. I bought it mainly for the liner book, which I later found out is by Oliver Wang, and is filled with information on many lesser-known artists.
I got the vinyl 45s set for Xmas and the booklet was lacking. Just a single folded sheet. Is the cd booklet more in-depth?
The 82-page book has lots of photos, info on each track, and a nice introduction which welcomes the casual funk fan into the world of the more obscure. I enjoyed the packaging as well. But now I want the 45 box.
Can anybody find me a scan of the booklet? The 45's are twice the price and NO booklet?
Yeah, but the 45s are twice as cool as the CDs & I assume may not be in press for as long. I do want to see the booklet now for curiosity's sake though.
How so? I know you were pretty close to it, but apart from a couple of blanks (Johnny Talbot is a fairly well-known Bay Area soul/blues musician, but the annotator didn't appear to know anything about him at all), they did alright. I'd rather see this than see yet another shoutout to some obscure DJ pool in the UK.
All I'm saying is that if someone is reaching out to people (read: collectors) to get specific material to help further the quality of a compilation, wouldn't you go ahead and ask said collector if they have any facts about additional artists/songs that are lacking pertinent info?
I mean, you could ask any dude in Chicago and they could tell you who Johnny Cameron was. Liner notes say zilch. Pretty much any truly obscure artist on the set have skimpy, fact-lacking notes.
I'm not salty, I'm just depressed by the distortion of focus on some people's part.
So far in this thread I've learned that Oliver did the book, Dante and yoigotbeats supplied records, but Dante hates the book and yoigotbeats wants his props for supplying records. Confused.
For those who have the 45 box-set or have info: Are the 45s pressed nicely? Were they mastered direct from analog sources or do they contain digital BS?
So far in this thread I've learned that Oliver did the book, Dante and yoigotbeats supplied records, but Dante hates the book and yoigotbeats wants his props for supplying records. Confused.
For those who have the 45 box-set or have info: Are the 45s pressed nicely? Were they mastered direct from analog sources or do they contain digital BS?
As far as I could tell, Oliver did the intro which was a piece about Funk music. I don't think he did the following liner notes on each track on the comp though.
As far as I could tell, Oliver did the intro which was a piece about Funk music. I don't think he did the following liner notes on each track on the comp though.
As far as I could tell, Oliver did the intro which was a piece about Funk music. I don't think he did the following liner notes on each track on the comp though.
You are correct.
Dude, I'm surprised you didn't throw your hat in the ring to get that writing assignment.
As far as I could tell, Oliver did the intro which was a piece about Funk music. I don't think he did the following liner notes on each track on the comp though.
So far in this thread I've learned that Oliver did the book, Dante and yoigotbeats supplied records, but Dante hates the book and yoigotbeats wants his props for supplying records. Confused.
For those who have the 45 box-set or have info: Are the 45s pressed nicely? Were they mastered direct from analog sources or do they contain digital BS?
So - how much of this set was mastered from vinyl?
I would have thought that with the big $$$ behind it, the master tapes for the majority of tracks could have been used. I realize there are a few genuine raers, but I'm curious how much of it was just ripped from wax ...
For some of them, either the master tapes no longer exist (i.e. original studios closing, throwing out any and all tapes), or can't be located. For years, Warner Music/Rhino/Atlantic have been sleeping on this material, but in the last few years Warner Jazz in the UK have been coming up with a lot of great compilations, most of which you can find on Dusty Groove. Keep in mind that for years, the perception of funk and soul had always been "what made it big", there was no use for anything obscure unless Bootsy Collins had something to do with it.
Yet read some of the liner notes in those comps. I know one compilation in particular where they pretty much borrowed some of the things I had mentioned about the song. I realize that information essentially becomes "public domain", but when I read it I thought "who in the hell would even care about that?" Maybe I mentioned the song in Wax Poetics (which means yes, the song was BF related), I don't know, but I thought well, that definitely didn't come from their usual staff of writers.
I haven't picked up this new comp, but I will before they completely disappear.
I like this comp. I sold lots of copies in my store - well done to the strutters responsible...
I particularily liked the fact that the 25 45's left the box half full, so you could squeeeeeeze in some more goodies and take youre packed funk lunch out!
Keep in mind that for years, the perception of funk and soul had always been "what made it big", there was no use for anything obscure unless Bootsy Collins had something to do with it.
