In One Piece 'In One Piece' (Mukatsuku)
16th November 2020
In One Piece
'In One Piece' / 'In One Piece (Unreleased Instrumental)'
(Mukatsuku)
Now here's a nugget and a half from the dusty fingers of Mukatsuku. Originally recorded in the early 70s in Oakland, California, by the masterful hands of George Semper of The Perfect Circle, this beautifully shambolic slice of stoned west coast funk ticks all the boxes you'd care to list. The recording is just so 'live', just shut your eyes and you're transported into the studio in a flash. The drummer is in front of you, pounding the skins, all loose and jazzy, yet tightly funked up too, the rest of the band in a circle around you totally in the zone, organ jamming, guitar set to wah and bass filthy and low. Add in raw vocalist Cindy Jones (who to my ears come across a lot like Sarah Webster Fabio) with a style that fuses soul/funk and poetry into a heartfelt delivery, one that is bursting with an intensity and authenticity that is impossible to replicate unless you really were there in those halcyon days of 70s CA. Flip over to the B side, and there's an unreleased instrumental mix, cue nasty face!
A must have 45, and one that once again perfectly highlights how the rich veins of funk still produce nuggets of gold when mined. I wonder how many more unreleased beauties from the vaults of George Semper there are? Quite possibly loads, and I hope someone is rifling through the cupboards, studio closets and personal attics seeking out gems, just like this one. Go get it.
Buy: Juno