Hello, will they, won't they, however the choice between a rock and a hardplace has plenty of consequences Irritating media hype though has by now made even those easily scared stockexchange gamblers worried what a relatively insignificant economy will do, this when everybody knows these Greeks will never pay back what they 'partied' away. Europe better said its dictators have wasted that money trying to keep a country in the Euro that never should have been part of it. But that's one of those nasty sides of the EU they can't admit to mistakes, they've more or less declared themselves infallible..this can only lead to disaster...
Today and the coming weeks you'll get an American funk band that defined New Orleans funk, not only on their own recordings, but also as the backing band for numerous artists, including many produced by Allen Toussaint. Where the funk of Sly Stone and James Brown was wild, careening, and determinedly urban, the band were down-home and earthy. Nearly all of their own recordings were instrumentals, putting the emphasis on the organic and complex rhythms. The syncopated, layered percussion intertwined with the gritty grooves of the guitar and organ, creating a distinctive sound that earned a small, devoted cult during the '70s, including musicians like Paul McCartney and Robert Palmer, both of whom used the group as a backing band for recording. Despite their reputation as an extraordinary live band, The Meters never broke into the mainstream, but their sound provided the basis for much of the funk and hip-hop of the '80s and '90s. ... N'joy
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Art Neville, the group's frontman, launched a solo career around the New Orleans area in the mid-1950s while still in high school. The Meters formed in 1965 with a line-up of keyboardist and vocalist Art Neville, guitarist Leo Nocentelli, bassist George Porter Jr. and drummer Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste. They were later joined by percussionist/vocalist Cyril Neville. The Meters became the house band for Allen Toussaint and his record label, Sansu Enterprises.
Throughout their career, The Meters were always led by Art Neville (keyboard, vocals), one of the leading figures of the New Orleans musical community. As a teenager in high school, he recorded the seminal "Mardi Gras Mambo" with his group, the Hawketts, for Chess Records. The exposure with the Hawketts led to solo contracts with Specialty and Instant, where he released a handful of singles that became regional hits in the early '60s. Around 1966, he formed Art Neville & the Sounds with his brothers Aaron and Charles (both vocals), guitarist Leo Nocentelli, drummer Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste, and bassist George Porter. The band grew out of informal jam sessions the musicians held in local New Orleans nightclubs. After spending a few months playing under the Sounds name, producer Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn hired the group -- without the vocalists -- to be the house band for their label Sansu Enterprises.
As the house band for Sansu, The Meters played on records by Earl King, Lee Dorsey, Chris Kenner, and Betty Harris, as well is Toussaint himself. They also performed and recorded on their own, releasing danceable instrumental singles on Josie Records. "Sophisticated Cissy" and "Cissy Strut" became Top Ten R&B hits in the spring of 1969, followed by the number 11 hits "Look-Ka Py Py" and "Chicken Strut" a year later. The Meters stayed at Josie until 1972, and during that entire time they reached the R&B Top 50 consistently, usually placing within the Top 40. In 1972, the group moved to Reprise Records, yet they didn't sever their ties with Sansu, electing to keep Toussaint as their producer and Sehon as their manager. Ironically, The Meters didn't have nearly as many hit singles at Reprise, yet their profile remained remarkably high. If anything, the group became hipper, performing on records by Robert Palmer, Dr. John, LaBelle, King Biscuit Boy, and Paul McCartney. By the release of 1975's Fire on the Bayou, The Meters had a Top 40 hit with Rejuvenation's "Hey Pocky A-Way" (1974), and they had gained a significant following among rock audience and critics. Fire on the Bayou received significant praise, and the group opened for the Rolling Stones on the British band's 1975 and 1976 tours.
In 1975 Paul McCartney invited the Meters to play at the release party for his Venus and Mars album aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California; Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones was in attendance at the event and was greatly taken with the Meters and their sound.[citation needed] The Rolling Stones invited the band to open for them on their Tour of the Americas '75 and Tour of Europe '76.That same year, the Meters recorded one of their most successful albums, Fire on the Bayou.
