Review of Curtis
Mayfield - Curtis Live
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(This may not be actual album art)
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Famous Times Square hotel section of New York City.
This seminal 1971 live album captures Curtis Mayfield at the peak of his powers. It was recorded at the Bitter End in New York City on his first solo tour following his departure from the R&B group The Impressions. Curtis Live finds Mayfield on the verge of superstardom, which he would attain in 1972 with the release of the multi-platinum Superfly album, a soundtrack to the groundbreaking Blaxploitation film of the same name. In the late 60's and early 70's, Mayfield was one of the first proponents of socio-funk, a term that came to categorize a style of music that set topical lyrics to a dense urban funk. The band, consisting of Henry Gibson (congas), Tyrone McMullen (drums), Joe Scott (base), and Craig McMullen (guitar), runs Mayfield through a pleasant balance of early Impression songs and material culled from Mayfield's first solo album, Curtis, released the previous year.
New life is breathed into turgid versions of "We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue" and the album's leadoff track "Mighty Mighty," while Mayfield mixes it up by rendering a surprisingly funky version of the Carpenter's classic "We've Only Just Begun." What truly distinguishes this record from other live albums of that period, however, are the raps (social commentary between songs) that find Mayfield discussing poverty, decaying urban infrastructure, and police brutality toward minorities. As live albums go, there are few that rival the spontaneity and intimacy of Curtis Live.
Released Date: 1996
Charly Records
United Kingdom
Tracks:
Mighty Mighty
Rap
I Plan To Stay A Believer
We're A Winner
Rap
We've Only Just Begun
People Get Ready
Rap
Stare And Stare
Check Out Your Mind
Gypsy Woman
The Makings Of You
Rap
We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue
(Don't Worry) If There's A Hell Below We're All Gonna Go
Stone Junkie
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