Kool and the Gang “Electric Frog” Drum Cover/Appreciation Post

Kool & the Gang’s “Electric Frog” has freaked me out since I found the Music is the Message album in a used record shop in Queens when I was 12. It’s my favorite LP of all time, in part because of this uniquely funky song. Also, “Funky” George Brown has always been my favorite drummer. I used the Moises app to solo the bass, guitar, flutes and the “Frog” synth sound to play along to it.

I was privileged to talk to the late, great Ronald “Khalis” Bell about this song once. The band was experimenting with the ARP Soloist synthesizer, which had just come out when the album was being recorded in early 1972. Keyboardist Ricky West would run it through a wah wah pedal and that’s how that sound came about. Ronald and D.T. Thomas (who transitioned early this month) played those great flute parts. It was a longer jam and tape edited down. The human feel / push and pull – the synth drags in parts which only makes it funkier – means I really had to rely on my years of listening to it over and over to lock in with all its quirks. Another nod to my favorite band of all time and huge piece of my musical education, albeit a lesser known one in the band’s catalog. This and “Joanna” being by the same band a decade apart is as stark a contrast you’ll hear as a testament to K&TG versatility. Thank you K&TG for a lifetime of music education.