During 1976/77, The Meters embarked on the Wild Tchoupitoulas project with Art's uncle and cousin George and Amos Landry, two members of the Mardi Gras ceremonial black Indian tribe, the Wild Tchoupitoulas. The Meters, the Landrys, and the Neville brothers -- Aaron, Charles, Art, and Cyril -- were all involved in the recording of the album, which received enthusiastic reviews upon its release in 1976. Cyril joined The Meters after the record's release. Despite all of the acclaim for The Wild Tchoupitoulas, its adventurous tendencies indicated that the group was feeling constrained by its signature sound. Such suspicions were confirmed the following year, when they separated from Toussaint and Sehorn, claiming they needed to take control of their artistic direction. Following the split, The Meters released New Directions in 1977, but shortly after its appearance, Toussaint and Sehorn claimed the rights to the group's name. Instead of fighting, the band broke up, with Art and Cyril forming the Neville Brothers with Aaron and Charles, while the remaining trio became session musicians in New Orleans. Modeliste, in particular, became a well-known professional musician, touring with the New Barbarians in 1979 and moving to L.A. during the '80s.
The Meters reunited as a touring unit in 1990 with Russell Batiste taking over the drum duties from Modeliste. Four years later, Nocentelli left the band, allegedly because he and Art disagreed whether the band should be paid for samples hip-hop groups took from their old records; when Nocentelli left the group in 1994 they replaced him with guitarist Brian Stoltz, formerly of The Neville Brothers and renamed themselves The Funky Meters. (They were referred to as "the Funky Meters" as early as 1989.
The Funky Meters continued to play into the 2000s with Stoltz being replaced by Art Neville's son, Ian Neville, from 2007 to 2011 while he went to pursue a solo career. Stoltz returned to the band permanently in 2011. In 2000, a "big offer" enticed all four original Meters to reunite for a one-night stand at the Warfield in San Francisco; by this time Modeliste wanted to make the reunion a permanent one, but the other members and their management teams objected
In June 2011 The Original Meters along with Allen Toussaint and Dr. John played the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. The six men performed Dr. John's album "Desitively Bonnaroo" which was originally recorded with the Meters, to a sold out crowd. On May 5, 2012 The Meters returned to New Orleans for a performance at the Howlin' Wolf. Tickets went on sale and sold out in one and a half hours.
Currently, The Funky Meters tour consistently performing songs by The Meters, while The Meters perform sporadically. The line up of Neville, Porter, Nocentelli and Modeliste typically bill themselves as The Original Meters to avoid confusion with The Funky Meters. When not performing with The Original Meters, guitarist Leo Nocentelli leads his own group, The Meters Experience which also performs the music of The Meters.
Confused ? Don't be it's greed doing its ugly thing... Meanwhile the Meters have been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times since becoming eligible in 1994: 1996, 2012, and in 2013. but all that strife..
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Leaving Josie for Reprise did change the Meters, even if the change wasn't necessarily for the better. They became slicker, jammier, and, in the conventional sense, funkier, even if the grit seemed to start to dissipate. So, even if this is just the Meters' fourth album, Cabbage Alley does mark a sea-change in their outlook, bringing them fully into the '70s and finding them sacrificing feel for texture, even if that's a very subtle transition. Part of the problem is that the group doesn't really have any good songs to hang their sounds onto, but, if you're looking just for sounds and groove, Cabbage Alley doesn't disappoint. the Meters' overall feel might have gotten a little softer than necessary, but they still are a remarkably sympathetic, supple group and it's a pleasure to hear them play. Still, there's not much here outside of hearing them play, and while that's pretty great, it's hard not to wish that there were songs, even when they delve into smooth soul like "Birds" or when the group simply jams on mid-tempo grooves, that stood out from the pack. [Some reissues added two bonus tracks -- both parts of "Chug Chug Chug-A-Lug (Push and Shove)."]
The Meters - Cabbage Alley (flac 238mb)
01 You've Got To Change (You Got To Reform) 5:11
02 Stay Away 5:17
03 Birds 4:22
04 The Flower Song 4:48
05 Soul Island 3:06
06 Do The Dirt 2:35
07 Smiling 3:06
08 Lonesome And Unwanted People 4:38
09 Gettin' Funkier All The Time 3:17
10 Cabbage Alley 3:29
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
The title is a tip-off, as is the garish, blaxploitation-chic photo on the cover -- Rejuvenation, the Meters' second album for Reprise, should be seen as a bit of a new beginning for the quintessential New Orleans funk group. It's not a clean beginning, since they were pointing in this direction on Cabbage Alley, but this is where their glistening, clear production, crisp performances, rock influences, and hard-edged funk coalesce into a sound distinct from their Josie recordings -- not better, just different. As such, this is the definitive Reprise album from the Meters, not just because the material is stronger (which admittedly is true), but because the performances are continually inspired and the production is professional but hits at a gut level, resulting in a first-class funk album.
