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By Larry, December 2, 2013 12:12 pm

Junior Murvin

Listen/Download – Junior Murvin – Police and Thieves

Listen/Download – Jah Lion – Soldier and Police War (dub)

NOTE: Word just came down that reggae legend Junior Murvin has passed away at the age of 64.

Murvin made some great records, but none greater than ‘Police and Thieves’, produced by the mighty Lee Scratch Perry and then covered and immortalized for a generation of punks by the Clash.

This post originally ran back in August of 2010.

I’m reposting ‘Police and Thieves’ and adding the dub from the flipside, ‘Soldier and Police War’.

I hope you dig it, and that you raise a glass in memory of Junior Murvin.

Keep the Faith

Larry

Originally posted 8/5/10

>>Greetings all.
How’s things on your end of the tin can and string device we know as the interwebs?
I’m feeling – in the words of the mighty Slim Gaillard – mellow as a cello, so I figured I’d dip into the reggae box and whip something a tasty on you.

Way back in the olden days, when things were different (and they were, I assure you) a band called the Clash appeared on the scene, and as was my style of the time, I missed the boat.

The only guys I knew in school who dug the band were a couple of prize maroons, whose previous band worship was devoted to KISS (another band I couldn’t stand when I was in high school), and since they were knee deep in their suburban misunderstanding of ‘punk’ as it was, I trusted them not a whit.

My loss…

Anyhoo, a few years later, having been hipped to heavier sounds than the power pop that I thrived on by some cats whose taste I trusted implicitly, I gave the Clash a second chance, and thanks in large part to their reggae stylings, started to dig them, especially an energetic little number called ‘Police and Thieves’.
A few more years down the pike, another, hipper friend informed me that the song I dug was in fact a cover, and the original was by a dude named Junior Murvin.

As soon as I heard the original ‘Police and Thieves’ my mind was good and truly blown.

Where the Clash sounded like a heard of goons hurtling down a rutted street in a rusty city bus, Junior Murvin, ably assisted by the mighty Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, delivered the cautionary tale of the legal yin and yang of street violence on a puffy cloud bank of ganja smoke.

I’ve gone into some detail in this space about my indoctrination into the world of Jamaican music, but one of things I don’t remember discussing, and this is relevant to many other ethnic sounds, is how one must in effect season their ears before some music can be fully appreciated.

Reggae is huge in that respect.

The first Jamaican sounds I heard, weren’t really from the island at all, but rather ska revival records from the US and the UK, which were generally delivered at a breakneck pace. The first time I picked up a copy of ’20 Reggae Classics’ it was like I was a strap-hanger in a subway that suddenly slammed on the brakes. The radical adjustment in tempo, not to mention hearing lyrics delivered in real Jamaican accents and patois was quite literally jarring.

Eventually, I found myself grooving on the real stuff, and while I still dug the Two Tone sound, I now preferred the originals.

Thanks to yet another hip dude, I found my way from ska directly to dub, which made the transition to pure reggae a lot easier, so when I finally heard Junior Murvin singing his original recording of ‘Police and Thieves’ it sounded ‘right’, if you know what I mean, and the Clash, despite all their good intentions, did not.

If you ever get the chance, grab the Lee Perry ‘Arkology’ boxed set that came out a while back, which – in addition to just packing a very substantial helping of his genius – also contains several versions of the ‘Police and Thieves’ riddim, some more dubbed out than others (including the flip side of this 45 ‘Soldier and Police War’ with toasting by Jah Lion).

No matter how groovy the riddim, the real feature here is the vocal by Murvin, who comes on like a Jamaican incarnation of Eddie Kendricks.

Murvin’s original, released in 1976 was a hit in both Jamaica and the UK (there’s a video out there somewhere of Murvin singing the tune on English TV). The Clash followed with their cover a year later, and though they rev it up a notch or two (or six or seven), they also strip away many, many layers of subtlety. Murvin wades into the song gently and his version is a lament, whereas the Clash stomp through the tune with a raised fist.
Reportedly, when Junior Murvin heard the Clash version, he said ‘They have destroyed Jah work!’

