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By Larry, May 15, 2011 4:39 pm

Sam Butera

Listen/Download – Sam Butera – Love Bandit

Greetings all.

I hope that your world is just as groovy as can be.

I’m coming off a very busy, yet oddly relaxing weekend.

The fam and I managed to hit up a great barbecue where we hung with some very old, end very excellent friends, and I was working on the new annex to the Funky16Corners Blogcasting Nerve Center and Record Vault family of fine interwebs products.

What am I speaking of you ask???

Well, since I’ve been having so much fun doing the weekly Funky16Corners Radio Show over at Viva Radio, and then archiving the shows here at the blog, I got the itch to expand upon the theme.

Initially the thought was to do something like a second, shorter edition of the Funky16Corners Radio Show, to be posted here.

That still may happen, but ultimately I took a different tack, and worked up a show based on the goings on at the other blog in the Funky16Corners family, that being Iron Leg.

Iron Leg – if you haven’t been there – is where I rap about music from the same general time period that I cover here (60s/70s), but the concentration is not on funk and soul, but rather pop and rock, covering garage punk, psychedelia, sunshine pop and the like.

I know that many of the folks that fall by Funky16Corners will not necessarily find those sounds to their liking, but I also know that a lot of you are like me, i.e. musically omnivorous – where all good music is worth hearing – and will dig at least some of what I post at Iron Leg.

That said, the Iron Leg Radio Show will be posted once a month (for now), and since it is not bound by the same time constraints as the Funky16Corners show, will generally in and around 90 minutes (though this inaugural episode runs over two hours).

If this sounds like a bag you might find yourself in, motor on over to Iron Leg to check out the playlist, and if that tickles your fancy, pull down the ones and zeros and give it a listen.

I think you’ll dig it.

Now, here at Funky16Corners, I figured I’d open things up this week with something interesting, so adjust your reading glasses and your earholes and get yourself some Sam Butera.

I’ve covered the late, great Mr. Butera here a number of times, mainly in his capacity as the bandleader for the equally late, also great Louis Prima.

Though Prima and Butera are mainly known for a very swinging variety of jump jazz (the very root of rock and roll), as the years wore on, and stylistic relevance outpaced their old sound, Prima and the Witnesses – the backing band usually billed as ‘Sam Butera and …’ – recorded some funky stuff, usually for Prima’s custom label.

Though billed as ‘Love Bandit’, what you’re actually hearing here is a funky reworking of Johnny Guitar Watson’s R&B classic ‘Gangster of Love’ (though the Cadets also recorded the song in 1956 with the ‘Love Bandit’ title).

Interestingly, though Butera and the Cadets before him used the same basic set of lyrics as Watson, neither one uses his tune.

Butera’s version takes the song at a funky, sock soul pace and Sam plays up the humorous aspect of the lyrics with a band that I assume has to be the Witnesses and some female backing singers.

The arranger Maxwell Davis and the producer Bill Lazerus both spent a lot of years working at Modern Records on records by folks like Lowell Fulsom and BB King.

I have no hard data on when this was released, but I have seen a discography for the Coliseum label – which features some jazz artists like Count Basie and others that look like studio orchestras covering pop hits – with material that would seem to place this in the range of 1966 or 1967. This is only an educated guess, so if any of you good folks know for sure, and I’m wrong, please let me know.

Anyhoo, I hope you dig it, and I’ll be back on Wednesday with something cool.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recr events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (4)

By Larry, May 12, 2011 3:27 pm

Charles Mann

Listen/Download – Charles Mann – Do It Again

Greetings all, and welcome to the end of the week.

All is well – relatively speaking – with nothing overtly positive to report, but nothing horrifying either, so I’ll just remain tied to the mast and hope the boat stays on course.

This is of course the part of the week where I remind you that the Funky16Corners Radio Show is about due for its weekly eruption over at Viva Radio, with all of the groovy sounds you have – as a connoisseur of the finer things in soul – become accustomed to. Friday night at 9PM is the time, followed over the weekend by the appearance of the MP3 version thereof over at the blog, where you can pull down the ones and zeros at your leisure.

The number I bring you today is another very groovy cover version (making it a clean sweep this week) of one of my all time favorite groups, that being Steely Dan.

