The Meters [Extra tracks]

Product Description
Reissue of the 1969 debut by this funky New Orleans-based r&b group led by Art Neville & produced by the mighty team of Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn. Contains all 12 cuts from when the Josie label originally issued the record, plus two previously unreleased bonus tracks, 'The Look Of Love' & 'Soul Machine'. 14 tracks total. 1999 release.

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Average customer rating: Less Than the Best of the Meters CD The Meters made the breaks which...... classic grooves A great place to start with the Meters A half-and-half mix of cream and milk

The Very Best of the Meters The Meters Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Zydeco | Cajun & Zydeco | Regional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Cajun & Creole | Cajun & Zydeco | Regional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music Funk Jam Bands | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music Rock Jam Bands | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music Rhino Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Purists | Warner Brothers Records | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Wild Tchoupitoulas Fiyo on the Bayou The Allen Toussaint Collection Funkify Your Life: The Meters Anthology Dr. John's Gumbo ASIN: B0000033YT Release Date: 1997-06-10

Tracks:

1. Cissy Strut
2. Live Wire
3. Sophisticated Cissy
4. Look-Ka Py Py
5. Pungee
6. Tippi-Toes
7. Soul Island
8. Cabbage Alley
9. People Say
10. Hey Pocky A-Way
11. Just Kissed My Baby
12. Jungle Man
13. Out In The Country
14. Fire On The Bayou
15. They All Ask'd For You
16. Trick Bag

Customer Reviews:

Less Than the Best of the Meters CD.......2006-07-13

The Meters evolved out of the Neville Sound (essentially all four Meters plus Art Neville's brothers Aaron, Cyril, and sax player Gary Brown) during 1967, a period in which the wave of great post-War music coming out of New Orleans had all but stopped reaching a national audience. Art had been making records since the '50s, but finally stripped his original conception down to the quartet, at first an all instrumental lineup (guitar, drums, bass, and organ) inspired by Memphis legends Booker T & The MGs, though the bands' styles are very different. Before the end of '67 producer Allen Toussaint - who'd caught a hot club show - started utilizing the group as house band at Sansu, backing up artists such as Lee Dorsey, Betty Harris, Eldridge Holmes, and numerous others, including solo singles by Art himself as well as brothers Cyril and Aaron.
The group 'went solo' by developing their own material (with Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn nominally producing), signed with Josie in '68, and before long made their hometown hip again by leading the evolution from soul to funk and producing an impressive body of work during the next decade(and continuing to back up many artists including Dr. John and Labelle), gaining a large and loyal cult of fans (including many other important musicians, such as The Rolling Stones and Richard Hell).
The Meters' career can rather too neatly be divided into two periods: first their work for the Josie label (1968 - 71), followed by the Reprise era (1972 - 77). In recent years all eight of their studio albums - plus two very good collections of non-album singles and rarities - have been (re)issued by Sundazed, with superior sound and original graphics as well as bonus material. "The Best Of The Meters" may seem like a sensible first purchase for those who don't have any of the albums, or want a primer, but it just doesn't cut it. Rhino, for some no doubt non-aesthetic reason, only includes six measly gems from the great Josie period, with the remaining ten taken from the later Reprise albums. Even the selection of Reprise material is unreliable - from 1972's "Cabbage Alley" they've excerpted the decent but unremarkable "Soul Island" and the title track (a good rearrangement of an old Professor Longhair hit). These are not that album's best tracks - why not the Sly-meets-'70s Miles classic "Gettin' Funkier All The Time," or the seamless funk/hard rock Leo Nocentelli songs "You've Got To Change" and the wild, fascinating, almost psych-dub of "Stay Away"? For instumentals, "Smiling" and "Flower Song" are both more interesting than the almost bland (I said almost) "Soul Island." And the tracks from the later Reprise albums that close this set are even less representive of what this group could do - the telepathic interplay, constantly inventive rhythmic variations of drummer Ziggy Modeliste, and the virtuosity and drive that sweeps the lister up on his/her feet. This is simply an unsatisfying sampler.
If you're interested in those mostly classic original albums, there are three originally issued on Josie ("Zony Mash" might as well be the fourth, as it features both sides of the last four non-album singles the Meters released before the label stopped functioning late 1971). Each Josie title has much to recommend it, but for sheer inventiveness, compelling and surprising instrumental interplay, and warm, rich sound, my favorite is the second, "Look-Ka Py Py" (originally released January 1970); if you love this, you'll certainly want the other three. For Reprise titles, "Rejuvenation" (1974) is a classic: slinky, unhurried and richly textured funk and soul, with some of their best original songs and vocals. Its predecessor, "Cabbage Alley" is a fascinating and ambitious album, if slightly uneven, but by now the music is post-Hendrix/Sly Stone (and even Neil Young is an influence - there's a quite decent cover of "Birds"), but despite the inevitable observation that with the label change came vocals, an end to the 'pure' bare bones funk of their debut, the group had already started singing at Josie (Art after all had been singing for a decade prior to forming his great band), especially on the third album "Struttin'" and the later singles collected on "Zony."
So, there's my advice: explore the aformentioned pair of classics (mid-line priced) and I bet you'll want to dig deeper, but not into this superfluous compilation.

The Meters made the breaks which.............2006-01-31

...laid down the foundation for hip hop and modern breakbeat. Also, Check out Cymande - Renegades of Funk if you like the Island funk, breakbeat and jazz sounds. Just passing the good word on to those people who crave some good vintage funk. Peace.

classic grooves.......2005-09-08

This is funk 101. Simple, basic, purified funk. just barely distinct at this point from r&b, it's clean punchy lines laid bare. Solos are underplayed to perfection so that the groove is always in center focus, as it should be for this form of highly syncopated soul, from which so many present-day styles have sprung. The Meters pretty much started it all back then, and they still own it.

A great place to start with the Meters.......2004-12-09

If you are already a Meters fan, chances are you own this recording. If you don't, you should. If you are not familiar with the Meters this is a great place to start. The first track alone, Sissy Strut, is more than worth the price of this cd! Think Booker T and the MG's but with MUCH MORE funk. I am not talking today's over-produced watered down definition of funk or R&B. No, no...we are talking historically significant music that makes you stop in your tracks, look around and say "man, that's good"!

A half-and-half mix of cream and milk.......2004-08-03

O.k., first off let me say that the Meters are, in my opinion, one of the greatest funk bands of all time. With respect to sheer rhythmic force, and especially drumming, they have no equal.

Now, with that out of the way, lemme explain the three stars. It has to do with track selection. Imagine, for instance, that someone compiled Michael Jackson's Greatest Hits but left out Billie Jean and Rock With You. While the remaining tracks would be great, you'd be leaving out some of, in my opinion, the best music MJ has to offer. Not everyone will agree with that, but for me it's important that quality of the track, and not just chart placement, be considered when compiling a "best of".

