Ripple – I Don’t Know What It Is But It Sure Is Funky
Ripple
Listen/Download Ripple – I Don’t Know What It Is But It Sure Is Funky
Greetings all.
Summer is here, and a new week is underway, and it behooves me to bring you something funky, and so I shall.
But first some important news!
At long last, after considerable -inexplicable- technical struggles, the Funky16Corners Radio Show is now available through iTunes.
Just go to the iTunes “store”, search for Funky16Corners Radio Show and subscribe.
Easy peasy lemon squeezy….
The tune I bring you today is something that I had only the vaguest memories of from my childhood, when a friend posted it up and I fell in love with it.
I was certainly aware of Ripple, with cuts like ‘Get Off/Git Owf’ and ‘Willie Pass the Water’, but their first and biggest hit (and in many ways their coolest song) had by and large escaped my notice (funny how these things work, is it not?).
Anyhoo… once I got my hands on their self-titled 1973 album – which is packed with goodness – I found myself replaying (and singing along with) “I Don’t Know What It Is But It Sure Is Funky” over and over again.
Ripple, who hailed from Michigan, and released a pair of albums, first for GRC and then another for Salsoul, hit the R&B charts a half dozen times between 1973 and 1978.
The group’s sound was basically funky, but with touches of rock and latin mixed in. They at times touched on the vibe of groups like War or Santana, but never so much that they lost sight of their own sound.
‘I Don’t Know What It Is But It Sure Is Funky’ which was their first hit, grazing the R&B Top 10 in the summer of 1973 is a tough, swinging number with a catchy chorus (so catchy in fact that it was sampled a couple of times). Hard enough to be danceable, but with enough groovy stuff going on for pure listening, the song will have your head nodding and your feet moving as well.
I don’t know anything about the history of the band, but after listening to their debut album I’m left wondering why they weren’t a bigger success. They had a tendency to bounce back and forth between funky numbers and mellower stuff, but so did pretty much every other band on the R&B charts at the time.
The band was tight, and the songwriting was pretty solid too.
Why they couldn’t keep it going for longer is a mystery.
That said, this is the kind of jam you ought to be flowing out of your car window on a hot night.
I hope you dig it, and I’ll see you later in the week.
Keep the faith
Larry
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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived!
The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock.
They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US).
Click here to go to the ordering page.
Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).
If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.
Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press
Themocracy
Row-ly, row-ly, row-ly chick-a-boom, now! I also only recently discovered this tune; WDAS-AM in Philly (a truly wonderful Classic Soul station available via iHeartRadio) has it in regular rotation. Wonderful stuff
Mike
I think it was you posting the song on Facebook that made me seek out this LP!
Larry
yesssss Larry…MASSIVE tune on the revival funk scene in London around 1985…great memories.