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Black Rock/Gotta Groove brings together the Bar-Kays' second and third albums on one compact disc. The material represents the first work the reformed outfit released after original members Jimmy Lee King (guitarist and leader) and Carl Cunningham (drums) died when their plane crashed in Lake Monona, WI (Otis Redding was also on board). 1969's Gotta Groove feels more like a series of independent recordings than a cohesive album. The best comes first with "Don't Stop Dancing (To This Music), Pt.1," which owes a debt to Sly and the Family Stone's classic "Dance to the Music" (a song they would cover on Black Rock). The song infuses the Stax funk with the drive of rock & roll. Midway through the album, they offer a fierce second take ("Pt.2"). Drummers (the duo of Roy Cunningham and Willie Hall) pound at their skins with incredible force. Distorting the tape, they sound like they could break through the recordings. "Street Walker" is another highlight of tough, lunging funk with wailing harmonica, screaming guitar, and organ stabs. Not every cut is as thrilling, however. At the opposite end, the Bar-Kays rework two Beatles' ballads, sounding like a mediocre covers act on stiff takes on "Yesterday" and "Hey Jude" that hardly belong on the collection. Things had changed by 1971's Black Rock. The addition of a vocalist gives the records a more unified feel than its predecessor. While much of the material on Gotta Groove hung around the three-minute mark, the Bar-Kays' cover of "Baby I Love You" reaches nearly three times that length. They lock into a hard groove, sounding more like a rock band than ever before. It's followed by the album's best track. Curtis Mayfield's "I've Been Trying" is soaked in soul and delivered from the gut. For the most part, however, Black Rock seems like an apt title, the playfulness and laid-back grooves replaced by dark, heavy funk-rock and a growing political consciousness.
© Nathan Bush /TiVo
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Michael Toles, ComposerLyricist - The Bar-Kays, MainArtist - Bobby Manuel, ComposerLyricist - Allen Jones, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1969 Stax Records
Marvin Gaye, ComposerLyricist - The Bar-Kays, MainArtist
℗ 1969 Stax Records
James Alexander, ComposerLyricist - The Bar-Kays, MainArtist - Allen Jones, Composer
℗ 1968 Stax Records
The Bar-Kays, MainArtist - Bobby Manuel, ComposerLyricist - Allen Jones, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1969 Stax Records
The Bar-Kays, MainArtist - Harvey Henderson, ComposerLyricist - Willie Hall, ComposerLyricist - Roy Cunningham, ComposerLyricist - Ron Gordon, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1969 Stax Records
Steve Cropper, ComposerLyricist - The Bar-Kays, MainArtist - Al Bell, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1969 Stax Records
Michael Toles, ComposerLyricist - The Bar-Kays, MainArtist - Bobby Manuel, ComposerLyricist - Allen Jones, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1969 Stax Records
Michael Toles, ComposerLyricist - James Alexander, ComposerLyricist - The Bar-Kays, MainArtist - Allen Jones, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1969 Stax Records
John Lennon, ComposerLyricist - Paul Mccartney, ComposerLyricist - The Bar-Kays, MainArtist
℗ 1969 Stax Records
Ben Cauley, Trumpet, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Michael Toles, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - James Alexander, ComposerLyricist - The Bar-Kays, MainArtist - RON CAPONE, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Bobby Manuel, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Harvey Henderson, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Allen Jones, Producer, Recording Producer, ComposerLyricist - Willie Hall, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Roy Cunningham, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Ronnie Gordon, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1990 Stax Records, Distributed by Concord.
John Lennon, Composer - Paul Mccartney, Composer - The Bar-Kays, MainArtist
℗ 1969 Stax Records
Ronnie Shannon, ComposerLyricist - The Bar-Kays, MainArtist
℗ 1970 Stax Records
Curtis Mayfield, ComposerLyricist - The Bar-Kays, MainArtist
℗ 1970 Stax Records
Isaac Hayes, ComposerLyricist - The Bar-Kays, MainArtist - David Porter, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1970 Stax Records
The Bar-Kays, MainArtist - Sly Stone, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1970 Stax Records
The Bar-Kays, MainArtist - Bobby Manuel, ComposerLyricist - Bettye Crutcher, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1970 Stax Records
The Bar-Kays, MainArtist - James Banks, ComposerLyricist - Charles Brooks, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1970 Stax Records
Tommy Tate, ComposerLyricist - The Bar-Kays, MainArtist - Helen Washington, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1970 Stax Records
Jeff Barry, ComposerLyricist - Bobby Bloom, ComposerLyricist - The Bar-Kays, MainArtist
℗ 1970 Stax Records
Album review
Black Rock/Gotta Groove brings together the Bar-Kays' second and third albums on one compact disc. The material represents the first work the reformed outfit released after original members Jimmy Lee King (guitarist and leader) and Carl Cunningham (drums) died when their plane crashed in Lake Monona, WI (Otis Redding was also on board). 1969's Gotta Groove feels more like a series of independent recordings than a cohesive album. The best comes first with "Don't Stop Dancing (To This Music), Pt.1," which owes a debt to Sly and the Family Stone's classic "Dance to the Music" (a song they would cover on Black Rock). The song infuses the Stax funk with the drive of rock & roll. Midway through the album, they offer a fierce second take ("Pt.2"). Drummers (the duo of Roy Cunningham and Willie Hall) pound at their skins with incredible force. Distorting the tape, they sound like they could break through the recordings. "Street Walker" is another highlight of tough, lunging funk with wailing harmonica, screaming guitar, and organ stabs. Not every cut is as thrilling, however. At the opposite end, the Bar-Kays rework two Beatles' ballads, sounding like a mediocre covers act on stiff takes on "Yesterday" and "Hey Jude" that hardly belong on the collection. Things had changed by 1971's Black Rock. The addition of a vocalist gives the records a more unified feel than its predecessor. While much of the material on Gotta Groove hung around the three-minute mark, the Bar-Kays' cover of "Baby I Love You" reaches nearly three times that length. They lock into a hard groove, sounding more like a rock band than ever before. It's followed by the album's best track. Curtis Mayfield's "I've Been Trying" is soaked in soul and delivered from the gut. For the most part, however, Black Rock seems like an apt title, the playfulness and laid-back grooves replaced by dark, heavy funk-rock and a growing political consciousness.
© Nathan Bush /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 19 track(s)
- Total length: 01:14:50
- Main artists: The Bar-Kays
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Stax
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B Soul
© 1994 Fantasy, Inc. This Compilation ℗ 1994 Fantasy, Inc.
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