The Meters - Very Best of

I'm no expert on The Meters or New Orleans Funk, but felt that I needed at least one collection CD to represent the group and genre in my music collection. I guess I'm in accord with some other reviewers but perhaps not for the same reason. There are great tracks here and they *will* get you dancing. But some of the tunes did not flip my switch. To reiterate, it's good, but I expected a little more.

Funky, Funky, Funky. These brothers are on another level. I see bands all around NYC and around the world trying to play Cissy Strut. It's scary how humble beginnings can foster into such great funk. The drummer, Joseph Ziggy Modeliste is funky beyond recognition. The Meters are in the same catagory as James Brown's JBs.

The Meters' importance in the history of New Orleans r&b is undeniable. Their status as master musicians hardly prepares the listener for the rich, organic, musical pulse evident on from their November 1968 debut single, 'Sophisticated Cissy' - right out of the gate The Meters had created their own brand of sweaty, syncopated funk.
The Meters evolved out of the Neville Sound (all four Meters plus Art's brothers Aaron, Cyril, and sax player Gary Brown) during 1967, a period in which the seemingly unstoppable wave of great post-War hits coming out of New Orleans had slowed to a trickle, causing major hometown talent such as Dr. John and Harold Battiste to emigrate to Los Angeles and leaving a more insular, less lucrative environment for the Big Easy's vast talent pool. From Dave Bartholemew's emergence as bandleader/producer in the late '40s, through the '50s' wonderfully diverse and eccentric legends waxing wildly undomesticated classics at Cosimo Matassa's studios - Little Richard, Huey "Piano" Smith', Professor Longhair, Fats Domino, Lee Allen, Art Neville - evolving at the dawn of the '60s into Allen Toussaint's more subdued, eccentric proto-soul productions(imbued with the Crescent City's unique rhythmic stamp)for Jesse Hill, Aaron Neville, Irma Thomas, Ernie K-Doe, Lee Dorsey, Benny Spellman among scores of others, and N.O.'s exports would continue to break nationally well into that decade thanks to Barbara George, Betty Harris, Tammi Lynn, Robert Parker, Alvin Robinson, and so many more....Yet in the lull folowing the post-Motown/British Invasion era, it was The Meters who revitalized the Big Easy's national reputation and transformed its musical identity with an irresistable, minimalist funk simmered with the city's characteristic 'lazy', loping, and slightly off kilter rhythms that were somehow imbued with unstoppable power, irresistable drive and imagination, creating a body of work that remains fresh to this day, resonating with each new generation of fans and musicians.
Art Neville had been making records since 1954's Hawketts classic 'Mardi Gras Mambo', followed by a decade's worth of session work and solo records. After months of touring behind brother Aaron's 1966 smash 'Tell It Like It Is', Art took charge of his musical destiny, putting together the Neville Sounds. Art, in a decision dictated by economics (a club owner willing to hire no more than four musicians) soon stripped his original conception down to a quartet, at first an all instrumental lineup (guitar, drums, bass, and organ) inspired by Memphis legends Booker T & The MGs. But though the MG's influence is obvious, the two bands' styles are as distinct as Memphis is from New Orleans - compare the dry, steady backbone and classy fills of Al Jackson to Meter-man Joseph Modeliste's ever-varying patterns played around the music's pulse. Modeliste's polyrhythms and syncopations, derived from a century of parade beats and early jazz drumming that are in Modeliste's DNA. Modeliste's virtuosity was a perfect match for the deep-grooves of bassist George Porter, spiced on top by Leo Nocentelli's guitar, as accomplished at chicken-scratch as it is with fluid, Wes Montgomery-insipired jazz playing, and fleshed out by Neville's chunky organ - they Meters developed the sort of musical telepathy unique to the best bands, and before the end of '67 producer Allen Toussaint - who'd caught a hot club show - was utilizing the group as house band at Sansu, backing up artists such as Lee Dorsey, Betty Harris, Eldridge Holmes, and others, including solo singles by Art himself as well as brothers Cyril and Aaron.
The Meters developed their own material and, with Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn nominally producing, signed with Josie in 1968. By early 1969 their first two singles, 'Sophisticated Cissy' and 'Cissy Strut' broke nationally, and with a total of five hit singles charting in 1969 alone The Meters were leading the evolution from soul to funk; they produced an impressive body of work over the next decade (still finding time to back up other artists including Dr. John, Labelle, and Toussaint himself), gaining a large and loyal cult of fans that included other important musicians, such as The Rolling Stones and Richard Hell.
The Meters' career can rather too neatly be divided into two periods: first their work for the Josie label (1968 - 71), followed by the Reprise era (1972 - 77). In recent years all eight of their studio albums - plus two very good collections of non-album singles and rarities - have been (re)issued by Sundazed, with superior sound and original graphics as well as bonus material. "The Best Of The Meters" may seem like a sensible first purchase for those who don't have any of the albums, or want a primer, but it just doesn't cut it. Rhino, for some no doubt non-aesthetic reason, only includes six measly gems (out of 16 tracks) from the seminal Josie period, the remaining ten taken from the later Reprise albums. The band continued to evolve as they made some terrific music for Reprise, but the selection included here is unreliable - from 1972's "Cabbage Alley" we get the decent but unremarkable "Soul Island" and the title track (a good rearrangement of an old Professor Longhair hit). These are not that album's best tracks - why not the Sly-meets-'70s Miles classic "Gettin' Funkier All The Time," or the seamless funk/hard rock Leo Nocentelli songs "You've Got To Change" and the wild, fascinating, almost psych-dub of "Stay Away"? For instumentals, "Smiling" and "Flower Song" are both more interesting than the almost bland (I said almost) "Soul Island." And the tracks from the later Reprise albums (which by 1976's "Trick Bag" and 1977's "New Directions" were frustatingly uneven), that close this set are even less representive of what this group was capable of. This is simply an unsatisfying sampler.
If you're interested exploring The Meters' work, the mostly classic original albums are all in print. First there are three originally issued on Josie, "The Meters" (1969), "Look-Ka Py Py" (1969) and "Struttin" (1970) "Zony Mash" might as well be the fourth, as it collects both sides of the last four non-album Meters singles issued before the label stopped functioning late 1971. Each Josie title has much to recommend it, but for sheer inventiveness, compelling and surprising instrumental interplay, and warm, rich sound, my favorite is the second, "Look-Ka Py Py"; if you love this, you'll certainly want the other three. For Reprise titles, "Rejuvenation" (1974) is the classic: slinky, unhurried and richly textured funk and soul, with some of their best original songs and vocals. Its predecessor, "Cabbage Alley" (1972) is a fascinating and ambitious album, if slightly uneven, but by now the music is post-Hendrix/Sly Stone, and even Neil Young is an influence - there's a quite lovely cover of "Birds". The truism is that with the label change came vocals, an end to the 'pure' bare bones funk of their Josie classics, yet Art (who after all had been singing for a decade prior to forming huis great band) contributes three or four superb lead vocals to "Struttin", and vocals play an increasingly important role on the last few singles collected on "Zony Mash" as well.
So, there's my advice: explore the aformentioned pair of classics (mid-line priced) and I bet you'll want to dig deeper, but not into this superfluous compilation.

