Search - Walter 'Junie' Morrison :: The Westbound Years

The missing link !!!

Eddie Landsberg | Tokyo, Japan | 05/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"To some, you say Detroit, and behold, the image of the American auto industry is conjured up - - to others MOTOWN. But to me, a small underground funk label called WESTBOUND - - with its swurvy psychadelic blue label, that introduced a funkier incarnation of the Ohio Players to the world as well as a pre-disco "acid rock" meets "black rock" version of FUNKADELIC. And the missing link between the two - - JUNIE - - multi-keyboardist for the Ohio Players, who jumped shipped when the group went over to Polydor went "smooth and funky" and hit paydirt with SKIN TIGHT. JUNIE however didn't fall into obscurity - - he joined the P-Funk organisation - - however, during the bald chick Ohio Players era, he recorded a couple of great (and ultra obscure) albums... one called JUNIE, WHEN WE DO - - The Ohio Player's sound in that era was clearly under HIS influence (not Sugar's) and not surprisingly this album does sound like early Ohio Players (circa PAIN, PLEASURE, CLIMAX, etc.) - - only a bit more ambitious (including pre-disco era strings and all - - not just ARPs!)



Though Bernie Worell and Billy Preston would be the guy's best remembered as quintessential funk keyoardists... give a listen to this album and you will experience some great funk that you're going to wonder how you missed all these years - - and for more Junie at his best, check out P-Funk's MOTOR BOOTY AFFAIR !"