Rare Groove suggestions

This said, I think it generally refers to obscure soul/rhythm stuff, library recordings, studio musicians' stuff, and some of the sample-spotter soul music.. there are a number of websites that deal with that stuff - i'm too lazy to look them up, but I don't think its too hard to find..

some classic examples:

aaron neville - hercules
leroy hutson - lucky fellow
Faze-O - riding high
gwen mcrae - 90% of me is you
james mason - sweet power
larry youngs fuel - turn off the lights
betty davis - anti love song
milton wright - keep it up
ramp - everyboy loves the sunshine
william devaughn - be thankful for what you got
timmy thomas - why cant we live together
the blackbyrds - rock creek park
chocolate milk - time machine

Barry white - playing your game, it's ecstasy when you lie down next to me
gwen mcrae (good call bakhtin) - rockin chair
Denise Williams - Free
Bohannon - save their souls
Gwen Guthrie - outside in the rain, seventh heaven
Patrice rushen - forget me nots, when i found you, feel so real (wont let go), softly.
Jean Carne - was that all it was, heartache, early morning love.
Love Unlimited Orchestra - strange games and things
evelyn champagne king - Love come down
rufus and chaka - aint nobody
The fatback band - i found lovin
loose ends - hanging on a string

Just getting deeper into rare groove stuff, any more suggestions would be really appreciated! Can we revive this?

kon & amir's off the track comps/mixes
strange games & funky things comps/mixes
product placement & brainfreeze mixes (there's also comps that have the full versions of the tracks used)

since I'm a drummer, gotta recommend my favorite drummer's solo stuff: Soul Drums, Shaft, and Purdie Good by Bernard Purdie

Yeah, it's kind of a nebulous term. Purdie is a textbook example of what I think of as rare groove, which I guess is more jazz-funk and instrumental based than, say, the Evelyn 'Champagne' King listed upthread. Guys like Ceasar Frazier:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDs55b5zBRE&feature=related

I really got a lot of mileage out of the Blue Note Blue Breakbeats series.

if you listed to a lot of sample-heavy music, look up stuff you like on whosampledwho.com

whoops guess now it's just whosampled.com

Thanks! I'll check out those comps, the BlueNote one sounds great as I've been jonesing for jazzier funk/soul. The sample route has been pretty fruitful (Madlib, Tribe Called Quest, Dilla in particular) but I'm still trying to get my bearings on where to look/how to navigate it all, as I'm pretty new to it all.

jonesing for jazzier funk/soul

Check out The Crusaders (aka Jazz Crusaders), esp Southern Comfort album.

Donald Byrd too

can't go wrong w/Cymande either

Cool, I'll look into the Crusaders. Donald Byrd's great and was actually my recent entry point into all this. I've been listening to lots of everything he and the Mizell Bros touched.

another comp series suggestion: Funk Spectrum on BBE (lots of good rare funky stuff on that label iirc)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSA_5O-FteU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN9FMx98oCc&feature=player_embedded
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI3ksBXIIo0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9rpJr4twp0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l97Jog1wJP0

Soul Brother Records has reissued a lot of soul that falls under the rare groove umbrella. their 3 comps called the Want List are great!
http://www.discogs.com/Various-The-Wants-List/release/565809
http://www.discogs.com/Various-The-Wants-List-2/release/1165914
http://www.discogs.com/Various-The-Wants-List-Vol3/release/1115202

This is essential!!
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8318/8033003342_9a807df9a0.jpg

That all looks good. Damn you, now I want them.

That Herbie Hancock track is all time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoyrfwxYG6Y

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gELkzDK0Ls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1L75_9PbTs

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEXXwtY-Pyk

My sister was very much a part of the London rare groove club scene in the late 80s, when the James Brown-style funk had started to make way for jazz-funk and disco influences. Donald Byrd's "Dominoes" was a big anthem at the time. This is the track listing for a series of tapes that she made for me in 1989, called "London's Old Fave Raves".

