Pleasure: Reality
From Dust Yourself Off (Fantasy, 1975)
Coke Escovedo: I Wouldn’t Change a Thing
From Comin At Ya (Mercury, 1976). Also on Ultimate Beats and Breaks Vol. 13
First of all, as has widely been reported now, the rumors were true. Lyn Collins did pass away over the weekend, apparently having choked to death during a meal. Truly tragic but if there’s anything good to be said here, it’s that Collins was still performing, doing what she loved to do.
For today’s post, I decided to dip into the mid-70s. Some conventional “diggin” wisdom says that there’s no good funk music after 1975 but frankly, that’s patent nonsense. It’s just that the sound evolved from the sparser funk of the late ’60s and into more sophisticated productions. Take “Reality,” by Pleasure – you can hear a lot of Earth, Wind and Fire influence as the group balances a full brass section, rock guitars, percussion, etc. The package comes together beautifully – dense but not overly fussy.
I’ve owned this Coke Escovedo album for years but I never really listened to it and I could have kicked myself for not realizing that “I Wouldn’t Change a Thing” comes from it. I’ve known the song since it’s a breakbeat classic (not to mention a gorgeous proto-disco jam) but I forgot where it came from. What I enjoy about “Change” is the feel-good vibe that powers it – it’s the musical distillation of a sunny day, cool breeze and some swaying palm trees.
chatter