Track Listing

1. Funky Stuff
2. More Funky Stuff
3. Jungle Boogie
4. Heaven at Once
5. Hollywood Swinging
6. This Is You, This Is Me
7. Life Is What You Make It
8. Wild and Peaceful

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30245 in Music
• Released on: 1996-03-19
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Amazon.com
Originally formed as the Jazziacs in 1964, Kool & The Gang took their new identity in 1969 when they signed with DeLite Records. Led by bassist Robert "Kool" Bell, this horn-driven band left their jazz roots behind when they combined the rhythmic elements of funk with the party flavor of disco. With no formal lead vocalist, their songs relied more on grooves and instrumental power than pretty lyrics sung by a pretty voice (though this would change in the 1980s when they added lead singer J.T. Taylor). Released in 1973, Wild and Peaceful broke them to a wider crossover audience. Fueled by three killer hit singles--"Funky Stuff," "Jungle Boogie," and "Hollywood Swinging"--the Kool & the Gang sound hits full throttle here. For killer party jams, this is the one. --Tom Vickers

Customer Reviews

Best album from the greatest funk ensemble ever
Parliament, James Brown, and even Prince earn the headlines for greatest funkateers of all the time, but old testatment Kool and the Gang, pre JT Taylor, was the greatest band of all time. Their horns are tight and reveal the chops that lie underneath the riffs. "Jungle Boogie"'s horn lick is one of the best funk riffs ever. This was the first time they put it all together for an album that has no weaknesses. "Jungle Boogie", "Hollywood Swinging", and "Funky Stuff" are all classic cuts, but I like some of the lesser known tunes as well. "Wild and Peaceful" has a nice jazzy vibe and "Heaven at Once" has one of my favorite lines, "we're scientists of sound, matheamatically putting it down."

Classic funk from a very underappreciated band. The Godfather, James Brown, called Kool and the Gang is second favorite funk band [after his own of course]. Kool and the Gang has a positive message, stellar musicians, and no holds barred thrown it down funk.

Give this a listen and see the best of classic funk.

5 stars [classic album!]

--sd

THE album to own in the fall of 1973
When I was in the 3rd grade in the fall of 1973, this was THE album to own in Black American communities. Before J.T. Taylor arrived and the group became "dull and the bland" to their original core of fans, this album topped the soul charts with back-to-back raw, jazzy and funky hits like "Hollywood Swinging,"" Funky Stuff," "More Funky Stuff" (check the guitar solo), and "Jungle Boogie." An additional treat is the beautiful "Heaven At Once," where Kool Bell has a heart-to-heart talk with his younger brother Wahid to a lovely jazz background. Get this, "Live at the Sex Machine," and their self-titled debut "Kool & The Gang" and you'll see why the orginal version of this group were "Scientists of sound who were mathematically putting it down!"

Pivotal album for Kool and the Gang
This album was the one that broke Kool and the Gang through to the mainstream. Unfortuantely it also marked the shift in their style and (in my opinion) the beginning of their decline. Prior to this album they had released a number of "Kool jazz" records that were mostly instrumental but were excellent. Wild and Peaceful was their first really commercial funk records that de-emphasized the jazz element in their sound. Don't get me wrong. I think this is their best album song-for-song. And they did have a string of good records afterward, but I miss the early K&G sound. If you are a fan of K&G today, this is the record that defined their sound going forward. If you'd like to hear how they sounded in the early days check out some of their stuff from the late 60s to 1972.