The liner notes to ‘Arkology’ include this passage about the creation of ‘Police and Thieves’:

“The vibe of Black Ark studio is like people gather ‘round, everyday it start like ten o’clock in the mornin’, a kerosene pan is on the fire bubblin’ with some dumplin’, an’ some dread over there pickin’ some ackee an’ ting. Everybody throw in a little much to buy whatever we need. A guy might be out there with his guitar, chantin’ and Scratch is inside smokin’ a spliff, tunin’ in to that guy, who doesn’t even know that Scratch is tunin’ in to him. All of a sudden Scratch jus’ come out an’ say ‘Come inside here’. He search an’ find a riddim an’ say: “I hear dat, an’ I hear it on dis riddim!’ That’s how we did ‘Police and Thieves’, Junior Murvin. He was jus’ playin’ it and Scratch immediately came out an’ say ‘Here’s a riddim, let’s do it!’ an’ he do it an’ that’s it.
We were jus’ messin’ around with lyrics and the melody. Scratch say ‘Sounds good.’ He come out an’ decided to record it right away. It was out on the street in a couple of days. That’s the vibe we had at Black Ark – you didn’t have to say tomorrow or nex’ week, you go right now, you sound good, let’s go. It was fun days.” – Max Romeo

Jah work, indeed!

See you next week.

Peace

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.

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).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, December 1, 2013 12:49 pm

Who’da thunk?

Listen/Download Lonnie Mack – Chicken’ Pickin’

Greetings all

I hope the new week finds you well, rested and ready to have your lid flipped.

Though many of us like to refer to ourselves as “collectors’ of records, there are few among us who do not occasionally lapse into the status of “accumulator”.

It was in such a phase that I came into possession of a metal box (maybe purpose-made for records, but just as likely a holder of rusty screws, fish hooks or whatever…) full of 45s.

These records were – for the most part – unsleeved, but when someone hands you a box of records, you just take it.

I mean, even if the records aren’t any good, you can always use the box, right?

Anyhoo, I made a cursory perusal of the discs, pulled a few out that looked interesting, but they were so hashed that I put them aside and forgot all about them.

Recently,whilst moving several piles of stuff to get to another, smaller pile, I happened upon these records, and with a few extra minutes available, decided to give them a spin.

Though a couple of them were all static and skips, there were indeed a few keepers in the stack, one of which just about got up off the turntable and kicked me in the ass.

That record – Lonnie Mack’s ‘Chicken’ Pickin’’ (extraneous apostrophe following ‘chicken’ and all) – was nothing short of a revelation.

I have come to my understanding of Lonnie Mack slowly, having been put off by his presence on hundreds of old timey instrumental lists/comps. I always (incorrectly, natch…) assumed that he was little more than ‘Wham’ and ‘Memphis’, which, truth be told, wasn’t little at all, but more on that later.

What I discovered was that in addition to his prodigious talents as a plucker of strings, Lonnie Mack was also something of a blue-eyed soul man and in the end a much more complex and satisfying artist that I would have imagined.

So, moving back to the record as hand, while the topside of the disc, ‘Honky Tonk ‘65’ was a groovy but fairly unremarkable retread of the Bill Doggett classic (and a minor hit), the flip told another story entirely.

‘Chicken’ Pickin’’ is the kind of record that in a just world would have inspired a cult of some kind.

It is, without exaggeration, just over two minutes of balls out, guitar driven savagery with a big fat bottom, and enough wailing organ to send a thousand go go girls into outer space.

Taken as a whole, the record is as badass a slab of wax as has ever scorched a dance floor.

The guitar playing taken alone illustrates why Lonnie Mack was held in such high esteem by the embryonic axe slingers of the 1960s and beyond.*

He is on fire from the git-go, sounding like Albert Collins got belted by gamma rays and turned into some kind of string-bending Hulk.

The sound is that perfect intersection of rock, R&B, and soul and is positively explosive.

‘Chicken’ Pickin’’ is the kind of record, that were it rare, would be worth a shitstack (assload, truckpile, stinkheap..) of money, but since it ain’t, you can have a copy for yourself for less than five bucks, and if you know what’s good for you you’ll grab the nearest sawbuck and set out in search of a copy right now.

