What bands are FUNKY, but they are seldom described that way?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

I say the Smiths.

Take 'Pretty Girls Make Graves.' That song is funky, if you ask me.

I suppose this all depends on one's definition of "funky."

― Debito (Debito), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 02:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Steppenwolf - for Magic Carpet Ride.

― jim wentworth (wench), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 02:52 (twenty-one years ago)

gary numan. seriously.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 02:52 (twenty-one years ago)

gary numan OTM.

Although Basement Jaxx sampled him, so he's got to be funky.

― Debito (Debito), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 02:54 (twenty-one years ago)

The Fall
MES is the white James Brown

― seXXXEdancer, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 02:56 (twenty-one years ago)

there are a few joy division songs that could pass for kinda funky -- "transmission," "she's lost control," and "disorder."

do people consider a certain ratio to be funky (that is, the people who know who they were and have actually heard them)? they were, in any event.

though it's stating the obvious, led zeppelin could be funky as all fuck (e.g., "the crunge," "houses of the holy," goodly portions of physical graffiti) and don't always get credit for that fact.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 03:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Stockholm Monsters, older Happy Mondays, Laugh ............

― svend (svend), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 03:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Devo

― earlnash, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 03:07 (twenty-one years ago)

A Certain Ratio incorporated Funk in its sound, so it's natural to describe them as 'funky.'

The Fall are funky as shit. It's got that repetitive groove thing going on.

The Band were funky. 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down' is so funky, it smells bad.

― Debito (Debito), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 03:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Lynyrd Skynyrd were funky.

― Debito (Debito), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 03:11 (twenty-one years ago)

the band!

― teeny (teeny), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 03:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Pulp had many funky moments -- "Stacks", "Weeds (Part II)", "Countdown", "Ladies Man" ...

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 03:13 (twenty-one years ago)

up on cripple creek. clavinet through wah wah? funky.

― tom cleveland (tom cleveland), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 03:16 (twenty-one years ago)

frank zappa, esp. when he had george duke, chester thompson, and napoleon murphy brock in his band. roxy and elsewhere and you can't do that on stage anymore, vol. 2 -- both of which feature the aforementioned musicians -- are funk freak-outs.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 03:21 (twenty-one years ago)

The Minutemen.
And Will Oldham on that "Don't Be Shy" song.

― Mike Dixon (Mike Dixon), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 03:25 (twenty-one years ago)

"Nirvana, they're funky" - Dr Dre

― dave q, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 03:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Elvis (milk cow blues, baby let's play house etc.)

― ..., Wednesday, 23 June 2004 03:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Kraftwerk

― David Allen (David Allen), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 03:31 (twenty-one years ago)

That Dr. Dre quote is funny, though I can't really see it.

― Debito (Debito), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 03:43 (twenty-one years ago)

What's that story about Kraftwerk? Some producer listened to the masters of Man Machine, and he couldn't believe Kraftwerk were white because it was so funky.

― Debito (Debito), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 03:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Autechre (on fleeting occasions)
Led Zeppelin
Black Sabbath
Spoon

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 03:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Gn'R
Steve Reich

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 03:50 (twenty-one years ago)

When were GnR funky? "Mr Brownstone", perhaps?

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 03:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Steely Dan

― Gear! (Gear!), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 04:22 (twenty-one years ago)

how wasn't the first GnR record anything BUT funk??

― Ade (Adrian Langston), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 04:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Belle & Sebastian, Paul Simon, Racebannon...

shit, I only listen to funk

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 04:53 (twenty-one years ago)

can

― autovac (autovac), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 05:32 (twenty-one years ago)

can are often described as funky. but b&S WTF??!!

― duke folderol, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 05:37 (twenty-one years ago)

WE HAVE TO ACT ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT BELLE & SEBASTIAN'S POST-SINISTER RECORDS ARE RELAVENT TO THEIR LEGACY

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 05:43 (twenty-one years ago)

they ain't "relavent" to funky tho

― duke abscond, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 05:46 (twenty-one years ago)

There's a tangible soul influence, and rhythm is very important to their music. Though most people associate "The B&S Sound" with their first two albums, the rhythm section has become a lot more limber and funky as the band has become more democratic. A good 50% of their output from the last few years has been just as interested in ass-shaking as anything else.

