"I'm yo' pimp / I wear my hat to the side and walk with a limp..."
The development of the album as a viable art from can arguably be traced to the British Invasion groups and specifically the Beatles. Sgt. Pepper's might be vastly overrated as audio art, but it did achieve an album long coherence that no other group had attempted back in 1966.
Prior to that, most recorded music was issued in the format of singles or 45 rpm discs. Frequently, those stray pieces of vinyl were collected and issued as compilations. So an overwhelming majority of early funk and soul stuff that could have come to bear some impact on hip-hop is likely sitting around waiting to be discovered. And then came the spate of re-issues ushered in by the likes of Chicago's own Numero Group.
Regardless of where all those one-off recordings are today, the way in which latter day collectors understand Skull Snaps (Samuel Culley, Ervan Waters, George Bragg) is generally obfuscated by the history of the Diplomats.
Coming of age during a time when doo-wop and straight soul was on order, Culley, Waters and a revolving cast of musicians comprising the Diplomats issued a string of traditional sounding fair during the '60s. Recognizing the shift in popular music both in its dissemination as well as its sound, the Diplomats set up shop in New Yawk and changed its name to Skull Snaps.
Issuing a single album in 1973, the ensemble ostensibly disappeared, only to be resurrected by a bevy of mid '90s producers that plunder the self titled album for material. Most frequently recycled is "It's a New Day." The flowing bass notes should be instantly recognizable to anyone even moderately familiar with DJ Premier. That being said, there are too many other folks that've made use of that specific track to mention.
Beyond that best known effort, though, are tracks that cover everything from pimping to failed relationships. While Skull Snaps are occasionally slagged off as being a middling funk group even a cursory listen to its one long player should disprove the claims.
The development of the album as a viable art from can arguably be traced to the British Invasion groups and specifically the Beatles. Sgt. Pepper's might be vastly overrated as audio art, but it did achieve an album long coherence that no other group had attempted back in 1966.
Prior to that, most recorded music was issued in the format of singles or 45 rpm discs. Frequently, those stray pieces of vinyl were collected and issued as compilations. So an overwhelming majority of early funk and soul stuff that could have come to bear some impact on hip-hop is likely sitting around waiting to be discovered. And then came the spate of re-issues ushered in by the likes of Chicago's own Numero Group.
Regardless of where all those one-off recordings are today, the way in which latter day collectors understand Skull Snaps (Samuel Culley, Ervan Waters, George Bragg) is generally obfuscated by the history of the Diplomats.
Coming of age during a time when doo-wop and straight soul was on order, Culley, Waters and a revolving cast of musicians comprising the Diplomats issued a string of traditional sounding fair during the '60s. Recognizing the shift in popular music both in its dissemination as well as its sound, the Diplomats set up shop in New Yawk and changed its name to Skull Snaps.
Issuing a single album in 1973, the ensemble ostensibly disappeared, only to be resurrected by a bevy of mid '90s producers that plunder the self titled album for material. Most frequently recycled is "It's a New Day." The flowing bass notes should be instantly recognizable to anyone even moderately familiar with DJ Premier. That being said, there are too many other folks that've made use of that specific track to mention.
Beyond that best known effort, though, are tracks that cover everything from pimping to failed relationships. While Skull Snaps are occasionally slagged off as being a middling funk group even a cursory listen to its one long player should disprove the claims.
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~ Dave Cantor
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~ Dave Cantor
