Soul Strut 100: # 67 - Curtis Mayfield - Curtis/Live! (1971)
RAJ
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I will slowly be unveiling the Top 100 Soul Strut Related Records as Voted by the Strutters Themselves.
# 67 - Curtis Mayfield - Curtis/Live! (1971)
The list so far:
# 100 - Jr. and His Soulettes - Psychodelic Sounds
# 99 - Sir Joe Quarterman & Free Soul
# 98 - Donny Hathaway - S/T (1971)
# 97 - Bernard Wright - ???Nard
# 96 - Tom Scott - Honeysuckle Breeze
# 95 - People Under the Stairs - Question in the Form of an Answer
# 94 - Harlem River Drive
# 93 - Black Moon - Enta Da Stage
# 92 - Marvin Gaye - Here, My Dear
# 91 - Muddy Waters - Electric Mud
# 90 - Les McCann - Layers
# 89 - Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
# 88 - Leroy Hutson - Hutson (1975)
# 87 - ESG - S/T (1981)
# 86 - Can - Tago Mago
# 85 - Bohannon - Stop & Go
# 84 - WILLIAM DEVAUGHN - Be Thankful For What You Got
# 83 - Power of Zeus - The Gospel According to Zeus
# 82 - Gang Starr - Hard To Earn
# 81 - The J.B.???s - Doing It to Death
# 80 - Parliament - Osmium
# 79 - McNeal & Niles - Thrust
# 78 - The Lafayette Afro Rock Band - Malik
# 77 - Earth, Wind, and Fire (1971)
# 76 - Dr. Dre - The Chronic
# 75 - Black Sabbath (1970)
# 74 - Trap Door / An International Psychedelic Mystery Mix (2006)
# 73 - Bob James - One
# 72 - Matthew Larkin Cassell - Pieces
# 71 - The Beginning Of The End - Funky Nassau
# 70 - Big Bear - Doin??? Thangs
# 69 - Steely Dan - Aja
# 68 - Quasimoto - The Unseen
Please discuss your reactions to this record. The thread will be archived later here.
About
Curtis/Live! is Curtis Mayfield???s first live album, after leaving The Impressions. Originally released in May 1971 as a double LP on Mayfield's Curtom label (distributed through Neil Bogart's Buddah Records), the album's twelve tracks (track listing below is from the 2000 Rhino reissue, which includes two bonus tracks) ??? along with Mayfield's interstitial raps on the politics of the day ??? were recorded at Paul Colby's Bitter End nightclub in New York City. According to John Abbey, who at the beginning of the 1970s was editor of the UK magazine Blues & Soul, Mayfield and his band's first set at a Bitter End date in January 1971 comprised the bulk of the music presented here. Mixed primarily with Eddie Kramer at Electric Lady Studios, the album features Master Henry Gibson playing percussion, Craig McMullen on rhythm guitar, Joseph "Lucky" Scott on bass, and Tyrone McCullen on drums.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtis/Live!
Related Threads
I love that part on Curtis / LIVE! when???
TOP 5 CURTIS MAYFIELD (SOLO ONLY PLAESE)
Curtis Mayfield Productions
Media
# 67 - Curtis Mayfield - Curtis/Live! (1971)
The list so far:
# 100 - Jr. and His Soulettes - Psychodelic Sounds
# 99 - Sir Joe Quarterman & Free Soul
# 98 - Donny Hathaway - S/T (1971)
# 97 - Bernard Wright - ???Nard
# 96 - Tom Scott - Honeysuckle Breeze
# 95 - People Under the Stairs - Question in the Form of an Answer
# 94 - Harlem River Drive
# 93 - Black Moon - Enta Da Stage
# 92 - Marvin Gaye - Here, My Dear
# 91 - Muddy Waters - Electric Mud
# 90 - Les McCann - Layers
# 89 - Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
# 88 - Leroy Hutson - Hutson (1975)
# 87 - ESG - S/T (1981)
# 86 - Can - Tago Mago
# 85 - Bohannon - Stop & Go
# 84 - WILLIAM DEVAUGHN - Be Thankful For What You Got
# 83 - Power of Zeus - The Gospel According to Zeus
# 82 - Gang Starr - Hard To Earn
# 81 - The J.B.???s - Doing It to Death
# 80 - Parliament - Osmium
# 79 - McNeal & Niles - Thrust
# 78 - The Lafayette Afro Rock Band - Malik
# 77 - Earth, Wind, and Fire (1971)
# 76 - Dr. Dre - The Chronic
# 75 - Black Sabbath (1970)
# 74 - Trap Door / An International Psychedelic Mystery Mix (2006)
# 73 - Bob James - One
# 72 - Matthew Larkin Cassell - Pieces
# 71 - The Beginning Of The End - Funky Nassau
# 70 - Big Bear - Doin??? Thangs
# 69 - Steely Dan - Aja
# 68 - Quasimoto - The Unseen
Please discuss your reactions to this record. The thread will be archived later here.
