Insensitive
Superstar
That's fine man.
With that said, I don't mind a back and forth, I feel we can discuss
things in a civil manner without having to sling mud.
I disagree with that.
I feel there are pretty distinct rhythms and even chord progressions/scales related to those genres of music.
For example a Blues has it's shuffles, Hip Hop has it's Kick/Snare grooves, Funk has it's own distinct rhythms,
Rock has it's straight 8th's etc. And in just about anything derived from blues music you get the Pentatonic scale,
a heavy use of dominant chords and the tritones etc. Or if you just want to write blues based music then you
incorporate flatted 5th's to bring about the "Blues Scale".
I mean true, if you blur the lines enough they aren't totally distinct forms of music but when you get into
specialization and specific musical ideas you find out that certain ideas didn't exist prior to those genres being
introduced.
Soul didn't exist before someone said "I'll combine R&B and Gospel ! Let's GO!"
Funk didn't exist until James Brown said "I like the groove in this record, I want to keep that vamp
going" and bam like that he spawned an entirely new genre of music that focused heavily
on syncopation and complicated drum grooves that could still be danced too.
Hip-Hop didn't exist until someone (Kool Herc) was brilliant enough to start juggling the breaks
on records. Those breaks went on to get sampled and then you had the introduction of drum
machines and original drum programming.
And all of these genres as well as several others don't happen without the blues to spawn from.
I disagree.
I feel this lacks context because at the end of the 60's you have the growing popularity of Funk, the growing importance on
new effects like the wah wah pedal, the emergence of psychedelic rock and creating that musical atmosphere of psychedelia which all play heavily into the aesthetic
of the two lineages that George Clinton and friends laid out.
Also "Psychedelic Soul" was a thing by this time :
The Temptations ?
The Four Tops ?
The Ohio Players ?
Earth Wind & Fire ?
The Supremes ?
and many more.....
All took on the sound and some formed their entire band based around it.
Funkadelic is more "Rock" like but there are clearly records that are FUNKY.
You probably won't find a Pink floyd record that sounds like :
"If you don't like the effects, don't produce the cause"
"Good thoughts, Bad Thoughts"
"Let's Make It Last"
or
"Soul mate"
As so wonderfully covered here by D'Angelo
Parliament is more in line with The Commodores, Kool & The Gang, Rose Royce etc.
It draws much more heavily from R&B but obviously they still keep it Funky.
Not to mention there's a heavy use of Brass which again separates them from
the Rock distinction. As far as I know use of Brass instruments isn't all that common
place in Rock music period and is a feature that's a hold over from R&B that existed
before Funk.
You also have to keep in mind that Rock especially that which spawned from the British invasion
showed a healthy appreciation for Black American Music so obviously they'd incorporate aspects
of it (organs,choirs, instrumental arrangements etc.)
George Clinton's later work Computer Games, You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish, Some Of My Best Jokes Are Friends etc.
All fit the bill for 80's Funk (and R&B...) and is thus comparable to Cameo IMO and it isn't a wrong or bad distinction.
IF you ask me, I wouldn't point them toward any Country artists and instead would put them towards more contemporary
R&B from that time.
They're in the same genre for the same reason The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin are in the same genre.
Because they're all following a certain musical lineage
Last edited:
