Blast..
I had a late 70's kind of day... For some reason I felt like filling up my CD changer with some old school sounds... I kicked it off with one of my favorite all time classics, Fresh by Sly & The Family Stone... You cant beat the natural funk of this joint. Sometimes I wish Prince would remake this entire album because I think he can sometimes be Sly reincarnated when he gets really funky and sings with that old Camille voice that he used to do.. Fresh is an incredible album... I remember driving to work last year on a Sunday and hearing this song called Thoughtful N' Thankful, which is one of my favorites off this collection. I kind of laughed that they used this song to represent some early Sunday morning gospel but at the same time I thought that was mad cool to do... And then my favorite track is a song called Frisky because it is just that, musically..
I achieved that feeling of funkiness so I decided to change the pace. I put in some old Rufus & Chaka Khan. Please Pardon Me sort of reminded me of my aunt Tamer back in the day. Actually, anytime I hear some old Chaka it reminds me of my aunt and her best friend, Annie. I used to laugh at Annie because I could read her mind as if I were able to peel the imaginary label off that she'd placed on my forehead. That label read a little something like "Oooh, I can't stand this chile!" Ha ha!! I have no clue why but I guess it was one of those things... Pack'd My Bags and Stop On By also highlight this collection that brings sweet memories of Cali days going to see family at my grandmother's apartment...
Once I hear Parliament, I'm immediately transported back in time to my Houston Texas days hanging with my father and going backstage at the concerts. He typically would be the promoter of the Parliament/Funkadelic shows in Houston along with his buddies that made up Family Productions. Big George, Steve, George Frazier and others... Those were some interesting characters that my father was surrounded by. I can definitely say that dad lived his life and saw a lot in the process... I'm living too though I aint so sure I'll see as much as he did. Mothership Connection was so funky live and in living color... Being a kid, I was amazed and scared at the same time about all those funny cigarettes and that smell that filled the auditorium like a thick dust cloud while folks partied non-stop to a beat you just couldn't resist...George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Eddie Hazel. I even seen them perform when they had that dude from the Spinners (Phillippe Wynne) in the group. That was some craziness back then and then I remember how this member of Parliament's management team was talking to my father so excitedly about a future project. I was excited too and all the while trying to be my dad's little bodyguard, keeping my eyes and ears constantly open... This guy was describing a future show to my father. He said, "dig this, Virg. Next time we come out, we gonna be performing inside of a big fish aquarium. They gonna flip out cause this aint never been done.." Dad laughed and I would later drive him crazy asking him how they gonna sing underwater without drowning.. Dad said "he just talkin, son."
I ended this chilly night in February listening to some Isley Brothers while driving underneath the stars.. I passed by some folks that had an accident in the canyon. They were standing around trying to figure out what happened while the police tried to make sense of it too. Out of respect, I turned down the music but once I'd gone up further and they were out of sight, I cranked the music back up, extra loud... For The Love Of You and Make Me Say It Again, Girl just plain sounded good!! I can definitely see myself playing the Isleys all the way through Valentines Day. I wish I had a memory of love to attach to the music but mostly what I see is afros and family, the Kool Jazz Festival in San Diego, the Summit Arena in Houston and when I poisoned some gold fish by pouring Brut Cologne in their water. I have no clue what I was thinking... Strangeness there...The music brought back memories of my uncle Richard always on the phone talking to some girl. My uncle Charles was the coolest and could knock anybody out. My aunt Tamer knew all the latest dance moves and me.... I was just me. I still am and all this good music had me feeling fabulous today... I might play a little more tomorrow...(smile)
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