Betty Davis

after reading the allmusic bio, i wonder if anyone's heard the "aborted 1979 session" recordings?

http://s51.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2FCY7BBKG003C2K2NVNRJNDH2F

The track Crashin' From Passion's good too, actually, in a manic kind of way.

second time I heard it at a party with a roomful of people screaming along and it was unfuckwithable

haha maybe this was my problem! I will play it again, gear.

When I edited Mean magazine for 9 months in '99-00 (or whenever it was), I managed to track her down via her lawyer but she wouldn't talk. The Mojo piece was... Well, she talked but she didn't say anything, either because she can't remember or she thinks it improper to talk about some stuff. (or, giving her the benefit of the doubt, there really is nothing to say...) My feeling is there's a lot more there than she's letting on, and any woman who was at/near the nexus point between Hendrix and Miles Davis, when they were at (or nearing) creative peaks, who apparently singlehandedly moved Miles into fusion/rock/what-have-you, has got to have something insightful to relay. Add that she made three pretty amazing, pretty hardcore records in a row, well.... Ay yi yi!

I'm In Love With Betty Davis

Two interesting tidbits:

"While Miles was working on Bitches Brew, Davis cut an album with a dream-team band consisting of Wayne Shorter and Tony Williams from Miles' band with Miles producing, and Billy Cox and Mitch Mitchell. Afraid of Betty's success, Miles insisted the album be shelved."

Who knows if that will ever see the light of day.

Also, Talkin' Trash: The Definitive Betty Davis was supposed to come out a long time ago on Aztec Music, but I haven't seen anything.

You can laugh at me, but it seems to me that everything that is so raunchy and nasty about Led Zeppelin...this is the female funky equivalent of that. Fucking amazing.

Also thanks to Geir for posting the sleeve of Bette Davis Eyes...it's totally unrelated to this thread, of course, but it was like my favourite single in the world when I was 9 years old or whatever and seeing that sleeve again makes me feel real nice. I remember how disappointed I was when it got bumped off the #1 slot on Kasey Casem's Billboard Top 40 countdown.

Betty Davis "Anti Love Song" - where has this woman been all my life?? Really? Where the hell has her music BEEN all my life?

She out cools Curtis Mayfield. And this is not easy to do.

One random line from Bette Davis in All About Eve rocks out harder, is funkier, is more soulful, etc. than anything on these awful Betty Davis albums.

P.S. "Bette Davis Eyes" is better too.

Stand by...my bullshit metre is picking up signals...

Article about Madamoiselle Mabry in today's San Francisco chronicle, including her "only interview":
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/18/DDGS7PS9F61.DTL&type=movies

and the salient part:

As he began the bold experiments that would transform black music, Miles Davis put full trust in her ears. Then he took the helm to record her in what may be one of the greatest lost albums.

Her sensibility, she says, was "rock-oriented" and "progressive." Backed by an all-star lineup of Wayne Shorter, Billy Cox, John McLaughlin, Mike Shrieve and Tony Williams and produced by Teo Macero, she recorded a long version of Cream's "Politician" and at least one other side of songs. Was her record the missing link between "In a Silent Way" and "Bitches Brew"? We may never know. Columbia Records, at what is widely believed to have been at Miles Davis' request, shelved the tapes.

Those are tapes I would very much like to hear.

You're trying to get me to off myself aren't you?

Got the reissues in Friday's mail. Left 'em in the office, but the debut seemed pretty good (better than Chuck described above, but not by that much) on first listen.

You're trying to get me to off myself aren't you?

I read this as: You're trying to get me off to myself aren't you? Which given the shite subject of this thread would make sense.

Hmm...well don't read threads about subjects you think are shite, then.

Quite the opposite. It's called the strength of weak ties. Hop on a thread about a shite artist to find out what your ears/ass got wrong.

But in this instance, I didn't learn anything my ears/ass didn't already know. Look, I'm sorry for being so snarky but I was really taken in by the hype on Ms. Davis and got Room Temperature Mama in return. She reads much much much better than she sounds.

Okay, but it's not my fault that something is wrong with your ears.

No, it's Betty's.

it's so funny that the people that don't like betty are so fucking wrong. like, what is the rest of your life like? do you only drink herbal tea, ride a recumbent bicycle, carry a man-purse?

Yes, you're absolutely right. Only don't read the Funkadelic poll thread else you'll lose your illusion.

Cred appeal: Sex funk.
Reference: Funkadelic.
Purpose: Assert authority of opinion, re:Betty Davis.
Status: Pending.

these records are great, kinda surprised any funk fan would find something to dislike about them

Neil Schon never played better in his life!

"Any funk fan" "Neil Schon" "Any funk fan" "Neil Schon" "Any funk fan" "Neil Schon" Keep repeating "Any funk fan" "Neil Schon" Soon the surprise will dissipate "Any funk fan" "Neil Schon"

his playing on the first Betty album is great, certainly as sharp and funky as a lot of contemporary shit-hot funk lead guitarists like the Isleys or Graham Central Station. He doesn't approach Eddie Hazel-heights of weirdness but few do.

I mean what do find so awful about these albums? Be specific.

Cuz to me they combine the best of a lot of other funk bands in a really tight and unique way - Sly Stone plus Funkadelic plus a woman who can out-shriek and growl Parlet and the Brides combined

Chuck said it all above so I doubt I could add anything really compelling to his argument. In the absence of hooks, song structure, and a great (hell, even a decent) voice, these songs needed to be waaaaaaaaaay sharper and funkier than they are for them to work. Out-shrieking and growling Parlet and the Brides is hardly a recommendation because their albums are bad too (though not as bad as Davis'). And Sly Stone plus Funkadelic = Parliament and I'll take Trombipulation over any of these.

Also, I'm with Chuck re: the backstory which really is a great one. But I fear these are records people want to be better than they actually are. I want them to be too.

Not sure what I Eat Cannibals is getting at upthread but I think he's saying that I need to reference a much less "mainstream" group than Funkadelic to establish my Betty-bashing authority. I hope I got that wrong, tough, cuz it's an absurd premise.

And fwiw, I don't even know what a recumbent bicycle is.

Actually I didn't know what it was, either, but here's the wiki on it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recumbent_bicycle

Actually, I wish I still had a copy of Never Buy Texas From A Cowboy.

But yeah, people are pretty clear up thread about why they have misgivings about Betty Davis despite the fact that she dresses really cool. It'd be nice if her hardcore defenders here actually addressed, say, her mediocre singing voice and lack of decent tunes instead of simply dismissing those who are more ambivalent about her as "so fucking wrong." (I don't think anybody has said that they didn't want to like her. That'd be nuts.)

I can see why folks say the first album is better, though. The second one is a bit low-key at times when that's exactly what I don't want. I haven't heard the third one yet.

Complaining about lack of tunes seems weird to me, though - The Fall don't need tunes, Can don't need tunes...

