Pitchfork: Rhino Brings the Funk With Four-Disc Box

Rhino Brings the Funk With Four-Disc Box

Once again, Rhino comes riding into town with a box set to put your record collection to shame, this time revealing the source material behind tracks by Kanye, Biggie, Snoop Dogg, Tupac, and the Beastie Boys, among others.

What it is: What It Is! Funky Soul and Rare Grooves (1967-1977), a four disc set of rare and classic funk tracks that have long served as rappers' delights. Many of these tracks make their U.S. CD debut here, including a previously unreleased alternate version of Aretha Franklin's "Rock Steady".

Rhino will release What It Is! on October 3 in a clamshell box, with pearly liner notes by writer and Soul Sides blogger Oliver Wang and track-by-track commentaries and testimonials from the likes of Bootsy Collins, Hank Shocklee (Public Enemy), Fred Wesley (James Brown), Howard Tate, DJ Pooh (Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube), and George Porter Jr. (The Meters). According to the press release, the booklet will also include plenty of "rare vintage photos."

The rest of the story is told in the tracklist, which includes two contributions from Sly Stone (performing as 6ix and writing and producing Little Sister's "Stanga") and three from the Meters, who back up Cyril Neville in addition to performing as the Rhine Oaks and as simply themselves. All in all, there are over five hours of funk taken from the Atlantic, Atco, and Warner Bros. archives, and it's all ripe for the (re-)pilfering. Sample away!

Tracklist:

Disc One:

01 The Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band - "Spreadin' Honey"
02 Bar-Kays - "Soul-Finger"
03 Brother Jack McDuff - "The Shadow of Your Smile"
04 Jimmy Norman - "Gangster of Love, Parts I & II"
05 Rufus Thomas - "The Memphis Train"
06 Grassella Oliphant - "Get Out of My Life Woman"
07 Eddie Harris - "Live Right Now"
08 Natural Bridge Bunch - "Pig Snoots, Part I"
09 The Freedom Sounds feat. Wayne Henderson - "Soul Sound System"
10 Clarence Carter - "Snatching It Back"
11 Artie Christopher - "Stoned Soul"
12 The T.S.U. Tornadoes - "Getting the Corners"
13 Tony Alvon & the Belairs - "Sexy Coffee Pot"
14 Mark Putney - "Don't Come Around Here Anymore"
15 The Commodores - "Keep on Dancing"
16 The Southshore Commission - "Right on Brother, Part I"
17 Eldridge Holmes - "Pop, Popcorn Children"
18 Cold Grits - "It's Your Thing"
19 Soul Angels - "It's All in Your Mind"
20 Johnny Cameron & the Camerons - "Funky John"
21 Joyce Jones - "Help Me Make Up My Mind"
22 Lou Johnson - "Rock Me Baby"
23 The Noble Knights - "Sing a Simple Song"
24 Titus Turner - "Do You Dig It"
25 Phil Moore Jr. - "Funky Canyon"
26 The Fabulous Counts - "Jan Jan"
27 The Rhine Oaks - "Tampin'"

Disc Two:

01 Cyril Neville - "Gossip"
02 The Mighty Hannibal - "Somebody in the World for You"
03 Little Sister - "Stanga"
04 Ananda Shankar - "Jumpin' Jack Flash"
05 Brute Force - "The Deacon"
06 Don Covay & The Jefferson Lemon Blues Band - "Sookie Sookie"
07 Clarence Wheeler & the Enforcers - "Right On"
08 Curtis Mayfield - "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below We're All Going to Go"
09 Johnny Harris - "Stepping Stones"
10 6ix - "I'm Just Like You"
11 The Unemployed - "Funky Thing, Part I"
12 Shirley Scott - "Messie Bessie"
13 Willie West - "Fairchild"
14 The Gaturs - "Cold Bear"
15 Mongo Santamaria - "I Can't Get Next to You"
16 Lulu - "Feelin' Alright"
17 Memphis Horns - "Soul Bowl"
18 Hammer - "Tuane"
19 Johnny Tolbert & De Thangs - "Take It Off, Part II"
20 Harlem River Drive - "Seeds of Life" [ft. Eddie Palmieri & Jimmy Norman]
21 Wilson Pickett - "Engine Number 9 (Single Version)"

Disc Three:

01 Baby Huey & the Baby Sitters - "Hard Times"
02 Houseguests - "What So Never the Dance, Parts I & II"
03 Eugene McDaniels - "Headless Heroes"
04 Wade Marcus - "Spinning Wheel"
05 Earth, Wind & Fire - "Bad Tune"
06 Rasputin's Stash - "Mr. Cool"
07 Junior Mance - "Don't Cha Hear Me Calling to Ya"
08 The Stovall Sisters - "Hang on in There"
09 The Beginning of the End - "Funky Nassau, Part II"
10 Mark Holder & the Positives - "Whatever's Fair"
11 Ed Robinson - "Face It"
12 Young-Holt Unlimited - "Wah Wah Man"
13 Aretha Franklin - "Rock Steady (Alternate Mix)"
14 Black Haze Express - "Won't Nobody Listen"
15 Allen Toussaint - "Goin' Down"
16 Malo - "Suavecito"
17 Charles Wright - "You Gotta Know Whatcha Doin'"
18 Tami Lynn - "Mo Jo Hanna"
19 King Curtis - "Ridin' Thumb"
20 Macondo - "Almendra"
21 Little Richard - "Nuki Suki"

Disc Four:

01 United 8 - "Getting Uptown (To Get Down)"
02 Howard Tate - "8 Days on the Road"
03 Labelle - "Moonshadow (Edit)"
04 Society's Bag - "Let It Crawl"
05 Black Heat - "Wanaoh"
06 Clarence Reid - "If It Was Good Enough for Daddy"
07 Claudia Lennear - "Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky"
08 The Mystic Moods - "Cosmic Sea"
09 Cold Blood - "Kissing My Love"
10 Seatrain - "Flute Thing (45 Edit)"
11 The Meters - "Chug Chug Chug-A-Lug (Push and Shove), Part II"
12 Freddi/Henchi & the Soul Setters - "Funky to the Bone"
13 Bobby Byrd - "Try It Again"
14 Cornell Dupree - "Teasin'"
15 Dr. John - "(Everybody Wanna Get Rich) Rite Away"
16 Oscar Brown, Jr. - "Chicken Heads"
17 Funk Factory - "Rien Ne Va Plus"
18 Herbie Mann - "Cajun Moon (Single Version)"
19 Darrow Fletcher - "Improve"
20 Faze-O - "Riding High"
21 Fred Wesley & the Horny Horns - "Four Play (Promo Edit)"
22 Eddie Hazel - "California Dreamin' (Edit)"