In the case of the Meters, there are several absolute musts that ought to be on here. The first three Meters albums -- "The Meters", "Look-ka py py", and "Struttin'" really defined the group. Stand out tracks from those albums include, in no particular order "The Handclapping Song", "Same Old Thing", "Funky Miracle", "Here Comes The Meter Man", and "Stormy" (one of the most underrated of Meters tunes). I'd also add to that list "Stretch Your Rubber Band", which appeared only as a single. Of these, the addition of "Funky Miracle", "The Handclapping Song", and "Stormy" in place of some of the newer Meters tracks (I'd boot "Hey Pocky A-Way", "Out In The Country", and "They All Ask'd For You") would add at least a star, and maybe two (if it was sequenced right) to my rating of this CD.

As it stands, the "very best" doesn't include songs that really are the very best of what the Meters had to offer. Later tracks, especially "Just Kissed My Baby", are a fine addition to one's Meters collection, but exclusion of older, better songs in the name of variety (which is what I think they were shooting for here) is bad form. And bad form only gets three stars from me.

Average customer rating: I Only Get to Give 5 Stars? Must Own This is the best Meters collection out there... Love it. Wow. Open up for the meter men!!!

Funkify Your Life: The Meters Anthology The Meters Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Funk Jam Bands | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music Rock Jam Bands | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Rhino Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Funky Good Time: The Anthology The Wild Tchoupitoulas Fess: The Professor Longhair Anthology The Very Best of the Meters The Allen Toussaint Collection ASIN: B0000033GN Release Date: 1995-02-28

Tracks:

1. Cissy Strut
2. Here Comes The Meter Man
3. Live Wire
4. Sophisticated Cissy
5. Ease Back
6. Stormy
7. Look-Ka Py Py
8. Pungee
9. Thinking
10. This Is My Last Affair
11. Funky Miracle
12. Yeah, You're Right
13. Little Old Money Maker
14. Dry Spell
15. Chicken Strut
16. Same Old Thing
17. Darling Darling Darling
18. Tippi-Toes
19. Ride Your Pony
20. A Message From The Meters
21. Zony Mash
22. Stretch Your Rubber Band
23. Groovy Lady
24. (The World Is A Bit Under The Weather) Doodle-Oop[
25. I Need More Time
26. Good Old Funky Music

Tracks:

1. Stay Away
2. Soul Island
3. Do The Dirt
4. Cabbage Alley
5. People Say
6. Hey Pocky A-Way
7. Africa
8. Fire On The Bayou
9. Talkin' 'Bout New Orleans
10. They All Ask'd For You
11. Running Fast (Single Version)
12. (Doodle Loop) The World Is A Little Bit Under The Weather
13. Trick Bag
14. Hang 'Em High
15. Be My Lady
16. Funkify Your Life
17. Give It What You Can

Customer Reviews:

I Only Get to Give 5 Stars?.......2006-05-18

I have a modest CD collection of about 300 albums, but I can honestly say that I have played this set more than any other I own. There is nothing, anywhere, like the Meters. They are cool and funky, relaxed, funny, smooth, sexy, firey, bitter and sweet, and altogether perfect.

Though both discs are quite good, Disc 1 is immortal. The early Meters specialized in easygoing funk instrumentals that groove mightily without being overpowering. "Cissy Strut" in my opinion is the best, but it is hard to choose among so many great songs. "Chicken Strut" is the funniest rock recording I have ever heard.

Disc 2 is spottier, but "They All Ax'd For You" is one of the most charming songs ever written about New Orleans, and "Hey Pocky Way" and "Fiyo On the Bayou" have bass lines so wicked that they have been pillaged by just about every hip hop DJ on the planet.

This set is absolutely a can't -miss.

Must Own.......2005-10-10

Not Much to say here. Anyone interested in New Orleans Music, or Funk, will love this. It is just so Rich.

This is the best Meters collection out there..........2004-12-13

Omitting historical details (there are plenty of those out there on the 'Net), this is simply: the best overall collection from one of the finest artists in the genre----pure, natural FUNK the way the Gods intended it to be!

Love it. Wow........2004-06-21

Unbelievable collection of songs, great funk music. I'll never get tired of these cd's. I highly recommend getting this as its much better than the single disc greatest hits, this really covers everything. The Meters are definitely one of the most influential funk acts, if you aren't into funk, you will be after hearing this. Wow.

Open up for the meter men!!!.......2004-04-21

The Meter's were there from the start. They are funk (they still kick it out today, known as The Funky Meters, with 1/2 of the orignial band still doin it). If you want into the secrets of New Orleans Soul, look no further. Their style encapsulates, fathoms and transcends blues, soul, R&B and funk. This is band so tightly honed they make every jawbreaking funk break sound like an effortless display of catwalking sexiness... Leo Nocentelli's jangly and percussive guitar, Art Neville's fever-hot organ chops, George Porter's thick-ass porterhouse steak basslines- ever-fluid but omni-deep, and lest we forget the backbone- Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste's boom-boom-CRACK! The drums, tighter than hell, you will not believe what one man can conjure with a fairly simple drumkit. The breakdown on 'Chicken Strut' will make you mop your forehead.

There is so much butter and cream on this comp it just makes me weak in the knees. Do yourself a favor and learn what hip hop producers have known for about a generation or so- The Meter's are rhythm incarnate!

The first CD makes this worth it alone- you get damn near all The Meter's hits from the Josie years! Cd 1 has 26 tracks of their early material, all their top ten R&B hits from 1967- 69, and quite a few more. Look-ka-py py, Ease Back, Cissy Strut and Sophisticated Cissy among them. I mean c'mon- 26 tracks on THE FIRST CD ALONE!!!!

CD 2 does less for me, but gives a good display of The meter's output for Warner/Reprise. This was a time period that saw the band go through some changes and also play as the opening band for The Rolling Stones' 1975-76 tours. On these tracks Cyril neville (Art's brother) replaces Zigaboo on drums and it shows, I think... The material here consists of longer cuts and more diverse styles, ultimately I prefer the Josie material, but you should check it all out and make up your own mind...

Over 45 tracks of the kind of funk usually reserved for immortals and denizens of the lower planes of funky good times. For about 30 bucks that's like 66 cents per cut. Brother please. If you buy 1 'Best Of,' retrospective set this year- make it this one. Then go get the JB's 'Funky Good Time.' Now you've got a party.

Average customer rating: Good raw funk. A musician's must-have The Whole Funk and Nothing but the Funk! The Meters' Funk Manifesto The Essential Funk Primer

The Meters The Meters Manufacturer: Sundazed Music Inc. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Funk Jam Bands | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music Rock Jam Bands | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | R&B | Indie Music | Stores | Music Funk | R&B | Indie Music | Stores | Music Funk Rock | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Jambands | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Struttin' Look-Ka Py Py Rejuvenation Cabbage Alley Fire on the Bayou ASIN: B0000365IM Release Date: 1999-11-30

Tracks:

1. Cissy Strut
2. Here Comes The Meter Man
3. Cardova
4. Live Wire
5. Art
6. Sophisticated Cissy
7. Ease Back
8. 6v6 La
9. Seehorn's Farm
10. Ann
11. Stormy
12. Sing A Simple Song
13. The Look Of Love
14. Soul Machine

Album Description

Reissue of the 1969 debut by this funky New Orleans-based r&b group led by Art Neville & produced by the mighty team of Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn. Contains all 12 cuts from when the Josie label originally issued the record, plus two previously unreleased bonus tracks, 'The Look Of Love' & 'Soul Machine'. 14 tracks total. 1999 release.

