PhillyCheeze's Rock & Blues Reviews: Fred Schneider

Friday, April 12, 2024

#673 : Bernie Worrell - Wave From the WOOniverse (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

2024 – Org Music

By Phillip Smith; April 12, 2024

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

Funkadelic’s Uncle Jam Wants You was released while I was in my senior year of high school. I absolutely loved that album. It led me to record stores in search of more music by this wonderous band. Bernie Worrell (April 19, 1944 – June 14, 2016) was an integral part of the P-Funk family, and over the years his name appeared on many albums I purchased. Wave From the WOOniverse, a posthumous release produced by former Bernie Worrel Orchestra bandleader Evan Taylor is a double album set to be released on Record Store Day April 20. From unfinished works extending over twenty years old, the thirteen tracks on this album are brought to life by artists Worrell had worked with or had been friends with.

After being lulled into the record with the piano-laced spacy “Intro (Reflections on a Bird)”, Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads) guides the listener into the beyond with a motherlode of funk on “Distant Star”. To hear the Bootsy Collins’ voice break out in “What Have They Done to My Funk” absolutely puts a smile on my face. And for the win, the song also includes Michael Moon Reuben, Bootsy’s son Ouiwey Collins , and Buckethead who absolutely tears it up on guitar. Leo Nocentelli, Fred Wesley and Stanton Moore create a wonder funky jam with “Heapin’ Bowl of Gumbo”. It’s absolutely fantastic. With an intro that sounds like a long-missing instrumental of 2001 A Space Odyssey, “Re-Enter Black Light” eventually takes a high-tech turn into a pulsating space-age rave. Sean Ono Lennon appears on bass guitar for this hypnotic groove. I was overjoyed to hear Fred Schneider on “The Big WOO”. If the B-52’s ever joined with Funkadelic, this is what it would sound like. I’d love to hear an entire album featuring this musical two-fer which also included Marco Benevento on keys and Steve Scales on percussion. My heart skipped a few beats when I first heard “Contusion” performed by Funkadelic with none other than Eddie Hazel on guitar. This previously recorded and unissued Funkadelic song is a mind-bender. Wave From the WOOniverse comes to an funky heart-warming end with its title track. For the closer, Miho Hatori lends her rapping mastery with Sarah La Puerta on lead vocals and Steve Scales on percussion.

Wave From the WOOniverse is everything I hoped it would be and a whole lot more. I’ll treasure this album for a long, long time.

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Sunday, February 15, 2015

The B-52’s live at Riverside Casino 2/14/15

Riverside, Iowa

By Phillip Smith; Feb 15, 2015

One of my all-time favorite bands, The B-52’s descended upon the Riverside Casino in Riverside, Iowa last night and gave a stellar Valentine’s Day performance in front of a packed house. It was a special night, as the evening marked the 38^th anniversary of their first concert performing together. Original founding members Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, and Cindy Wilson were joined onstage by guitarist Greg Suran, bassist Tracy Wormworth, drummer/percussionist Sterling Campbell, and guitarist/keyboardist Paul Gordon.

The band kicked things off with “Pump”, off their most recent studio album, Funplex. This one got the crowd excited and the energy flowing. The only other track from this album, was “Love in the Year 3000”, introduced by Kate who acknowledged Riverside, Iowa as being the future birthplace of Captain Kirk while pondering the details of how his parents hooked up.

Deeper cuts played, included the songs, “Girl from Ipanema Goes to Greenland” from Bouncing Off the Satellites and “Is That You Mo-dean?” from Good Stuff. Cindy gave a touching introduction to “Girl…” reminding us it was off the last album her brother Rickie played on before he passed in 1985. This one was Cindy’s song to sing.

For a short while, Kate and Cindy held down the fort with “Roam” and “Legal Tender”, which quickly filled the aisles with dancers and revelers. As soon as those songs finished, Fred mysteriously returned to stage donning a red ‘Kate-like’ wig. Stating it was party time, the band tore into “Party Out of Bounds”. Afterwards, Fred exclaimed “It’s fun being a red-head!”

The set is ended with crowd-favorite “Love Shack”, which brings the entire audience to their feet. As the B-52’s return for their encore, the familiar spacy beeps from “Planet Claire” fill the air. It’s still amazing to hear Kate’s enchanting siren-like vocals on this one. I remember thinking; this must have been what the siren songs which called out to Odysseus sounded like. It was so captivating. To wrap things up, the audience was treated to an extended dance version of “Rock Lobster”, a true classic off their first album. With red lobster-color lights shining upon the stage, Kate danced her heart out, and never seemed to break a sweat.

This was hands down, a fantastic show, and a fun concert.

* all photos by Phillip Smith