Customer Reviews

They Say I'm Different

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We had never heard funk like that before. And from a lady.
"They Say I'm Different" was the second of three albums that Betty Davis released during the early-mid 1970's, originally on Just Sunshine records. All the songs on this album which Betty produces, were written and arranged by her.

Of particular note is the title cut "They say I'm different"
This song tells the story of Betty's musical journey. and speaks of her many influences; from blues to soul, from Muddy Waters to Sly Stone. She's one of the reasons why Miles Davis (her x) went in the musical direction he did in the early 70's; ie towards a rock jazz style. She had a great influence of Prince, Madonna, Nona Hendrix, Gloria Trevi, and Larry Graham.

Don't You Call Her No Tramp!!! Ms. Davis took her name fromher whacked-out husband of that time, the late great Miles Davis, andit's obvious some of his jazz-fusoid ways were rubbing off on herfunkadelia. This album kicks butt, and holds up great twenty sevenyears later (it was her 2nd outing, not her debut). "She Do BeDo and Cop Him", "He Was a Big Freak ('I Used to Beat HimWith My Turquoise Chain/He Used to Love It/I Used to Dig it')"and "Don't Call Her No Tramp!" are the vocal and sessionplayer standouts.

This is the LP you put on at the party andeveryone goes wack and tears the roof off the sucker... kind of likethat great album cover depiction on Marvin Gaye's "I WantYou".

Why on earth this was not a number one hit upon itsrelease still astonishes me.

Punk Funk? ... Dance Jazz? BeyondCategorization?

We miss you, Betty. END

Betty Davis was on the edge.She had a big influence on Miles Davis 70's Material&you can hear Her Vibe.The Music is Smoking&The Musicians are top notch here.Betty Davis Paved the way for many acts with Her Presentation.check this out.

I thought she'd said it all on her debut, but amazingly They Say I'm Different is even better. The music is more fleshed out and the lyrics more ambitious. Top notch musicians. Larry Graham on bass! Some of the other guys came from Herbie Hancock's band I believe. The title track alone is worth the cash... plus the Miles paeon "He Was A Big Freak" is probably a little too much information...

For those of us who like it hard and nasty this is a great treat. Whatever the editorial says, this is her second album, and just as great as her debut.

It includes Larry Graham on bass, Mike Clark on drums and several other fine musicians. Betty's vocals tend to get a bit tiring at times but I'd still say there is not a single bad track here. My personal fav is 'Get in there' and usually include it on all my mix tapes.

The music has a real rock edge to it with wah-wah/distorted guitars, lots of funky clavinet, hard drums and driving bass. If you dig the Graham Central Station sound (The Jam, Water, Hair) you shouldn't be disappointed. Her debut is just as good as this here, and also seek out her third album 'Nasty Gal' if you can, it's worth it.

Betty Davis is her. If you sat back in your chair and strung together all the elements that make funk music great; laid down a slick funk-rock guitar lick, bottomed it with a fuzzed-out bassline, propped it up with a rock solid back-beat and detailed the body with clavinet lines and great percussion...well you'd have a pretty funky ride...it would be up on hydraulics...and Betty Davis would be makin' the rims rattle.

I'd love to give this album 5 stars - and in fact, if it were instrumental I'd probably be all in. But see, Ms. Davis,(hitched briefly to Miles and hence the name) isn't much for carrying a melody. Betty growls and screeches her way through each selection like an over-sexed, drug-addled freak. And this too, is the thing that makes this music so memorable. There was scarcely a male artist in 1973-74, let alone a woman willing to tackle sex, drugs, and rock and roll so voraciously on wax quite like Betty Davis. Betty's "singing" just doesn't unify the music in any way. Instead it rides on top of the groove and at times, pesters the listener. Thus the 3 stars.

However, if you KNOW funk, you'll want to get this. Just don't expect to be soothed to sleep after a tough day - prepare to get kicked in the head and told to get on your knees.

both in the playing, message, and overall presentation...Miss Betty davis was waaaaaayyyyy ahead of her time and wayyyyy over the top. Blues fans will dig the way a greasy slide guitar is mixed into the funk with her roll call of all the r&b artists she gives props to on the title track. This is the cut that shows the irresistible blend of blues and funk. My other favorite moment is "Git in There," which features each band member gettin' funky riffs in (a la Sly Stone, or Graham Central Station): "Ok, Cordell, on that wah wah pedal..."

...dig?

If you wanna trip on how revolutionary and how eerily progessive..ahead of her time...Betty was, get this funkrocksexanddebauchery CD. Or her other "Nasty Gal".. She is kinda hard to find even in vinyl and she gets my ++++ stars for her sheer audacity in a time when people thought acts like Donny and Marie was good entertainment...not that there's anything wrong with D & M, mind ya. But compare Betty with today's Missy and Kim and Marys and...?

Betty Davis is one of my all time favorites and this lp always got my groove on. All star session musicians.

betty davis is raw pure funk, her lyrics are raunchy and unapolagetic. she lays down with the grit of janis joplin and the soul of aretha franklin. they say im different is a broad overview of this undiscovered artists work. betty davis' work has managed to slip past while most weren't paying any attention. do yourself a favor and discover a gal who blazed the way for lil' kim and missy elliot and macy gray.