Take that and stuff it in your record player.

See you on Wednesday.

Keep the faith

Larry

*For a very specific example, see the Stevie Ray Vaughan (who covered Mack’s ‘Wham’ on his first LP) song ‘Scuttle Buttin’, heavily influenced by ‘Chicken’ Pickin’

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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.

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PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, November 28, 2013 6:56 pm

J. Hines and his guitar.

Listen/Download J. Hines and the Fellows – Camelot Time

Greetings all

The week is rapidly coming to a conclusion, so I must remind you that the Funky16Corners Radio Show will be hitting the airwaves of the interwebs this (and every) Friday night at 9pM on Viva Radio. If you are unable to fall by the house party at airtime, you can keep up by subscribing to the show as a podcast in iTunes.

The tune I bring you today is a prime example of the kind of bow-legged, wobbly, Mr Natural funk that I really dig.
It is neither fast, nor hard hitting, yet it is as funky as they come.

‘Camelot Time’ by J. Hines and the Boys (billed on other records as J. Hines and the Fellows) made it to #73 on the R&B charts in the summer of 1973 (sounds earlier, right?), and was Mr. Hines only chart hit.

I will not go into the long and convoluted J. Hines story, deferring to the amazingly comprehensive post at Red Kelly’s Soul Detective site instead. That said, James Hines was a guitarist of some skill, laying down the chank, and the groove grease in equal measure with remarkable, head-nod-inducing skill.

I verily dare you not to slap on your plaid flares and platforms and get up to move with ‘Camelot Time’.

There’s an old Porky Pig cartoon where he goes to Wackyland, and sees (among other amazing things) a “rubber band”, which was in fact a band composed of rubber bands, if you dig, and this record sounds to me what that band would sound like were it transplanted to the funky side of the tracks.

Am I making any sense at all?

Just listen to the track a few dozen times, read up on your read ups over at Red’s site and I’ll see you on Monday.

Keep the faith

Larry

  ___________________________________________________________________________________________

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.

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).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, November 26, 2013 1:41 pm

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

Listen/Download Sokey Robinson and the Miracles – Whole Lotta Shakin’ In My Heart (Since I Met You)

Greetings all

As we prepare to cross the border into the money half of the week, I bring you some first-class, floor-filling, spellbinding Motor City soul.

I always pick up Tamla/Motown LPs when I find them in the field.

They are often heavily played but since they are also cheap, and usually harbor songs of interest, they go on the keeper pile without hesitation.

I don’t have much to say about Smokey Robinson that hasn’t already been chiseled into granite elsewhere, other than, whoa, that voice, and double-whoa, all those songs.

Oddly enough, today’s selection did not spring from the prolific pen of Mr. Robinson, but rather the mighty Frank ‘Do I Love You’ Wilson!

This is one of those records that can be held up as a prime example of the Motown record-makers (including Funk Brothers, producers and songwriters) art.

It is a propulsive dancer, filled with hooks and played (if you’ll excuse the expression) like a motherfucker.

The band is absolutely relentless in precision and drive, and Smokey is right on the money, especially when (at around 2:12) he mounts the word “I” and rides it on out of the studio into the sunset.

This is pure dance floor heat, from the opening drum roll right on into the fade out.

‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ In My Heart (Since I Met You)’ just made it into the R&B Top 20 in the summer of 1966, grazing the Pop Top 50.

It is a monster, and I hope youdig it as much as I do.

See you all on Friday.

Keep the faith

Larry

  ___________________________________________________________________________________________

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.

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).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, November 24, 2013 1:07 pm

Cover of the Jackson Sisters LP

Listen/Download The Jackson Sisters – I Believe In Miracles

Greetings all

The new week is upon us, and in the spirit of getting things off to a banging start, I thought I’d whip a little dynamite on you.

Last year, whilst I was nearing the end of a very fruitful vinyl dig out in Pittsburgh, I realized that the store in question had a box of pricier items propped up on the front counter.

Not one to let an opportunity such as this pass me by, I set my stack o’wax down, and started digging anew.

I ended up pulling another dozen or so discs out of that box, including the gem you see before you this very day.

