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Curtis Mayfield on The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1972
Song of the Day: After yesterday’s Baby Huey, whose brilliant only album was produced by Curtis Mayfield, let’s turn to the man himself with a trio classic tracks from 1972 that show the full range of his funk and orchestration prowess
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At work and play: Baby Huey, as shown on his sole album of 1971
Song of the Day: We move from Britain’s Labi Siffre to a funk-soul legend from Indiana, who died at the age of just 26 and whose album, The Baby Huey Story: Living Legend was released posthumously in 1971
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Labi Siffre
Song of the Day: After Véronique Sanson, more mid-70s soul-funk full-orchestral music, this time from the influential British artist sampled by Eminem, and two classic songs fully using fat bass and rhythmic violin and brass sections
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Véronique Sanson
Song of the Day: Following from the previous but one song, Bernardette by the Four Tops, a switch of gender, and style, with funk and soul number from the acclaimed artist from the 1970s nouvelle chanson française
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The cover of Lee Moses’s classic 1971 album
Song of the Day: After the Four Tops, two superb and passionate songs about tricky relationships from a hugely under-rated artist who worked in the same circles, and made a classic 1971 album
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Fatoumata Diawara
Song of the Day: After a series of longer established African stars, a more contemporary one – the Ivory Coast born singer songwriter, from her 2018 album, Fenfo (Something To Say), with a song about mass migration
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Youssou N'Dour
Song of the Day: Moving from Morocco, and another huge figure in African music and the style of mbalax, which mixes jazz, soul, Latin, and rock blended with sabar, the traditional drumming and dance music of Senegal
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That's the Fela
Song of the Day: As the heatwave continues let's enjoy a double from Nigeria's prolific genius, one about our most precious resource, the other in relation to a police confrontation involving a planted cannabis joint
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Frankie Smith and friends twirl the rope
Song of the Day: After Malcolm McLaren and echoes of The Boyoyo Boys, another skipping-related number, a 1981 funk hit less about the music, more notable about the first use of "izzle" hip hop stylings
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A Nigerian billboard of the last William Onyeabor release
Song of the Day: From one fantastic man – Nelson Mandela – to another, this time from Nigeria, the enigmatic 1970s and 80s electro-funk maestro who was a true original, spreading joy and positive politics in his music
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Rotary Connection, featuring Minnie Riperton and Charles Stepney (right).
Song of the Day: How to move from bluesy road tunes to this elaborate jazz-soul number at the peak of the psychedelic movement? Partly because this band also backed Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters
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Peter Allen. Enjoying it both ways.
Song of the Day: After yesterday's funky Janelle Monáe number about bisexuality, let's turn back the clock to 1980, and a different disco funk pop hit from an Australian who used a cheeky geographical metaphor
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Janelle Monáe
Song of the Day: It's Saturday, time to get a little bit sexy, and bang up to date with a brand new number that might remind you of someone? Yes Prince did indeed help US singer and rapper Monáe with this before he left us.
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Maybe nine can win? Fabulous family band The Sylvers
Song of the Day: After yesterday's Ty Segall/Hot Chocolate cover comparison, more material playing on the topic of who or may not be the winner in a relationship from the brilliant hip hop and jazz producer and the 70s funk and soul family group
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Ty Segall's new album, Freedom's Goblin
Song of the Day: It's time for an upbeat number for Friday, and so let's enjoy a great new cover version by the American garage rocker that stands up the original, but also resulting in a situation where everyone is indeed a winner
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Unstoppable … !!! work up a sweat on stage
Song of the Day: It is hard to find any material more energising than the music of the New York dance-postpunk band originally from Sacramento, California, who have been delivering blistering live performances for more than 20 years
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Thin Lizzy in '76
Song of the Day: After yesterday's gentle fox song by Belle and Sebastian, we turn to a fox of a different kind in a fabulous rock and funk number from the Irish band's 1976 album Johnny The Fox
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The ever stylish Sly and co, who together made a very special musical family
Song of the Day: Following yesterday's We The People by A Tribe Called Quest, an earlier, and even more influential message of racial unity from the funk pioneers of the late 60s and early 70s
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Beyoncé's Crazy In Love, but where does the inspiration come from, other than Jay-Z?
Song of the Day: You ready? Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh, no, no. An uncharacteristically commercial behemoth to be appearing on SOTD, and while it's hard to resist a song that is so undeniably catchy and brilliant, passionate pop, where does the inspiration, and indeed music, come from?
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Gnarls Barkley
Song of the Day: From one crazy song to another, another by a great singer, this time the Atlanta-born CeeLo Green in collaboration with New York producer Danger Mouse from their acclaimed 2006 album St Elsewhere
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