BETTY DAVIS 1st lp '73
BETTY DAVIS
reviews now completed
.......BETTY DAVIS was born BETTY MABRY in Pittsburgh, Pa, in the late 60s she moved to N.y., and her first writing credit was for the CHAMBER BROTHERS, the song 'uptown'............ later she met MILES DAVIS and marryied him in '68, she turned him onto psych rock of the times such as JIMI HENDRIX, and SLY STONE which helped to influence his musical career, she would appear as a model on one of his lps ' Filles de Kilimanjaro ' , and later he would claim that she was too young and too wild for her, well people should not marry someone half their age anyways, fast forward to the early 70s, she released 3 super heavy funk lps in ; ' 73, ' 74, and ' 75, their content offended some church goers that they would protest her concerts, and because of some of the sexual content of her music her radioplay was limited, .......well in april '05 we were sent a super cd of hers called ' THIS IS IT ', which are basically most of the tracks from the 1st 3 lps, well allthough for example the first lp reviewed here is almost the 1st lp , it contains the first 6 songs, same with the 2nd lp, as for her studio lps there are at least 2 more in her catologue, one from session work in ' 79, and another a comp. of sorts............onto the reviews ~
BETTY DAVIS ' 73 lp
1 ' IF I'M LUCKY I MIGHT GET PICKED UP '
EXCELLENT number,..........this song sets the scene for the lp, a HEAVY funk rock number with GLAM ambiance, and enthusiasm from her band, which one member lenda an air of camp u won' t forget, its' a song about a prostitute working the streets.......' I SAID IF I'M IN LUCK I JUST MIGHT GET PICKED UP, I SAID I'M DISHIN' , TRICKIN' CALL IT WAHT U WANT I SAID I'M WIGGLIN' MY FANNY ( male singer - 'oh heeyyyyy' )..........SO ALL U LADY HATERS DON' T BE CRUEL, DON 'T CRUSH MY VELVET ( male singer - oh hey i can dig it ' ) :)
2 ' WALKIN' IN THE ROAD '
soul-rock with that ' 73 sound, makes u wanna dance,.....' I GOT A FEELIN' THAT I' M GONNA GIVE U CHILDREN, FAMILY LIKE A JUNKIE, WHEN U FEEL IT GET DOWN WITH IT NOW, I'M WALKING UP THE ROAD GONNA UPLIFT YOU, AND WHEN IT STARTS GETTING GOOD NOW'.........
3 ' ANTI -LOVE SONG '
interesting title which would have seemed more in with the times a few yrs later, but DAVIS was AHEAD OF HER TIME,.......this is slow funk with a piano tingling away ' NO I DON' T WANNA LOSE U CAUSE I KNOW HOW U ARE, THATS WHY I' VE BEEN STAYING AWAY FROM U, THATS WHY I HAVEN' T CALLED U'...................' SURE U SAY YOUR RIGHT ON AND YOUR RIGHTEOUS'...........ends with wild elec. guitar notes and the background singers singing ' no i don' t wanna love u'............
4 ' YOUR MY MAN '
this number about 2 girls who both want the same guy has a cat fight towards the end.......organ dominated with the musicians doin' a jam behind the vocals.........' SAN FRAN, N.Y. IN BETWEEN, YOUR MY MAN, WHAT DOES IT MEAN' ?..................................' CAUSE HE's YOURS ALL YOURS'.........( i know judo, i know karate,.....u don't tell me....)
5 'OH YEA'
SLY STONE type funk ( 'gonna get funky soon' ).......' DO U WANT IT, OH YEA, DO U NEED IT, IS IT GOOD FOR U, LISTEN, LISTEN, CAN U HEAR IT NOW'..................' ARE U CLIMBING, IS IT NICE UP THERE, DO U WANNA LEAVE, DO U WANNA LEAVE ,, WE DON' T WANNA LEAVE, WE DON' T WANNA LEAVE, WE FEEL NICE UP HERE, WE FEEL FREE UP HERE'...........
6 'STEPPING IN HER I MILLER SHOES'
I MILLER refers to a high class kind of platform shoes that were popular on the street around the early 70s, this one is GREAT GLAM FUNK................'STEPPING IN HER I MILLER SHOES, SHE COULDA BEEN ANYTHING THAT SHE WANTED, TRULY FINE......................FROM HER HEAD DOWN TO HER TOES, INSTEAD SHE BECAME NOTHING'................................'SHE WAS A BLACK DIAMOND QUEEN, THE ( ? ) WROTE SONGS ABOUT HER, SHE CAME TO THE JUNGLE FROM MILWAUKEE, STEPPING IN HER I MILLER SHOES'...............
