I only own this because Rare Earth's "Ma" is one of the most awesome funk/soul inspired rock records ever; and I happen to have a particularly fierce liking for anything remotely funky played on electric guitar. I also have to get anything that was released by Motown Records in the 70s, this being one of them!
"Ecology" is worth the asking price purely for the Norman Whitfield-produced, 11 minutes of "I know I'm Losing You", originally performed by the Temptations. The refrain is just pure funk, whether on sax and bass or wah guitar and bass; but its the drum and percussion pieces that make the tune for me. Some awesome work on the congas by Ed Guzman and Pete Riviera's drumming combine to put to shame most pretenders to the throne that arose in the late 60s and early to mid 70s.
Aside from that the rest of the record is pretty much a big whack of above-average funk rock jamming with the usual lyrical themes for the genre.... yep, you guessed it, trying to get woman to either go to bed with you or trying to explain why she cannot anymore!
The final track on the album is also pretty cool, it is a great rendition of Lennon and McCartney's "Eleanor Rigby", which soars high above the few preceeding tracks. It takes a soulful approach to the song that actually makes the meaning of the lyrics stand out very prominently.
What is also pretty interesting is the guitar tones used on the record. Sometimes it sounds like a fuzzed-out Tony Iommi sledgehammer and at others the kind of standard Gibson blues sound and then finally the requisite wah pedal tomfoolery. So even if the music becomes a bit "standard" at times, there is always an interesting production note to enjoy here and there.
I picked this one up from Khaya Records (like ALOT of the stuff I buy!). Had to clean it up and it came out ok, now to get rid of that static! It's an American pressing that is pushing 40 years of being alive! Quite insane to think that it is more than one third of my lifetime older than I am! The age is shown by the logo on the rear cover that states "Stereo - Also Plays in Mono". Mono.... that was a while back!
All Music Guide Reference
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