| # | Artist | Song (click to play) | Album | Year | CD label | My Gnosis Rating |
| 1 | Earth, Wind and Fire | Bad Tune | Earth, Wind and Fire | 1970 | LP Warner Brothers | |
|
"EWF started out like Funkadelic with acid drenched Guitars over heavy riffs
only a little more focused. One consistent feature of their albums throughout
the 70s was these progressive Jazz jams; there was one on every album even
after they dropped the Acid Guitar from their sound. BTW, the lead instrument
in this piece is called a Kalimba." - L. Perez
Earth, Wind and Fire | ||||||
| 2 | Bar-Kays | Six O'Clock News Report | Black Rock | 1970 | LP Volt | |
|
"The Bar-Kays were innovators of R&B as far back as 1967 when they released
their first album Soul Finger. In 1969 most of the band was killed in the
plane crash that killed Otis Redding. This is their 3rd album; the first
after the crash. Though they would later become a straight Funk band in the
same vein as Earth, Wind and Fire, the first 3 albums by the reconstructed
band had definite progressive and Psych elements." - L. Perez
Bar-Kays | ||||||
| 3 | The Nite-Liters | Serenade for a Jive Turkey | A-nal-y-sis | 1973 | LP RCA | |
| "Starting in 1969, the Nite-Liters modernized Booker T's blending of Jazz and Rock only with a little Funk thrown in for good measure. Interestingly, the Nite-Liters had an alter ego in and continued recording as a Funk band called the New Birth after this, their 5th and final album." - L. Perez | ||||||
| 4 | Tower of Power | Back on the Streets Again | East Bay Grease | 1973 | LP Atlantic | |
|
"The kings of counterpoint; Tower of Power are to R&B what Gentle Giant is to
Rock. This is from their debut album. Still recording and touring today, TOP
have always had a 'one of a kind' approach to the blending of Jazz and R&B."
- L. Perez
Tower of Power - Soul Music since 1968 | ||||||
| 5 | Curtis Mayfield | We the People Who are Darker than Blue | Curtis | 1973 | LP Curtom | |
|
"One of the things I love about Curtis is his writing for and use of real
orchestra. The production is top notch for its day allowing the listener to
hear the Oboe, Bassoon and Tuba. The Tympanis and KettleDrums come thundering
through and the Strings and the Harp oh that Harp; inspiring and passionate
music that reaches down into your soul. Curtis had a Psychedelic side too
that can be heard throughout his first few albums. This is from his debut
album." - L. Perez
Curtis Mayfield Page | ||||||
| 6 | Kool & the Gang | I Remember John W. Coltrane | Good Times | 1972 | LP De-Lite | |
|
"Ce le brate good times come on! ACK! Well, perhaps like Genesis, after so
many albums of integrity they figured they deserved to go for the money. In
case you didn't know. K&tG started their career as a Jazz/Funk band; indeed
their first 10 albums were all real solid without much Pop-ism. This is from
their 5th (3 studio, 2 live) album. BTW their first 5 albums were
predominately instrumental." - L. Perez
Kool and the Gang | ||||||
| 7 | Stevie Wonder | Contusion | Songs in the Key of Life | 1976 | LP Motown | |
|
"Stevie started off as part of the Motown hit-making machine in the 60s but
with his album Music of My Mind, he began to blend Jazz, Funk and Rock in a
progressive way. He maintained this high standard throughout the entire
decade of the 70s culminating in his 1979 album The Secret Life of Plants."
- L. Perez
The Unofficial Stevie Wonder Internet Archive | ||||||