...because they have other compensating features, e.g. Mark E. Smith and funk-as-puck gooves in The Fall's case and in Can's case...well, I'm no lover (would prolly flunk your Tago Mago test Bimble) but Ege Bamyasi (I think) contains several tracks funkier than anything on the Davis discs. Plus their Pink Floyd-James Brown fusion is more interesting to ponder, talk about at parties, etc.

grooves too

yeah I don't get that criticism either - does James Brown have "tunes"? These songs are about polyrhythmic vamping (and the actual polyrhythms are just insanely tight). I'll grant that she doesn't have a traditionally "good" singing voice but I don't get that as a criticism either - she's not singing showtunes, she's presenting this aggro, sexed-up persona and her voice reflects that perfectly - its composed of all the essential vocal tics from Sly, James Brown, etc. but twisted along her own feminine lines. I didn't know vocal range was a prerequisite for women in funk - I do think of her more like a female James Brown, leading the band with her own idiosyncratic grunts and sqwuaks and sheer force of ego/personality, while the backing band cuts the shit out of what are essentially minimalist, rhythmic experiments. Personally I can't think of a better acid-funk combo than Pete Cosey's wah-wah'd chords over that stomping drum lick in "Shoop B Doop and Cop Him" (which chuck thinks is worse than its title! so whatever)

(and Kevin deferring to chuck's opinion about what is funky = weak! sorry but have you actually heard chuck ramble on about how funky various shitty 70s buttrock bands are? cuz it gets old real quick)

a female James Brown

Wow.

Her voice sounds thin, like I said. (Nobody said anything about wanting her to do show tunes.) And she doesn't vamp all that well either (well, her voice doesn't.) And believe it or not, some funk songs are catchier than other funk songs. Not really that difficult a concept to grasp, I woudln't think.

And honestly, does she even use her voice as a rhythm instrument all that much? That's what James Brown and Mark E Smith and great rappers do (and some Fall songs are catchier than other Fall songs, too, by the way, and not all Can songs are as catchy as, say, "I'm So Green.") If anything, her singing generally seems oblivious to the rhythm.

But again, I basically like her. Hell, she has an album in my heavy metal book (which nobody ever complained about, strangely.) She was obviously an original, which counts for a lot, and she clearly had a badass sense of humor. All I'm saying (and a few people are saying above) is that her songs fall short of her hype, and her hair, and Nona Hendryx.

then why do you present your complaints as being about the music, if what you're really upset about is the hype?

James Brown ref is in terms of her relation to the band and the music - as a leader that doesn't play an instrument, yet nevertheless is the music's clear center.

honestly I don't give a shit about hype in relation to anybody. I'd heard her stuff WAY before I saw anything written about her (she merits about a paragraph in Miles' autobio, for example, and her music isn't mentioned at all)

but, y'know, way to be disappointed in other people getting excited about something they haven't been able to hear before

well, I think her voice *is* thin, I think some of the songs are a bit thin lyrically outside of good phrase (or just song title). However, these records really groove. I don't know; it's possible relating to the musicians helps here? the band really sounds good behind Davis, very tight, and they *are* funky (tho not Meters funky, or James Brown funky -- but I still think most of the beats and riffs here would sound just fine on Osmium or Cosmic Slop). I mean, on a desert island, I still take my Funkadelic records first, but then Funkadelic is one of my favorite bands. Betty Davis records are just good, hard, very little bullshit funk.

and Kevin deferring to chuck's opinion about what is funky = weak!

O Prunella! Trotting out authenticity to gauge the authority of someone's response is the weakest argument of all.

Look, I wasn't deferring to Chuck's opinion and you know that. We merely share the same opinion on Betty Davis and I didn't have anything compelling to add to his argument. (For what it's worth, which is obviously very little on this thread, I cannot stand 70% of the records in Chuck's metal book so I'm definitely not in the habit of deferring to his opinion, esp. after wasting money on one too many Bang and Mountain records.)

And part of the hype that Chuck (and oh so inauthentic me) are referring to isn't just the Miles/Jimi/women in funk thang; it's simply the hype that these are great records (as opposed to Dominique's much more reasoned and hence infinitely more persuasive "good, hard, very little bullshit funk").

Finally, I have no clue what this means:

way to be disappointed in other people getting excited about something they haven't been able to hear before

Who hasn't been able to hear these records?

Who hasn't been able to hear these records?

-- Kevin John Bozelka, Tuesday, May 22, 2007 2:44 AM (7 minutes ago)

They were reissued for a reason.

They were reissued for a reason.

Oh come on. I found a CD of They Say I'm Different in Chicago (where I didn't live at the time) about 5 years ago. And her stuff has been on slsk (and elsewhere, I'm sure) for eons. These are hardly lost albums.

"Not sure what I Eat Cannibals is getting at upthread but I think he's saying that I need to reference a much less "mainstream" group than Funkadelic to establish my Betty-bashing authority. I hope I got that wrong, tough, cuz it's an absurd premise."

Check out my opinions in the Funkadelic thread! That'll prove I don't have a man purse or ride a recumbent bike!

It was a cred appeal.

And what I like about the first album (I've been disappointed by her others) is the incredible depth of the rhythm section. Yeah, her voice is thin, but I like the aggressive come-ons, and I think they hold up better from the first album than on any others. C'mon, Anti-Love Song is a fucking jam.
I'll also say that this is not an album well-served by mp3 encoding and small speakers. You do lose a lot of the bass tone that way (at least the copies I found on SLSK).

OK gotcha.

i have just downloaded "they say i'm different", and now i wish i hadn't read this thread before giving it a listen. boo.

boo to who/what, exactly?

'dedicated to the press' is a killer tune

oh, just boo to seeing so many different responses to her stuff, and possibly having that color my reaction. i like to have fresh ears. though that doesn't happen all that much to me, in reality. and regardless, i just gave it a listen and i quite like it on first reaction. it's pretty ballsy (ovaries-y?). agreed on the no bullshit funk thing upthread.

"her voice is thin"

This particular criticism just bugs me. I don't fucking need her to sound like Tina Turner to accomplish what she so clearly does, here. The quality of her voice is not the centerpiece and it doesn't need to be. "Steppin In Her I. Miller Shoes" is a rather rock and roll track, despite its funkiness, and there's no special need for her voice to have a soulful quality. In doing what she does, she reminds me of some of my favourite white male rock stars, i.e. Roger Daltrey or even Iggy Pop. Howls and screams.

And Nona Hendryx has always bored me to tears, but hey, different strokes for different folks.

I USED TO BEAT HIM WITH A TURQUOISE CHAIN

ballsy (ovaries-y?)

I've made an executive decision, and in these instances, every single time now, we all must say "huevos". Sorry, it just makes sense.

actually, i prefer "cojones".

In doing what she does, she reminds me of some of my favourite white male rock stars, i.e. Roger Daltrey or even Iggy Pop. Howls and screams.

My reaction exactly, though I hear Steven Tyler and Faces-era Rod Stewart and other, even more blackface-y white blooze shouters. Which is kinda the problem I have with her - she sounds like a black chick who's internalized white hard rockers' nut-clutching, overwrought imitations of black male vocalists. Which is fine, but kinda funny. And it takes nothing away from the music, which is pretty uniformly great, at least on the debut. (I haven't listened to They Say all the way through yet.)

dedicated to the press' is a killer tune

-- stevie, Monday, May 28, 2007 8:04 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Link

You got that right! BASS GUITAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She's a freakin' PANTHER on that shit. Prince should be embarrassed, etc.

cf. complaints about her voice, she makes some amazing high note swoops right at the end very of that song ("you swing high, you swing lowOOOOO[impossibly high squeal] - here I go again"]

i love betty davis.

if you guys really like her, find the album ameoba cleansing syndrome by joi, which was made in the mid 90s with fishbone. its one of the best funk rock albums of the last 30 years. jois really into betty davis too.

did that ever get released? i've always wanted to hear it...

not officially. but its on her site for $30. its worth getting. although i think theres two versions out there with diff tracklistings. not sure which one is on her site.

ooh, do you have a link?

$30? who does she think she is, Marissa Merchant?

