Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Big Chief is Detroit, incarnate in a band., July 10, 1999
By A Customer
This album is soundtrack music to a film that does not exist. To these ends there are songs that leave you kind of wondering "what the hell?" as if you actually need some visual for them to make sense. This quip aside, the album rocks hard, as do all of their albums. Mack Ave. is certainly their best effort with highlights being "One Born Every Minute" and "No Free Love On This Street." Thornetta Davis sings on the latter. The heart and soul of Big Chief, also play on her wonderful solo debut "Sunday Morning Music." To give you the flavor of Big Chief imagine Black Sabbath injected with a little George Clinton, Eddie Hazel inspired funk. It is truly a shame that these guys never get the recognition that they deserve. If this endorsement is not enough: Iggy Pop thinks they're really cool. If you like Iggy, Funkadelic, and Black Sabbath, then you'll like Big Chief. No matter who stands at the mike, these guys lay it down and make sure it stays there.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ah. Big Chief. Too bad they're gone, but if you've gotta go out, go out in style..., July 2, 2006
A week ago I broke out my Amazon shipment of Big Chief's Mack Avenue Skullgame and popped the CD in my car stereo. It's been there ever since.
This disc needs to be taken as a whole instead of breaking the album down song-by-song. As one reviewer here stated, its basically a soundtrack for a non-existent blaxploitation film, a-la Superfly or Shaft, updated for the early 90's style gang-banger. No hip-hop here: The Big Chief band was an early (a bit before their time, unfortunately) entry into the funk-rock school, and gave up the ghost before that genre really took off (think the Red Hot Chili Peppers, if they'd been Motor City madmen instead of laid-back Westcoast funksters).
The band sounds fantastic here; much more tightly focused than on previous albums, and finally go all the way with their funk roots, fleshing out their sound by incorporating piano and horns. However -- The absolute best tunes here (if you have to get picky) are highlighted by the amazing bluesy vocals of singer Thornetta Davis - who eventually took the front for good with the impossible to find five-song EP, Shout Out, and then with her first solo album, Sunday Morning Music. Listen to one of the samples posted here to see what I mean: One Born Every Minute (Doc's Theme), Sonica, and No Free Love On This Street (Sonica's Theme - also on the Shout Out EP, along with a blistering cover of George Clinton/Funkadelic's Funky Dollar Bill...), well, these are simply the funky equivalent of heaven.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If anyone is reading this..... Buy this CD, March 4, 2004
This is one of the best "unheard" of bands from Detroit. The raw heavy rock infused with the great vocals of local legend Thonetta Davis is enough to tear a hole in your a$$. As an added bonus there is some cool art in the sleeve created by Mark Dancey (Guitarist/ Artist) If you like music and you havn't heard this buy it today.
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by Big Chief 
