''Spirit of the Boogie'' is the sixth studio album by

Kool & the Gang Kool & the Gang is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B, soul music, soul, and funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964. Its founding members include brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell (musician), Ronald Bell (also known as " ...

, released in 1975. It can be seen as a follow-up to '' Wild and Peaceful'' (1973); the instrumental "Jungle Jazz" uses the same basic rhythm track heard in "

Jungle Boogie "Jungle Boogie" is a funk record by Kool & the Gang from their 1973 album '' Wild and Peaceful''. It reached number four as a single, and became very popular in nightclubs. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the number 12 single for 1974, despite as many ...

", but lets the players improvise on their instruments (saxophone, trumpet and flute). References to earlier works can be noticed ("Ancestral Ceremony" contains the line: "making merry music...", which was the name of a song from their 1972 album, ''

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans (actor), Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was televis ...

''). "Spirit of the Boogie" features Donald Boyce, who was rapping on "Jungle Boogie". Some African influence can be felt, and the band even play in a West-Indian style on "Caribbean Festival", another instrumental track, with once more much room for improvisation. The LP cover mistakenly lists "Cosmic Energy" as track 4 instead of "Sunshine and Love". "Cosmic Energy" was actually released on the next album, '' Love & Understanding''. In one of the songs in the album, entitled "Jungle Jazz", the repetitive drum beat that is heard after the drum fill at the beginning has been sampled in over 50 songs, including " Don't Walk Away" by

Jade Jade is an umbrella term for two different types of decorative rocks used for jewelry or Ornament (art), ornaments. Jade is often referred to by either of two different silicate mineral names: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in t ...

and " Pump Up The Volume" by

M/A/R/R/S MARRS (stylised M, A, R, R, S) were a 1987 recording collective formed by the groups A.R. Kane and Colourbox, which only released one commercial disc. It became "a one-hit wonder of rare influence" because of their international hit " Pump Up ...

; it can also be found as a sample in FL Studio's files.

Track listing

Personnel

;Kool & the Gang * Ronald Bell – arrangements, vocals (1), acoustic piano (1, 2, 5, 7, 8),

clavinet The Clavinet is an electric clavichord invented by Ernst Zacharias and manufactured by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany, from 1964 to 1982. The instrument produces sounds with rubber pads, each matching one of the keys and respond ...

(1), ARP synth bass (1),

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...

(1–3, 5, 6, 8), percussion (2, 3, 5, 6),

ARP synthesizer ARP Instruments, Inc. was a Lexington, Massachusetts manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, founded by Alan R. Pearlman, Alan Robert Pearlman in 1969. It created a popular and commercially successful range of synthesizers throughout the ...

(5, 7, 8),

kalimba Mbira ( ; ) are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. They consist of a wooden board (often fitted with a resonator) with attached staggered metal tines, played by holding the instrument in the hands and ...

(5), alto flute (7) * Ricky West – vocals (1, 2, 5), clavinet (2, 3, 5), acoustic piano (6),

Moog synthesizer The Moog synthesizer ( ) is a modular synthesizer invented by the American engineer Robert Moog in 1964. Moog's company, R. A. Moog Co., produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 2014. It was the first commercial synthesizer ...

(6) *

Claydes Charles Smith Claydes "Charles" Smith (born Claydes Eugene Smith; September 6, 1948 – June 20, 2006) was an American musician best known as co-founder and lead guitarist of the group Kool & the Gang. Biography Early life Born in Jersey City, New Je ...

– guitar (1–3, 6–8), arrangements (8) * Kevin Bell – guitar (2, 6), arrangements (8) *

Robert "Kool" Bell Robert Earl "Kool" Bell (born October 8, 1950), also known by the name Muhammad Bayyan, is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is the last surviving founding member of the American R&B, soul, funk and disco band Kool & the Gang. ...

– bass guitar (1–8), vocals (1), arrangements (8) *

George "Funky" Brown Kool & the Gang is an American R&B, soul, and funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964. Its founding members include brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell (also known as "Khalis Bayyan"), Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "S ...

– drums (1–8), vocals (1, 2, 6), percussion (3, 5, 6), acoustic piano (6), arrangements (6, 8) * Dennis "D.T." Thomas –

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgians, Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in the key of E♭ ( ...

(1–3, 6), vocals (1, 2, 5, 7), flute (3), percussion (3, 8), arrangements (8) * Otha Nash – trombone (1–3, 6, 8), vocals (1–3, 6), arrangements (8) * Robert "Spike" Mickens – trumpet (1–3, 5, 6, 8), vocals (1, 2), percussion (2, 3, 5, 8), arrangements (8) ;Additional Personnel * Don Boyce – vocals (1) * Something Sweet – backing vocals (5, 6)

Production

* Producers – Kool & The Gang * Recorded and Mixed by Harvey Goldberg * Overdub Engineers – Godfrey Diamond, Alec Head, Ray Janos, Terry Rosiello and Ron St. Germain. * Mixed at

Record Plant The Record Plant was a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and last operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it produced highly influential albums, including the New York ...

(Los Angeles, CA). * Artwork – Frank Daniel and Diane Nelson * Photography – Henry Arvinger

Charts

Singles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spirit Of The Boogie Kool & the Gang albums De-Lite Records albums 1975 albums