Like the artist himself, the music on this brilliant album defies all categories, embracing Terry Callier's wide range of influences and experiences. Callier's musical kaleidoscope is filled with funk, rock, folk, jazz, and even classical influences. "Dancing Girl" opens the album with Charles Stepney's majestic orchestration. This opus is the album's pinnacle, moving with soft intensity toward soul-stirring crescendos. Songs like "What Color Is Love" and "Ho Tsing Mee (A Song of the Sun)," an elegant antiwar prayer of confusion, somehow avoid clichés or take them to another level. "You Goin' to Miss Your Candyman" was made popular by Urban Species when they sampled it on "Listen" in the early '90s, and not surprisingly, it sounds better in its original form. No matter where you turn, Callier's passionate voice captures the sweeping drama of the human condition. A lost romantic amid "concrete front yards," this album is a must-have for any music connoisseur.

Betty Davis' debut was an outstanding funk record, driven by her aggressive, no-nonsense songs and a set of howling performances driven by a crack band to new heights of extroverted soul. Listeners wouldn't know it from the song's title, but for the opener, "If I'm in Luck I Might Get Picked Up," Davis certainly doesn't play the wallflower; she's a woman on the prowl, positively luring the men in and best of all, explaining exactly how she does it: "I said I'm wigglin' my fanny, I'm raunchy dancing, I'm-a-doing it doing it/This is my night out." "Game Is My Middle Name" begins at a mid-tempo lope, but really breaks through on the chorus, with the Pointer Sisters and Sylvester backing up each of her assertions. As overwhelming as Davis' performances are, it's as much the backing group as Davis herself that makes her material so powerful (and believable). Reams of underground cred allowed her to recruit one of the tightest rhythm sections ever heard on record (bassist Larry Graham and drummer Greg Errico, both veterans of Sly & the Family Stone), plus fellow San Francisco luminaries like master keyboardist Merl Saunders and guitarists Neal Schon or Douglas Rodriguez (both associated with Santana at the time). Graham's popping bass and the raw, flamboyant, hooky guitar lines of Schon or Rodriguez make the perfect accompaniment to these songs; Graham's slinky bass is the instrumental equivalent of Davis' vocal gymnastics, and Rodriguez makes his guitar scream during "Your Man My Man." It's hard to tell whether the musicians are pushing so hard because of Davis' performances or if they're egging each other, but it's an unnecessary question. Everything about Betty Davis' self-titled debut album speaks to Davis the lean-and-mean sexual predator, from songs to performance to backing, and so much the better for it. All of which should've been expected from the woman who was too wild for Miles Davis.

If you ever wondered where Lenny Kravitz got his thing, search no further. This album from the early '70s is shockingly ahead of its time; drenched in odd keyboard hues and stinging layers of guitar, this is the blueprint for the black rock that followed. This is a record that works on a whole lot of levels. If you dig Funkadelic and its immediate progeny, this is something you simply need to hear.

Purists howled with indignation when Donald Byrd released Black Byrd, a full-fledged foray into R&B that erupted into a popular phenomenon. Byrd was branded a sellout and a traitor to his hard bop credentials, especially after Black Byrd became the biggest-selling album in Blue Note history. What the elitists missed, though, was that Black Byrd was the moment when Byrd's brand of fusion finally stepped out from under the shadow of his chief influence, Miles Davis, and found a distinctive voice of its own. Never before had a jazz musician embraced the celebratory sound and style of contemporary funk as fully as Byrd did here — not even Davis, whose dark, chaotic jungle-funk stood in sharp contrast to the bright, breezy, danceable music on Black Byrd. Byrd gives free rein to producer/arranger/composer Larry Mizell, who crafts a series of tightly focused, melodic pieces often indebted to the lengthier orchestrations of Isaac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield. They're built on the most straightforward funk rhythms Byrd had yet tackled, and if the structures aren't as loose or complex as his earlier fusion material, they make up for it with a funky sense of groove that's damn near irresistible. Byrd's solos are mostly melodic and in-the-pocket, but that allows the funk to take center stage. Sure, maybe the electric piano, sound effects, and Roger Glenn's ubiquitous flute date the music somewhat, but that's really part of its charm. Black Byrd was state-of-the-art for its time, and it set a new standard for all future jazz/R&B/funk fusions — of which there were many. Byrd would continue to refine this sound on equally essential albums like Street Lady and the fantastic Places and Spaces, but Black Byrd stands as his groundbreaking signature statement.