Exhibit A: Rhino's In Yo'Face series from the 90's, which had the occasional funk obscurity, but basically played to the cheap seats and was probably designed for 70's nostalgists who think funk and disco are the same thing.
Keep in mind that for years, the perception of funk and soul had always been "what made it big", there was no use for anything obscure unless Bootsy Collins had something to do with it.
Exhibit A: Rhino's In Yo'Face series from the 90's, which had the occasional funk obscurity, but basically played to the cheap seats and was probably designed for 70's nostalgists who think funk and disco are the same thing.
Agreed, although In Yo Face Vol. 1/2: The Roots Of Funk (that's Vol. one half, not 1 and 2) was decent.
Keep in mind that for years, the perception of funk and soul had always been "what made it big", there was no use for anything obscure unless Bootsy Collins had something to do with it.
Exhibit A: Rhino's In Yo'Face series from the 90's, which had the occasional funk obscurity, but basically played to the cheap seats and was probably designed for 70's nostalgists who think funk and disco are the same thing.
Agreed, although In Yo Face Vol. 1/2: The Roots Of Funk (that's Vol. one half, not 1 and 2) was decent.
I remember that volume and thinking they (finally) got it right, although to me that CD wasn't funk's roots so much as it was funk PERIOD. That should have been Vol. 1, right there - none of this "and a half" business.
HarveyCanal"a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
Honestly, I find it a little ironic that people arguing over the liner notes didn't bother to read them more closely - I neither compiled this boxset nor wrote the liner notes. I - along with Dante and Georges (both of whom ended up participating on the set because of a "call for help" I put out on Soul Strut) - only came on board after the songs AND liner notes had been completed.
I wrote the introductory "framing" esay and that's it. It's clearly credited in the liners that the song notes were written by others.
Regarding the vinyl set - I am surprised too that they lack any liner booklet however, my understanding was that the 45 box was meant to be a companion project to the cd set and therefore, probably didn't warrant the additional cost of including liners that would have duped what was already in the cd set.
Regardless, ppl might find the 45 box $$$ but it's with noting that it's 25 repressed 45s with original label AND sleeve art. Tell me the last time ANYONE stepped up like that.
Exhibit A: Rhino's In Yo'Face series from the 90's, which had the occasional funk obscurity, but basically played to the cheap seats and was probably designed for 70's nostalgists who think funk and disco are the same thing.
There was also a funk series of CD's (five in total) that was along the same lines. I think one of them had the version of "One Nation Under A Groove" that was from the 12". Years ago I once suggested for them to do a decent Eddie Bo compilation, and I believe this was well before Fuchs gained the rights for the material. The response from Rhino was "that's a bit too obscure for us, and it wouldn't sell". Considering what Rhino, and Warner Jazz in the UK would do a few years later with their comps, I think it's funny.
A tip for you people who are nice and want to make suggestions to labels: don't. Start your own label and do your own thing, unless you're working with a label you can trust and are open to using your ideas.
I think what you wrote is quite valid but it reflects the different market Rhino is going after. For them, something like "What it is" is quite forward thinking and cutting edge even though, for hardcore funk heads, these kind of comps (albeit usually minus the song clearances) were commonplace ten years ago. But for the Rhino consumer for whom The Funk Box was revolutionary (as mundane as it appears to our collected brethren), something like "What it is" would be a natural progression.
I've been really surprised at how many older people have been jazzed on the new set but then I also realize that they're in the demographic that's old enough to remember some of these singles but not young enough to have bought Brainfreeze.
I think what you wrote is quite valid but it reflects the different market Rhino is going after. For them, something like "What it is" is quite forward thinking and cutting edge even though, for hardcore funk heads, these kind of comps (albeit usually minus the song clearances) were commonplace ten years ago. But for the Rhino consumer for whom The Funk Box was revolutionary (as mundane as it appears to our collected brethren), something like "What it is" would be a natural progression.
You're right, and I know Rhino has always been that way, but I had hoped, just for a brief moment, they would expose some of those rarities that they had in their vaults. This was a good 10 years ago too, around the time those compilations were released. I saw the great job Ace Records in the UK were doing with licensing songs from other labels, so I thought "why not Rhino?" This was a few years before Rhino became an entity of Warner. Fortunately for Rhino, they have their Rhino Handmade division, and while that still caters to rock, they did release that 4CD box set of Aretha Franklin at the Fillmore. They just came out with the Rufus Harley comp, and the Buddy Guy and Junior Wells reissue I heard was very good too.
