 James Brown - King Heroin (from There It Is) [03:10:57]

 

42 H.E.R. - I Can't Breathe (from I Can’t Breathe) [03:14:51]

 

43 Labrinth - Still Don't Know My Name (from Euphoria (Original Score from the HBO Series)) [03:19:32]

 

44 Solomon Burke - None Of Us Are Free (from Don’t Give Up On Me) [03:22:03]