Trouble Funk: In Times Of Trouble

TTED 1984.  TSR 230101

Discogs

A while ago I posted my only Trouble Funk LP, and I so enjoyed listening to it again, that I’ve bought some more.

This was their second album, and it’s a bit of a monster.  It’s actually a double, half studio, half live.

The studio album is a little uneven; when they’re playing the funk they’re known for it’s fantastic, but there are a couple of slower tracks (especially Share Your Love) which are pretty dire.  They must have run out of material too, because the album closes with both a vocal and an instrumental version of the same track – it’s decent enough, but we really don’t need to hear it twice.

It’s the live album though which really makes this worthwhile and you soon forget about the shortcomings of the studio LP.  A stellar performance in their Washington DC home town, they never put a foot wrong for the whole 30 minutes or so.  Apparently this is their best album, and I’m not surprised; it’s easy to hear that they only came alive in front of an enthusiastic audience.  This is big band funk at its best – it’s such a shame the band were swept away by Hip-Hop.

The live album has no track listing on my copy (which is a German pressing).  The cover and labels just show part 1 and part 2 on sides one and two respectively, but the vinyl itself has two tracks on side 2 with a silent gap in between, so I’ve ripped it in three parts.  There are plenty of sources online for the tracklisting on this disc, all identical, but I’m not convinced they’re accurate (because Let’s Get Small  features on the disc but isn’t listed).  Here it is all the same:

Part 1 :
A groove
That’s what we’re
Talking about
Take it to the bridge
Grip it

Part 2 :
Double Trouble
4th gear
Give me a quick one
Sleep on it

The cover looks like something from one of those “worst of” lists the internet is full of.  These guys shouldn’t be allowed into barber’s shops unaccompanied.  The inner of the gatefold sleeve is also hilarious: