LP Reviews: Con Funk Shun 7 and To The Max
Con Funk Shun 7
Released: 1981
LP Charts: #17 R&B, #82 pop
With the release of Touch (B-) in very late 1980, we saw Con Funk Shun essentially mail in an album that was in their tried-and-true late 70s formula.
Well, with Con Funk Shun 7, the group began struggling to make sense of the changing musical scene as that ‘70s funk-soul sound had to compete with the ever growing influence and pressure of programmed instruments. Con Funk Shun shows signs of strain with this new musical order.
Right off the bat, there is “Bad Lady”. Sure it has the funky Yacht Soul groove they had mastered, but that groove feels rather perfunctory here. Furthermore, it’s spliced with an unnecessary vocoder vocal and squiggly synthesizers. Other mundane funk tunes include “Body Lovers” (featuring more incongruous vocoder!) and “A Song For You”.
Mind you, Con Funk Shun is a pretty good band and they don’t fall flat on their face. On the positive side of the ledger is “I’ll Get You Back”, a funky groove with more zest and synth bass that fits their aesthetic. Meanwhile, “California 1” deserves to be on a Christopher Cross album. YES, that’s a compliment.
Quite surprising on this album are “Promise You Love” and “If You’re In Need Of Love”. They are much longer than the typical Con Funk Shun song. Indeed, “Promise You Love” clocks in at 7:36, which is the longest song they ever recorded minus the instrumental “Seascape” from their debut nearly a decade earlier. It has a classy, faux jazz feel as Felton Pilate and Michael Cooper croon alongside a swell saxophone. “If You’re In Need Of Love”—all 6:35 of it—instead focuses on the slow Yacht boogie.
I prefer the boogie over the faux classy jazz, but they’re both fine songs.
And it wouldn’t be a Con Funk Shun album without slow and boring Pilate ballads. This album’s entry in that collection is “Straight from the Heart”.
ALBUM GRADE: C
I mighta been convinced to provide a C+, but Con Funk Shun 7 is way too sedate overall and there’s no single song that grabs your attention. This album comes and goes without leaving a permanent impression.
Song Scores
Bad Lady: 5/10
I’ll Get You Back: 7/10
Body Lovers: 3/10
Promise You Love: 6.5/10
If You’re In Need Of Love: 7/10
Straight from the Heart: 5/10
A Song For You: 5/10
California 1: 6.5/10
To The Max
Released: 1982
LP Charts: #9 R&B, #115 pop
Well, things somehow got better and worse for Con Funk Shun.
To The Max has two truly terrible songs and one truly great song. The great song would be “Love’s Train”. That ballad is an amazing 80s R&B classic. Huge, impressive synth bass and an impassioned lead vocal from Michael Cooper that captures heartache perfectly.
The terrible songs are “Take It To The Max” and “T.H.E. Freak”. Both have influences of new wave and given the results, I suggest Con Funk Shun shy away from new wave on future albums. We shall see if they magically took my advice from the future…
Mercifully there is some unadulterated funk thanks to “Ms. Got-The-Body” plus the more svelte “Ain’t Nobody Baby”. “Let’s Ride and Slide” and “Hide and Freak” are also on the funk tip, but aren’t as enjoyable.
“You Are the One” ably straddles the divide between the old world of funk and the new one arriving.
And it wouldn’t be a Con Funk Shun album without slow and boring Pilate ballads. This album’s entry in that collection is “Everlove”. Okay, I have to admit this ballad is actually alright.
ALBUM GRADE: C+
I’ll concede a C+ to this album. The two bad songs are really bad, but the other seven are at the very least passable and usually above average. Plus there’s the classic “Love’s Train” that you really do remember well once the record stops spinning.
Song Scores
Ms. Got-The-Body: 7/10
Let’s Ride and Slide: 5/10
Everlove: 6/10
Hide and Freak: 5/10
You Are The One: 7/10
Take It To The Max: 3/10
Love’s Train: 8.5/10
Ain’t Nobody Baby: 7/10
T.H.E. Freak: 3/10