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LP
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CURTOM 96557LP
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Reissue, originally released in 1970. "The first solo album by the former leader of the Impressions, Curtis represented a musical apotheosis for Curtis Mayfield -- indeed, it was practically the Sgt. Pepper's album of '70s soul, helping with its content and its success to open the whole genre to much bigger, richer musical canvases than artists had previously worked with. All of Mayfield's years of experience of life, music, and people were pulled together into a rich, powerful, topical musical statement that reflected not only the most up-to-date soul sounds of its period, finely produced by Mayfield himself, and the immediacy of the times and their political and social concerns, but also embraced the most elegant R&B sounds of the past. As a producer, Mayfield embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era, stretching them out compellingly on numbers like 'Move on Up,' but he also drew on orchestral sounds (especially harps), to achieve some striking musical timbres (check out 'Wild and Free'), and wove all of these influences, plus the topical nature of the songs, into a neat, amazingly lean whole. There was only one hit single off of this record, '(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Down Below We're All Going to Go,' which made number three, but the album as a whole was a single entity and really had to be heard that way." --Bruce Eder, AllMusic
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2LP
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WHP 1448LP
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Historical and exclusive live performance from the almighty Chicago soul singer, Curtis Mayfield. By 1972 the German TV show Beat Club would let famous artists stretch out and play more than just the usual one or two hits. In this case, Mayfield recorded an hour of music in a TV studio for the producers to select from. Most of this performance was lost in someone's vault for many years. The concert is from early 1972 and predates his masterpiece Superfly. You'll find several tracks from his two earlier acclaimed solo albums as well: Curtis and Roots. An astonishing performance you don't want to miss. Personnel: Curtis Mayfield - guitar, vocals; Craig McCullen - guitar; Joseph "Lucky" Scott - bass; Tyrone McCullen - drums; "Master" Henry Gibson - percussion, congas, bongos.
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2LP
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ASH 504LP
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"Recorded in early 1971, Curtis/Live! finds Curtis Mayfield in top form at the intimate Greenwich Village club The Bitter End. With veterans from Chicago's soul and jazz scene, Mayfield runs through a superb setlist of Impressions classics ('Gypsy Woman,' 'People Get Ready'), gems from his first solo LP ('We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue,' 'The Makings of You') and fierce originals that would make their recording debut here ('I Plan To Stay A Believer,' 'Stare And Stare,' and 'Stone Junkie'). As author Lloyd Sachs writes in the liner notes for this vinyl reissue, 'All of the songs are lovingly reworked -- in some cases stretched out and in others, brightened with humor. The band redefines groove via the West African polyrhythms of conga and bongo great Henry Gibson and the intertwined guitars of Mayfield -- whose dulcet, vocal-like tone was a revolution in and of itself -- and Craig McMullen. The group creates excitement through tension and release, through building up and letting go.' Curtis/Live! was originally issued on Mayfield's own Curtom label just before his second studio album, 1971's Roots, and his influential SuperFly soundtrack. While the singer would continue to establish himself as one of the key voices of his generation, the powerful anthems and in-the-pocket perfection on this double-LP live set demonstrate how brilliant Curtis truly was -- a master class in restraint and fearless expression."
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