A damn funky record – way more so than you might expect from the "string" in the title! The group's kind
of an answer to the Soulful Strings
ensemble headed by Richard Evans for Cadet/Concept in
Chicago – and like that group, it mixes up funky rhythms with some sweet large orchestrations – in a style that's almost a precursor
of blacksploitation funk to come in the 70s! Paul Riser handles arrangements – very much in the same spirit
of Evans – and he picks up a hip Motown groove that bridges sweeping soul and gritty funk – all played to perfection by an
ensemble led by Gordon Staples, and featuring players from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra! There's lots
of funky nuggets in the set – and titles include excellent originals like "Strung Out", "Toonie", and "Sounds
of the Zodiac" – plus "The April Fools", "The Look
Of Love", "Get Down", "If Your Love Were Mine", "Someday We'll Be Together", and "From A Heart That's True To Only You".
(Cover is worn with staining and aging.)
1.
Gordon Staples & The String Thing —
Strung Out ... LP