VA – Funk Drops, Breaks, Nuggets and Rarities from the Vaults of Atlantic, ATCO, Reprise and Warner Bros. Records 1968–1977 Vol. 1-3 [2001-2004] (3 X CDs)

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VA – Funk Drops, Breaks, Nuggets and Rarities from the Vaults of Atlantic, ATCO, Reprise and Warner Bros. Records 1968–1977 Vol. 1-3 [2001-2004] (3 X CDs)

When Funk Drops hit shelves in 2001, it wasn’t just a compilation, it was an act of reclamation. Across three searing volumes, this set reached into the dusty vaults of Atlantic, ATCO, Warner Bros., and Reprise to pull out the bones of a genre that once ruled dancefloors and city blocks but had been mostly lost to time. What emerged wasn’t a sanitized hits collection. It was something far more vital: a raw, sweaty resurrection of the deep-funk underground, spanning 1968 to 1974, a time when soul was smoldering and rhythm ruled like law.

CD1 wastes no time. Charles Wright’s “You Gotta Know Whatcha Doin’” kicks the door in with sharp stabs of brass and streetwise swagger. From there, you’re swept into a world built on breakbeats and bass—Tony Alvon’s “Sexy Coffee Pot” has been mined by crate-diggers and hip-hop producers for decades, and The Meters’ “Soul Machine” needs no introduction. But this isn’t just a parade of percussion; it’s a masterclass in mood. Houseguests’ “What So Never the Dance”—featuring a pre-Parliament Bootsy Collins, brings a swaggering, syncopated hypnosis that anchors the entire volume.

CD2 shifts the conversation and is a masterclass in funk’s many dialects. It opens with Bobby Byrd’s “Try It Again,” a James Brown affiliate cut that sets the tone with its raw vocal grit and tight rhythm section. From there, it’s a kaleidoscope of regional funk flavors: The Noble Knights’ “Sing a Simple Song” channels Sly Stone’s West Coast swagger, while The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band’s “Everyday People (In the Jungle)” brings Charles Wright’s LA street-funk into sharper focus. The Meters appear twice, first with the chicken-scratch classic “Chicken Strut,” then again with the deep-cut “Chug Chug Chug-A-Lug (Push and Shove) Pt. 2,” both showcasing New Orleans funk at its most syncopated and sly.

But the real magic of CD2 lies in its balance of the known and the obscure. Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady” and Curtis Mayfield’s “If There’s a Hell Below…” sit comfortably alongside lesser-known gems like Society’s Bag’s “Let It Crawl” and The Southshore Commission’s “Right On Brother Pt. 1.” These aren’t any filler, they’re revelations. And with Baby Huey’s “Hard Times,” Betty Wright’s “Clean Up Woman,” and Allen Toussaint’s “Goin’ Down” rounding out the set, this disc becomes a full-spectrum portrait of funk’s emotional and rhythmic range.

CD3, the final chapter, and arguably the most adventurous. This is where Funk Drops goes full deep-cut evangelist. It opens with The Commodores’ “Keep On Dancing,” a pre-Motown burner that’s all grit and groove, and follows it with Barry Jones’ “Do the Funky Boogaloo Pt. 1,” a track so raw it feels like it was recorded in a garage with the door open and the block party spilling in.

The sequencing is impeccable. Freddie & The Kinfolk’s “Mashed Potato, Pop Corn” and Johnny Cameron & The Camerons’ “Funky John” are pure dancefloor dynamite, while Joyce Jones’ “Help Me Make Up My Mind” and The Stovall Sisters’ “Hang On In There” bring gospel-tinged soul into the mix. The Meters return with “Here Comes the Meter Man” and “Just Kissed My Baby,” anchoring the disc with their signature swamp-funk precision. 

But it’s the lesser-known acts that steal the show. Rasputin’s Stash’s “Your Love Is Certified” is a psychedelic soul-funk masterpiece. Mark Holder & The Positives’ “Whatever’s Fair” and Black Haze Express’ “Won’t Nobody Listen” are the kind of tracks that make collectors lean in and DJs take notes. And closing with Fred Wesley & The Horny Horns’ “Four Play (Promo Edit)” is a stroke of genius, a nod to the Parliament-Funkadelic universe and a reminder that funk’s future was already being written in the margins.

All told, Funk Drops isn’t just three discs of killer tunes. It’s a blueprint, a sonic map of how funk evolved between soul, jazz, and the early tremors of hip-hop. It gives voice to the musicians who shaped a genre from the margins, with handclaps, horn stabs, and dirty, unrelenting rhythm.

