--=[ The Bar-Kays ]=--

The Bar-Kays-Light Of Life [1978]

LOL Link 2

1978 saw the Bar-Kays continue across Light of Life all that they'd begun on the previous year's Flying High on Your Love. Debuting a new ten-member lineup, the group offered up a heady blend of classic funk spun with thoroughly contemporary disco ethics. The only drawback to the Bar-Kays' sound was that such a rapid-fire release schedule was rendering their unique sound a little samey. What worked beautifully across one LP was less unique across the next and, by the third, was nearing the point of overkill. That said, there are still many, many fine moments on Light of Life. Their balladeering skills were improving and are showcased magnificently on "We're the Happiest People in the World" and, of course, they absolutely sparkled across the funk-fests: the effusive "Get up 'N' Do It" and "Give It Up," which carries nods to both Hamilton Bohannon's "Disco Stomp" and the iconoclastic "Theme From Shaft." Rush-released to compete with Fantasy's cash-in Money Talks, compiled from the band's late Stax-era recordings, Light of Life faltered some in its wake. Nevertheless, Light of Life still gave the band their fourth Top 20 hit as "Shine," while "Are You Being Real" furthered their longevity on the singles chart.














The Bar-Kays - Money Talks [1978]

Money Talks Link 2

Although the Bar-Kays stuck with the Stax Records until its demise in 1976, the label stopped releasing the group's recordings after 1973. However, when they re-emerged as a success on the Mercury label with hits like "Shake Your Rump to the Funk," some unreleased recordings they made between 1974 and 1976 were released as an album entitled Money Talks. Although this repackaging was obviously designed to cash in on the group's success, Money Talks stands up as a solid and consistent album in its own right. This material lays the groundwork for the Bar-Kays' post-Stax style by trading live-in-the-studio jams for a carefully produced sound and blending in standout pop hooks into the funky grooves. The best example is "Holy Ghost," a hard-grooving monster of a jam where elaborate horn arrangements dance around a thick synthesizer bassline as Larry Dodson lays down a salacious vocal about his lover's otherworldly romantic skills. It became a big R&B hit when released as a single in 1978 and was later sampled by M/A/R/R/S on their club classic "Pump Up the Volume." Other memorable tracks include the title track, a high-stepping tune that showcases the chops of the horn players, and "Mean Mistreater," an unlikely but effective Grand Funk Railroad cover that transforms the minimalist original tune into a spooky yet sexy mood piece built on some languid keyboard work. None of the other tracks are as strong as "Holy Ghost" (which is so good that it bookends the album in two versions), but they are all listenable and flow together surprisingly well as an album. All in all, Money Talks is a fine slab of vintage funk that will please anyone who loves old-school grooves.

The Bar-Kays have always been Tight and always given up the Goods of Funk.















The Bar-Kays - Flying High On Your Love [1977]

Bar Kays Link 2

The Age of Aquarius may have fallen out of fashion, but "what's your sign" was still the ultimate pickup line at the end of the 1970s. Disco novelty band the Floaters had counted on that with their brash mid-1977 "Float On," and the Bar-Kays, of course, couldn't resist a little good-humored stroke, especially if it carried commercial punch as well. So, for the November release of their second Mercury LP, Flying High on Your Love, the inner sleeve featured the band's photos -- complete with star signs. Jokes aside, the Bar-Kays delivered a juicy set of funk movers accented by disco beats and augmented by ballads. It was a tremendous mix. "Shut the Funk Up" is an overlooked gem, lost as the band sublimated their sound in the 1980s. A near-perfect disco song punctuated by the funky horn triumvirate of Charles "Scoop" Allen, Harvey "Joe" Henderson, and Frank "Captain Disaster" Thompson and dominated by vocalist Larry "D" Dodson's call to "get on up or just shut the funk up," it's immediately apparent that disco never sounded so good -- or so funky. "Woman of the Night" and "Let's Have Some Fun" follow suit, while stomping the disco beat down with some pretty heavy funk riffing. But, of course, that's why the Bar-Kays were, and remained, so successful. They were fully committed to their funk forbears while never taking their eyes off the shifting musical climate. Thus, they were able to make the leap from funk to disco in a way that almost no other bands could match. The Bar-Kays' late-'70s sounds, then, were not one or the other, but a seamless blend of both. A fine mix and a glorious achievement.


All track info is in the comment section...