Customer Reviews

The Funk Box

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
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Despite being incomplete even at 53 songs over 4CDs (each more than 75 minutes long), Hip-O Records' "The Funk Box" is a first-rate collection from one of music's most beloved, fertile eras. It celebrates exceptional bandleaders (James Brown, George Clinton), songwriter/poets (Gil Scott-Heron, Curtis Mayfield) and arranger/musicians (Hamilton Bohannon, Barry White, Roy Ayers). It's a musical thesaurus of rap, rock, and hip-hop samples used the last 20 years (the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Talking Heads used these recordings as textbooks). Mostly, it salutes some of the hardest-working, tightest, most organic self-contained bands one era enjoyed.

Wrapped in crushed maroon velvet, introduced by an informative Steven Ivory essay/personal recollection, "Funk Box" re-introduces a style minimalist and expansive, up-to-the-minute urban reporting next to supernatural cosmis debris. Depends which disc you play first: James Brown's musical family hits fast and hard on Discs One and Two with the JBs' "Pass The Peas," co-vocalist Bobby Byrd's explosive "I Know You Got Soul," Lyn Collins' Tammi Terrell-sounding "Think," (a hip-hop cornerstone quoted by everyone from Rob Base to John Mellencamp), and Brown himself on "Sex Machine," "Give It Up," and 1974's thrilling "Payback."

The slamming bass beats, scatting horns and deep Southern soul vocals cover the gamut lyrically, admonishing ("What Is Hip," "For The Love Of Money"), sexually teasing (lone entries from White and Rufus, Chakachas' forthright "Jungle Fever"), lamenting ("Slipping Into Darkness," "The Bottle," "Future Shock," with Curtis Mayfield's line, "The price of the meat/worth more than the dope on the street...") , or inspiring ("Express Yourself," Cymande's "The Message"). You also get intriguing funk instrumentals from unlikely sources: "Outa-Space" originally a Billy Preston B-side, Marvin Gaye and Jermaine Jackson's tracks originally from films, the satin-smooth mid-70s Temptations erupting with "Shaky Ground."

Discs three and four would see the funk torch pass from Brown to George Clinton's Parliament-Funkadelic mothership. This may stem from inability to license Clinton's early-70s Westbound Records LPs like "Maggot Brain" and "America Eats Its Young." (or for that matter, early Ohio Players hits like "Funky Worm.") Discs Three and Four suffer lyrically (Fatback's "I Like Girls" is plain sloppy and annoying) but remain astounding musically: R&B #1s from Parliament, Funkadelic, and Bootsy's Rubber Band, Brick's "Dazz," (with first-rate sax and flute solos), Walter Orange's witty, funky vocals on "Brick House," Steve Arrington's Hendrix-ish guitar soloing on "Slide," Rick James' staking his own claim to funk dominance with "You And I" and protoge' Teena Marie's "Behind The Groove."

You still want more. The paucity of Brown and P-Funk tracks here are understandable given that both artists' catalogues are still in print. But a "Funk Box 2" could include more Ohio Players, Isley Brothers, Kool & The Gang (represented here by one track each), plus less remembered artists like Dyke & The Blazers, Mandrill, King Floyd, Jean Knight and Betty Wright (whose "Clean Up Woman" featured one of the funkiest rhythm guitar leads ever waxed). Even Stevie Wonder could contribute the influential "Higher Ground." Those can wait for the sequel. For now, "Funk Box" guides, glides and slides you through the 70s earthier, more influential dance music which had neither disco's tragic romance nor rock's industrial strength, but better playing, singing and, at best, vision than either. Essential for the 70s party, but also check out K-Tel Records' occassionally available "Super Bad" and "Super Bad Is Back" compilations from the era.

How can I express the excitement? It's all here, finally, in one very exciting and beautiful boxed-set. 4-CDs full of Funk an soul. James Brown, Parliament-Funkadelic, Rick James, Curtis Mayfield, Gap Band, Kool & The Gang, Graham Central Station, WAR... the list goes one! ALso, the velvet box and supercool packaging is the bomb. A true collector's item. The is gonna be my #1 holiday gift to all my friends and family. This anthology goes through the decade (and a half) that is know in my house as the FUNKY seventies. There's some rare gems on here too (i.e. James Brown's "Give It Up Or TurnIt A Loose (Undubbed Version)," Roy Ayers 12" Mix of "Runnin' Away," and Cymande's classic Funk Groove "The Message," which shows up less than their "Bra" single these days. If you listen closely, you'll hear where Prince, Michael Jackson, Lenny Kravitz, D'Angelo, Maxwell, Erykah Badu, even George Michael got their sound from. It's all here brothers and sisters. So do yourself (and yours) a favor and pick this up now. It's really well priced, considering the very expensive packaging (Slammin' 50-page, full color book with all kinds of really cool photos and funky graphics (animal prints and all!). They've made this a LUXURY FUNK package. It's so beautiful, I already have on display in my office (everyone is funkin' to it too!). Everyone is on this. A true Funk Essential.