I only have a 128 kbpr version that I dled from someplace, but it's TOTALLY worth $30. And it does actually have a Betty Davis cover on it (If I'm in Luck, I Just Might Get Picked Up.)

no link... i have it on cd somewhere but i dont know where. its brilliant though. theres one track from it on jois myspace, the very first song. and it fucking KILLS.

joining this funky thing late, but I gotta say I hear the Shuggie Otis Effect at work here, like I bought that Otis reissue w/ the shoutouts from the usual archivist musician hipster guides we all need. I sorta liked the instrumentals in a sub-SlyRiotway and it was nice to have his own version of Strawberry. but actually the Bros Johnson did it way better, their big psychedelic break in the middle is a funk landmark. Betty Davis was a cool figure, I guess, with connections, and I do like a lot of the music, because I have fairly low standards for funky shit such as this--I even like the Miracles record that came after the great City of Angels. but it's not great or anything and she wasn't all that great--if she looked like Phoebe Snow and was married to, like, Harry Chapin and not Miles, then I might perk my head up. but hell, I'll probably buy the reissues even though I have most of the great tracks you could get for years, burned from the vinyl.

haha I don't think I ever bothered to listen to that whole Shuggie album... I'm more of a Johnny fan.

http://www.mp3rockabilly.com/ac501p10.jpg

o yeah

WTF is that instrument?

I gotta say I hear the Shuggie Otis Effect at work here

Big time OTM. Heard Shuggie again a few days ago in the background at a small get together which is where his shit belongs. Inoffensive, serviceable. I didn't even mind when it played twice in a row. But soooo not great, sooo not anything to get exercised about.

Same with Ms. Davis. I can imagine a DJ dropping one of her tracks in a mix and wowing me for those several minutes. But no one on the dancefloor would remember it the next day.

And I still say the original Bette Davis kicks Betty to all kinds of curb.

hmmm, gotta say I disagree about Shuggie -- I still find Inspiration Information to be pretty awesome overall. A beautiful, enveloping, warm record that might be comparable to Sly or Stevie Wonder, but really exists in its own universe. But I can see how it (and Betty Davis' records) might be somewhat overrated these days, simply because they went unnoticed for so long. There's definitely a desire amongst critics to be all like "This is the greatest record you've NEVER heard!" But that doesn't mean those records aren't great anyway.

who gives a shit about press hyperbole

shuggie was brilliant (for one album at least), betty was brilliant over the course of a few albums. she might not be labelle or whoever but she occupies her only entirely unique little space in 70s funk/soul that i dont think any other female artist really did so deserves a bit of fame/respect. its not like shes that well known even after these reissues is she? and its not like shes being championed for obscuritys sake IMO, her records really ARE just plain great. a friend of mine who gave me jois 2nd album about ten years ago put betty davis on the b side of the tape and ive always wondered why she was never bigger, considering the miles davis connection.

Labelle's pretty flat and boring next to Betty, imho

the nightbirds album is good though... im trying to think of a female artist to compare betty to from that period.

yeah I have Nightbirds and its not bad - I'm not knockin Labelle, I like them fine, but Betty was way harder than they were.

and Nona Hendryx from Labelle is cited upthread, but her stuff is AFTER Betty. I don't think Betty really had any contemporaries - ie, strong tight female funkstress writing her own material and directing her own career.

i need to investigate 70s tina turner but betty reminds me of her stuff with ike a fair bit.

also have you guys heard the first mothers finest album?

matos be hatin'
http://www.slate.com/id/2167827/

as someone who doesn't have a real firm opinion on ms. davis (altho i certainly think the little i've heard is ok), the article reads a bit like your real target is the obscuro record geek, and poor betty is just a vehicle for that. is that an unfair take, matos?

I don't think it's unfair in the least. Matos be right. He got down to musical specifics and really nailed it re: the voice. Not just awful (big whoop) but unconvincing, as if she were giggling coquetteishly behind that turquoise chain (or whatever the hell it is). Plus the obscuro record geek SHOULD be targeted. Not everyone gets buckets of free CDs and if Matos can save one customer service representative from spending their barely-existent-anyway discretionary income on these over-hyped thangs, then target away baby!

Only misstep is the Journey bashing. Steve Perry can take Ms. They Say She's Different But Yo She So Ain't to church.

i meant is my sensing a not-so-hidden agenda in his review fair or not, not if his review of betty is fair or not (tho i do think it reads a bit unfair, but i'm still forming an opinion of her music so maybe i'll end up agreeing with him one day)

"She consistently over-gesticulated, zoomed around her minute range freely but with little real control, and growled and roared with a wearying constancy, even when she toned down the volume ... Davis often ignored the beat entirely."

wow. i've never read a better elucidation of what made betty davis such a tremendous vocalist. it could easily apply to albert ayler, or bob dylan, or keiji haino. obviously, matos was using that to make the opposite argument, but ultimately that's beside the point.

if Matos can save one customer service representative from spending their barely-existent-anyway discretionary income on these over-hyped thangs, then target away baby!

if only!
http://static.sky.com/images/pictures/1329853.jpg

i meant is my sensing a not-so-hidden agenda in his review fair or not, not if his review of betty is fair or no

What's the difference?

it could easily apply to albert ayler, or bob dylan, or keiji haino.

Yeah but you're forgetting convincing which apply to Ayler and Dylan (don't know Haino well enough to comment).

P.S. Everyone CSR I suggested M.I.A.'s debut to adored it.

Everyone = Every

Why lost funk queen Betty Davis doesn't live up to the hype.

...because i need 500 words by tomorrow morning.

btw i'll expect complete lists of records KJB and matos like so we can point out massive hypocrisy re: vocals. thanks.

that review is very unfair. heard this album this week for the first time in years and its even better than i remember it. and considering no one really knows betty, condemning it for not living up to the hype when the hype isnt actually that big in the first place seems a bit bizarre.

fair enough if someone hates the way 'lost classics' are revered just for being old and obscure but betty is one of those occasions where it wasnt obscure because it was shit, but for other reasons.

Great article, Matos! After fighting with a friend a few days ago about why her voice sucked - and listening to him insisting that "it's the funk that matters" – I feel vindicated.

(Those two albums aren't bad at all, just quite ok)

'Game Is My Middle Name' kinda owns.

'In the Meantime' is pretty sweet too axshully.

Why should the hype not fit into a piece about Davis? As if the hype isn't part of the context that she's being heard in, and as if it doesn't have a lot to do with how her reissue is being marketed. (Just like any other record, for crissakes). And as if talking honestly about the hype prevents somebody from also talking honestly about the music (which Matos did, in that piece, in more detail than anybody else I've read has done.)

Personally, I like her more than Esquivel, less than Os Mutantes (who were overrated too.)

I also love all this "she's inept therefore she's avant-garde" logic. Hell, you could use it for pretty much any lousy artist ever, couldn't you?

journalists angry about hpe = teh roflz

hi, could someone please explain how "hype" exists for these albums? first time i heard of her was probably someone mentioning her in a funk thread here. i've been listening to her since the last round of bootlegs came out and know about two people who like her. HYPESPLOSION! i sure am a fucking rube.

xp

i just feel like SOME PEOPLE are more pissed about "hype" and "record snobs" than, you know, "the music."

gott punch OTM

journalists in war over cred shockah

(ie "I heard it first and it sucks! You are a sucker for buying the album based on what other journos told you - listen to meeeeeeee")

Horseshit. Matos talks about "the music" more than anybody on this thread has.

that article's about the music just as much as the (equally long) ones in Wax Poetics and the Chronicle

actually wait no those other two articles (from THE HYPE MACHINEtm I assume) are longer

I guess I'm always surprised/disappointed when journos feel the need to spend their talents talking about things they don't like. Why discourage other people's enjoyment, is there not enough out there that you DO like to write about?

