Blowfly (known in more respectable corners as
Clarence Reid, one of the key behind-the-scenes men in the Miami funk and disco scene of the 1970s) ranks out on both television and R&B in this early-'70s effort (which like most of
Blowfly's Weird World releases never seems to have sprouted an accurate copyright date).
Blowfly on TV seems to lean a bit harder on comedy than music, with
Reid goofing on top television shows and popular commercials of the day (the mere fact he parodies a "Marlboro Country" spot effectively dates the material), though you also gets some rude variations on
Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed and Delivered" and "Patches" by
Clarence Carter along with takeoffs of The Ed Sullivan Show (featuring Ed introducing
Blowfly-approved guests) and Batman (with the Boy Wonder having some sort of strange assignation with
Flip Wilson's Geraldine Jones -- as if anyone on a
Blowfly album has any kind of assignation that isn't strange). As for the music,
Blowfly on TV is, like most of the early
Blowfly albums, loose but decisively funky, sounding like a late-night nightclub routine gone nasty that somehow found its way into a recording studio (complete with an appreciative audience), with a crew of solid and emphatic session cats joining
Reid in his pursuit of the freaky thing.
Reid is also a better singer than the material demands, doing pretty impressive impressions of
Joe Tex and sounding genuinely soulful here and there before his dirty side takes to the fore again. Suitable for your next freaky party as well as accompanying late-night TV Land reruns. ~ Mark Deming