Make it funky...

I haven't listened to a ton of funk, but I have enjoyed the hell out of my dad's Parliament cds and a few others.

I'll listen to funk when it's on, but it's not a style that I actively seek out.

I love funk, but I haven't delved too deep into vintage funk. I listen to current southern rap lately and that seems to be what funk is now. Maybe you can list some good stuff. I've always just fallen back on James Brown when it comes to really good funk. Three-6 samples Willie Hutch a lot. Do you ever listen to him, or is that more soul thank funk?

Dragon Ma, you probably know this from our past chats, but classic soul and funk has long been some of my favorite music. I'm not sure how much obscure funk I've got, but the best stuff by the following artists/bands is essential. I'll list some personal favorites by each:

Parliament: Mothership Connection, Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome, The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein

Funkadelic: Just about everything from 1970-1978 is great. Want to know more, just ask.

Sly and the Family Stone: Stand!, There's a Riot Goin' On, Fresh

Curtis Mayfield: Superfly, Curtis, Roots, Curtis/Live!

Isaac Hayes: several, but Hot Buttered Soul is probably the best.

An album that was OOP for years - but was finally released to CD - is Eddie Hazel's Games, Dames and Guitar Thangs. It's greatness all the way through, in my opinion. Classic Stevie Wonder albums like Songs In the Key of Life, Innervisions, and Talking Book are also must-owns, but of course it's probably easier to lump most of his stuff under soul/r&b. I think you're already schooled in the James Brown department, but if you don't yet have In a Jungle Groove - get it ASAP. I also think that Fishbone carried the funk torch pretty well for most of the nineties. But I've never kept my love for their glory days a secret in this forum. Anyway, I've probably got more to add, but I'll save it for a later time. Sorry I didn't have a lot of obscure recommendations to add here.

PS - Get me started on funky jazz / jazz fusion, and I'll have whole other set of lists going here. I'd suggest certain albums by Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and Weather Report as good entry points into that universe.

Feel free to call on me anytime if I can be of any further assistance in this area.

I haven't listened to a lot of his stuff, but "Watermelon man" and "Chameleon" are notable in my mind. Mostly because I played them in my jazz band days.

There's been a lot of great funk compilations in recent years. Funky 16 Corners, Bay Area Funk (Vols. 1 and 2), Slurped! (collects the stuff that was sampled on DJ Shadow/Cut Chemist's Brainfreeze project), Texas Funk, Raw Funk, etc. The Texas Funk comp is really great, tending much more to hard-edged funk with nasty guitars and hammond organs and less to smooth soul-funk. I've also been enjoying this comp of Cuban funk, Si Para Usted.

I love funk. I love disco too, but I really love funk. I didn't know there was a revival going on. I think it's needed after the representatives for funk for the last 17 years have been the Chili Peppers - with their least funky work.

For anyone that's interested in 80's/90's funk check out:

Fishbone - Any album younger than 1991 should do. I didn't get into their metal/theramin shit.

Infectious Grooves - Yes it's Suicidal Tendencies, and yes it's the current bassplayer for Metallica, but they have some good funky shit.

The Tar Babies - I only have(and have heard) the album Honey Bubble. It's hit and miss, but when it's funky, it's good.

Anything Mike Watt did in the late 80's early 90's.

Urban Dance Squad - Nice soulful funk.

24-7 Spyz - Kind of Fishbone-esque funk,ska,reggae.

Anyone who wants to check out an epic funk performance should check out Sly and the Family Stone playing 'Higher' at Woodstock.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3Ig-6f0g55c

Funky like green onions. Oh, hell yes.

There's so much greatness in Kool & the Gang pre-JT Taylor it hurts.

For classic funk also see: The Gap Band (often jokey, but Charlie Wilson's got serious pipes), The O-Jays (all that Philly, Gamble & Huff sound), Lakeside, The Temptations in the 70s, The Commodores, Con Funk Shun... Don't let the codpiece scare you away from some Cameo, either. Bootsy's Rubber Band did some fun stuff.

Any James Brown lover is screwing themselves if they don't load up with Maceo Parker's solo discography. Holy shit. "Maceo! Blow your horn!"

And one of the great Lost Bands in my mind, MANDRILL. I could go on for a paragraph listing the sounds they incorporated, soul & funk being the driving force. But no one ever seems to remember em. "Ape Is High" is just so fucking good.

ETA: I'll definitely be checking out the Daptone label, and The Budos Band and Breakestra, much thanks.

I saw the Word of Mouth tour back in 2002, and the Breakestra battled the Beat Junkies inbetween sets from Dilated Peoples and Jurassic 5. Was pretty damned entertaining.

Mandrill is a great call. If you haven't got The Meters on your list yet, you need to. Pretty much the definition of gutbucket southern funk. Early Isley Brothers is pretty funky as well, with songs like "I Turned You On" and "Aint I Been Good To You pts I and II" On the Jazzy/Smooth end, Grover Washington Jr's "Mister Magic" and "Feels So Good" albums are pretty solid. Early Ohio Players is a little rawer than their later stuff, although most people seem to regard "Honey" and "Skin Tight" as their best albums. Also, check out the Bar-Kays for more of that southern grit, although they got kinda slick and greasy there near the end of the 70's with that disco sound.

All the giants have already been named, so I won't rehash those.