Buried Treasures & Clyde Stubblefield
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.
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.
Featured Songs
- James Brown, "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud," Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud, King, 1968
- James Brown, "Cold Sweat," Cold Sweat, King, 1967
- James Brown, "Funky Drummer," Funky Drummer (single), King, 1970
- Public Enemy, "Fight the Power," Fear of a Black Planet, Motown, 1989
- LL Cool J, "Mama Said Knock You Out," Mama Said Knock You Out, Def Jam, 1990
- Sinéad O'Connor, "I Am Stretched on Your Grave," I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, Ensign, 1990
- Madonna, "Justify My Love," The Immaculate Collection, Sire, 1990
- Ice-T, "O.G. Original Gangster," O.G. Original Gangster, Sire, 1991
- Kenny G, "G-Bop," Breathless, Arista, 1992
- Beastie Boys, "Shadrach," Paul's Boutique, Capitol, 1989
- George Michael, "Freedom! '90," Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, Columbia, 1990
- Public Access T.V., "In Love and Alone," Never Enough, Cinematic Music Group, 2016
- The Regrettes, "Juicebox Baby," Feel Your Feelings Fool!, Warner Bros. , 2017
- Public Access T.V., "End of an Era," Never Enough, Warner Bros. , 2017
- Noname, "Yesterday," Telefone, Self-Released, 2016
- R. Stevie Moore and Jason Falkner, "I H8 Ppl," Make it Be, Bar/None, 2017
- Deep Sea Diver, "Wide Awake," Secrets, Hi-Beam, 2016
- Wyldlife, "Teenage Heart," Out on Your Block, Wicked Cool, 2017
- The Flat Five, "You're Still Joe," It's a World of Love and Hope, Bloodshot, 2016
- The Right Now, "Love You Better," Starlight, Self-Released, 2017
- Deep Sea Diver, "See These Eyes," Secrets, Hi-Beam, 2016
- Split Single, "Untry Love," Metal Frames, Inside Outside, 2016
- Ramones, "Ramones Medley: Blitzkrieg Bop/Teenage Lobotomy/California Sun/Pin Head/She's the One," Rock 'N' Roll High School, Sire, 1979
- Gene Chandler, "Rainbow '80," Chandler '80, 20th Century/Chi-Sound, 1980
- The Districts, "Telephone," Telephone, Fat Possum, 2016
- Joe Christmas, "Scrabble Girl," North To The Future, Tooth & Nail, 1996
- Paul Westerberg, "Love Untold," Eventually, Reprise, 1996
- The Gotobeds, "Bodies (Live on Sound Opinions)," Blood//Sugar//Secs//Traffic, Sub Pop, 2016
- Playboy Manbaby, "Lizard People," Electric Babyman, Rubber Brother, 2014
- Lupe Fiasco, "City Of The Year," DROGAS Light, 1st & 15th, 2017
Dear Listeners,
For more than 15 years, Sound Opinions was a production of WBEZ, Chicago's public radio station. Now that the show is independent, we're inviting you to join the band and lend a hand! We need your support more than ever because now we have to do all the behind-the-scenes work that WBEZ handled before (like buying insurance and paying for podcast hosting, ugh). Plus, we have some exciting ideas we'd like to try now that there's no one to tell us no!