The Meters (album)

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The Meters (album) - Wikipedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Meters

Studio album by

The Meters

Released

May 1969

Recorded

1969

Genre

Funk

Length

43:05

Label

Josie (JOS-4010)

Producer

Allen Toussaint, Marshall Sehorn

The Meters chronology

The Meters
(1969)

Look-Ka Py Py
(1969)

Singles from The Meters

"Sophisticated Cissy"
Released: October 1968
"Cissy Strut"
Released: March 1969
"Ease Back"
Released: July 1969

Album's back cover depicting band members in 1969. Left to right: Modeliste, Neville, Porter, Nocentelli.

The Meters is the debut album by the American funk group The Meters. It was released in May 1969, the first of eight albums by the band. The band's early works were developed through improvisation.^[1] Band members had spent most of the 1960s performing together in nightclubs of New Orleans. They had a fluid musical style that included elements of R&B, rock, and jazz.^[1]^[2]

Background

The first track, "Cissy Strut", was the band's opening song during their residency at the Ivanhoe nightclub in late 1960s. The original melody was introduced by Leo Nocentelli. The song was not yet titled, and the band's name was Art Neville and the Neville Sounds.^[3]^: 2 The song was recorded at the Cosimo Studios.^[3]^: 1 It was first released as a single and sold 200,000 copies in two weeks. Its commercial success became an impetus for the band's name change and subsequent recording career.^[3]^: 2

The variety of instruments on the album's cover symbolizes the diversity of compositions and rhythms.^[4]^: 199 Its back cover depicts the band members in the early phase of their career. Many of the band's early instrumental tracks were named only after they were recorded. The album's eighth track was named for the 6V6 vacuum tube, which is commonly used in guitar amplifiers.^[5]^[6]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[7]
Revive Music	Positive^[8]
Vermont Review	Positive^[9]

A review by AllMusic noted the music's simplicity and nuance and called it "impressive".^[7] Tamara Davidson of Revive Music had a positive review and wrote "the album is filled with infectious grooves, filthy bass lines, and revolutionary drum rhythms."^[8] According to Brian Knight of The Vermont Review, the album "set the pace for both the Meters and the entire New Orleans funk sound."^[9]

Jeff Chang described the band in relation to the cultural backdrop of the 1960s, their influences, and their influence on music. He wrote: "Modeliste once described the songs as 'soundbites,' as 'entries of different grooves and different ideas about groove.' Indeed, they could fill a jam-band encyclopedia, hundreds of little ideas that could each be stretched out like twenty-minute rubber bands."^[4]^: 206

Track listing

All tracks are written by Art Neville, Ziggy Modeliste, Leo Nocentelli and George Porter Jr., except where noted

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Cissy Strut"		3:06
2.	"Here Comes the Meter Man"		2:55
3.	"Cardova"		4:35
4.	"Live Wire"		2:40
5.	"Art"		2:35
6.	"Sophisticated Cissy"		2:56
7.	"Ease Back"		3:14
8.	"6V6 LA"		2:26
9.	"Sehorn's Farm¹"		2:31
10.	"Ann"		2:46
11.	"Stormy"	Buddy Buie, J.R. Cobb	3:40
12.	"Simple Song"	Sly Stone	3:06

2001 CD bonus tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"The Look of Love"	Burt Bacharach, Hal David	3:39
14.	"Soul Machine"		3:28

¹ Listed as "Sehorns Farm" on original LP release; and "Sehorns Farms" on original 45rpm single.

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.^[10]

The Meters

Art Neville – organ, keyboards
Ziggy Modeliste – drums
Leo Nocentelli – guitar
George Porter Jr. – bass guitar

Production

Allen Toussaint – producer
Marshall Sehorn – producer
Giovanni Scatola – remastering
Janie Gans – art supervisor
Jake Kennedy – liner notes

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1969)	Peak position
US R&B Albums (Billboard)^[11]	23
US Billboard 200^[11]	108

Singles

Title	Year	Peak chart positions		Album
Title	Year	US ^[11]	R&B ^[11]	Album
"Cissy Strut"	1969	23	4	The Meters
"Sophisticated Cissy"		34	7
"Ease Back"		61	20

References

^ ^a ^b Dave Thompson (2001). Funk, Third Ear: The Essential Listening Companion. Hal Leonard. pp. 164–169. ISBN 9780879306298. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
^ Grace Lichtenstein; Laura Dankner (1993). Musical Gumbo: The Music of New Orleans. W.W. Norton. pp. 153–160. ISBN 9780393034684. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c Randy Ray (January 25, 2011). "Leo Nocentelli and That Original Spark". jambands.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2011. Retrieved December 21, 2016. Archive page 2
^ ^a ^b Jeff Chang (2007). Phil Freeman (ed.). Marooned: The Next Generation of Desert Island Discs. Da Dapo Press. pp. 195–208. ISBN 9780306816406. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^ Bryan Wawzenek (July 16, 2010). "The Gibson Interview – Leo Nocentelli of The Meters". Gibson.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
^
6V6 tube:
- Dave Hunter (August 1, 2009). "5 6V6-Powered, Low-Wattage Tube Combos". guitarplayer.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
- Justin Colletti (March 14, 2013). "The Best Small Tube Amps for the Recording Studio". sonicscoop.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
^ ^a ^b "Allmusic – The Meters album – review". allmusic.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
^ ^a ^b Tamara Davidson (September 13, 2011). "The Meters, Self-Titled Album". Revive Music. Archived from the original on November 15, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
^ ^a ^b Brian Knight. "Get Dazed by the Meters". The Vermont Review. Archived from the original on November 10, 2004. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
^ "Allmusic – The Meters album – credits". allmusic.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Dave Thompson (2001). Funk, Third Ear: The Essential Listening Companion. Hal Leonard. pp. 167–168. ISBN 9780879306298.

v t e The Meters
Art Neville Ziggy Modeliste Leo Nocentelli George Porter Cyril Neville
Studio albums	The Meters Look-Ka Py Py Struttin' Cabbage Alley Rejuvenation Fire on the Bayou Trick Bag New Directions
Compilation albums	Cissy Strut The Best of The Meters Funky Miracle Funkify Your Life: The Meters Anthology Kickback Zony Mash
Live albums	Uptown Rulers: The Meters live on the Queen Mary
Singles	"Cissy Strut"
Related articles	Russell Batiste Jr. (The Funky Meters) Page McConnell (The Meter Men)

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