7 'SHOO B DOO WOP AND COP HIM'
slower funk, more subdued with disco singing........' GALS, SHE's A FINE, FINE, THING, LORD KNOWS SHE SURE IS FINE, GIRLS I CAN' T HELP MYSELF ( bck singers - she' s gonna do it ).....I'M GONNA DO IT TILL THE COWS COME HOME'.......
8 ' HE WAS A BIG FREAK '
this funk tune is played very well with the organ and bass leading the way, and the musicianship one could say is rates highly......... as are BETTY's vocals and lyrics too........' I USED TO BEAT HIM WITH A TURQUOISE CHAIN, WHEN I WAS A WOMAN, I PLEASED HIM, WHEN I WAS HIS MISTRESS OOHHH, WHEN I WAS HIS FLOWER OOOHHH I ANSWERED TO THE NAME OF ROSY MAE' !
9 ' DON' T U CALL HER NO TRAMP '
GREAT song, call this one SUPER 70s FUNK, dominated by the organ, the girl singers camp it up later in the song........' U CAN CALL HER TRENDY, SUPERFICIAL, AN ELEGANT HUSTLER, DON' T U CALL HER NO TRAMP, I SAID IT DON' T TAKE TOO MUCH AHH, AHH, TO MAKE HER HAPPY, WINE AND DINE HER'..........
BETTY DAVIS' 2nd lp 'SOME SAY I'M DIFFERENT ' '74
JUST LOOK AT THIS COVER, THAT AFRO, THAT OUTFIT !!
HEAVY slick funk with raspy vocals, tight sound built around organ and vocals, electric guitar solo wails '( ha,ha,ha,)........ MUISC MADE EVERY WAY, GRAB YOUR EYE, DON' T U START PLAYIN' GET FUNKY LIKE A SKUNK, DO U HEAR WHAT I'M SAYIN', PLAY ANYTHING U WANT (chorus) GIT IN THERE, DANCE, DANCE, DANCE................NOW EVERYBODY KNOWS WE GOT SOUL !
11 ' THEY SAY I'M DIFFERENT '
bluesy guitars lead way to singing about old blues and rock singers.......' THEY SAY I'M DIFFERENT CAUSE I'M A PIECE OF SUGAR CANE, SWEET TO THE CORE THATS RIGHT I GOT RHYTM, MY GREAT GRANDMA DIDN' T LIKE THE FOXTROT, NO, INSTEAD SHE................TALKIN' ABOUT HOWLIN' WOLF, LIGHTNING HOPKINS, CHUCK BERRY, CHUCK BERRY CHUCK BERRY WHEN I WAS SWEET 16, TALKIN' 'BOUT T BONE WALKER, LEADBELLY............OH HEY BO DIDLEY HAVE U HEARD ' ??
12 ' 70s BLUES'
as the title implies this is a bluesy soul # 'I WOKE UP THIS MORNING I WAS FEELING SO BAD I DIDN' T KNOW WHAT WHAT WAS WRONG, I HAD A PAIN IN MY HEAD, I TOOK A LOOK IN MY MIRROR AND WHAT DID I KNOW, THE BLUES WAS BARE , THE BLUES HAVE TAKEN OVER, I SAID THE BLUES HAVE TAKEN OVER'......
13 ' YOUR MOMMA WANTS U BACK '
bass HEAVY funk, s n a p drums....'CAN U HEAR YOUR MOMMA CALLING, YOUR MOMMA WANTS U BACK , CAN U HEAR YOUR MOMMA CRYING, YOUR THE BEST THING SHE EVER HAD, WHAT I SAY, YOUR MOMMA WANTS U BACK OH'......
14 ' YOU and I'
afterall that heavy funk comes a break in the form of this ballad, a WONDERFUL slow number this is in the style of ROBERTA FLACK/CAROL KING with ambiant vocals.......' I'M JUST A CHILD TRYING TO BE A WOMAN AND U, U ARE A STRANGE ONE TRYING TO BE MY MAN, ALL LYING HERE, LYING HERE SO CLOSE TO ME, TRYING.....I LOVE U, I LOVE U, I LOVE U, BUT IT's SO HARD, I WISH I COULD GIVE U, I'D BE FREE .............'
MORE TO COME STAY TUNED !
Tulsa, Ohlahoma, a nineteen year-old black man name Dick Rowland, gets into an elevator in the Drexel Building at Third and Main Streets. He accidentally steps on the foot of the elevator operator, Sarah Page, a white woman. Not knowing it was accidental, she attempts to hit the man with her purse. He grabs her, attempting to stop her assualt, she screams, he runs out of the elevator (and the building). Ms. Page tells the Police that the boy had attempted to criminally assault her. She later changes her story and said he grabbed her. The Tulsa Tribune published the assault account that afternoon. Dick Rowland was arrested, the sheriff said, for his safety.
By nightfall, rumors were Dick Rowland would be lynched.
Tuesday May 31, 1921
The rumors of a lynching grew more real as a crowd of whites started to gather at the county jail.
