The Chapparrals - 1978 - Shake Your Head

The Chapparrals

1978

Shake Your Head

01. Hittin' It 3:50

02. Stop Cheating On My Lady 3:45

03. Juicy Fruit 3:35

04. Shake Your Head - Part 1 5:15

05. Shake Your Head - Part 2 4:04

06. Country Girl 5:50

07. Coming To You 4:26

08. The Brew 3:31

09. Just Be You 4:30

10. Jam Around The World 3:59

Bass, Backing Vocals – Sandy Allen

Congas, Lead Vocals – Cecil Sparks

Drums, Backing Vocals – Timothy Steed

Guitar – Robert Rawles

Horns, Backing Vocals, – Horace C. Henry

Keyboards – Leroy Dunlap

Saxophone [Sax Horns], Backing Vocals – Andrew Stephens

Timbales, Lead Vocals – Larry Powell

Trumpet, Backing Vocals – Jay Nation

Harmony Vocals [Background Harmonies] – Trancender (tracks: A2, B1, B4)

Originally released in 1978, it’s the only known album by this super hot Atlanta, Georgia band. The Chapparrals were known for wild onstage antics, deep funky sounds and for taking no prisoners when they opened for any of the numerous recording acts they had the pleasure of working with back in the ’70s. These guys are a perfect summation of popular funk groove as their album is a blistering blend of bassy rhythms and tight instrumentation. It also includes mighty sweet keyboards that sneak wonderfully alongside the guitar and horns, sometimes with wild moogy touches that are almost P-Funk. They performed with notables like The Commodores, The Isley Brothers, Sly & The Family Stone, Marvin Gaye, Graham Central Station, Kool & The Gang, Parliamant/Funkadelic and many others. This great album is a compilation of hot, stingy tunes with horns, smooth ballads with strings, featuring both fast and slow funky songs with heavy rhythmic passages. A surefire holy grail funk and soul LP!

Another Funk album that hardly anyone has ever seen an original of from a band that has not even been featured much on any compilations: only two in Discogs at the time of writing. Is it in demand for its obscurity’s sake? Not at all: It’s S-M-O-K-I-N-G! - Damn!!!

Most of the musicians have no other credits, apart from vocalist Larry Powell and producer Morris Ogletree. So much under appreciated talent, unless you were attending a lot of live concerts in the late 70s / early 80s in the USA: The included Japanese sheet features old posters advertising The Chapparrals as support acts for the likes of Bloodstone, Rufus, Donald Byrd, Kool & The Gang, Mandrill, as well as concert photos where they apparently shared the stage with Mother’s Finest, Zapp and the Bar-Kays.

The original 1978 album supposedly had a press run of 1000 copies and surprisingly, the band was around until the late 80s according to Horace Henry in the interview included in the Japanese re-issue.

The opener “Hittin’ It” is an instrumental groove with great horns in the funkiest vein of the aforementioned groups. Funk-o-sizer à la Ohio Players Funky Worm from bar one will get your attention.

“Stop Cheating On My Lady” doesn’t have the strongest song writing pedigree, but a nice 70s Soul arrangement with good horns, and background vocals. It also features nice strings, which unfortunately go uncredited. Where did they get the money from for this!?!?!

“Juicy Fruit” delivers On The One again. It’s semi-instrumental with only the title being chanted throughout. It’s got nothing to do with the later Mtume hit.

“Shake Your Head Pt.1” slows the Funk down to 108BPM and oozes out of your speakers like molasses. J-A-M - G’DAMN!!!.

“Shake Your Head Pt. 2” is a totally different groove, much faster at 120BPM but still funky with great horns. Think early Cameo stuff. Dope!!!

“Country Girl” is close to a ballad and not my cup of tea and a bit average. Again it features strings and female background vocals which are beyond what you would expect from a Chitlin’ Circuit Funk band. Once the guitarist joins in the whole things becomes like an Eddie Hazel Parliament / Funkadelic tune.

“Coming To You” is another slick and sick slow funk jam that would have qualified for a Cameo / Ohio Players / Barkays etc. album. Quality.

“The Brew” is a 138BPM instrumental Disco workout that doesn’t sit well with the rest of the album, but deserves acknowledgement for the string arrangements. The Japanese language interview with Horace Henry reveals that the producer Morris Ogletree professionally worked with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. While they are not explicitly credited, it appears that his connection allowed the recording to use a phat string ensemble. Ogletree, later also worked a keyboarder on the LA. Connection album, which further helps to explain the influence of the Cameo sound here.

“Just Be You” is real ballad territory, again with plenty of strings. The lead vocalist sings chorus and verse but is being helped by those female background voices again from the intro onwards. Horace Henry mentions in the interview text that the female background vocals are by “Trancender” supposedly toured with Marvin Gaye.

The album closer is a strong Funk groove track called “Jam Around The World” and you can imagine them also playing this as their concert closer, setting the bar very high for any of the main acts to follow.

This album is totally worth tracking down, whether original or reissue.

Razor-sharp funk from The Chapparrals -- an Atlanta group from the 70s, and one with a great balance of ensemble grooving and deeper soul roots! There was really something special in the Atlanta scene at the time -- an approach to large group funk that was different than most northern scenes, and which could still come across with a lean sort of energy, even when hitting tight on the money for the dancefloor! These guys are a perfect summation of that groove -- and the album's a blistering blend of bassy rhythms and tight instrumentation -- including some mighty sweet keyboards that snake wonderfully alongside the guitar and horns, sometimes with some wild moogy touches that are almost P&P funk. The whole thing's great -- one of those albums that's rare, but mighty satisfying too