We want the funk
Give up the funk
We need the funk
Gotta have that funk
God I miss the '70s… at the time, we didn’t know how good we had it…
i miss the 70s too. i was 6 when it ended. curse my being born too late 
Robert Palmer is fantastic. “Sailin’ Shoes/Hey Julia/Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley” is funky as all hell (I think he’s backed by the Meters on this), and a classic. Also check out his cover of “From a Whisper to a Scream.”
Papa Was a Rolling Stone - The Temptations
Midnight Train to Georgia - Gladys Knight and the Pips
Back Stabbers - The O’Jays
Love Train - The O’Jays
Low Rider - War
Jungle Boogie - Kool and the Gang
Brick House - The Commodores
I Gotcha - Joe Tex
Oh yeah…
Superfly - Curtis Mayfield
Theme from Shaft - Isaac Hayes
Let’s Stay Together - Al Green
Let’s Get It On - Marvin Gaye
Hells yeah! 
I actually was gonna start a Palmer appreciation thread. I’d always dug him, thought he was the best dressed man in rock (sorry Bryan Ferry), and absolutely loved Power Station and Riptide. Recently, I’ve been going through his back catalogue and discovering all these gems. The man was a genius and criminally underrated, as much as he was adored.
“Sailin’ Shoes” is one of my favorites. Looking at the credits on a RP album is like a who’s who of R&B and funk. On “Clues,” he collaborated with Gary Numan and Chris Frantz… how cool is that?
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
Higher Ground - Stevie Wonder
I Wish - Stevie Wonder
Use Me - Bill Withers
Lean on Me - Bill Withers
War - Edwin Starr
I just heard **James Brown’s Get up offa that Thing **this morning on the way to work - what a tight, tight, tight funk that song is. Turns on dime and every musician occupies his or her own space. Damn.
Who’s That Lady? - The Isley Brothers
Dancing Machine - The Jackson 5
How bout Shuggie Otis and the original Strawberry letter 22… also… i toss in Ray Goodman and Brown… and Ray Parker Jr and Raydio (Before he got real lame with that Ghostbusters shit)
"A woman needs love… just like you do… don’t fool yourself into thinkin that she dont… she can fool around just like you do… come home early one day and get your feelings hurt…
Also… Con Funk Shun’s “Love’s Train”… that my friend is the shizznizzle…
the two compilation double albums are well worth a listen for more of the same:
1996: Foundations of Funk: A Brand New Bag (covers 1965-1969)
1996: Make It Funky - The Big Payback (covers 1971-1975)
some outstanding stuff on there
Anything by the Spinners, the Stylistics or Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes.
Shame, Shame, Shame-- Shirley & Company Until I watched this video I thought the singing parts were reversed.
You Sexy Thing-- Hot Chocolate
The Love I Lost-- Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes
She Used To Be My Girl-- The O’Jays.
Be Thankful-- William DeVaughn
What 70s collection would be complete without some goooood 70s cheese:
Float On - The Floaters
Come and Get Your Love - Redbone
On ‘urban radio’, usually later in the evening, there’s The Quiet Storm. Pretty much nothing but love songs. They still have Quiet Storm style shows in my area NYC and environs). This is what it would have sounded like back in the '70s.
Black Ivory – Don’t Turn Around
The Moments --Love On A Two Way Street
The Persuaders – Thin Line Between Love and Hate
Soul Generation – Body And Soul
The Moments – Look At Me I’m In Love
You Make Me Feel Brand New – Stylistics
You Are Everything – Stylistics It was hard narrowing down the Stylistics to just two songs. I love them.
And a soulful tune from Jamaica:
Many Rivers to Cross - Jimmy Cliff
We could be friends, you and I. I love Bryan Ferry too, but I always wanted to flip back that lock of hair that hung over his forehead.
I didn’t know the Numan/Franz connection re: Clues. God, that man had such diverse connections: Little Feat, Chic, Meters, Talking Heads, Duran Duran… He is missed. I was lucky enough to see him play at Endicott College in my hometown back in the day.
(Love his cover of "Spanish Moon! And “Pressure Drop!”)
ETA: “Sneakin’ Sally” has been my ringtone since I got my first cell phone…
No funk without Herbie and the Headhunters – agree with above. “Thrust” and the eponymous album are classic, plus “Man-Child,” “Secrets,” “Flood,” and even “Mr. Hands” (hey – it has some good ones on there). Patrice Rushen.
Donny Hathaway?? Yes way.
Lydia Pense and Cold Blood:
Cold Blood additional track - ‘Valdez in the Country’
Harvey Mandel’s funky instrumentals on albums -“Baby Batter” & “Shangrenade”
Sons of Champlin - “Goldmine”