Tristan Louth-Robins
Worth it alone for the ridiculous disco-country pew-pew of "Gonna Let You Have It". That track is now a permanent mainstay on my dancefloor playlists.
Favorite track: Gonna Let You Have It.
Over a decade ago, friend, music supervisor, and DJ Zach Cowie reached out to Light in the Attic with the idea of producing a comp showcasing the funkier side of all things country. Zach envisioned artists like Bobbie Gentry, Jim Ford and Bob Darin hanging with Link Wray at his Three Track Shack. Soon after, he helped birth Country Funk 1969-1975, Volume 1, which landed in 2012, followed by Volume 2 in 2014. Now, years later, we’re happy to say that the reigns have been passed by Zach to Jason Morgan & Patrick McCarthy (who co-produced Vols. 1 & 2) to revisit the sound for a third installment. So without further ado…
The horse still bucks, the band still funks, and well…the fire still burns.
That’s right—Country Funk is back.
In the summer of 2012, a new sound blew in from the dusty desert. It was a sound difficult to pin down, to codify; a sound that, like some wild horse, resisted one’s grasp. But this was no trend, no flash-in-the-pan movement, no shotgun marriage of styles, no ma’am. This sound went back decades, back to the latter half of the 1960s and early 1970s when adventurous artists started to blend country hoedown harmony with the elation of gospel, the sexual thrust of the blues and a touch of inner-city grit. This was a new sound with a simple name: Country Funk.
Country Funk 1969-1975, first released in 2012 and co-produced by Zach Cowie, Patrick McCarthy and Matt Sullivan, brought together a disparate group of artists that were neither bound by geography nor a shared ideology, but connected through the simple feel of their songs. Country Funk is alternatively playful and melancholic, slow jammin’ and booty-shakin’. It’s a sound both studio slick and barroom raw, as evident in the artists featured on Volume I: Johnny Adams, Mac Davis, Dale Hawkins, Tony Joe White, Bobbie Gentry, Larry Jon Wilson, and many others. Just two years later, we chased Volume I with a new collection of songs for Country Funk 1967-1974 (LITA 116, 2014). Volume II didn’t let up, dealing out all the loose-talking and lap-steel twangin’ one could handle. Heavy hitters like Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton and J.J. Cale shared barstools with the lesser-known voices of Bill Wilson, Donnie Fritts and Thomas Jefferson Kaye.
With Country Funk Volume III 1975-1982 (LITA 194) we’re here to say there’s more funk left in the trunk yet. This time around, the jeans are tighter, the hair is bigger and the disco ball spins along to a country-synth beat. Produced and compiled by Jason Morgan (Bay Area DJ/collector) and Patrick McCarthy (co-producer/compiler of Volume I & II), the tracklist features regulars Dolly Parton, J.J. Cale, Larry Jon Wilson and Tony Joe White (whose track is released here for the first time) alongside new faces like Steven Soles, Gary & Sandy, Conway Twitty, Travis Wammack, Billy Swan, Rob Galbraith, Brian Hyland, and so many more. As the 1970s began to wane and the 1980s approached, the Country Funk pallet expanded to include disco beats, heavy Moog synth bass lines and more clavinet than you could shake a stick at. Volume III shows artists continuing to buck traditional country tropes and production while embracing modern soul, disco, and coked-up 80s synth-pop. This is the true soundtrack of the Urban Cowboy. Saddle up, partners.
Light In The Attic's mission is simple: put out great music, wherever it may be found, however it may sound. It's this
dedication to music - first and foremost - that has already created a diverse and respected catalog of releases. LITA's commitment to quality, as well as its disdain for convention, has already produced instant classics....more
supported by 19 fans who also own “Country Funk Volume 3 EP”
Like so many others, this came like a bolt out of the blue and, even though it's well before payday, I had to have this astonishing album on vinyl to prove it exists. The feel of the tunes makes me feel like the Impressions do, Curtis Mayfield, the big spaces and instinctive horns and stuff drifting in and out. Great grooves and I can see lots of ghosts nodding along to this with big smiles on their faces. At last! Anthony Cottrell
supported by 15 fans who also own “Country Funk Volume 3 EP”
My god, what an absolutely incredible Suite. I'll admit, I've struggled to get into Pharoah Sanders due to diving headfirst into some of his most challenging catalogue and that never worked. This is the perfect place to restart. Floating Points is new for me and I can honestly say I've never heard synthesizer music this lush and organic before. the LSO is just perfect. This is one of those albums that any serious music fan needs in their life. The perfect swan song for the great Pharaoh! 5/5 ClassyMusicSnob
Terry Venemous is releasing new music every 3 weeks this year. His latest EP is sumptuous art pop with a wry sense of detachment.
Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 27, 2024
A new compilation of studio recordings and live rarities captures another side of ’90s experimentalists Gastr del Sol. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 27, 2024
supported by 14 fans who also own “Country Funk Volume 3 EP”
Raw energy, pure inspiration filtered through the west African mojo. Incredible musicians jamming on a cool riff and having a complete conversation through riffs and stabs. What isn’t there to love! Reminds me of the feel of a late 60’s /early 70’s psych cumbia mix from S. America that a similar company compiled and released; folks who appreciates the lost recordings of time, place and inspiration through the lenses of their vibes. gibkel1