The Meters - 1976 - Trick Bag

The Meters

1976

Trick Bag

01. Disco Is The Thing Today 4:08

02. Find Yourself 4:10

03. All These Things 3:30

04. I Want To Be Loved By You 5:22

05. Suite For 20 G 4:30

06. (Doodle Loop) The World Is A Little Bit Under The Weather 3:50

07. Trick Bag 3:19

08. Mister Moon 4:00

09. Chug-A-Lug 3:20

10. Hang 'Em High / Honky Tonk Woman 5:35

Ziggy Modeliste – drums

Art Neville – keyboards, vocals

Cyril Neville – congas, percussion, vocals

Leo Nocentelli – guitar, backing vocals

George Porter, Jr. – bass guitar

Kenneth "Afro" Williams – percussion

Tony Owens – backing vocals

Terry Smith – backing vocals

Earl King – father's vocals (track 7)

Powered by the wonderful Leo Necentelli on guitar, George Porter, Jr. on bass, Joseph “Zigaboo” Modeliste on drums, Cyril Neville on drums, and Art Neville on keyboards, this band put together some high-powered music that, aside from the classic “Cissy Strut,” never charted as high as it should have.

This release of the 1976 album shows a band at its peak. Disco was just getting under way, and the band pays tribute with the opener “Disco is the Thing Today.” It’s an okay cut, thankfully, it’s the only straight-ahead disco track and it just helps to highlight how good the rest of the tracks were. The slow funk of “Find Yourself” has a killer groove with Nocentelli giving a clinic on the “popcorn” funk guitar style. On cuts like this one and “I Want to Be Loved By You,” Porter shows off some hellacious bass chops while really holding the groove in line. In fact, the rhythm section work thoughout is amazing! Nocentelli, by the way, is much more than a one-trick pony. Check out the gorgeous octave and single-line work on an instrumental version of James Taylor’s “Suite for 20 G.” Incredible stuff. They also re-do “Hang ‘Em High,” the spaghetti western classic, in a Santana-esque groove where he also shines. And, their cover of “Honky Tonk Women” showcases not just Leo’s rock chops, but the entire band’s. The set also has a blistering version of Earl King’s “Trick Bag.” Monster stuff.