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 05:53 (twenty-one years ago)

japan and roxy music are coming to my mind for some reason

― jake in portland (cerybut), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 06:11 (twenty-one years ago)

black sabbath, iron maiden, black oak arkansas

― Sir Chaki McBeer III (chaki), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 06:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Should GNR, ACR, or Happy Mondays be on this list? - everybody knows they're dance groups - It should be for groups that people don't think as funky, but are like the Fall (if only for cruiser's creek). Unless I'm forcing my own viewpoint/misreading the thread question, in which case Aerosmith.

― Jedmond (Jedmond), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 06:24 (twenty-one years ago)

gang of four, led zeppelin, velvet underground, the beatles, the stones, the stooges, the strokes, the white stripes.

― dickvandyke (dickvandyke), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 12:02 (twenty-one years ago)

If you can find a Gang of Four article that doesn't mention their funk influence, I shall be impressed.

SHELLAC

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 12:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Happy Mondays.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 12:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Killing Joke (their earlier stuff, mostly)

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:10 (twenty-one years ago)

the libertines are kinda funky.

― dickvandyke (dickvandyke), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:20 (twenty-one years ago)

AC/DC, and Accept.

― Siegbran (eofor), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Throbbing Gristle.

― hstencil (hstencil), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:25 (twenty-one years ago)

motorhead
the smiths
the who

― dickvandyke (dickvandyke), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Willie Nelson, when he chooses to be.

― Marcel Post (Marcel Post), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:45 (twenty-one years ago)

The Apples In Stereo on 'The Bird That You Can't See'. Blur's 'Tracy Jacks' is fairly funky.

― I am not a mandible (Barima), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Nazareth, Rick Derringer, Grand Funk Railroad, Mountain, Ted Nugent, the Shadows of Knight, the Hombres, Tommy Roe, Steve Miller, early REO Speedwagon, Bob Seger, John Cougar, Kix, Britny Fox, Molly Hatchet, Spin Doctors in their "Two Princes"/"Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" mode -- jeez, really, just about any good hard rock ever, when you get down to it. (Iron Maiden, the Smiths, Belle and Sebastian, and Nirvana were not funky in respect whatsoever, though. Well, except for that Supremes bassline in "This Charming Man," anyway.)

― chuck, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Red Krayola, esp. the late 70s Rough Trade-era stuff.

― hstencil (hstencil), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Nine Inch Nails, sometimes

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:39 (twenty-one years ago)

James Last, James Gang, James Marshall Hendrix.

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:39 (twenty-one years ago)

>how wasn't the first GnR record anything BUT funk??<

OTM, obviously. It's probably the funkiest rock album of the last quarter century, when you get down to it.

― chuck, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:40 (twenty-one years ago)

when are James Gang not described as funky? Their biggest hit is "Funk #49"!!!

― hstencil (hstencil), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Skipping 51 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Foghat, "Slow Ride" has that funky slap bass part.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 24 June 2004 03:34 (twenty-one years ago)

four months pass...

i cannot believe that we didn't mention YES on this thread. esp. since it's become part of the ILXor conventional wisdom that yes (or at least chris squire) had DA FUNK.

oh yeah:

me: there are a few joy division songs that could pass for kinda funky -- "transmission," "she's lost control," and "disorder."

curtis: I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one

i stand by calling joy division funky.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 15 November 2004 05:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Wasn't Joy Division special in their absolute denial of funk?

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Monday, 15 November 2004 05:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Tortoise -- especially on Standards and It's All Around You -- they freakin' tear it up.

― Hurting (Hurting), Monday, 15 November 2004 05:27 (twenty-one years ago)

All the bands on this thread that actually seem funky to me also seem to me to get enough credit for it.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Monday, 15 November 2004 05:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Which, taken to it's logical conclusion, proves that you just parrot the beliefs of establishment critics.

― Hurting (Hurting), Monday, 15 November 2004 05:34 (twenty-one years ago)

(kidding of course)

― Hurting (Hurting), Monday, 15 November 2004 05:34 (twenty-one years ago)

I am always excluded from the list of purveyors of funk, yet I singlehandedly invented and subverted five new subgenres of funk

Zeitgeist Funk
Zaftig Funk
Zzzz Funk
Zip Funk
Zap Funk

in so many months (unfortunately there is not enough space here to list in detail the other projects that were completed concomitantly). In that time I released more albums than Parliament/Funkadelic and all their offshoots combined.

I can't say it surprises me that my gargantuan contribution to yet another field of music has been so overlooked, but perhaps my new project

J-Funk

will remedy this.

