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Curtis Mayfield

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Who is a fan of the great Curtis Mayfield?

I'm fairly new to his work, I've only been listening to him for about three years now, but the more I hear, the more I love. Really, really funky, but it's more of a soulful funk. He was a brilliant writer, one of his more prominent writing credits is for "Let's Do It Again" by The Staple Singers.

My favorite track of his: Kung Fu

Kung Fu - Curtis Mayfield
 
Curtis Mayfield, much like Marvin Gaye, was one of the most consistently successful black recording acts of all time. Probably more so because he spent over ten years as co-founder and lead singer of the fabulous Chicago soul group The Impressions and then went on to a successful prolific recording career as a solo artist. He also was a master sideman and entrepreneur (he had about ten labels).

Yeah, Curtis was a true genius in the business.
 
I have this tribute album that came out in the early 1990s that's really good. I don't really know much about his music other than his big hits. I've heard more of the stuff he produced for other acts.
 
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Move On Up is one of the best songs ever, IMO. I like alot of his stuff.... most of grows on you after a few listens.

People Get Ready & It's All Right are also classics.
 
I only know one of his song off the top of my head which is Superfly. Very good song;)
 
J5baby said:
I only know one of his song off the top of my head which is Superfly. Very good song;)
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Go to YouTube and type in "Curtis Mayfield Impressions", it'll probably take you to some great songs he did with that group during the sixties, then just type in "Curtis Mayfield" and hear all the stuff you thought never came from "The Superfly Guy", lol.
 
Truly talented artist. He's probably best known for the "Superfly" soundtrack which is probably the greatest soundtrack ever, but yeah I agree he's recorded some other great stuff with The Impressions and as a solo artist as well.
 
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Great talent period. strong writer, vocalist, guitar player and a cleaver business Man. loved his soundtrack work from superfly, eyes of laura mars, let's do it again, a piece of the action,Claudine. those string arrangements oh my!

his work with the Impressions,Areatha Franklin on the Sparkle Sountrack good Gawd!!!!!! also he had a hand in the five stirsteps as well. I Mean Brother Mayfield was the truth.
 
Excellent..I think he was before his time, insturmental in breaking the barriors and bring attention to social issues of his time...

:angel:Knowledge Is Growth...Education Is The Key~~~
 
I really like Aretha Franklin's "Sparkle" soundtrack. En Vogue remade 2 of the songs from it on "Funky Divas".
 
I love his music - both the stuff he did with the Impressions and his solo records. The "Curtis" and "Superfly" albums are highlights in soul history. The second half of the 60's and the first half of the seventees were the best era in soul/funk/r&b history. Motown and Stax...OMG!!! Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder at his peak, Isaac Hayes, Marvin Gaye, James Brown at his peak, Sly and the Family Stone, and so on and so on and so on. Compared to those days most of todays so-called soul music is milky white elevator drivel with as much soul as the average sack of cement.
 
abc123 said:
I love his music - both the stuff he did with the Impressions and his solo records. The "Curtis" and "Superfly" albums are highlights in soul history. The second half of the 60's and the first half of the seventees were the best era in soul/funk/r&b history. Motown and Stax...OMG!!! Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder at his peak, Isaac Hayes, Marvin Gaye, James Brown at his peak, Sly and the Family Stone, and so on and so on and so on. Compared to those days most of todays so-called soul music is milky white elevator drivel with as much soul as the average sack of cement.
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agreed :yes:

My favourite song from him has to be We're a winner, love the message he sends:)
 
@SalvadorDafti

"Curtis Mayfield - Super Fly (1972)A groundbreaking study on hustling, poverty and the ills of ghetto life. A world where they couldn’t, and didn’t, believe in the American Dream; so they created their own.

Super, fly; and a textbook case of a soundtrack besting the movie."

GLTz_OGXUAAjynm
 
zinniabooklover said:
@SalvadorDafti

"Curtis Mayfield - Super Fly (1972)A groundbreaking study on hustling, poverty and the ills of ghetto life. A world where they couldn’t, and didn’t, believe in the American Dream; so they created their own.

Super, fly; and a textbook case of a soundtrack besting the movie."

GLTz_OGXUAAjynm
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Although the finest example of a soundtrack besting the movie ought to be The Secret Life of Plants, wouldn’t you agree?
 
Agonum said:
Is it because you find the music worse than I do, or the movie better than I do?
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oh god! This is too much thinking, lol.

Haven't seen the documentary so cannot comment on that. But I don't remember it having any kind of cultural impact - not where I was, anyway. Actually, the album didn't really register that much, either. The ideas in the book have certainly been incredibly important. But the documentary (for me) and the album as cultural entities didn't resonate with me and didn't seem to register with my wider world at the time.

Superfly - film and album - both resonated MADLY! Both put their mark on the cultural landscape so that you couldn't ignore them. At the very least you knew of their existence. The film was very controversial, of course. The album was loved from day dot and did a much better job than the film (as far as I can tell, didn't actually see the thing myself) of discussing those urban problems.

That's enough thinking! :ROFLMAO:
 
zinniabooklover said:
oh god! This is too much thinking, lol.

