Betty Davis

They Say I'm Different - 1974

While her groundbreaking debut featured members of Sly and the Family Stone, Graham Central Station and Tower of Power, their absence on her second LP, They Say I'm Different, only helped to illuminate Betty Davis' talent as a songwriter, arranger and vocalist ... not to mention how it elevated her to the status of high priestess of funk. Continuing to explore the aggressive sexual lyrical themes of her first album, Davis' venom is even more potent the second time around, most notably the subject of her marriage to Miles in "He Was A Big Freak." He was a big freak/I used to beat him with a turquoise chain ... He was a big freak/Flim flam floosie fantasy ... etc. Outrageous lyrics aside, They Say I'm Different is tremendous on many fronts; the tunes have much more breathing room without an all-star cast of musicians propelling them, and in turn, stealing each other's thunder; the keyboards, and there are a whole army of them (Rhodes, Calvinets, Hammonds, et all), play against and off of one another with incredible fluidity; and the stop/start rhythm section rivals that of the might Larry Graham and Grec Errico, who made her debut LP such a heavy funk bonanza. A remastered version complete with bonus tracks was released a couple of years ago by the fantastic Light in the Attic.

Sly and the Family Stone

There's a Riot Goin' On - 1971

Somewhere following the massive success of Stand! and the comedown from Woodstock, Sly Stone lost it. Having released four albums in four years and subsequently achieving more adolation than he could have dreamed, the man holed himself up in his attic recording studio and began his descent into cocaine addition and the long journey towards creating the darkest record ever to reach #1 on the charts. Reeking of stoned decadence, Riot is a seductive brew of slurred vocals, leering electric pianos, messy guitars and primitive drum machines -- most of which were laid down by Sly himself. One of the explanations for the albums muddy production and warm blanket of tape hiss is that Sly would regularly invite groupies in to record background vocals, only to erase their tracks once they left in the morning. Despite the muck, this is one of the most carefully detailed albums ever recorded and a true joy to listen to through a set of headphones. Quite possibly my favorite record.

There's A Riot Goin' On - Sly ...