On this week’s menu The Stone Roses, The Pointer Sisters and The Jungle Brothers.
It’s the end of the week and once again we delve into the musical past and dig out three albums from ‘way back when’. Back when music came on cassettes and you had to get up and turn it over half way through, and you’d spend ages trying to work out how to fold the cover up to fit it back into it’s plastic case.
Pointer Sisters – Energy
Planet – 1978
For an album released in 1978, by a band that went on to have a lot of dance hits in the 80’s, you think there would be a fair amount of disco here – but there’s none at all. At this stage in their career the Pointer Sisters were all rhythm and blues. They scored a big hit with a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Fire’, and also deliver a cool version of Sly and the Family Stone’s ‘Everybody is a Star’. There are great vocals on the Stephen Still’s penned ‘As I Come of Age’, and ‘Angry Eyes’ is a thumping dance number. Across the album there are great song writers with Alain Tousaint, Steely Dan’s Becker and Fagin and Kenny Loggins all contributing tunes. Check out our interview with the band.
The Stone Roses – Turning Into Stone
Silvertone Records – 1992
This compilation of B-sides, early singles and extended versions that didn’t make it on to the Stone Roses debut album shows just how great a band they were, their outtakes are better than most bands albums. There’s extended version of their hits ‘Fool’s Gold’ and ‘Elephant Stone’ and a dubious mix of ‘I am the Resurrection’. These are perfect songs for sunny afternoon. The Stone Roses are one of the best shoe-gaze bands ever, and if you like this you’ll love their self titled debut which features the awesome track ‘Waterfall’.
Jungle Brothers – Done By the Forces of Nature
WEA, 1989
This album is cited as one of the best hip hop albums of all time this one soncially interesting collection of songs. The music is a mix of house, traditional African rhythms and jazz sounds. Similar to De La Soul’s ‘Three Feet High a Rising’ this album comes from a point in time where hip hop lightened up a bit it’s not a civil rights fight or an ode to the ghetto. Guests include De La Soul, Queen Latifah, Q-Tip and Monie Love. This is a fun album that is guaranteed to get you bopping and trying to spot the samples from classic disco records is a fun game too.
