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Wheedle's Groove - Seattle's Finest in Funk & Soul 1965-75

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Wheedle's Groove - Seattle's Finest in Funk & Soul 1965-75
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Avg: 3.5 (14 ratings)

Who’d have guessed that Kenny G once had the funk?

  • We Say...

    Review by Michaelangelo Matos

    Who said all garage bands played rock music? As a number of compilations and reissues over the past decade from labels such as Now Again and Guerilla has definitively proven, there were any number of small, homemade combos playing R&B at the same time as dozens of suburban zit-farms were filling future Nuggets and Pebbles compilations. That's certainly true of Seattle, which may be more famous for its garage-rockers than its funkateers, but still had no shortage of the latter.

    Wheedle's Groove, the 2004 collection pieced together by longtime Emerald City DJ Mr. Supreme, serves as an ideal showcase for those bands (along with a trio of new tracks from like-minded acts: Misterholmes & the Brotherhood, the Clarence Mack Express and Supreme's own Sharpshooters). There are hot, organ-driven grooves from the Black on White Affair ("A Bunch of Changes"), loose, sharp, post-Sly & the Family Stone jams from Cold, Bold & Together ("[Stop] Losing Your Chances" and "Somebody's Gonna Burn Ya," both from 1975 and featuring none other than a young Kenny G. in the horn section), and florid wah-wah action from Cookin' Bag ("This Is Me").

    The cover versions are exceptional. The Overton Berry Trio jettisons the verses of the Beatles' "Hey Jude" and transforms the "na-na-na-na" coda into a hypnotic piano vamp. The Johnny Lewis Trio makes the Meters' New Orleans favorite "Cissy Strut" into a breakbeat-lover's delight, thanks to loose and echoing drums. And the Topics bring it all back home by picking up the ultimate Northwest rock staple, "Louie Louie," and giving it a loose bass-and-handclaps breakdown — and, of course, some soul.

  • They Say...

    Review by Rob Theakston, All Music Guide

    Following the success of soul-jazz compilations documenting the histories of Miami, New Orleans, and Philadelphia funk scenes and the treasure trove of rare gems each scene accrued during the '70s, Light in the Attic issued one documenting Seattle during one of the nation's most fertile times in music history. Many of these tracks were lovingly discovered through the archeological process of serious beatheads and collectors digging through forgotten dusty crates in warehouses and thrift shops. And while the obscurity of the compilation is obviously one of its larger selling points, what is most surprising is the quality of the musicianship that runs so deep from start to finish. The fiery James Brown ode of Ron Buford's "Deep Soul" and the Overton Berry Trio's sexy-as-all-get-out rendition of the Beatles' "Hey Jude" are but two of the genuine finds here. However, one mildly discouraging thing about Wheedle's Groove is the inclusion of several modern-day Seattle funk bands. While the groups do appear to be very much carrying on the tradition of their forefathers, the space on this disc would have been much more well spent presenting more classics in line with the time period. Including these groups to showcase Seattle's modern-day sound is a bit misleading to people expecting nothing but raw classics, but that's what the fast-forward button is made for, and it's only a minor distraction from the whole presentation. The opening liner notes and the extensively thorough profiles documenting the histories of the various groups are very nice touches. It's not a definitive purchase for beatheads à la the aforementioned soul-jazz comps, but Wheedle's captures Seattle's sound for better or worse during one of the city's most overlooked music periods, and those taking the plunge to purchase this will be richly rewarded.

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