When the news of the possible lynching reached the black community, a group of black men called the sheriff and offered their services to protect the jail from being attacked.
9:00 pm
A crowd of about 400 whites gather around the jail, some say to help with or view the lynching. Shortly there after, the news reached the black community. A group of about twenty five blacks, all armed, head to the jail. When they arrive, they find out the story had been esagerated. After talking to the deputy sheriff, whom reassured them no harm would come to Mr. Rowland, the blacks went home. But later they returned, this time numbering about seventy five. Again the sheriff convinced them no harm would come to Mr Rowland. As they were leaving a white man (possibly a deputy) attemped to disarm one of them. A shot was fired.
By 10:00 pm shots were being fired indiscriminately by both sides; twelve men were dead (two black). The fighting continued until around midnight. The blacks, being outnumbered, begin to retreat back to their section of town. Mobs of whites began to drive around the streets, shooting any black person they saw.
Wednesday June 1, 1921
Sometime near 1:00 am, the mayor and chief of police sent a message to the Governor informing him that the riot was out of control and requested assistance. The Governor activated the Oklahoma National Guard and requested two companies of soldiers from Fort Sill. The first group of Guardsmen arrived before 2:30 am. By 5:00 am, a mob of 10,000 - 15,000 whites gathered near First St. and Elgin then marched on Greenwood (Little Africa). They used machine guns and airplanes that dropped nitroglycerin in an all out attack on the black section of town, killing, looting and burning everything in sight.
By 9:00 am martial law had been decreed and the national guard took control of policing the city. They set up interment centers at the Convention Hall, McNulty Ball Park, and the Tulsa Fairgrounds to house persons detained for civil prosecution. Eventually more than 6,000 rioters were apprehended. Loss in Fire, $1,500,000 - $2,000,000. 1503 residences completely destroyed, 600 businesses, 21 churches, 21 restaurants, 30 stores, 2 movie theaters, a hospital, a bank, the post office, libraries, and schools.
The number dead range from 36 to 3,000. It is said by some that mass graves exist in old mine shafts, thus the wide margin of difference in the total number of dead.
for more of this story, read the AFRO AMERICAN ALMANAC at this link here -
http://www.toptags.com/aama/events/okriot.htm
BETTY DAVIS' 3rd lp 'NASTY GAL' '75
16 ' FUNK '
COOL Glam-funk, the beginning sounds like WILD CHERRY, band resembles LOU REED's band jamming ( think of the live version of 'SWEET JANE' )....... ' F-U-N-K, FUNK, FUNK YEA, FUNK WOA, HELP ME NOW NIGGER HELP ME, I WAS BORN WITH FEAR, I WILL DIE WITH FEAR, BECAUSE IT's IN MY BLOOD,...........SLY STONE CAME ALONG CAUSE HE TOOK ME HIGHER, STEVIE WONDER, TINA TURNER, AL GREEN, ANNPEOBLES, HELP ME NIGGER NOW, HELP ME.......BARRY WHITE, ISAAC HAYES, THE O'JAYS,.....I'M GONNA TELL U ABOUT A MAN, ABOUT A MAN WHO WAS BORN WITH A LOT OF FEELING IN HIS HANDS, HIS NAME WAS JIMI HENDRIX, ARETHA FRANKLIN, CAN U SAY IT, A SAY CHAKA KHAN, THE FUNKADELICS REALLY CAN DO IT '.......
18 'GETTING KICKED OFF'
a low down groooove, the underside of glam-funk, campy too.......' I'M A ROCKER, I THINK ABOUT ( ? ) A TIDDLYBOPPER, DROVE 'EM NOW, DID U DO, DID U DO.............ARE U A GROOVER, DO U LIKE TO GET HIGH, IS YOUR BEST FRIEND PARANOIA, TELL ME NOW ! ARE YA, ARE YA, ARE YA.......?
19 'SHUT OFF THE LIGHT'
fast paced vocals and the band constructs a funk spiderweb between organ , drums, and guitars'SHUT OFF THE LIGHT.........OOOOO LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL CHILD, I SAID I SAID TAKE ME, MAKE ME DO ANYTHING U WANT WITH YOUR HANDS JUST LET IT RIDE,HHHMMMM SHUT OFF THE LIGHT......
20 ' THIS IS IT '
SUPER-Funk, sounds like 2 drummers, with electric guitar blazing jabs, bolts left and right, guitar sounds almost like KEITH RICHARDS on 'FINGERPRINT FILE'.......'FUNK Y'ALL, RIGHT YEA, THIS IS IT DO U HEAR ME GIRLS, AND THEY CAN DO IT NO NASTIER THAN THIS WOMAN, GIVE 'EM SOME'.........................' DON' T U HOLD NOTHING BACK CAUSE THIS IS IT ' !
