Buried Treasures & Clyde Stubblefield

Buried Treasures

Many great albums are released each year, but only a handful get the attention they deserve. Jim and Greg share some recent Buried Treasures – the best albums that flew under the radar. Plus, they give the drummer some with a tribute to Clyde Stubblefield, James Brown's legendary sideman.

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Clyde Stubblefield

Clyde Stubblefield

It's time to give the drummer some. Clyde Stubblefield, the masterful drummer in James Brown's band, died on February 18 at age 73. By the late '60s, Brown was experimenting with a polyrhythmic sound with a band driven by two drummers. While John "Jabo" Starks provided the more straightforward R&B beat, Stubblefield brought a melodic, jazzy touch. His playing defined the funk genre through classic tracks like "Cold Sweat" and "Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud."

Sample Platter: James Brown's "Funky Drummer"

Stubblefield's drumming also formed the rhythmic basis of hip-hop, with his breaks being sampled hundreds of times. Most famously, a few bars of his playing on "Funky Drummer" from 1970 has become one of the most sampled pieces of music of all time. Jim and Greg do a Sample Platter, charting the track's use in dozens of rap and pop hits, from Public Enemy to LL Cool J to George Michael.

Buried Treasures

Every so often, Jim and Greg like to share their Buried Treasures: recent releases that flew under the mainstream's radar. This time around, their bounty included:

Greg

  • Public Access T.V., Never Enough
  • Noname, Telefone
  • Deep Sea Diver, Secrets
  • The Flat Five, It’s a World of Love And Hope

Jim

  • The Regrettes, Feel Your Feelings Fool!
  • R. Stevie Moore and Jason Falkner, Make It Be
  • Wyldlife, Out on Your Block
  • The Right Now, Starlight

Hooked on Sonics: Jason Narducy

This is the first of our new series called Hooked on Sonics, where we ask a musician to talk about a single song that turned music into their passion. For this installment, we hear from Jason Narducy. Jason tours as part of Bob Mould’s band, he plays bass for Superchunk, and has his own band Split Single. The song that got him Hooked on Sonics was "Ramones Medley" from the Ramones' Rock n Roll High School soundtrack.

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