Joy And Pain - Maze (81)
Want Ads - The Honey Come (71)
Dancin' - Grey & Hanks (78)
Stone To The Bone - James Brown (73)
Runaway Love - Linda Clifford (78)
The Groove - Rodney Franklin (80)
Love Injection - Trussel (79)
Running Away - Roy Ayers (77)
Expansions - Lonnie Liston Smith (75)
Let The Music Play - Charles Earland (78)
Risin' To The Top - Keni Burke (82)
Give Me Your Love - Sisters Love (73)
To Prove My Love - Ned Doheny (77)
Time Is Right - MCB (83)
Our Time Is Coming - Roy Ayers (82)
All About The Papers - The Dells (80)
Take Some Time Out For Love - The Salsoul Orchestra (79)
I Like What You're Doing To Me - Young & Company (80)
Number One - Patrice Rushen (82)
I Know You, I Live You - Chaka Khan (81)
Star - Earth, Wind & Fire (79)
A Lover's Holiday - Change (80)
The Glow Of Love - Change (80)
Annie Mae - Natalie Cole (77)
By All Means - Alphonse Mouzon (81)
A Chance For Peace (Give Peace A Chance) - Lonnie Liston Smith (80)
It's Alright Now - Eddie Harris (76)
Don't Make Me Wait - Peech Boys (82)
Movin' In The Right Direction - Steve Parks (81)
Brazilian Love Affair - George Duke (79)
Starchild - Level 42 (81)
Keep The Fire Burning - Gwen McCrae (82)
Disco Nights (Rock Freak) - GQ (79)
Back Together Again - Roberta Flack & Donnie Hathaway (80)
Always There - Willie Bobo (78)
Southern Freeez - Freeez (81)
What Are We Gonna Do About It - Mercy Mercy (85) (HIGHLY recommended)
Music Is My Sanctuary - Gary Bartz (77)
Can't You See Me - Roy Ayers (78)
Ain't No Time Fa Nothing - The Futures (78)
Miss Cheryl - Banda Black Rio (80)

"Love Injection" is just ridiculously smokin

These are all great! and now I think I need to see "Coffy" after watching that brawling broads clip.

i made a spotify playlist of what i could find from that list, unfortunately some aren't on spotify :\

London's Old Fave Raves: Rare Groove 1971-1983

Oh wow. Good work! I salute you.

thanking you!

:)

Great list, a few surprises
Also
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubvsKR-Gn7A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6SkJ7YH2fY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JdbJpAT23c

I started a thread years ago that might have some rare groove interest? sleaze disco
or even Jaxon's long Jazz goes Pop, goes disco thread, jazz goes pop, jazz goes disco

Best. Playlist. Ever. I AM IN HEAVEN.

oh i had totally missed that sleaze disco thread, thanking u.

Killing me to be locked out from spotify, that playlist looks amazing.

Can't recommend enough this Linda Williams track, very NYC, amazing all the way through:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuemoHeASu8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bE1ocUUyAc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2nYXbdScKM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV_onwr2HtI

The version of Level 42 "Starchild" on the Spotify playlist is a later, shorter, live version. Here's the original album track: http://open.spotify.com/track/0oKsIEkv7fTC40COSXrHm2

oops — will fix, thanks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK7mhFZT7dw

Oh man, these and the sleaze disco were *just* what I was looking for. Thanks all!

That Amnesty track just made my morning! The horns are slaying me. Thanks, mule.

this lonnie liston smith album from 1984, silhouettes, is great!

Why oh why is this thread dormant?

I'm gonna queue all of the songs from that mike t-diva post upthread.

I saw this documentary on the One channel about 7 years ago about Leon Sylvers and got obsessed via YouTube.

I play their album from 1978 a lot. It's like some disco Brian Wilson or some shit. Genius stuff all over their back catalog.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--4WdmliVBQ

Silhouettes sounds like those ambient 4AD records I had to hide from my friends less they ask me why I was listening to "elevator music".

"Only One Can Win"...another breezy Sylvers track...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qC9g2p0jLs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJHMAGm7uC4

dang, granny did some work on this thread and it's all drifted away now.

love that gwen mcrae. here's "the rub" with george from 1975. another sample favorite:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MGLsns10wg

Ha I didn't realize they were a couple!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_Tl6PIuXTw
Polish Radio Orchestra - Why Do You Say Goodbye

did this get posted yet?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T5ccz-WesQ

Matt Covington - We Got One

oooh, that's a nice one!

here's some similar space soundtrack funk:

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

bullet / alan tew — "the peterman" (1975)

the whole album is good and the track "the heist" got a second life as the intro music for the people's court.

