BY ALL MEANS NECESSARY ESSENTIAL SYLVESTER
Sylvester circa 1971.
interesting disc here.
The music is full of its own drama, ramped up by crisp accordion fills, minimalist 2/4 syncopation, and the
LOS TIGRES occasional crackle of DEL NORTE
gunfire. There are
FONOVISA pitch-perfect hits like
“Carrera Contra la
Rappers can talk all genre’s first smash. Muerte,” which they want about This compilation of gorgeously floats slangin’ in the trap— Los Tigres’ classic hits along on Jorge the toughest drug is packaged with a Hernández’s reliable songs ever are still DVD of La Banda del tenor, and the equally narcocorridos. These Carro Rojo, a 1978 jaunty “La Camioneta polka-style tunes Spanish-language Gris.” Banda’s songs have been hammered action movie based run the gamut from out for decades by on one of their songs wistful to lustful. Mexican norteño (they make a couple But, like the best bands like Los Tigres of cameo appearances narcocorridos, the del Norte, who have in the film; not many most deeply felt songs been the kings of this groups can wear here are the ones style since their 1972 scarlet pantsuits and about desperate peo- “Contrabando y still look badass). But ple doing desperate Traición” became the the DVD is the less things. Matt Cibula
A sashaying one-man minority “first completely disco record.” group—he was a black, gay, He added, “It will probably be big-boned, flaming drag my last.” queen—Sylvester rose through Hoping to move away from the ranks of the San Francisco the increasingly cliché disco cabaret circuit to become the scene, Sylvester released Living only artist the mutually antago- Proof in 1979. Drawn from a nistic black and white gay dance shimmering concert at the San crowds of the ’70s agreed to Francisco War Memorial Opera worship. But like so many disco House, the album showcased divas, Sylvester (born Sylvester the emotional range of his voice James Jr. in 1947 in South on covers of the Beatles’ Central Los Angeles) wanted to “Blackbird” and Patti LaBelle’s sing ballads that showed off his “You Are My Friend” and vocal range, not merely pump pleased his party faithful with out songs that made grown men two sides of nonstop disco sweat. It took Sylvester awhile homage. Then Sylvester to accept his disco destiny. replaced Cowley, disco, and the
Half vocalist, half seduc- drag queen iconography with a tress, Sylvester recorded two steadier soul sound and a albums with his Hot Band— suave, masculine look. The Scratch My Flower and Bazaar lobotomy backfired—just as it (Blue Thumb)—in 1973. Mainlin- would with Chic, Donna Suming gospel into rock, the LPs mer, and the Village People— had glam written all over them, and Sell My Soul (1980) and Too but sales were poor and Hot to Sleep (1981) flopped. In Sylvester drifted until former the following years Sylvester Motown executive Harvey returned to exuberant form on HI-TEK Fuqua signed him to the leg- four albums recorded for BABYGRANDE endary Fantasy Records in Megatone, but none rivaled the 1976. On his eponymous 1977 euphoric energy of his ’70s debut solo album, Sylvester recordings. He died of compli-scintillatingly covered Ashford & cations arising from AIDS Simpson’s “Over and Over,” and in 1988. Tim Lawrence he explored disco with San
Floetry’s Marsha Ambrosius belts a luminous, life-affirming refrain over esoteric flutes, while “Keep It Moving” finds a plaintive Q-Tip kicking inspirational lines: “Everybody, we gon’ get up this morning / Accept the howl and the winds from the
Francisco synth wizard Patrick Cowley, who molded the two outstanding songs—“You Make
Me Feel (Mighty Real)” and
“Dance (Disco Heat)”—on
1978’s Step II. Sylvester described his 1979 paean to the dance floor, the burning hot
Stars, which also bore the handiwork of Cowley, as his
HIGHER LEARNING
“I TRIED TO FORGET YOU”
(Sylvester)
“OVER AND OVER” (Sylvester)
“YOU MAKE ME FEEL (MIGH TY
REAL)” (Step II)
“YOU ARE M Y FRIEND”
(Living Proof)
“DO YOU WANNA FUNK”
(All I Need)
Since ditching the producer’s 2001 boho storm and / We gon’ sleepy, peacenik style Hi-Teknology wants it stand out like the of 2000’s Reflection both ways, flaunting sound of a clarinet.” Eternal, his collabora- Tek’s aggressive, But songs like the tive debut with loqua- mainstream style vigorous Busta cious MC Talib Kweli, (“Baby We Can Do Rhymes–fueled versatile beatsmith Hi- It”) while still making “March”—all ominous Tek hooked up with G room for meditative synths and thundering Unit and has, for the gems like the lively hand claps—make it last several years, “Josephine,” which clear that the divide been quietly cranking features an emotional between Tek’s brooding out radio-friendly hits Ghostface Killah and sonic think pieces and more along the lines of tough-talking new- his booming main- 50 Cent’s “Ryder comer Pretty Ugly. stream club jams really Music.” This star- On the soaring isn’t that wide after all. studded sequel to the “Music for Life,” Will Dukes
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