I do not recall where I first encountered the Jackson Sisters ‘I Believe In Miracles’ but I can almost say with certainty that I knew the record’s label before I ever heard the song.

Back when I used to frequent a certain funk/soul/hip hop oriented message board, ‘finds’ lists used to be be one of my favorite things to peruse, always with amix of wonder and jealousy.

The Jackson Sisters 45 of ‘I Believe In Miracles’ used to pop up now and then (it is not a common 45) and the very groovy Prophesy Records label found itself a niche in my memory.

When I finally got around to actually hearing the record, I was blown away.

‘I Believe In Miracles’ is that perfect mixture of funk and disco, combined with an actual, catchy song (as opposed to the stand-alone groove of so many discs of the era).

First recorded by Mark Capanni, and co-written by Capanni and Bobby Taylor, ‘I Believe In Miracles’ was a much mellower affair in it’s original form.

The Jackson Sisters – Jacqueline, Lyn, Pat, Rae and Gennie – who hailed from Compton, CA but operated out of Detroit recorded one album (for the Tiger Lily label) and a few 45s in the early 70s.

‘I Believe In Miracles’ made it inside the R&B Top 100 in September of 1973, but dropped off the charts, and that was all she wrote for the Jackson Sisters….

Until the mid-80s, when ‘I Believe In Miracles’ was rescucitated as an anthem on the UK Rare Groove scene and made it back onto the UK charts.

The record, arranged by Gene Page is a masterpiece of dance floor engineering, with some hard-hitting drums (listen to those snare hits!), clavinet, and just enough horns and strings to class up the joint (but not too much).

‘I Believe In Miracles’ has a remarkable amount of kick to it (I’m posting the slightly more muscular mono version) and it’s hard to imagine anyone managing to stay in their seat when the needle hits the grooves (check out the way the song – another version – was used in the film ‘Cemetery Junction’).

The Jackson Sisters recording went on to be sampled a number of times, and the song was covered in 1992 by the UK group The Pasadenas.

The Mark Capanni 45 is exceedingly rare and sells for several hundred (sometimes over 1,000) dollars. It has been reissued by Jazzman in the UK and even that 45 can be pricey.

The Jackson Sisters OG runs around 200USD, especially version you see above, the vinyl promo issue with the stereo and mono mixes.

I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll see you all on Wednesday.

Keep the faith

Larry

  ___________________________________________________________________________________________

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.

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).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, November 21, 2013 1:14 pm

Listen/Download Tim – I Need Your Love

Greetings all

The weekend is rapidly approaching, which means that it’s almost Funky16Corners Radio Show time again. I com to you each and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio, with the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove, all on original vinyl. You can also keep up with the show by subscribing to it as a podcast in iTunes.

The record I bring you today is something that has been simmering in the crates for a long time.

I got my hands on ‘I Need Your Love’ by Tim (yes, just Tim…) way back in that multi-thousand record dump, courtesy of my father-in-law.

It’s one of those records that had to grow on me for a while before I really “got” it.

‘I Need Your Love’ has kind of a slow (dare I say, awkward) intro, but things get going pretty quickly, and build up a very nice head of steam.

The piano pushes the rhythm along, and if you slap on the heaphones and listen closely, the guitar is doing some interesting things.

I can tell you absolutely nothing about Tim himself, other than his last name would appear to be Smith, his voice sounds like a smoothed out Wilson Pickett, and that this is a Chicago 45.

Celtex was a label owned by Bill Lasley, which as far as I can tell only issued a few 45s in it’s short (just 1967?) existence, two by bluesman Mighty Joe Young and this 45 by Tim.

The song’s co-writer Vernon Taplin is better known by his stage name ‘Saxie Russell’, the man behind ‘Psychedelic Soul’ on Chicago’s Thomas label.

If you have any more information about Tim, please let me know in the comments.

I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll see you all on Monday.

Keep the faith

Larry

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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.
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).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, November 19, 2013 12:44 pm

Listen/Download Gulf Stream – Sophisticated Soul

Greetings all

The day of the hump is upon us, and I have something groovy lined up for you.

I’m a big fan of the UK library sound, especially where it intersects with the Hammond.

