Various Artists - 'Kool Is Back! (A Tribute To Kool & The Gang)' (CD)

Description: Brand new compact disc. SHIPPING TIME AND RETURN POLICY: SHIPPING: We ship within 2 business days of payment most of the time (orders place over the weekend won't be processed until the following Monday. We ship via USPS: First Class for CDs, Media Mail for vinyl, and First Class Mail International for overseas orders (orders over 4lb require Priority Mail International). Actual shipping time varies by destination. RETURNS: We generally do not accept returns except if something is not as described, and we take care to make sure everything fits our description. Sometimes CDs or vinyl will have a "cut-out" slice or "promo punch" either in the corner or through the UPC code - we will include this in the description if applicable. If there is a problem with an item, contact us and we will figure out the best action to take. We do NOT accept returns if you decide you simply don't like the item, or have buyer's remorse - buy wisely, and ask questions if necessary. Damage incurred during shipping should be brought up with the carrier but is extremely rare as we box everything adequately, including using extra cardboard for protection. INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMBINING SHIPPING ON MULTIPLE ITEMS WE SELL: Use "Add To Cart". Before paying, there is a button marked "Ask Seller For A Total" - click this. Wait one business day for us to change the invoice or else it will charge you full shipping for each item (we will not refund extra shipping once paid). This may not work from a phone, only a computer. We have to change shipping by hand - typically we charge what is close to the actual cost with maybe a $1 USD handling fee per item to cover the cost of packing materials. Item Summary: For our fourth installment, we've chosen a band best known for their tame early 80s repertoire. Mention the song "Celebration" and your geriatric grandmother would know you were referring to Kool & The Gang's biggest hit. But even though we at Le Smoke Disque have nothing but love for the band's late 70s and early 80s producer, Brazilian jazz legend Eumir Deodato, we want to show you the influence Robert "Kool" Bell and his compatriots had on the world when they burst on the scene in 1969 with their self titled debut. Though James Brown's JBs certainly stood out as a funky take on the big-band ensemble popularized in the swinging 1940s, Kool & The Gang took the form to its greatest heights. In doing so, they not only influenced American bands such as Tower of Power, Chicago and Blood, Sweat and Tears, but fledgling funk outfits the world over. We could have shown the band's influence on the mainstream by compiling the multitude of tributes paid by jazz greats such as Melvin Sparks and Grant Green. But we like to dig deeper than that. We start in Central and South America, where the band's eponymous hit single could have provided enough fodder for a compilation in its own right. We've decided only to include two versions here: "Los Pelos Tiesos" by Mexican funk-monsters Rabbits and Carrots and Brazilian trombonist Ed Maciel's 90-MPH burner. And, as a counterpoint to the assumption that by the late 70s, only The Gang's smooth sound hit the foreign shores, we offer up Tyree Glenn, Jr. and his post-punk outfit Brain Damage funking "Kool & The Gang" live in Germany in 1979. "Give It Up," a lesser known single from the band's first album, finds two offerings here. Thailand's The Impossibles offer a heady version fortified by fine drum breaks on the only album the band released abroad (in Sweden, of all places!). Akron, Ohio's Jessie McDaniel double-times the tune on one of his too-rare 7"s released on the small Top-Hit label. Perhaps at some point in the future, we'll revisit Kool & The Gang and examine their mid-70s oeuvre. Their sublime synth-anthem "Summer Madness" alone makes the search for covers of that era's classics worthwhile. But for now we're content to bask in the warmth of The Gang's golden era, to ponder "Funky" George's steady syncopation, to catch an earful of tough brass and Kool's funky bass. Yes, for the moment, Kool Is Back!, again.

Price: 14.38 USD

Location: Quincy, Massachusetts

End Time: 2024-10-11T13:15:53.000Z

Shipping Cost: 4.99 USD