Harlem Hustle V.A

Blaxploitation films appeared in the early '70s, in the wake of Melvin Van Peebles' groundbreaking independent film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. Van Peebles' angry masterpiece was a serious, even dangerous work that established that raw, independent African-American films would find audiences. It also happened to have a funk soundtrack -- appropriate, since funk was the cutting-edge music of the time. As it would turn out, Sweet Sweetback ushered in an era of filmmaking that wasn't nearly as serious as Van Peebles' movie. Quite quickly, his innovations were diluted and channeled into a genre called blaxploitation. Where Sweet Sweetback was serious as a heart attack, blaxploitation -- with a few exceptions -- was lightweight, telling tales of detectives, outlaws, pimps,and hustlers. It played to a broad audience, and it found it. And those films were given funk soundtracks, similar to Sweet Sweetback -- filled with wah-wah guitars, big bass, and funky beats -- but the newer soundtracks were richer and more diverse. Much of this music held up better than the films themselves, even in the case of Superfly, one of the better blaxploitation films of the time, where Curtis Mayfield's music was better than the film. As the movie genre died out in the late '70s, so did the music, but both the films and the soundtracks remained cult favorites well into the next century.

1 Law Of The Land - Temptations
2 Am I Black Enough For You - Billy Paul
3 Death Wish - Herbie Hancock
4 Don't Worryif There's A Hell Below We're All Going To Go - Curtis Mayfield
5 September 13th - Deodato
6 Gramdma's Hands - Heron GilScott
7 Who Is He And What Is He To You - Bill Withers
8 Truck Turner - Isaac Hayes
9 Son Of Shaft - Bar Kays
10 Mr Magic - Grover Jr.Washington
11 Cleopatra Jones - Joe & The Mainstreeters Simon
12 Flying Machine - War
13 Sweet Sweetback's Theme - Earth Wind & Fire
14 I Want You - Marvin Gaye
15 Savage - DonJulian
16 For The Love Of Money - O'Jays
17 Strawberry Letter 23 - Brothers Johnson
18 Natural High - Bloodstone
19 Inside My Love - Minnie Riperton
20 One Gun Salute - Donald Byrd
21 Always There - Ronnie Laws
22 God Made Me Funky - Headhunters
23 Get Up I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine - James Brown
24 Harlem Shuffle - Bob & Earl
25 Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time - Delfonics
26 Sweet Sweetback's Theme - Earth Wind & Fire
27 I Want You - Marvin Gaye
28 Savage - Don Julian
29 For The Love Of Money - O'Jays
30 Strawberry Letter 23 - Brothers Johnson
31 Natural High - Bloodstone
32 Inside My Love - Minnie Riperton
33 One Gun Salute - Donald Byrd
34 Always There - Ronnie Laws
35 God Made Me Funky - Headhunters
36 Get Up I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine - James Brown
37 Harlem Shuffle - Bob & Earl
38 Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time - Delfonics

Funky Town Disco Music 70s_Click on the cover..