The Meters - Rejuvenation (flac 262mb)
01 People Say 5:14
02 Love Is For Me 3:51
03 Just Kissed My Baby 4:40
04 What'cha Say 3:25
05 Jungle Man 3:23
06 Hey Pocky A-way 4:02
07 It Ain't No Use 11:45
08 Loving You Is On My Mind 3:15
09 Africa 3:55
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
The Meters' third album for Reprise, Fire on the Bayou, is their best record for the label for a variety of reasons, not least of which is the high quality of material throughout the record and a focus from the band that keeps the music simmering, even if it never quite reaches a boil. That's not a bad thing, because the music IS simmering, always hot and enticing, never lukewarm or too cool. There's not anything that comes out and grabs your throat, the way that "Hey Pocky Way" does, but there never seems to be a concession to mainstream funk, the way Cabbage Alley or Rejuvenation seemed to be. This just keeps things rolling, nice and smooth. There's not anything that separates itself from its partners -- something that's unfortunately true of all of the Reprise albums -- but the overall feel is better than The Meters' other Reprise albums, since it has more grit and presence than its compatriots.
The Meters - Fire On The Bayou (flac 405mb)
01 Chicken Strut 3:12
02 Liver Splash 2:41
03 Wichita Lineman 2:59
04 Joog 2:14
05 Go For Yourself 3:11
06 Same Old Thing 2:50
07 Hand Clapping Song 2:56
08 Darling Darling Darling 2:53
09 Tippi-Toes 2:27
10 Britches 2:50
11 Hey! Last Minute 2:59
12 Ride Your Pony 3:18
Bonus Tracks
13 Funky Meters' Soul 2:57
14 Meter Strut 2:47
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Today and the coming weeks you'll get an American funk band that defined New Orleans funk, not only on their own recordings, but also as the backing band for numerous artists, including many produced by Allen Toussaint. Where the funk of Sly Stone and James Brown was wild, careening, and determinedly urban, the band were down-home and earthy. Nearly all of their own recordings were instrumentals, putting the emphasis on the organic and complex rhythms. The syncopated, layered percussion intertwined with the gritty grooves of the guitar and organ, creating a distinctive sound that earned a small, devoted cult during the '70s, including musicians like Paul McCartney and Robert Palmer, both of whom used the group as a backing band for recording. Despite their reputation as an extraordinary live band, The Meters never broke into the mainstream, but their sound provided the basis for much of the funk and hip-hop of the '80s and '90s. ... N'joy
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Art Neville, the group's frontman, launched a solo career around the New Orleans area in the mid-1950s while still in high school. The Meters formed in 1965 with a line-up of keyboardist and vocalist Art Neville, guitarist Leo Nocentelli, bassist George Porter Jr. and drummer Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste. They were later joined by percussionist/vocalist Cyril Neville. The Meters became the house band for Allen Toussaint and his record label, Sansu Enterprises.
Throughout their career, The Meters were always led by Art Neville (keyboard, vocals), one of the leading figures of the New Orleans musical community. As a teenager in high school, he recorded the seminal "Mardi Gras Mambo" with his group, the Hawketts, for Chess Records. The exposure with the Hawketts led to solo contracts with Specialty and Instant, where he released a handful of singles that became regional hits in the early '60s. Around 1966, he formed Art Neville & the Sounds with his brothers Aaron and Charles (both vocals), guitarist Leo Nocentelli, drummer Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste, and bassist George Porter. The band grew out of informal jam sessions the musicians held in local New Orleans nightclubs. After spending a few months playing under the Sounds name, producer Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn hired the group -- without the vocalists -- to be the house band for their label Sansu Enterprises.
