Maceo Musicology Webcast #24 - Three Kings (July '11)

Maceo Musicology Webcast #24 - Three Kings




There may be only one Prince, but (for me) there were Three Kings - James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone.

I was lucky enough to have an older sister and a friend's older brother to introduce me to their music while I was a young lad (my sister took me to my first concert - James Brown at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh - when I was 11). It seeped into my consciousness as I was chasing the latest Monkees and Jackson Five records.

As the music of the Three Kings was of the generation before me, they ended up influencing many of the artists I ended up listening to, from George Clinton to Mothers Finest to Prince to Living Colour, and others.

Given that all 3 are usually cited in most of the articles written to describe Prince, I thought I would put together this little webcast as background for those purple funkateers a bit younger than me, whose knowledge may be limited to greatest hits compilations, or casual fans of the 3 who haven't caught up on the unreleased tracks appearing on recent reissues and box sets. Enjoy

Go get it here - http://emfradio.blogspot.com/


Here's a promo video for the webcast, as the power of James hits the next generation

Hey hey! I had noticed that one in cyberspace already!

Great to see a good tradition continuing

You'll note that the last podcast was #22, and the above is #24. #23 are the tracks for the upcoming Return of Triple Threat Webcast series, which will be completed when I get back.


Making the above webcast made me realize I was 'easy pickins' to become a Prince fan

Guess everyone is too young for this - Tracklist

1. Payback/Soul Power - James Brown (live 1974, Zaire)
2. Hear My Train A'Comin' - Jimi Hendrix (live 1967, BBC)
3. You Can Make It If You Try - Sly and The Family Stone (live 1969 Woodstock)
4. Sunny - James Brown w/ Dee Felice Trio (1969)
with Marva Whitney on co-lead vocals
5. Angel - Jimi Hendrix (home demo 1968)
6. I Remember - Sly Stone and Billy Preston (demo 1965)
7. Cold Sweat - James Brown (False Start/Alternate Take, 1967 unreleased until 1996)
Slightly faster and a bit sloppier than the final funk-history-making version, this is notable in part as James explains the concept of "On The One" to the band
8. Freedom - Jimi Hendrix (No overdub take, 1970 unreleased until 2010)
9. Crossword Puzzle - Sly & The Family Stone (outtake from 'Small Talk'- 1974, unreleased until 2007)
10. There Was A Time (I Got to Move) - James Brown (Alternate Take, 1970, unreleased until 1996)
Featuring Bootsy Collins on bass, with a guitar solo by Catfish Collins. That's right. A guitar solo. On a JB record. By Bootsy's brother.
11. Strato Strut - Band of Gypsys (1969 - unreleased until 2000)
Recorded during Band of Gypsys' rehearsals for the New Year's Eve 1969 shows at the Fillmore. BOG allowed Jimi to explore his funk and soul side, which allowed his ideas to flow from rhythm, rather than from lead guitar. As such, he could enjoy the grooves laid down by Billy Cox on bass and Buddy Miles on drums to find a different way to express himself. On the instrumental "Strato Strut" he plays a bit of lead and some rhythm as the band lay down a hardcore funky groove. BOG never released a studio album
12. Crazay - Jesse Johnson and Sly Stone (1986)
13. Think (About It) - Lyn Collins (1972)
The recording was produced by Brown (who also co-wrote the song) and featured instrumental backing from The J.B.'s. Along with "Funky Drummer" and "Funky President", "Think (About It)" is one of the most frequently sampled James Brown-produced recordings, having been used on tracks by dozens of hip hop artists.
14. Hear My Freedom - Jimi Hendrix (1969 unreleased until 2010)
Part of a handful of studio outtakes where Jimi starts incorporating some additional musicians on percussion and organ. "Hear My Freedom" is a studio jam with vocals, featuring Buddy Miles and (probably) Lee Michaels on organ.
15. Que Sera Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) - Sly & The Family Stone (1973)
From 'Fresh' Sly's classic cover of a song made famous by Doris Day.