Customer Reviews

Wild Cherry

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Wild Cherry are a classic one-hit wonder. In the fall of 1976 they rode the burgeoning disco craze to the top of the charts with a catchy song based around a bar incident. Singer Rob Parrish and the band were playing in a bar and someone in the crowd shouted out to him to "play that funky music white boy". He turned that line into a song that will live on forever. While "Play That Funky Music" is a 70's classic, the rest of the album is pretty forgettable. "The Lady Wants Your Money", "Get It Up" & "What In The Funk Do You See" are serviceable, but pretty much everything else is not worth your time.

As most reviewers agree, the title track "Play that funky music white boy" is a thriller, and is worth the prize of the whole cd
(for my taste the awesome guitar solo could have been longer even)!
The rest pales in comparison but still contains four g o o d tracks; in decreasing order
The lady wants your money, I feel sanctified (a cover version of The Commodores or an even earlier band), What in the funk do you see, Get it up. The remaining four tracks are forgettable, probably produced in a hurry because the band was capable of more. I only know of one "white boy" band that gets as funky as
(the performing) WildCherry and that's Rare Earth. Listen to
Finger Lickin good on their album Midnite Lady, or Keepin me out of the storm on Back to Earth.

In the 1980s, I bought Wild Cherry's first LP at a yard sale and remember having previously owned "Play That Funky Music" years earlier on 45--it was one of the first records I ever bought with my allowance money; and I purchased it at JCPenney--of all places! Who ever thought Penney's sold music?! Ah, those were the days! Another thing I remember is that the B-side of "Play That Funky Music"--the next track on the album being "The Lady Wants Your Money"--is as catchy as the song that made the white boy band famous. There are some other gems throughout the album, such as "Hold On" and "What The Funk Do You See", but Wild Cherry relied too much on covers for their debut album, which was a major reason for their renown as a 1970s disco novelty act. (Of course, Joan Jett has gotten away with covers herself--it just took a little longer for her career to flame out.) The only other hit Wild Cherry released, "I Love My Music" in 1978, should have been included as a bonus track for this album.

This was a great album, made all the better by listening to it on vinyl. Their revolutionary (at the time) sound was great. Much appreciated and you won't regret buying this album no matter what kind of music you listen to.

WILD CHERRY-WILD CHERRY: Proof positive that white boys actually COULD play funky music, albeit briefly, WILD CHERRY's autobiographical smash single anchored this delightful debut of rockin' RNB and hard edged funk. Sassy female backing choruses and a four piece horn section fanned the flames of the core quartet, which boasted two gritty guitar slingers, lecherous lead belter/songsmith ROB PARISSI, and BRYAN BASSETT, who turned up down the road in new versions of MOLLY HATCHET and FOGHAT. Stone soul covers of WILSON PICKETT, MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS, and THE COMMODORES might sound silly in other hands, but WILD CHERRY slashed through 'em all with crass class, even if most of their originals didn't quite measure up. If ever the term "one hit wonder" defined an act, WILD CHERRY was it...but PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC was the "mutha like no other" in that vapid DISCO-drenched wasteland known as 1976.

RATING: FOUR HONKY CATS

I have an extensive CD collection. I am often dissapointed when I purchase & listen to CD's of albums I had when I was a teenager. Music is dated or the recorings are poor. Not w/ this one. I have enjoyed hearing this album again. The sound is very good & this is more of a funky soul album than a disco album. Yeah I have heard better covers, but if you had this album when you were younger & wonder if it is worth buying on CD. The answer is yes. Good from start to finnish.

Play that funky music is the one great classic track and is worth buying the CD if you need to play it where you don't have an iPod.

This cd is a bit schizophrenic: half the tracks sound fast,loud, and danceable; the other half are too thin and weedy-sounding to be truly funky. The short length of the album--less than 30 minutes--doesn't help either. Recommended only for Funk/Disco collectors.

I really like the "funk" sound these white boys produce. Although the group really was more or less a "one hit wonder", that one hit made number one on the charts.

This is a great group, that sadly hasn't gotten the full props it deserves being unfairly dismissed by many as mere '70s kiche.

Though Play That Funky Music (now Craig Killbourne's theme !) is there best remembered tune, check out LADY WANTS YOUR MONEY and you don't tell me that that's a nice solid and funky groove ! ! !

If you dig Wild Cherry, check out also Mother's Finest (!)