Album
Live At The Sex Machine
1971 · Funk / Soul
Rare pressing on Gatefold
Live At The Sex Machine is a Soul & Funk album by Kool And The Gang, originally released in 1971. On Gatefold: 23 pressings tracked.
About
Recorded in May 1970 at the Sex Machine club in Philadelphia, Kool & The Gang’s first live album is a stunning document of the era’s heavy R &B attitude. At this point in time the nine-man outfit was essentially a vehicle for its squadron of horn players: trumpeter Robert “Spike” Mickens, alto sax player Dennis “D.T.” Thomas, and tenor sax man Khalis Bayyan (a.k.a. Ronald Bell, co-founder of the ensemble). Depending on the tone of the song, they could spread out and weave (“The Touch of You,” “Trying to Make a Fool of Me”) or generate interlocking staccato patterns (“Pneumonia,” “Funky Man”). In the same family as Hugh Masekela’s “Grazing In the Grass” and Cliff Nobles’ “The Horse,” “Chocolate Buttermilk” is a horn-heavy instrumental that translates the sunny day optimism of the late ‘60s. On the flip side is the group’s reading of “Walk On By,” a smoldering reflection of the era’s tumultuous undercurrent. <i>Live at the Sex Machine</i> is not only a document of the young Kool & The Gang, but of a long-lost ghetto meeting place — the long-since vanished Sex Machine, which was located on 52nd and Market in the heart of West Philly.
via Apple Music
The Clerk says
The Clerk knows this whole record — the pressing quirks, the credits, the take.
Tracklist
Side A
- A1Medley: What Would The World Be Like Without Music / Let The Music Take Your Mind4:23
- A2Walk On By5:15
- A3Chocolate Buttermilk2:02
- A4Trying To Make A Fool Of Me4:27
- A5Who's Gonna Take The Weight Part 1 & 26:22
Side B
- B1Pneumonia5:03
- B2Wichita Lineman5:22
- B3I Want To Take You Higher4:09
- B4Funky Man3:22
- B5The Touch Of You4:10
Sound DNA
- Soul & Funk
- Funk
- raw
- rowdy
- funky
The LP is not entirely "Live" as it features a taped loop section heard (off and on) throughout the entire LP of girls screaming. The tape loop is short enough that it creates its own timed pattern, and is easy to spot specially on the song "Who's Gonna Take The Weight", this sound effect was added in the studio during final mastering. The same "Screaming" sound effect was used on the Ventures LP On Stage but pitched slightly different.
Credits
The people behind it.
Performers
- Claydes SmithGUITAR
- Dennis D.T. ThomasALTO SAXOPHONE
- George BrownDRUMS
- Khalis BayyanTENOR SAXOPHONE
- Richard WestfieldPIANO, ORGAN
- Ricky WestPIANO, ORGAN
- Robert Kool BellBASS
- Robert Spike MickensTRUMPET
- Ronald BellTENOR SAXOPHONE TENOR SAXOPHONE, MUSIC DIRECTOR
Rare pressing on Gatefold · 23 pressings tracked on Gatefold
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