The METERS....tight,funky vibes

I prefer The Meters' Josie label era (about '68 - '70). This is mostly instumental music, roughly the New Orleans counterpart to Memphis' Booker T. & The MG's better-known efforts, but in more of a funk, less soul vein, with a higher ratio of originals to covers. Both groups were long-time studio house bands for singers hailing from and/or recording in their respective cities' scenes. The Meters went on to somewhat wider major label success for a while in the early-to-mid 70's on Warners/Reprise, and while those records are worthwhile in a more mainstream way, I feel it's really the earlier stuff that ultimately distinguishes them most - and what sublime stuff it is. The classic lineup was Art Neville on keys, Leo Nocentelli on guitar, George Porter Jr. on bass, and the inimitable Ziggy Modeliste on drums, the same group perhaps most famously heard backing singer Lee Dorsey's mid-60's Amy label hit singles (Working In A Coalmine, Ride Your Pony, Get Out My Life Woman). There have been many repackages and reissues of the Josie material, both imported and domestic, over the years, and I don't know what's currently available on what labels, but you probably couldn't go far wrong with any assemblege of this period's output which looks respectably put together. Some standout singles tracks to keep an eye out for: Sophisticated Cissy, Sehorn's Farm, Cissy Strut, Ease Back, Dry Spell, Look-Ka Py Py, Chicken Strut, Hand Clapping Song...
(Hint: Listen for the all the grooves sampled by rap artists during that genre's mid-80's-early-90's heyday.)

I don't agree the The Meters "evolved into The Neville Brothers". Obviously, one or more of the brothers Neville play in each or both groups, but they are distinct, and The Meters Josie label stuff I'm talking about doesn't sound much like The Neville Brothers, though some of the later Meters stuff is more similar (and some of TNB's best-known tunes were originally latter-day Meters tunes written or cowritten by guitarist Leo Nocentelli, who was The Meters main songwriter). But just to be clear, Aaron Neville, the distinctive voice of TNB who had the great soul hit under his own name "Tell It Like It Is" back in the 60's, does not sing for The Meters, and The Meters have continued, albeit on and off, to play either under their old name or as The Funky Meters throughout the period of TNB's career.

BTW, a little research has reminded me that the wonderful Sundazed reissue label has released domestic CD's of the 3 original Josie label Meters LP's, with bonus tracks. You CANNOT go wrong with these, believe me!

Dan: Yes, like I alluded to above, The Meters as we knew them basically hibernated between '84 to '89, although some of the non-Neville members continued to collaborate on and off in the meantime. And Ziggy never drummed for them again after that period, as far I know. Although I'm not the huge fan of the latter-day Meters output that I am of their groundbreaking early stuff, I was very glad to get the opportunity to see them live at the Jazz & Heritage Fest in N.O. in '89 or '90 (can't remember the year exactly!). All I wanted to point out is that they didn't turn into TNB.

Speaking of which, we just got the idea yesterday that maybe it's the year to finally go back down to NO for the Jazz & Heritage Festival...anybody checked out what's happening yet?