Do The Funky Chicken

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ALBUM INFORMATION
EDITOR'S PICK

Total Tracks: 19   Total Length: 64:37

eMusic Review

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Madelyn Rosenberg

eMusic Contributor

04.22.11
The cure to childhood obesity.
2000 | Label: Fantasy / Stax

There's a lot in the media these days about childhood obesity in America. It's a crisis, the health experts say, before offering predictable solutions such as putting away the chips and watching less TV. Here's another solution: get the kids to listen to Rufus Thomas. Funky Chicken is thick with danceable funk that is guaranteed to get everybody moving, and on top of that, the album offers two versions of "Old McDonald Had a Farm." The first is, hands down, the most soulful version ever recorded; the second is the funkiest.

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Scratch and itch

slip

you are gonna itch those scratches with these tracks no doubt....

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Fun-Kay

ConceptJunkie

What can you say about an album whose lyrics include "funky", "boogie" and "boogaloo" in a completely honest and non-ironic way? This album is everything good that is missing from modern music. Rufus has more soul than anything played on the radio in 30 years. Even a hardcore progger like me can't resist some good ol' rock-and-roll with a real Delta flavor. "Funky Chicken" is a great album that scratches and itch you might not even know you had.

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Strut your stuff

CL17_the_Hasher

Bound to make any city slicker(like me)long for the country. I'll have to kick the animals out of the barn though so I can put in a dance floor.

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They Say All Media Guide

Thomas’ first album following Stax’s break from Atlantic had “Do the Funky Chicken” at its centerpiece, so the emphasis upon good-humored dance tunes was unsurprising. There were some weird moments, particularly the down-and-bestial seven-minute update of “Sixty Minute Man” (on which Rufus sounds like he’s singing in tongues), a remake of “Bear Cat,” and a two-part version of “Old McDonald Had a Farm.” Still, the slightly goofy uptempo arrangements can get a little tiresome, and as his best hits from the period are better than the album-only tracks, almost everyone should just stick with a compilation. The CD adds seven bonus tracks from 1968-74 singles, which are OK but not essential; Eddie Floyd’s “Funky Mississippi” (from 1968) is about the best. – Richie Unterberger

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