Curtis Mayfield - Superfly (1972 Film)
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Free Music Notes for Superfly (1972 Film)
Free Music Review: Curtis Mayfield's Triumph
Hit: 5 Stars
God Bless you, Curtis Mayfield.
Okay, so I'm a 41 year old white male, big deal...you think I know nothing about soul...about funk...about groove? Think again. I grew up on this kind of stuff and I still find myself going back to it again and again not out of pure nostalgia, but because to me, it's "real music".
Curtis Mayfield was a genius. It seems like everytime you turn around now somebody who hasn't even paid his/her dues is being called a genius or a diva which is kind of a sad commentary, because those people that they are calling geniuses cannot even hold a candle to Curtis Mayfield. You think Snoop Dog is going to hold up to the test of time? You really think in 30 years you're gonna pull out your Eminem Cds and tell your grandkids, "Oh, yeah...now that was music..." I don't think so...
Mr. Mayfield struck a true chord with this recording. Without being obscene or vulgar he captured the sorrows, the joys, the ups, and the downs of not just people who lived on the city streets, but the everyday ups and downs of just being human and to me, that's a triumph in itself.
I love this CD. You really have to sit and be with it and just allow it to seep into your psyche and know that what affects one affects the whole and what affects the whole affects the one. That's empathy. That's pathos. That's soul. That's life.
God Bless you, Curtis Mayfield...thank you for all you left behind.
Free Music Review: Curtis,please come back....
Hit: 4 Stars
Going by today's definition of "music"-anything goes,particularly
if it's loaded with 'mf'type language.Obviously,this was evidenced at the 2006 Oscars,which demonstrated how badly Curtis Mayfield's 'Superfly' is missed;at least the lyrics are clean.And particularly, if the Oscars are going to be awarded to outright [junk],Mayfield should be awarded a posthumous Oscar for 'Superfly.'
Free Music Review: The Best. The Ultimate. The only Curtis Mayfield.
Hit: 5 Stars
I love the songs. Raw music of the 70s. To think I was only a kid back then and these songs impregnated in my mind and heart. I love Curtis Mayfield. A must own CD for any music lover. Free Music Review: If your reading this review, You simply must own this Soundtrack....
Hit: 5 Stars
Curtis Mayfield was already something of a well-known figure in the Soul and Rhythm & Blues scene before he made this soundtrack for the 1972 blaxploitation film of the same name. His work as leader of "The Impressions" helped greatly, and more importantly, his incredible solo artist debut album "Curtis" marked him out as a significant talent, with a warm and Passionate vocal talent, coupled with some of the smoothest and exuberant upbeat funk& Psychedelic soul, thanks to his proficiency with the guitar
(both acoustic & Electric).
But in agreeing to soundtrack the Soundtrack for the movie "Superfly", Curtis was far too shrewd to simply just deliver a wonderfully musical soundtrack, and what he did was to, actually take the opportunity to produce a soundtrack with a underlying message. One that highlights the dangers of 'Running the Streets' and a strong 'Anti-Drugs Message', and although Curtis is clever enough to match the music and lyrics closely enough to the line of the film, and make the majority of songs readily identifiable with various key scenes of the film. So whether its the surging powerful horns arrangements that highlight "Little Child Running' Wild", with it's cautionary message of "Little Child Runnin' Wild, Watch a while, You see he never smiles, Broken home, Father gone, Mama tired...So he's all alone", over dramatic stinging brass, and Curtis' soothing vocal tone, moralising the depressing tale. "Pusherman" seemingly takes the perspective of a drug dealer, and details the false friendship, a dealer initiates in order to sell his drugs, the lyric "I'm your Doctor When in need, Want some coke?, Have some weed!!??, You know me, I'm your friend, Thick and thin", over the sparse sounding almost metallic drum rhythm, and a frantic, warbling trombone that cuts into the track and emphasises the decidedly seedy/moody and gritty nature of the track.
