球風火合唱團，坊間或譯大地風火，是由莫里斯·懷特帶領的美國男子音樂樂團，1969年於芝加哥伊利諾伊州成立。曾獲6次葛萊美獎及20次提名。他們擁有超過50張金唱片及白金唱片。至今，他們唱片的全球銷量超過9000萬張。邁爾士·戴維斯曾評EW&F為「他的最愛」及「最佳」。

Singer Mike James Kirkland recorded an impressive pair of albums for MCA during the 1970s but lack of interest on the label's part led to their eventual obscurity. That is until fans of ultra-rare rare groove caught wind of the sounds of Doin' It Right and Hang on in There, both of which began to change hands for astronomical prices amongst collectors. The latter drew obvious comparisons to What's Going On, Marvin Gaye's classic 1971 meditation on an ailing society. The first side of Kirkland's Hang on in There reads like an alternate version, exploring many of the same themes. What Have We Done? he asks on the album opener over an excellent conga and flute-spiced funk groove, a track followed by the equally pained Where is the Soul of Man?. Both are eclipsed however, by the eight-minutes-plus title track. The album's undeniable centerpiece, Hang on in There is a lyrical tour de force over a slow-burning groove. Though arrangement touches are as lush as a film score, the underlying rhythms are rooted in urban funk: bells, backing singers and syrupy strings meshing perfectly with guitar scratch and percolating bass. Unfortunately, Kirkland drops the concept for the album's second half, turning his attention to the mysteries of love and throwing the album off balance. He would have been better off integrating the two sides or voicing the greater concerns of side one over a full-length album. Regardless, at least half of this material is the product of an underrated artist at the peak of his compositional powers. Making this disc even more desirable are a trio of tracks culled from 45s amongst them The Prophet: a scorcher that finds the singer riding a vibrant, horn-seasoned funk rhythm that's the toughest thing on hand.

tags: 90s hip-hop/rap jazzy hip hop sample-based underground hip hop Portland

UK reissue of the funk legend's debut album, originally released on Invictus in 1970. Includes six bonus tracks, 'Red Hot Mama', 'The Breakdown', 'Come In Out Of The Rain', 'Fantasy Is Reality', 'Unfinished Instrumental', 'Loose Booty' & 'Breakdown' (mono 45 version). 2001.

Yet another jazz-funk banger! Take A Look At Yourself has Russ working at a level that's right up there with keyboard giants like Weldon Irvine, Lonnie Liston Smith, and Bobby Lyle -- a wonderful fusion of jazz and soul that's carried off perfectly throughout the entire set.
The backings are sublime -- rich and full, but never sleepy -- and with a strength that really moves past even Eddie's great work on other albums. The keyboards soar over the top of the tunes mightily -- supported by some great horn parts, and just a bit of chorus vocals on a few cuts. Eddie's playing Arp, electric piano, and a bit of un-named synth on the set -- and titles include the great title track, "I Want To Be Somebody", "Tea Leaves", "Lay Back", "Feelin Fine", and a version of "Don't Ask My Neighbors".

Despite their name, the Chicago Gangsters were originally from Ohio, consisting of brothers James, Sam, Chris, and Leroy McCant. Their sound ranged from heavy funk and disco to sweet, smooth soul balladry. They adopted the name Chicago Gangsters after catching on with the Gold Plate label, where they worked with prolific songwriter/arranger Richard Evans and a number of Chicago's top studio musicians. Their debut LP, Blind Over You, was released in 1975 and contained the slamming funk of "Gangster Boogie," as well as a minor hit cover of "I Choose You," which Willie Hutch had originally recorded as the love theme to the film The Mack. The title track of their 1976 sophomore album Gangster Love was another minor hit, and also the first 12" single their label ever issued. 1977's "I'm an Outlaw" was their last single for Gold Plate; a year later, they cut "Windy City Boogie" for RCA. Dropping the "Chicago" part of their name, the Gangsters subsequently signed with Heat and recorded a third album, Life Is Not Easy Without You, in 1979. They continued on into the early '80s before disbanding. "Gangster Boogie" became a massively popular sample item for hip-hoppers and breakbeat aficionados, most prominently appearing on L.L. Cool J's hit "Mama Said Knock You Out"; their first album was eventually reissued as Gangster Boogie.

