Genre: soul
Rating: 3 stars ***
Title: New Directions
Company: Warner Brothers
Catalog: C
Year: 1977
Country/State: New Orleans, Louisiana
Grade (cover/record): VG / VG
Comments: includes original lyric inner sleeve
Available: 1
Catalog ID: 6247
Price: $15.00
For a couple of years in the early and mid-1970s The Funky Meters / The Meters were probably one of the best bands in the United States. The problem was that nobody outside of New Orleans and hardcore soul fans knew it. Listening to their album some four decades later you're left to scratch your head and wonder how was it they weren't major sellers ?
Produced by David Rubinson, 1977's "New Directions" was somewhat of a misnomer in that, if anything, it reflected a return to their patented blend of soul and funk after the band's brief flirtation with disco-flavored dance material on "Trick Bag". By and large this one got slammed by critics and ignored by the buying public who found it lacking compared to classic Meters releases and more contemporary sounds. I'd beg to differ, Yeah, it wasn't as good as some of the album's The Meters released on Josie, but mediocre Meters beasily eat excellent material put out by most of the competition. For their parts The Meters sounded re-energized on much of the album, injecting a sense of enthusiasm that was sadly absent on the previous album. The whole album was worth hearing picking standout performances was a challenge. If pushed in a corner I'd probably go with '' and ''.
- 'No More Okey Doke' opened the album with a glistening slice of funk propelled by Art Neville's gurgling synthesizers and George Porter Jr.'s popping bass licks.
- Credited to the band, 'Be My Lady' was a breezy summery ballad that had hit recorded stamped all over. The scat segment and great Tower of Power horn charts were just icing on the cake. The ultimate in mid-1970s make out music. rating: **** stars
- Moving back to tougher funk, 'My Name Up In Lights' sported some clever lyrics and a dynamite group sung hook. Once again the Tower of Power horns kicked the song to another level. rating: **** stars
"New
Directions" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) No
More Okey Doke - 4:20
2.) I'm Gone (Allen Toussaint) - 4:30
3.) Be My Lady (Joseph Modeliste - Art Neville - Cyril Neville -
Leo Nocentelli -
George Porter, Jr.) - 6:25
4.) My Name Up In Lights (Joseph Modeliste - Art Neville - Cyril
Neville - Leo
Nocentelli - George Porter, Jr.) - 5:23
(side
2)
1.) Funkify Your Life - 5:40
2.) Stop That Train (Peter Tosh) - 4:50
3.) We Got the Kind of a Love
(Michael Angelo Nocentelli) - 5:20
4.) Give It What You Can (Carl
Marsh, James Tarbutton - Steve Cropper) -
4:34
The title of the Meters' final album is hopeful, and New Directions does indeed represent if not a new direction, at least a shift from the disco dead end of Trick Bag. From the second "No More Okey Doke" kicks off the record, it's clear that the Meters are gritty again, kicking out some really funky grooves -- maybe not as dirty as their Josie recordings, maybe a little cleaned up, but still pretty funky. The slower numbers betray their era, but in a pleasing way, something that's also true of generic numbers like "My Name Up in Lights," which may have too much talk-box guitar, but still grooves effectively. That may not be a new direction, per se, but it is a welcome change-up after the dud Trick Bag. It wasn't enough to save the Meters and it's not really a lost treasure, but it's a far more dignified way to bow out.
Finally released on CD, this reissue of the Meters' last lp is rather disappointing. This is no longer the greatest funk band on the planet. There are good moments--"Give it What You Can", "My Name up in Lights", "Funkify Your Life"--that make it worth a listen. The Tower of Power horns add punch to the open, behind the beat grooves that made The Meters enjoyable for so many years. But, on the whole, the songs just aren't that good. The cover of Peter Tosh's "Stop that Train" doesn't add anything to the original. "Be My Lady", a love ballad, isn't particularly inspiring. "No More Okey-Doke" is a somewhat infectious melody, but lyrically confusing. What exactly are they talking about? In the old days, their songs made sense: "Fire on the Bayou", "Africa", "Hey Pocky Way". If the lyrics were silly it didn't matter because the groove was just so undeniably funky that nothing else mattered. On this recording, it's a given that the lyrics will be just this side of puerile--and the music only occasionally makes you think twice. Why this album was called New Directions is beyond me. It continues the downward trend begun with the previous year's Trick Bag.
I was right.
This is probably one of the better albums in my decent-sized collection of mid-late 70's funk vinyl, in part because only two of the 8 songs are ballads (the 3rd track on each side). I almost never enjoy the ballads, and that holds true here as well. However, the other 6 songs are all good to great. The first and last songs are the strongest, with wicked funk grooves. I will definitely keep both in mind if I ever get around to DJ'ing again. "I'm Gone" is the only track with an obvious New Orleans influence, and it adds some variety to the album. "Stop That Train" is a strong-enough cover of what is one of my favorite Wailers songs (and a greatly underappreciated one, at that). The other two tracks, while not quite as funky, are still very danceable.
All and all, a very satisfying purchase for $1.99!
Although the
grooves could obviously still be awesome, 1977 was the end of the road for
the Meters, or at least the start of a very long break in the road. After
years of ups and downs, being a revered cult band (= financially destitute)
that never quite broke out to a wider audience took its toll. Conflicts
within the band itself and with their management and producers robbed them
of focus, energy, and the simple joy of performing. That year in San
Francisco, they recorded what would turn out to be their swan song album,
titled New
Directions, with unintentional
irony. Warner Brothers brought in soul and rock producer David Rubinson to
oversee the project after Tousssaint and Sehron had lost the band's trust.
Rubinson enlisted the Tower Of Power horn section for some added punch. But
the Meters were not on good terms among themselves and went through a lot of
turmoil just to decide to allow Cyril to add his vocal chops and percussion
to the effort. The ultimate quality of the LP they left behind we'll leave
to assess another day. But, right after the thing was released, on the eve
of a big promotional TV appearance on Saturday Night Live, Art bailed on the
band, taking Cyril with him to start the
Neville Brothers with
his other siblings, Aaron and Charles. Dropped by the label soon thereafter,
the Meters dispersed, building a legendary status over the years as more and
more people finally caught on to their innovative brilliance, through word
of mouth, record collecting, and CD re-issues of their catalogue. Their
official reunion at Jazzfest in 2005 and some subsequent concerts fulfilled
the lifelong wish of many (yours truly included) to see and hear them again,
or for the first time, live. For those of you who still never have had the
pleasure, I hope these couple of tracks are an enticing taste of what it was
like. May we all get another chance.