Favorite Black Rock groups...anyone?

SurrealistSurrealist 218 Posts
edited March 2009 in Strut Central
Has anyone heard the Next Morning or Warlock albums? And if so, can you share some insight about these Black Rock groups and their music?My fave Black Rock groups, in no particular order are:Scorpion (self-titled eponymous LP..."Wildflower" and "Running From Myself" are my favorite songs from the album)The Relatives (Louisiana funk/rock)The Young Senators (for "Ringing Bells")early Funkadelic, especially "Maggot Brain" LP and also their first albumSan Francisco TKO's "Acid Lady" definitely had a lot of rock in the mix, but there were also non-Black members in the groupBlack MerdaPurple Image

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  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts

  • Wow...

  • I'll go with the obvious.

    Fishbone, Bad Brains, Living Colour, Doug Pinnick from King's X, 24-7 Spyz, Mother's Finest

  • I'm especially interested in Warlock because (correct me if I'm wrong) I remember seeing mention of it in one of those Incredibly Strange Music books, and Phil Most Chill had a picture of the album (along with the Scorpion LP) on his page. Just inquiring because I haven't found a copy of it yet...Thanks in advance

  • Major co-sign for Bad Brains, 24-7 Spyz and Doug Pinnick, a real Texas Black rock hero of mine. Also, the frontman of Orange 9MM, The Slack Republic (from Atlanta), and Matt from Ten Grand (RIP Matt, one of my guitar heroes). The chic in Suffrajett (from NYC?/CHI?) also rocks hard. Caught one of their shows at SXSW '07....

  • djkingottodjkingotto 1,704 Posts

    this is f*cking hilarious!

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    I'll go with the obvious.

    ...and mention that EP by Death, which seems to be the toast of the reissue world lately. The "proto-punk" claim is no joke.

    The Next Morning's album on Calla (reissued on CD on the Sundazed label) is really good...no funk influences at all, just a straight-up hard rock deal.

    Sweet Apple had a worthwhile album on Columbia in 1971.

    There was a band called Xavion, from Memphis, who had a LP on Asylum around 1984 - good, but very mainstream for the time, no punk or new wave touches, just straight-ahead rock that could have been aired on MTV. One Strutter told me that they are gigging around on the Memphis prom and frat-party circuit still.

    And here's some black rock pioneers from the fifties/early sixties...some of these acts went on to be better known as blues performers, and at least one of these men became a minor country star in the '80s (that would be Big Al), but there is no denying the rock (or rockabilly) edge these guys had...besides Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Little Richard, there were:

    - the Duals (black surf duo who recorded for Sue)
    - Don & Dewey
    - Big Al Downing
    - Eddy Clearwater
    - Nat Couty
    - Kid Thomas
    - Ray Sharpe
    - Grover Pruitt
    - Esquerita
    - Barrence Whitfield (okay, he's newer than the rest, but he's been keeping the 1950's black rock sound going since the early eighties)

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    The chic in Suffrajett (from NYC?/CHI?) also rocks hard. Caught one of their shows at SXSW '07....

    They're from Chicago (although I think they may have relocated here from elsewhere).

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    I've never really been able to get much into the Warlock album.

  • NateBizzoNateBizzo 2,328 Posts
    I like Jimi Hendrix!

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    I like Jimi Hendrix!

    That guy that used to play guitar with the Isley Brothers, right?

    What has he gone on to do since?

  • haze25haze25 759 Posts
    I've never really been able to get much into the Warlock album.




    this album is really boring, if you can snag it for 10 or under i'd say do it otherwise hold out, it's nothing special.



    though i remember freaking it out when i found it, the cover b/w the fact it was on the same label as the smith connection lp had me shook.



    peace,xavier

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    I'll go with the obvious.


  • parsecparsec 5,087 Posts
    I've never really been able to get much into the Next Morning album.

  • I like Jimi Hendrix!

    Me too...Jimi was and is my favorite artist of all disciplines...

    My Black Rock supergroup would look like this:

    Conductor: Leroy Mitchison

    Betty Davis, vocals
    Inell Young, vocals
    lead singer of Honeycone, vocals
    Mississippi John Hurt, vocals
    John Lee Hooker, vocals
    James Brown, vocals
    Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Hazel, alternating on lead guitar
    Shuggie Otis, rhythm guitar
    Blind Willie McTell, rhythm guitar
    Memphis Minnie, rhythm guitar
    Bebe McGill, rhythm guitar
    Clyde Stubblefield and Art Blakey, alternating on drums
    Cindy Blackman, drums alternate
    Bootsy Collins on bass
    Me'Shell N'dege Ocello, bass alternate
    Jack McDuff, organ

  • Chuck Berry, lead guitar

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    Pure Hell

    Garland Jeffreys

  • JimsterJimster Cruffiton.etsy.com 6,890 Posts
    I liked the sound on Defunkt's "In America" - not strictly rock, but heavy. Ronnie Drayton, Bill Bickford, Kim Clarke making some noise.
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