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By Larry, January 6, 2019 2:35 pm

Gloria Jones

Listen/Download – Gloria Jones – Heartbeat Pt1 MP3

Greetings all.

The track I bring you today is one of the finest examples of hard-hitting, dance floor-ready West Coast soul.

Gloria Jones is duly famous for her 1965 killer ‘Tainted Love’, which went on to be one of the pillars of the Northern Soul canon (New Wave as well via the cover by Soft Cell in the 80s).

Jones was (along with Sandy Wynns and Brenda Holloway) a beneficiary of the writing and producing talents of the great Ed Cobb.

‘Heartbeat’ was written and produced by Cobb, with an arrangement by Lincoln Mayorga (as was Tainted Love).

‘Heartbeat’ is a thunderous mover, with a pulsing bass line, soul clapping, drums and organ, with a great vocal by Jones and an almost gospel-adjacent feel to it.

Jones’ original version was a fairly sizable hit on the West Coast, as well in a number of other regional markets.

Interestingly, the Hour Glass (featuring Gregg and Duane Allman) covered ‘Heartbeat’ on their first album in 1967.

I hope you dig the track, 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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By Larry, January 1, 2019 6:24 pm

Eruption

Listen/Download – Eruption – I Can’t Stand the Rain MP3

Greetings all

Today’s selection is a great example of a very familiar song in an unfamiliar (at least for Americans) setting.

The group Eruption was formed in London in the late 60s as Silent Eruption.
Singer Precious Wilson joined the group in 1974, around the time they were working as a backing band for Boney M.

In 1977 they joined up with Boney M’s producer Frank Farian (who also went on to create Milli Vanilli) to cover Ann Peebles’ Memphis soul classic ‘I Can’t Stand the Rain’.

Peebles’ original, from 1973 was a masterpiece of stark arranging, with its use of drum machine placed alongside the Hi records house band.

The Eruption cover, engineered for disco dance floors attacked the song from a much more aggressive posture. The overall feel is faster, more electronic and more heavily produced.

Though it doesn’t have the sublime feel of the original, it isn’t without it’s own charm, enough so that it was a substantial hit in Europe and a disco favorite here in the US.

It would be their only success in the States, but they would go on to have hits in Europe into the early 80s.

Wilson went on to have a few solo hits in the UK.

I hope you dig the track 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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By Larry, December 23, 2018 11:01 am

Funky16Corners Christmas Party!
Ike and Tina Turner – Merry Christmas Baby (WB)
Otis Redding – White Christmas (Atco)
Soulful Strings – Jingle Bells (Cadet)
Albert King – Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin’ (Stax)
Felice Taylor – It May Be Winter Outside (But In My Heart It’s Spring) (Mustang)
Honey and the Bees – Jing Jing a Ling (Chess)
The Gems – Love For Christmas (Chess)
James Brown – Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto (King)
Charles Brown – Merry Christmas Baby (Jewel)
Count Sidney and the Dukes – Soul Christmas (Goldband)
Donny Hathaway – This Christmas (Atco)
Bobby Holloway – Funky Little Drummer Boy (Smash)
Clarence Carter – Backdoor Santa (Atlantic)
Harvey Averne Band – Let’s Get It Together This Christmas (Fania)
J Hines and the Boys – A Funky X-Mas To You (Nation-Wide)
Freddy King – I Hear Jingle Bells (Federal)
Dee Irwin and Mamie Galore – All I Want For Christmas Is Your Love (Imperial)
Johnny and Jon – Christmas in Viet Nam (Jewel)
John Lee Hooker – Blues For Christmas (Elmor)
George Conedy – El Nino Del Tambor (Kent Gospel)
Soulful Strings (feat Dorothy Ashby) – Merry Christmas Baby (Cadet)

Listen/Download – Funky16Corners Christmas Party 124MB MP3

Greetings all.

The holiday season is upon us, so I thought I’d repost this classic mix, last seen in 2016.

I hope you dig it, and whether you celebrate Christmas or not, that you have a fantastic day!