As the house band for Sansu, The Meters played on records by Earl King, Lee Dorsey, Chris Kenner, and Betty Harris, as well is Toussaint himself. They also performed and recorded on their own, releasing danceable instrumental singles on Josie Records. "Sophisticated Cissy" and "Cissy Strut" became Top Ten R&B hits in the spring of 1969, followed by the number 11 hits "Look-Ka Py Py" and "Chicken Strut" a year later. The Meters stayed at Josie until 1972, and during that entire time they reached the R&B Top 50 consistently, usually placing within the Top 40. In 1972, the group moved to Reprise Records, yet they didn't sever their ties with Sansu, electing to keep Toussaint as their producer and Sehon as their manager. Ironically, The Meters didn't have nearly as many hit singles at Reprise, yet their profile remained remarkably high. If anything, the group became hipper, performing on records by Robert Palmer, Dr. John, LaBelle, King Biscuit Boy, and Paul McCartney. By the release of 1975's Fire on the Bayou, The Meters had a Top 40 hit with Rejuvenation's "Hey Pocky A-Way" (1974), and they had gained a significant following among rock audience and critics. Fire on the Bayou received significant praise, and the group opened for the Rolling Stones on the British band's 1975 and 1976 tours.
In 1975 Paul McCartney invited the Meters to play at the release party for his Venus and Mars album aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California; Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones was in attendance at the event and was greatly taken with the Meters and their sound.[citation needed] The Rolling Stones invited the band to open for them on their Tour of the Americas '75 and Tour of Europe '76.That same year, the Meters recorded one of their most successful albums, Fire on the Bayou.
During 1976/77, The Meters embarked on the Wild Tchoupitoulas project with Art's uncle and cousin George and Amos Landry, two members of the Mardi Gras ceremonial black Indian tribe, the Wild Tchoupitoulas. The Meters, the Landrys, and the Neville brothers -- Aaron, Charles, Art, and Cyril -- were all involved in the recording of the album, which received enthusiastic reviews upon its release in 1976. Cyril joined The Meters after the record's release. Despite all of the acclaim for The Wild Tchoupitoulas, its adventurous tendencies indicated that the group was feeling constrained by its signature sound. Such suspicions were confirmed the following year, when they separated from Toussaint and Sehorn, claiming they needed to take control of their artistic direction. Following the split, The Meters released New Directions in 1977, but shortly after its appearance, Toussaint and Sehorn claimed the rights to the group's name. Instead of fighting, the band broke up, with Art and Cyril forming the Neville Brothers with Aaron and Charles, while the remaining trio became session musicians in New Orleans. Modeliste, in particular, became a well-known professional musician, touring with the New Barbarians in 1979 and moving to L.A. during the '80s.
The Meters reunited as a touring unit in 1990 with Russell Batiste taking over the drum duties from Modeliste. Four years later, Nocentelli left the band, allegedly because he and Art disagreed whether the band should be paid for samples hip-hop groups took from their old records; when Nocentelli left the group in 1994 they replaced him with guitarist Brian Stoltz, formerly of The Neville Brothers and renamed themselves The Funky Meters. (They were referred to as "the Funky Meters" as early as 1989.
The Funky Meters continued to play into the 2000s with Stoltz being replaced by Art Neville's son, Ian Neville, from 2007 to 2011 while he went to pursue a solo career. Stoltz returned to the band permanently in 2011. In 2000, a "big offer" enticed all four original Meters to reunite for a one-night stand at the Warfield in San Francisco; by this time Modeliste wanted to make the reunion a permanent one, but the other members and their management teams objected
In June 2011 The Original Meters along with Allen Toussaint and Dr. John played the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. The six men performed Dr. John's album "Desitively Bonnaroo" which was originally recorded with the Meters, to a sold out crowd. On May 5, 2012 The Meters returned to New Orleans for a performance at the Howlin' Wolf. Tickets went on sale and sold out in one and a half hours.
Currently, The Funky Meters tour consistently performing songs by The Meters, while The Meters perform sporadically. The line up of Neville, Porter, Nocentelli and Modeliste typically bill themselves as The Original Meters to avoid confusion with The Funky Meters. When not performing with The Original Meters, guitarist Leo Nocentelli leads his own group, The Meters Experience which also performs the music of The Meters.
Confused ? Don't be it's greed doing its ugly thing... Meanwhile the Meters have been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times since becoming eligible in 1994: 1996, 2012, and in 2013. but all that strife..
