COUNTRY FUNK
''COUNTRY FUNK''
1970
49:41
1. Apart of Me/3:38
2. Phoebe (Mourning pink)/2:13
3. Really my Friend/4:06
4. Not this Time/2:05
5. For Me/3:02
6. Poor Boy/4:46
7. A Way to Settle Down/2:26
8. When I'm Without You/4:57
9. Comin' in/3:09
10. If I Find a Way (Song of Love)/3:08
11. Another Miss/2:55
12. Want/3:04
13. One Time Lover/2:04
14. Woman/2:20
15. Melrose Street 5829/2:54
16. Love/4:06
Country Funk was a folk-rock/country-rock group whose members at one point played in earlier psych pop combo Adam. The group materialized in Los Angeles but then moved out to Boston where they played all the well known venues of the day. Country Funk shared the stage with many of rock’s biggest names and because of their affiliation with Beantown, the group are usually remembered (unfairly so) as part of the Bosstown Sound. From 1968 to 1970/1971 they recorded quite a bit of studio material, enough to fill out two albums. In 1970, Polydor would release Country Funk’s only album in a generic blue sleeve with a black and white photo of the band. While no classic, Country Funk is still a very good album (kind of a mini gem) thats appeal lies in its consistency (no weak tracks) and timeless sound – think Buffalo Springfield, The Byrds, CSN&Y and Poco. The group clearly had a knack for blending the blues, country, hard rock, folk, and psych into something that’s refreshing. The members of Country Funk could also play and write with the best of them, never overextending their songs or falling prey to dated 60s cliches.
The album opens with “Apart of Me,” a track that was issued as a single in 1970 and some years down the line, sampled by alternative pop star Beck Hansen. Clearly one of the LP’s highlights, this excellent track begins as a care-free country folk-rocker, exploding midway through into a soulful fuzz guitar rave-up. The vocals are a dead ringer for Stephen Stills circa Buffalo Springfield Again - definitely a compliment here. Other winners are the trippy folk-rock of “Phoebe,” a track that recalls David Crosby’s work on the Byrds’ Younger Than Yesterday and the spritely country-rock of “A Way To Settle Down.” Country Funk tempers the album’s softer moments with hard edged fuzz tone guitar workouts such as “Another Miss” and “When I’m Without You.” These cuts give Country Funk an attractive classic rock/psychedelic edge. Also, songs like “Poor Boy,” “For Me,” and “Really My Friend” deliver the classic West Coast style folk-rock goods with aching melodies and harmonies to spare – not to mention tambourines and fine, world weary vocals. Given the quality of Country Funk, one wishes the group had stuck around long enough to record a follow up to this very promising LP.
Solid songs and thoughtful songwriting, succinct guitar solos, good use of fuzzbox and spirited vocals make Country Funk one of the finer, unsung American LPs of it’s time. Its been reissued no less than three times but our nod goes to British label Slipstream, who is now offering a group authorized version of Country Funk, which includes the single sides by precursor group Adam. In addition, CDBaby offers a CDR version of Country Funk on their website while the Fallout reissue from a few years back is an unauthorized vinyl rip bootleg.
REVIEW
by Mark Deming
The sole album from Country Funk, released in 1970, has confused a certain number of latter-day listeners since it's not especially funky (at least not in the James Brown or George Clinton sense of the word), and while there's a noticeable country-rock undertow in this music, there's just as much semi-psychedelic fuzz guitar, hard rock attitude, and sunny folk rock vibe to be found. "Not This Time" and "A Way to Settle Down" put the band's country influences up front, and the tight guitar work from Adam Taylor and Hal Paris rings out clean and fresh when they embrace a down-home vibe (bassist Jim Lanham also adds the occasional pedal steel overdub), but Country Funk shine nearly as bright when they put some soul behind the blue-eyed R&B of "When I'm Without You," and the opening cut, which segues from upbeat acoustic guitars to heavy electric thunder at the 1:10 mark before shifting to acoustics back for a coda, sums up the group's eclecticism admirably well. Country Funk weren't content to do just one thing, and they sound capable and confident on the various styles they embrace; Taylor and Paris were solid songwriters and contributed fine harmonies, while Lanham and drummer Verne Johnson were a rhythm section with enough force to push the melodies forward but the good sense not to overpower the guitars. (Alternate drummer Joe Pfeifer sounds equally capable on his four tunes.) At their best, Country Funk suggests a more streamlined variation on what Moby Grape was doing on their third and fourth albums, and though they weren't as good as that masterful band, there's enough worth hearing on this album to wish Country Funk had stuck around long enough to record more than these twelve songs.