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

Keep the faith

Larry

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By Larry, December 16, 2018 12:00 pm

Allen Toussaint

Listen/Download – Allen Toussaint – Get Out Of My Life Woman MP3

Greetings all

The track I bring you today takes one of the most covered tunes of the New Orleans soul scene, right back to the source (though not the original recording).

Allen Toussaint wrote ‘Get Out Of My Life, Woman’ for Lee Dorsey who had a fairly substantial hit with it in 1965.

The tune became a popular soul standard, and was covered by all kinds of artists, from LA folk rocker the Leaves, to jazz vocal giant Joe Williams.

The various and sundry versions of the song have become popular with diggers because of the tune’s built-in drum break.

Toussaint went into the studio to record his own version of the song in 1968, and the results are typically fantastic.

He lays the song down in a relaxed New Orleans groove, stripping away most of the lyrics and wrapping it all up in an interesting arrangement, with lots of piano, horns, and in a touch that showed up in a bunch of Toussaint productions at the time, acoustic guitar accents.

It’s always struck me a shame that Toussaint didn’t record solo more often, especially in the 1960s. I always like his vocals (though you can hear him singing backup on a ton of other people’s records) and his interpretations of his own songs were always interesting.

This 45 doesn’t turn up too often, but when it does it tends to be inexpensive.

I hope you dig it 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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By Larry, December 2, 2018 11:55 am

Lionel Hampton

Listen/Download – Lionel Hampton – Funky Chicken MP3

Greetings all.

I have sung the praises of the mighty Lionel Hampton in this space many times over the years.

Hampton had serious, solid jazz credentials going back to the mid-1930s and the Benny Goodman Orchestra.

Like many of his contemporaries, when the 1960’s rolled around, and the demand for, and popularity of large jazz bands started to wane, Hampton made many (artistically) successful attempts at musical relevancy, including the epic 45 ‘Greasy Greens’ on his own Glad-Hamp label.

Starting in 1972 Hampton signed with Brunswick Records and recorded a series of albums aimed at a younger market, recording versions of many contemporary pop and soul hits.

1976’s ‘Off Into a Black Thing’ was his fifth and final outing for Brunswick, and despite it’s placement firmly in the disco era, it included a number of earlier, funkier sounds.

The track I bring you today is Hampton covering Willie Henderson’s 1970 ‘Funky Chicken’ (the title track of Hampton’s album is another tune from Henderson’s album).

‘Funky Chicken’ isn’t only a cover, but it also uses the same backing track as the 1970 original, with Hampton soloing over it (and someone rapping over that).

It’s nothing groundbreaking, but since the OG is so funky, and Hamp’s (he was closing in on 70 when he recorded it!) vibes sound very groovy indeed, I’ll take it.

Oddly enough, Hampton’s Brunswick albums are fairly hard to come by, but worth picking up when you find them.

I hope you dig the tune, 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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By Larry, November 25, 2018 11:52 am

Listen/Download – Prophecy – Everybody Walking Together MP3

Greetings all.

Today’s selection is kind of mystery record.

I picked it up digging in Asbury Park a few years back, mainly because it looked interesting, and once I got it home and slipped it under the needle, it sounded that way, too.

Prophecy was a group that released a couple of singles on All Platinum, then a few more on Mainstream, all between 1972 and 1976.

‘Everybody Waking Together’ is a very groovy mix of sweet soul, pop and rock that seems like it would fit right next to Earth Wind and Fire from the same period.

The tune has plenty of hooks, a great falsetto lead vocal, cool distorted lead guitar and an electric piano in a kind of clavinet-esque sound.

The flipside, ‘Nya’ is a pretty ballad.

Other than that, there doesn’t seem to be much information out there about the group, other than their 1972 debut, ‘Rain In My Life’ appears to have been written by Lou Courtney.