― Mo' mus, Monday, 15 November 2004 06:56 (twenty-one years ago)

I neglected to mention that I am also well underway with the creation of a new transgender funk based on the tender image of a beautiful computer reconstituted Asian transvestite in the novel "Tokyo Doesn't Love Us Anymore," namely

M/F unk

― Mo' muss, Monday, 15 November 2004 08:18 (twenty-one years ago)

My name, of course, derives from the German (more precisely, Jena dialect) imperative "Mo'n muss!" [the "'n" is often dropped, making it either more colloquial or less colloquial, depending on whether you live on the North or South side of town, i.e. the right or wrong side of the tracks, or "Eisenbahn"] meaning "one must" or "you must," or, more colloquially "you got to." This was a catchphrase of Goethe's and it is my contention that the original Goethe caution about "Dancing about Architecture" was in fact a warning against the dangers of being unfunky. When James Brown says "it's GOT TO BE funky" he is rhythmically echoing this long ago Teutonic funk mantra. It is this element of funkiness that I hope to bring to the fore in my next project, which will emerge Klaatu-like from the Momo-ship in the coming year, namely

((Wagner-Pink Floyd)+Kraftwerk) x Lilliput =

G-Funk

― Mo' muss, Monday, 15 November 2004 09:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Is it my imagination or is Aerosmith somehow not mentioned here?

― lovebug starski (lovebug starski), Monday, 15 November 2004 12:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Fugazi got the funk, if you ask me. Maybe more so on their earlier stuff than recently.

Also Boards of Canada often make me wanna shake my ass: Happy Cycling's relentlessly motorik beats being particularly good for this.

― Bill A, Monday, 15 November 2004 15:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I would love to hear "Back In Black" as covered by a band like Tower Of Power, or maybe the Isley Brothers in their prime.

― Tantrum The Cat (Tantrum The Cat), Monday, 15 November 2004 17:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Early Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span on occaison.

― Raw Patrick (Raw Patrick), Monday, 15 November 2004 18:04 (twenty-one years ago)

seven years pass...

I keep hearing Sister Ray as a near Go-go jam, certainly seems to be about groove as much as anything else. Probably to the exclusion of other constraints most people think of a long song as needing.

There's a lot of their live material seems to be aimed at the hips as much as the head.

― Stevolende, Sunday, 1 July 2012 21:00 (thirteen years ago)

The Faces

― Chuck? Chuck? It's me, your cousin, Marvin D (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Sunday, 1 July 2012 21:20 (thirteen years ago)

You don't think of Jerry Reed as a funk artist, but damn that dude could be sticky funky.

HA HA!

― earlnash, Monday, 2 July 2012 02:41 (thirteen years ago)

creedence and lindy morrison-era go-betweens

― nerve_pylon, Monday, 2 July 2012 03:10 (thirteen years ago)

Pink Floyd definitely got the funk in the drums-and-organ breakdown seven minutes into "Echoes," "Another Brick in the Wall Part II," "Unknown Song" from Zabriskie Point, and of course the "Funky Dung" section of Atom Heart Mother.

― Mr. Snrub, Monday, 2 July 2012 03:31 (thirteen years ago)

Have a Cigar is hella funky, too.

― Trip Maker, Monday, 2 July 2012 03:33 (thirteen years ago)

And that last chunk of "Shine on You, Crazy Diamond."

― Matt M., Monday, 2 July 2012 04:21 (thirteen years ago)

dire straits owns this thread

― cock chirea, Monday, 2 July 2012 04:33 (thirteen years ago)

they can have it

― da croupier, Monday, 2 July 2012 05:19 (thirteen years ago)

I think Yes is really the answer to this, for all the ultra-serious and pretentious labels those guys got, they definitely funked out on all their good albums

― frogbs, Monday, 2 July 2012 14:10 (thirteen years ago)

Skynyrd, Yes and Deep Purple all seriously funky. Especially 73-76 Purple

― One Way Ticket on the 1277 Express (Bill Magill), Monday, 2 July 2012 15:02 (thirteen years ago)

seven years pass...

We said it uphtread but 'Another Brick In The Wall' came on the radio and I thought of this thread

― doorstep jetski (dog latin), Tuesday, 21 January 2020 13:22 (six years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVy0Bi7sMwE

― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 21 January 2020 13:41 (six years ago)

Tony Joe White is more associated with “swamp rock” but he’s more of a “country funk” sound to me.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Tuesday, 21 January 2020 13:51 (six years ago)

I saw TJW play once and he's definitely funky, uses a wah pedal a lot too

― Josefa, Tuesday, 21 January 2020 15:58 (six years ago)

Where's Gentle Giant in this thread? I'd have thought they'd be mentioned in here before Yes.

