Ray Munnings
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Funky Nassau (Parts 1 and 2)
The Beginning of the End
Alston
Full of everything we need in funk, a guitar riff that's born from some of that Nassau sunshine which leads you into a horn chorus that'll knock you over. So goddamn soulful and so funky. Ray Munnings' vocals are in total sync for the 3 min 10 second roll of pure groove. A definite daily basis tune. However there are two sides to this super funk band, we have since found other titles by the band and they just don't cut it. 'Monkey Tamarind' has been really the only other tune we can say follows 'Funky Nassau' and is perhaps too similar but never the less still funky. There is also recent re-issues of their self-titled second album and 'Funky Nassau' LP
There is an ocean of music, and for all the great records that we hear and love we still stand upon the beach.
3.Ray Munnings 'It Could Happen To You'
Bahamian singer and keyboard player, Ray Munnings, recorded two LPs with The Beginning Of The End (a group which included two other Munnings brothers) in the 1970s. They will always be best remembered for their 1971 hit, 'Funky Nassau', which brought them international recognition. Munnings would remake 'Funky Nassau' in 1979, at which time he also recorded some new material under the auspices of Dwight Brewster, Stan Lucas and Kenny Lehman. Of the sides he cut that year, the first to hit the streets was the classy, mid-tempo disco-soul of 'It Could Happen To You'. The singles were on limited release on both sides of the Atlantic and have consequently been collectors' items since the '80s
The Beginning of the End
Alston
Full of everything we need in funk, a guitar riff that's born from some of that Nassau sunshine which leads you into a horn chorus that'll knock you over. So goddamn soulful and so funky. Ray Munnings' vocals are in total sync for the 3 min 10 second roll of pure groove. A definite daily basis tune. However there are two sides to this super funk band, we have since found other titles by the band and they just don't cut it. 'Monkey Tamarind' has been really the only other tune we can say follows 'Funky Nassau' and is perhaps too similar but never the less still funky. There is also recent re-issues of their self-titled second album and 'Funky Nassau' LP
There is an ocean of music, and for all the great records that we hear and love we still stand upon the beach.
3.Ray Munnings 'It Could Happen To You'
Bahamian singer and keyboard player, Ray Munnings, recorded two LPs with The Beginning Of The End (a group which included two other Munnings brothers) in the 1970s. They will always be best remembered for their 1971 hit, 'Funky Nassau', which brought them international recognition. Munnings would remake 'Funky Nassau' in 1979, at which time he also recorded some new material under the auspices of Dwight Brewster, Stan Lucas and Kenny Lehman. Of the sides he cut that year, the first to hit the streets was the classy, mid-tempo disco-soul of 'It Could Happen To You'. The singles were on limited release on both sides of the Atlantic and have consequently been collectors' items since the '80s
Alain_Patrick, Aug 27, 2007
referencing Funky Nassau, 7", Single, 45-4595
A feel of a deep Soul-Funk aura, some caribbean-horn flavors, rhythmic guitars, and of course the break drums make "Funky Nassau" from the Nassau brothers project entitled The Beginning Of The End one of the major classics of Funk-Soul genre and a standard for the Breakbeat era.
The opening lyrics "Nassau's gone Funky... Nassau's gone Soul!" works like a trademark for the era it represents. "We've gotta jugg'on beat now! We gonna call our very own!
Nassau Rock... and Nassau Roll... Nassau got... a whole lot of Soul!" brings lot of rhythmic elements embraced by a deep feeling.
The most sampled parts are indicated on the solo parts: "Listen to the drummer... playin' this beat!" is followed by Frank 'Bud' Munnings' hot drum solo (which is back on the openning of "Funky Nassau Part 2"); "Listen to the bass man... go get the same groovery!" announces Fred Henfield's bass solo (whose quote was sampled years later by Steinski & The Mass Media on "Let's Play It Cool", 1988); "Listen to the guitar, give that Soul some too!" adds Liroy 'Roy' Munnings' guitars on it.
The well-known passage "New York, you know? Has got a whole lot of Soul!" is an evidence of the Big Apple's Music influence on the rest of the World since the sixties & seventies for all the related genres. Since then, several Breakbeat style bands and artists, from Hip Hop to Jungle, Drum n' Bass, some Electro among other Breakbeat made use of instrumental solos from American Funk-Soul bands, many of them from New York.
Drum n' Bass producer Paradox used fragments of "Funky Nassau" on his "Kool Is Back"; also did DJ Mink on the WARP classic "Hey, Hey - Can You Relate?" for all the drum solo; Breakbeat act Renegade Soundwave on "Ozone Breakdown" too, just like did Cuba on the downtempo piece "White Shadow".
"Nassau's got sunshine... and this you all know! But we've gone Funky... And we've got some Soul too! Funky Nassau!" is just one more evidence of the hottest Soul-Funk combination that is at the core of "Funky Nassau". The timeless classic was included on countless compilation since them, from Kenny Dope's 'Choice: A Colection Of Classics' to Liam Howlett's 'The Dirtchamber Sessions Volume One', the 'Funk 45's' selection, just to mention some.