Customer Reviews

Talking to the People

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

 

 

E-mail me if Im wrong on this, but if youve wound up on this page, its either because you linked via another one of my reviews, or because you really know your STUFF and youre a pure SOUL/RARE GROOVE BUFF... well either way, youve landed upon a funky and rare find, and the samples will prove it. The group is a sizzlin Memphis Shoals funk band... you might almost call it Black Rock. Its very hard hitting... early Funkadelic meets Chairmen of the Board... a touch of early (I mean really early) Kool and The Gang - - Funky Psychadelic Dance Soul... Rare groove collectors might find similarity between this groups sound and Black Heat, Sound Experience or Rasputin Stash. The samples speak for themselves.

I bought this CD (as I have so many others) because of the review, lower by Mr. Eddie Landsberg, who is usually spot on in his funk recommendations, though at times I think he over-emphasizes how funky some things are...

This is a case in point, there a several burning tracks on this CD- 1, 3, 4, 5, and 10 are smokin, indeed in the style and hard thumpin attack of early Funkadelic. The guitarist definitely tries out his screaming Eddie Hazel licks (Nasty Soul could be a lost Funkadelic early track, it's psychedelic and hot in all the right ways), usually to pretty good effect... Track 7, 'I Have No Choice,' is a very sunny, souful number and calls to mind The Dramatics.

The rest of the album is strong, albeit repetitive at times (a quality that occurs in much funk music). All in all, this is No substitute for Maggot Brain or Standing on the Verge of gettin it On, but it is fairly inexpensive and delightful piece of over-looked funky goodness. It's not genius but still highly recommended.

And check out Mr. Landsberg's reviews and lists, (I emailed him once to ask some recommendations for funky harmonica CDs- he was quite helpful in that regard) if you're interested in funk and spending time on amazon, looking around... I'd never have dug on Rasputin Stash, Black Heat, Black Nasty or many other slept-on old-school funkin classics, were it not for mr. Landsberg's reviews.

Great unique funk sound from the early 70's. If you like Funkadelic or the Ohio Players you will certainly enjoy this. Its worth the money for the title track alone. But there is so much more, interesting cross funk with blues and rocking boogie tracks. The liner notes are informative and come with a way cool picture of the band. Since there was only 5000 albums pressed you can turn your friends on to some very rare funk.

Nuggets! There are some great sticky little gems on Talking To The People, but it's hard to dispel the notion that while in a haze of Maggot Brain induced inebriation, this shag band actually began to fantasize about becoming the next Funkadelic. Deliriously disillusioned lead guitarist Jackie Cosper(?) even attempts the Eddie Hazel mind-meld with a few stinky electrophonic licks. Sadly, the toughest tracks on this record barely surpass two or three minutes, with the same material Funkadelic could easily whip up ten minutes of grooves that would have us reduced into a funk inflected puddle of goo. Black Nasty solidly delivers the (short) nasty on the title track, "Nasty Soul", "We're Doin' Our Thing", "It's Not The World", and "Booger the Hooker". Beware! You may hurt yourself diving for the "skip" button the moment the buzz killing "I Must Be in Love", "I Have No Choice" , and "Rushin' Sea" begin to stink up the joint. Talking To The People is a cool record, though. If you want to impress your friends with your knowledge of funka-esoterica this one is tough to beat, but frankly Black Nasty is a minor league group that just happened to produce a record that almost sounds like it belongs in the majors. Now, where did I put that copy of Maggot Brain...

This is a really good album that could have been a brilliant one. Black Nasty were on Stax in the mid 1970s.

And with this band, you could start in a lot of places: the music, the musicianship, the writing; but let's start with the name. I am a skinny little white dude, but if forming a band, I would kill to use the name Black Nasty if it had not been used, and if it had, I'd buy it, steel it, do anything to get it. I mean, Black Nasty. Think of the implications--you just can't top the band name, Black Nasty.


I just have to see it once more.


BLACK NASTY


Or you could talk about the playing, which oddly is both lean like 1960s Stax, but creamy enough for the slicker, funkier 1970s. Or you could talk about the writing: some great hard funk, the title track, one of the most beautiful ballads I can think of, "I Must Be In Love," which has amazing female vocals.


Can you hang on just a second............


**********BLACK NASTY******************


The problem with Talking To The People is there is actually too much talent, not enough focus. Too much going on and not enough of of any of it. There are some great vocal parings on the title track, but this is the only track this happens on. The female singer Audry Matthew's is brilliant on "I Must Be In Love," then disappears for seven numbers? Why? Freezing her for the next album like Walt Disney? There is a blues jam here. Ok? Not bad, but when your able to write "I Must Be In Love," can you think if a better idea--i would imagine.


Hold On a second


Bl
(N)Ack
S
T
Y

Still if you like deep funk from this era, Talking To The People is a good album, with the highlights more than making up for the weaker aspects, and if you can't be perfect, the strengths make it worthwhile to own this album by...........

(what are they called again?)

a shame nobody wants to explore black rock in general this is a classic stax artists like bar kays were all knee deep in the funk anyway and these mugs try to sound like early funkadelic when eddie hazel ruled the axe not a bad cd very funky, soulful, raw tunes support true black music and cop this.

I wouldn't reccommend this album to a casual fan of funk since this band comes off sounding like a low rent Funkadelic. But Black Nasty comes up with grooves that's so nasty and sticky, that you'll easily forget how unorginal they are. They may not have brought anything new to the table, but the first rate grooves is enough to make up for their lack of new ideas.

The fast tempo tracks is about as down, dirty, and raw as you can get with early 70's funk but, the group is lame when they try to slow it down. "Rushin Sea" is the only slow jam that reaches the level of excitement of the uptempo funk.

It's not hard to understand why this album flopped. In addtion to having a rock and soul fusion that made it a nightmare to sell to black and white audiences exclusively, the group never had a style of their own. Back in the 70's, you couldn't just chase down the latest trend of the moment and call yourself being a artist (like you could today!). You had to take the trends, personalize it, and create a style of your own. Not suprisingly this album failed under the radar.

This album is for hardcore funkateers only. Beginners should stick with the usual suspects Parliament, Funkadelic, Kool & the Gang, etc.

have'nt heard this in agres good rock funky songs influenced by funbkadelic not quite but if you like black rock from the old school get this evcery song is enjoyable.