For the DJ, it’s a box of breaks. For the historian, it’s an archival triumph. For the casual listener with a good pair of headphones, it’s one hell of a ride. This set is a conversation starter, a sampling toolkit, and a window into when funk was lived, not labeled (B)

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Track lists

CD1

01 Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band - You Gotta Know Whatcha Doin' 3:58

02 Tony Alvon & The Belairs - Sexy Coffee Pot 2:30

03 Meters - Soul Machine 3:28

04 Fabulous Counts - Dirty Red 2:20

05 Gaturs - Cold Bear 2:53

06 Clarence Reid - Nobody But You Babe 2:48

07 Eldridge Holmes - Pop, Popcorn Children 2:52

08 Wilson Pickett - Get Me Back on Time, Engine Number 9 (Part 1 & 2) 6:26

09 Houseguests - What So Never The Dance (Part 1 & 2) 3:58

10 Earth Wind & Fire - C'Mon Children 3:11

11 Tower of Power - Back on The Streets Again 5:51

12 United 8 - Getting Uptown (To Get Down) 2:46

13 Black Heat - Love The Life You Live 6:29

14 Donny Hathaway - Come Little Children 4:34

15 Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band - 65 Bars and A Taste of Soul 2:44

16 Mark Putney - Don't Come Around Here Anymore 2:43

17 Cold Grits - It's Your Thing 2:48

18 King Curtis - Ridin' Thumb 3:06

19 Meters - Same Old Thing 2:49

20 Cold Blood - Shop Talk (Version #1) 4:32

21 Freddi & Henchi & The Soulsetters - Funky To The Bone 2:42

CD2

01 Bobby Byrd - Try it Again 3:36

02 Noble Knights - Sing A Simple Song 2:53

03 Mighty Hannibal - Somebody in The World for You 2:53

04 Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band - Everyday People (In The Jungle) 2:30

05 Meters - Chicken Strut 3:11

06 Aretha Franklin - Rock Steady 3:13

07 Fabulous Counts - Lunar Funk 2:13

08 Mohawks - The Champ 2:39

09 Beginning of the End - Funky Nassau (Pt 2) 2:31

10 T.S.U. Toronadoes - Getting The Corners 2:25

11 Southshore Commission - Right on Brother (Pt.1) 2:37

12 King Curtis - Memphis Soul Stew (Live) 7:39

13 Baby Huey & The Baby Sitters - Hard Times 3:16

14 Curtis Mayfield - If There's A Hell Below, We're All Going to Go 4:20

15 Little Sister - Stanga 3:38

16 Betty Wright - Clean Up Woman 2:46

17 Society's Bag - Let it Crawl 2:37

18 Allen Toussaint - Goin' Down 2:56

19 Dr. John - Right Place, Wrong Time 2:53

20 Meters - Chug Chug Chug-A-Lug (Push and Shove) (Pt.2) 3:26

21 Cold Blood - Kissing My Love 6:04

22 Tower of Power - Stroke '75 1:27

23 T.J. Kirk - Soul Power (Pt.1 & 2) 4:24

CD3

01 Commodores - Keep on Dancing 2:51

02 Barry Jones - Do The Funky Boogaloo (Pt.1) 2:15

03 Freddie & The Kinfolk - Mashed Potato, Pop Corn 2:44

04 Mighty Hannibal - Get in The Groove 2:25

05 Johnny Cameron & The Camerons - Funky John 2:47

06 Rufus Thomas - The Memphis Train 2:32

07 Joyce Jones - Help Me Make Up My Mind 2:44

08 Meters - Here Comes The Meter Man 2:52

09 Commodores - Rise Up 2:49

10 Bobby Byrd - I'm on The Move 2:57

11 Black Haze Express - Won't Nobody Listen 4:11

12 Earth, Wind and Fire - Fan The Fire 3:09

13 Fabulous Counts - Get Down People 2:33

14 Stovall Sisters - Hang on in There 3:34

15 Beginning of The End - Monkey Tamarind 3:35

16 Mark Holder & The Positives - Whatever's Fair 2:41

17 Rasputin's Stash - Your Love is Certified 2:01

18 Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band - What Can You Bring Me 2:47

19 Curtis Mayfield - Get Down (Single Version) 3:53

20 Meters - Just Kissed My Baby 4:37

21 Black Heat - No Time to Burn 3:47

22 6IX - I'm Just Like You 3:26

23 Darrow Fletcher - Improve 2:46

24 New Birth - Hurry Hurry 3:39

25 Fred Wesley & The Horny Horns - Four Play (Promo Edit) 3:30

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