The Day I Danced Like Crazy to Bootsy's "Mpeh, Mpeh" — Katsuhiko Sakaguchi
Table of Contents
Late 80s Stagnation in the Stones World
The Stones' "Dirty Work," Mick Jagger's solo work. As much as I hate to admit it, the late 80s Stones scene wasn't satisfying to me. Come to think of it, I was into P-Funk and Prince at the time, and rock just wasn't stimulating me anymore….
That's when I encountered this album, "Talk Is Cheap." It was Keith Richards' first solo album. As a longtime Stones fan, I couldn't skip it even if my expectations were low. So I bought the analog LP (import edition).
Dropping the Needle on Side A Track 1 — Unexpected Full-On Funk
"Oh, it's my solo!" — the big-face jacket had that kind of vibe, which I thought was pretty cool, and I dropped the needle on the first track of Side A.
Whaaaat! Full-on funk! And that familiar "mpeh, mpeh" bass that sounded like Bootsy. I immediately checked the members, and there was not only Bootsy but also Bernie Worrell and Maceo Parker!
As someone who was obsessed with P-Funk, I had no choice but to dance like crazy in ecstasy.
I was amazed by Keith's connections and impressed by how music you love always connects somewhere.
This track "Big Enough" — the drums are simple, but the groove created by funk masters and Keith's guitar cutting riding on top of it! Totally satisfying!
Side A Development — R&R, Soul, Reggae
The following Side A track 2, the R&R "Take It So Hard" starting with a classic guitar riff. Not just this song, but throughout the entire album, the sound image created by tight drums with almost no fills and reverb-free guitar is truly robust.
After getting into the groove with tracks 3 and 4 being R&R, "Make No Mistake" — a soulful song with Sarah Dash's vocals and Memphis Horns that really gets you. Bernie Worrell's organ solo is tear-inducing... so good...
Side A ends with reggae-style. "You Don't Move Me" (you don't move my heart) was about Mick, according to Keith's autobiography "Life."
Side B — From Pop R&R to Rolling Groove
Side B starts right off with full R&R. "How I Wish" is pop R&R that connects to the next Stones album "Steel Wheels."
The guitar in the latter half of the subdued and cool Side B track 4 "Locked Away," where rhythm and melody intertwine exquisitely. Understated but an absolute listening highlight.
Side B closes with another slightly funky and rolling track. This one features guitar playing all over and overwhelming rhythm sense!
Sublimation into Keith's Style, and the Identity of Groove
Amid the stagnation of the main Stones band and distrust toward Mick Jagger, Keith boldly unleashed the music he wanted to make at that time. He brilliantly sublimated R&R, reggae, soul, funk... into Keith-style R&R.
Groove is created by the spaces where sound is absent.
You can understand this well when listening to the entire album. This is definitely one of the albums I love listening to.
(Sakayan 1962)
Editor's Note
Sakaguchi-san — "Sakayan 1962" is my (Namio's) former colleague from when I worked at a company called Catalog House, and above all, an important music companion from my younger days. Even now, we've jammed together in the studio several times. He's become quite the executive now, but the passion that comes through in his writing remains the same as back then.
As the guitarist of THE BOOTS who won the 17th Ika-Ten King title on "Ika-suru Band Tengoku," the time he encountered "Talk Is Cheap" in the late 80s and rejoiced — that moment lives vividly in this text. The cry of "Whaaaat! Full-on funk!" the moment he dropped the needle on Side A track 1. Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell, Maceo Parker... He, who was obsessed with P-Funk, discovered those connections in Keith's solo album. Music you love always connects somewhere — this is exactly the experience that Album Sweet wants to deliver.
"Groove is created by the spaces where sound is absent" — a conclusion that only someone who has actually played guitar could write. Sakaguchi-san, thank you for the great piece. Let's meet again in the studio.
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