An insanely wonderful album that will always remain one of the all-time favorites of the Dusty Groove staff! This beautiful batch of tracks by Brazilian singer/songwriter Marcos Valle has him pushing waaaay past his bossa work of the 60s, into a cool 70s mix of electronics and sexy scoring, for a sound that's a mix of Brazilian rhythms with other styles that evoke Italian soundtracks and French pop backing. That description hardly does the record justice, though, because the whole thing's wonderful, and it's got a feeling that's unlike anything else we've ever stocked. It's no wonder that the album was one of Valle's last great recordings -- because with tracks as good as "Mentira", "Mais Do Que Valsa", "Nao Tem Nada Nao", "Samba Fatal", and "Tiu-Ba-La-Quieba", it's hard to top yourself!

Genius work from the Detroit underground of the 70s -- one of the greatest records ever on the now-famous Tribe Records label, and a masterpiece of soul, jazz, and righteous spirit! The session's headed by tenor player Wendell Harrison -- and it's got an all-star Motor City lineup that includes Marcus Belgrave on trumpet, Phil Ranelin on trombone, Jeamel Lee on vocals, Charles Eubanks on electric piano, and Charles Moore on flugel horn. The tracks have a spacious spiritual approach that recalls some of the later Archie Shepp on Impulse -- a blend of soul jazz with slight touches of electric instrumentation, some vocals, and a very progressive spirit overall -- stepping proud in the new freedoms of the 70s, yet still swinging and very groovy. Titles include "Angela's Dilemma", "What We Need", "How Do We End All Of This Madness", "Merciful", and "Benificent".

A mix of post-Tropicalia Brazilian rock and some of the more soulful elements filtering through the country's music in the early 70s -- and one of the most enigmatic albums by this unique singer! Sergio's got a sound that's incredibly hard to describe -- at once sweet and melodic, but also kind of twisted, in an intimate singer/songwriter mode. The production of the album is compressed with a number of post-Beatles touches that make it sparkle like work by Caetano Veloso in the mid 70s, or some of the Peruvian rock by groups like We All Together -- and hearing the record gives us the same sort of excitement of new discovery as when we heard their best work. Titles include "Rulzito Seixas", "Viajei De Trem", "Pobre Meu Pai", "Labirintos Negros", "Filme De Terror", and "Lero E Leros E Boleros". (Part of the excellent Samba & Soul series!)

Essential Brazilian rock from the 70s! Secos e Molhados were a post-Tropicalia group that drew on some of the work of Brazilian groups before them, and mixed it up with hard rock and glam styles that were coming from America and the UK. The leader of the group was singer Ney Matogrosso, who went onto become a bigger star in his own right -- and their music has a haunting sound that mixes nice vocal production with spare arrangements supported by guitar, piano, and bass. Difficult to describe, but very compelling -- and a key line in a Brazilian tradition that includes Os Mutantes and the early solo work of Rita Lee.

I think the Dolls shoulda been in the main poll. I bet it wouldve gotten at least 5-7 votes.

But its not my party, so I'm not gonna whine.

I think the Dolls shoulda been in the main poll. I bet it wouldve gotten at least 5-7 votes.

But its not my party, so I'm not gonna whine.

Yeah, probably moreso than Crimson. I take a few liberties here and there, but I try to include what I perceive to be board favorites, which is why I always try to include some of the more popular releases as well

Tie:

ELP, BSS
Yes, Tales from Topographic Oceans
Genesis, Selling England by the Pound

Now this is a guy who I need to hang out with.

nice choices. haven't heard the top 2 in ages. don't even have the first one -- borrowed that from a friend waaaay back in 1996.

Marvin Gaye -- Let's Get It On

Thank you. I've said it before, and I've said it again: Tales from Topographic Oceans has been treated unfairly. Many people have pointed to it as the single album most likely to have ruined the 70's, and that's just bullshit. In today's age of 72-minute CDs, this album hardly breaks a sweat. I don't find it overblown at all. They jam, man! That's all it is, pure and simple, and they shouldn't be ashamed of it. Sure, they got experimental -- there was a long time where I couldn't get through Ritual without getting totally mesmerized by the percussion section in the middle -- but what's wrong with that? If one doesn't take chances, one can't possibly get better, can one?

I think the Dolls shoulda been in the main poll. I bet it wouldve gotten at least 5-7 votes.

But its not my party, so I'm not gonna whine.