Plus, Rhino also released that Atlantic "brothers" and "sisters" comp, which was also a nice change of pace since it covered some of the distributed labels, and the Cotillion stuff from the early 70's which tends to get ignored.
The good thing about these discs is that when Rhino does them, the mastering is top notch, that has always been one of Rhino's trademarks of quality. However, when Warner starts licensing the material to other labels (Collector's Choice, Water, Wounded Bird, Collectables), it's a crap shoot. I have heard that two labels in this list master from vinyl, which is good if there's no better tape source, but sometimes that vinyl transfer is second rate. I would rather trust a reissue from Europe or Japan than a US one, unless it's on a label I can rely on, or know who did the remastering.
I agree with you though, Rhino's target audience is no longer Wild Man Fischer, Gelfite Joe, and Barnes & Barnes. A lot of labels have done what I've wanted to do myself, such as Stones Throw, Ubiquity, and Jazzman. Tuff City/Funky Delicacies have good material, but the compression on all of it makes the music... well, the compression takes away a lot of the music itself, and I'd rather not better. I prefer hunting down an Italian bootleg of the same material.
You know, I could be wrong here but reading through all the props and gripes about this project, wouldn't it kinda suck if a big label like Rhino DID get it right? Wouldn't that, in a way be the beginning of the end? I like the idea of funk is still a largely undocumented genre. That it still holds infinite mysteries to unearth. The mere thought of hearing deep funk in TV commercials and blaring through the sound systems of Starbucks and Target is horrific. Kinda like when you loved that band when no one knew about them, then felt somewhat let down when everybody jumped on the bandwagon. Please, it's awful enough to see the clueless LA hipsters try to get down at Star Shoes on Stones Throw night. Off-putting... some people ain't ready for music that REAL.
You know, I could be wrong here but reading through all the props and gripes about this project, wouldn't it kinda suck if a big label like Rhino DID get it right? Wouldn't that, in a way be the beginning of the end? I like the idea of funk is still a largely undocumented genre. That it still holds infinite mysteries to unearth. The mere thought of hearing deep funk in TV commercials and blaring through the sound systems of Starbucks and Target is horrific. Kinda like when you loved that band when no one knew about them, then felt somewhat let down when everybody jumped on the bandwagon. Please, it's awful enough to see the clueless LA hipsters try to get down at Star Shoes on Stones Throw night. Off-putting... some people ain't ready for music that REAL.
Eh, what do I know?
Just a thought...
elitist bastard
Seriously, if you set the music free does it enlighten the masses or cheapen the music?
You know, I could be wrong here but reading through all the props and gripes about this project, wouldn't it kinda suck if a big label like Rhino DID get it right? Wouldn't that, in a way be the beginning of the end? I like the idea of funk is still a largely undocumented genre. That it still holds infinite mysteries to unearth. The mere thought of hearing deep funk in TV commercials and blaring through the sound systems of Starbucks and Target is horrific. Kinda like when you loved that band when no one knew about them, then felt somewhat let down when everybody jumped on the bandwagon. Please, it's awful enough to see the clueless LA hipsters try to get down at Star Shoes on Stones Throw night. Off-putting... some people ain't ready for music that REAL.
Eh, what do I know?
Just a thought...
elitist bastard
Seriously, if you set the music free does it enlighten the masses or cheapen the music?
That's me off in the corner hollering "amen."
I'm all about enlightening the masses, even if is some wide-belt Franz Ferdinand fan. I never had much use for the "it can't be any good if more than five people know about it" way of thinking. Hell, even the guys that made the record in the first place wanted to get it out there to as many as possible.
You know, I could be wrong here but reading through all the props and gripes about this project, wouldn't it kinda suck if a big label like Rhino DID get it right? Wouldn't that, in a way be the beginning of the end? I like the idea of funk is still a largely undocumented genre. That it still holds infinite mysteries to unearth. The mere thought of hearing deep funk in TV commercials and blaring through the sound systems of Starbucks and Target is horrific. Kinda like when you loved that band when no one knew about them, then felt somewhat let down when everybody jumped on the bandwagon. Please, it's awful enough to see the clueless LA hipsters try to get down at Star Shoes on Stones Throw night. Off-putting... some people ain't ready for music that REAL.
Eh, what do I know?
Just a thought...
elitist bastard
Seriously, if you set the music free does it enlighten the masses or cheapen the music?
