The Very Best of the Meters

Comprising a solid 16 tracks of the band’s basic essentials, this may be all the Meters you’ll need — especially in a house party (or similarly social) situation where musical attention spans tend to run on the short side. It all begins with the airtight fink of “Cissy Strut,” the organ grinding “Live Wire” and the simmering “Sophisticated Cissy” from the band’s 1969 eponymous debut. “Look-Ka Py Py” best exemplifies the band’s redefining New Orleans funk with some inspiration from Booker T. & The M.G.’s (especially in Art Neville’s soulful Hammond organ playing) and an uncanny chemistry  between bass player George Porter Jr. and drummer Joseph Modeliste. Meanwhile “Soul Island” from 1972’s Cabbage Alley perfectly illustrates how Leo Nocentelli approaches guitar as a rhythm player first and foremost before the album’s title-track introduces some singing to the compilation as well as an infectiously groovy percussive breakdown. The horn section and polished production on “Hey Pocky A-Way” from 1974’s Rejuvenation added another delicious ingredient to the Meter’s funky gumbo.