Going to see MANDRILL @ B.B. KINGS

**daddyacey** · 08-05-2011, 05:45 AM

My ladys sister and her husband saw MADRILL out in Jersey and wanted to see them again ,so we found out they will be at B.B.'s Thursday and got tickets. Any other members going to the 8:00 show??
MANDRILL I hear is still as strong as in the begining ,with most of the original members. They should have been as popular as E.W.F.

**Soulpower** · 08-05-2011, 11:58 AM

Mandrill's show is as powerful as ever. Unfortunately, the only original members on this East Coast tour are Lou and Ric Wilson. It'll still be worth it, check them out for sure.

**splanky** · 08-07-2011, 09:43 AM

I've always dug the mess outta Mandrill but I'm a realist so I never believe or expect anyone to sound in 2010 as great as
they sounded in 1976, sorry... Still I have seen Mandrill, I guess it was 2 or 3 years ago and the Wilson bros give it their all,
especially on the classic House Of Wood. My friends and I have a few theories about why Mandrill didn't become as big as
EWF and P-funk, both acts who used to open for them ironically but that's another story. Anyone who claims to know funk
and soul who hasn't heard Mandrill needs to go outside and flog him or herself in public...

**marv2** · 08-07-2011, 02:14 PM

The did a half an hour interview with them this morning on WRQN KISS-FM here in New York. Very interesting group of guys.

**daddyacey** · 08-08-2011, 05:15 AM

splanky ::: "but I'm a realist so I never believe or expect anyone to sound in 2010 as great as
they sounded in 1976, sorry..."
Oh yeah man , my thoughts exactly , but my "Brother In Law" same age as me ,said he saw them out in Jersey and raved about the show. At the time I had the anthology out in the car and mentioned that I had all the original vinyl at home ,[[that freaked him out). He found out that they were going to be at B.B. Kings and suggested that we go to it ,so....family politricks , I said yes , I'm trying not to be such a snob about the issue of the fact that classic Funk is just that ,classic to a specific time and space. I got the ULTIMATE RESPECT ,for the talents of and the works of The Wilson Bros ,who are the core of MANDRILL and deserve much more credit than they have received and deserve to be out there performing. But I know and have frequently gone to the original source ,that being the albums and whatever is available on CD to get my real MANDRILL jollies off.

"Anyone who claims to know funk
and soul who hasn't heard Mandrill needs to go outside and flog him or herself in public..."

I've got a friend of mine about 6 years younger than me ,[[ he is 49-50) ,that is "deep" into "Funk" ,but he has no knowledge of The Ohio Players prior to "Skin Tight" and has only heard things about MANDRILL. Needless to say , that next week we will be hooking up at my house for a chill out afternoon ,at which time he will receive a retro-sonic ......asswhoppin ,of both groups. I like doing that!!!

I will post a review of the show though.

**splanky** · 08-08-2011, 06:40 AM

Thanks, daddyacey, please do.
As far as your friend is concerned, no knowledge of Junie Morrison's tenure in the Ohio Players is dang near criminal!
Oops, upside his head!

....

**Soulpower** · 08-08-2011, 02:38 PM

One of the reasons why Mandrill never became a big seller was because Polydor didn't know how to market them. Especially their first two albums were hard to categorize because of the immense musical diversity of the music. So they decided to market them as a rock group and they toured with groups like Deep Purple. It wasn't until their third album "Composite Truth" which had the Funk hit "Fencewalk," that Mandrill were advertised as a black group, but the music was still hard to market. But Mandrill had a huge following at their live shows along the East Coast. However, that changed when they made the mistake to sign to United Artist and move the group to L.A., where they had much less opportunities to tour.

**mr_june** · 08-09-2011, 09:30 AM

I saw Mandrill at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago back in the day. Deodato was the head liner but for some reason didn't show up. My girl friend and I had balcony seats but because there was a small crowd we came down to the better seats. The one thing I remembered the most was how loud they played [[lol). I'm a big Mandrill fan and have always thought that it's a shame they haven't received more recognition. There was a thread on them a couple of years ago here and I said it then and say it now. Though some classified them as a funk group, their instrumental numbers for example were so far above what other funk groups were doing that it wasn't funny. They had some of the best instrumentals I've ever had. Some were like symphonies with soul. They also had the funk thing down pat and their horn section was top notch. Mandrill was one of a kind and it's too bad they aren't well known. Perhaps it wasn't meant to be but I'm glad I came across them.

**ladyvanaye** · 08-09-2011, 11:40 AM

*I* Will be at the show. I promised Dr Ric I would be there 2 weeks ago when I saw him in Philly.

**daddyacey** · 08-10-2011, 01:51 AM

Lady--- @ the 8 or 11 ? I will be @ the 8.

**Soulpower** · 08-10-2011, 02:37 PM

Here the link to the download of a Mandrill special on my radio show with the Wilson Brother joining for an in-depth interview .. Deep talk about the history and legacy of Mandrill ..

http://midnightsoulstice.podbean.com...ary-27th-2009/

**daddyacey** · 08-12-2011, 02:00 PM

I am at work right now so I can't go into detail until later on tonite ,but briefly all I can say is ........
MANDRILL came home last night. They came home and turned B.B. Kings OUT!!!!! Introduced from the stage by Brother Vaughn Harper , they came out all playing percussion instruments ,cowbells ,whistles etc.
The group sounds and is as tight as they were back in the day. They never lost it . From the first tune ,the signature song of the group ,"MANDRILL" from the first album ,the group extended the song with solos. The drummer got a standing ovation from the ENTIRE CLUB , just 10 mins into the first tune of the show !!!!
I will have to go into more detail later ,please stand by for later.

**daddyacey** · 08-13-2011, 01:35 AM

The playlist included , MANDRILL ,ROLLIN' ON , SYMPHONIC REVOLUTION , APE IS HIGH ,COHELO ,I REFUSE TO SMILE ,
MANGO MEAT ,HOUSE OF WOOD ,CAN YOU GET IT , FUNKY MONKEY. All played straight through ,no medley. The sound was as good as and better than the records. The crowd was late 40's to early 60's and were clearly MANDRILL fans. For 90 mins ,we were all back in the 70's again ,the only thing missing was that funny smell in the air !!