Customer Reviews

Funkyworld: Best of

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There are probably very few bands that are as underrated as Lipps, Inc. "Funky Town" even in this day and age is universally acknowledged by both critics and fans alike as one of the greatest singles of all time and rightfully so; a classic song that spans the ages and yet that seminal track is not even the best track on this compilation!

The remake of Paul Carrack's old track from his Ace days "How Long" gives me goose bumps all these years and is one of the greatest covers of all time. "Designer Music" is a wonderful spoof of our brand conscious society while tracks like "Does Anybody Know Me" and "Addicted to the Night" have inspired other artistes not least of all Prince, the other Minnesota native that made it big. Indeed those two tracks would not have sounded out of place as tracks on "1999" or even "Purple Rain."

The tracks according to the liner notes have also been remastered rather well and so the sound quality is quite respectable. All tracks have been compiled by none other than the brains of the outfit, Steve Greenberg himself and so you know that these 12 track selections very fairly represent the best that Lipps, Inc have to offer according to the guy whose opinion matters the most and is currently the only compilation of the band that's out there. Highly recommended.

Lipps Inc.'s Funkyworld is a non-stop dance party. Nearly every song is 5 minutes or longer in length, and it is super-saturated with sizzling drum beats/rhythms, cool bass lines, strumming guitars topped with the beautiful vocal stylings of Cynthia Johnson, Melanie Rosales & Margaret Cox.
I remember experiencing "Funkytown" for the first time as a child on my old KISS transistor radio in my parent's basement. I ran to the telephone & called up the one & only black station in Kansas City, and desperately asked the DJ for the name of the artist & song. It was like nothing I had ever heard before. I promptly ran out & bought the LP "Mouth to Mouth" with my weekly allowance money. Most of the tracks from that LP are featured here. "All Night Dancing" is one favorite. There is a part of the song where Cynthia whispers the title as a male voice sings backup over minimalist drum and (thumb-popping) bass, the effect is almost hypnotic. "Jazzy" is a cute little instrumental number which really emits a personality all its own. "How Long" is a remake of the classic, which I feel far surpasses the original with its inventive stopwatch-clicking eigth notes and clever sound effects. "Designer Music" is a brilliant tune which incorporates classical string arrangements with the simple drum/bass/piano and guitar mix as Ms Johnson celebrates the labels associated with high fashion (If Calvin says it's smashin'/It's got to be in fashion). The last 6 songs were all new to me when I first purchased this collection. "Hold me Down" features a beautiful vocoder voice singing part of the verse and later harmonizes with itself. "Addicted to the Night" continues the recurring theme of dancing/partying/going out and turns it into a fast-paced, thick-drummed adventure. Of the entire collection, "Hit the Deck" is the most creative. It's a magical collage of obnoxious beats (that change pace), a vocoder voice, sequenced-keyboard rhythms and sound effects that makes a really a fascinating listen, especially when it's pulsating at high volume while driving down the highway with the moon roof open under the twinkling stars. If "Funkytown" is the only Lipps, Inc. song you have heard, give this disc a spin. There's a lot more where that came from!

Funkytown...All Night Dancing...Addicted To The Night & their masterpiece...CHOIR PRACTICE. How I wish they'd release their best album, 4, on CD. Alongside The Ritchie Family & Silver Convention, Lipps Inc were what '70's disco was all about...

Tengo en mi coleccion disco los viniles de Lipps, Inc. pero fue genial encontrar en las tiendas este CD que reune lo mejor del repertorio disco de este excelente grupo. "Funkytown" con sus casi 8 minutos de duracion es verdaderamente genial...

This might do if you're looking for music to accompany your step aerobics, or other cardiovascular exercise. You just have to be willing to put up with redundant - certainly not catchy - disco-like sounds at a slow pace. But if all you want is 'Funky Town', you might be better off just downloading that one track instead of buying the CD.

I have heard the songs since 1977. I had 3 albums in cassette of lipps inc. but now it cannot be played because of fungus. I only manage to transfer some of the songs which I like best for my own collection in a 90 minutes chrome cassette. The songs are : 1. Designer Music 2. How Long 3. Tight Pair 4. Funky Town 5. All Night Dancing 6. Background Singer 7. Rock It 8. Power 9. Always Looking 10. Hold Me Down 11. The One, The One After 12. Everybody Knows 13. I Need Some Cash 14. Never Could Be Sorry 15. Obsessed 16. The Gossip Song. Although all the songs above I like best, Never Could Be Sorry and Designer Music are the songs that I like most.