Live at PJ’s (1971) by Kool and the Gang is a fantastic jazz funk album. This was the third album by the band that is most well known for their cheesy family oriented disco songs of the late 1970s and early 1980s. This particular album, along with the second album “Live at the Sex Machine” are interesting because they both advertise themselves as live albums but are rumored to have been recorded in a studio with crowd noise inserted between tracks. While many of the highly sought after soul and funk records do not live up to their reputation, this album proves that Kool and the Gang were a great band before disco stole their souls. The solos are great and the songs range from mellow to super funky. Highly Recommended.
Track: “Ike’s Mood/You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling”. While “N.T.” has been sampled to death, this combination of these two songs is undeniably potent.
If you’re a fan of this version of Kool and the Gang you should also check a couple of DVD’s, Kool and the Gang Live at the House of Blues in which they play a lot of the pre 80’s music. Also Kool and the Gang Live 40th Anniversary Greatest Hits, this one is a two disc set. The 2nd Disc is the most interesting part of the disc, it contains a documentary and a concert at the Cafe Wha, sans any lead vocalists. They perform songs like Dujii, Breeze and Soul, N.T. Chocolate Buttermilk and others.