Customer Reviews

Blam

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My 3 paragraph tirade against the music industry inspired by the $80+ USED price of this cd here was deleted. I was probably way too bitter. That said there are more fair prices for Blam! if you look around. This is a perfect cd & equal to EWF's All-N-All, Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, Pink Floyd's Animals, Parliament's Funkentelechy all rock-n-roll classics from of 1977-1978 time period. Read the other reviews for track-to-track breakdowns. What I want to do is encourage you to look for the Japanese reissues from 2008 which have better sound quality and are less than $30. I purchased one of these and am ecstatic. Someone is selling this classic for $225! Don't succomb to pure greed look for the Japanese reissues & enjoy this classic and not feel like you've been slimed.

The Brothers Johnson Never Let up on this Great Album.The Production&Musicianship are Tight all the way through.The Brothers Johnson Glide thru Many Styles With Ease.Very Essential Music that is Timeless TOO THE FUNK.

I am not a huge R & B or ''soul music'' fan, but this CD is a keeper. It's funk with lots of rock and blues influences in the mix. The energy level is cranked up to about 10, and the production is first rate.

Recorded in 1978, and produced by Quincy Jones, I wonder if BLAM! was the real inspiration for the best material on Michael Jackson's "THRILLER" LP, form 1981 (also produced by Quincy Jones). The only thing this one lacked was a high profile star to sell the product. I think that this CD also suffered because it came out at the height of the "disco craze", when 'Studio 54' style music was ruling the airwaves. As black performers who did funk and rock, The Brothers Johnson did't fit the industry's molds, so this album was ignored.

The Brothers had hits with Strawberry Letter 23 and other more pop-sounding tunes, but for my money BLAM! is their strongest work.

Ranks right up with "3 + 3" (ISLEY BROTHERS), "Maggot Brain" or "Electric Spanking of War babies" or "One Nation Under a Groove" (FUNKADELIC), and the best JAMES BROWN or Motown material.

Undoubtedly, their finest hour..........

Following the astounding "Right On Time" should have proved a difficult task, but the quality of this recording outshines even "ROT" From the sheer dance/funk of the opening cut thru to the instrumental finale it oozes class and quality - the alternating synth and horn stabs on the title track blow you away..... Awesome!

This Was The Brothers Johnson At Their Artistic Peak, As Far As I'm Concern, But Why Are They Asking $72-$199 For This CD? I May Be A Fan, But I'm No Fool!

This is the Brother's Johnson at their best, no if, ands or buts about it. The entire CD is off the richter scale. Fortunately, I found a copy of the CD at discount warehouse for $6 bucks and snapped it up because the CD has appreciated beyond belief and for good reason.

If you want to enjoy these bad brothers, there's plenty more of their material to be had, but if you want to get them raw and without the billboard chart influence, this CD is it!

What a MASTERPIECE!
Louis' thumpin' bass was (and still is) unique. I don't think I'll hurt any other bass player's feelings when I say that Louis completely changed what people thought they knew about electric bass playing. The loops, the pops, but also the finesse for the ballads, wooow!
But this album is much more than "just" Louis. True Magic, that's what it is. If it doesn't make you dance and/or sing out, I don't know what will.
Like Look Out for #1 and Right On Time before and Light Up The Night after, this album was produced by Quincy Jones. Why did I pick this one to review? To me it's the most varied, the best of the lot. The production leaves the musicians all the space they need to get the fun into the groove. It never sounds over-produced nor raw.
A few of the world's best musicians? Here they are: Louis on bass and vocals. His brother George on guitar and lead vocals. Alex Weir, David Foster, Richard Tee, Wayne Vaughn, Harvey Mason, Steve Shaffer, Steve Khan, Steve Porcaro, Steve Foreman, Eddie Bongo Brown, Larry Carlton, Jerry Hey, Lawrence Williams, Kim Hutchcroft, Gary Grant, William Reichenbach, Michael Brecker.
I love the entire album, but my favorites are Ain't We Funkin' Now? a throbbin' piece that makes you shout along after a second.
Mista Cool - needs no explanation, just C.O.O.L.
It's You Girl, one of the best examples of Quincy's amazing talent as a producer. The Brothers stay the Brothers, creating their own terrific funkin' sound, yet at the same time it's pure Quincy. Incredible!!!
Streetwave, the last song, is an instrumental, but what a sound, so exciting, so beautiful.
Forget about all the Best Of's. Get this one as it came out. I have a Japanese cd. Maybe there is a chance of getting it through amazon.co.jp or used.
Just get it.

I once owned this album as an LP; it's great from start to finish, no question. I'd love to own it on Compact Disc, but it's too unreasonable to buy at a vendor cost of $99.00 minimum, used. This is capitalism at its worst. However, if a current owner who isn't trying to pay off gambling debts or fund a student's college tuition wishes to sell a good, or new, CD of "Blam," please do let me know.

After their debut the Brothers thrid disk-1978's "Blam!" is
your next best bet.Filled with ultra-sweaty jams like the tital
cut,"Ain't We Funkin' Now","Mista Cool",the soulful "Ride O' Rocket" and another classic instrumental groove "Streetwave"-
none of whitch are to be missed.The two weak slow tunes arn't enough to detract from the fact that "Blam!",overall,COOKS!

I play in an 80's style funk currently and the younger crowds stand in awe at what can be done w/o using turntables, drum machines and computers; just regular drums, a guitar, a bass, some keyboards and a singer. The track 'Mista Cool' is worth the price of this CD alone as it sounds how 80's funk bands played live as opposed to their recorded material much of which was slicked up for radio in attempt to 'cross-over'. !!!Not This Track!!! This track is so funky I use it to pump myself for our shows! !!!Get This CD even just for this track!!! !!!It's a classic!!!