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It was sometime in the latter part of the 1960s that R&B gave way to soul and, by extension, funk.<\/p>\n
It wasn’t a scene so much at first as it was a grouping of like-minded artists taking their music to new depths (those deep, deep bass lines) and occasionally darker, definitely looser new places, all\u00a0set to a dance beat established by\u00a0dovetailing drums.<\/p>\n
The list below of the Top 25 Funk Albums, as selected by members of UCR’s staff,\u00a0doesn’t attempt to pinpoint the exact moment funk became a thing. Instead, it’s an outline of many of the biggest players and most influential\u00a0makers of the music, from album-length declarations of faith to popular soundtrack LPs.<\/p>\n
READ MORE:<\/strong> Sly and the Family Stone Albums Ranked<\/a><\/p>\n The kings of the genre are here, often looming as a large presence;\u00a0James Brown<\/a>,\u00a0George Clinton<\/a>‘s\u00a0P-Funk<\/a>\u00a0collective and\u00a0Sly Stone<\/a>\u00a0all emerged in the ’60s and found greater success in the next decade, shaping and then reshaping<\/span>\u00a0the music to their times. By mid-decade, funk had grown into\u00a0a distinct entity, a branch of soul music easily identifiable by its elastic rhythm section and greasy licks laid on top.<\/p>\n The Top 25 Funk Albums also reveals a few lesser-known acts, including an Afrobeat superstar and a jazz legend or two. While many of the albums below come from the music’s peak period of the early and mid-’70s, records from the previous decade and the following one also make the list. It’s a rich and surprisingly diverse selection of albums and artists that reveal just how multileveled funk could be.<\/p>\n From kings of the genre to under-the-radar gems, the best LPs to break out a cold sweat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nTop 25 Funk Albums<\/h2>\n