Experience Unlimited - 1977 - Free Yourself

Experience Unlimited

1977

Free Yourself

01. It's All Imagination 3:25

02. Functus 4:59

03. Peace Gone Away 4:54

04. Free Yourself 8:06

05. Hey You 3:41

06. People 6:17

07. Funky Consciousness 9:18

Bass, Vocals – Gregory "Sugar Bear" Eliot

Congas, Vocals, Percussion – “Pops” Andre Lucas

Drums – Anthony “Block” Easton

Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals – Donald R. Fields

Electric Piano, Organ, Clavinet – Michael Hughes

Percussion, Wood Block – "Nivram" Marvin Coward

Tenor Saxophone, Vocals – Clarence "Oscar" Smith

Timbales, Vocals, Percussion – David Williams 

Trombone, Vocals, Percussion – Greylin T. Hunter

Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Percussion – Philip Harris 

Vocals – Bobby Owens, Donna M. Taylor, Melva "Lady" Adams, Wayne Davis

Recorded on July 29th, 1976 at Bias Recording Studios, Falls Church, VA, issued on Black Fire Records, BF-19757, in 1977.

Experience unlimited had originally started out in 1973 when they met at Ballou Senior High School in South-East D.C. and came to the attention of Black Fire Records’ Jimmy Gray after winning a school talent competition. “Jimmy saw that we had a lot of potential and he put us into the studio,” remembers bandleader Gregory “Sugar Bear” Elliott. “That was our first experience recording - I remember that he just told us to be ourselves and we just gathered together and played. We were young kids then saying what we felt.”

Free Yourself is a free-flowing album, full of positive messages and infectious grooves. “We could play any style,” continues Sugar Bear. “The album has a lot of different songs and feelings – from ‘Peace Gone Away’ to ‘Funky Consciousness’ which features some heavy guitar work and ‘Free Yourself’ where you can hear early stylings of go-go – it’s all in one. We just wanted to record where we were at.”

Side A – The Party Starters

"It’s All Imagination" (3:26): Kicks things off with bright horns and a bouncy rhythm that says, “Good morning, neighbor—let’s get funky.” Catchy, optimistic, and the perfect “wake up your soul” opener. Sugar Bear’s vocals have that warm, inviting charm—like your cool uncle who gives life advice over barbecue.

"Functus" (4:51): An instrumental burner named like a Latin verb your high school teacher would love. Heavy Funkadelic-style riffage, tight rhythms, and horns that stab with precision. It’s the musical equivalent of watching a well-rehearsed marching band suddenly decide to get nasty. Donald Fields’ guitar is already flexing.

"Peace Gone Away" (4:47): A soulful mid-tempo plea with real emotional weight. The band shows they can slow down without losing the pocket. Think classic 70s conscious soul—smooth but never sleepy.

"Free Yourself" (8:03): The title track and undisputed champion. This is where early go-go percussion starts percolating like coffee on a hot stove. Extended groove, call-and-response energy, and a liberating message. At eight minutes it feels like a mini-journey: you start dancing, then pondering life, then dancing harder. Pure catharsis in wax form.

Side B – Deeper Cuts and Epic Closers

"Hey You" (3:40): A punchy, direct number with ties to local promoter Max Kidd. It’s got that “get on the dancefloor right now” urgency. Short, sweet, and effective—like a funk telegram.

"People" (6:10): The acoustic-guitar ballad detour. Haunting harmonies from Wayne Davis (I believe) and a moment of genuine introspection amid the funk storm. It’s beautiful, but in the middle of this album it hits like a slow song at a wedding reception—everyone sways awkwardly while waiting for the beat to drop again. Necessary breathing room, though.

"Funky Consciousness" (9:08): The grand finale. A marathon jam with screaming guitar solos (Fields goes full Eddie Hazel/Carlos Santana at points), breakbeat-like energy that would make early hip-hop DJs drool, and horns for days. This track alone justifies buying the record. It’s like the band said, “We saved the best chaos for last.” By the end you’re exhausted, enlightened, and possibly levitating.

Sound and Production: Raw, Punchy, and Alive

The rhythm section (Sugar Bear’s rubbery bass + Anthony “Block” Easton on drums + Andre “Pops” Lucas on congas) is locked tighter than a D.C. traffic jam. Horns punch through, guitars wail with rock attitude, and Michael “Professeur Funk” Hughes holds it down on keys. Production by Jimmy Gray and Charles Stephenson keeps it band-focused—no excessive gloss. Modern reissues (especially the Bernie Grundman-mastered ones from Now-Again, Strut, or Vinyl Me, Please) sound glorious: warm, dynamic, and full of air.

Strengths, Quirks, and a Touch of 1977 Reality

Strengths: Infectious grooves, genuine positivity, top-tier musicianship, and historical importance as a bridge between 70s funk and go-go. Themes of love, peace, freedom, and self-liberation feel earnest, not preachy. It’s party music with a brain.

Quirks: As a debut from young players, it’s a bit transitional. The ballad interrupts the flow like a yoga instructor at a kegger. Vocals are solid but the real star is the collective groove. Original pressings are rarer than a polite online argument—hence the cult status among crate-diggers.

Robert Christgau gave it a B, basically saying the grooves are great but some of the vibes felt a tad vacuous. Fair enough—1977 critics were tough.

Free Yourself is an 8.5/10 deep-funk treasure that still slaps in 2026. It’s not flawless perfection, but it’s alive—full of joy, sweat, community spirit, and enough percussion to power a small city. If you love 70s funk, jazz-funk hybrids, or the roots of go-go, this is essential listening. Put it on at a gathering and watch strangers become friends by the third track.

In short: Experience Unlimited didn’t just want you to dance—they wanted you to free yourself. And decades later, this record still does exactly that, one percolating conga at a time. Highly recommended, especially on vinyl with the fat liner notes. Turn it up, move your hips, and thank the D.C. gods for Sugar Bear and crew. Funk on.

One of the great forgotten sounds of mid-70s Funk was the Washington D.C.-based ensemble Experience Unlimited (later shortened to Eu). Though best later known as pioneers of the “go-go”subgenre of dance/funk, and for their Billboard-charting hit “Da Butt” in the late-80s. The group was a potent collective of Jazz-Funk musicians, in the vein of innovators like War, Earth, Wind, & Fire, and similarly overlooked DC contemporaries Oneness Of Juju. Experience Unlimited were renowned for their ostentatious instrumentals, winding and precise rhythms and grooves, and party-ready jams, all of which are on full display on their debut record Free Yourself, which came more than a decade before their greatest commercial success, but is no less heavy on the Classic Deep Funk sounds.