Why shouldn't journos just write about records that are interesting to write about, whether they like them or not?

Actually, come to think of it, though, that Incredible Bongo Band reissue last year didn't really live up to its hype, either. And I'm pretty sure Matos fell for that one lock, stock, and barrel. So we're all susceptible (me included). Plus, duh, we don't all have the same ears (or nervous systems). But that doesn't make Matos's Davis piece any less valid.

Because it's our job to explain why something sucks?

(xpost)

xp: (And I LOVE a few Incredible Bongo Band tracks, by the way. So let's not get into a war about that one too. Just found the reissue disappointing, as a whole.)

I've never heard the Incredible Bongo Band (uh-oh - HYPE FAILURE!) so no worries there

Because it's our job to explain why something sucks?

that's... sad.

I don't understand, Shakey. Why else read criticism? You're the last person I'd expect to advocate advocacy, btw.

I guess I'm always surprised/disappointed when internet people feel the need to spend their talents talking about reviews they don't like. Why discourage other people's enjoyment, is there not enough out there that you DO like to write about?

I also love all this "she's inept therefore she's avant-garde" logic.

I love it too, in general. Love it to pieces. Except, no one here is really saying that about Betty Davis.

I don't understand, Shakey. Why else read criticism? You're the last person I'd expect to advocate advocacy, btw.

you don't know me very well, I guess.

when it comes to criticism (and internet msg boards are a different matter/medium, btw) I prefer to read about things people are excited about. Sometimes it presents an opportunity to share in the excitement/discover something I may enjoy. Negative criticism is usually invested in some sort of War of Aesthetics-type conflict that I don't have any interest in. Maybe that interested me at some point when I was younger, but not anymore...

Should movie reviewers only write about movies they like, too? And what about restaurant critics?

Btw, "hype" is only in the subhed, which I assume Matos didn't write, not in the actual story.

Should movie reviewers only write about movies they like, too? And what about restaurant critics?

sure why not

Negative criticism is usually invested in some sort of War of Aesthetics-type conflict that I don't have any interest in. Maybe that interested me at some point when I was younger, but not anymore...

But the whole point of criticism is to stimulate debate! I rarely agree with my favorite critics.

this sounds like a poptimistic hangover. was the whole rockist thing that much of a cultural revolution in music criticism that folks are afraid to write/read negative reviews?

precisely the kind of War of Aesthetics ref'd above that I have no interest in... I think it comes down to a realization that taking the required either/or position on what an artform should or shouldn't do ultimately just closes me off to various things I might otherwise enjoy, and that isn't really healthy or helpful.

As far as the point of criticism being to stimulate debate, that's a tricky one I'm not sure I agree with - the implication is that some kind of dialectical conflict is required for something to be interesting, that criticism's overarching goal is to set up pro- and con- aesthetic positions, to start arguments. Which I can see as having value as an intellectual exercise (sharpen critical thinking skills and all that, hi Socrates), and enjoyable to the extent that it kills time at work (as it currently is for me here on ILM) - but I am alternately bored/irritated to the extent to which this debate must be had at the expense of the enjoyment of others. If someone likes something I hate for whatever reason, hey whatever at least they've found some joy in the world, who is it hurting, etc. Maybe I'll make fun of it for some laughs (cf DMB thread), but I'm not gonna invest any serious time or emotional energy in focusing on stuff that has no basic appeal to me.

... and I admit this is a complex issue that has a lot of nuances embedded in it, I am making some sweeping generalizations here to which I know there are exceptions...

I'm just surprised is all. You're one of the guys I respect here the most. Given the intelligence of most of your posts (especially on ILX), reading that you're tired of journos needing "to spend their talents talking about things they don't like" made me go wtf, especially when you don't mince words on the political threads.

War of Aesthetics... taking the required either/or position on what an artform should or shouldn't do

How is anybody doing this in relation to Betty Davis, exactly? People are just saying they don't love the record. (And how is loving it any less taking a side in a "War of Aesthetics," whatever that means, than not loving it?)

someone respects me?! what universe is this

politics are one of those complicated nuances I was ref'ing to - obviously I don't have a problem taking (at times strident) political positions, but that is usually a result of a deeply ingrained desire for, y'know, people to stop killing each other and live in peace and harmony and all that "hippie bullshit". And sometimes that overlaps with music/art/whathaveyou in all kinds of ways (for ex. I know xhuhx loves him some Montgomery Gentry, country guys that, based on the POV expressed in their work, I find largely repellant and would never really want to listen to or financially support.)

x-post

xp Also, I think it's pretty clear that most of the people criticizing Betty Davis's music (Matos included) are people for whom she does hold a certain "basic appeal". Her music just doesn't live up to what that appeal leads them to hope for. (I.E., her hair and clothes promise a funkiness her voice can't pull off.)

How is anybody doing this in relation to Betty Davis, exactly?

well, for one example, see Matos' claims about her voice and what it doesn't do (it ignores the beat - what's wrong with ignoring the beat? why should I care if it ignores the beat at all?)

I hold to my original position that what REALLY seems to annoy the Betty haterz is the breathless admiration she's been given by a small cadre of critics and record collectors.

Should movie reviewers only write about movies they like, too? And what about restaurant critics?

sure why not

LOCK THREAD AND/OR BRAINS

xgau:

Betty Davis [Just Sunshine, 1973]
Between her connections (wife of Miles, girlfriend of Jimi) and her concept (autonomous black woman forges metal funk), Betty's got a head start in the hype department. She makes up for these advantages, however, with a forced, narrow voice and a complete absence of riff sense or melodic gift. On the other hand, she--or producer-drummer Greg Errico of the Family Stone--does know a lot about rhythm. Upshot: most overstated comic-book sex since Angelfood McSpade. B-

matos is a 'clown'??? :-O

board beef

Who cares what this guy thinks. Music Reviewers get on my nerves, pretentious college kids with a dictionary and a mouth full of shit.

lolol

oof I dunno about that Angelfood McSpade ref, that's uh... in poor taste at the very least

Upshot: most overstated comic-book sex since Angelfood McSpade. B-

Let the record show that this is the same Robert Christgau who gave Sonic Youth's Grateful Dead tribute album (aka, A Thousand Leaves, aka worse than the album Grandpa released) an A+.

Let the record also show that the witness made the "drinky-drinky" motion.

slow clap.

hahaha from that SoulStrut thread:

The main thing I remember reading by him was a meditation about being nudged back from the brink of suicide by the wonders contained with the Mo Wax Headz box set (yes, I am for real).

hahaha no you are NOT for real, because that's never happened in my life.

I think you should fire off an angry e-mail correcting them

how about a petulant one that wonders why people have to disagree with me in public?

or you could write a mean-spirited kiss-off song and call it "Dedicated to the Internets"

man, i love statler and waldorf. more! more!

you know what my favorite part of Matos' review was? the end!

btw i'll expect complete lists of records KJB and matos like so we can point out massive hypocrisy re: vocals. thanks.

-- GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ, Friday, June 15, 2007 8:44 AM

M.I.A. Hold Steady Moldy Peaches

Should movie reviewers only write about movies they like, too? And what about restaurant critics?

sure why not

LOCK THREAD AND/OR BRAINS

-- Matos W.K

It's not an entirely unreasonable/illogical position. Nobody has enough time to read EVERY review of EVERYTHING that's out there. If critics only wrote about things they liked and IGNORED what they didn't like, then the people who read them would know everything that was worth listening to (ie. EVERYTHING that was written about). Everything else, who cares? it's very existence wouldn't even be acknowledged, we wouldn't have to waste time reading about or even thinking about it, much less listening.

