1. I'm a big Bootsy fan, which doesn't mean I got a lot of his records, just that I like what I got a lot (doesn't mean I'm all that big either). That said, the Amazon samples of Live in Louisville 1978 are literally - literally! - too funky for this dimension. And so what if it costs $48.88?

2. On the Corner. One interesting thing about this album is that Miles thought for some reason that it would allow him to replicate the success of Herbie Hancock's Headhunters. That it was around the time he was rediscovering the simple pleasures of dangerous drugs may not be a coincdence.

3. Ohio Players. The only album I got is Fire, which I think is the most popular. My favorite song on that is What the Hell, which is based around a great big Satanic tritone riff, just like the Black Sabbath theme. Only with horns!

4. I presume Troublefunk is outside of your chronological limitations? I just heard them for the 1st time a few months ago when Henry Rollins, who's apparently a big fan, played them while guest-DJing (live from the Hollywood Mosque!) on the Los Angeles municipal punk rock station. The point being: Goddamn they're funky.

Heya godoggo--

It was actually a combination of circumstances that led to this installment of Sunday Morning Playlist.

My HD got wiped out, and with it my entire music collection (18,400 titles at that moment- always back up your files, gang, as I do now)

Much of that music I have laying around the house on various CD's, so I spent the better part of the month re-uploading music onto my computer.

A couple of weeks ago, I was here at Blogcritics and saw a couple of posts or comments that seemed dismissive of P-Funk and Clinton.

So I started jonesing to listen to 'em again, and hunted out all the funk stuff I had in the apartment. So then I thought 'there's a genre that needs a hat-tip"

Anyway on your points:

1. I love Bootsy too, although like you, I've only heard some of his solo output (his second and theird albums, to be precise, plus a handful of stray tracks). I'd be interested in a good live document, too. Thanks for the tip on the Live in Louisville; and 1978 would've been the year for him.

2. I had forgotten all about "Headhunters"; that could have arguably gone on the list (and arguably left off, so I can live with it). Davis following Hanckock is an interesting thought, considering Hancock underwent his transformation under Davis' wing. Not surprising though; I'll bet there were few better masters to apprentice with than the very-restless 1960's Davis.

3. Funny you invoke Black Sabbath, because I've always been reminded of Sabbath by several of the names on this list at times. Another great Sabbath riffer is "Super Stupid" on Maggot Brain. Fire and Honey are both pretty equal in value; that's probably the peak pair from Ohio Players right there.

4. Troublefunk? I'll have to hunt them down. Thusfar, I plead utter ignorance, but if Henry Rollins has championed them, I'll bet they're interesting. Thanks for the hunting idea.

Thanks for the thoughts, godoggo.

I bet Rollins would've liked Defunkt, and "The Razor's Edge", maybe my favorite 1980's piece of hardcore political funk with hard jazz horns. I should have included them, but I was trying to limit it to pre-1980 (and broke that rule once with "Atomic Dog"). Oh well.

The AMazon links below the story aren't working, for some strange reason. I've tried to find an error on my end, but keep coming up empty. The links had a lot of good covers that weren't in the story.

Hmmm. Fixed. Apparently there is a such thing as "too many" Amazon links; 8 seems to be that limit.

Probably a good idea.

The Funk was really only peaking in the 80s, ie when Prince was peaking. If there is an exit point, it would be maybe "Sexy MF" on the trailing end of Prince's prime time.

Also in that time frame, Terence Trent D'Arby was doing some exceptional work. GOT to have some TTD up in this. "Vibrator" perhaps, or "Do You Love Me Like You Say You Do?"

Freaky example of the funk in the 1984 time frame from the geeky white boy out of nowhere, "Hyperactive" by Thomas Dolby.

Those are interesting suggestions, Al.

I've never thought of Thomas Dolby as "funk"; I always saw him as proto-electronica (but in all honesty, I've never heard more than a couple of his hit). I'm more familiar with Darby, who was much later (I think his debut was in 1987?), whose debuted I enjoy very much.

Both those guys would fit my basic thesis that funk had generally become a quasi-proto-electronica in the 80's. Darby in particular strikes me as being part of a lineage that leads to Tricky in the 90's, which is pure electronica-funk.

I'd peg funk's true peak at a lot earlier than 1980, by which time most of the classic funk acts had broken up or fallen from the charts. I'd say 1972-1977 was the real heyday.

As for Prince, he certainly counts as funk when he actually is doing funk, and obviously his career didn't even start until 1979. But except for Morris Day and the Time, I can't easily recall another traditional funk act to have a top-10 crossover funk hit after 1982.

I'll dig up that Dolby cut though; I've generally liked what I've heard from him. And I haven't listened to Terence Trent Darby since he changed his name to whatever it is now, so maybe I'll give him another listen.

Thanks for the ideas.

i didn't see anything pretaining to the group Slave and I'm probaly one of their biggest fans any chance that you could any concert dates for the group i have a couple of their cds and i would like to know about the cd with the four members that are on their last cover thanks and have lovely day and i'll be watchin you.

im 46, i know my funk......and obviously so do you

Belated thanks, jay d. That means a lot. :-)