The song in question is their 1972 hit ‘Do It Again’, and the covering artiste is Charles Mann.

I first heard this take on the song via a forum post on the interwebs, and as a huge fan of the Dan, and of interesting cover versions in general, I set out to find a copy of my own.

I’d never heard of Charles Mann before, and I have to admit that despite some searching I still don’t know much.

He recorded his version of ‘Do It Again’ in 1973 for the ABC label with a collection of Philly all-stars, including Bobby Eli (under an alias), Norman Harris, Earl Young, Ronnie Baker and Vince Montana (pretty much the heart of the MFSB crew), with background vocal support from Bunny Sigler (among others).

Tracking down information on Mann proved difficult because there’s a prominent swamp pop singer of the same name (who happens to be white), and because it would appear that aside from this album for ABC and some disco 12”s for the LA label, the soulful Mr Mann didn’t leave much of a trail.

His cover of ‘Do It Again’ ramps up the tempo and fleshes out the arrangement considerably) with the Philly heads adding a healthy dose of danceability to the song. The intro is ripe for sampling/looping and Mann’s vocal is excellent.

The record has that great, Philly-based pre-disco funk vibe, and the guitar work (there are two great solos, one with fuzz and one without) is superb.

Mann recorded three 45s for ABC, and oddly enough ‘Do It Again’ doesn’t appear to have had a domestic release on 45 (though it did come out in Europe). It is possible that since Steely Dan was also on ABC, the label didn’t want to have competing versions on the singles charts.

It’s also unusual because there aren’t a lot of vocal covers of Steely Dan material out there, though I’ve found a number of instrumental versions of their material (by Woody Herman who did a whole album of it, and Herbie Mann). If you’re game to hear something unusual, check out the cover by Waylon Jennings.

I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll be back on Monday.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recr events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (3)

By Larry, May 10, 2011 1:20 pm

Miss Dorothy Morrison

Listen/Download – Dorothy Morrison – Spirit In the Sky

Greetings all.

I hope all is groovy on your side of the interwebs.

The tune I bring you this fine day is something I only heard earlier this year, though the artist been bouncing around in my subconscious since I was a little kid.

I first heard of Dorothy Morrison’s version of Norman Greenbaum’s ‘Spirit In the Sky’ when I saw it on an auction list earlier this year.

I picked up a copy without having heard it, on the strength of Morrison, a well-known gospel artist, crossing over into (mostly) secular territory.

Though I didn’t initially know it was her singing, I fell in love with Morrison’s voice as a child when the Edwin Hawkins Singers ‘Oh Happy Day’ (on which she was the lead) hit the charts. A major hit in the US and internationally in 1969, the decidedly lo-fi, yet incredibly powerful and inspirational number is one of the great musical moments of the peace and love era (which I’ll have to post here sometime soon).

Flash forward some years later, as a teenager burning the midnight lamp (and whatever else was laying around) I first saw what became one of my all-time favorite music documentaries ‘Celebration at Big Sur’.

A remarkable artifact of the hippie era, ‘Celebration…’ was a film about the 1969 Big Sur Pop Festival which was held at the visually stunning (but wholly unlikely, mostly unsuitable) Esalen Institute on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Featuring a stellar line-up, helmed by Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Joni Mitchell, John Sebastian and Joan Baez, the film also featured a rousing performance by Dorothy Combs Morrison (as she was billed before and after her secular sojourn) and the Combs Sisters, performing ‘All God’s Children Got Soul’, a minor chart hit 1969, as well as reprising ‘Oh Happy Day’ with an all-star group.

Morrison, possessed of a powerful voice and herself physically stunning (she reminds me somewhat of Teresa Graves) was an ideal candidate for crossover success, and for a short time made the non-gospel rounds, touring the festival circuit, appearing on a number of television shows and recording secular records. She would eventually return to her gospel roots, winning a number of Grammy Awards during the 70s and 80s.

Her 1970 version of ‘Spirit In the Sky’ takes the spacey tempo of the original and kicks it up a few notches, adding a muscular horn section and percussion, making the religious underpinnings of Greenbaum’s version and pushing them to the fore.