Customer Reviews:

Good raw funk........2007-07-30

If you like your funk nice and raw then this is the disc for you. No vocal makes it sound like a great sound track from the late 60s, early 70s. I was intially inspired to get this disc when I noticed a great deal of their stuff features on the "Funk Drops" series of CDs.

A musician's must-have.......2007-06-15

Every musician should own this album, especially bass players and drummers.

The Whole Funk and Nothing but the Funk!.......2007-03-29

Jesus, dude...funkiest album ever? "Cissy Strut" truly is the funkiest beat ever, "Here Comes the Meter Man" is laid back groove...every song good and rolling, propelled by Ziggy and made immeasurably better by all of Art's organ.

Hands down, this is funk at its hip-shaking, head-bobbing, foot-tapping zenith. Doesn't even need lyrics of any kind. Just listen to the intro to "Cissy Strut" and get pumped.

If you want to hear similar music, check out The Upsetter's "Return of Django". A reggae-funk mix too good to be true.

Anyways, just buy the album.

The Meters' Funk Manifesto.......2006-07-10

With the passage of decades, the importance of The Meters, who broke out nationally at a period when their hometown's influence on popular music seemed to be diminishing, seems more obvious than ever. With five hits in 1969 alone, each an excercise in uncompromising, hard funk, The Meters' astonishing musical telepathy ensured the band's place in the evolution of soul into funk and the continued vitality of New Orleans music. Bill Dahl's excellent notes for the Sundazed label's remaster of the band's 1969 debut outline the history leading up to this seminal album. The band was formed by Art Neville during 1966 - 67, following Art's participation in a tour with Aaron Neville when Aaron's late '66 single "Tell It Like It Is" became a unexpected smash hit. Back in New Orleans after the tour Art gathered his band under the name Neville Sounds, but original members Aaron and Cyril Neville, as well as a sax player, were dropped when the group was offered a residency by a club owner who could only accomidate a quartet. Minus any other Nevilles, the name was changed to The Meters. The ridiculously prolific producer/writer/auteur Allen Toussaint and his business partner Marshall Sehorn caught the quartet - Art, Leo Nocentelli, Joseph 'Ziggy' Modeliste, and George Porter - at a club one night and by late '67 the pair would regularly employ The Meters on sessions for Sansu Enterprises, noticeably deepening the groove on records by Lee Dorsey, Willie West, Betty Harris, and many others, including Neville brothers Cyril and Aaron.
The Meters may have been central to the evolution of funk, but founder Art Neville's roots in N.O.'s indigenous music meant both experience and a deep sense of musical history. Art had been making records since he was a teenager with The Hawketts, debuting on the 1955 "Mardi Gras Mambo." The following year he was signed to Specialty (first as session pianist/vocalist - that's him singing behind Little Richard on "The Girl Can't Help It")just as rock 'n' roll hit big, and his early solo singles like "Ooh Whee Baby" (a terrific post-Little Richard rocker) are available on various compilations and collected on a Specialty CD. Following a stint in the Navy, Art was back recording, signed in 1961 to Joe Banaashk's Instant Records(see the Art & Aaron Neville 2-CD set "Brother To Brother"). More singles were recorded - and, less frequently, issued, on Instant and Cinderella through the mid-60s. On his last "solo" singles, for Sansu, Art was backed by The Meters.
The prolific Eddie Bocage, producing his own raw, hot dance records - and other New Orleans legends - may have contributed to the increasingly rhythm-centered approach during the same period, but The Meters clearly had the vision and virtuosity to lead New Orleans' r & b to the next stage, with the sort of chemistry that makes all truly great bands more than the sum of their parts. That intuitive and seemingly effortless interplay is evident right out of the gate, on Art's magnificent version/re-invention of "Bo Diddley" (December 1967 - best heard in a slightly longer master included on the Sundazed comp "Get Low Down! The Soul Of New Orleans'65 - 67"), a three minute marvel of unstoppable rhythmic drive, jazzy yet tight interplay. The Meters were masters of inventive rhythmic variations contained within two or three-minute song structures. The key to their sound was drummer Modeliste. Unlike, say, the equisite Al Jackson of the MG's, Modeliste was not content to hold down an understated groove, adding subtle fills and accents. Rooted in a century of seminal early jazz, r & b and rock 'n' roll, with parade bands and the syncopated second line encoded in his DNA, and inspired by master drummers like Earl Palmer, John Boudreaux, and June Gardner, Joseph Modeliste made his drum kit as much a lead instrument as the guitar or organ ever was. At his best his perfomances build syncopated, inventive variations on rhythm patterns stated at the song's beginning, then held down by bassist Porter or guitarist Nocentelli; sometimes the 'beat' becomes almost implicit, as melody does in bop, Modeliste darting around it, accenting, leaving spaces, adding cross-rhythms, but never straying from that pulse. And Modeliste plays without a scintilla of gratuitous flash.
Sometime in 1968 The Meters went from backup to foreground, signed to Josie Records, and their first single, the medium paced groove classic "Sophisticated Cissy" broke out nationally in January 1969. Two more hits "Cissy Strut" (March 1969) and "Ease Back" (July 1969) soon followed, all included on "The Meters", issued that spring.
This is bare-bones funk, with a full-bodied sound and approach that fits a variety of material. Influences include Booker T. & The MG's, whose lineup originally suggested a model to Art Neville, and perhaps the MG's influence is more noticeable here than on susequent albums. Other sources include Wes Montgomery - Nocentelli's warm tone and jazzy playing turn a middle of the road hit like "The Look Of Love," (a bonus track included here) into a warm and gorgeous late-night groove. James Brown's band is another influence, and Nocentelli's chicken scratch guitar permeates these tracks, likely giving "SSehorn's Farm" its title. And the album closes with a nod to Sly Stone, whose influence would become even more evident within a couple years as Nocentelli adds wah-wah and other effects and Porter starts popping his bass (check "Gettin' Funkier All The Time" from their 1972 debut for Reprise, "Cabbage Alley"). Other highlights here include "Here Comes The Meter Man" which ends on a deliciously hard-yet-understated 25-second drum break. "Live Wire" features a galloping rhythm, and "Cardova" (at 4:32 the longest track on the group's Josie albums) starts with some creative interplay between Porter (whose deep opening groove will rattle your windows) and Modeliste, with Neville adding rhythmic organ fills and Nocentelli some splendidly dry guitar. The second bonus track, "Soul Machine" (also available on "Zony Mash") crackles and percolates, and features some warm sax starting around the halfway mark.
With each album, the band would slowly integrate vocals, but this debut features a single grunt at the start of the classic "Cissy Strut" (their biggest hit). By the time of their third ("Struttin') album and the final Josie singles that are collected on "Zony Mash," the group vocals, and leads by Art and Leo, would become permanent features of their musical arsenal. But "The Meters" is the minimalist blueprint, with a range of moods linked by a raw, dense sound recorded at Cosimo Matassa's. I happen to think their early style reached its sonic and musical peak on the second album, "Look-Ka Py Py", ironically recorded not in New Orleans but in Atlanta. Forget the compilations - The Meters continued to evolve and experiment until their breakup following 1977's "New Directions." Sundazed has typically outdone all previous remasters with warm, rich, and detailed sound - you're in the studio with four master musicians, and the music pulsates and breathes. Like all mortals, The Meters made the occasional mistep, mostly near the end of their career, but their ten studio albums, all available on Sundazed, are collectively a singular contribution to New Orleans (and American) funk, soul, and rock and roll.

