Bra

"Bra" was written by Patrick Patterson and Steve Scipio and recorded for the debut album at De Lane Lea Studios in London with John Schroeder producing. It runs five minutes on the album and was cut to 3:48 for the seven-inch, issued as the second single from the record on Janus, with "Ras Tafarian Folk Song" on the flip. It reached number 51 on a Billboard chart in 1973, listed as soul singles in one place and R&B in another on Wikipedia.

The title is West Indian slang for "brother," not the garment, a misreading Scipio has said American listeners sometimes made. He has described how the piece grew from a bass line and a rhythm, with the melody and lyric coming later, and named Miles Davis as an influence on the approach.

The heart of the track for DJs is the middle section, where the band drops down to bass, drums, hi-hat and cowbell. Early New York disc jockeys extended it by playing two copies on twin turntables, and the record was included on Paul Winley's Super Disco Brakes compilations. It has since been sampled by the Sugarhill Gang ("Work, Work, the Body," 1985), Raze ("Jack the Groove," 1985), Gang Starr ("Movin' On"), De La Soul ("Change in Speak," 1989), Arabian Prince, Def Jef and, more recently, Vivian Green. It has also been used in film, including Crooklyn and 25th Hour.