Tighten Up The Defense

Tighten Up – The Majestics
from 7″ on Unique (2006).

Tighten Up (Album Version) – The Bamboos
from the album Step It Up on Tru Thoughts/Ubiquity (2006).

While Junior preps for England’s match tomorrow against both Trinidad & Tabago (two against one hardly seems fair), today here are two big drum funk stormers in honor of the lads. Both of these tracks are covers of “Tighten Up” by Houston, Texas’s own Archie Bell & The Drells (released in 1968). The Majestics version is from their album (also titled Tighten Up) and released some time in the late 60s/early 70s. That album is hard to come by and both in terms of rarity and $$$, but this track was re-released this year on the German label Unique with the flip featuring another (almost as good) cover of “Tighten Up” by Benny Gordon & The Soul Brothers. Great raw drums, bass, and horns on this with a huge open break.

Also from 2006 is The Bamboos’s cover from their debut LP Step It Up on Tru Thoughts. That whole album is fantastic, and I highly recommend it. The large amount of classic style funk coming out right now is simply wonderful, and this album is one of my favorites. Again the Bamboos take the chance to let the drums and bass get as big and driving as possible, as the extended break around the 2 minute mark attests. A sweet and frankly perfect touch is the addition of the flute, especially in the opening movement. Much more about the Bamboos can be found at their website.

Bonus trivia: One of my buddies pointed out to me that this track was also once covered (badly) by Homer Simpson in the Simpsons episode “Bart Gets Famous.” Evidence