The Meters - "Little Old Money Maker"

I thought I'd start this first entry of Shakedown Sounds with a single that was largely responsible for arousing my interest in heavy funk and soul music (and would later lead to a serious weakness for vinyl of the 7 inch variety). The Meters are regarded as godfathers of the raw groove and deservedly so. The hard-hitting four-piece were masters of creating short (usually under the three minute mark) blasts of pure syncopated funk that could only come from the Crescent City. Distilling the traditional second line rhythms of New Orleans funeral procession music, they minimized solos and vocals in favor of establishing the deepest possible grooves. Anchored by the thunderous drums of Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste and the basslines of George Porter Jr., the lineup was completed by the great Art Neville on organ and dynamic guitarist Leo Nocentelli. The group's groundbreaking rhythmic interplay (arguably second only to the mighty James Brown) and powerhouse compositional style have established them as a leading influence in the contemporary soul scene. They also rank amongst the most sampled artists in the history of hip-hop. All this aside, The Meters simply bring the heaviest gut bucket funk jams ever committed to wax. 'Nough said. Stir your gumbo, pull up a chair, and take a listen for yourself.