The transition of gospel artists into the world of soul was certainly not unique, with countless soul artists having sharpened their instruments in the gospel world (most notably Sam Cooke). The influence of church singing on secular soul is so great as to be practically immeasurable, and the artists that created and then (sometimes) burned bridges – in both directions –  between them are at the heart of a story that someone with a deeper understanding of that world than myself needs to tell.

Not being privy to the intimate details of her career, I wonder if Morrison, who’s husky voice was a powerful and at times deeply sexy instrument, had a greater level of success in the secular world, would have continued on in that direction.

As far as I can tell her secular career lasted about half a decade, including a few 45s on Elektra (including ‘All God’s Children Got Soul’) prior to her 1970 album on Buddah, a 45 for MGM (covering Jackie Wilson on one side and Marvin Gaye on the other) as well as a (now expensive) 1975 45 for Oakland’s Brown Door label, written and produced by none other than Marvin Holmes. A look at the most of the material that she recorded during that period seems to indicate that she never committed to the secular sound completely, always keeping one foot partially planted on the gospel border.

It’s important to note that as far as stylistic influence is concerned, the gate swung both ways. The black gospel world of the 60s and 70s has grown considerably as a genre of importance with funk and soul collectors, and this can be traced directly to the fact that while singing styles were traveling across boundaries, instrumental styles were doing so as well, often in the opposite direction, producing gospel recordings that are, aside from their lyrical bent, unmistakably soulful and funky.

This may have been merely the result of the growth of funk, since its influence can be heard in jazz and rock as well, but it is all the more remarkable when you consider how unusual it is for some to acknowledge the crossover between the sacred and the profane.

The flipside of this record is a cool version of another very interesting song, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weill’s ‘Black California’, also recorded a year or so later by Patti Austin.

I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll be back on Friday with another interesting cover.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recr events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (1)

By Larry, May 8, 2011 7:29 pm

An earlier pic of the Fame Gang, many of whom play on this very 45.

Listen/Download – Muscle Shoals Horns – Breakdown (Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys)

Greetings all.

To borrow a phrase from the mighty Slim Gaillard, the weekend was mellow like a cello, with some unexpected downtime, and some lovely Mother’s day festivities.

As a result I am reasonably well rested, or at least well chilled, so I figured we’d get the week started with something a little hot.

The tune I bring you today is yet another testament to the wonders of Facebook.

I have a plethora groovy friends on the interwebs, many of who are also DJ types or otherwise classifiable as record nerds, and on any given day someone is posting up something cool that I hadn’t heard before, many of which I’ve found myself pursuing so that I would have a copy for my very own.

This is one of those records, and sadly I cannot remembered who posted it, but I do remember where the post led me, which was here (Groovesville USA) where I learned that the record in question was a UK-only 45, which was my jumping off point to finding one for my crates.

Surprisingly enough, that took almost no time and very little money (the perfect combination) and before you know it ‘Breakdown’ by the Muscle Shoals Horns is on the old turntable being digimatized so that I might post it in this space.

The groovy thing about ‘Breakdown’, aside from it’s obvious smoking hot funky disco sound, perfect for the dance floor, is the fact that if you read the label closely enough, or apply your ears just so, you’ll discover that what you are listening to is in fact an instrumental cover of the Equals 1971 ‘Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys’.

The Equals’ OG was itself an important record during the very early days of the discotheque culture in both the UK and the US.

I can’t say for sure how the Muscle Shoals Horns (in actuality the Fame Gang with the horn section leading the way) got their hooks into it four years on, but it does seem that the Bang/Shout label connection probably had something to do with it.

The Bang label had its initial run from 1965 to 1971, with the Equals ‘Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys’ being the last record they released. The label was reactivated in the mid-70s, with groups like Brick and the Muscle Shoals Horns.

‘Breakdown’ was issued in the US on the ‘Born to Get Down’ LP in 1976, and for some odd reason only saw 45 release in the UK on the groovy gold label you see above.

It’s cool that the tune had a second coming of sorts (though it was also covered by NY-area band ST-4 in the early 70s), with an update for the discos.

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

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recr events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (4)

By Larry, May 5, 2011 4:09 pm

The young doctor as intern…

Listen/Download – Mac Rebennack and the Soul Orchestra – The Point

Greetings all.

Following yet another Sisyphean (Sisyphusian?) slog the end of the week is finally upon us.

