Country Funk
Band members Related acts
|
line up 1 (1968-69) - Joe Pfeifer -- drums, percussion, vocals - Jimmy Lanham -- bass, pedal steel guitar - Hal Paris -- vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards - Adam Taylor (RIP 2002) -- vocals, lead guitar
line up 2 (1969-70) - Jimmy Lanham -- bass, pedal steel guitar - Hal Paris -- vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards NEW - Verne Johnson -- vocals, drums, percussion (replaced Joe Pfeifer) - Adam Taylor (RIP 2002) -- vocals, lead guitar
|
- Adam (Jeff Lockwood, Jim Lanham, Joe Pheifer and Adam Taylor) - The Four Rogues (Joe Pfeifer) - Joe Pfeifer (solo efforts) - Pure Prairie League (Jim Lanham) - Adam Taylor (solo efforts)
|
|
Genre: country rock Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Country Funk Company: Polydor Catalog: 24
4020 Country/State: Los Angeles, California Grade (cover/record): VG/VG+ Comments: split top edge Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $30.00
|
Drummer Hal Paris and guitarist Adam Taylor had been friends since childhood. In their teens they found an interest in music, Paris playing in The Millard Fillmore String Quarter, while Taylor formed the pop-psych band Adam. When their respective bands called it quits, in 1968 the pair recruited bassist Jeff Lockwood (RIP) and drummer Joe Pfeifer for the band Family. Within a couple of months Lockwood had been replaced by Jimmy Lanham; Family morphing into Country Funk. Based in Los Angeles, in 1969 the band decided to relocate to the East Coast, initially playing Northeastern ski lodges, moving on to spend some time on Boston's club scene. Pfeifer left before the move and was replaced by Verne Johnson. Johnson subsequently decided to head back to California with Pfeifer coming back into the band.
Signed
by Polydor, the band returned to California to record their "Country
Funk" debut in Hollywood's Record Plant. In the midst of
recording sessions the band's history of
rotating drummers underwent another chapter with Pfeifer being replaced once
again by Johnson. Ultimately Pfeifer was featured on four tracks with
Johnson on the other eight performances. In case you were wo
"Country
Funk" track listing: 1.) Apart of Me (Hal Paris - Andy Taylor) - 3:35 rating: *** stars Powered by an awesome bass line a country-rock tune like 'Apart of Me' could easily have given contemporaries like The Flying Burrito Brothers, or Mason Profitt a run for their money. And when Taylor's mid-section fuzz guitar came blazing in things got all the more interesting. Funny that the song gained some notoriety when Beck Hansen sampled it for his tune 'Sissyneck' from his famed "Odelay" album. The song was tapped as a promotional single:
-
1970's 'Apart of Me' b/w 'A Way To Settle Down' (Polydor catalog number
PD-2-14034)
2.) Phoebe (Mourning Pink) (Hal Paris - Andy Taylor) - 2:07 rating: *** stars With Paris handling lead vocals, 'Phoebe (Mourning Pink)' was a sweet, understated ballad. Shame it was so short. 3.) Really My Friend (Hal Paris - Andy Taylor) - 4:03 rating: **** stars Opening with a nice Lanham bass pattern, 'Really My Friend' shifted the emphasis towards Michael Nesmith-styled pop-country; Taylor adding just the right touch of squealing lead guitar. Lyrically the song was apparently intended as an anti-war statement. Certainly subtler than some of the competition. With Paris again on lead vocals, the song also showcased the band's nice harmony vocals. One of the album's standout performance and would have made for a great single. 4.) Not This Time (Hal Paris - Andy Taylor) - 2:01 rating: *** stars Opening up with a funky little Taylor guitar riff that powered the song, 'Not This Time' was one of the more straightforward country tunes. Luckily the group vocals and melody were enough to compensate for the song's other shortcomings. 5.) For Me (Hal Paris - Andy Taylor) - 2:59 rating: *** stars 'For Me' started out as a pretty if somewhat anonymous acoustic ballad with Taylor (?) handling lead vocals. Luckily the song got progressively stronger when the rest of the band arrangement kicked in. Taylor turned in some of his prettiest guitar work and the backing vocals were beautiful. 6.) Poor Boy (Hal Paris - Andy Taylor) - 4:45 rating: **** stars Showcasing Paris' overlooked keyboards, 'Poor Boy' was interesting for being so different from their typical sound. Taylor's jazzy guitar licks recalled something off the CSN&Y album with his vocals reminding me a bit of Stephen Stills. This was another one that picked up steam as it rolled along.
(side
2) The
first album's first true country tune,
'A Way To Settle Down' quickly lost my attention. The song also
appeared as the "B" side on their 'Apart of Me' promotional
single. Powered by another nifty Lanham bass line 'When I'm Without You' was kind of a swinging blues-tinged with some interesting Paris-Taylor guitar interface. The song also showcased some CSN&Y-styled harmonies. 3.) Comin' In (Hal Paris - Andy Taylor) - 3:03 rating: ** stars I'm just not a big pedal steel fan. 4.) If I Find A Way (Song Of Love) - 3:04 rating: ** stars An overly schmaltzy acoustic ballad with strings and Lanham's pedal steel guitar making it worse ... forgettable. 5.) Another Miss (Hal Paris - Andy Taylor) - 2:50 rating: **** stars Opening up with some tasty Johnson drums and dollops of Taylor's fuzz guitar, the group sung 'Another Miss' had a tasty folk-rocky flavor. 6.) Want (Hal Paris - Andy Taylor) - 2:59 rating: *** stars Let's end the album with a sweet ballad. Okay, perhaps not the most original decision they ever made, but I have to admit it was a good one. Pretty melody and glistening vocals.
1.) When I'm without You (Adam Taylor) - 4:37 2.) If I Find a Way (Adam Taylor) - 3:10 3.) Want (Adam Taylor) - 3:03 4.) For Me (Adam Taylor) - 3:07 5.) Poor Boy (Adam Taylor) - 4:38
During surgery to repair his aorta, Taylor passed on in November, 2002.
© Scott R. Blackerby May, 2025
|
BACK TO BADCAT PAYMENT INFORMATION
ndering,
Johnson was featured on the album cover. A rarity in that the
album was self-produced. Four of
the songs were remakes of demos the band had recorded back in 1968 -
'Another Miss', 'For Me', 'Really My Friends' and 'When I'm with You'.
With Paris and Taylor responsible for
penning the collection's twelve original compositions, you had to wonder
about the band name since other 'A
Way To Settle Down' few of
the tracks were outright country, or particularly funky. Yeah, there
were plenty of country influences on material like 'Not
This Time', 'Really
My Friend' and Lanham's pedal steel on 'Comin'
In', but this certainly wasn't a Gram
Parsons styled country collection In fact, songs like 'Apart
of Me', 'Poor Boy' and 'Another Miss' found
the album tilting to the rock side of the country-rock demarcation
line. About half of the album sported memorable melodies and strong
performances, with the other half
spending too much time in the sentimental ballad arena ('Want' and 'If I
Find a Way'). Still, with the right promotion and support these guys
could have given contemporaries like Parsons-era Byrds, The Flying Burrito
Brothers, Mason Profitt, or Poco a run for their money.
In
1976 Morris Levy's tax scam Tiger Lily label released an Adam Taylor solo
album - "Adam Taylor" (Tiger Lily catalog number
TL-14024). I'm mentioning it because the album was released without
Taylor's knowledge, or participation and included five uncredited Country
Funk selections; all showing Taylor as the sole writer.