1972 RARE ORIG "SUPER FLY" Mayfield CLSASSIC BLAXPLOITATION WA-WAH psych soul LP

$

110

              S T I L L  F A C T O R Y  S E A L E D
                                  ORIGINAL 1972 FIRST PRESS
              BLAXPLOITATION CLASSIC

             WAH-WAH  GUITAR  GROOOOVER!                   ..|/\|...............................................|/\|..                                         C u r t i s  M a y f i e l d
              " SUPER FLY "             ..|/\|...............................................|/\|..                                USA - CURTOM RECORDS - CRS 8014


*** Original 1972 ORIG IN CUSTOM DESIGNED 1/3 open GIMMIX "gatefold" SLEEVE, the real deal, so hard to find SEALED and un-played ... 100% CLEAN ....Original's like this were played to death!

Scarce printed original inner sleeve should very well be included

"Superfly" was the third LP by Curtis Mayfield, released in July 1972 on Curtom Records. It was released as the soundtrack for the Blaxploitation film of the same name. Widely considered a classic of 1970s soul and funk groove classic mix , Super Fly was a nearly immediate hit. Its sales were bolstered by two million-selling singles, "Freddie's Dead" (#2 R&B, #4 Pop) and the title track (#5 R&B, #8 Pop). Super Fly is one of the few soundtracks to out-gross the film it accompanied.

Superfly, along with Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, was one of the pioneering soul concept albums, with its then-unique socially aware lyrics about poverty and drug abuse making the album stand out. The film and the soundtrack may be perceived as dissonant, since the film holds rather ambiguous views on drug dealers, whereas Curtis Mayfield's position is far more critical. Like What's Going On, the album was a surprise hit that record executives felt had little chance at significant sales. Due to its success, Mayfield was tapped for several film soundtracks over the course of the decade.

Mayfield came up with a funky, realistic, no-holds-barred musical soundscape confronting the ills of ghetto life that opened the paths to the hustles glorified in the movie.

"Little Child, Runnin' Wild" sets Mayfield's divine opus in motion. Haunted keyboard sounds and distorted guitar open this heartrendering track that plays out as the biography of the thousands of unknowns dwelling in the inner cities. Crashing horns and shimmering violins accentuate the sardonic, at times cynical, lyrics. It leaves the unpretty stench of brutal honesty in the air as the strings finally, weepingly, fade out.

The incessant, commanding groove of "Pusherman" immediately follows: a hard-hitting, deceptively upbeat sounding diatribe against the predators roaming the concrete jungle. The ferocious wah wah guitars and razor sharp conga fills form the perfect backdrop to Mayfield's brilliant lyrical righteous condemnation of the 'hustlin' man'.

What happens to your soul and your body when you do wind up in the clutches of the pusherman is described in the heavy funk excursion "Freddie's Dead". Possibly Mayfield's greatest anti-dope track, craftily arranged with swirling strings and punishing horns spicing things up to perfect craft.

"Junkie Chase" is quintessential blaxpo-noise: slithering wah wah guitars, crashing cymbals and staccatto bursts of brass.

There's a small sense of 'mellowness' on this otherwise severely dark album with the sensual "Give Me Your Love (Love Song)", with its jazzy riffs and plodding beat, but the general mood of 'Superfly' is brilliantly recaptured by the devastating "Eddie You Should Know Better" - a neatly arranged, ominous sounding sermon on the downfall of another preyed upon inner city dweller.

As if still necessary by now, Mayfield delivers the smoking "No Thing on Me (Cocaine Song)", on which he unabashedly and thoroughly distances himself from Superfly and his shady dealings. A delicious mid-tempo brass-heavy soulful funk tune, with powerful, optimistic lyrics. Anthemic: '...my life's a NATURAL high'. The equally amazing tune that follows is aptly titled "Think"...

Concluding the set is the peerless title-track; "Superfly" is a romping, bass-driven funk jam that gives Mayfield one last chance to speak his mind on the motivations - and ultimate uselessness of - the entire Superfly character.

Blaxploitation was a mess, mostly. Luckily it gave us some thought provoking, heartfelt and honest soundtracks. Curtis Mayfield's 'Superfly' undoubtedly ranks the highest.


Little Child Runnin' Wild 5:15
Pusherman 4:50
Freddie's Dead 5:08
Junkie Chase 1:52
Give Me Your Love (Love Song) 4:15
Eddie You Should Know Better 2:14
No Thing On Me (Cocaine Song) 4:52
Think 3:44
Superfly 3:51
        .....

                 CONDITION: rated: STILL FACTORY SEALED ...
Real hard to find without bends and stuff to the fragile custom designed gatefold 1/3 open cover ...despite being 47 years old, this survivor has a nice fresh appearance -- there are no delete marks, no split seams, no bends, and no writing ... VERY collection worthy       
      A cool addition to anyone's music library!






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