Another sampled one from Gwen McCrae - Cradle of Love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NGjOS_owDo

That Bullet I remember confusing me when came across it. I couldn't tell if it was a recent group doing a retro thing or actually was from 70s. And I think it had Steve McQueen as Bullet on the cover artwork yet it has nothing to do with that film?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy3-UeeOdNM
Gene Russell - Get Down

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkQFAxSwwjk
Les DeMerle - A Day in the Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luVFLe6Sle4
Arif Mardin - Street Scene:Dark Alleys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiXpkBLrRfs
Franco Micalizzi - Robert's Theme

i love "cradle of love"!!

seems relevant to post here: phil stroman on bandcamp. no idea what's on most of the "archaeologists classics" series, but can only imagine they're filled with all sorts of brilliance. some of the albums are available to stream. a few of my favorites:

https://soulmanworldofbeats.bandcamp.com/album/im-not-really-a-dj-but-im-just-gonna-play-some-breaks

https://soulmanworldofbeats.bandcamp.com/album/drugs

https://soulmanworldofbeats.bandcamp.com/album/soulman-plays-the-hits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo-wV_nh7M0
New Birth - Blind Man

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_uiRmZii2I
Swithold - Slowburner

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1Lp82SqIf4
Don Thompson - Hang Loose

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY2XNhRtKQg
Giorgos Chatzinasios - Katadioxi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FXa9gzqUYA
Oliver Sain - On the Hill

excellent threadness

the coolnotes : I forgot (12" mix)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v11I3QqIK6A

Huh they're mainly a reggae band eh. I usually don't like mid 80s production but that's well done.

yeah, there's something great about this version of I forgot by the coolnotes, the bass and guitar are so sparse and funky, there are a few versions of this song, the only one on Spotify I can find is way blander than this. I bad at the nuances of rare grooves, boogie, soul funk so I hope I can find something that actually befits the thread.

Morrisey mullen and Carol Kenyon - life on the wire

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

Pete Jolly — "Springs" (1970)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vrt7YnmkQA

one of my favorite records of all time, freakin masterpiece

I JUST HEARD IT YESTERDAY AND OMG

I am also confused by "rare groove" as a genre. "Rare" does not have anything to do with the actual music, but rather its distribution. So I'm not sure how you can say music that is not widely distributed is somehow stylisticly different than music that is widely distributed.?..

― pete from the street, Saturday, November 29, 2003

Are there other threads where I can see how this guy reacts to "indie" and "pop"?

thread readers may be interested in this recent interview with norman jay on the ace records podcast:

https://soundcloud.com/ace-records-ltd/the-ace-records-podcast-22-norman-jay

doug lucas - "one for you" (1975)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9sYc-LxvbE

bullet / alan tew — "the peterman" (1975)

the whole album is good and the track "the heist" got a second life as the intro music for the people's court.

― get shrunk by this funk. (Austin), Sunday, February 13, 2022 12:10 PM (one year ago) bookmarkflaglink

this guy's Drama Suite's are pretty awesome

this fucken jam will never get old. ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRuX3aLaTuE

cortex - "troupeau blue" (1975)

I've probably posted this one elsewhere, but every time i open youtube it suggests this video to me, and it also never gets old.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6j6Zk945ZY

I'm pretty sure Ramsey Lewis isn't taken too seriously, probably because he tended to crank out a lot of tepid pop covers, but he was onto something in the early 70's.
His stuff shows up in the dollar bin a lot (I just picked up Pot Luck for $1 last week, and that's just a fun record, but allmusic gives it 2 stars).

I recently stumbled across these Blue Juice compilations, released by Blue Note but gathered from the vaults of Capitol and affiliates. Really fun mix of what I consider Rare Groove: 60s pop singers getting groovy, jazz guys covering James Brown, Latin, bossa, etc. All pretty obscure crate digger stuff that doesn't show up in the dollar bin. Really nicely sequenced, too. They've been soundtracking my morning.

https://www.discogs.com/release/690287-Various-Blue-Juice-Squeeze-Till-It-Runs-Down-Your-Leg