The Essential Funk Primer.......2004-12-21

In the early days, there was an unknown band that opened for the Rolling Stones on one of their tours. That band was the Meters. This album is the essential funk primer for that era. Cissy Strut being a definative cut from the album. Later, if you get past this album, I highly recommend Fire On The Bayou and Rejuvenation as "must have" Meters albums.

Along with Sly and The Family Stone, the Meters took funk to the highest levels of craftsmanship and musical ability. Their followup albums that I recommended show a much more sophisticated complexity to their music and add a high polish to music of that era.

Average customer rating: Perfect Companion to their first offering! No deeper funk alive Seminal funk. One of the best early 70's Funk Instrumentals EVER Great music, O.K. sound quality

Look-Ka Py Py The Meters Manufacturer: Sundazed Music Inc. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Funk Jam Bands | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music Rock Jam Bands | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Meters Struttin' Rejuvenation Cabbage Alley Fire on the Bayou ASIN: B0000365IN Release Date: 1999-11-30

Tracks:

1. Look-Ka Py Py
2. Rigor Mortis
3. Pungee
4. Thinking
5. This Is My Last Affair
6. Funky Miracle
7. Yeah, You're Right
8. Little Old Money Maker
9. Oh, Calcutta!
10. The Mob
11. 9'Til 5
12. Dry Spell
13. Grass
14. Borro

Album Description

Reissue of 1970 album by this funky New Orleans-based r& b group led by Art Neville & produced by the mighty team of Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn. Contains all 12 cuts from when the Rounder label originally issued it, plus two previously unreleased bonus tracks, 'Grass' & 'Borro'. The album was their third overall & first for Rounder. 1999 release.

Customer Reviews:

Perfect Companion to their first offering!.......2007-07-30

Matching the first album in its rawness and funk intensity LOOK-KA PY PY is the perfect companion to THE METERS, their debut album, and is a must buy. These two albums are my favourite and they both come with some additional tracks.

No deeper funk alive.......2005-04-09

The Meters were the most underrrated band to emerge out of the late 60s/early 70s funk explosion.

This is music that would not only inform 70s r&b but would filter into the jazz of the day. And the band was just amazing -funky guitar and organ riffs, and a beautifully understated but stunningly precise rhythm section.

Seminal funk........2004-07-29

To paraphrase a recent truck commercial, "it's a big, tough funk album. What's not to like?"

If you're a modern music producer, please do yourself a favor and listen to the drums on this album. They're back a bit in the mix but still pop, the snare doesn't sound like the grand canyon but it's got a ring to it, and the cymbals stay out of the way of everything else while still aggressive. Quite frankly, just about every modern drum "sound" I've heard, from rock to the anemic junk that passes for funk these days to jazz, is a gutless wonder by comparison. That "metallic" snare sound that's so popular these days (on rock recordings by everyone from Pearl Jam to 311 to No Doubt to every so-called "punk" band on the radio) sucks. It just does, it's not musical, it's too "open" to focus a groove. Get over it, please, and let us know when you've got it right. Whoever produces Queens of The Stone Age or Cake can chill, though, 'cause you're close. A bit more snap and some high-end blap and you're there. Can you imagine how absolutely tough a good punk band would sound with a drum kit recorded like the Meters recorded their drum kit?

I think you get the gist that I like this album. I've lived with it for a long time now and it's never out of the crate (i.e., DJ crate). I find excuses to play cuts off this thing everywhere -- weddings, house parties, whatever. If the DJ saved your life, he probably did it with a song from this record on one that sampled it or the other two Meters albums ("The Meters", "Struttin'") from this era.

Someone wake me up when a modern "rock" or "funk" band sounds and plays half this good. Pay attention to the grooves on "Funky Miracle", "Look Ka Ka Py Py", and "Pungee". That stuff's much harder to play than it sounds, no one I've heard does it right besides the Meters themselves.

There are imitation funk bands out there these days trying to cop the old-school sound, but they don't have the chops to pull it off. Do yourself a favor and savor the real thing. The Meters is it, and this album is definitively it.

One of the best early 70's Funk Instrumentals EVER.......2003-09-09

If you like newer funk, such as the instrumental Beastie Boys stuff or the less heavy, more funky Red Hot Chili Peppers tunes BUY THIS. This is where it all came from. The influence this album has had cannot be overestimated.

I initially bought this album after hearing it on the speakers in one of my favorite (vinyl) record stores. I had never heard the Meters before but simply thought it was exactly the kind of upbeat groovy stuff that would be perfect for parties, drinking Abita beer and hanging out in the sunshine. This is true, but I have subsequently been blown away by how amazing this CD is.

I bought it over 10 years ago and this album has never sat long on the shelf. It seems like the grooves that were laid down on Look-Ka-Py-Py just never get old. It's very funky, a little cheesy (in a good way), and everyone seems to dig it. These guys are fantastic musicians, too.

This album is a classic and (arguably) the best of the Meters collection- a great 1st Meters album!

Great music, O.K. sound quality.......2000-07-20

One of the best vibes out there! Short (37 min) but very rewarding album, deserves multiple listens. Surprizing how none of The Meters' tracks made it on any funk's greatest hits... Sound quality is the only disappointment, it is sort of muffled. Sundazed could do a better job remastering this essential records. Still, highly recommended.