BIOGRAPHY
by Mark Deming
Though Country Funk's short lifetime came during the first flowering of country-rock, the band's music reflected psychedelia, hard rock, and blue-eyed R&B as much as rootsy Nashville sounds. While often cited as part of the Boston rock scene of the late '60s, Country Funk first came together in Los Angeles, CA, where songwriters and longtime friends Adam Taylor (who played lead guitar) and Hal Paris (rhythm guitar and piano) met up with the rhythm section of Jeff Lockwood (bass) and Joe Pfeifer (drums) and formed a band in 1968. Early gigs proved volatile, and after a residency at the famous Sunset Strip nightclub Gazzari's, Lockwood and Pfeifer left the group, while Paris and Taylor opted to start something new. Pfeifer was recruited to join Paris and Taylor's new outfit after they met bassist Jim Lanham, who could also play pedal steel guitar, but shortly before the new act could play its first gig, Pfeifer got cold feet and new drummer Verne Johnson came on board. After a few dates In L.A., the band headed to Vermont to play a string of shows at ski lodges. Country Funk then hit the road for Boston, where they became regulars on the city's club scene and opened for the Velvet Underground at the Boston Tea Party, though for a spell Johnson headed back to California and Pfeifer was persuaded to replace him. In 1969, the group landed a record deal with Polydor, and with Johnson back behind the drums, Country Funk headed to the Record Plant in Hollywood, where they cut their self-titled debut album. (True to the group's shifting lineup, Pfeifer played drums on four of the album's 12 songs.) Despite a strong reception, the album's sales were poor, and it proved to be the group's only record. Verne Johnson later played with the Illinois Speed Press.
''COUNTRY FUNK''
1970
49:41
1. Apart of Me/3:38
2. Phoebe (Mourning pink)/2:13
3. Really my Friend/4:06
4. Not this Time/2:05
5. For Me/3:02
6. Poor Boy/4:46
7. A Way to Settle Down/2:26
8. When I'm Without You/4:57
9. Comin' in/3:09
10. If I Find a Way (Song of Love)/3:08
11. Another Miss/2:55
12. Want/3:04
13. One Time Lover/2:04
14. Woman/2:20
15. Melrose Street 5829/2:54
16. Love/4:06
Country Funk was a folk-rock/country-rock group whose members at one point played in earlier psych pop combo Adam. The group materialized in Los Angeles but then moved out to Boston where they played all the well known venues of the day. Country Funk shared the stage with many of rock’s biggest names and because of their affiliation with Beantown, the group are usually remembered (unfairly so) as part of the Bosstown Sound. From 1968 to 1970/1971 they recorded quite a bit of studio material, enough to fill out two albums. In 1970, Polydor would release Country Funk’s only album in a generic blue sleeve with a black and white photo of the band. While no classic, Country Funk is still a very good album (kind of a mini gem) thats appeal lies in its consistency (no weak tracks) and timeless sound – think Buffalo Springfield, The Byrds, CSN&Y and Poco. The group clearly had a knack for blending the blues, country, hard rock, folk, and psych into something that’s refreshing. The members of Country Funk could also play and write with the best of them, never overextending their songs or falling prey to dated 60s cliches.
