Parliament — Mothership Connection

• Artist: Parliament
• Title: Mothership Connection
• Year: 1975
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 10
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1998 ? – I think I got it at Record Mart in Alexandria, VA.
• Keeper: Yes

Asheville! Finally! We made it. Now we just need the movers to get here with our stuff.

Parliament’s “Mothership Connection” is as good as it gets. I’m too tired from traveling to say much else. “Make my funk a P Funk…”

Read about Parliament at Wikipedia.

Ohio Players — Honey

• Artist: Ohio Players
• Title: Honey
• Year: 1975
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1999 ? – Record Mart in Alexandria, VA?
• Keeper: Yes

Good morning from Fayetteville, NC. We’re spending a couple days with Mary’s parents after spending a couple with mine. Tomorrow morning we finally head to Asheville where we will spend a night or two with Grayson and Kellie while we wait for the movers to show up. Time with family: priceless. Roadtripping after shoulder surgery: painful.

The Ohio Players love their gatefold-pin-up album covers. If you think the cover for “Honey” is spicy-hot you should see the inside. I was going to include it here but I’m Heavy Duty! is a family show. Just picture the woman on the outside cover with honey dripped all over her. Enough about the packaging. The big hit, classic even, on this record is of course “Rollercoaster”, made popular again a few years ago as a cover by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. But my absolute favorite is the riff-heavy, slow-grinding, super-funky “FOPP.” This is another classic by any standard and has also had its share of cover versions. Soundgarden did a great version on an early EP of the same name when they were still with Sub Pop. What does “FOPP” mean? Anything?

Read more about The Ohio Players at Wikipedia.

Faith No More — We Care A Lot

• Artist: Faith No More
• Title: We Care A Lot
• Year: 1985
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 6
• Owner: Mary ?
• Acquired: 1985 – Plan 9 Records in Richmond, VA.
• Keeper: Yes

Come on. You know you like the title track, “We Care a Lot.” But I could believe it if you said that was it. This is the first Faith No More record and one of only two with Chuck Mosley on vocals. I could never get over the keyboard droning through just about every song. Applause for trying something different, but to me the keyboards just took the teeth off the otherwise hard rock sound. One last tidbit I just noticed, in more than one spot on this album they spell the band’s name “Faith. No More.” That’s: excessive, punctuation!!!

I’ll keep this one short. We’re off to see the Caps take on the Atlanta Thrashers. Time to take out the Thrash!

Ohio Players — Fire

• Artist: Ohio Players
• Title: Fire
• Year: 1974
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1998 ? – Pretty sure I got this at Record Mart in Alexandria, VA.
• Keeper: Yes

I’m ’bout to choke
From the smoke
Lemme tighten up my stroke
You’re a four alarm bay-baaaay

And when you sing the word “stroke” in the Ohio Players most awesome song “Fire” you have to go for the falsetto like you just sat on a tack. Some of the other songs on this record are sorta spaced out, trippy pop like you would expect on a mid-1970s soul record. Then, they hit you with “What The Hell” on side two. That song is one of the most metallic funk-jazz odysseys ever laid down. It’s like Funkadelic or something.

Signing off from another house hunting trip to Asheville, NC. Total driving time today: over 12 hours. When will it end?

ABC — The Lexicon of Love

• Artist: ABC
• Title: The Lexicon of Love
• Year: 1982
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 10
• Owner: Tracy/Mary
• Acquired: 1982 – Not sure where, but I remember my friend Jeff Arthur told me about them.
• Keeper: Yes

This album has been played as many times as anything in our collection. It is absolutely the best pop record I’ve ever heard, and it’s one of my all-time faves, irrespective of genres. And if a natural-born metalhead like me can say that, you know it’s good. Funky and classy at the same time. Super-dance-able, with smart lyrics to boot.

“Poison Arrow” and “The Look of Love” were hits to some degree in the US, but my favorite is “Tears Are Not Enough.”

KC & The Sunshine Band — Part 3

• Artist: KC & The Sunshine Band
• Title: Part 3
• Year: 1976
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1998 ? Used. I think I got it at Record Mart in Alexandria, VA.
• Keeper: Yes

“1-2-3… I’m Your Boogie Man, That’s What I Am, Make You Feel Good, Anyway I Can”

Oh, HELL yes! You’ll be a Boogie Man, Woman, Child, Cat, or Dog too after hearing this record. I’m first and foremost a “Metallist” and if I can admit this record is great, hell, I celebrate its greatness, then anyone can.

There are only eight tracks on this record. They all sound similar, and all are at the offical Disco tempo of 120/bpm. Which is good because they are all perfect. At least half of them were major hits, including “Keep it Comin’ Love”, “Shake Your Booty”, and of course “I’m Your Boogie Man.”

If you don’t find some body part(s) moving when this record is playing you probably should see your doctor. ‘Cuz somethin’s broke!

Earth, Wind and Fire — That’s The Way of The World

• Artist: Earth, Wind and Fire
• Title: That’s The Way of The World
• Year: 1975
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 6
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1999 ? Not sure when, but I got it used, I believe at Record Mart in Alexandria, VA.
• Keeper: Yes

This album is apparently the soundtrack to a movie of the same name, “That’s The Way of The World.” Yeah, I’ve never heard of it either. “Soundtrack” may explain the occassional jazz odyssesy, or maybe not. Anyhow, it’s a worth a rating of 6 just for “Shining Star” alone. Other than that the record is pretty mediocre.