Average customer rating: The Meters' "Rejuvenation" y'all are missing the best part CLASSIC METERS for sure! Several perfect tunes The best album from the funkiest band of all time

Rejuvenation The Meters Manufacturer: Sundazed Music Inc. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Funk Jam Bands | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music Rock Jam Bands | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Look-Ka Py Py The Meters Cabbage Alley Struttin' Fire on the Bayou ASIN: B00004T3XI Release Date: 2000-04-25

Tracks:

1. People Say
2. Love Is for Me
3. Just Kissed My Baby
4. What'cha Say
5. Jungle Man
6. Hey Pocky A-Way
7. It Ain't No Use
8. Loving You Is on My Mind
9. Africa
10. People Say [Single Version][#][*]
11. Hey Pocky A-Way [Single Version][#][*]

Amazon.com

When the Meters jumped from the Josie label to Reprise in 1972, their new label seemed intent on crossing them over to a wider audience. Released in 1974, Rejuvenation, the Meters' second Reprise album, stands as the best of this period, with their core funk sound embellished with elements of rock and mainstream soul. The success of this album can be judged by the fact that six of these nine songs stayed fixed in the (Funky) Meters repertoire more than 25 years after they recorded them. Their version here of "Hey Pocky A-Way" stands as the song's definitive reading, but tracks such as "People Say," "Just Kissed My Baby" (featuring the contributions of Lowell George), "Jungle Man," and "Africa" are career highlights as well, retaining the power of stripped-down funk while still fleshing out the sound with punchy horns, background singers, and a more rock-oriented production. These cuts don't quite reach the level of the gloriously funky three-minute instrumental nuggets they made for Josie, but they come very close. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

The Meters' "Rejuvenation".......2006-07-31

The Meters' Josie material is unequivocally seminal and classic, and along with others I have discussed that music on this site. The transition to the second stage of their decade-plus career roughly coincides with the integration of vocals and their 1972 contract with Reprise Records. Actually they had been adding vocals to their recordings since 1970's "Struttin'" on Josie and the last few (1970-71) Josie singles collected on "Zony Mash", which also feature the introduction of Cyril Neville's congas.
"Cabbage Alley" was an impressive deut for Reprise, with layered percussion, influences ranging from "Riot"-era Sly Stone, various strains of contemporary rock, and early Funkadelic, even studio experimentation that leads to "Stay Away" sounding not unlike early psychedelic dub. The differences on the followup "Rejuvenation" issued a full two years later include the evidence that it was recorded in Allen Toussaint's new state-of-the-art studio, Sea Saint. This is a warm, richly textured recording, with deep clear bass and each instrument reproduced just as the band likely intended. There is also evidence the band (especially Leo Nocentelli) spent a lot of time on the mix. And the Meters here move somwhat away from the hard rock of "Cabbage Alley" towards a still contemporary ('74) and integrated funk/soul approach, with some pop and rock touches, as well as, occasionally, jazz by way of Kenny Burrell and Wes Montgomery (Leo's longtime jazz guitar heroes) on the long tracks. This is indeed the first Meters set with no instrumentals at all, but the band gives itself plenty of room to flex its muscles.
"People Say" and "Just Kissed My Baby" are slow, simmering deep grooved funk classics, plain and simple; the single mixes of the former and "Hey Pocky A-Way" included as bonus tracks are indeed slightly different - not just shorter - for a nice contrast. "What'cha Say" and especially "Loving You Is Always On My Mind" (the latter the closest thing to a pure instrumental)are gorgeous, upbeat, and infectious - soulful grooves not unlike the best of the Isley Brothers, and with sparkling melodies as well. But The Meters' virtuosity and New Orleans roots are never lost, with dense rhythm tracks courtesy of Ziggy Modeliste, George Porter, and Cyril Neville. "Jungle Man" and "Africa" are both hard funk, but for me the highlight is the nearly 12-minute "Ain't No Use" which after starting life as a funky and danceable Isleys type groove, including spectacular guitar interjections from Leo, evolves into a truly amazing jam (and I am no jam band fan) with everyone at the top of their game, especially Leo and Modeliste during the last three or four minutes. Dynamic and compelling, this is one of the album's defining moments, as is the hit "Hey Pocky A-Way," heard here in its best-ever version.
Credit also goes out to New Orleans legend Wardell Querzeque's subtle and fresh horn arrangements (which never clutter the mix), and on a couple tracks, some tasty slide guitar from Lowell George. The Meters (who get a co-production credit for the first time) sound confident, telepathic, at their Reprise-era peak, and this is one of the best albums of '74 - and one of the great funk albums of that era as well.

y'all are missing the best part.......2005-12-03

let me just say that i absolutely love this album. i do enjoy the instrumental years, but this is my favorite era. anyway all of the below reviews are missing out on it ain't no use. they either hate it and think it wanders or they just simply mention its length which is around twelve minutes. besides jungle man this is my favorite song on the album. the opening guitar riff almost sounds southern rockish but the tune eventually morphs into a drum driven, funk fest. the closing drum solo is excellent. i would dare say that this is the best in studio jamming i have ever heard and i love tunes that go off into jams. the meters are an excellent group and this album is definately imho their finest. pick it up just to hear the drum solo at the end of it ain't no use, its well worth it. nuff said.

CLASSIC METERS for sure!.......2004-04-12

According to some, the Meters' earlier instrumental stuff is the one and only "classic Meters". I wholeheartedly disagree. This album is about as classic as it gets! It's just very different from their earlier style, so different in fact that you can hardly compare them.
This is a much more mature and sophisticated work, and without dissing the instrumentals in any way - I love them too! - I must say that this is my favorite Meters album. In fact it's my favorite album of all time!
If you are unfamiliar with the funky, funky Meters (possibly the funkiest band of all time? Just listen to the awesome Modeliste/Porter rhythm section!) - this is the place to start. An All-Time Classic from start to finish!

Several perfect tunes.......2004-03-29

I will refer to the first three Meters albums--"The Meters", "Look-ka Py Py", and "Struttin'"--as classic Meters. This is not classic Meters, but it's not as big a down step as "Cabbage Alley". The classic Meters' songs were based on short, pentatonic/blues-scale riffs, they were instrumental, and predominated by distorted Hammond and a fat P-bass. This album is predominated by guitar, and there is not one instrumental tune. The whole album has a clear studio-sound, not much "dirt", but has nevertheless GROOVE and something new and uplifting: HORNS! Those who look for something like "Cissy Strut", "Sophisticated Cissy", or "Chicken Strut" might be disappointed, though. The backing vocals on the non-highlight tunes "Love Is For Me" and "Loving You" don't fit into The Meters' sound (it's discussable), but the horns on "People Say" and "Just Kissed My Baby" is a perfectly suiting and joy-bringing spice. The far from perfect 12-minute "It Ain't No Use" is a bit of a time-filler; a guitar dominated (at times with three overdubbed guitars) mainstream rock-tune that never really lifts, and gets less and less interesting by and by, just isn't of the same calibre as the rest of the album, which it fills over a fifth of. The bonus tracks aren't of satisfaction to me either; they're edited versions of "Hey-Pocky A-Way" (35 seconds cut) and "People Say" (over 2 minutes cut). The edits ruin the original--PERFECT--arrangements to the songs that furthermore groove like crazy throughout. If the Meters are new to you, and you're looking for an album to get you started on the right foot - go with the classic Meters; it will help you appreciate this one later on. If you're looking for more grooves after having listened to the classic Meters, there is lots of music here that won't disappoint; at least every other track of the album should give you complete satisfaction.

