Please help me identify this song with flutes and a wonderfully funky bass and vocals sortof like Earth Wind & Fire maybe???? Or something else? It definitely seemed like it was from the 70's

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I heard this song in the store today and I purposely stood longer than usual in this one spot because I noticed this really funky bass and at first I thought "Bootsy Collins? No...is it?" And I listened some more and there were flutes and I thought "Kool & the Gang??" (there were as yet no vocals at all, just the bass and the flutes and maybe some drums) and then they sang a bit and I thought of Earth Wind & Fire. And then almost immediately the goddamn song ended and I wanted to die because no way was I going to walk up to a grocery store cashier and ask what the last song that played was. I mean for god's sake they wouldn't know anyway.

― Punk Juice (Bimble...), Saturday, 30 September 2006 04:11 (nineteen years ago)

What I mean by EWF vocals is they were falsetto vocals, specifically. You see it all went wrong because I'd gone to another aisle thinking I would be able to hear it just as well, but I was wrong and by the time I came back to the correct aisle (baking items, halfway down) it was too late.

― Punk Juice (Bimble...), Saturday, 30 September 2006 04:19 (nineteen years ago)

That description sounds to me like Gil Scott-Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", but without the recitation (which it obviously is not.)

― Monty Von Byonga (Monty Von Byonga), Saturday, 30 September 2006 05:05 (nineteen years ago)

Okay that's another great idea. I'd been kindof thinking of him lately, actually.

― Punk Juice (Bimble...), Saturday, 30 September 2006 05:24 (nineteen years ago)

Mandrill? Osibisa?

― Ghost Bear Junior High Attendance Party (Ghost Bear Junior High Attenda), Saturday, 30 September 2006 05:36 (nineteen years ago)

some questions:

-what song followed it/preceded it?
-based on the other songs you heard in the store, were they playing the radio, a CD or something else? if it was the radio, what type of station was it, do they play hits?
-is the tune definitely 70s R&B?
-was it a disco beat or was it a harder funk beat like K&G would use?

― Lynco (lync0), Saturday, 30 September 2006 14:24 (nineteen years ago)

Are we talking early Kool & The Gang (Jungle Boogie, Funky Stuff, etc.), or later period(s)?

― PappaWheelie burried Paul. The clues are there man! (PappaWheelie 2), Saturday, 30 September 2006 17:22 (nineteen years ago)

Well I wish I had answers to those questions. It seems to me that whatever followed it was something immediately more recognizable and boring, not the same artist. I do not believe they play the radio in that store, unless it's one of those satellite radio things I mean there was no announcer or anything like that. It was just surprising because you would think that in a grocery store you would recognize almost anything you were likely to hear. I would not have characterized it as a hard funk sound at all. Just kindof that laid back disco tempo thing like...Love Unlimited Orchestra or whatever. What struck me was the bass line just seemed very creative and impressive. There was nothing really "in your face" about the song, it was just kindof happy and content.

I really don't know much about Kool & The Gang's career so that may have been a wrong guess on my part. What I can say is it didn't give the impression of being one of those structured songs with verses and choruses at all. Much more instrumental.

I do feel pretty certain it was from the 70's.

― Punk Juice (Bimble...), Saturday, 30 September 2006 17:44 (nineteen years ago)

"Freddy's Dead" by Curtis Mayfield?

― J. Grizzle (trainsmoke), Saturday, 30 September 2006 17:49 (nineteen years ago)

Jamiroquai - "Canned Heat"?

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Saturday, 30 September 2006 17:50 (nineteen years ago)

No not Curtis Mayfield, I know that one. Anyway I just called the store and left a message for some guy who is supposed to know where the music comes from, so we will see if this helps anything. The good part is I can estimate the time I heard it pretty well, within a half hour or so.

― Punk Juice (Bimble...), Saturday, 30 September 2006 17:56 (nineteen years ago)

it is the most frustrating feeling i know of...godspeed.

