THE METERS Schallplatten & CDs

Review: In terms of funk, the importance of The Meters can't ever be overstated. Compared to what the likes of James Brown and George Clinton were up to elsewhere, down in New Orleans Zigaboo Modeliste, George Porter Jr, Leo Nocentelli and Art Neville were cooking up their own Southern-fried style which had a groove all of its own. Despite their influential status on the Bayou sound and their constantly-sampled catalogue, they remain a cult favourite deserving of far more shine. The best place to start with their considerable catalogue is at the beginning, on their debut album where you'll hear such iconic grooves as 'Cissy Strut' and 'Here Comes The Meter Man'.

Review: Jackpot's revisit to The Meters' early days continues with this limited blue vinyl pressing of their third album, Struttin'. Not even waiting a year after their second album Look A Py Py, the New Orleans funk pioneers knew they were onto a good thing and hopped straight back to the studio to lay down another 12 loose and limber joints which helped shape out the sound of the Bayou. The likes of 'Chicken Strut' and 'Hand Clapping Song' make a strong case for the shape of music that was yet to come, soon to be remoulded in a tidal wave of hip-hop sampling, but still so def in its original, raw and rolling form.

Review: The original Bayou sound pioneers from New Orleans, The Meters are all-too-often overlooked when it comes to the origins of the funk. At least now Jackpot are embarking on this reissue run of their early albums, giving some seriously seminal grooves a fresh airing. Hot on the heels of their self-titled debut, Look Ka Py Py arrived in 1970 with production from Allen Toussaint and featured another suite of instrumental jams which dug deeper into the band's sound. Hanging right behind the pocket, these simple but abundantly rich rhythms have lived many lives out in the wild through generations of sample culture and beyond, but sometimes you've got to go back and savour the source.