The best album from the funkiest band of all time.......2003-12-29

Not to dis the contributions of other funk masters like Parliament/Funkadelic (who are brilliant in their own right), but NO ONE can make an ass shake like the Meters in their prime. And this is their prime. Actually, every one of their previous releases (which are largely all-instrumental with the exception of "Cabbage Alley") up to this one is a five-star title. After "Rejuvenation," things started to go downhill, even though subsequent albums contained their share of highlights. But, it never got any better than this title. Every song is a winner, and a few are stone-cold classics ("Hey Pocky Way," "Jungle Man," "Just Kissed My Baby"). I've put this on at many a party and have delighted at seeing individuals, seated alone, morose and lonesome in the corner, begin to twitch involuntarily and uncontrollably in response to the rhythms the Meters pour out (this last statement is NOT an exaggeration). This is music which makes people who are not in the know approach you asking, "Who IS this? I gotta get this!" Actually, you may be a bit more familiar with the Meters than you think as a new generation of hip-hop artists has sampled their tracks liberally. Great stuff! Get it, you will not regret it.

Average customer rating: A good funk/soul package! The Meters' Hat Trick Keep on struttin' !!! Great Neville stuff! Make mine FUNKY!!

Struttin' The Meters Manufacturer: Sundazed Music Inc. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Funk Jam Bands | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music Rock Jam Bands | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | R&B | Indie Music | Stores | Music Funk | R&B | Indie Music | Stores | Music Funk Rock | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Jambands | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Meters Look-Ka Py Py Cabbage Alley Rejuvenation Fire on the Bayou ASIN: B0000365IO Release Date: 1999-11-30

Tracks:

1. Chicken Strut
2. Liver Splash
3. Wichita Lineman
4. Joog
5. Go For Yourself
6. Same Old Thing
7. Hand Clapping Song
8. Darling Darling Darling
9. Tippi-Toes
10. Britches
11. Hey! Last Minute
12. Ride Your Pony
13. Funky Meter's Soul
14. Meter Spirit

Album Description

Reissue of 1970 album by this funky New Orleans-based r& b group led by Art Neville & produced by the mighty team of Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn. Contains all 12 cuts from when the Josie label originally issued it, plus two previously unreleased bonus tracks, 'Funky Meters' Soul' & 'Meter Strut'. The album was their second record overall & their final one for the label. 1999 release.

Customer Reviews:

A good funk/soul package!.......2007-07-30

This is the third album by the Meters and introduced vocals to their style. I still prefer the instrumentals on this disc but the vocal numbers are good and lively. I only have one diificulty with not giving this 4 stars or more; the track "Wichita Lineman" just doesn't feel like it's part of this album. Listened in isolation it's fine, but it goes against the feel of the album as a whole. And "Chicken Strut" is just plain funny, in a goofy sort of way.

The Meters' Hat Trick.......2006-07-21

The Meters' "Struttin'" (released June 1970) was their third classic for the Josie label. Recorded back at Cosimo Matassa's New Orleans studio (the amazing "Look-Ka Py Py" was made at La Fevre in Atlanta the previous summer), it is both of a piece with its two predecessors and an indication of their ongoing evolution.
The quartet's seminal Josie recordings revitalized their hometown's music scene - of the eleven singles issued on Josie before the label went bankrupt late in 1971, ten were national hits. And the city's indigenous rhythmic identity was reinvigorated by the Meters, who are central in the evolution of soul into funk. "Sturttin'" itself has remarkable variety within a seemingly restrictive framework. "Chicken Strut," the first hit from this set, is noteable for its use of group 'vocals' - chicken-clucking led by drummer Joseph Modeliste. The followup, "Handclapping Song" also featured the group's singing in a more straightforward psychedelic soul context. Elsewhere Art Neville provides some nice leads: "Darling Darling Darling" is a lovely take on the 1963 hit issued by Chess. And Art's vocal on Jim Webb's "Wichita Lineman" is haunting and melancholy, with Leo Nocentelli's guitar panning from right to left, consistent with the song's telephone wire imagery. The closing version of Lee Dorsey's 1965 "Ride Your Pony" is a harder, more rocking version of a gem Allen Toussaint had already produced at least twice (Betty Harris also issued a version, around 1968).
Most of the rest of this highly enjoyable set is instumental, and the stunning rhythmic explorations on the previous albums "The Mob" and "Rigor Mortis" are again in evidence on "Liver Splash," "Joog" and others. Modeliste and George Porter lay down dense grooves, and Noceltelli's guitar ranges from his quintessential chicken scratching funk to a harder rock style, with his mellower Wes Montgomery/Kenny Burrell side less apparent than before.
This was to be The Meters' last official album for Josie, though in fact four more non-album singles would be issued through 1971, and all eight tracks from these can be found on Sundazed's marvelous "Zony Mash." The dense mix that sounds like a spicy musical gumbo would change somewhat when the band signed to Reprise (though those early Reprise albums offer their own pleasures), and if you like what you've heard by the early Meters or want to hear some truly inventive New Orleans funk, this album is endlessly listenable. As always, Sundazed has done an unparelleled job in capturing the detail and ambience on those early master tapes.

Keep on struttin' !!!.......2003-09-26

This is one of the greater Meters recordings. It was released in 1970. Absolutely dirty - exactly the way it should be! It's the third and last Meters album to feature that really raw, dirty, early seventies sound (distant drumkit, distorted hammond, picky guitar in your left ear and a fat P-bass right in your face).
There's constant groove throughout this well organized but JAMMIN' album. A suitable amount of vocal tracks are included. The Glen Campbell cover "Wichita Lineman" (written by Jimmy Webb) was the first vocal ballad to be released by The Meters; that and the Roquel Davis cover gumboesque "Darling Darling Darling" are good variations from the rest of the material.
Two bonus tracks included! No disappointments what so ever! Yera phool notta git it!

Great Neville stuff!.......2003-07-23

I was looking for more New Orleans funk, after hearing the Neville Brothers "Brother's Keeper" and "Family Groove" albums. These are great. Mostly instrumental and very funky!!

Make mine FUNKY!!.......2002-08-15

Absolutely timeless stuff. Sounds as good today as when it was new, maybe even better. Todays jam bands could learn a thing or three from these early Meters records. In fact, nobody has even come close to capturing their sound decades later.Chicken Strut, Ride Your Pony and Funky Meters Soul are highlights on a cd full of them, but I admit to buying this particular disc for an awesome version of Wichita Lineman (!). If you're reading this, do your bad self a favor and buy this cd or any of the Meters other great sets. Money well spent.

Average customer rating: Release the whole ... thing not just bits n pieces Release the whole damb thing not just bits n pieces Amazing Live Album Live Meters Dynamic and Funky!