― J. Grizzle (trainsmoke), Saturday, 30 September 2006 17:58 (nineteen years ago)

Thanks, J.

Okay, a slight breakthrough. I called the store again this afternoon since I hadn't heard back from the message I left this morning. The girl said that it's a service that they pay for to do the music for all their stores called Muzak. I asked her if the songs change or are they the same, she said they're basically the same (fingers crossed). So she gave me the number for the corporate office and I left a message with Accounts Payable there. From looking at Muzak's website, I'm hoping all I have to do is figure out what format or program out of all Muzak's 100 options that the store is paying for and it should be that easy to at least get a track listing (of course god knows how long that list might be). One thing I also know is of a particular Dave Matthews song I heard in there once that I also happen to know the name of. Maybe that will help pin it down.

For anyone who might be interested, here is the website:

http://www.muzak.com/muzak.html

― Punk Juice (Bimble...), Saturday, 30 September 2006 22:42 (nineteen years ago)

The first two songs that came to mind were Con Funk Shun's "Ffun" and Boz Scaggs' "Lowdown."

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Sunday, 1 October 2006 01:02 (nineteen years ago)

Funny you should mention Boz Scaggs, I had been considering that a possibility as well.

― Punk Juice (Bimble...), Sunday, 1 October 2006 06:31 (nineteen years ago)

"I'll take you there" by the Staple Singers? It has some extended solos, and a funky bass.

― ACA (aaiken), Sunday, 1 October 2006 15:24 (nineteen years ago)

muzak!!!

― a name means a lot just by itself (lfam), Sunday, 1 October 2006 15:44 (nineteen years ago)

---what . you don't know what muzak is punk juice....what you heard was a crappy muzak another song. good luck finding out what the original tune might be

― toe-foo (toe-foo), Sunday, 1 October 2006 16:31 (nineteen years ago)

You might want to consider getting a life.

― Punk Juice (Bimble...), Sunday, 1 October 2006 17:21 (nineteen years ago)

Punk Juice, I envy your diligence.

― Hoosteen (Hoosteen), Monday, 2 October 2006 01:35 (nineteen years ago)

Today's Muzak is different from yesterday's.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 2 October 2006 01:43 (nineteen years ago)

Can you remember any lyrics?

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Monday, 2 October 2006 02:33 (nineteen years ago)

it's AWB

― chaki (chaki), Monday, 2 October 2006 02:50 (nineteen years ago)

YOUR LOVE IS A MIRAXLE

― chaki (chaki), Monday, 2 October 2006 03:12 (nineteen years ago)

Well the AWB is a good song and a good guess, but that wasn't it. The Boz Scaggs turned out to be quite recognizable to me and it wasn't that either. Gonna try the Con Funk Shun real soon here.

I was able to get a hold of Accounts Payable at the company and the lady gave me some information as to how the company appears in Muzak's database. So I called Muzak, told them the name of the company and tried to describe the song. At first the guy told me they would call me back in a few days to try to pin the song down for me. Then I kindof steered him in the direction of giving me a list of the songs because I think that would be easier (and I'd be kindof curious to see such a list, to be honest). He did ask what day and time I heard it which he said was very important. He assured me that if all else fails they should be able to provide me with a list of the songs played that day. I feel optimistic at this point.

― Punk Juice (Bimble...), Monday, 2 October 2006 22:28 (nineteen years ago)

Could it be "Dazz" by Brick? That one goes into a flute solo, has a great bassline and falsetto vocal.

― Daniel Peterson (polkaholic), Tuesday, 3 October 2006 16:53 (nineteen years ago)

Well shit, I think that's it! Thanks Daniel!

― Punk Juice (Bimble...), Saturday, 7 October 2006 10:12 (nineteen years ago)

I'm obsessed with this song now.

― Punk Juice (Bimble...), Saturday, 7 October 2006 23:42 (nineteen years ago)

Cymande, maybe?

― Dan Heilman (The Deacon), Sunday, 8 October 2006 02:12 (nineteen years ago)

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