Country Funk 1969–1975

Country Funk 1969–1975 is a compilation album released on July 24, 2012 by Light in the Attic Records. The compilation represents selections from an obscure offshoot of country and funk music, deemed "country funk".

Country Funk 1969–1975
Compilation album by
Various artists
ReleasedJuly 24, 2012 (2012-07-24)
Recorded1969–1975
Genre
Length58:49
LabelLight in the Attic Records
Producer

Background

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The compilation represents selections from an obscure offshoot of country and funk music, deemed "country funk". Jessica Hundley of The New York Times describes country funk as "an inherently defiant genre […] a style that encompasses the elation of gospel with the sexual thrust of the blues, country hoedown harmony with inner city grit. It is both studio slick and barroom raw."[1] Country funk has been described as geographically diverse: "There was no central label or venue around which its practitioners congregated [...] Instead, these tracks are points on a map, representing nearly every corner of America and seemingly endless musical possibilities."[2] Its peak period has been described as a "curious, glorious moment in musical history when dirty, long-haired country-rockers reclaimed hillbilly music from the slicksters who dominated mainstream country, refashioning the music in their own defiant image."[3]

The compilation was produced by Zach Cowie, Matt Sullivan and Patrick McCarthy; the tracks were remastered by John Baldwin at John Baldwin Mastering.[1]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic     [4]
The A.V. Club(favorable) [3]
The Boston Globe     [5]
Pitchfork Media8.4/10 [2]
PopMatters7/10[6]
Rolling Stone     [7]
Uncut     [8]

Country Funk 1969–1975 received very positive reviews from contemporary music publications. Pitchfork Media gave the compilation an 8.4 out 10, with Stephen M. Deusner writing that "More than any genre or style, that sense of effusive engagement with such a wide range of materials and perspectives binds these artists together, no matter how disparate their background or their music."[2] Thom Jurek of Allmusic described the music represented as an illumination of "a brief but fruitful period where genre lines blurred, and both genres benefitted mightily."[4] PopMatters' Matthew Fiander called the compilation "an awfully impressive feat […] Rather than dig into a genre we already know, or mine a famous part of musical history for new ideas—or worse, old ideas repackaged—this disc proposes a new idea, that some unified thing was happening, even if the people involved weren’t totally aware of it, even if we hadn't given it a name, until now."[6] Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club wrote that Country Funk "unforgettably chronicles a moment and a movement long overdue for a revival while highlighting the furtively multi-cultural, freewheeling, and loose roots of a quintessentially American art form."[3]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)ArtistLength
1."L.A. Memphis Tyler Texas"
2:45
2."Hello L.A., Bye-Bye Birmingham"
  • John Randolph Marr
3:04
3."Georgia Morning Dew"
3:20
4."Lucas Was a Redneck"2:50
5."Light Blue"3:39
6."I Wanta Make Her Love Me"3:10
7."Hawg Frog"
  • Gray Fox
3:26
8."Fire and Brimstone"4:21
9."Street People"3:45
10."Funky Business"
  • Cherokee
2:40
11."Stud Spider"5:38
12."Piledriver"
  • Dennis Caldirola
5:11
13."Ohoopee River Bottomland"3:45
14."He Made a Woman Out of Me"
2:34
15."Bayou Country"
  • Gritz
2:57
16."I Walk on Gilded Splinters"5:50
Total length:58:49

Personnel

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Information adapted from liner notes.[1]

Production
  • Zach Cowie – producer, images and archival material
  • Matt Sullivan – producer, executive producer
  • Patrick McCarthy – producer, project coordinator, images and archival material
  • Josh Wright – executive producer
  • Jessica Hundley – liner notes
  • Jess Rotter – illustration
  • Henry Owings – design
  • Chunklet Graphic Control – design
  • John Baldwin – remastering
  • Dick Monda – images and archival material
  • Eothen Alapatt – images and archival material
  • Featherbeard – images and archival material

References

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  1. ^ a b c Country Funk 1969-1975 (liner notes). Various artists. US: Light in the Attic. 2012. LITA 083.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ a b c Stephen M. Deusner. "Various: Country Funk 1969-1975". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c Nathan Rabin (February 12, 2013). "Remembering when country music wasn't so white or so conservative". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on November 15, 2013. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  4. ^ a b Thom Jurek. "Review: Country Funk". Allmusic. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  5. ^ James Reed. "Various artists, 'Country Funk 1969–1975'". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  6. ^ a b Matthew Fiander (August 2, 2012). "Various Artists: Country Funk 1969–1975". PopMatters. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  7. ^ Chuck Eddy (August 23, 2012). "Country Funk: 1969–1975". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  8. ^ "Critical Reviews for Country Funk: 1969–1975". Metacritic. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
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