Friday Flashback :: Rotary Connection's "I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun"
Rotary Connection might be one of the world's best groups that you've never heard of.
But you have almost surely heard of one of its members: Minnie Ripperton, she of the five-octave range, who was taken from us in 1979, at the age of 31, the victim of breast cancer.
Her first group of note was the multi-racial Rotary Connection, formed in Chicago in 1966. Of the five releases they created before disbanding in 1974, Hey Love was their best album, featuring three incredible tracks. The best of them, "I Am the Black Gold of the Sun" is the apex, the brightest moment in the brief run that was Rotary Connection. (They could have been mega-stars, but instead they were relegated to being well-known only in the midwest, as their management turned down an offer to perform at Woodstock).
Bu back to "I Am..."
It's an incredibly well-done package of grace, grit, and life-affirming spirit. A wonderful blending of keys, strings, and Ripperton's soaring vocals along with David Scott providing the near-spoken word main-line of the lyrics, which sounds remarkably fresh, even today. Surely, this song is a prime example of what exceptional composition coupled with superior vocal range and ability can do for the musical experience.
And if you're a house-head, you've sure heard the remake by Masters At Work (which actually does some justice to the original).
The Flashback for Friday, March 14, 2008: Rotary Connection's "I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun."
Rotary Connection's "I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun."
Album: Hey Love
Released: 1971
Billboard peak: N/A
Play the Track: I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun (to download, Mac users, Control-click, and choose 'Save Link As...' Windows users right-click the link and choose 'Save Target As...').
But you have almost surely heard of one of its members: Minnie Ripperton, she of the five-octave range, who was taken from us in 1979, at the age of 31, the victim of breast cancer.
Her first group of note was the multi-racial Rotary Connection, formed in Chicago in 1966. Of the five releases they created before disbanding in 1974, Hey Love was their best album, featuring three incredible tracks. The best of them, "I Am the Black Gold of the Sun" is the apex, the brightest moment in the brief run that was Rotary Connection. (They could have been mega-stars, but instead they were relegated to being well-known only in the midwest, as their management turned down an offer to perform at Woodstock).
Bu back to "I Am..."
It's an incredibly well-done package of grace, grit, and life-affirming spirit. A wonderful blending of keys, strings, and Ripperton's soaring vocals along with David Scott providing the near-spoken word main-line of the lyrics, which sounds remarkably fresh, even today. Surely, this song is a prime example of what exceptional composition coupled with superior vocal range and ability can do for the musical experience.
And if you're a house-head, you've sure heard the remake by Masters At Work (which actually does some justice to the original).
The Flashback for Friday, March 14, 2008: Rotary Connection's "I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun."
Rotary Connection's "I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun."Album: Hey Love
Released: 1971
Billboard peak: N/A
Play the Track: I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun (to download, Mac users, Control-click, and choose 'Save Link As...' Windows users right-click the link and choose 'Save Target As...').
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Excellent selection! A refereshing tune. Light, airy, Minnie plays with her 5 octave range without effort. With its sense of movements, its almost an orchestral peice. Definitely one of the finest works of an avante garde collection of artist truly doing something so comepletely different, but doing it well and with passion. Charles Stepney created something wonderful with Minnie. Definitely geniuses at work.
Man you brought me back with this one!!!! It was refreshing to hear and a great selection. Keep the uplifting beats a'coming
Welcome aboard phenomenalsister!! Glad you dig the choice of Flashback, and I hope you're a frequent contributor here at The Hustle!
"I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun" is one of my personal top ten songs of all time, just because it's a nearly perfect song. Excellent instrumentation, excellent vocals, and timeliness.
We're in certain agreement that this is one hell of a song!