Curtis Mayfield: Classic or Dud?

Curtis, Curtis Live, Roots & Superfly is a heck of a run of albums. I spent the weekend listening to all four a few times and they are just perfect. Curtis Mayfield had just about the perfect sound, it was funky, fuzzy and driving yet laid back, lovely and melodic at the same time. That is not an easy combination to pull off.

― earlnash, Sunday, June 13, 2010 10:24 PM (1 year ago)

Is there a concert length video of him from the early 70s anywhere? I've only come across isolated single tracks from OGWT and a couple of US various artists shows.

Plus Curtis Live is the only live audio full length that I've come across from the 70s. think a couple of 90s shows have appeared but I prefer the original era.

To add to comment earlier in the thread I thought he was in the middle of a major comeback when a lighting rig fell on him. The Wag Club type crowd of 80s/90s hipster/mod types (I'm thinking Acid Jazz-type folks) seemed to really like him and I think it was crossing over a bit more mainstream if I remember rightly.

There is a pretty good bio dvd on him called Movin On Up which is interspersed with performance videos. Must rewatch it. But from what I can recall of looking at it before you can't isolate the performances from the narrative and I don't think they're full performances. Hope rewatching proves that wrong though.

I could be wrong but I think many of the performances are lip synchs fromn memory - hence disappointing.

I liked him live when I saw him in the old 930 Club on F St in DC, in hmmm, the 80s or 90s.

are those Impressions albums worth picking up, or should I just stick with a comp? there are so many of them and I imagine many of them are just vehicles for the singles. but, maybe I'll be surprised?

The Young Mods' Forgotten Story is beautiful. Get it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_9Xy2JF1vo

if you're not doing anything else today you might listen to There's No Place Like America Today and groove the fuck out to a genius piece of music

So in Love is incredible.

Yeah that whole album is perfect, my second of his favourite after the debut.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuytQvycLag

if you're not doing anything else today you might listen to There's No Place Like America Today and groove the fuck out to a genius piece of music

― cosi fan whitford (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Friday, May 25, 2012 2:28 PM (2 weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yes! been doing this a lot lately

Curtis, Curtis Live, Roots & Superfly is a heck of a run of albums. I spent the weekend listening to all four a few times and they are just perfect. Curtis Mayfield had just about the perfect sound, it was funky, fuzzy and driving yet laid back, lovely and melodic at the same time. That is not an easy combination to pull off.

― earlnash, Sunday, June 13, 2010 10:24 PM (1 year ago)

This is totally otm.

― Only the RONG Survive (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, February 12, 2012

Was listening to these on a long car ride this weekend. Great stuff

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi6DDa5cVMU

'Back to the World,' 'Got to Find a Way,' 'There's No Place Like America Today,' 'Sweet Exorcist' and 'Short Eyes' never get enough props. Somebody needs to make those albums easily available. Mayfield is definitely my favorite soul artist.

^this.
I picked up vinyl of 'Let's Do it Again' OST, produced by Curtis with Staple Singers on at least one track. Also recommended.

How did I previously miss "There's No Place Like America Today"? Had seen it, but never listened till last night on Spotify.

I think it may have been one of the first of his lps I heard about since it was on the mid 80s NME best 100 lps of all time list if I remember rightly. Took me a lot longer to get my hands on it and I really need to give it another ear soon.
Iconic cover.

I have most of the solo lps up to about '75. Really need to grab the 2fer cd of Sweet Exorcist/Got to Find a Way and could do with a new copy of the s/t lp Curtis. Think my last copy is in pretty naff state.

Still wish there was more performance footage of him around.

How had I never heard this before?!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy56BvFDgEE

this is the shit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sBQPVnKO_Y

"Do Do Wap" was a common pick of mine when I dj'd out. Love that song. I had never heard the Patti Jo one, really diggin' my first listen.

Doo Doo Wap is one of my favourite Curtis songs. Short Eyes is his most underrated album.

He did his own version of Make Me Believe In You on Sweet Exorcist but I think the first version I heard of it was Amerie's cover in 2007.

Never heard short eyes. Title always weirded me out a bit

I assume he meant something else besides pedophile

the first version I heard of it was Amerie's cover in 2007

same tbh

mayfield's records are pretty damn strong until the end of the 1970s, then they start getting soporific pretty quick.

XP - Cusrtis' Short Eyes album is a soundtrack to a prison flick which details how child molesters are treated in prison.

So, yes, it is a pedo reference.

*Curtis'

75th Birthday Tribute event in Washington DC

*Curtis Mayfield tribute with Professor Aaron Cohen and DJ Jahsonic at 11 am Sunday December 17th at the National Gallery of Art East wing Theatre for free followed by movie Urban Soul at 1:30pm

https://www.nga.gov/calendar/lectures/lectures-signings/curtis-mayfield-tribute.html

An interesting presentation. Professor mentioned Mayfield's use of f sharp, and how Hendrix learned some from Mayfield when Jimi opened for him. He played a demo from when Mayfield was 15 and showed a video clip of Mayfield acting in a movie

Looking forward to Cohen’s book, although I also need to read that one by Mayfield’s son

Over the years, I've become to really love "Here but I'm Gone". That tune is so lovely, sad and true. It even takes a whole other trip when you consider the circumstances that Curtis wrote and sung it. It is a rare piece of music that if considered, makes you check yourself.

Future Song (Love a Woman) slays

https://open.spotify.com/track/3hi078NgfqTvFj98hbECFR?si=tzu63FwrQ6-jDkJX5p824A

Shit is tight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpJtb3rL2SU

HAWTT uncut '72 set from Beat Club:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk4n52qwwlI

Soundcheck from same:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sF1uF-28MZE

absolute perfection.

damn, curtis is so good

inner city blues, holy shit!

yeah this set is radical. whole band smokes.

XP IKR Silly me never realized until now how much of a Curtis song it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSoULq1pOsE
The Notations - Superpeople

Heard this and thought wow that's the most Curtis Mayfield-y thing I've ever heard. Turns out they were on the Curtom label. Dope song.

So classic. I'm no expert or completist, but did Curtis ever sing in anything other than his falsetto?

Tuomas being so dense itt.

hmm. I mean I'd say technically he goes out of a true falsetto a lot but I can't think of anything that wasn't in a high register.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOzlCJDPjV0

This song has the lowest register vocals from him that I've heard, and he still does a semi-falsetto in the chorus.

Anyone know anything about the Rhino reissue of his first 4 solo albums that happened last year?

https://www.amazon.com/Keep-Keeping-Curtis-Mayfield-1970-1974/dp/B07KLS2XDZ/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=curtis+mayfield&qid=1591438979&sr=8-1

This one? It is a nice set.

Yeah that one. Reading some good things

hard to beat that price tbh

Looks good, be prepared, tho, that Sweet Exorcist isn't quite as good as the first three. That and his other 1974 album Got to Find a Way are okay, then There's No Place Like America Today from 1975 raises the bar again, but that one is pretty much his last truly good album. The ones after that are still worth listening because they usually have one or two great songs, but his peak creative period as a solo artist was those five years from 1970 to 1975.