Customer Reviews

Look Out for #1

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Brothers are in FULL funk throttle here.On their Quincy
Jones produced debut album the bass/guitar duo shine brightly on
classic mid-70's hard funk like "Free And Single",the classic hit
"Get The Funk Outta My Face",the instrumental "Thunder Thumbs And
Lightnin' Licks","Dancin' And Prancin" and the smoldering cover
of "Come Together" and their own "Devil".Elsewhere Quincy fasions
Sly Stone pop on "I'll Be Good to You" and a jazzier funk styling
on "Land Of Ladies",but nothing here will dissapoint!

...a stupendous album by two masters.

Like I said in an earlier review, most classic R and Bee stations neglect the heck out of some of these guys better tunes-sure, to these stations credit they play "I'll Be Good to Ya" and the great "Strawberry Letter 23", but they oughtta play cuts like "Free and Single" and "Land of Ladies" and the nastay "Get the Funk.." from this great recording, also.

I mean, simply, IMHO, they should play them. In the meantime, I implore those ol skool and funk aficionados out there to replace their old worn out vinyl or cassettes or CDs of "Look Out for #1" with an upgrade and join us '70s Obsessives' in the ongoing party groove. You know you already love it, now get it.

One of the best debuts of all-time. One of the greatest Lp's of all-time. Another alumni of the illustrious Class of '76 ("Sparkle" Aretha Framklin, "Spirit" Earth, Wind & Fire...ect). From the top 10 hits "I'll be Good to You","Get the Funk Out Ma Face" to the instrumentals (which are almost unheard of in R&B today) "Thunder Thumbs & Lightnin' Licks","Tomorrow" and the album cuts "Land of the Ladies","The Devil" this is a Classic. With the exception of "Come Together" it's top flight from beginning to end. Quincy Joneses production is excellent .

When funk was just entering the music scene in the late 60's/early 70's it was as a new hybrid music created by a number of different people with an already establish sound based in other styles such as James Brown (soul and doo-wop),Earth Wind & Fire (jazz),War,Santana and Mandrill (psychedelic latin rock) and Sly & The Family Stone who were based in a mixture of soul and psychedelic rock. Much like jazz and hip-hop later funk started out a lot like gumbo-a lot of things being blended together by a single source. And Louis and George Johnson were there from the start,playing with Billy Preston in their teens and getting hooked up with Quincy Jones for his Mellow Madness album. Their style was so enjoyable and strong that they became one of Quincy's first satillite acts and their debut album dropped about a year later. By that time they debuted at a time when funk music had started to become an established sound in and of itself and the Johnson's first album was a big part of that change.

Considering how innovative Louis Johnson's bass sound would become in the future it's amazing to hear the strong Sly Ston aspect in the overall sound of this album,rhytmically and melodically although the closely knit guitar/bass licks and thumps are very much theirs though very much out of the Larry Graham tradition. I've been listening to "I'll Be Good To You" for years but it just hit me how much the pop melody and thumping rhythm owes to the sound of the Family Stone. In fact aside from the mild tempo'd jazzy instrumental "Tomorrow" this album is all funk. There's straight ahead dance/funk of "Get The Funk Outta Ma Face","Dancin And Prancin" and "Free And Single"-all of which contain tons of clever harmony changes and reverb from the bottoms up. Few songs could sound as "mid 70's funk" as these songs do. The powerful instrumental "Thunder Thumbs And Lightnin' Licks" showcases their tight bass/guitar sound with the the horns,synthesizers and drums blaring away in and around George and Lewis on...another straight ahead dance-funk jam.

On "The Land Of Ladies" the jazzier element of their sound comes out as the harmony takes on a sleeker quality and the tempo goes up and down. With Harvey Mason,Billy Cobham and Don Grusin along for the right that's not the least bit surprising. Now on a cover of "Come Together",already a hardcore bluesy funk groove on the original and their own "The Devil",with it's nasty echoes hissess and evil laughs the funk gets about as swampy,slow and deep as the Johnson's would ever get. Now whenever I see a TV show of any short of this era I kee hearing tracks from this album played again and again during party scenes and other times the album cover posted on the cover of someone's wall. This was a huge funk hit at the time and one of the best debut albums anyone of any genre could ask for. It found George,Louis and everyone involved playing,writing and producing to the best of their ability to create an album that was both highly singable and that grooved as hard as it could. Five star funk all the way.

In my opinion the brothers johnson are one of the greatest funk bands ever.
I love the bass guitar its way funky.
If you love to groove and love funk buy this.
It wont disappoint

A bonafide 70's Funk Classic! While I liked this album alot, they'd often play one side of this whole album at the house parties back in the day.......used to make me so mad sometimes because as a dancer, I LIVED for two minutes (and twenty seven seconds) of Get The Funk Outta Ma' Face! But then the 45 version came along at a full 6:00 with that nasty fonky break down. If that's the version you're looking for - it's NOT here! Regardless, if you want a proper introduction to the Brothas, or you just love the era and the genre, you'll want to get this! This one, Right On Time and BLAM!

One of the best albums of all time ! I was a sophomore at Fisk Univ in Nashville when this album came out (1976) and everyone on campus had the album -

the instrumentals cuts on the album sound better today than they did back then-

Hats off to the Bros Johnson and Quincy---------

hard to believe this album is 30 plus years old. the Brothers Johnson had a distinctive style of playing and Grooving. George Johnson did his thing on Guitar, but his Brother Thunder Thumps Himself Louis Johnson knocked that Bass out the pocket. I'll be Good to you was the cut, Get the Funk outta my face slamming. together with Producer and Arranger Quincy Jones the Brothers Johnson brought there own blend of the funk and made a strong debut album that still has alot of bite to this day.they had there own vocal harmony style as well.

George and Louis Johnson were all of 22 and 20 when they released this tight, masterful and joyous debut LP, and considering the quality and depth of these proceedings, their age and accomplishment is all the more impressive. 9 tracks, 35 minutes and more good music than 20 bloated, 75 minute discs released by most modern recording acts. "Tomorrow" (later remade by a young Tevin Campbell) is getting much love on my home stereo right now and the slithery, creeping funk of "Land Of Ladies" and "The Devil" continues to massage my ears at least once a day! A Classic from a terrific, underrated band that should not be forgotten.

The Brothers Johnson debut album offers stylistic variety: solid gold pop funk - "I'll Be Good To You"; jazzy instrumental - "Tomorrow"; jazzy funk instrumental - "Thunder Thumbs and Lightnin' Licks"; funk chant - "Get the Funk Out Ma Face"; a touch of the Funkadelic - "The Devil"; as well as a Beatles cover - "Come Together." What all this proficient variety means is that if you are searching out more pop masterpieces such as "I'll Be Good to You" you have to look to the next album. Solid album but be forewarned about the banal invitation extended by the egregious "Land of Ladies": "Would you like to come with me to the Land of Ladies?" Please.