Haven't seen the documentary so cannot comment on that. But I don't remember it having any kind of cultural impact - not where I was, anyway. Actually, the album didn't really register that much, either. The ideas in the book have certainly been incredibly important. But the documentary (for me) and the album as cultural entities didn't resonate with me and didn't seem to register with my wider world at the time.

Superfly - film and album - both resonated MADLY! Both put their mark on the cultural landscape so that you couldn't ignore them. At the very least you knew of their existence. The film was very controversial, of course. The album was loved from day dot and did a much better job than the film (as far as I can tell, didn't actually see the thing myself) of discussing those urban problems.

That's enough thinking! :ROFLMAO:
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My point is that the movie (documentary) The Secret Life of Plants isn’t particularly good. Quite strange, too. And then, even if the album might not be one of your favourites, it is still Stevie. Surely you must be able to get some enjoyment out of it? Personally, I think it is one of his greatest.

What you say about cultural impact is true, not much to argue there. I was merely thinking of movies which are significantly worse—artistically, I suppose—than their soundtrack. And to me, there is no better example than The Secret Life of Plants.

Besides, you say that Superfly, both the album and the movie, resonated with you (and rightfully so!). Wouldn’t that suggest that it is a worse example of a movie that is bested by its soundtrack?

zinniabooklover said:
Haven't seen the documentary so cannot comment on that.
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Help me out now. You haven’t even seen it? Then what are we discussing here? 😅
 
Agonum said:
Help me out now. You haven’t even seen it? Then what are we discussing here? 😅
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We're not really discussing anything, lol. :ROFLMAO:

I posted someone else's tweet as a way of celebrating Curtis and one of his best albums. You then asked a question which, frankly, bent my brain out of shape, lol. I attempted to answer the question - not with any noticeable success - and now here we are.

I haven't listened to Stevie's plants record. I have probably heard some fragments, can't really remember, not really bovvered! 1979? That was peak time for The Ruts, Adam Ant, Stiff Little Fingers, The Damned etc etc. Wasn't really looking for experimental stuff from Stevie. Didn't have room in my brain or time in my busy week.

Didn't see the plants documentary. Haven't read the book although I do know of the content and think it sounds pretty cool.

Agonum said:
Besides, you say that Superfly, both the album and the movie, resonated with you (and rightfully so!). Wouldn’t that suggest that it is a worse example of a movie that is bested by its soundtrack?
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o_O

My brain is unavailable for the forseeable future! And when I do reclaim it I shall return to Dave Grohl's biography. I think I have the mind of a drummer! :ROFLMAO:

Finally, in reposting that tweet I was focused on this part:

"Curtis Mayfield - Super Fly (1972) A groundbreaking study on hustling, poverty and the ills of ghetto life. A world where they couldn’t, and didn’t, believe in the American Dream; so they created their own.

The other comment - the bit about a soundtrack album being better than the film - wasn't of much interest to me, tbh.
 
zinniabooklover said:
We're not really discussing anything, lol. :ROFLMAO:

I posted someone else's tweet as a way of celebrating Curtis and one of his best albums. You then asked a question which, frankly, bent my brain out of shape, lol. I attempted to answer the question - not with any noticeable success - and now here we are.

I haven't listened to Stevie's plants record. I have probably heard some fragments, can't really remember, not really bovvered! 1979? That was peak time for The Ruts, Adam Ant, Stiff Little Fingers, The Damned etc etc. Wasn't really looking for experimental stuff from Stevie. Didn't have room in my brain or time in my busy week.

Didn't see the plants documentary. Haven't read the book although I do know of the content and think it sounds pretty cool.


o_O

My brain is unavailable for the forseeable future! And when I do reclaim it I shall return to Dave Grohl's biography. I think I have the mind of a drummer! :ROFLMAO:

Finally, in reposting that tweet I was focused on this part:

"Curtis Mayfield - Super Fly (1972) A groundbreaking study on hustling, poverty and the ills of ghetto life. A world where they couldn’t, and didn’t, believe in the American Dream; so they created their own.

The other comment - the bit about a soundtrack album being better than the film - wasn't of much interest to me, tbh.
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It’s all good. Typically me to make a ruckus about something peripheral!

However. You should really take a listen to the album. The title song, for example, is a masterpiece!
 
Agonum said:
It’s all good. Typically me to make a ruckus about something peripheral!
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I think it's really interesting that we both read the same comment (the tweet) and focused on completely different things.

Agonum said:
However. You should really take a listen to the album. The title song, for example, is a masterpiece!
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Funny you should say this. I just checked it out on Wiki - I wasn't sure if I was correct in remembering 1979 as the release date. As I said, my attention wasn't on Stevie by that stage. Anyway, I couldn't be bothered to read the whole thing but I did catch a comment from Stevie:

"Wonder remarked in 2004 that the album "was an experimental project with me scoring and doing other things I like: challenging myself with all the things that entered my mind from the Venus's Flytrap to Earth's creation to coming back as a flower."

and I decided it's time for me to check it out. Maybe I've heard more of it than I remember. Maybe I never heard any of it. Either way, I'll respond to it differently now than I would have done back then.
 
Agonum said:
It’s all good. Typically me to make a ruckus about something peripheral!

However. You should really take a listen to the album. The title song, for example, is a masterpiece!
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My brain just reported for duty, lol. Listened to the title track.

😲

I do not know what to say.

😮

"Isn't he wonderful?"
 
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