Of course, all of that is based on the assumption that all critics are right all the time (they are, aren't they?), and that their chief function is consumer advocates (they are, aren't they?)

(Also assumes that we all would rather read positive than negative things in general, which isn't always the case. I'd love to live in a world where only good things happen and the newspapers had nothing but good news - who wouldn't? But, shit, Pauline Kael was always so much funnier and just plain fun to read when she was being excessively nasty. And I felt that way even when I disagreed with her, which was frequently. All of my favourite critics, the ones I enjoy reading, I enjoy despite tastes that may differ wildly from mine - I'd guesstimate that Xgau would have no use for 40% of the stuff on my shelves & vice versa.

(And by "critics" I'm referring not only to the actual pros, but also the folks who write not a single word aside from what they post to ILM both at home and at work (when the boss isn't looking).

The Sound of Young America podcast has her first radio interview since the 70's!

http://www.maximumfun.org/blog/2007/06/podcast-tsoya-betty-davis.html

On Amazon's "The Complete On the Corner Sessions" page, there's a video where Michael Henderson talks about Betty and says, "Her tattoo says it all: 'The Ass That Started Fusion'."

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Corner-Sessions-Miles-Davis/dp/B000TLMWMO/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1194565441&sr=8-1

this thread was fucking wack.

Yeah, and I imagine that tat' ain't what it used to be.

i duno how many ppl read the paper matos writes for (not a dig, just a query) but i hope it didnt dissuade anyone from investigating the reissues. cos theyre all brilliant.

Have got myself teh anthology. Like it rather lots. :)

so there's a new album of unreleased material from 1976 on light in the attic. samples sound pretty cool. anyone heard the whole thing? "is it love or desire" is the title.

Does she sing better?

than what?

than me?

i don't know, sing into the screen and let's find out.

I tried it -- I still sing better than she does.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3075/3118060375_dea16d9ceb.jpg

does it really matter whether she can sing like Chaka Khan or not? i mean, who cares? you either dig the sound of her records or you don't. i can take 'em or leave 'em myself (primarily depending on what mood/state of mind i'm in really).

You said, Chaka Khan, not me. As Matos and xhuck said upthread, she can barely hold a tune, and that matters (and I'm a Bernard Sumner fan).

I used to beat him with a turquoise chain!

Ok so Abbott is invited to my dance party. Some of these other folks I dunno about.

Was anyone else underwhelmed by the "new" album? :I

Wow so much hate for Betty Davis on this thread. I always hated people putting too much high expectation on black females voices. More than anyone else, a black woman's voice is the most scrutinized in music IMO. Betty's voice goes well with the music IMO. She mostly plays an attitude driven funk warrior and her voice fits that. Technicality of voice usually doesn't apply in those situations. (Funk and rock as shown examples of this with the male musicians).

I loved discovering Betty Davis. I think her albums are cool and in a way she is a lost treasure because her influence wasn't apparent (if she had any). I really love her second album and have it on vinyl. I always thought Grace Jones was the only bat shit crazy black female artist and glad their was a US born counterpart. (I know Betty was crazy only on stage and not offstage apparently).

It's strange how their are so many male artist who admire her than female. I would like to know how female artists thought of her. It seems like the only person who reminds me of her is Joi. (Who doesn't have her own ILM topic btw. Talk about blasphemy!!!) Plus I heard she did an album with Miles but it got scrapped. Since both have an abrasive tone to her instruments I wonder if that would be interesting or headache inducing to listen to.

Wow so much hate for Betty Davis on this thread.

Sometimes ILM should be IHM.

buncha jerks on this thread

maybe some will have changed their mind on it.

TBF I could imagine someone like xgau in 1973 just drowning in funk records and not thinking much of Betty Davis. I mean like every third record that came out had a funky-as-hell beat so it probably took a little more to impress. And they're not really great records.

dude citing Angelfood McSpade in his review is some fairly indefensible racist garbage. sorry "Dean".

wtf

didn't xgau call Hendrix a psychedelic uncle tom or something? or was that someone else. in his defense, I can see how Betty Davis records could be seen as cartoonish. not a bad thing, in my opinion -- i think they're fun records in that way.

you can call something cartoonish without referencing an explicitly sexist/racist caricature of a horny african tribeswoman in a grass skirt with Black Sambo lips

yes, true.

xgau:

Betty Davis [Just Sunshine, 1973]
Between her connections (wife of Miles, girlfriend of Jimi) and her concept (autonomous black woman forges metal funk), Betty's got a head start in the hype department. She makes up for these advantages, however, with a forced, narrow voice and a complete absence of riff sense or melodic gift. On the other hand, she--or producer-drummer Greg Errico of the Family Stone--does know a lot about rhythm. Upshot: most overstated comic-book sex since Angelfood McSpade. B-

What an arsehole

DUD DUD DUDDY DUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

j/k, love her

im just amazed at the xgau worship when he wrote racist shit like that.

lester bangs had some questionable stuff too ...

im just amazed at the xgau worship when he wrote racist shit like that.

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Thursday, May 6, 2010 4:45 PM (12 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Even without the blatant racism, the guy's a fucking tool who completely sucks at what he does.

Depends on what you think he does.

he annoys bill is what he does!

he's great at that though!

First time I heard Betty Davis was about a year ago when a friend of mine was playing random shit off of her ipod and a Betty track came on, don't know which, and I said "who is this? reminds me of captain beefheart." lol. Have little idea why I said that. Anyway, tracked down those three albums and love all of them, though not for the same reasons I love beefheart obvs.

Anyway, I also know some people I would call friends, who I sometimes suspect of being bigger fans of music critics than they are of any bands that they purport to be fans of. Truth be told, even though these dudes do really exist, they are also strawmen that I invent and attack for having the slightest preference for aesthetics different than my own. Nonetheless, people with more than a summary knowledge of who christgau even is, live on an almost completely different planet than the one in which I inhabit.

Dunno what's racist about that xgau excerpt -- he thinks she's a black cartoon like Angelfood McSpade, big fucking deal. And he's OTM about her sharp rhythmic sense and non-talent for melodies.

OH OK HOW COULD WE MISS THAT

TBF I could imagine someone like xgau in 1973 just drowning in funk records and not thinking much of Betty Davis. I mean like every third record that came out had a funky-as-hell beat so it probably took a little more to impress.

ding ding

he thinks she's a black cartoon like Angelfood McSpade, big fucking deal

He PRAISES her for it. would you be cool with critics praising Li'l Wayne for bein a Li'l Black Sambo?

Bette Davis has more in common with McSpade than Lil Wayne does with Sambo! The comparison doesn't work.

"man Louis Armstrong, he can't really sing but I sure love the way he fits my favorite racist stereotype"

all that shuffling and smiling, just awesome!

seriously Alfred wtf

She's pretty good at being a dumb Robert Crumb cartoon -- that's what he saying. I find Adam Lambert a pretty decent minstrel.

i think betty davis sucks too btw, just throwing that out there. She ruins some decent productions with her weak voice.

Someone sum this thread up with a "FFFFUUUUUUUU" cartoon please

Kind of weird that the "Critic" would pick up on her fitting a stereotype, but slam her music. In his autobiography, Miles says how he respected guys like Armstrong but hated how they played to white audiences by grinning and shucking and jiving and shit. So he tried to keep it all about the music. Strange that his wife would be praised for just the opposite, but then consider the source of the "critique".