Those who choose the path of enlightenment, will someday find what they seek.
Elitist? Perhaps... though not my intent.
The music has always been free. Most people are just content to accept what is handed to them. They fail to question boundaries and dig beneath the surface. Hey, ya get what ya pay for, kid.
OK, I went to Amazon and found out that it is the acouticky version of fairchild. Thanks for all your helps ass******** . I think I am gonna have to purchase this beast.
BTW as for raers being played in public spaces. I was in a casino in remote southern oregon a month ago and Little Sister was being played over the PA. I have to admit I was shook.
BTW as for raers being played in public spaces. I was in a casino in remote southern oregon a month ago and Little Sister was being played over the PA. I have to admit I was shook.
I don't know which Little Sister cut you heard, but since they had two legitimate hit singles ("Somebody's Watching You" and "You're The One"), would they COUNT as "raer"?
BTW as for raers being played in public spaces. I was in a casino in remote southern oregon a month ago and Little Sister was being played over the PA. I have to admit I was shook.
I don't know which Little Sister cut you heard, but since they had two legitimate hit singles ("Somebody's Watching You" and "You're The One"), would they COUNT as "raer"?
Prolly not... "Stanga" would even be borderline...
Comments
All I'm saying is that if someone is reaching out to people (read: collectors) to get specific material to help further the quality of a compilation, wouldn't you go ahead and ask said collector if they have any facts about additional artists/songs that are lacking pertinent info?
I mean, you could ask any dude in Chicago and they could tell you who Johnny Cameron was.
Liner notes say zilch.
Pretty much any truly obscure artist on the set have skimpy, fact-lacking notes.
I'm not salty, I'm just depressed by the distortion of focus on some people's part.
So far in this thread I've learned that Oliver did the book, Dante and yoigotbeats supplied records, but Dante hates the book and yoigotbeats wants his props for supplying records. Confused.
For those who have the 45 box-set or have info: Are the 45s pressed nicely? Were they mastered direct from analog sources or do they contain digital BS?
As far as I could tell, Oliver did the intro which was a piece about Funk music. I don't think he did the following liner notes on each track on the comp though.
That's how I heard about it.
Launchcast is alright, but it's nothing compared to Pandora.
You are correct.
Dude, I'm surprised you didn't throw your hat in the ring to get that writing assignment.
Confusion and :5pager: avoided.
he's from philly?
For some of them, either the master tapes no longer exist (i.e. original studios closing, throwing out any and all tapes), or can't be located. For years, Warner Music/Rhino/Atlantic have been sleeping on this material, but in the last few years Warner Jazz in the UK have been coming up with a lot of great compilations, most of which you can find on Dusty Groove. Keep in mind that for years, the perception of funk and soul had always been "what made it big", there was no use for anything obscure unless Bootsy Collins had something to do with it.
Yet read some of the liner notes in those comps. I know one compilation in particular where they pretty much borrowed some of the things I had mentioned about the song. I realize that information essentially becomes "public domain", but when I read it I thought "who in the hell would even care about that?" Maybe I mentioned the song in Wax Poetics (which means yes, the song was BF related), I don't know, but I thought well, that definitely didn't come from their usual staff of writers.
I haven't picked up this new comp, but I will before they completely disappear.
One of his 3 singles on Atlantic was entitled "Philly Horse."
I like this comp.
I sold lots of copies in my store - well done to the strutters responsible...
I particularily liked the fact that the 25 45's left the box half full, so you could squeeeeeeze in some more goodies and take youre packed funk lunch out!
sexy coffe pot too but what is the 3rd?
Exhibit A: Rhino's In Yo'Face series from the 90's, which had the occasional funk obscurity, but basically played to the cheap seats and was probably designed for 70's nostalgists who think funk and disco are the same thing.
Agreed, although In Yo Face Vol. 1/2: The Roots Of Funk (that's Vol. one half, not 1 and 2) was decent.
I remember that volume and thinking they (finally) got it right, although to me that CD wasn't funk's roots so much as it was funk PERIOD. That should have been Vol. 1, right there - none of this "and a half" business.
http://www.theind.com/music.asp
Honestly, I find it a little ironic that people arguing over the liner notes didn't bother to read them more closely - I neither compiled this boxset nor wrote the liner notes. I - along with Dante and Georges (both of whom ended up participating on the set because of a "call for help" I put out on Soul Strut) - only came on board after the songs AND liner notes had been completed.
