Side A
The album kicks off with “The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown,” thus putting this project in that category of bands who have recorded songs sharing their names, along with Bad Company, Blue Mink, Double Naught Spy Car, I See Hawks In L.A. and They Might Be Giants (among many others). This song begins with some delicious work on drums, and then a spoken word section functions as an introduction, not just to this record but to the project as a whole: “Welcome to the Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown/A plan for a band, banded together by a jam/A psychedelic sandwich of sorts/Cohorts escorted to a revelation by the members of a deeper civilization.” That’s Michael Clip Payne, of P-Funk, on vocals. All of this is great, but it is the brass section that really lifts this one several stories off the ground, propelling us all into a much better and more exciting space, shouting out into the stratosphere, carving a path outward with its sound. The musicians on this track include Roger Lewis on baritone saxophone, Kevin Harris on tenor saxophone, Greg Hollowell on tenor saxophone, Revert Andrews on trombone, Derrick Johnson on trombone, Efrem Towns on trumpet, Ian Neville on guitar, John Heintz on bass, Dave Grissom on organ, Terence Higgins on drums, Frank Mapstone on percussion, and John-Paul Miller on percussion.
The horns then get “Include Me” going, with some delightful, playful work, before that funky guitar work comes in. This tune has a great funky groove, and it features the vocal work of Belita Woods (of Brainstorm and Parliament-Funkadelic). “Hey,” she calls before that first line, demanding our attention. And then she tells us what is what. “If you just can’t do right to me/If you just can’t be right for me/If you just got to play around on me.” I love that percussion, and the energy here is fantastic. This track is great fun, just what you might need to keep your mind off the thoroughly depressing state of our nation. Things here are loose and wonderful, and that guitar is singing, spinning a tale of joy that will wrap itself around each of us, pulling us into the dance. Belita Woods died in 2012, and this record is dedicated to her memory, as well as to the memory of Garry Shider, who plays guitar on this track and who died in 2010. Frank Mapstone is on organ, Brandon Butler is on piano, and Alvin Ford Jr. is on drums.
The musicians mellow things out a bit for “I Will Wait For You,” featuring Laura Reed on vocals. “Time will feel slow/We’ll let it grow/I want you to know/I will wait for you.” She gives us a sexy vocal performance, which is the heart of this track. And everything else works to support that performance. “Well, I’m a woman who knows what she wants,” she sings, leaving no doubt in our minds. I love when she raises her voice and belts out certain lines. She also brings it down for more intimate moments. It’s a delicious, captivating performance. John-Paul Miller is on guitar, Tyler Simmons is on organ, and Robert Mercurio (of Galactic) is on bass for this one. Things then get funky again for “College Funk.” If you listen to this record a few times, you’ll certainly end up on the dean’s list and graduate with honors, with a degree in dancing that will serve you well in this odd world. This is a thumping, pumping instrumental number that will have you shaking and grooving. It’s a wonderful jam helping us to dance through whatever destruction might surround us. Just keep focusing on the groove, friends.
Side B
The second side kicks off with “Platinum,” and that bass means business. This tune has plenty of attitude. The horns feel like integral parts of the city, like its own emergency unit, traveling about and seeing to the well-being of the citizens, making sure they are at a proper level of funkiness. If that level were to drop, pump the right fluids into the body and turn up the volume. Keep an eye on things while you’re dancing, and surely everything will be okay. The sax seems to promise as much. Follow the organ lead into a land of perfect health, perfect funk. And it is then that Kendra Foster comes in on vocals, a surprise so far into the track (it’s more than six minutes in). But now we are ready for her, aren’t we? “I turn up the music in my heart/So loud that my dreams become action.” Oh yes! Now that is an example we can follow.
“Room 2012” comes bursting in with a strong force, the song’s title containing the year the album came out, a year that was supposed to signal the end of the world. Remember that? This time, the vocals come in pretty quickly, now delivered by Reverend Desmond D’Angelo. The rhythm of his delivery carries its own funky element, which is fantastic. “So promise me that you’ll meet me in room 2012/We’ll look out the window and watch the whole world burn to hell/Baby, I want to kiss you right on your apocalypse/And make the whole world crumble at our feet.” And listen to that guitar as it takes charge. This song ends with him saying to get ready to move onto room 2013. Man, that seems so long ago now. It seems now that was when things were relatively normal, relatively stable, before things went to hell in 2016. The record then concludes with “It’s Hard To Go,” a glorious, thumping funk number, the brass players gathering us in at the beginning and then driving us forward in a great burst of energy that we become part of. And when we’ve come through, and are in some other land, the vocals come in, a sort of choir, led by George Clinton. “It’s so hard to go/I wish you’d stay by my side.” And that’s how the song and the record end. Wow.
Record Track List
Side A
- The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown
- Include Me
- I Will Wait For You
- College Funk
Side B
- Platinum
- Room 2012
- It’s So Hard To Go
Volume 1 was released in 2012.
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