Uptown Rulers! (Live on the Queen Mary) The Meters Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music Soul | Live Albums | R&B | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | R&B | Styles | Music Funk Jam Bands | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music Rock Jam Bands | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music Jam Bands | Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | R&B General | R&B | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | R&B General | R&B | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Funk | R&B | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Funk | R&B | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Soul General | Soul | R&B | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Soul General | Soul | R&B | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music Rhino Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 R&B | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Fiyo at the Fillmore, Vol. 1 Cabbage Alley Look-Ka Py Py Fire on the Bayou Struttin' ASIN: B0000032ET Release Date: 1992-08-04

Tracks:

1. Gary Owens Introduces The Band
2. Fire On The Bayou
3. Africa
4. It Ain't No Use
5. Make It With You
6. Cissy Strut/Cardova/It's Your Thing/Love The One You're With (Medley)
7. Art Neville Addresses The Audience
8. Rocking Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu/Something You Got/I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)...
9. Liar
10. Mardi Gras Mambo
11. Encore: Hey Pocky A-Way

Customer Reviews:

Release the whole ... thing not just bits n pieces.......2001-03-08

They should have made this one 2cd's. The music on this cd is awesome 5 stars but when ever the Meters start rockin the folks at Rhino decided to fade the end of a few jams out to make it fit on one CD. Please remaster the whole concert on two CD's. Love The One Your With fades out during a really cool vocal jam for example. Hey Pockey way Fades out also. This just screwed up my enjoyment of this cd.

Release the whole damb thing not just bits n pieces.......2001-03-08

They should have made this one 2cd's. The music on this cd is awesome 5 stars but when ever the Meters start rockin the folks at Rhino decided to fad the end of a few jams out to make it fit on one CD. Please remaster the whole concert on two CD's. Love The One Your With fades out during a really cool vocal jam for example. Hey Pockey way Fades out also. This just screwed up my enjoyment of this cd.

Amazing Live Album.......2001-02-10

In March of 1975, New Orleans favorites The Meters were asked to play a party hosted by Paul and Linda McCartney. The results are energetic and funk-eh! What makes this album so great is hearing Ziagaboo Modeliste nailing down his syncopated rhythms, and George Porter & Leo Nocentelli doubling up their bass and guitar lines creating snaky hooks and driving funk. Art Neville, the self-proclaimed "grandfather of the group", leads the group through classics such as Hey Pocky-a-Way, Africa, and a 10 minute long Ain't No Use. A special treat is the Cissy Strut > Cardova > It's Your Thing > Love the One Your With segue. The only misteps are that the lead vocal mic on Love the One Your With is too low, so you can only really hear Art singing back-up. I'm also not crazy about the Bread tune "Make it With You" but the enormous strength of this disc far outweighs one so-so tune, and a turned down mic. The disc is espeically appealing because they broke up and this may be the only commercially available live effort by the original line-up, and only Art Neville and George Porter currently tour with the Funky Meters (the recent reunion show not withstanding).

Live Meters.......1999-11-08

I saw their live back in June in Tramps in NYC, and it was mind blowing. They are true live band and I really felt blessed just being there watching them communicating each other by playing instruments. Greatest live band Funky Meters!

Dynamic and Funky!.......1999-03-03

I can't believe I went for all these years without this CD. What was I thinking?

Average customer rating:

The Very Best of the Meters The Meters Manufacturer: Snapper UK ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Very Best of the Meters The Meters Broken Boy Soldiers The God Delusion ASIN: B00005A0XI Release Date: 2006-08-29

Tracks:

1. Cissy Strut
2. Look-Ka Py Py
3. I Need More Time
4. Funky Miracle
5. Tell Me What's on Your Mind
6. All I Do Every Day
7. He Bite Me
8. Keep on Marching
9. Yeah You're Right
10. Stormy
11. Heartache
12. Chicken Strut
13. Ease Back
14. Sophisticated Cissy
15. Meters Jam
16. Simple Song
17. Gossip
18. Message from the Meters
19. Handclapping Song
20. Dry Spell
21. Pungee
22. Stretch Your Rubber Band
23. It's Too Late

Product Description

1. Cissy Strut
2. Look-Ka Py Py
3. I Need More Time
4. Funky Miracle
5. Tell MeWhat’s on Your Mind
6. All I Do Every Day
7. He Bite Me
8. Keep On Marching
9. Yeah,You’re Right
10. Stormy
11. Heartache
12. Chicken Strut
13. Ease Back
14. Sophisticated Cissy
15. Meters Jam
16. Simple Song
17. Gossip
18. A Message From The Meters
19. HandclappingSong
20. Dry Spell
21. Pungee
22. Stretch Your Rubber Band
23. and It’s Too Late.

Format: CD

Average customer rating: The Meters' ambitious "Cabbage Alley" The Meters Major Label Debut We have been waiting years for this re-release

Cabbage Alley The Meters Manufacturer: Sundazed Music Inc. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music Funk Jam Bands | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music Rock Jam Bands | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | R&B | Indie Music | Stores | Music Funk | R&B | Indie Music | Stores | Music Funk Rock | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Jambands | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Struttin' Rejuvenation Look-Ka Py Py The Meters Fire on the Bayou ASIN: B00004T3XH Release Date: 2000-04-25

Tracks:

1. You've Got to Change (You've Got to Reform)
2. Stay Away
3. Birds
4. Flower Song
5. Soul Island
6. Do the Dirt
7. Smiling
8. Lonesome and Unwanted People
9. Gettin' Funkier All the Time
10. Cabbage Alley
11. Chug Chug Chug-A-Lug (Push and Shove), Pt. 1 [#]
12. Chug Chug Chug-A-Lug (Push and Shove), Pt. 2 [#]

Amazon.com

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, New Orleans's Meters churned out irresistible funk instrumentals that were distilled to their essence and intended to get people up and shaking. When the Josie label went bankrupt in 1971, the band moved over to the Reprise label and began to broaden their horizons, expanding their sonic palette and putting more emphasis on vocals. Cabbage Alley, their Reprise debut, finds them experimenting with tropical sounds ("Soul Island"), Allman Brothers-style guitar leads ("Stay Away"), Neil Young covers ("Birds"), and socially conscious lyrics ("Lonesome and Unwanted People"). Still, it's the simple funk anthems that hit home on cuts such as "You've Got to Change," "Do the Dirt," and "Chug Chug Chug-A-Lug" (a single added here as a bonus). This and its follow up, 1974's Rejuvenation, offer many prime Meters moments, though neither are as consistently brilliant as their Josie recordings found on The Meters, Struttin', and Look-Ka Py Py. --Marc Greilsamer

Album Description

Worldwide CD debut of New Orleans funk classic originally released in 1972. Includes two bonus tracks 'Chug Chug Chug-A-Lug (Push And Shove) (Parts 1 & 2). 2000 release. Standard jewel case.

