The Common Pleas – The Funky Judge

By , February 4, 2016 11:49 am

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The Common Pleas

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Listen/Download – The Common Pleas – The Funky Judge MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the week is here, and so I will tell you once again that you should be digging into the Funky16Corners Radio Show podcast, bringing you the finest in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove, all on original vinyl, this and every Friday. You can subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, listen on your mobile device via the TuneIn app, check it out on Mixcloud, or grab and MP3 right here at the blog.

We close out the week with the funk side of one of my all-time favorite Philadelphia 45s, ‘Funky Judge’ by the Common Pleas.

Backed with the remarkable sweet soul of ‘I Wanted More’, this 45 has had a secure home in my crates for decades.
It was only recently (the record having been a complete mystery to me before that) that I learned that the Common Pleas were a bunch of white guys!

Getting their start with a Phily doo wop group called the Illusions, the Common Pleas (led by guitarist Fred Jones) recorded one 45 for Crimson (also home to the Soul Survivors and the Brothers Two) and were apparently a pretty big draw as a live band in Philadelphia and South Jersey.

‘Funky Judge’, released in 1968 is part of the who ‘Here Comes the Judge Craze’, which spawned a grip of funk and soul records, with no less than three (Common Pleas, Cliff Nobles and Co and the Magistrates) coming out of Philadelphia.

‘Funky Judge’ is what I like to call a “shout-out” record, with the band namechecking and in some instances imitating the stars of the day, including Arthur Conley, Sly and the Family Stone, Sam and Dave, James Brown, Wilson Pickett and others.

There’s lots of soul clapping as well as heavy drums, bass and guitar.

It is a killer, a big fave of mine, so I hope you dig it too.

See you on Monday.

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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