Kool the Gang – Spirit Of The Boogie (1975). Kool & the Gang – Spirit Of The.rar - [Fast. XLD extraction logfile from 2010-10-10 19:35:10 +0200 Kool & The. Kool & The Gang (50) Kurt Elling (10). Kool & The Gang – Spirit Of The Boogie (1975) (FLAC+320Kbps) 1. Spirit Of The Boogie (4:53) 2. Ride The Rhythm.

1. Kool And The Gang Spirit Of The Boogie Album
2. Kool And The Gang Spirit Of The Boogie

Formed as a jazz ensemble in the mid-’60s, Kool & the Gang became one of the most inspired and influential funk units during the ’70s, and one of the most popular R&B groups of the ’80s after their breakout hit “Celebration” in 1979. Just as funky as James Brown or Parliament (and sampled almost as frequently), Kool & the Gang relied on their jazz backgrounds and long friendship to form a tightly knit group with the interplay and improvisation of a jazz outfit, plus the energy and spark of a band with equal ties to soul, R&B, and funk. Here’s the two best albums of their early period. Kool & the Gang’s fourth studio album was the band’s commercial breakout, landing three singles on the Top 40 charts. While two of those tunes, “ Funky Stuff” and “ Hollywood Swinging“, may be best remembered by hardcore fans of old-school funk, the third was the immortal “ Jungle Boogie“. One of the canonical 1970s funk singles, up there with the best work by Parliament and Barry White, “Jungle Boogie” is a horn-led, jazz-tinged workout with an irresistible beat and a joyous party atmosphere.

Kool And The Gang Spirit Of The Boogie Album

The rest of the album is nearly as good, culminating in the extended title track, an almost-10-minute hard-fusion jam that will surprise listeners who only know Kool & the Gang’s later, more pop-oriented hits. WILD AND PEACEFUL is the balance point between the chart-savvy “ Ladies Night” era and Kool & the Gang’s wilder early days. Discussing Kool & the Gang in the early ’70s, James Brown enthused, “They’re the second-baddest out thereThey make such bad records that you got to be careful when you play a new tape on the way home from the record store.

Kool And The Gang Spirit Of The Boogie

Their groove is so strong you could wreck.” And that really says it all. Kool & the Gang were funk’s kings in 1975, and Spirit of the Boogie was the finest album they ever recorded — the staggering climax of their development thus far. The record-buying public thought so too — the album gave the band their first Top Five R&B hit. Spirit of the Boogie may have been first and foremost a funk masterpiece, but it was also so much more. From the African art on the foldout sleeve to the spiritual and musical purity of many of the songs, this album not only bound the band’s reverence for their roots to a blistering, street-smart funk, but also demonstrated a keen awareness of their own role in their musical odyssey. “ Ancestral Ceremony” pays homage by quoting from Kool’s earlier songs, while “ Jungle Jazz” tracks back to the original pounding jams that imbibed 1973’s “Jungle Boogie.” The title track, meanwhile, is quintessential Kool & the Gang — fiery funk which is kept in check by rhythm and chant.

It gave the band a springtime number one on the R&B charts — their third. This is a phenomenal set, a superlative album.

And because the grooves are so strong, it’s easy to forgive weak moments — most especially the mawkish “ Sunshine and Love“. Kool & the Gang were outstanding during this period, before they caught the disco bug. Spirit of the Boogie remains a proud achievement.