Music Banter - View Single Post

anticipation · 06-16-2009, 10:44 AM

"The Concept" by Slave

Track listing:

Stellar Fungk
The Way You Love Is Heaven
Thank You Lord
Drac Is Back
We've Got Your Party
Just Freak
Coming Soon

Alright y'all, I think it's time for us to get FUNKY! Slave's "The Concept" is a rare funk gem from 1978, which features a young Steve Arrington on percussion and backing vocals. "The Concept" is also Slave's debut album and was recorded in Dayton, Ohio. What drew me to listen to "The Concept" was the great balance between old school funk roots and synth/effects based vocals and guitar licks.

Starting off the album is "Stellar Fungk", an 8 1/2 minute opus that features spacey vocals and funky guitar work. Synth plays a major role in this song, which sounds like it was meant to be listened to while geeked out. The singer's voice sounds like it's being created by a guitar that's traveled through Jerry Garcia's brain and was recorded through a paper towel roll, and the repeating "We are stellar!" is creepy yet oddly funky. One of Slave's hallmarks is their extensive guitar work, and these licks play a much more central role that other funk bands. Escalating horns and a final guitar solo that fucking shreds caps this funksterpiece.

Next up is "The Way You Love Is Heaven", which has got to be one of the cheesiest song titles I've ever heard. What's even lamer is that the lyrics are even more cliché, but their executed in a way that makes you disregard what their saying and focus on the jam. A solid rhythm and great background music saves this track from being too mushy, although I can't lie; I love the airy synth and oddball guitar riffs in this track.

"Thank You Lord" is a drums-only song that sounds like they just recorded a preset off my 1996 Casio electric keyboard and stuck it on the album as a prelude to the next song...

...and what a song it is. "Drac Is Back" is Slave at their best. A straight party track that slams on all cylinders and contains one of the rawest guitar solos in funk history. Mark "Drac" Hicks really wails on his guitar in this song, I'm beginning to wonder why he never recorded a solo album. After Hicks's 2 minute shredfest the entire band joins in shouting "Party! Get Down Y'all!", which I often do while listening to this song. I've literally gotten up and danced to this album in front of strangers, something I don't usually do, and I'm hoping this is a sign of quality rather than a sign of my insanity finally taking over.

"We've Got Your Party" is basically an alternate version of "Drac Is Back", seriously. The music is exactly the same, the only differences being the absence of Hicks's guitar solo and the lyrics being changed. Party song, period.

Up next is "Just Freak", the second longest song on this album and my second favorite as well. Female vocals telling me to "Just Freak!" are convincing and sensual, and while the guitar plays a diminished role in this song it is still present and rocking. This song is more about the horns for me, which invoke a feeling of exuberance and all around happiness in me. What's remarkable about this lengthy song, as well as "Stellar Fungk", are both 8 minutes or long yet they don't drag on. I've never had the feeling to change the song because I knew what was coming next, or worse, had no interest in what was coming next. These songs may be long, but they've got plenty to keep you interested.

Finishing off Slave's debut effort is "Coming Soon", a synth based track that talks about love and romance and all that shit. Whatever, disregard the subject matter and listen to the electric piano and horns instead. The real cool part of this song is its sudden transformation into heavy, driving rhythm guitar and altered vocals at about the 1 minute mark. Arrington's lyrics are sexual and rough invitations to enter his "love cabin", and it's these lyrics coupled with Hicks's powerhouse guitar work that make this song sick.

Overall, Slave's "The Concept" is one of the last great funk albums of the 70s. If you're into soulful lyrics and heavy riffage, I'm sure you'll enjoy Slave.

06-16-2009, 10:44 AM	#10 (permalink)
anticipation Music Addict Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 3,565	"The Concept" by Slave Track listing: Stellar Fungk The Way You Love Is Heaven Thank You Lord Drac Is Back We've Got Your Party Just Freak Coming Soon Alright y'all, I think it's time for us to get FUNKY! Slave's "The Concept" is a rare funk gem from 1978, which features a young Steve Arrington on percussion and backing vocals. "The Concept" is also Slave's debut album and was recorded in Dayton, Ohio. What drew me to listen to "The Concept" was the great balance between old school funk roots and synth/effects based vocals and guitar licks. Starting off the album is "Stellar Fungk", an 8 1/2 minute opus that features spacey vocals and funky guitar work. Synth plays a major role in this song, which sounds like it was meant to be listened to while geeked out. The singer's voice sounds like it's being created by a guitar that's traveled through Jerry Garcia's brain and was recorded through a paper towel roll, and the repeating "We are stellar!" is creepy yet oddly funky. One of Slave's hallmarks is their extensive guitar work, and these licks play a much more central role that other funk bands. Escalating horns and a final guitar solo that fucking shreds caps this funksterpiece. Next up is "The Way You Love Is Heaven", which has got to be one of the cheesiest song titles I've ever heard. What's even lamer is that the lyrics are even more cliché, but their executed in a way that makes you disregard what their saying and focus on the jam. A solid rhythm and great background music saves this track from being too mushy, although I can't lie; I love the airy synth and oddball guitar riffs in this track. "Thank You Lord" is a drums-only song that sounds like they just recorded a preset off my 1996 Casio electric keyboard and stuck it on the album as a prelude to the next song... ...and what a song it is. "Drac Is Back" is Slave at their best. A straight party track that slams on all cylinders and contains one of the rawest guitar solos in funk history. Mark "Drac" Hicks really wails on his guitar in this song, I'm beginning to wonder why he never recorded a solo album. After Hicks's 2 minute shredfest the entire band joins in shouting "Party! Get Down Y'all!", which I often do while listening to this song. I've literally gotten up and danced to this album in front of strangers, something I don't usually do, and I'm hoping this is a sign of quality rather than a sign of my insanity finally taking over. "We've Got Your Party" is basically an alternate version of "Drac Is Back", seriously. The music is exactly the same, the only differences being the absence of Hicks's guitar solo and the lyrics being changed. Party song, period. Up next is "Just Freak", the second longest song on this album and my second favorite as well. Female vocals telling me to "Just Freak!" are convincing and sensual, and while the guitar plays a diminished role in this song it is still present and rocking. This song is more about the horns for me, which invoke a feeling of exuberance and all around happiness in me. What's remarkable about this lengthy song, as well as "Stellar Fungk", are both 8 minutes or long yet they don't drag on. I've never had the feeling to change the song because I knew what was coming next, or worse, had no interest in what was coming next. These songs may be long, but they've got plenty to keep you interested. Finishing off Slave's debut effort is "Coming Soon", a synth based track that talks about love and romance and all that shit. Whatever, disregard the subject matter and listen to the electric piano and horns instead. The real cool part of this song is its sudden transformation into heavy, driving rhythm guitar and altered vocals at about the 1 minute mark. Arrington's lyrics are sexual and rough invitations to enter his "love cabin", and it's these lyrics coupled with Hicks's powerhouse guitar work that make this song sick. Overall, Slave's "The Concept" is one of the last great funk albums of the 70s. If you're into soulful lyrics and heavy riffage, I'm sure you'll enjoy Slave. Last edited by anticipation; 06-16-2009 at 11:02 AM.