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| Funk rock | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Late 1960s – early 1970s, United States |
| Typical instruments | |
| Derivative forms | New wave |
| Fusion genres | |
| Regional scenes | |
| Minneapolis sound | |
| Other topics | |
Funk rock is afusion genre that mixes elements offunk androck.[1]James Brown and others declared thatLittle Richard and his mid-1950s road band,the Upsetters, were the first to put the funk in the rock and roll beat, with a biographer stating that their music "spark[ed] the musical transition from fifties rock and roll to sixties funk".[2][3]
Funk rock's earliest incarnation on record was heard in the late 1960s through the mid-1970s by acts such asSly and the Family Stone,[4]Parliament-Funkadelic,The Isley Brothers,[5]Redbone,Rick Derringer,David Bowie, theAverage White Band,Gary Wright,Bar-Kays andMother's Finest. During the 1980s and 1990s funk rock music experienced a surge in popularity, with bands such asPrince,Pigbag,INXS,Talking Heads,Devo, theFine Young Cannibals andCameo dabbling in the sound. Groups includingRed Hot Chili Peppers,Rage Against the Machine,Incubus,Mr. Bungle,Primus andFaith No More also notably combined funk rock withmetal,punk,hip hop andexperimental music, leading to the emergence of the genre known asfunk metal or "punk-funk".[6]
Sly and the Family Stone gained funk rock hits such as "Sing a Simple Song" and "Thank You".[7]The Jimi Hendrix Experience albumElectric Ladyland also included a couple of funk rock songs, such as "Gypsy Eyes" and "Still Raining, Still Dreaming".
George Clinton has been considered the godfather of this genre since 1970. Clinton created the name "P-Funk" includeFunkadelic andParliament for the innovative new concepts of funk that he culled from former members ofJames Brown's band (such asMaceo Parker,Bootsy Collins and Fred Wesley) and new young players such asEddie Hazel.[8] His groups,Funkadelic andParliament, practically defined funk since the release of the influential funk rock Funkadelic classicMaggot Brain (1971). Later funk rock albums by the group includeCosmic Slop,Standing on the Verge of Getting It On,Hardcore Jollies andLet's Take It to the Stage. Later albums such asOne Nation Under a Groove andElectric Spanking of War Babies had a bit more radio-friendly sound but still preserved much of group's funk rock approach.
Grand Funk Railroad pioneered the bass driven hard rock funk style in 1970 so well portrayed in their cover ofthe Animals songInside-Looking Out and later picked up by Rage Against the Machine. Composer and guitaristFrank Zappa demonstrated the merge of styles in albums likeOvernite Sensation, in themes such as "I'm the Slime", covered in concert decades later by Funkadelic.
Other pioneers evolved in the 1970s are American artistsRick Derringer,Redbone,the Bar-Kays, andMother's Finest. "We called ourselves funk rock", recalled Mother's Finest singer Glenn "Doc" Murdock. "I think we invented that. We even had a house where we all lived and we named it 'Funk Rock,Georgia'. We felt that we were headlining that whole genre. We played withLynyrd Skynyrd andAC/DC. Those bands had a lot of funk in their music. The real problem for us was when we played in black clubs. They told us we were too loud."[9]
Funk rock acts were not favored by R&B recording companies. For example, Nile Rogers, guitarists ofChic, wanted to be a rock band likeRoxy Music, but they eventually became adisco act after being turned down by recording companies. Despite its considerable influence on later popular music, funk rock was not a very visible phenomenon during the 1970s. Only a few funk rock acts could be seen on record charts, notablyDavid Bowie ("Fame", 1975),Aerosmith ("Last Child", 1976),The Rolling Stones ("Hot Stuff", 1975),Gary Wright ("Love Is Alive", 1976) andSteve Winwood ("I'm A Man").
WhenGlenn Hughes leftTrapeze and joinedDeep Purple along withDavid Coverdale, Deep Purple's next two albums contained elements of funk and soul. WhenRitchie Blackmore left Deep Purple in 1975, the band's next albumCome Taste the Band withTommy Bolin was even more funky than its predecessorStormbringer. However, Deep Purple broke up in 1976 and Tommy Bolin died from a drug overdose.
From the start of the 1980s, funk musicians Ricky Sander, Ottenheim James, andCameo as well asnew wave bandBlondie andpost-punk bandTalking Heads each created their own brand of funk rock. British rock groupQueen had a major funk rock hit song of the period with "Another One Bites the Dust" (the beat was inspired by Chic's hit "Good Times").[10] Also in the 1980s, some synth-funk andsynth-pop bands such as Thomas Dolby,Scritti Politti,Howard Jones (hit withThings Can Only Get Better) made the basicfunk beats along with elements ofnew wave which makes this a basic synth-funk song.
Red Hot Chili Peppers'ssecond andthird albums (which were released 1985 and 1987). UK Planet Radio calledRed Hot Chili Peppers "funk rock legends".[11]
Keziah Jones, Seal, and Stevie Salas released funk rock albums. And in the early 1990s, several bands combined funky rhythms withheavy metal guitar sounds, resulting in "funk metal", where the emphasis is in using much heavier distorted guitar sounds in the mix. Funk rock employs more of a lighter, "crunchier" distorted guitar sound, and the musical emphasis tends to be more beat-driven with prominentbass lines; more rhythmic in theR&B sense.
Lenny Kravitz is one of the most prominent musicians today in the fusion of rock riffs and funk rhythms, as exampled in tracks such as "Tunnel Vision", "Always on the Run", and "American Woman". Rock bandIncubus's early sound was rooted in funk music, heavily influenced by earlier funk/metal fusion artists such asFaith No More andPrimus.[12][13] During the making of his acclaimed studio albumVoodoo (2000),neo soul musicianD'Angelo was influenced by the funk rock sound ofP-Funk,Jimi Hendrix and other such artists, while his hit single "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" has been noted by critics for containing elements of and similarity to theMaggot Brain sound ofFunkadelic.[14]Jane's Addiction have included many funk based routines in tracks. Irish bandRepublic of Loose are also noted for their funk rock sound which has earned them several awards and critical acclaim.
In the late 1990s, Vermont-basedjam bandPhish began incorporating funk influences into their sound, creating a style dubbed "cow funk".[15] This style can be heard prominently on their 1998 release,The Story of the Ghost.[16]
SomeBritpop bands also experimented with funk, mainly in terms of bass lines, includingBlur's song "Girls & Boys", from the albumParklife (1994).
During the 2000s,Red Hot Chili Peppers, N.E.R.D. Electric Six, andLenny Kravitz released funk rock albums.In 2005 Defiance Douglass, a vocalist, musician, songwriter and producer, formed Exiles of the Nation (also known as EOTN) in Atlanta, Georgia, with a new brand of art/psychedelic Funk/Rock titled "ExileMusik", which incorporates elements of other genres as well. Their 2021 album, "Liquidation", also made the Top 10 of several "Best of 2021 Funk Albums" lists. The wave of Britpop/baggy revival bands in the 2010s, such asPeace, also experimented with funk. Peace's second albumHappy People features numerous elements of funk, mainly in terms of bass lines. In 2010, a group calledI Set The Sea On Fire formed in Sheffield, incorporating elements of funk and other genres into their music.
In 2014,Prince formed a new backing band,3rdeyegirl.[17] Their brand of funk rock was featured on their 2014 release,Plectrumelectrum.[18]
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