CURTIS MAYFIELD
ESSENTIAL EVERY HOME SHOULD HAVE ONE
This double features Curtis’ most compelling songs. It stands alone. Unique in voice, tone, charm and warmth, it is Curtis stripped, relaxed & immediate. A true classic that beguiles & bewitches.
Download: Gypsy Woman
His best known work, Superfly is the eponymous blaxploitation movie soundtrack. Infectious storytelling fuelled with wah-wah & percussion duels. Every home probably already has one.
Download: Freddie’s Dead
Young Mod’s was the Impressions’ most innovative work and hinted at Curtis’s future solo direction. It is concise yet displays songwriting range & vision combined with sublime & delicate orchestration.
Download: Choice Of Colors
RECOMMENDED YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED
Just 7 tracks but every one is top quality. This is Curtis’ tightest album that consistently breathes edge (Keep On), soul (Beautiful Brother), funk (Get Down) & love. If you like this then his debut solo, Curtis (noted for Move On Up), will also delight you.
Download: Love To Keep You In My Mind
This overtly political & experimental album is very good on the ear & worth it for the monster orchestration on Right On... alone. If you buy it with the bonus album, Love, of unreleased material -watch out- Love should have stayed in the vault.
Download: Right On For The Darkness
This is a journey back to when vocal groups dominated the scene. Written when he was 14, Gypsy Woman, & smash hit, It’s Alright, brought Curtis to the attention of the US for the first time. Best bought on Kent with similar cut, The Never Ending Impressions, as a bonus CD.
Download: It’s Alright
A profound influence on key artists, such as Bob Marley & the Wailers & Jimi Hendrix, Curtis Mayfield possessed a remarkable falsetto voice, distinctive broken-chord guitar technique, the gift for songwriting, and prolific arrangement & production skills. He left an indelible mark on black American music through his vocal group (The Impressions), solo work, collaborations, Curtom record label & his mentoring of countless talents. Though less well known globally than contemporaries, such as Marvin Gaye, Curtis was at the vanguard of the politicisation & urbanisation of American music in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.
Curtis Mayfield became paralysed in 1990 when a freak storm caused a lighting gantry to collapse on him onstage. He died of related causes in 1999. His legacy is extensive & is a remarkable blessing for music lovers. Here we use Q magazine’s familiar format to navigate highlights from his and The Impressions’ astounding back catalogue.
Listening to Curtis Mayfield is guaranteed to improve your quality of life...
Curtis’ strides caused the famous solar eclipse of ‘70
BE CAREFUL NOT FOR EVERYONE
If you have enjoyed the more spiritual side of Curtis & the down tempo jazz-soul feel, this is for you; it feels like an extension of Young Mod’s from 6 years earlier. If you are caught inside yourself this is the album to turn to.
Download: When Seasons Change
CURTIS MAYFIELD
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE AMERICA TODAY
Curtom 1975
Got To Find A Way is a charming, chilled out extension to the delicate side of Superfly. This is his mum’s favourite album. Dig that classic Curtis wah on Love Me, sit back, relax & enjoy an aural massage.
Download: Love Me (Right
In The Pocket)
Like many first albums there is something special here even though there are many covers.
Download: One Kiss From You
There are many more Impressions albums out there. Check Out Your Mind from ‘70 is recommended even though it doesn’t feature Curtis. ’65’s People Get Ready is stimulating. Beware of shiny Impressions albums after ’72.
COMPILED JUST HITS
There are myriad Curtis comps out there, some big box sets (People Get Ready, The Curtom Story) & specialist efforts, such as Gospel. Move On Up is a good value double with hits from ’70 onwards, which means No Impressions & some missable ’80’s cuts. But all the key solo singles are here.
Download: Trippin’ Out
CURTIS MAYFIELD
MOVE ON UP
Sequel 1999
We’ve told you once already. Curtis Live! is a magical moment in time. It is widely available on CD with the popier but super tight, Live in Chicago, thrown in as a bonus CD. Chicago is a ’74 TV special with guest Impressions. You might get round to listening to it but it’ll take you a while as you’ll be too busy enjoying Live!
Download: Makings Of You
Like many artists who created so much in the 60’s-70’s, the 80’s were patchy for Curtis. The Right Combination, and particularly the cover artwork, was a low point (though you can get it as a double with the speech album, Rapping). Be warned that Heroes, Do It All Night, Never Say You Cant Survive, Honesty, and We Come in Peace should all be teated with extreme caution. The exception would be Something To Believe In, which has quality production and some adventurous cuts.
LINDA CLIFFORD & CURTIS MAYFIELD
The Right Combination
Curtom 1980
AVOID COMPLETISTS ONLY
LIVE AU NATUREL
