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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.

Comments (2)

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.

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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

  ___________________________________________________________________________________________

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.

Comments (0)

By Larry, November 5, 2013 1:55 pm

The Ambassadors

Listen/Download The Ambassadors – Good Love Gone Bad

Greetings all

The middle of the week is once again upon us, and what better way to scale (and overcome) the dreaded ‘hump’ than a tasty Philadelphia Northern Soul 45?

The mighty Ambassadors have been featured many times since the days of the Funky16Corners web zine, as well as in mixes for the blog, but as far as I can tell, never featured here on the front page.

Known best for their recordings for the storied Arctic label, the group also recorded three 45s for Atlantic prior to their association with the Philly powerhouse.

These 45s are all excellent, and well worth picking up if you can find them.

The tune I bring you today, ‘Good Love Gone Bad’ was the A-side of their second Atlantic 45 in 1968.

Co-written by Philly DJ/impresario Jimmy Bishop and Kenny Gamble (sans Huff), ‘Good Love Gone Bad’ features a predictably excellent Bobby Martin arrangement, and some excellent harmonies by the Ambassadors.

The record was a minor local hit in April of 1968, but doesn’t seem to have dented the national charts at all.

If you’re not familiar with the Ambassadors, you can hear a number of their songs in Funky16Corners mixes, and their Arctic material has been reissued as Soul Summit
.

I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll 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.

Comments (6)

By Larry, November 3, 2013 1:06 pm

Zap Pow

Listen/Download Zap Pow – Soul Revival (45)

Greetings all

Before we get rolling today/this week, I should take a moment to note that today marks the ninth anniversary of the Funky16Corners Blog (as well as the entrance into our tenth year!).

While I don’t want to go into any ‘state of the blog’ nonsense, I did want to take a sec to thank everyone that comes around to partake in the musical goodness.

Blogs come and go, and traffic is not what it once was.

Some of that has to do with the series of problems/moves that beset Funky16Corners over the years (especially the domain change) which threw a lot of people off the scent as it were, but there’s no denying that music blogging is not as popular as it once was, for both the fans and the proprietors.

The interwebs are a huge, fickle beast, and the intellectual property/copyright wars of the last few years have scared off a lot of bloggers. While blogs as a construct are often short-lived (I’d love to see the percentage of blogs that are abandoned in the first six months), DMCA attacks (some of them valid, many of them not) have chilled the world of music blogging considerably.

That said, I’m not going anywhere.

I (obviously) dig doing Funky16Corners, and the Funky16Corners Radio Show, and (though opportunities have been slim to none of late) getting out and spinning records for the peeps.

As long as I have something to say, and sounds to share, you can depend on Funky16Corners.

So thanks for stopping by.

______________________________________________________________________________

I thought we might get the week off to a hot start with something tasty from the island of Jamaica.

It would be safe to say that I am not – by and large – a consumer of reissues, with most of my music-relates dollars devoted to the pursuit and capture of the OG.

Economically it doesn’t make a tremendous amount of sense, but that’s just how I’m wired.

However, every once in a while someone turns me on to a comp where the originals in question are (at least for me) especially hard to get my mitts on, and the music is incredibly hot.

Such was the case with the ‘Funky Kingston’ comp that came out about ten years ago.

You know I dig reggae, and funk, and whenever someone gets their musical chocolate in my peanut butter, i.e. reggae funk, I am, by virtue of the calculus, exponentially more down.

This, and it’s sequel volume, ‘Soul Power: Funky Kingston 2’ were both a heavy part of the rotation, and – as is often the case – added a number of records to my want list.

Some of these weren’t terribly hard to track down, some were EXTREMELY hard to find, but they were more than worth the trouble.

You see one example of the latter category before you today.

The first time I heard ‘Soul Revival’ by Zap Pow, the pleasure/acquisition center of my brain was activated and I set out to find myself a copy of this gem for my record box.

The thing is, it took YEARS.

If you follow things around here you’ve heard the stories of records that pop up frequently and get bid out of my reach every time.

‘Soul Revival’ was not one of those.

Truth be told, it wasn’t until last year that my searches yielded any results at all, and (ironically) when they did, I ended up with a copy of the 45 AND the LP both within weeks of each other (funny how that works, isn’t it??).

Here we have a tight, funky band, combining intertwined guitar and bass lines, hard hitting drums and a hot horn section in an almost James Brown-y way (with some Kool and the Gang thrown in), with precious little (at least on this record) to let you know that the whole thing originated in Jamaica.

It’s got a real “get up and dance” kick to it (thanks to that Harry J production).

Their 1976 ‘Revolution’ LP features more ‘straight’ reggae, including a nice version of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes ‘If You Don’t Know Me By Now’ (featuring their vocalist at the time,none other than Beres Hammond) as well as touches of rock and Afrobeat.

The group had a huge hit in the UK and Jamaica in 1972 with ‘This Is Reggae Music’.

I hope you dig the track as much as I do, and I’ll 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 (2)

By Larry, November 2, 2013 4:09 pm

Bobby Parker

Listen/Download Bobby Parker – Watch Your Step

Greetings all

This is a previously unscheduled post, prompted when word came down the line that the mighty Bobby Parker, creator of the 45 you see before – only one of the greatest ever – had slipped the surly bonds of earth and passed on to his great reward at the age of 76.

I first posted ‘Watch Your Step’ no less than eight years ago (!?!) when Funky16Corners was in its early days.

I couldn’t let the man’s passing go without re-posting this remarkable 45.