Today’s selection popped into my ears whilst I was casting my net on the interwebs.

I had never heard of Gulf Stream, nor the tune ‘Sophisticated Soul’ but I liked what heard, so I pulled the trigger.

As it turns out, Gulf Stream was (as far as I can tell) a one-off project for UK library maestro Alan Moorhouse.

Moorhouse was a trumpeter, composer and arranger who collaborated with no less a light than the mighty Keith Mansfield and put together his own stuff for the KPM music library.

The track I bring you today is the very groovy ‘Gulf Stream’, released on the Paramount label (at least here in the US) in 1969.

‘Sophisticated Soul’ is a reworking/rebuilding of the track ‘Boss Man’ that Moorhouse composed and arranged for KPM around the same time (you can find it on iTunes on ‘The Big Beat Volume Two’).

The track opens with an acoustic guitar riff, before the drums and organ (wish I knew who that was) come in. You get a very groovy organ solo starting around the :52 second mark, with the guitar joining in soon after.

The tune has the feel of a piece of soundtrack music, reminding me of a slightly more laid back version of the kind of stuff Barry Gray was writing for Gerry and Sylvia Anderson shows like ‘UFO’.

Paramount Records had – at that time – a strange catalog, packed with middle of the road singers past their sell-by date, easy listening stuff, a grip of pop and rock bands that were never heard from again, and the occasional gem.

As far as I can tell this is the only release under the Gulf Stream name.

Moorhouse continued to write and record for KPM, as well as releasing his own albums of mood music in the UK.

I hope you dig it, and I’ll see you on Friday.

Keep the faith

Larry

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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.
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).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, November 17, 2013 1:20 pm

Robert John

Listen/Download Robert John – Raindrops, Love and Sunshine

Greetings all

Welcome to another groovy week here at Funky16Corners.

Today’s entry is yet another chapter in the sometimes strange world of Northern Soul.

There was a period some years back where it seems a new book about Northern Soul – reference or otherwise – was coming out every month or so, and I think I bought them all.

In addition to countless familiar soul artists, I was turned on to tons of new ones.

What I also kept finding were seemingly incongruous artists, who one would never (at first glance) consider soulful (Paul Anka, Joey Heatherton, Bobby Goldsboro etc), yet who all recorded great, soulful 45s.

Northern Soul playlists have always been a home to records that in one way or another, fit the mold whether it was a one-off record that was recorded/performed in a soul style, or a wide variety of instrumentals that provided enough of that powerful, four on the floor beat.

The record I bring you today is a great example of the former.

When I saw the name Robert John pop up in a soul playlist, my brain had a brief short circuit, during which I was unable to reconcile the singer of the 70s AM hit ‘Sad Eyes’ with anything remotely soulful. I figured it had to be someone else with the same name.

As it turns out, the Robert John of ‘Raindrops, Love and Sunshine’ is the very same guy who had a number of hits in the 70s.

John – born Robert John Pedrick – had been recording since he was 12 years old, first charting in 1958 (as ‘Bobby Pedrick’), and then continuing to record through the 60s for a variety of labels.

He recorded ‘Raindrops, Love and Sunshine’ in 1970, featuring his powerful (nearly ear-shattering) falsetto, and an arrangement that owes a huge debt to the previous year’s mega-hit ‘More Today Than Yesterday’ by the Spiral Starecase.

If you are at all familiar with Northern Soul, it is immediately obvious why this record became popular on the scene.
It has both the solid, propulsive beat, and an anthemic, nearly explosive chorus.

I wouldn’t be surprised if some folks thought they were hearing a female singer the first time they heard the song.

Interestingly enough, the record’s A-side ‘When the Party Is Over’ was a minor hit (Pop #71).

John went on to have a number of hits in the 70s and 80s, including the aforementioned ‘Sad Eyes’ (#1 1979) and even and putting that falsetto to use again in 1983 with a remake of the Newbeats ‘Bread and Butter’ (#68 1983), which came out on Motown.

I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll see you all on Wednesday.

