{"id":26197,"date":"2025-01-22T22:09:35","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T22:09:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/?p=26197"},"modified":"2025-04-23T08:36:07","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T07:36:07","slug":"music-kool-the-gang","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/?p=26197","title":{"rendered":"MUSIC: Kool &amp; The Gang"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"387\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/img_3219-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26195\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/img_3219-1.jpg 500w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/img_3219-1-300x232.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">I just love these guys!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m having a major K&amp;TG moment right now. At present, whilst I have a shitload of their stuff on mp3 somewhere, I only have the one album on CD, 1973s <em>Wild &amp; Peaceful<\/em>. And what a beauty that is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"525\" height=\"296\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/s09LuDYX12g?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-GB&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cherish.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Yesterday I had an \u2018episode\u2019, listening to and learning to play their \u201880s hit \u2018Cherish\u2019. And <em>that <\/em>is wonderful piece of music. It reduces me to tears. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But their real heyday, for me, is from their first \u201869 release, up until around \u2026 maybe \u201876-\u201877? Pre J. T, at any rate, when they were funkier, jazzier, less pop\/disco, and <em>much <\/em>more soulful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"525\" height=\"296\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vQSI-rUUYqA?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-GB&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Summer Madness.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s amazing to see that \u2018Summer Madness\u2019, a B-side instrumental, has racked up (at the time of posting this) over 17 million views! Mind you, if I\u2019m surprised by that, it\u2019s pleasantly so. It is an absolute corker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"750\" height=\"689\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/img_3220-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26196\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/img_3220-1.jpg 750w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/img_3220-1-300x276.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Can\u2019t wait!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>To build my K&amp;TG library, I\u2019ve ordered CDs (from Japan; even with shipping the cheapest way to do it!) of L<em>ove &amp; Understanding<\/em>, <em>Light of Worlds<\/em>, and <em>Spirit of the Boogie<\/em> (oh, and a vocal Herbie Hancock album, Butterfly, released under the singer\u2019s name,  Kimiko Kasai).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"525\" height=\"296\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RJlFAnqfPJM?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-GB&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Whilst I have often seen or heard of a band called Khruangbin, today is the first time I\u2019ve consciously checked them out. And it\u2019s only on account of their covering \u2018Summer Madness\u2019\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"525\" height=\"296\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tyYcnFpk1c8?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-GB&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s a list of the Kool &amp; The Gang albums I\u2019m most keen to acquire:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Kool &amp; The Gang, \u201869&nbsp;<br \/>Music Is The Message, \u201872<br \/>Good Times, \u201872<br \/>Wild &amp; Peaceful, \u201873 \u2713&nbsp;<br \/>Light of Worlds, \u201874 \u2713<br \/>Spirit of the Boogie, \u201875 \u2713<br \/>Love &amp; Understanding, \u201876 \u2713<br \/>Open Sesame , \u201876<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019m having a major K&amp;TG moment right now. At present, whilst I have a shitload of their stuff on mp3 somewhere, I only have the one album on CD, 1973s Wild &amp; Peaceful. And what a beauty that is. Yesterday I had an \u2018episode\u2019, listening to and learning to play their \u201880s hit \u2018Cherish\u2019. And &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/?p=26197\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;MUSIC: Kool &amp; The Gang&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paGwUa-6Ox","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26197"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26197"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27798,"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26197\/revisions\/27798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}