Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Curtis' First, October 29, 2001
Curtis Mayfield was one of the first black artists to openly sing about the inequities facing his race as well as sing with Afrocentricity. He wrote songs for his group, The Impressions, such as "Choice of Colors", "We're A Winner" and "Keep On Pushin'" that provided the soundtrack for the civil rights movement. On his first solo album, Curtis, he takes on a harder stance and his songs are most critical and scathing than the uplifting one he performed with The Impressions. The album's opener "(Don't Worry) If There's A Hell Below, We're All Gonna Go" breaks down stereotypes and lays blame for the nation's situation on everyone. The album's best track is the misty "We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue" that has a mystical vibe to it. Mr. Mayfield was never afraid of speaking his mind and his debut solo album has alot to say.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
His solo debut back in print in the U.S., September 4, 2000
Although this solo debut can be found for a good price as an import (backed with the lesser "Got To Find A Way" from 1974) Rhino has give it the treatment that it deserves on its own. There are 9 bonus tracks here with the best being the non-album tracks that turned up on later albums (i.e. "Underground" and "Suffer"). There are good liner notes and the sound is great. This was Curtis' best album of the 70's (along with Superfly, the songs hold up well today and it's great to have it as a budget-priced album in the States.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
He's A Winner!, January 22, 2005
Of all my favorite songwriters, a group including the teams of Tosh/Marley Lennom/McCartney, Page/Plant, Jagger/Richards and Patton/Benjamin (Outkast), Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix and Ben Harper to name a few I would have to put the late, great Curtis Mayfield, Soul Brother #1 right at the top. His songs had the social conscioussness and political militance of Martin Luther King and he was a major influence two of the greatest Soul Brothas of all time, the "Bush Doctor" Peter Tosh and Brother Bob Marley who imitated his work with the Impressions as they first performed as the wailers . His music over three plus decades was just off the meat rack funky as hell, and so ahead of his time that his songs have been sampled on some of the best hip hop beats OF ALL TIME like Camp Lo's "Black Nostaljak a.k.a. Come On!", 2Pac's "r u still down", or the "BathTub" skit from Snoop's first album. You might not recognize these songs on paper but you most definitely would if you heard them. The man was a certified musical genius.
That said, this, his first solo album might just be his best which is really quite a feat considering teh two or three he released subsequently like Superfly and Roots. Not a weak track among the original or added tracks but the very best are "Move on Up", "(Don't Worry) If there's Hell Below", We People who are Darker than Blue" and "Miss Black America" among the original tracks. Of the demos "underground","suffer" and "Ghetto Child" are the best, the latter track being nearly identical to the killer opening cut "Little Child Runnin' Wild" from Superfly only without horns or strings and other production overdubs).
This album is a must have for a fan of top notch songwriting and musicianship as is his follow up solo effort Roots-1999 Live album entitled 'Curtis/Live!' both from 1971. I assume anyone with remote interest in Curtis knows Superfly is a masterwork in no need of explanation. I would also recommend buying ONE of Curtis' greatest hits packages because they have some great songs from scattered soundtracks and latter staged albums he did that were not quite as consistent as his early work but just as potent. I found one with almost 50 songs for 20 bucks!!
A substantial Curtis Mayfield library would fit well into any music listener's home because, as many of his songs emphasize, people, whether black white yellow or brown are far more alike than they are different. I don't consider myself a fan of certain genres as much as a fan of good music and anything by Curtis is definitely that. I urge you to explore and enjoy him.
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~ Curtis Mayfield
~ Curtis Mayfield
~ Curtis Mayfield
~ Curtis Mayfield
~ Marvin Gaye
by Curtis Mayfield 