Keep the faith

Larry

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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.
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).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, November 14, 2013 11:23 am

Listen/Download Timmy Willis – Mr Soul Satisfaction

Greetings all

The end of the week is here, so I must remind you that the Funky16Corners Radio Show returns to the airwaves of the interwebs, this and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. If you cannot make the scene at airtime, you can keep up by subscribing to the show as a podcast in iTunes or by grabbing an MP3 out of the archive here at the blog.

The tune I have selected toclose out the week is a longtime fave of mine.

Timmy Willis’s ‘Mr Soul Satisfaction’ is one of those records that I saw popping up on playlists (especially Northern Soul-related) for years before I actually got to hear the record.

Once I did, I dug it so much I had to go out and find myself a copy, which I did.

Recorded and released in 1967 on Detroit’s Sidra label, and the picked up for national distribution by Veep (and by United Artists in the UK), ‘Mister Soul Satisfaction’ made it under the wire into the R&B Top 40 in February of 1968.

Opening with a very groovy guitar line (the guitarist is the unsung/un-singing hero of this 45), the rhythm section kicks in with a nice punch before Timmy, and a chorus of girl singers get rolling.

The tune is a classic bit of soul boasting, with Timmy nailing it with the line:

I’m so bad I shoulda been born twins!

Timmy Willis was born in Columbus, OH, but seems to have done most of his recording in Detroit.

The song was written and produced by George McGregor, who worked the board on a grip of Detroit 45s under his Gee-Mac productions name, including sides for Gwen Owens, Barbara Mercer, Ruby Andrews and Tobi Lark among others.

Willis had two more singles skirt the outside of the R&B Top 50 in 1969 (both for the Jubilee label) and appears to have done his last 45 for Epic in 1972.

That said, considering the quality therein, this is not a terribly hard to find or expensive 45 to find, so grab yourself one for your record box, and whip it on the people.

I hope you dig it,and I’ll see you all next week.

Keep the faith

Larry

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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.
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).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, November 12, 2013 1:21 pm

Otis Clay

Listen/Download Otis Clay – Got To Find a Way

Greetings all

Welcome to the middle of the week. Today’s selection is another one of those records that the first time I heard it, I knew I had to have it.

I had the old stereola warmed up and my aerial pointed in the direction of New Zealand, where my man Kris Holmes was slinging the 45s on Radio Ponsonby, when I first heard the mind-blowingly soulful strains of Otis Clay singing ‘Got To Find a Way’.

While I certainly knew his name – Clay had a run of R&B hits between 1967 and 1972 – it wasn’t until I picked up his outstanding cover of the Sir Douglas Quintet’s ‘She’s About a Mover’ (which skirted the outside of the R&B Top 40 in 1968) that I became acquainted with his music.

That was some years ago, and no matter how cool the aforementioned 45 was (both sides, too) I was unprepared for the explosive soul power of today’s selection.

Though this song was also recorded by the great Harold Burrage two years earlier (1965)  for M-Pac , there’s just no comparison.

Man, oh man, this is a stone solid, ass-kicker of a 45. It has everything, from a spellbinding vocal by Clay, catchy melody by Jimmy Jones and a powerful arrangement.

Every instrument in the mix verily explodes through your speakers, and oddly enough it sounds like a live mix. The drums (listen to those snare hits!), piano, rhythm guitar and horns are exquisitely balanced, propelling Clay’s vocal into the stratosphere.

Here we have the fabled intersection of pure, undiluted soul shouting, pop hooks and dance floor burn, jumping from the grooves on a 45 that is neither well known, nor exceedingly rare.

If you were similarly moved, you could head on over to Ebay and slap down less than twenty bucks (a steal, you should send the guy a fifty and insist he keep the change) and walk away with two and a half minutes of soul power that’ll set your record box (and any dance floor you bring it to) on fire.

I’m serious…if this record doesn’t knock you back on your heels, I don’t know what to tell you.

I mean, KABOOM.

Honestly.

See you on Friday

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.

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).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (2)

By Larry, November 10, 2013 5:31 pm

The Staple Singers

Listen/Download The Staple Singers – Why (Am I Treated So Bad)

Greetings all

The record I bring you today is an interesting one indeed.