"Freddies Dead" is a pivotal track in the narrative of the album, as it retells the tale of a junkie/pusher that gets caught up in the lifestyle and becomes a causality because of it, and peoples indifference to his fatal plight, reflects peoples attitudes to junkies "Everybody's misused him, ripped him up and abused him, Another junkie plan, pushin' dope for the man., A freddies on the corner now, If you wanna be a junkie wow...Remember freddies dead!!", over the slow funk guitar heavy groove, mixed with swaggering trumpets and plaintive strings for a track drenched in psychedelic funk, and remains arguably one of the emotionally piercing tracks on the album. "Junkie Chase" is a brief instrumental that has a urgent intensity, with speedy funk guitars, and dramatic brass sections, with sharp trumpet arrangements all working together the convey the speed of a chase scene via an instrumental funk workout, admittedly I wished this instrumental was several minutes longer. "No Thing on Me (Cocaine Song)" pulls no punches in its damning of the powdered substance, citing it changing people mindsets and taking all comers irrespective of class or race, and yet again Curtis' wordplay shines with: "There's somethin' kinda funny How The Man take your money, He's shrewd as he can be, In such a way you'll never see, It's a terrible thing inside, When your natural high has died...The weaker turn to dope, And put all aside their hope" are accurate in the way that people fall to the drug, yet Curtis resists the temptation to make this a finger pointing exercise and instead highlights the perils, of those that become consumed by the drug. And finishing off the album is the superlative "Superfly" track, with it's Slinky moody deep, dark grooves, trademarked wah-wah guitar, and creates a beautifully 70's style uptown soul, that has a completely lush atmosphere, thanks the impeccable musicianship, of Curtis and his band, and yet the music exudes a confident swagger thanks to Curtis elegant vocal and consice lyrical content: "The game he plays he plays for keeps, hustlin' times and ghetto streets, tryin' ta get over, (that's what he tryin' to do, y'all), taking all that he can take, gambling with the odds of fate, tryin' ta get over...woo, superfly!!!", is simply fantastic, and I defy anyone to at the very least, to not do a little shuffle, when they play this track at a reasonably loud volume.
Considering that this soundtrack is some 30+ years old, its still remains not only one of Curtis' greatest musical achievements, but also still arguably one of the greatest movie soundtrack albums ever made. The musical/instrument side of things is simply astounding, and although it clearly references a period in the 70's, its still has a dynamic creativity and vitality that musical, still stands up against virtually anything the funk/Soul genres have to offer. But the most truly amazing thing is how a social consciousness, crept into the songs and made for powerful climatic stories contained within the songs that at the very least, require listeners to read the lyrics and see how seamlessly intergrated the lyrics run concurrently with the movie, and perfectly reflect pivotal scenes in the film. I'll end by say that, anyone that is in any way at all interested in Curtis Mayfield's music, simply must own this album, (even if you own a "Best of"), as this album's narrative simply needs to be heard in it's intended form, and this is a album that far outshines the movie, it accompanied, and (unlike the film, nowdays), is still an absolutely essential purchase.
Free Music Review: A Masterpiece...
Hit: 5 Stars
There aren't many albums that are as well constructed as Curtis Mayfield's "Superfly", let alone movie soundtracks. This is one of my favorite albums of all time. Every track is consistent with the overall theme of the album, yet they remain strong when listened to individually. I challenge anyone to listen to "Pusherman" or "Little Child Running Wild" and not be moved by the beat or the lyrics. Although created for the blaxploitation flick "Superfly", this album stands up on its own thirty years since it's release and remains vital. When you watch the movie "Superfly" today, its amazing how badly the producers incorporated the music into the movie. The liner notes touch on this and point out several of the errors in judgement. That aside, I feel that this is a CD that everyone should hear. Even the songs that weren't hits are amazing. The instrumental "Think" is such a beautiful song, starting with an after hours blues guitar riff from Curtis and building to a crescendo that always gives me chills. The track "No Thing On Me (Cocaine Song)" is a powerful anti-drug statement (ironic considering the subject matter of the movie Superfly) and is a positive message that unfortunately is still needed in our addiction ravaged culture today. The slow and sexy "Give Me Your Love" is a wah-wah guitar driven jam that is some of the best make out music I've ever heard. If you haven't heard this album, don't hesitate, just get it. Chances are you will recognize many parts of the music, as this has been sampled by many hip-hop and R&B artists in the past few years who also recognize that this is one of the best albums ever recorded.