...laid down the foundation for hip hop and modern breakbeat. Also, Check out Cymande - Renegades of Funk if you like the Island funk, breakbeat and jazz sounds. Just passing the good word on to those people who crave some good vintage funk. Peace.

This is funk 101. Simple, basic, purified funk. just barely distinct at this point from r&b, it's clean punchy lines laid bare. Solos are underplayed to perfection so that the groove is always in center focus, as it should be for this form of highly syncopated soul, from which so many present-day styles have sprung. The Meters pretty much started it all back then, and they still own it.

If you are already a Meters fan, chances are you own this recording. If you don't, you should. If you are not familiar with the Meters this is a great place to start. The first track alone, Sissy Strut, is more than worth the price of this cd! Think Booker T and the MG's but with MUCH MORE funk. I am not talking today's over-produced watered down definition of funk or R&B. No, no...we are talking historically significant music that makes you stop in your tracks, look around and say "man, that's good"!

O.k., first off let me say that the Meters are, in my opinion, one of the greatest funk bands of all time. With respect to sheer rhythmic force, and especially drumming, they have no equal.

Now, with that out of the way, lemme explain the three stars. It has to do with track selection. Imagine, for instance, that someone compiled Michael Jackson's Greatest Hits but left out Billie Jean and Rock With You. While the remaining tracks would be great, you'd be leaving out some of, in my opinion, the best music MJ has to offer. Not everyone will agree with that, but for me it's important that quality of the track, and not just chart placement, be considered when compiling a "best of".

In the case of the Meters, there are several absolute musts that ought to be on here. The first three Meters albums -- "The Meters", "Look-ka py py", and "Struttin'" really defined the group. Stand out tracks from those albums include, in no particular order "The Handclapping Song", "Same Old Thing", "Funky Miracle", "Here Comes The Meter Man", and "Stormy" (one of the most underrated of Meters tunes). I'd also add to that list "Stretch Your Rubber Band", which appeared only as a single. Of these, the addition of "Funky Miracle", "The Handclapping Song", and "Stormy" in place of some of the newer Meters tracks (I'd boot "Hey Pocky A-Way", "Out In The Country", and "They All Ask'd For You") would add at least a star, and maybe two (if it was sequenced right) to my rating of this CD.

As it stands, the "very best" doesn't include songs that really are the very best of what the Meters had to offer. Later tracks, especially "Just Kissed My Baby", are a fine addition to one's Meters collection, but exclusion of older, better songs in the name of variety (which is what I think they were shooting for here) is bad form. And bad form only gets three stars from me.

what else can be said about the Meters that hasn't already been said? If you like funk and soul, then you need to get this CD.

Nearly all of the The Meters best-known sides are here, including their first hit recordings for Josie from the late '60s and more sophisticated tracks laid down for Reprise through the mid-70s. In addition to the seminal funk-soul of "Cissy Strut" and "Look-Ka Py Py," the Meters offered unusual touches like the banjo-like guitar hook of "Tippi-Toes," the happy-go-lucky organ topping "Soul Island," the 50's styled R&B novelty "The All Ask'd For You," and the New Orleans piano of "Cabbage Alley." Though the later works add horns, wah-wah pedals and even (gasp!) vocals, the Meters remained true to their New Orleans rhythmic roots throughout.

Each of the four original Meters was a master of New Orleans meter, with drummer Joseph "Zig" Modeliste showing especially deep mastery of second-line rhythms. Leo Nocentelli's guitar and Art Neville's keyboards combined in a similar way to the soul sounds heard from Booker T & The MG's, but there was an underlying funkiness (in no small part due to the rhythm battery of Modeliste and bassist George Porter, Jr., but also from the way Nocentelli and Neville played both melody to rhythm) that gave the band its distinctive sound.

This is a nearly perfect single-disc distillation of The Meters brand of rootsy New Orleans funk, with excellent, informative liner notes. Those who need a broader view should check out Rhino's double-disc "Funkify Your Live: The Meters Anthology," but most will find this nearly hour-long disc to be a compelling and sufficiently complete tour through the band's catalog.