Con Funk Shun/Secrets

Personnel: Michael Cooper (vocals, guitar, electric sitar, timbales, background vocals); Paul Harrell (vocals, flute, saxophone); Karl Fuller (vocals, trumpet, flugelhorn); Felton C. Pilate II (vocals, bass trumpet, trombone, piano, synthesizer); Danny "Sweet Man" Thomas (vocals, piano, Clavinet, synthesizer); Cedric Martin (vocals, bass guitar); Louis McCall (vocals, drums, percussion); Jimmy Thompson (congas).
Liner Note Author: Rico Washington.
During the early 2010s, Cherry Red's Robinsongs label reissued almost all of Con Funk Shun's Mercury releases on CD. This is the first in the series, which combined Con Funk Shun (1976) and Secrets (1977). The latter was the band's breakthrough, featuring the number one R&B smash "Ffun," the number 31 hit "Confunkshunize Ya," and the gorgeous title track -- an album cut that should have been major, with group harmonies as stunning as anything released around the same time by Pleasure or the Blackbyrds. The two albums fit on one disc, with the 12" version of "Ffun" added as a bonus track. The packaging leaves a lot to be desired, but the sets were all priced reasonably. Each one sold for roughly the same price as one regular full-price disc. ~ Andy Kellman