About
Curtis/Live! is Curtis Mayfield???s first live album, after leaving The Impressions. Originally released in May 1971 as a double LP on Mayfield's Curtom label (distributed through Neil Bogart's Buddah Records), the album's twelve tracks (track listing below is from the 2000 Rhino reissue, which includes two bonus tracks) ??? along with Mayfield's interstitial raps on the politics of the day ??? were recorded at Paul Colby's Bitter End nightclub in New York City. According to John Abbey, who at the beginning of the 1970s was editor of the UK magazine Blues & Soul, Mayfield and his band's first set at a Bitter End date in January 1971 comprised the bulk of the music presented here. Mixed primarily with Eddie Kramer at Electric Lady Studios, the album features Master Henry Gibson playing percussion, Craig McMullen on rhythm guitar, Joseph "Lucky" Scott on bass, and Tyrone McCullen on drums.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtis/Live!
Related Threads
I love that part on Curtis / LIVE! when???
TOP 5 CURTIS MAYFIELD (SOLO ONLY PLAESE)
Curtis Mayfield Productions
Media
Comments
"Crowd participation" - that's the key.
The great thing about live soul albums is that the crowd is almost as essential as the band itself. On Curtis/Live!, the audience at the Bitter End in NYC is hanging on Curtis' every word and reacting at the right times. Especially on "Stone Junkie," where the crowd laughs knowingly, as if Curtis is referring to someone in the room.
Always considered this album of a piece with Bill Withers Live At Carnegie Hall and Donny Hathaway's Live, all of which were recorded around the same time (1971-72) and represents a time when soul music was maturing without sounding bland.
"Shoulda been number one to me"
jonny's right; i demand a recount.
batmon, there's a rhino version from 2000 remastered with bonus tracks
"Exact miniature replica of the LP, limited edition 1,500 copies. Recorded live at NYC's Bitter End in 1971, this is the Curtis album. It just doesn't get any better than this. Includes 'Stone Junkie,' 'People Get Ready' and 'If There's A Hell Below, We're All Gonna Go.' 24 bit digitally remastered. Sunspots. 2002. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title."
Yep. From all the photos I've seen of the Bitter End, the back wall was solid exposed brick. And from the sound quality, I'd guess the floors were straight wood. I can only surmise what the audience was like. Probably a mix of young black concertgoers and white hippies. All chanting "stone junkie, stone, stone junkie..."
As I said in an earlier thread, Curtis attempted the crowd-participation bit a year later on a "Stone Junkie" remake that appeared on Newport In New York '72, a various-artists live LP on Cobblestone. It didn't quite come off that time, but that wasn't Curtis' fault, necessarily. There's a world of difference between an intimate folk-rock/comedy joint vs. a large outdoor venue.
Want List.
Which spot do u think is larger, The Bitter End or the place he appeared in Superfly?
Which seemed like a lounge/bar/restaurant in Harlem - Scatter's
I don't much about this stuff but I think recording a live lp is very tricky.
My guess it is much easier asking Bernard Purdie to do a 100th take than to get the sound right on a live first take.
One of the tricks that the producer/engineer pulled off on this recording was getting the crowd right.
Too many live recordings do a poor job balancing the crowd.
Too often the crowd is either annoying white noise or one loud mouth clapping off beat next to the mic.
I would love to hear some of struts nerdy engineer, production, studio nerds talk about the sound that they got on Curtis/Live.
One reason that this record probably sounds so good is that it was recorded using the Fedco Audio Labs remote truck, which is one of the most renowned remote recording units in popular music. Everyone from The Doors to Peter Frampton to Bette Midler used them, and often with Eddie Kramer as the producer who of course produced a number of Mayfield recordings including this one. It wasn't like someone threw up some mics and happened to get magic, they (including Curtis of course) knew what they were doing. It's just too bad that seemingly every interview with Eddie Kramer seems on his work with Hendrix and Led Zep, he has worked on so many great records it's kind of mind-boggling.
Having never been to the Bitter End, I'm guessing that it was roughly the same size as the lounge where Curtis gigged in that movie.
Just big enough that it's not a sardine can, but just small enough that you could almost reach out and touch the stage.
New York Strutters: does anyone know if the Bitter End is still in the same spot as when Curtis and Donny recorded there? I know they closed and reopened a few times...
Having never been to the Bitter End, I'm guessing that it was roughly the same size as the lounge where Curtis gigged in that movie.
Just big enough that it's not a sardine can, but just small enough that you could almost reach out and touch the stage.
New York Strutters: does anyone know if the Bitter End is still in the same spot as when Curtis and Donny recorded there? I know they closed and reopened a few times...
As far as I know The Bitter End has been at that location since the early 1960's. It's changed names once or twice but always been that location on Bleecker Street.
Yessir.
Fwiw, Batmon, it's not too hard to find this if you need it, and it's cheap, too!
http://www.discogs.com/Curtis-Mayfield-Curtis-Live/release/699012
Thanx bro,
i already own the vinyl reissue.
Fun fact: Curtis' bassist Lucky Scott is the nephew of Sam Gooden of the Impressions. Sam hooked him up with the Curtis gig and even bought him the Fender bass that he plays on most of the albums, including this one. Lucky was also an aspiring producer who did some session work for Curtom Records. Most of y'all probably know the second Rasputin Stash album "The devil made me do it", released on the Curtom subsidiary Gemigo Records ... that album was Lucky's baby.