She's pretty good at being a dumb Robert Crumb cartoon -- that's what he saying.

I'm aware that's what he's saying. that's the problem.

I'm aware that's what he's saying. that's the problem.

Well, fine, but I don't find it "racist."

Strange that his wife would be praised for just the opposite, but then consider the source of the "critique".

We're talking about a woman who sings amelodically about kinky sex, right?

Well, fine, but I don't find it "racist."

in general, a white guy telling a black person they are an excellent example of an offensive stereotype is kinda racist FYI

Er, if you actually listen to Betty Davis' lyrics, they're certainly more complex than that stupid caricature. Yeah, she sings about "kinky sex", but do many other artists. I think she manages to make her subject matter interesting in a way that goes beyond any caricature; and on the second album you have tunes like "Don't Call Her No Tramp" or "70's Blues", which certainly put things in a wider context than just "kinky sex".

I don't hear the complexity, sorry; and her voice doesn't make me want to peer beneath their surfaces.

And yet you are willing to make grand statements what she's all about.

Yes, because I own both albums and listened to them several times.

Betty Davis' lyrics are about taking control of your sexuality, IIRC that Robert Crumb cartoon is about a racist cartoon nympho who has no problem getting raped and abused - even if you don't see the complexity, there's still a big difference between the two.

Fair enough. I'll give'em another shot tonight.

I'm not saying you have to like Betty Davis or find her lyrics compelling in any way... I just wanted to point out that the caricature she is compared to is really quite different from her lyrics, even if they're both about black women who enjoy sex, so you shouldn't be defending that comparison.

Like I said, I'll give'em another shot, but from what I remember the results don't support her intentions. I can't separate lyrics from voice, no matter how pithy the sentiments.

I realized the other day that if an artist puts any kind of dirty/kinky/sexually over-the-top lyrics over really any type of music, I will 99% likely enjoy that song.

not to esp defend r crumb, but angelfood mcspade is a little complicated than just being a racist caricature imho... she's, maybe, a quasi-racist caricature of a racist caricature, one that riffs on the hidden and not so hidden racism of american popular culture like cartoons and comic strips. i'm not sure how that helps lazy old xgau, tho

yeah I know, it's the same with his infamous "nigger hearts" strip - wasn't sure if I wanted to muddy the waters with the issue (is it a parody, or is it an homage? or just more R. Crumb masturbatory material? or all three?) Crumb is tricky. but Xgau's namedrop ref is terrible nonetheless.

http://soundcloud.com/lightintheatticrecords/iggy-pop-zig-zags-if-im-in

Great concept, great vocal performance by Iggy, but man, the backing band sucks.

https://light-in-the-attic.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/release_image/18787/image/large_550_tmp_2F1466791093063-xfnvfdm13h68nxrz-35bf92699ab44f47edb0f8a88686f322_2FLITA135_AlbumCover.jpg
http://lightintheattic.net/releases/2429-the-columbia-years-1968-1969

YES

listening to the clips now, seems more hard R&B than funk, but still interesting

yeah from the clips, i dunno if it really supports the idea that betty was the inspiration behind the bitches brew sound, everything here is pretty straight ahead (though maybe some of it gets more wigged out as the songs progress). but it sounds cool anyway!

this just strikes me as a bit of a stretch: "The concepts explored on these previously unheard sessions fueled concepts that wouldn’t be fully realized until years later with Miles’ seminal On The Corner."

Yeah, hard to tell what just what might eventually happen in these tracks---for 30" excerpts especially, might have been better not to make 'em all the intros. The voice does sound kinda thin, but not tuneless, as some have said upthread. The band sounds stronger right off and all through. Suspect it's not nearly as wild or raunchy as the finished albums may be ---still haven't heard 'em, but I wanna, and this too.

Don't think this page lists release date, but press sheet says July 1.

estimated ship date is 7/11

Heard it yesterday. It's not a lost album - it's demos. And if the personnel listed are really present, you coulda fooled me. The music is semi-generic late '60s soul/funk, so if Herbie Hancock and Larry Young are playing keyboards, they're not given enough room to stretch out; it's impossible to tell it's them. I didn't hear a note of saxophone, either, so where was Wayne, exactly? McLaughlin, though, is in full Jack Johnson mode, which is great, and the rhythm section (Billy Cox and Mitch Mitchell) are as "tightly loose" as they were behind Jimi. Davis's lyrics (on the three songs she wrote) are sketches at best. The cover of Cream's "Politician" is good, the cover of Creedence's "Born On The Bayou" isn't - too Tina Turner-ish by half. And the last three tracks, the ones done with Hugh Masekela in 1968, are just OK in a showbizzy, Vegas-pop kind of way (think Tom Jones). It's good-not-great; there's some studio dialogue from Miles which is intermittently hilarious (he tells her to keep her gum in her mouth when she sings); Betty fans (of which I am not really one, honestly) will almost certainly love it. But the stuff she did later was much more exciting.

Somebody elsewhere said that this was supposed to be the sleeve for the original lp release. Or at least put forward the section that was used by the last poets for their cd release
http://www.matiklarweinart.com/images/gallery/zonked-1971.jpg
I looked it up in the book of Mati Klarwein paintings I have and the book has it dated as 1971 anyway.

Good painting though.

& if it is only demoes anyway I don't know what the story is.

ha, that is a good painting!
yeah, i've heard this whole columbia years thing, and it is not a lost masterpiece, though it's a fun listen -- mclaughlin on "politician" is a total treat.

I still want to hear it and will buy it. Sorry!

oh yeah, definitely worth hearing!

Betty fans (of which I am not really one, honestly) will almost certainly love it. But the stuff she did later was much more exciting.

I am a Betty fan and I agree, tbh.

Posted on tylerw's tumblr: Betty & band live in France, '76, vivid sound, rough & clear enough, strong playing, singing so far (extended intro, good crisp build-up). "Dedicated to Miles Davis"--seems right.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFq69--fb1E

Bunch of her albums on this page too, maybe all.

"Sing it just like that, with the gum in your mouth and all, bitch."

THere was a 76 Betty Davis up on Dime a couple of weeks back. THink it was somewhere in Europe but not sure if it's that France.
ah right it's le Castellet 25/7/76

Absolute classic

Reports on twitter that she has passed away :(

Betty Grey Mabry Davis
July 26, 1945-February 9, 2022
RIP Betty Davis, a multi-talented music influencer, pioneer rock star, singer, songwriter, arranger, model, and fashion icon. From Pittsburgh (Homestead) https://t.co/HwqGXZk3DN

— MF MOCK (@brentinmock) February 9, 2022

RIP

:( RIP
for no apparent reason the phrase "'cause I'm a piece of sugar cane" popped into my head earlier today

The documentary on her - Betty: They Say I'm Different - is streaming on Amazon Prime, btw.

rest well. respect.☮️

Belated RIP to Betty Davis the singer.

I think the first I ever heard of her was through New Kingdom sampling her on their second album

RIP LEGEND

I had no idea. I liked her song F-U-N-K.

RIP.