Customer Reviews:

The Meters' ambitious "Cabbage Alley".......2006-07-17

To anyone familiar with The Meters' seminal Josie albums - "The Meters" (May 1969), "Look-Ka Py Py" (January 1970), and "Struttin'" (June 1970), "Cabbage Alley," their 1972 debut for Reprise, must have seemed like a radical departure. More than half of its tracks feature vocals, and the exploratory mood and stylistic range display a band unafraid to take risks. Clearly, "Cabbage Alley" was intended to be heard as an album, and unlike the Josie classics, features no obvious hit singles, although Sundazed, which has reissued the entire Meters catalog, includes two bonus tracks, a killer single issued several months after this album, "Chug Chug Chug-A-Lug (Push and Shove) Parts 1 & 2."
In retrospect the changes seem less surprising. When the Meters had national hits with their early classics "Sophisticated Cissy," (January '69), "Cissy Strut" (March '69) and the rest - an amazing eleven singles for Josie before the label folded in late 1971 - black music was still primarily marketed on singles. Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder, Sly & The Family Stone, and Marvin Gaye were all instrumental in a shift towards using the album as unified artistic statement. Also, the Sundazed reissue campaign has made it clear that the Meters' integration of vocals, and influences ranging from rock (Hendrix, the Stones), Caribbean, and beyond are already evident in the later Josie recordings. "Struttin'" featured several tracks with group vocals ("Handclapping Song") and solo leads by Art Neville ("Darling Darling Darling"). And the revelatory "Zony Mash," a previously unissued fourth Josie album of sorts, collects both sides of four singles issued on that label after the release of "Struttin'," from the fall of 1970 through the fall of '71, and both instrumentals like the wah-wah driven funk of "Zony Mash" and vocal sides like "Message From The Meters" and "I Need More Time" clearly predict the direction the band was taking before they signed with Reprise. What is perhaps most distinctive about "Cabbage Alley" is the sound - Ziggy Modeliste's drums on those Josie albums is dry, hard, with a visceral presence that enhances his astonishing, always shifting rhythm patterns, atop deep bass grooves by George Porter and the direct presentation of Leo Nocentelli's arsenal of effects - chicken scratch funk rhythm, jazzy Wes Montgomery-influenced work on occasional covers of pop hits, stinging yet dry lead statements. And always, the churning, rhythmic organ of Art Neville. On "Cabbage Alley" the mix is cleaner (even when the music is grungey), Modeliste's kit sound less resonant. Once one gets used to the differences however, "Cabbage Alley," though slightly uneven (how could so eclectic a work not be?) proves highly rewarding.
Even when the material is slight, the musical textures offer fascinating listening. Two hard rockers written by Nocentelli - each over five minutes - open the album. "You Got To Change" suggests hard rock a la Led Zep, but the dense interplay of guitars, various percussion instruments (and yes, Cyril Neville was already adding congas to the later Josie singles), keyboards, and the never-static rhythm section stamp this as an invigorating, listenable gem with a long instumental section (think of the Stones' "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" meets "Voodoo Chile") that fades too soon. "Stay Away" despite a pedestrian lyric, simply amazes - Leo Nocentelli had likely heard early Funkadelic, but the virtuosity and imagination - instrumental and production - on display here create a powerful soundscape with dub-like effects. After these two heavy hitters Art's interpretation of Neil Young's gorgeous "Birds" is a dramatic shift, and Leo follows this this with a jazzy, mellow (but splendid) "Flower Song." "Do The Dirt" is a return to simpler themes, musically and lyrically, but it works as a tongue-in-cheek dance number, at 2:35 the shortest track on the set. "Lonesome and Unwanted People" is Nocentelli's latest excercise in social commentary, musically stately and elegant. The lyrics are heartfelt, not subtle. My favorite track on the set is "Gettin' Funkier All The Time," and like many Meters songs it fades too soon for my taste; this deep groove stunner evokes Sly's "Riot" (and in a reigned in way, Miles Davis circa '72), Porter popping his bass while the whole band simply does what it does best, a virtuosic performance around a simple vamp. The original album closes with a splendid version of Professor Longhair's "Hey Now Baby" that doubles as title track. The two sided bonus single elevates this set with an infectious groove that is utterly contemporary (circa '72) while evoking the group's classic Josie hits, and both parts feature some dirty soloing from Nocentelli.
All in all, this set may be off-putting at first to those familiar with the Meters' Josie classics, but deeper listening reveals marvelous telepathic interplay, and "Cabbage Alley" has given me much pleasure. Fortunately, the Meters still had more great music in them before they ended in bitterness and frustration.

The Meters Major Label Debut.......2001-05-23

Many fans of the Meters are of the opinion that Rejuvenation is the best LP from the group's Reprise tenure. I am not one of them. Cabbage Alley is the best LP the Meters made for Reprise. The songs are well written and compact, which differs from Rejuvenation which relied more on the groups musical dexterity. Cabbage Alley displays the writing talents of guitarist Leo Nocentelli. He creates songs and arragements that really dig into the soul of a person. The Meters, who are known for their funk tunes, show a conscience and tenderness on this album without sacrificing the funk they delivered on there three Josie albums. Cabbage Alley is artistry at its finest.

We have been waiting years for this re-release.......2000-08-21

Any fan of the Meters has been appalled by their inability to find this LP. Now that it's out on CD, many dreams have been realized. Unfortunately, my LP copies of Fire on the Bayou, Rejuvenation, and New Directions just lost value; apparently Warner Brothers is re-issuing their whole Meters catalog. The earlier recordings, originally on Josie, consisting mainly of tight, off center funk instrumentals, are also now available. For an introduction to the Meters, one should start with Cabbage Alley and Struttin', which showcase two very different, though equally great, Meters groups.

Average customer rating: Predictable? I think not Dorky Butt! This is not a real good one A real good one

Fire on the Bayou The Meters Manufacturer: Sundazed Music Inc. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music Funk Jam Bands | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music Rock Jam Bands | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Rejuvenation Cabbage Alley Look-Ka Py Py The Meters Struttin' ASIN: B00004T3XG Release Date: 2000-04-25

Tracks:

1. Out in the Country
2. Fire on the Bayou
3. Love Slip Upon Ya
4. Talkin' 'Bout New Orleans
5. They All Ask'd for You
6. Can You Do Without?
7. Liar
8. You're a Friend of Mine
9. Middle of the Road
10. Running Fast
11. Mardi Gras Mambo
12. Running Fast [Long Version][#][*]

Album Description

Worldwide CD debut of New Orleans funk classic originally released in 1975. Includes one bonus track 'Running Fast' (Long Version). 2000 release. Standard jewel case.

Customer Reviews:

Predictable? I think not Dorky Butt!.......2005-02-22

Obviously Dorky Butt knows nothing about Music, this is a musical materpiece. The Meters are the kings of groove and feel good sounds. This is a testament to their versatility and originality. I recommend this to anyone who knows good music.
-- JcH

This is not a real good one.......2003-12-15

This si for die hard fans only! If you like the Meters, you may not nessicarily like Fire On The Bayou. The 1st song is ok, but by the time you get to track 3, you pretty much knwo hwo the whole album is going to sound. PREDICTIBLE, and a little mundane.

A real good one.......2000-08-31

I think this album was recorded just before Rejuvenation, perhaps 1974. Love Slip Upon Ya is perhaps the greatest Meters song up to this point unreleased on CD. Several other classics, available on the Rhino 2 CD re-release (Funkify Your Life) are also here. As with all the Meters' albums in the '70s, it's all over the place. Funk, and more. Compared to Cabbage Alley and Rejuvenation, it's not quite as good. Still, this is one of the best examples of Funk music in the 70's.

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