Peter Johnson Posted December 28, 2004 Report Posted December 28, 2004 Every once in awhile, I check my Amazon "recommendations", which can be quite humorous (I think Amazon thinks I'm a woman, but that's another story). Anyway, recently Amazon recommended two of Earland's Prestige sides, Black Talk and Funk Fantastique. Never having heard Earland, or really seen his music discussed on this board, I thought I'd throw this out there--what do you all think of him? Looks like Mogie is on Funk Fantastique, which, in my book, is reason enough to get that! I welcome your thoughts--thanks! Quote
Dan Gould Posted December 28, 2004 Report Posted December 28, 2004 Peter, I would first recommend his High Note recordings with Eric Alexander and Jim Rotondi. Not exactly subtle, but what drive and groove Earland had. Blowing the Blues Away and Cookin with the Mighty Burner are the two Highnote recordings I'd recommend first. Quote
kh1958 Posted December 28, 2004 Report Posted December 28, 2004 (edited) I recommend Slammin' and Jammin' on High Note/Savant. This one is great--it has Carlos Garnett on tenor and Melvin Sparks on guitar. Edited December 28, 2004 by kh1958 Quote
JSngry Posted December 28, 2004 Report Posted December 28, 2004 Call me Old School, but since the Prestige Earland was the one that I came up with, it's the one I'd recommend first. A bit of a hit in its day, part of the soundtrack of many an urban club for many a year, and just plain groove to spare. "More Today Than Yesterday" still gets played on local jazz radio today, and that doesn't bother me at all. Lee Morgan & Billy Harper turn up here, as well as on FUNK FANTASTIQUE, and are not at all wasted or minimized on either. My chronology might be off, but I remember this as being the last "real" organ record before the drought of the mid-1970s took place (yes, Virginia, there was a time when nobody was making swinging, small group organ records!). Some empty, fusion-y filler, but mostly good solid blowing, with the Freddie & Joe in very solid form. This is the Earland that caught my ear back in the day, and as such, it maintains an allure that his later albums don't, not becuase they are inferior, but just because they follow on in the same territory, with the horn players doing likewise. It's ALL a groove (Earland is Latin for "PARTY!!!!!", in case you didn't know... ), but Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Billy Harper, & Joe Henderson are pretty strong persuaders, if you know what I mean. The only REALLY bad Earlland records I know of are the Mercury sides and a soundtrack album he did for Prestige, all of which are full of synthisizers and dull "funk" rhythms. Everything else is of a piece, and a good piece it is. HOWEVER... If you do vinyl, look out for Earland's mid/late-70s Muse sides. A lot of them have George Coleman, Bill Hardman, and Jimmy Ponder/Melvin Sparks, and coming as they did in the middle of The Great Organ Drought, got overlooked. An added attraction on one (some? My memory's not so hot...) is Philly tenor great Bootsi Barnes, who plays some REALLY hip shit. So be on the lookout. Quote
Peter Johnson Posted December 28, 2004 Author Report Posted December 28, 2004 Thanks so much, Dan, KH and Jim. I definitely do vinyl, and as I think back, poor Charles' sections in all the places I frequent are sadly full of records waiting for someone to come along. It's gonna be a Charles Earland New Years, baby! Impressions to follow! Quote
Soul Stream Posted December 28, 2004 Report Posted December 28, 2004 If you were to ask me where to START (and you did!)...there's only one place in my book. That's BLACK TALK! It's one of the ten most important organ albums of all time in my book. It was Earland's first solo album, and like so many other artists', his best by almost all accounts. It contains his monster smash hit that was one of the few organ hits (along with Groove Holmes' "Misty" and Smith's "Back At The Chicken Shack)...and that was his cover of Spiral Staircase's "More Today Than Yesterday." One of the best organ sides ever cut. BLACK TALK. BLACK TALK. BLACK TALK. BLACK TALK. Quote
BFrank Posted December 28, 2004 Report Posted December 28, 2004 "Infant Eyes" and "Mama Roots" (both on Muse vinyl) would be great ones to pick up if you can find them. Quote
Harold_Z Posted December 28, 2004 Report Posted December 28, 2004 Nice sideman appearance on Willis Jackson's "Bar Wars". Quote
WD45 Posted December 28, 2004 Report Posted December 28, 2004 Also with Rotundi & Alexander. Live, and a PARTY! Quote