FUNKY. PHUNKY. THE BEST BOXED SET I'VE EVER OWNED. GIVE ME SOME MO' FUNK. OVER 50 CLASSIC TRACKS (AND SOME I DIDN'T KNOW) FROM DEEP IN THE FUNKLOSET. THIS IS THE ULTIMATE PARTY STARTER...THE ORIGINATOR...ONE NATION UNDER A GROOVE. EXTENDED AND FULL VERSIONS OF EVERY TRACK. THIS BOX AIN'T MESSIN' AROUND SO CATCH IT WHILE YOU CAN. THAT UNRELEASED VERSION OF JAMES BROWN'S "GIVE IT UP" IS AMAZING. THIS IS SO GREAT. AND THE VELVET BOX AND AFRO PICK LOGO IS SOOOOO COOL. BIG UPS ON THAT! YOU HAVE A WHOLE 50-SOME PAGE BOOK IN THERE TOO AND THE COOL THING IS: THERE ARE 2 PAGES OF OTHER FUNK TITLES AVAILABLE ON THE MARKET. SO I'D SUGGEST YOU RUN OUT (OR GET IT HERE LIKE I DID) AND GIT THIS SUCKA B4 CHRISTMAS. EVERYONE IS GONNA WANT THIS.

OH MY GOD! OOOHHH MMMMMYYYYY GAAAAAWWWWWDDDD! This set is so hip it hurts. It puts the fun in funky. It does it to death, and if it don't make you move, you're dead. The selections are right on and far out, brothers and sisters, and the package and annotations are solid, Jackson! Just feel the velveteen and the rubber comb on the cover. This is the real deal, hipper than hip, the best mix of old school funk I have ever heard. Word!

Since these are the foundations of modern soul and rap, the Godfather and the JB's are given props on the first CD. Aretha Franklin, War, Billy Preston, Marvin Gaye, and Barry White are there, too, along with eight more stars of the golden age. The immortal Curtis Mayfield kicks off the second disc, followed by Tower of Power, The O'Jays, Kool & The Gang, Ohio Players, The Temptations, Average White Band, and eight more. On CD 3, the Isley Brothers remind us to Fight the Power, Parliament Gives Up the Funk (and Tears the Roof Off the Sucker), The Commodores tell us why she's a Brick House (26-24-36!), and ten additional apostles of funk lay it down. The last disc is just as strong as the first three: Rick James, Funkadelic, Cameo, Gap Band, George Clinton, and six other greats.

What more do you want? You get "Sex Machine," "Rock Steady," "The Message," "What Is Hip?," "Hollywood Swinging," "Skin Tight," "One Nation Under a Groove," "Atomic Dog," and many more amazing hits, as well as rarities and extended mixes. This is the gospel of funk. Spread it!

This is the DEFINITIVE set of Funk! All full-length and 12" mixes (if there were any). It's all here, from James Brown to Marvin Gaye and George Clinton (P-Funk) to Graham Central Station. From what I've heard the only reason Sly & The Family Stone is not on the set is due to a long-lasting legal suit that has Sony barred from licensing any Sly tracks. You know he'd have kicked off the set otherwise. That said, this is a one stop party joint. This set is heavy on the funk in every way including the velvet exterior, animal prints and tons of energetic photos.

This set is a must have for any fan of the most underappreciated genre of music around: funk. It is old school to the core, covering the evolution of the music we know and love. And for you new school, hip-hop kids: give a listen to this set and tell me you don't recognize the hook from just about every song in this set. That's right, most of the catchy baselines from hip-hop tunes have been hijacked from old school funk. If you don't believe me give it a listen...you will be amazed.

Either way...buy this set, it well worth the price of admission.

Finally a comprehensive Funk collection! This 4 CD box has all of the stanky hits you want, plus many of the obscure diggin'-in-the-crates classics you need! Props to Hip-O on compiling suck a perfect body of funky work. Also, check out the beautiful packaging, from the red velvet cover with a metallicly embossed "Funk Box" logo, to the exquisitely designed 48 page book.

BUY THIS....NOW!!!

This is what's missing from most of todays sterilized corporate driven music. Its fun. Its on the edge. Its raw. But its addictively fun. You can hear James Brown directing the band in the middle of the songs with his usuall flare. You can hear musicians trying different riffs. You can be sure most tracks were recorded with a full band playing at once, getting into and changing their own groove. You can't help but move to the great baseline and rythyms. Its got that special electricity that you just don't find in most modern music. Great Great collection.

This box set will have you movin' in no time ! From classiscs by James Brown to Aretha there are some great funky tunes on here. Don't get caught up in the "it's all 70's craze" or "Disco" (death before disco) there are some great songs on here. The quality is excellent and the artwork on the box is very well done. I would love to see an all instrumental funk box next !

Get to the point, this box-set could've been tragically redundant, but the songs are so well chosen that it is a MUST HAVE. Really. Roy Ayers, Slave, The Jimmy Castor Bunch; where else can you find these funky ones, period? And yes, the set does inclde a lot of the funk cliches that are played out to death (think Atomic Dog, More Bounce to the Ounce, The Payback, etc.) but to have a box-set with the word "funk" in it almost legally HAS to have these songs. Others, sure, even the casual funk-fan will already own (One Nation Under A Groove, Hollywood Swingin') but they are perhaps the best representations of their respective artist's sound.

Imaginative, incredible, in my CD players.

Only thing is: Sly and the Family Stone? Anyone? Anyone?