Light In The Attic Announce Four Career-Spanning Betty Davis Reissues
In Celebration of Betty Davis’ 50-Year Reign As The Queen Of Funk
Out August 25th

Titles Include Davis’ 1973 Self-Titled Debut,
They Say I’m Different, Is It Love Or Desire?,
& First-Ever Davis-Approved Release of Crashin’ From Passion
Listen To Unearthed Single, “Crashin’ From Passion,” Now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1CIsGum6Pw

“When I created the music, I just did it from my heart and from my soul. I didn’t really think about, ‘Well, who’s gonna like this, who isn’t gonna like it?’ I just created the music.” — Betty Davis

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Betty Davis’ self-titled debut — an electrifying artistic statement that launched one of modern music’s most revolutionary figures. To celebrate the visionary singer, songwriter, producer, and fashion icon’s broadly influential career, acclaimed reissue label Light in the Attic is revisiting four essential titles from The Queen of Funk’s catalog: Betty Davis (1973), They Say I’m Different (1974), Is It Love Or Desire? (recorded in 1976, released in 2009), as well as the first-ever vinyl release of Crashin’ From Passion, which captures Davis’ final 1979 sessions. All four tiles were produced in close collaboration with Davis, who sadly passed away in 2022.

Betty Davis, They Say I’m Different, and Crashin’ From Passion were remastered by Dave Cooley at Elysian Masters and pressed on vinyl at Record Technology, Inc. (RTI). For the aforementioned three titles, the accompanying booklets include a treasure trove of rare photos from the era, plus lyrics, and new liner notes by writer, ethnomusicologist, and Davis’ close friend, Danielle Maggio, who integrates interviews that she conducted with Davis, marking her last-ever interviews. They Say I’m Different also includes a fold-out 24x36 poster. Is It Love Or Desire? was remastered by GRAMMY®-nominated engineer John Baldwin and pressed on vinyl at Record Technology, Inc. (RTI). The album includes liner notes from journalist, DJ, and professor Oliver Wang.

Each album will be available on CD, black wax, and in a variety of exclusive color variants. All titles will be released on August 25th. Read below for more information on Davis and the individual albums.

Pre-order Betty Davis Reissues

Listen To Unearthed Single, “Crashin’ From Passion” (from 1979’s Crashin’ From Passion)

Watch Trailer

Far ahead of her time, Queen of Funk Betty Davis (1944 – 2022) defied the limits of gender, race, and genre during her all-too-short career. She innovated with her space-age blend of funk, R&B, and blues and enraptured audiences with her raw and powerful vocals – then shocked (and awed) them with her provocative, sexually liberated lyrics. Unapologetic and independent, Davis smashed glass ceilings with gusto. To count a few, she was among the first Black models to grace the covers of Seventeen and Glamour, while later, she became the first Black woman to write, produce, and arrange her own albums.

When Davis released her self-titled debut in 1973, she was already a force in New York, London, and Los Angeles. She had opened one of NYC’s most vibrant private nightclubs, penned songs for The Chambers Brothers and The Commodores, collaborated with Hugh Masekela, and inspired her then-husband Miles Davis to create the roots for jazz fusion on Bitches Brew. While she received numerous offers from record labels in those early years, Davis also recognized the power of retaining control over her music. Fiercely DIY, she eventually signed a contract with Woodstock organizer Michael Lang’s Just Sunshine imprint, under which she released Betty Davis (1973) and They Say I’m Different (1974). In 1975, she made her major label debut under Island Records with Nasty Gal. Davis would go on to record two more albums—Is It Love Or Desire? and Crashin’ From Passion—both of which remained unreleased for decades.

Often relegated to cult figure status and frequently misunderstood, Davis’ album recording career spanned less than a decade. While her music earned critical acclaim and respect from peers, it was regularly banned or disregarded, due to its sexual nature. As a Black woman in an industry controlled by white men, Davis found herself in a constant battle for creative control, often to the detriment of her career. Never given the chance to succeed commercially, a disillusioned Davis retired from the spotlight in 1980.

From a modern lens, the path that Davis forged can be traced clearly throughout the decades, traversed by those who pushed the needle farther and fought for equality in the industry. Many of music’s brightest stars have counted Davis as an influence, including Prince, Erykah Badu, and Janelle Monae, while rappers like Ice Cube, Method Man, and Talib Kweli have all sampled her work. In recent years, Davis has captured a new generation of fans, thanks to the use of her songs in such series as Mixed-ish, Girlboss, Pistol, and Orange Is the New Black. In 2017, she was the subject of the acclaimed documentary, Betty: They Say I'm Different.

***

Betty Davis (LP, CD, Digital)

Released in 1973, Betty Davis’ self-titled debut served as a bold introduction to the artist, showcasing her futuristic funk, her provocative lyricism, and her utterly unique vocal abilities. Produced by Sly and the Family Stone drummer Greg Errico and recorded in the Bay Area, the album featured a who’s who of local talent, including guitarist Neal Schon (Santana, Journey), keyboardist Merl Saunders, bassist Larry Graham (Sly and the Family Stone), and horn players from Tower of Power. Backing Davis on vocals were the likes of The Pointer Sisters, future disco star Sylvester, and singer-songwriter Kathi McDonald.

“[Davis] screams, squeezes, and stretches her voice in ways that…had never [been] heard before,” writes Maggio, who calls the artist’s vocals “the most shockingly innovative aspect” of the album. Also ahead of its time was Davis’ songwriting, in which her sexuality was front and center. “If I’m In Luck, I Might Get Picked Up” was banned by radio stations for its references to sex work, while “Your Man My Man” extolls the virtues of non-monogamous relationships. Other highlights include the supremely groovy “Game Is My Middle Name,” as well as the empowering and refreshing “Anti-Love Song,” which flips romantic balladry on its head.

Pitchfork praised Betty Davis as “a groundbreaking slab of funk…fus[ing] soul, sex, and hard rock like the best Sly or Funkadelic disc, albeit from a female perspective. But if George Clinton waved his freak flag proudly, Betty Davis wore it as underwear then rubbed your face in it.”

Betty Davis Tracklist:
1. If I’m In Luck I Might Get Picked Up
2. Walkin’ Up The Road
3. Anti Love Song
4. Your Man My Man
5. Ooh Yeah
6. Steppin’ In Her I. Miller Shoes
7. Game Is My Middle Name
8. In the Meantime
9. Come Take Me *
10. You Won’t See Me In The Morning *
11. I Will Take That Ride *

*CD and Digital-Only Bonus Track

Pre-order Betty Davis

They Say I’m Different (LP, CD, Digital)

Giving Ziggy Stardust a run for his money, Betty Davis is transformed into an Afrofuturist superhero on the cover of They Say I’m Different, her 1974 follow-up to Betty Davis. A hero she certainly was, as the album established Davis as the first Black woman to have sole credits as producer, writer, and arranger on her own LP. Recorded in the Bay Area, They Say I’m Different found the North Carolina-born artist exploring her blues roots and assembling nearly an entirely new collection of musicians, including guitarist Buddy Miles (Band of Gypsys), percussionist Pete Escovedo, drummer Mike Clark (Herbie Hancock), and Betty’s cousin, bassist Larry Johnson. Davis also enlisted a fresh line-up of backing vocalists (Trudy Perkins, Elaine Clark, and Debbie Burrell), whom she lovingly christened “The Ladies.”

While They Say I’m Different certainly has plenty of brash, tantalizing moments (“Shoo-B-Doop and Cop Him” and the S&M-themed “He Was a Big Freak,” among them), the album also finds Davis getting more personal with her writing. In the title track, the artist recalls her youth, her family, and such musical heroes as Lightnin’ Hopkins, Bessie Smith, and Muddy Waters. In the moody “70s Blues,” she employs a classic blues song structure, while revealing her vulnerable side, while she channels James Brown in the joyful “Git In There.” Another standout track is “Don’t Call Her No Tramp,” which, Maggio explains, “is directed towards Betty’s ‘haters.’ Instead of shaming women with derogatory labels like ‘tramp’ or ‘dirty,’ Betty argues for terms like ‘elegant hustler.’”

