IF YOU CAN'T MOVE TO THIS, YOU AIN'T GOT NO BUSINESS ON THE
Patrick Frierson | 01/08/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"For some strange reason, a lot of Dennis Coffey fans aren't too fond to this era of his music career. The partial reason is that his trademark Psychedelic funk became more discofied once he signed with Westbound. Another reason for the indifference stems from a lot his fans feeling that his Westbound material doesn't measure up to his classic recordings for Sussex. In regards to the latter, they're right. The quality of his Westbound recordings doesn't quite reach the cinematic heights of his hardcore Sussex recordings overall. As far as the former goes, just because it's more discofied, it doesn't mean that it's not good music in its own right. Open your mind and it will bring closure to all of your prejudices.
Besides being the first time that his Westbound material is being released on CD, What makes Live Wire interesting is the direction Dennis decided to take in terms of sound. The overall sound has one foot in the freakish funk/rock of his earlier years and the smooth sonic delivery that was expected in the disco era. What you get is a unique sound that's too smooth to be pure funk, yet too raw to be pure disco- it's in between. When the combination works, it works extremely well in "Wings of Fire" and "Calling Planet Earth" - two of the most energetic tracks on the compilation. People, Imma go on record by saying that "Calling Planet Earth" is groovier than you think. Let it invade you mind and takeover your behind! Pure Funk ain't completely absent though. "Live Wire" is the greasier piece of stank he ever threw in a pan and "Wild Child" lives up to its title by running through groove shifts more swiftly than a Cheetah being observed in a wild Safari. The other tracks is a well rounded mix of slow jams that shows Dennis's virtuoso skills on the guitar "High on Love", "Our Love Goes on Forever" and " A Sweet Taste of Sin"( add some moans and heavy breathing and it sounds like a sex scene in the back of a private club lit up by red lights) ,midtempo lounge grooves in "Back Home" and "Free Spirit" and uptempo funk disco like "Gimmie That Funk" and "Finger Lickin Good".
The whole compilation is solid enough to make for an enjoyable listen. If you own Big City Funk, you owe it to yourself to get a hold of this. The disco funk sound may sound a bit awkward to some, but if you don't mind a little extra bump in your funk, this collection of late 70's grooves will have you tapping your feet and your hips bumpin'! You shouldn't have any second thoughts about this anthology because this "Live Wire" just may shock you with its many surprises.
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Track Listings (15) - Disc #1