I wrote the introductory "framing" esay and that's it. It's clearly credited in the liners that the song notes were written by others.
Regarding the vinyl set - I am surprised too that they lack any liner booklet however, my understanding was that the 45 box was meant to be a companion project to the cd set and therefore, probably didn't warrant the additional cost of including liners that would have duped what was already in the cd set.
Regardless, ppl might find the 45 box $$$ but it's with noting that it's 25 repressed 45s with original label AND sleeve art. Tell me the last time ANYONE stepped up like that.
There was also a funk series of CD's (five in total) that was along the same lines. I think one of them had the version of "One Nation Under A Groove" that was from the 12". Years ago I once suggested for them to do a decent Eddie Bo compilation, and I believe this was well before Fuchs gained the rights for the material. The response from Rhino was "that's a bit too obscure for us, and it wouldn't sell". Considering what Rhino, and Warner Jazz in the UK would do a few years later with their comps, I think it's funny.
A tip for you people who are nice and want to make suggestions to labels: don't. Start your own label and do your own thing, unless you're working with a label you can trust and are open to using your ideas.
I think what you wrote is quite valid but it reflects the different market Rhino is going after. For them, something like "What it is" is quite forward thinking and cutting edge even though, for hardcore funk heads, these kind of comps (albeit usually minus the song clearances) were commonplace ten years ago. But for the Rhino consumer for whom The Funk Box was revolutionary (as mundane as it appears to our collected brethren), something like "What it is" would be a natural progression.
I've been really surprised at how many older people have been jazzed on the new set but then I also realize that they're in the demographic that's old enough to remember some of these singles but not young enough to have bought Brainfreeze.
You're right, and I know Rhino has always been that way, but I had hoped, just for a brief moment, they would expose some of those rarities that they had in their vaults. This was a good 10 years ago too, around the time those compilations were released. I saw the great job Ace Records in the UK were doing with licensing songs from other labels, so I thought "why not Rhino?" This was a few years before Rhino became an entity of Warner. Fortunately for Rhino, they have their Rhino Handmade division, and while that still caters to rock, they did release that 4CD box set of Aretha Franklin at the Fillmore. They just came out with the Rufus Harley comp, and the Buddy Guy and Junior Wells reissue I heard was very good too.
Plus, Rhino also released that Atlantic "brothers" and "sisters" comp, which was also a nice change of pace since it covered some of the distributed labels, and the Cotillion stuff from the early 70's which tends to get ignored.
The good thing about these discs is that when Rhino does them, the mastering is top notch, that has always been one of Rhino's trademarks of quality. However, when Warner starts licensing the material to other labels (Collector's Choice, Water, Wounded Bird, Collectables), it's a crap shoot. I have heard that two labels in this list master from vinyl, which is good if there's no better tape source, but sometimes that vinyl transfer is second rate. I would rather trust a reissue from Europe or Japan than a US one, unless it's on a label I can rely on, or know who did the remastering.
I agree with you though, Rhino's target audience is no longer Wild Man Fischer, Gelfite Joe, and Barnes & Barnes. A lot of labels have done what I've wanted to do myself, such as Stones Throw, Ubiquity, and Jazzman. Tuff City/Funky Delicacies have good material, but the compression on all of it makes the music... well, the compression takes away a lot of the music itself, and I'd rather not better. I prefer hunting down an Italian bootleg of the same material.
Eh, what do I know?
Just a thought...
elitist bastard
Seriously, if you set the music free does it enlighten the masses or cheapen the music?
That's me off in the corner hollering "amen."
I'm all about enlightening the masses, even if is some wide-belt Franz Ferdinand fan. I never had much use for the "it can't be any good if more than five people know about it" way of thinking. Hell, even the guys that made the record in the first place wanted to get it out there to as many as possible.
Those who choose the path of enlightenment, will someday find what they seek.
Elitist? Perhaps... though not my intent.
The music has always been free. Most people are just content to accept what is handed to them. They fail to question boundaries and dig beneath the surface. Hey, ya get what ya pay for, kid.
BTW as for raers being played in public spaces. I was in a casino in remote southern oregon a month ago and Little Sister was being played over the PA. I have to admit I was shook.
I don't know which Little Sister cut you heard, but since they had two legitimate hit singles ("Somebody's Watching You" and "You're The One"), would they COUNT as "raer"?
Prolly not... "Stanga" would even be borderline...