07/13/05
Ramsey Lewis - Sun Goddess LP (Columbia - 1974)
A lunchtime thrift run to Red White & Blue paid off today with this oft-sampled piece of jazzfunk from Ramsey Lewis for $1.95. It was Senior Discount day at RW&B, so nothing was half-price unless you were a decrepit old bag of bones. But I kid the seniors.
I had no idea how good this album was and just many people had sampled it until I got home and looked it up. I had a few clues to help steer me in the right direction, though. For one, the songs have names like "Jungle Strut" and "Hot Dawgit". Funky-sounding song titles can often be misleading, but this time they were right on the mark. Secondly, the back cover photo features three black guys who look more "street" than "cheese". Thirdly, it was produced by Teo Macero. Arguably most important of all, it came out in 1974 - before disco started ruining most funk releases with its foul stank. Don't get me wrong, good disco did exist - it's just that the good/bad ratio of disco records is about 53^10 to 1 - probably worse than any other genre of music. However, given the inexplicable popularity of "new country" lately, country music might soon usurp that distinction.
So yeah, this is some good stuff! All the players handle their instruments like pros, and they even diddle around with an ARP synthesizer on a few tracks, adding some farts and squelches to the mix. Like I mentioned earlier, this thing has been sampled to death. By whom? Well... Public Enemy, E-40, Mos Def, Pete Rock, Def Jef, Paris, Cannibal Ox, and Rahzel, among others. While listening, I recognized another snippet used by Kid Koala on his excellent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome album as well. With all that hip-hop cred, you know it has to be good.
Nice find, and I think I'll pull some ratings out of my ass and give Sun Goddess an 8 out of 10. If you see it at your local thrift store, pick it up!
© 2005 seawall