In 2007, The Guardian praised the album as “undoubtedly [Davis’] finest work,” declaring “They Say I’m Different was so far ahead of its time, it’s taken the world 33 years to get ready for it.”

They Say I’m Different Tracklist
1. Shoo-B-Doop And Cop Him
2. He Was a Big Freak
3. Your Mama Wants Ya Back
4. Don’t Call Her No Tramp
5. Git In There
6. They Say I’m Different
7. 70’s Blues
8. Special People
9. He Was A Big Freak (Record Plant Rough Mix) *
10. Don’t Call Her No Tramp (Record Plant Rough Mix) *
11. Git In There (Record Plant Rough Mix) *
12. 70’s Blues (Record Plant Rough Mix) *

*CD and Digital-Only Bonus Track

Pre-order They Say I’m Different

Is It Love Or Desire? (LP, CD, Digital)

Following the release of They Say I’m Different, Davis assembled a touring band comprised of her cousins (drummer Nicky Neal and bassist Larry Johnson) and old friends from North Carolina (guitarist Carlos Morales and keyboardist Fred Mills). Funk House, as they were called, became a fixture in Davis’ life – not only joining her on the road for her thrilling live performances, but also becoming the studio band on her major label debut, Nasty Gal, which Island Records released in 1975. After touring concluded, the band spent a month at Bogalusa, Louisiana’s Studio in the Country to record their follow-up. Bringing in local talent, including the celebrated blues artist Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Davis recorded some of the most expressive songs of her career. As Neal recalls, it was “the best [album] she ever put together.”

Throughout the record, complex arrangements and inventive production techniques keep listeners on their toes, while Davis frequently takes a softer, more soulful approach to her vocals. Among the highlights is the stripped-down “When Romance Says Goodbye” (featuring the artist at a near whisper) and the bluesy “Let’s Get Personal,” in which Davis’ vocals are panned to one side, creating a sense of intimacy with her listeners. Other standout tracks include “Whorey Angel,” a duet between Davis and Mills, the danceable title track, and “Stars Starve, You Know,” an autobiographical number, in which Davis rips into her critics – delivering equal parts sass and vitriol.

Amid creative differences with the label, Davis’ masterpiece was shelved, where it remained unreleased for more than 30 years. First issued by LITA in 2009, the album drew broad praise. PopMatters hailed the LP as Davis’ “career high watermark,” while AllMusic called it “a revelation…Is It Love or Desire? is so forward and so complete, it moves the entire genre toward a new margin.”

Is It Love Or Desire? Tracklist
1. Is It Love Or Desire?
2. It’s So Good
3. Whorey Angel
4. Crashin’ From Passion
5. When Romance Says Goodbye
6. Bottom Of The Barrel
7. Stars Starve, You Know
8. Let’s Get Personal
9. Bar Hoppin’
10. For My Man

Pre-order Is it Love Or Desire?

Crashin’ From Passion (LP, CD)

In 1979, when Betty Davis entered an LA studio to record her fifth and final album, she was reeling from a series of setbacks. Three years earlier, after recording her fourth album, Is It Love Or Desire?, Davis was dropped from her label and the LP was subsequently shelved. In 1978, her beloved band Funk House went their separate ways. Looking for a fresh start, Davis relocated to Hollywood to focus on songwriting. Before long, British manager Simon Lait (Toni Basil), offered to fund her next project.

With renewed vigor, Davis reunited with former Funk House guitarist Carlos Morales and brought together industry veterans like fusion drummer Alphonse Mouzon and session bassist Chuck Rainey. Old friends Anita and Bonnie Pointer (The Pointer Sisters) and Patryce “Choc’let” Banks joined Davis on vocals, as did Motown legend Martha Reeves. The resulting album, Crashin’ From Passion, was her most musically diverse, blending elements of reggae and calypso (“I’ve Danced Before”), jazz (“Hangin’ Out in Hollywood,” “Tell Me a Few Things”), dark synth-pop (“She’s a Woman”), and even disco (“All I Do Is Think of You”). Equally exploratory are Davis’ vocals, as she trades in her signature sass and snarls for more nuanced stylings.

Among the album’s few funk tracks is “Quintessence of Hip,” in which Davis hails musicians like Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday, Stevie Wonder, and John Coltrane, while deftly integrating elements of their work. The song also offers a moment of stark vulnerability, as she sings, “Isn’t rich? Isn’t it queer? Losing my timing so late in my career.” It would prove to be a prophetic line in the months to follow.

The mixing process was mired by artistic differences and then cut short, amid the death of Davis’ beloved father. Bereft and exasperated, Davis returned home for the funeral, setting into motion her retirement from the music industry. Crashin’ From Passion, meanwhile, would be shelved for 15 years and licensed for a CD-only release, without Davis’ consent, in the ‘90s. This 2023 edition of the album, made with Davis’ full approval and cooperation, marks its first official release and first time ever on vinyl. The package was designed by GRAMMY®-winning artist, Masaki Koike, while the album cover features an incredible shot of Betty captured in London in the mid-1970s by renowned photographer Kate Simon.

Crashin’ From Passion Tracklist
1. Quintessence Of Hip
2. She’s A Woman
3. No Good At Falling In Love
4. Tell Me A Few Things
5. I’ve Danced Before
6. You Make Me Feel So Good
7. I Need A Whole Lot Of Love
8. Hangin’ Out In Hollywood
9. All I Do Is Think of You
10. Crashin’ From Passion
11. You Take Me For Granted

Pre-order Crashin’ From Passion

About BettyDavisBold Scholarship Fund:
Established in 2022 in remembrance of the bold talent and infectious spirit of Betty Davis, BettyDavisBold Scholarship is open to youth around the world pursuing careers in entertainment and fine arts fields. The selection process will include the submission of essays, music, and art. Grants will also be awarded to greater Pittsburgh area agencies/organizations that promote and support the arts.

About Light in the Attic:
Since rising to worldwide prominence off the grassroots success with reclusive singer-songwriter Sixto Rodriguez, whose unlikely story of personal triumph received long-overdue worldwide acclaim in the 2012 Academy Award®-winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man, Light in the Attic (LITA) has gone onto earn GRAMMY®-nominations in multiple categories, including Best Historical Album for Native North America (Vol. 1): Aboriginal Folk, Rock, and Country 1966–1985 in 2014 and Kankyō Ongaku: Japanese Ambient, Environmental & New Age Music 1980–1990 in 2019. Their exuberance and dedication to spreading joy through music has propelled LITA through the release of 200+ titles worldwide (from Nancy Sinatra to Donnie & Joe Emerson, Betty Davis to Haruomi Hosono, Karen Dalton to Serge Gainsbourg, and so many more), setting the pace for reissue labels and the archival process.

LITA is co-owned and operated by high school friends Matt Sullivan and Josh Wright. In addition to the label’s acclaimed output, the company also distributes 100+ record labels. In 2010, LITA expanded from their native Seattle, opening an office in Los Angeles, which includes a successful music house focused on licensing for film, television, and advertisements, along with music supervision. LITA also operates a thriving brick-and-mortar record store, Light in the Attic Record Shop, located in Seattle at KEXP’s Gathering Space. For more info, visit LightInTheAttic.net and follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music.

For more information, contact:
Sam McAllister | Pitch Perfect PR – sam at pitchperfectpr.com

oops, here's trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVmq0dWRKoY