I’ll see you on Monday.

Larry

Originally Posted 9/19/05

>>I hope you’ve had your coffee….

Because this record is a floor filling, foot stomping, ass kicking, brain melting slice of blues power from which the faint of heart will not soon recover….

No, really… it’s that good.

This is one of those records that I’d read about for years (having been a major Beatles fan as a kid), but never got to hear until a few years ago (I only scored the 45 in the last month).

Did you download the track yet?

Go ahead…I’ll wait…

There. Now listen to that opening riff – ring any bells???

Hmmmm…. How about ‘I Feel Fine’ and ‘Day Tripper’ by the Beatles (or dare I say ‘Moby Dick’ by Led Zeppelin)??? This is the “UR” riff, from whence those songs sprung (after being reprocessed by John Lennon and Jimmy Page respectively).

I have to tell you. When I was 12 years old I used to play ‘I Feel Fine’ two or three times a day (It’s still one of my fave Beatle tunes), mainly because of the guitar riff, and to be honest, Bobby Parker’s original carries the Beatles version out into the alley and kicks the crap out of it.

Back in 1961, when Parker first unleashed this beast on the world, it didn’t make much of a dent in the charts*. That didn’t stop it from becoming a favorite of those in the know, spawning covers by The John Barry Seven, Spencer Davis Group, Billy Harner, Adam Faith, Tony Jackson, Manfred Mann, The Undertakers and The Walker Brothers (on their Japanese live LP)**, and making a lasting impression on the Beatles, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and Carlos Santana who reportedly decided to play the guitar after seeing Parker play.

That said, it would be unfair to end the story there, because no matter how many people stole the riff, no matter how many people cite Parker as a seminal influence (and he’s still playing today), to focus solely on the peripheral aspects of ‘Watch Your Step’ is to dance around the fact that it is an absolutely shit-hot record that in a just world would have been a huge hit.

Bobby Parker was born in Louisiana and raised in California (where he worked with Don & Dewey and Johnny Otis among others). He spent the 50’s touring with the likes of Bo Diddley, Jackie Wilson, and Paul ‘Hucklebuck’ Williams , and recorded his first record ‘Blues Get Off My Shoulder’ for VeeJay in 1958 (this is the record that Robert Plant has cited as the reason he started singing).

He relocated to Washington, DC in 1961, where he would build a rep playing local clubs. He waxed ‘Watch Your Step’ for Philadelphia’s V-Tone label (associated with the Len label) in 1961 (it was actually released twice in the UK, on London in 1961 and Sue in 1964).

The record opens with a fanfare (as any disc this mighty should), which is followed (after a short dramatic pause) by Parker’s smoking guitar, and the rolling, Latin-flavored drums (another part of ‘Watch Your Step’ that would end up in ‘I Feel Fine’).

Parker’s vocal – sounding like Ray Charles and Bobby Bland had a rocking baby – wails powerfully through the verses, being chased by the horn section. The tempo builds through the song as Parker is joined by backing vocals and a hot little sax solo. Parker has been described as a cross between Buddy Guy and James Brown, and it’s not hard to imagine him working up a sweat on stage with this one.

Parker would record sporadically through the 60’s, waxing a 45 (‘I Won’t Believe It Till I See It’ as Little Bobby Parker) for the ultra-rare DC soul label Shrine, where the Cautions would record a version of ‘Watch Your Step’.

He also toured in the UK where he would record for the Blue Horizon label in 1968 (the same label that released the earliest Fleetwood Mac albums).

Though he toured relentlessly (and was a major hit in DC area blues clubs), he wouldn’t record again until the early 90’s for the Blacktop label.

Keep an eye peeled for a PBS special called ‘John Lennon’s Jukebox’ which features a recent interview with Parker as part of a fascinating look into what Lennon was listening to during the Beatles peak years.

Keep the faith

Larry

*I was stunned to discover that ‘Watch Your Step’ did not hit the national R&B charts at all, hitting the pop charts regionally, almost exclusively on the west coast

*’Watch Your Step’ was also covered in the 70’s by Dr. Feelgood, in the 80’s by Santana, and in the 90’s by the Kaisers

 

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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 (0)

By Larry, October 31, 2013 11:28 am

The Unifics

Listen/Download The Unifics – It’s All Over

Listen/Download The Unifics – It’s a Groovy World

Greetings all

The end of the week is upon us, and 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. You can also keep up with the show by subscribing as a podcast in iTunes.

Late last week I got word that Al Johnson, the lead singer of the mighty Unifics had passed away at the age of 65.

I’ve featured the Unifics here at Funky16Corners a few different times over the years.

Formed at Howard University (as Al and the Vikings)  in Washington, DC, they were one of the finest late 60s soul harmony groups, hitting the R&B Top 40 four different times (Top 10 twice) in 1968 and 1969.

The track I bring you today, ‘It’s All Over’ is one of my favorites from their 1968 LP “Court of Love’ (the title tune was their first, and biggest hit in 1968).

Check out the Unifics performing ‘Court of Love’ on TV:

Written by the group’s producer Guy Draper, ‘It’s All Over’ features a groovy arrangement, with pumping bass, understated horns and some great falsetto harmonies by the Unifics.

Johnson’s lead is typically wonderful and, the bass breakdown midway through the song is incredible.

The Unifics broke up in the early 70s, with Johnson going on to a career as a songwriter and producer.

I’m also reposting my fave Unifics track ‘It’s a Groovy World’.

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