little gems

Prince Charles and the City Beat Band" recorded 3 albums [Gang War (1981)/ Stone Killers (1982)/ Combat Zone (1984)]. Charles fronted the group as the lead singer and multi instrumentalist. The futuristic wind synthesizer called the "Lyricon" was the instrument that made his brand of next generation p-funk unique. He looks as though he were a creation from the music video 'bad' and any 70s blaxploitation film.



Here is the genious of the Lyricon:


The lyricon enabled instrumentalists to control a synthesizer by playing a type of electronic saxophone, the synthesizer being contained in a wooden case. Using a form of additive synthesis. anyone who wants to start a cover band surely needs one of these.

Herbie Hancock

Sunlight is a 1977 Jazz-funk fusion album by keyboardist Herbie Hancock. Originally a UK import album, it features Hancock's vocals through a vocoder as well as performances by drummer Tony Williams and bassist Jaco Pastorius.
The album produced a UK single entitled "I Thought It Was You" which was mildly received at the time by jazz listeners. As a whole the album tends to lay more toward funk than a jazz record, and is reminiscent of much of the electro-funk of the time. one of my favourite songs on the album is this one "i thought it was you", which he produced using steven hawking like technology...