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Leaving Josie for Reprise did change the Meters, even if the change wasn't necessarily for the better. They became slicker, jammier, and, in the conventional sense, funkier, even if the grit seemed to start to dissipate. So, even if this is just the Meters' fourth album, Cabbage Alley does mark a sea-change in their outlook, bringing them fully into the '70s and finding them sacrificing feel for texture, even if that's a very subtle transition. Part of the problem is that the group doesn't really have any good songs to hang their sounds onto, but, if you're looking just for sounds and groove, Cabbage Alley doesn't disappoint. the Meters' overall feel might have gotten a little softer than necessary, but they still are a remarkably sympathetic, supple group and it's a pleasure to hear them play. Still, there's not much here outside of hearing them play, and while that's pretty great, it's hard not to wish that there were songs, even when they delve into smooth soul like "Birds" or when the group simply jams on mid-tempo grooves, that stood out from the pack. [Some reissues added two bonus tracks -- both parts of "Chug Chug Chug-A-Lug (Push and Shove)."]
The Meters - Cabbage Alley (flac 238mb)
01 You've Got To Change (You Got To Reform) 5:11
02 Stay Away 5:17
03 Birds 4:22
04 The Flower Song 4:48
05 Soul Island 3:06
06 Do The Dirt 2:35
07 Smiling 3:06
08 Lonesome And Unwanted People 4:38
09 Gettin' Funkier All The Time 3:17
10 Cabbage Alley 3:29
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
The title is a tip-off, as is the garish, blaxploitation-chic photo on the cover -- Rejuvenation, the Meters' second album for Reprise, should be seen as a bit of a new beginning for the quintessential New Orleans funk group. It's not a clean beginning, since they were pointing in this direction on Cabbage Alley, but this is where their glistening, clear production, crisp performances, rock influences, and hard-edged funk coalesce into a sound distinct from their Josie recordings -- not better, just different. As such, this is the definitive Reprise album from the Meters, not just because the material is stronger (which admittedly is true), but because the performances are continually inspired and the production is professional but hits at a gut level, resulting in a first-class funk album.
The Meters - Rejuvenation (flac 262mb)
01 People Say 5:14
02 Love Is For Me 3:51
03 Just Kissed My Baby 4:40
04 What'cha Say 3:25
05 Jungle Man 3:23
06 Hey Pocky A-way 4:02
07 It Ain't No Use 11:45
08 Loving You Is On My Mind 3:15
09 Africa 3:55
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
The Meters' third album for Reprise, Fire on the Bayou, is their best record for the label for a variety of reasons, not least of which is the high quality of material throughout the record and a focus from the band that keeps the music simmering, even if it never quite reaches a boil. That's not a bad thing, because the music IS simmering, always hot and enticing, never lukewarm or too cool. There's not anything that comes out and grabs your throat, the way that "Hey Pocky Way" does, but there never seems to be a concession to mainstream funk, the way Cabbage Alley or Rejuvenation seemed to be. This just keeps things rolling, nice and smooth. There's not anything that separates itself from its partners -- something that's unfortunately true of all of the Reprise albums -- but the overall feel is better than The Meters' other Reprise albums, since it has more grit and presence than its compatriots.
The Meters - Fire On The Bayou (flac 405mb)
01 Chicken Strut 3:12
02 Liver Splash 2:41
03 Wichita Lineman 2:59
04 Joog 2:14
05 Go For Yourself 3:11
06 Same Old Thing 2:50
07 Hand Clapping Song 2:56
08 Darling Darling Darling 2:53
09 Tippi-Toes 2:27
10 Britches 2:50
11 Hey! Last Minute 2:59
12 Ride Your Pony 3:18
Bonus Tracks
13 Funky Meters' Soul 2:57
14 Meter Strut 2:47
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
thank you
ReplyDeleteWow! The three best Meters albums in FLAC! Great post!
ReplyDeleteI know plenty of Meters fans that are not so keen on their later seventies albums - Trick Bag (1976) and New Directions (1977) but as a seventies disco-head, I love them as well.
Hi Rho,
ReplyDeleteAny chance to bring the "Fire on The Bayou" back?
Hi Rho,
ReplyDeletethis is a cool blog for sharing such great music!
Could you re-up The Meters - Rejuvenation please?
Thank you in advance!
Peace,
Don Julian
Hey Rho
ReplyDeleteCan you please re-upload Rejuvenation?
Thank you