That said, I hope you dig the sounds, and I will see you 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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By Larry, November 18, 2018 11:06 am

Funky16Corners Presents Easy Mover – Guest Mix for Amen Brother

Magictones – Good Old Music (Westbound)
Woody Carr – Peace Dance (Jerden)
Richard Marks – Funky Four Corners Pt2 (Roulette)
London Fogg and the Continentals – Easy Mover (Imperial)
Aaron Chico Bailey and the Family Affair Band – The Point Pt2 (Kris)
Young-Holt Unltd – Hot Pants (Cotillion)
Jesse Anderson – I Got a Problem (Thomas)
Quickest Way Out – Tick Tock Baby (It’s a Quarter to Love (Karen)
Lavell Kamma and the Afro Soul Revue – I Know (Tupelo Sound)
Fried Chicken – Funky DJ (Stone)
Cold Grits – It’s Your Thing (Atco)
Delores Riley – Hey Boy (Instant)
Lenox Avenue – Sunshine (Chess)
Ray Bryant – Up Above the Rock (Cadet)
Sugar and Spice – Ah Hah Yeah (Kapp)
Willard Burton and the Pacifiers – Warm the Pot (Money)
Soulful Strings – Zambezi (Cadet)
Willis Wooten Ork – Do the Train (Virtue)
Exciters – You Don’t Know What Your Missing! (Until It’s Gone) (RCA)
Angela – Rapping (Spectrum)
JBs – Hot Pants Road (People)

Listen/Download Mixed MP3 of Easy Mover 140MB/320K
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Greetings all.

The mix you see before you is a set I put together back in 2011 for the folks at Amen Brother (unfortunately their site seems to be offline these days).

‘Easy Mover’ is just about an hour of mid-tempo, break-heavy funk and soul, very groovy indeed of I say so myself.

See you 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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By Larry, November 11, 2018 11:54 am

The Shirelles

Listen/Download – The Shirelles – Look Away MP3

Greetings all.

Today’s selection is a groovy one from later years of the Shirelles.

It also happens to be a great example of an prime Ashford/Simpson/Armstead composition.

‘Look Away’ was released as the b-side of ‘Teasin’ Me’ in November of 1966.

In the mid-60s, before any of them were having recording success of their own, Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson and Jo Armstead were penning outstanding music for some of the best singer around, including Ray Charles, Bettye Lavette, Chuck Jackson and Maxine Brown, Clara Ward, Jo Ann and Troy, Tina Britt and the Apollas, among others.

‘Look Away’ has a nice chugging beat, yet the overall feel of the song is laid back and introspective, even as it builds into the chorus.
The interplay between the lead and backing vocals is spectacular, and the arrangement by Paul Griffin is great.

Oddly enough, ‘Look Away’ didn’t chart at all, falling right in the middle of a 1964-1967 dry spell for the Shirelles that was only broken when ‘Last Minute Miracle’ hit.

It’s a cool on and I hope you dig it.

See you next week.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

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By Larry, November 4, 2018 8:54 pm

The cover of the unreleased collection, ‘Bobby Byrd’s Funky Farts!’

Listen/Download – Bobby Byrd – Hot Pants I’m Coming, Coming, I’m Coming MP3

Greetings all.

If you are at all attuned to the wavelength of the Godfather of Soul, you surely know Bobby Byrd (or are at least acquainted with his voice).

Byrd was, an original Famous Flame, and for years right hand/hype man to the mighty James Brown.

He also has a very respectable career of his own, working with (and sometimes without) the hand of Brown.

Today’s selection is one of Byrd’s best known solo records, and as a quick look at the label reveals, involved James Brown in multiple capacities, as songwriter, producer and even label-owner (the track was released on Brown’s Polydor custom label, Brownstone).

‘Hot Pants, I’m Coming, Coming, I’m Coming’ charted inside the R&B Top 40 in 1971, and went on to become a funk 45/crate digger staple.

Pushed along by a relentless bass and drum line (with the guitar mirroring the bass) and a pumping JBs horn chart, Bobby lays it down with no (at least vocal) help from James.

I suspect that the lack of bigger success or this single might have had to do with the airplay being curtailed by Bobby’s repeated cries of ‘I’m Coming!’ though by 1971 it may have suffered from a veritable glut of James Brown-related product on the market, especially Brown’s own ‘Hot Pants’ which came out only a few months before and was still lingering on the charts.

Either way, it’s a great single, and I hope you dig it.

