''Spirit of the Boogie'' is the sixth studio album by Kool & the Gang, 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", 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 and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African ...

''). "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 a mineral used as jewellery or for ornaments. It is typically green, although may be yellow or white. Jade can refer to either of two different silicate minerals: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group of ...

and " Pump Up The Volume" by M/A/R/R/S; it can also be found as a sample in FL Studio's files. ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of the three main music industry trade magazines in the United States, along with '' Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 under the name ''Music Vendor'', but in 1964 it was changed to ''Record Wo ...

'' said that the single "Caribbean Festival" "lived up to its title" and has "whirlwind rhythms."

Track listing

Personnel

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

clavinet The Clavinet is an electrically amplified clavichord invented by Ernst Zacharias and manufactured by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany, from 1964 to 1982. The instrument produces sounds by a rubber pad striking a point on a tension ...

(1), ARP synth bass (1), tenor saxophone (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8), percussion (2, 3, 5, 6), ARP synthesizer (5, 7, 8), kalimba (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 developed by the American engineer Robert Moog. Moog debuted it in 1964, and Moog's company R. A. Moog Co. (later known as Moog Music) produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 20 ...

(6) * Claydes Charles Smith – guitar (1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8), arrangements (8) * Kevin Bell – guitar (2, 6), arrangements (8) * Robert "Kool" Bell – bass guitar (1-8), vocals (1), arrangements (8) *

George "Funky" Brown Kool & the Gang is an American R&B/soul/funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964 by brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell, with Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, and Ricky West. T ...

– 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 Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

(1, 2, 3, 6), vocals (1, 2, 5, 7), flute (3), percussion (3, 8), arrangements (8) * Otha Nash – trombone (1, 2, 3, 6, 8), vocals (1, 2, 3, 6), arrangements (8) * Robert "Spike" Mickens – trumpet (1, 2, 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 is a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and currently operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it has produced highly influential albums, including Blon ...

(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