gdogus Posted December 28, 2004 Report Posted December 28, 2004 If you were to ask me where to START (and you did!)...there's only one place in my book. That's BLACK TALK! It's one of the ten most important organ albums of all time in my book. It was Earland's first solo album, and like so many other artists', his best by almost all accounts. It contains his monster smash hit that was one of the few organ hits (along with Groove Holmes' "Misty" and Smith's "Back At The Chicken Shack)...and that was his cover of Spiral Staircase's "More Today Than Yesterday." One of the best organ sides ever cut. BLACK TALK. BLACK TALK. BLACK TALK. BLACK TALK. The starting point, for sure. Quote
Guest akanalog Posted December 29, 2004 Report Posted December 29, 2004 actually i really like the soundtrack to "dynamite brothers". i think it, along with "intensity" are my favorite earlands. then again i do not like straight funky organ jazz like "black talk" too much so my earland opinions don't mean too much. i do have itchy fingers when it comes to selling my CDs back, and i know i would never sell either of these two albums though. i also remember liking "black drops" a lot more than "black talk" though not enough to keep. i think this is an underrated earland album though. Quote
Jim Alfredson Posted December 29, 2004 Report Posted December 29, 2004 Also with Rotundi & Alexander. Live, and a PARTY! That's a purdy organ. Quote
alankin Posted December 29, 2004 Report Posted December 29, 2004 Also with Rotundi & Alexander. Live, and a PARTY!  That's a purdy organ. And here's a Purdy drummer: Quote
Jazzmoose Posted December 30, 2004 Report Posted December 30, 2004 Sorry; I'd love to help, but I'm still far too disturbed by the idea of Amazon thinking "Peter Johnson" is a woman that I can't concentrate... Quote
Soul Stream Posted December 30, 2004 Report Posted December 30, 2004 If you want to hear some of the only CLASSIC examples of organ-wah-wah....get Earland's "Live at the Lighthouse." Now on CD, this stuff is smoking in a super 70's, let's-hook-a-wah-wah-up-to-the-organ kind of way. "You've Got Me Smiling" is monsterous and "We've Only Just Begun" sounds like Karen Carpenter making out with Magic Johnson. Quote
Dan Gould Posted December 30, 2004 Report Posted December 30, 2004 ... and "We've Only Just Begun" sounds like Karen Carpenter making out with Magic Johnson. Talk about an image that makes it difficult to concentrate ..... Quote
Peter Johnson Posted December 30, 2004 Author Report Posted December 30, 2004 Sorry; I'd love to help, but I'm still far too disturbed by the idea of Amazon thinking "Peter Johnson" is a woman that I can't concentrate... Weird, isn't it? You should see the books it recommends--nothin' but "chick lit!" Quote
Peter Johnson Posted December 30, 2004 Author Report Posted December 30, 2004 If you want to hear some of the only CLASSIC examples of organ-wah-wah....get Earland's "Live at the Lighthouse." Now on CD, this stuff is smoking in a super 70's, let's-hook-a-wah-wah-up-to-the-organ kind of way. "You've Got Me Smiling" is monsterous and "We've Only Just Begun" sounds like Karen Carpenter making out with Magic Johnson. Soul Stream/Dusty Groove writers = separated at birth? Quote
Soul Stream Posted December 30, 2004 Report Posted December 30, 2004 If you want to hear some of the only CLASSIC examples of organ-wah-wah....get Earland's "Live at the Lighthouse." Now on CD, this stuff is smoking in a super 70's, let's-hook-a-wah-wah-up-to-the-organ kind of way. "You've Got Me Smiling" is monsterous and "We've Only Just Begun" sounds like Karen Carpenter making out with Magic Johnson. Soul Stream/Dusty Groove writers = separated at birth? O.K....the secret's out. Quote
JSngry Posted December 30, 2004 Report Posted December 30, 2004 If you want to hear some of the only CLASSIC examples of organ-wah-wah....get Earland's "Live at the Lighthouse." You know, I've long wondered about that one. How's Jimmy Vass on it? Lots of blowing? He's a really interesting semi-free player for whose lines the word "eely" seems to have been made... Quote
JSngry Posted December 30, 2004 Report Posted December 30, 2004 Sorry; I'd love to help, but I'm still far too disturbed by the idea of Amazon thinking "Peter Johnson" is a woman that I can't concentrate... Weird, isn't it? You should see the books it recommends--nothin' but "chick lit!" Wow... If there's ever a name that sent a decidedly unambiguous message, it wuld be yours.... Quote
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