See you next week.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

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By Larry, October 28, 2018 10:40 am

Steve Karmen, earlier in the 60s

Listen/Download – Steve Karmen Big Band – Breakaway MP3

Greetings all.

Here’s a very groovy one for you all.

One of my favorite subgenres is Northern Soul instrumentals, and within that, records that are not in any real way “soul’ records, yet manage to pack enough of a punch to light up a dancefloor (which in the world of Northern Soul are legion).

Steve Karmen was a very successful advertising/jingle composer in the 60s and 70s, as well as having a sideline recording his own pop records from he 50s on.

In 1968, he composed a jingle for Pontiac Motors called ‘Breakaway’.

Jimmy Radcliffe recorded a wild, freeform vocal over the big, brassy tune, and that single, released on United Artists in 1968 (with the instrumental dub credited to the ‘Steve Karmen Big Band’) became a huge fave on Northern Soul dance floors.

It’s not hard to see why. The tune has a big, bold sound with lots of dramatic brass stabs, drums and Radcliffe’s feverish vocal really takes off.

So, going back a few years, I’m wandering around on Ebay, and what do I see but a promotional record with eight different versions (some very short) of the ‘Breakaway Theme’ on the Pontiac label with writing credit to Steve Karmen.

If memory serves it was a very inexpensive ‘buy it now’, so I figured I’d give it a try.

A week or so later the record slipped through the mail slot and under the needle and it was indeed the same ‘Breakaway’.

The information on the label seems to suggest that the different length/style versions of the theme were meant to be played in the background while the DJ/announcer read advertising copy over it.

All in all, a very groovy artifact, especially since it includes the full (actually a few second longer than the UA release) version of the ‘Breakaway’ instrumental.

I hope you dig it, 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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By Larry, October 21, 2018 10:13 am

Aki Aleong

Listen/Download – Sam and the Soul Walkers – Soul Walk MP3

Greetings all.

I hope the new week finds you well.

Today’s selection is one of only a handful of 45s issued by the Los Angeles-based Trans-American label (well known amongst funk collectors for the Village Crusaders ‘Akiwawa’ 45).

Sam and the Soul Walkers only released this one 45 in 1969. They were led by Samuel McWhorter aka Sam Russell who recorded several sides for the Playboy label in the 1970s.

Interestingly, ‘Soul Walk’ is co-written (and produced) by singer/actor Aki Aleong, who had a varied and interesting career in Hollywood, including scoring a hit with the 1961 record ‘Tradewinds Tradewinds’.

‘Soul Walk’ is a hard-hitting funk number with solid drums and organ, and cool rhythm guitar buried in the mix.

The song (and its flipside ‘A Telephone Is Ringing’) were rerecorded by a group called the Turnarounds and released on TRC the same year (I can vouch for the fact that the versions of ‘Soul Walk’ are definitely different recordings).

If anyone knows the story behind that, please drop me a line.

I hope you dig the tune, 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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By Larry, October 14, 2018 9:24 am

Noble ‘Thin Man’ Watts

Listen/Download – Noble Watts – Thingamajig MP3

Listen/Download – Noble Watts – F.L.A. MP3

Greetings all.

I hope the new week finds you well.

I picked up the record you see before you a few years ago on the strength of a friend’s recommendation.

I was familiar with the name Noble Watts (usually billed as Noble ‘Thin Man’ Watts) but didn’t really know anything about him.

Watts was an R&B saxophonist who released a string of 45s starting in the late 1950s, later moving on into a more jazz style for a series of albums in the 70s and 80s.

Today’s selection, ‘F.L.A.’ was released in 1968.

The record opens with a guitar riff lifted from Wilson Pickett’s ‘Funky Broadway’ and then manages to squeeze in quotes/references to Aretha Franklin’s ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ and Petula Clark’s ‘Downtown’ woven into a fast-moving, funky (mostly) instrumental.

The flip side, ‘Thingamajig’ is a slower, funky instro with some cool percolating guitar running underneath the sax soloing as well as a brief drum break.

I hope you dig it and I’ll see you all bext 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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