I first heard ‘Why (Am I Treated So Bad)’ as an organ instrumental by the Wildare Express.

The first vocal versions I heard were by Brian Auger and Julie Driscoll, and the mighty Bobby Powell.

It wasn’t until later that I realized that the song had been written by Roebuck ‘Pop’ Staples, and originally waxed by the Staple Singers in 1965.

While I haven’t spent a lot of time tracking down and digging for gospel, I am a huge fan of the Staple Singers, especially their early work for VeeJay and Epic.

In the years before they broke through on Stax, the Staples were a gospel group, almost always recorded with just their voices and the accompaniment of Pop Staples remarkable guitar.

The original version of ‘Why (Am I Treated So Bad)’ opens with an introductory monologue by Pop, backed by his guitar, bass and some very spare percussion before Mavis, Cleotha and Pervis join in.

It is a remarkable testament to the group’s power as singers (and vocal arrangers) as well as the song’s simply stated message.

If you get the chance, pick up any of the Staples’ Epic-era LPs, as they are uniformly excellent.

It wasn’t but a few weeks ago, when I was posting some videos on Facebook, that I discovered – quite by accident – the version of the song you see before you today.

Though I haven’t been able to nail down the recording date for this session, I suspect it was sometime in 1967 or early 1968, before the group left Epic.

Produced by Larry Williams (with no arranging credit listed) this version of ‘Why (Am I Treated So Bad)’ is a radical reinterpretation of the song, excising the monologue, but adding in a full, funky band.

The tempo is a touch faster, and the spare accompaniment of the original is replaced with electric guitar, bass, drums and a horn section, with a very groovy electric piano leading the show.

The 45 you see before you was released in 1971 and it was included on a compilation of their Epic material (studio and live) called ‘The Staple Singers Make You Happy’, intended to cash in on their success with Stax (the title is even a shamless reference to one of their Stax hits, 1970’s ‘Heavy Makes You Happy’).

Though I’m not 100% positive, I think this version of ‘Why (Am I Treated So Bad)’ was issued (and charted briefly) in 1967. There is some confusion because both ‘Why (Am I Treated So Bad’’ and ‘For What It’s Worth’ were issued multiple times, with different B-sides. I suspect this version did in fact get issued, since the Brian Auger and Julie Driscoll version seems to mirror its arrangement (especially the horns).

If anyone knows for sure, please drop me a line.

That said, it’s a great record, and I hope you all dig it.

See you on Wednesday.

Keep the faith

Larry

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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.
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).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, November 7, 2013 2:00 pm

Mr Andre Williams

Listen/Download Jomo – Uhuru (African Twist)

Greetings all

The end of the week is approaching, and that means that it will soon be Funky16Corners Radio Show time again. Each and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio, I endeavor to bring you the finest in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove, all on original vinyl. If you can’t be there at airtime, you can keep up by subscribing to the show as a podcast in iTunes, or by grabbing an MP3 here at the blog.

I pulled today’s selection out of the crates a while back and I was shocked to discover that I had never posted it here at Funky16Corners.

‘Uhuru (African Twist)’ was an early funk 45 find of mine, which has appeared in many live sets over the years.

I first picked it up on the strength of the name (artist and song) but as soon as I dropped the needle into the grooves, it went straight into the keeper pile.

There was no real ‘Jomo’ to speak of, with the 45 being the pseudonymous work of the mighty Andre Williams, who co-wrote the song with the assistance of none other than Sidney Barnes.

‘Uhuru (African Twist)’ is a powerful mover, packed with hard-hitting drums, chanting and soul clapping (which gave it a minor following on the Northern Soul scene).

Recorded and released in 1968, the “group” takes its name from Kenyan president Jomo Kenyatta and (coincidentally, I think) bears the name of his son, Uhuru (also the Swahili word for ‘freedom’), who would later ascend to the same position).

As far as I can tell, despite its undeniable quality, the record failed to chart (even locally) and is the only thing released under this name.

Andre Williams, of course had a long history as an artist, producer, songwriter and A&R man and continues to perform today at the age of 77.

I hope you dig the sounds, and I’ll see you all on Monday.

Keep the faith

Larry

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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.
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).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.