Love Unlimited was a female vocal trio that provided backing vocals for American R&B/soul singer Barry White on his albums and concert tours. They also found success with their own recordings.

「杏里」（ANRI）這位發展甚早的實力派女唱將可說在80年代引起一波CITY POP樂風的盛起，原本朝偶像之路邁進的她，一腳踏進實力派之林，朝著專業歌手之路邁進的她，用清亮的歌聲與舞台演唱產生市場區隔，並開始受到當時年輕人的矚目。

A Taste of Honey was an American recording act, formed in 1971 by associates Janice–Marie Johnson and Perry Kibble. In 1978, they had one of the best known chart-toppers of the disco era, "Boogie Oogie Oogie". After their popularity waned during the 1980s, Johnson went on to record as a solo artist and released the album One Taste of Honey which produced numerous minor hits. In 2004, Hazel Payne and Janice–Marie Johnson reunited for the first time in over 20 years to perform on the PBS specials Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion and My Music: Funky Soul Superstars.

A&R [Reissue] – Masahiro Maeda
Artwork [Reissue] – Ishikawa Ami
Bass – 佐久間コウ*
Drums – 三条通*
Guitar – 好機タツオ*
Keyboards, Tape – バ・ナ・ナ*
Percussion – ユン・ツボタジ*
Photography By – Shinya Fujiwara
Supervised By, Reissue Producer [Planning], Liner Notes – Minoru Wakasugi
Voice – 佐藤薫*

Leon Ware专辑介绍：by Thom Jurek
Leon Ware's classic Motown offering from 1976 came about as the result of another classic recording done by Marvin Gaye. Ware had written the single "I Want You" for a demo recording to score T-Boy Ross a recording contract with Motown. Berry Gordy heard it and told Ware he had to have the song for
Marvin Gaye's next single. He took it to Gaye, who also loved it. Later, as Ware finished the tracks and orchestrations for his own album, he was playing it back for friends at Gaye's home when Marvin came out of a bedroom to inquire about what it was. He asked for -- and received -- all the tracks from Ware for the legendary I Want You album. This left Ware no choice but to compose an entirely new set of songs for his own record; the result is Musical Massage. (It should be noted that, according to Ware, Gordy, Gaye, and others felt he should also give this album away as a follow-up to I Want You, but Ware refused.) Musical Massage is the perfect mix of soul, light funk, jazz, and what was about to become the rhythmic foundation for disco. Picture the Motown song orchestrations with arrangements by Barry White for the Salsoul Orchestra and you get a bit of the picture. The disc opens with two smooth soul wonders in "Learning How to Love You" and "Instant Love." Strings dominate the melodic arrangement and Ware croons directly to them as
Ray Parker, Jr. fills the lines with a silky but chunky guitar. Ware's mellifluous tenor is deep in the swell of strings and guitars as the rest of the band provides a shimmering backbeat for his soul crooning. On a re-recording of the track "Body Heat" -- which Ware had recorded as a duet with Minnie Riperton for Quincy Jones' album of the same name a year earlier --
Parker and bassist Chuck Rainey set a groove for Bongo Brown, Gary Coleman, and Bobbye Hall 's percussion orgy. Ware's vocals, augmented by a three-piece female choir, cover the tune with dripping, seductive, sexual energy. Bobby Womack guests on the title track and "Holiday," while
Gaye also lends a hand on the latter. Both tracks are spurious soul-funk workouts with fat, smooth grooves underlying Ware's gorgeous voice that melts the heart strings like butter, sounding like the whispering of satin sheets. Produced by Ware with Hal Davis and engineer Cal Harris, the disc has the same sweet, swaying feel as Gaye's I Want You but is a bit tougher, a little funkier in the breaks. The string arrangements by Dave Blumbery
and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson are among the best the Motown studios issued to date. Ultimately, Musical Massage is a little-known classic from the supposedly twilight years of Motown. This record reveals Ware as a talented but undercelebrated visionary; he envisioned the evolution of soul and went about to bring it to fruition. Musical Massage is a watermark not only for Ware, but for Motown as well.