Album Review: James Last – Funky Music

There are people who think that the terms JAMES LAST and FUNKY MUSIC cannot be used in the same sentence. These people may know James Last, but they certainly don’t know the whole of James Last. But you can’t blame them, because the musical perfectionist has not only released over 150 records and received 17 platinum and 208 gold awards for them, he has also incorporated pretty much every musical genre into his work: Pop and Classic, Schlager and Rock, Folk and Swing… His motto was: music is made for everyone!

But because the bandleader was appreciated above all for atmospheric dance music, his image is often reduced to this kind of entertainment. It was only after his THE LONELY SHEPHERD was featured in the film KILL BILL and after he recorded the track RUF MICH AN with Fettes Brot that it dawned on the general public that James Last’s party sound can also be very fat and very funky.

As an award-winning jazz bassist, rhythm was particularly important to Last from the very beginning. As a brilliant arranger, it was not difficult for him to embed it in rousing orchestrations. Funk and disco sounds, with their strongly accentuated rhythm, dominant bass lines, syncopated riffs and rich brass sound, were therefore very much his thing. As proof, listen to his arrangement of the famous STAR WARS theme that opens this album. AI NO CORRIDA and STUFF LIKE THAT are associated with the great Quincy Jones, whom James Last greatly admired. There are countless cover versions of THE HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN, Last opted for a Latin disco version, similar to the one that made Santa Esmeralda a hit in 1978. DON`T LEAVE ME THIS WAY brought Thelma Houston into the disco charts, James Last took up this arrangement and made the song a highlight in his own repertoire with clever touch-ups, just like classics by Earth, Wind & Fire, Hot Chocolate, KC & The Sunshine Band and the Bee Gees. In between, with NEW YORK DISCO, he also hid a little gem from his own pen together with his son Ron, who was jointly responsible for the fact that modern influences repeatedly refreshed Last’s sound. PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC … and try to keep your feet still! –Jan Demin 

Track List:

A1 THEME FROM STAR WARS 3:18 (Williams)
A2 AI NO CORRIDA 2:28 (Jankel/Young)
A3 GETAWAY 1:17 (Cor/Taylor)
A4 PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC 1:30 (Parissi)
A5 HEAVEN IS IN THE BACK SEAT OF MY CADILLAC 1:38 (Brown)
A6 STUFF LIKE THAT 3:37 (Ashford/Simpson/Jones/Gale/Gadd/MacDonald/Tee)
A7 THE HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN 4:21 (Trad./Last)
A8 FOOT STOMPIN‘ MUSIC 1:41 (Bohannon)
A9 NIGHT AND DAY 4:10 (Porter)
B1 BOLERO ‚75 3:18 (Ravel/Last)
B2 DON‘T LEAVE ME THIS WAY 3:44 (Gamble/Huff/Gilbert)
B3 BUMP DE BUMP YO BOODIE 1:21 (Calloway)
B4 NEW YORK DISCO 1:05 (Last/Last)
B5 PICK UP THE PIECES 1:28 (Ball/Duncan/Gorrie/Macintosh/McIntyre/Stuart)
B6 THE BERTHA BUTT BOOGIE 1:34 (Pruitt/Castor)
B7 EXPRESS 1:56 (Lomas/Rowe/Woods/Risbrook/Thompson)
B8 SOUND YOUR FUNKY HORN 1:19 (Casey/Reid)
B9 BOOGIE OOGIE OOGIE 3:42 (Johnson/Kibble)
B10 STAYIN‘ ALIVE 1:39 (Gibb)
B11 (SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE) SHAKE YOUR BOOTY 3:21 (Casey/Finch)

Verdict: Pure Disco/Funk fun, Jam packed with grooves. ‘Last’ and his orchestra of talented musicians go to work on some Disco/Funk/Pop classics. Some hidden gems indeed, and as most Vinyl collectors are aware , many of James Lasts’ records are unfairly disregarded, however, those in the know, know the ones to look out for, especially for the quality breaks and samples. A nice touch is the background party crowd getting down between the tracks, which only adds to the feel good Disco Vibes and gives a live performance flow to the album . Kitsch, absolutely, but ‘Last’ was all about making people get up on the floor and have fun, and this is a testament to that.

from  www.backseatmafia.com