Show #484. Originally broadcast 09/16/2019

Clarence Carter – Soul Deep (Atlantic)
Clarence Carter – Take It Off Him and Put It On Me (Atlantic)
American Group – Enchilada Soul (AGP)
Les McCann Ltd – Fake Out (Limelight)
Les McCann Ltd – Watermelon Man (Limelight)

Grant Green – Nighttime In the Switching Yard (Versatile)
Hubert Laws – Feeling Alright (CTI)
Hubert Laws – How Long Will It Be (CTI)

Clarence Frogman Henry – Tore Up Over You (Parrot)
Gentleman June Gardner – One Mint Julep (Philips)
Gentleman June Gardner – Hammerhead (Philips)
Perry and the Harmonics – Do the Monkey With James (Mercury)

Junior Walker and the All Stars – Shoot Your Shot (Soul)
Junior Walker and the All Stars – Ain’t That the Truth (Soul)
Soul Finders – Sweet Soul Music (Camden)
Fabulous Emotions – Number One Fool (Tamboo)

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Greetings all

Starting this week, and for the foreseeable future I will be taking a hiatus from the traditional blog posts here at Funky16Corners and over at Iron Leg, focusing instead on the radio broadcasts and live mixes (Funky16Corners Radio Show here and Iron Leg Radio Show and Testify! over at Iron Leg).

The weekly work of assembling, broadcasting and archiving two (sometimes three) radio shows a week has gradually muscled out the traditional posts that I have been doing at Funky16Corners for the last 15 years and at Iron Leg since 2007.

I have loved the research/learning that went along with writing those posts, but the current schedule leaves little time for them.

When I started these blogs I scarcely imagined that the time would come when I’d be producing several hours of live radio a week, but that’s what happened, and while I’ll miss doing the old posts, I love doing the radio shows.

All of the existing archives will remain, and hopefully I’ll be able to work some writing back into the schedule along the way.

So dig it, make sure to tune in, and I’ll see you all next week.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

 

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If you dig what we do here or over at Funky16Corners, please consider clicking on the Patreon link and throwing something into the yearly operating budget! Do it and we’ll send you some groovy Funky16Corners Radio Network (and related) stickers!

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Mr Ted Taylor

Listen/Download Ted Taylor – (Love Is Like a) Ramblin’ Rose

Greetings all and welcome to another week at the vinyl ranch.

I should get things started by updating you on the 2012 Pledge Drive/Allnighter.

The mixes are coming in, and we have some hot ones for you this year, including some heavy funk, reggae, old school Hammond, rock steady, mod soul and more, from all the usual suspects.

The launch date – barring any disasters – should be Monday 6/18, so strap yourselves in.

Today I’m going to launch/modify a feature that I used here and at Iron Leg) in the past, i.e. the ‘Twin Spin’, presenting two different, yet complimentary versions of a particularly hot song, on both blogs simultaneously.

Here at Funky16Corners you get the soul side, over at Iron Leg, the garage side, both sides hot and tasty!

The song in question is one that ought to be familiar, but from a third, completely different source.

‘(Love Is Like a) Ramblin’ Rose’ was first recorded by no less a light than Jerry Lee Lewis in 1962.

However, the first place most people had it slip into their ear-holes was in the stomic blast of the MC5‘s 1969 LP ‘Kick Out the Jams’, where it was the opening cut.

Now, when I was an impressionable teenager, and first heard the mighty Motor City Five let loose with the double axe-attack of Sonic Smith and Brother Wayne Kramer (BROTHER WAYNE KRAMER!!!) and then Wayne whips out that crazy falsetto, I must be truthful and say that I was left dizzy (mainly from banging my head).

I had no idea that the song was in fact a cover, until a few years later when I picked up an import Jerry Lee Lewis comp and right there – at a slightly slower pace – is the very same song.

“Well hows about that?” says I, continuing on my merry way.

It wasn’t until many years after that, that I found out that the version of the song that inspired the MC5 was dropped by a cat by the name of Ted Taylor in 1965.

Ted Taylor was born in Oklahoma, but headed west as an adult where he hooked up with the Cadets/Jacks (though does not appear on the famed ‘Stranded In the Jungle’) and went on to record for a number of labels from the late 50s to the 70s, but mainly for Okeh and Ronn.

Taylor was possessed of an unusual (and occasionally unnerving) falsetto, a righteous conk and a pencil ‘stache that rivaled that of the mighty Little Richard.

He recorded ‘(Love Is Like a) ‘Ramblin’ Rose’ in Nashville, under the masterful ear of producer Billy Sherrill.

The Taylor version of ‘Ramblin’ Rose’ is nothing short of epic, and in its own way manages to take the same reckless power that the MC5 would use to light up the song and present it in a more polished (and ultimately more powerful) fashion.

Sherrill’s production is booming, and the guitar – I wish I knew who was playing – is as deep and wide as the Grand Canyon, especially that opening, sliding note. I’d go as far to say that there’s a touch of country in that guitar sound which helps make Taylor’s version so distinctive.

Interestingly, the song was originally credited to writers Marijohn Wilkin* and Fred Burch, but at some point in the process (that being the Ted Taylor 45) the name of Obrey Wilson was suddenly appended to the writing credits.

Wilson was a soul singer himself, who was also working with Sherrill in Nashville during 1964 and 1965. I’m hard pressed to see what he added to the song that required a writing credit. Though the Lewis OG was slower and more menacing (It was Jerry Lee, after all…) the basic song structure is the same.

Of course, back in the olden days, people (DJs, producers, label owners, publishers etc) were getting their names slapped on other people’ songs all the time but I can’t figure out where Wilson fits into the puzzle.

That said, Ted Taylor’s ‘Ramblin’ Rose’, a disc that I chased for years** and eventually scored for less than a Jackson, is a brilliant record.

Hop on over to Iron Leg to dig into a garage version of the tune.

See you later in the week.
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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.

 

Keep the faith

Larry

 

 

*Wilkin was a master tunesmith, writing songs like ‘Long Black Veil’ and ‘Cut Across Shorty’

** Oddly, ‘(Love Is Like a) Ramblin’ Rose’ is not a particularly rare or expensive disc (it seems to hover between 30 and 50USD) but it was very hard (at least for me) to find a copy.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

 

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.