The Brothers Gimsby

In the late '70s and early '80s, funk could be divided into two main categories: hardcore funk (which included Rick James, Graham Central Station, Cameo, the Gap Band, the Bar-Kays, and George Clinton's Parliament/Funkadelic empire) and the lighter, softer sophisticated funk ("sophisti-funk" for short) of Rufus & Chaka Khan, the Average White Band, the Whispers, Heatwave, Chic, Dynasty, and Teena Marie. Before the arrival of J.T. Taylor in 1979, Kool & the Gang were the epitome of hardcore funk – and once he arrived, they epitomized sophisti-funk (which was also called "uptown funk"). Another group that epitomized sophisti-funk was the Brothers Johnson, whose third album, Blam!!, demonstrates that funk can be sleek and gritty at the same time. This 1978 classic is full of definitive examples of sophisti-funk; if you're a lover of that style, tracks like "Ain't We Funkin' Now" (a major hit), "Mista' Cool," "Ride-O-Rocket," and the title song are required listening. Equally strong are the mellow ballad "It's You, Girl" and the pop-jazz instrumental "Streetwave," both of which were well-received by quiet storm enthusiasts. The person the Brothers Johnson can thank for this album being so consistent is producer Quincy Jones, who really knew how to bring out the best in the group.

Light Up the Night marked the end of an era for the Brothers Johnson – it was the last of four albums that Quincy Jones produced for the Los Angeles siblings, and it was the last time a Brothers Johnson album was truly excellent instead of merely decent. When Jones was producing the Brothers Johnson's albums from 1976-1980, he gave them something their subsequent albums lacked – consistency. Even though George and Lewis Johnson recorded some decent material after Light Up the Night, none of their post-Jones albums had the type of consistency that Jones gives this 1980 release. The album gets off to an impressive start with the major hit "Stomp!" (a definitive example of the smooth, sleek brand of funk that was termed sophisticated funk in the late '70s and early '80s), and the tracks that follow are equally memorable. From the sleek sophisti-funk of "You Make Me Wanna Wiggle," "This Had to Be" (which was co-written by Michael Jackson and employs him as a background vocalist), and the title song to the tender R&B/pop ballads "Treasure" and "All About the Heaven," Light Up the Night is without a dull moment.

On March 11th, 2020, hours before the United States came to a grinding halt due to the pandemic,The Brothers gathered at Madison Square Garden to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Allman Brothers Band. The concert would prove to be the last public outing for many attendees-as well as the musicians onstage-for over a year. This only added to the mysticism of the event that closed the book on half a century of musical tradition. Featuring performances by original ABB drummer Jaimoe alongside extended
Allman family members Duane Trucks, Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, Oteil Burbridge, and Marc Quinones, The Brothers also sees special appearances by original pre-ABB project Second Coming keyboardist Reese Wynans as well as Chuck Leavell, who played with the band from 1972 to 1976.

One of the last large-scale concerts to take place before the pandemic started came when The Allman Brothers Band alumni teamed up as The Brothers at Madison Square Garden in New York City on March 10, 2020. While remastered video and audio of the show was rebroadcast and shared last June, the concert film/live album The Brothers / March 10, 2020 / Madison Square Garden / New York, NY featuring DVD, Blu-Ray and CDs arrives via Peach Records/The Orchard/nugs.net on July 23 with downloads also coming along with streams on nugs.net and the Amazon Prime service CODA as per Rolling Stone.

A decent 12-song compilation of the group's singles, several of which, including "My Tani" and "Frogg," were never on their individual albums. The mix of tempos and sources encompasses everything from the two moody singles "Greenfields" and "The Green Leaves of Summer" to playful songs such as "Frogg," gospel material ("Nobody Knows"), and robust, stomping pieces ("I Am a Roving Gambler," "Nine Pound Hammer"). The sound is decent, but there's no annotation on this low-priced CD, a straight conversion of a 1967 album.

Going back to 1987's Classics, Vol. 11, there has been a handful of decent single-disc Brothers Johnson anthologies. Through 2012, the group still lacked a double-disc compilation to do proper justice to its catalog. A couple minor issues aside, Stomp: The Best of the Brothers Johnson – released through Universal U.K.'s Spectrum division in 2013 – is an ideal overview. The discs are filled to near capacity, and all but one of the Brothers Johnson's charting R&B singles (the minor hit "Dancin' Free") are included. So, all the hit essentials – including the number ones "I'll Be Good to You," "Strawberry Letter 23," and "Stomp!" – are here, as are some excellent album cuts, such as the low-key sweet soul gem "Closer to the One That You Love." There's still some greatness that remains bound to the albums; "Caught Up" and "In the Way," from Winners, surpass some of the other album cuts here, but neither one is included.