The album opens with “Apart of Me,” a track that was issued as a single in 1970 and some years down the line, sampled by alternative pop star Beck Hansen. Clearly one of the LP’s highlights, this excellent track begins as a care-free country folk-rocker, exploding midway through into a soulful fuzz guitar rave-up. The vocals are a dead ringer for Stephen Stills circa Buffalo Springfield Again - definitely a compliment here. Other winners are the trippy folk-rock of “Phoebe,” a track that recalls David Crosby’s work on the Byrds’ Younger Than Yesterday and the spritely country-rock of “A Way To Settle Down.” Country Funk tempers the album’s softer moments with hard edged fuzz tone guitar workouts such as “Another Miss” and “When I’m Without You.” These cuts give Country Funk an attractive classic rock/psychedelic edge. Also, songs like “Poor Boy,” “For Me,” and “Really My Friend” deliver the classic West Coast style folk-rock goods with aching melodies and harmonies to spare – not to mention tambourines and fine, world weary vocals. Given the quality of Country Funk, one wishes the group had stuck around long enough to record a follow up to this very promising LP.
Solid songs and thoughtful songwriting, succinct guitar solos, good use of fuzzbox and spirited vocals make Country Funk one of the finer, unsung American LPs of it’s time. Its been reissued no less than three times but our nod goes to British label Slipstream, who is now offering a group authorized version of Country Funk, which includes the single sides by precursor group Adam. In addition, CDBaby offers a CDR version of Country Funk on their website while the Fallout reissue from a few years back is an unauthorized vinyl rip bootleg.
REVIEW
by Mark Deming
The sole album from Country Funk, released in 1970, has confused a certain number of latter-day listeners since it's not especially funky (at least not in the James Brown or George Clinton sense of the word), and while there's a noticeable country-rock undertow in this music, there's just as much semi-psychedelic fuzz guitar, hard rock attitude, and sunny folk rock vibe to be found. "Not This Time" and "A Way to Settle Down" put the band's country influences up front, and the tight guitar work from Adam Taylor and Hal Paris rings out clean and fresh when they embrace a down-home vibe (bassist Jim Lanham also adds the occasional pedal steel overdub), but Country Funk shine nearly as bright when they put some soul behind the blue-eyed R&B of "When I'm Without You," and the opening cut, which segues from upbeat acoustic guitars to heavy electric thunder at the 1:10 mark before shifting to acoustics back for a coda, sums up the group's eclecticism admirably well. Country Funk weren't content to do just one thing, and they sound capable and confident on the various styles they embrace; Taylor and Paris were solid songwriters and contributed fine harmonies, while Lanham and drummer Verne Johnson were a rhythm section with enough force to push the melodies forward but the good sense not to overpower the guitars. (Alternate drummer Joe Pfeifer sounds equally capable on his four tunes.) At their best, Country Funk suggests a more streamlined variation on what Moby Grape was doing on their third and fourth albums, and though they weren't as good as that masterful band, there's enough worth hearing on this album to wish Country Funk had stuck around long enough to record more than these twelve songs.
BIOGRAPHY
by Mark Deming
Though Country Funk's short lifetime came during the first flowering of country-rock, the band's music reflected psychedelia, hard rock, and blue-eyed R&B as much as rootsy Nashville sounds. While often cited as part of the Boston rock scene of the late '60s, Country Funk first came together in Los Angeles, CA, where songwriters and longtime friends Adam Taylor (who played lead guitar) and Hal Paris (rhythm guitar and piano) met up with the rhythm section of Jeff Lockwood (bass) and Joe Pfeifer (drums) and formed a band in 1968. Early gigs proved volatile, and after a residency at the famous Sunset Strip nightclub Gazzari's, Lockwood and Pfeifer left the group, while Paris and Taylor opted to start something new. Pfeifer was recruited to join Paris and Taylor's new outfit after they met bassist Jim Lanham, who could also play pedal steel guitar, but shortly before the new act could play its first gig, Pfeifer got cold feet and new drummer Verne Johnson came on board. After a few dates In L.A., the band headed to Vermont to play a string of shows at ski lodges. Country Funk then hit the road for Boston, where they became regulars on the city's club scene and opened for the Velvet Underground at the Boston Tea Party, though for a spell Johnson headed back to California and Pfeifer was persuaded to replace him. In 1969, the group landed a record deal with Polydor, and with Johnson back behind the drums, Country Funk headed to the Record Plant in Hollywood, where they cut their self-titled debut album. (True to the group's shifting lineup, Pfeifer played drums on four of the album's 12 songs.) Despite a strong reception, the album's sales were poor, and it proved to be the group's only record. Verne Johnson later played with the Illinois Speed Press.
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