TCCDM Pulls One Out..."Spirit of the Boogie" - Kool & the Gang (1975)

"Spirit Of The Boogie" - Kool & The Gang (1975)

     At the time, I didn't know just where "Spirit of the Boogie" fell into the Kool & The Gang discography, but the cover artwork was too awesome to leave behind, so I snagged.  And it's a good one to pick up.  This was the band's sixth studio album, and, along with their break-out album, "Wild and Peaceful" (1973) and "Light of Worlds" (1974), is considered by many to be the band's golden funk trilogy.  

     "Spirit of the Boogie" is a strong package.  Fun and funky, with tasty jazz dust sprinkled all over it.  The clever arrangements found here give the funk a jammier heady ride.  The band would hit it good and hard again a few years later, striking gold by successfully jumping onto the disco wave.  But that's another story.  This one is a tasty, smart funk album…and another wonderful low-dollar/high-reward square to keep an eye out for.

"Spirit of the Boogie" - Kool & The Gang (back)

"Spirit of the Boogie" - Kool & The Gang (inside gatefold)

Favorites include:
"Spirit of the Boogie"
“Jungle Jazz”  (Plays patty-cake with an earlier hit you may recognize.)
“Winter Sadness”  (Surprising synth is killer!)
“Ancestral Ceremony”

And for an interesting "I Didn't Know That" music fact.  Kool & The Gang, formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, was a supporting act for Van Halen in 2012.  That just sounds incredibly "Kool" to me.

De-Lite Records

Cat #
9088-2016
SIDE 1  DEADWAX
9088-2016-S1 ➁
SIDE 2  DEADWAX
9088-2016-S2 ➁

"Spirit of the Boogie" - Kool & The Gang / "Spirit of the Boogie" (1975)

TRACKS:
A1  "Spirit of the Boogie" 4:52
A2  "Ride the Rhythm" 2:56
A3  "Jungle Jazz" 4:45
A4  "Sunshine and Love" 3:48
A5  "Ancestral Ceremony" 3:50
B1  "Mother Earth" 5:39
B2  "Winter Sadness" 5:16
B3  "Caribbean Festival" 7:33

PERSONNEL:
Robert "Kool" Bell - bass, vocals
Ronald Bell - vocals, piano, clavinet, ARP synth bass, tenor sax, percussion, ARP synth, kalimba, flute
Ricky West - vocals, clavinet, piano, Moog synth
Claydes Charles Smith - guitar
Kevin Bell - guitar
George "Funky" Brown - drums, vocals, percussion, piano
Dennis "D.T." Thomas - alto sax, vocals, flute, percussion
Otha Nash - trombone, vocals
Robert "Spike" Mickens - trumpet, vocals, percussion
ADDITIONAL:
Don Boyce - vocals (A1)
Something Sweet - b-vocals (A5, B1)

Good stuff.

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