― ascai, Tuesday, 21 January 2020 16:32 (six years ago)

gang of four, led zeppelin, velvet underground, the beatles, the stones, the stooges, the strokes, the white stripes.

― dickvandyke (dickvandyke), mercredi 23 juin 2004 14:02 (fifteen years ago) bookmarkflaglink

I love the Beatles and they had many qualities but funk is not one of them !
Actually this is one of the differences they had with the Stones imo : the Stones could groove. The Beatles, not so much.

― AlXTC from Paris, Tuesday, 21 January 2020 16:47 (six years ago)

hard disagree

― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 21 January 2020 16:54 (six years ago)

Lady Madonna
Hey Bulldog
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise)
I've Got a Feeling
Come Together
The End

― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 21 January 2020 16:56 (six years ago)

Hum. I would agree with "Come Together". And "I've Got a Feeling". Maybe. But they're not even really funky imo.

― AlXTC from Paris, Tuesday, 21 January 2020 16:59 (six years ago)

Gentle Giant do sho

― X-Prince Protégé (sonnyboy), Tuesday, 21 January 2020 17:02 (six years ago)

Led Zeppelin are mentioned so much in this thread that they're hardly "seldom described," but the funk is their secret weapon (nb the groove they hit in the breakdown of The Lemon Song).

Re: Beatles, "The Word" might be the least funky funk song ever recorded.

― dinnerboat, Tuesday, 21 January 2020 17:04 (six years ago)

Gentle Giant, definitely

Yes I think fit but people do call them funky sometimes. Never heard anyone describe Gentle Giant that way. It's lopsided funk but still, I think it counts.

― frogbs, Tuesday, 21 January 2020 17:12 (six years ago)

Lots of the stuff on this compilation is pretty funky

https://www.discogs.com/Various-Im-A-Freak-Baby-A-Journey-Through-The-British-Heavy-Psych-And-Hard-Rock-Underground-Scene-19/release/8991110

― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 21 January 2020 17:15 (six years ago)

Scorn, Mick Harris's 1990s ambient dub outfit. Nik Bullen's bass playing on the second and third albums is incredible.

― does it look like i'm here (jon123), Tuesday, 21 January 2020 17:21 (six years ago)

Blue Oyster Cult
Magma
This Heat
Rush, occasionally

― it's after the end of the world (Matt #2), Tuesday, 21 January 2020 17:45 (six years ago)

Rush, occasionally

incorrect

― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 21 January 2020 17:46 (six years ago)

OK then - Rush, always

― it's after the end of the world (Matt #2), Tuesday, 21 January 2020 17:49 (six years ago)

Apart from The Fountain of Lamneth, obv

― it's after the end of the world (Matt #2), Tuesday, 21 January 2020 17:49 (six years ago)

there was a recent RHCP discussion that led me to the same place: there is a gross misunderstanding of what "funk" means. either on my part, everyone else, or all of us

― But guess what? Nobody gives a toot!😂 (Karl Malone), Tuesday, 21 January 2020 17:52 (six years ago)

can't disagree w that

(see also gross misunderstandings of what "psychedelic" means on other threads)

― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 21 January 2020 17:55 (six years ago)

Everything is funky, when you really think about it maaaan.

― pomenitul, Tuesday, 21 January 2020 17:56 (six years ago)

psychedelic music happens whenever amorphous moving blobs of color get projected onto the band and also on the backdrop, i think we can all agree on that

― But guess what? Nobody gives a toot!😂 (Karl Malone), Tuesday, 21 January 2020 17:56 (six years ago)

Pentangle

― fetter, Tuesday, 21 January 2020 18:49 (six years ago)

i remember listening to a rdj set which he started with tom sawyer and it works in the context of being a song in a set by a dj playing dance music. not going to weigh in on whether it is "funky"

― bidenfan69420 (jim in vancouver), Tuesday, 21 January 2020 18:54 (six years ago)

Gentle Giant, definitely

Yes I think fit but people do call them funky sometimes. Never heard anyone describe Gentle Giant that way. It's lopsided funk but still, I think it counts.

― frogbs, Tuesday, January 21, 2020 5:12 PM (two hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

weren't they a band that started getting played heavily at mod discos a while back. I certainly read an article referring to that happening.
They had started as a soul /r'n'b band so likely to have the influence, like.

― Stevolende, Tuesday, 21 January 2020 19:23 (six years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.