THE UNDISPUTED TRUTH — Higher Than High (review)

THE UNDISPUTED TRUTH — Higher Than High album cover Album · 1975 · Funk Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
js
The Undisputed Truth is one of those bands that deserves much more recognition. If you like guitar heavy psychedelic funk bands along the lines of Funkadelic, early Ohio Players and the psyched-out version of the Temptations, then Truth’s album, “Higher than High”, should be your sort of thang. Undisputed Truth had a big RnB hit in 1971 with “Smiling Faces”, but never again connected with the charts on that level again. As they moved into the mid 70s, psych-funk music director Norman Whitfield of Motown Records was losing his influence on the Temptations, as they wanted to go back to more romantic material, so Norman decided to focus on Truth instead as they morphed from a somewhat commercial RnB/soul band to a very far out congregation of super freaks led by vocalist supreme Joe Harris.

Just look at the album cover to “Higher”, here we see silver afros atop painted faces atop thin bodies clothed in metallic capes and one piece body suits from Mars. Take the album out of the cover and the fun continues with some super charged funk with no trace of phony RnB love dirges. Opening track, “Higher tha High” sets the piece with rapid change ups, intense energy and a circus of gospel voices in constant motion. Next up we get a very Funkadelic sounding “Poontang” with Joe showing that rap definitely did not start with the Sugar Hill gang in the late 70s. After the relentless boogie of “Boogie Bump Boogie”, we get a short psych-jazz instrumental section that was probably stretched out in concert. In fact, a lot of the songs on here fade too soon, I bet that didn’t happen in a live context.

Side two opens with some twangy southern country funk including twin harmonizing guitars in an Allmans/Skynard style. The next two tracks take the band in a more rock direction with “I’m in the Red Zone” sounding like the old Carlos Santana and Neal Schon guitar unison combo, and “Overload” going in a Foghat type heavy thud. The last two tracks are okay, but the energy is starting to fade a bit at this point. The sound and arrangements on here are outstanding, this is a Norman Whitfield production and it shows.
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