No Condition Is Permanent

Pictured: The Funk Brothers w. Little Stevie Wonder (foreground).

Rock and roll was becoming like jazz had been twenty years earlier, with solos and complex compositions and virtuosos, and all of a sudden kids wanted to know who the guitar player was, who the keyboard player was, who the drummer was. When that happened in rock, it happened mostly only in rock. The major exception was James Brown. People say that “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag,” back in 1965, was the birth of funk, though it’s much more complicated than that: there was barrelhouse piano and Texas blues guitar and the New Orleans sound and a hundred other things that came together, came apart, and came together again. But “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” did start the ball rolling on pushing musicians to the forefront. James would call out to his musicians during songs, make them visible as soloists. But James was the exception. Motown didn’t even list its session musicians until 1971, so the Funk Brothers, who were central to the label’s success in every way, were also completely anonymous. Motown had been so good at staying ahead of the curve until suddenly they found themselves behind it. If they had recognized that the Funk Brothers were the Eric Claptons and Jimmy Pages of soul music, they could have secured themselves five more years of relevance.

— George Clinton (w. Ben Greenman), Brothers Be, Yo Like George, Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard On You?

LISTEN TO EPISODE 379 OF NO CONDITION IS PERMANENT:

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 379 OF NO CONDITION IS PERMANENT BY CLICKING ON THE THREE DOTS /\

Here’s what we played in Ep. 379 of No Condition Is Permanent:

THE FIRST SLICE O’SCHEIßE…

Detroit Emeralds — “Feel The Need In Me” — You Want It, You Got It

The Cutlass Band — “Obiara Wondo” — Afrobeat Airways 2: Return Flight to Ghana 1974-1983

The Torquays — “Bumble Bee Twist” — A Date With …

Önder Bali 4 — “Haluk İçin” — Saz Beat Vol. 3: Turkish Rock, Funk, And Psychedelic Music Of The 1960s And 1970s

Frankie Laine — “Miss Satan” — Songs From Satan’s Jukebox Vols. 1 & 2

Junior Delgado — “Devil’s Throne” — Bunny Lee Presents: Jamaican Rockers 1975-1979

The Undertones — “(She’s A) Runaround” — The Undertones

Los Belkings — “Empujando Furte” — Sons Of Yma: A Collection of Peruvian Garage and Instrumental Bands from the ’60s!

We The People — “When I Arrive” — Garage Beat ’66, Vol. 2: Chicks Are For Kids!

IT’S MADISON TIME…

Los Tres Gigantes — “Django Balda Cruel” — RCA 45rpm

THE SECOND SLICE O’SCHEIßE…

Andy Bown — “Pale Shadow (Of His Former Self)“ — Gone To My Head

Ali Hassan Kuban — “Walla Abshero” — Nubian Magic

Bonzo Dog Band — “Beautiful Zelda” — The Doughnut In Granny’s Greenhouse

Tru Tones — “Dancing” — Tropical Disco Hustle, Volume Two

Chanters — “She Wants To Mambo” — Jukebox Mambo Vol. 2

Los Zheros — “Para Chachita” — Peru Maravilloso: Vintage Latin, Tropical & Cumbia

Cousin Herbert Henson — “Lose My Mind” — Desperate Rock ‘n’ Roll Vol. 1

Junior Delgado — “Kidnapped on a Subway” — Dance a Dub

Brian Eno — “Blank Frank” — Here Come The Warm Jets

THE THIRD SLICE O’SCHEIßE…

Los Rangers De Tingo Maria — “La Trochita” — Perú Selvático: Sonic Expedition Into The Peruvian Amazon 1972-1986

The Funk Brothers Feat. Earl Van Dyke — “Tell Me It’s Just A Rumor Baby” — Cellarful of Motown Vol. 1

Joe Gibbs & the Professionals — “Natural Feeling” — 100 Years of Dub

The Flying Burrito Brothers — “If You Gotta Go” — Burrito Deluxe

Lisandro Meza — “Shacalao” — Black Man’s Cry: The Inspiration of Fela Kuti

The Rivingtons — “Happy Jack” — Papa Oom Mow Mow: Rockin’ R&B and Boss Ballads

S.D. Burman — “Jewel Thief (Dance Music)” — Bollywood Funk: 15 Funk-Fuelled Grooves From The Bollywood Classics

The Yardbirds — “He’s Always There [Mono Mix]” — Roger The Engineer (a.k.a. Over Under Sideways Down)

THE FINAL SLICE O’SCHEIßE…

Tapper Zukie — “Dub M.P.L.A.” — Front Line Presents Dub: 40 Heavyweight Dub Sounds

Sonic’s Rendezvous Band — “Dangerous” — Sweet Nothing

Franco et OK Jazz — “Azda” — Congo 70: Rumba Rock

Wes Dakus — “Dog Food” — Frolic Diner Part 1

Ros Sereysothea, Sinn Sisamouth And Friends — “Marrison” — Cambodian Psych-Out

Suicide (Alan Vega and Martin Rev) — “Harlem” — Suicide (Second Album)

LORD BUCKLEY’S WEEKLY BENEDICTION…

Phương Tâm — “Phút Say Mơ (In My Dream)” — Saigon Surf Twist & Soul (1964-1966)

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