This has been another one of those weird weeks where any attempt to fall into the lockstep of routine was thwarted by the intrusion of both the necessary and the unexpected.

I had some doctor type ish to deal with as well all that brings with it, as well as the flotsam and jetsam of daily life, including still recovering from vacation.

Despite any number of valiant attempts to switch my mind to cruise control, I was given to contemplation, and came to the realization that despite all my crabbing about how busy I am and haw many things I have to do, I am in the end extraordinarily lucky.

Aside from the obvious (and sometimes not so) joys of married life and fatherhood, I also have the opportunity, via the blog, the Funky16Corners Radio Show (this and every other Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio) and DJ gigs to share the music I love so much with you good people.

Aside from any adolescent aspiration to become a 21st century Hugh Hefner, the fantasy that preoccupied me in the past was to engage in what I just described.

Sure, it probably manifested itself in an image closer to Wolfman Jack in ‘American Graffiti’, howling in the depths of the night while transmitting musical hoodoo over the airwaves, but as I listen (in the furtherance of both quality control and ego gratification) back to the interwebs radio show I put together each week, and then get feedback from folks that actually listen to the show, I get just enough of that spark running willy nilly up my spine and stabbing me right in the old pleasure centers to make do.

The days of the great masters of the ether are long gone, but if I can rub two sticks together and whip up just a little bit of that heat each week, I’m happy.

The tune I bring you today is yet another white whale of mine that I chased like Melville’s crazed mariner for many a year.

I do not recall where Mac Rebennack’s ‘The Point’ first made its way into my earholes, but as I am a connoisseur of both the sounds of New Orleans and the mighty electric organ (Hammond or otherwise), and a devotee of the mighty Dr. John (Mr. Rebennack’s later nom de musique), I did not merely want a copy of this particular record, but rather needed it quite desperately.

While I would not say that the Crescent City is particularly well known for organ 45s, it does have some spectacular examples of the subgenre to its credit, including James Booker’s ‘Gonzo’,  Bo Jr.’s ‘Coffee Pot’, the instro flipside to Candy Phillips’ ‘Timber’ (in actuality a certain Mr. Bocage on the keys) as well as the tune I bring you today.

As the story goes, young Mac Rebennack was set on spending his career squeezing sounds out of a guitar until he got shot in the hand and found his way (thanks be to the strange ways of fate) onto a piano bench. The rest as they say is history, with the good Doctor being one of those cats to whom one might spend a happy eternity listening to as he tickled the ivories. He is part of the long line of masterful New Orleans piano masters that includes Professor Longhair, James Booker and Eddie Bo, and as such probably ought to have a retinue following him around, with someone to hold his drink, another to dust off the keys and yet another to spread rose petals in his path on account of he deserves no less.

That said, ‘The Point’ was waxed in 1962 for the storied AFO (All For One) label, an organization founded as a self-determined black musicians collective. During the label’s original 1961-1963 run they issued just over a dozen singles by artists like Barbara George (with the million selling ‘I Know’), Tammy Lynn, Ellis Marsalis, Prince La La (as in ‘Who Shot the…’) and Willie Tee.

Though ‘The Point’ was not his first 45 (the crazed guitar instro ‘Storm Warning’ came first in 1959) it was his debut as a leader on the keys, and it is a record of singular brilliance.

This is not to say that it is any kind of display of technical virtuosity, but rather a small vinyl artifact that carries in its grooves all manner of soul, menace, night-time atmosphere, up to an including the ability to place in the listener’s mind the image of a young woman in some sort of brief and suggestive (perhaps fringed) outfit shaking (upon a purpose-built, raised platform of some sort) what the gentlemen of the time would refer to as her ‘moneymaker’ (if you know what I mean and I think that you do) in a smoky bar filled with cold beer and broken dreams, and whether or not someone’s out back in the alley turned upside down so that the contents of their pockets might spill out and satisfy a debt matters not because the kid behind the organ and his band (and the young lady) have you hyp-mo-tized with the groove.

It’s that kind of record, and as far as I know Mister Rebennack, either inside or outside his duties as Dr John the Night Tripper never really stepped into something like this again.

The flipside of the record is a nice enough jam, yet it lacks the whiff of eau de roadhouse (though the horns are real nice).

The aforementioned Mr Booker, a renowned master of the 88s also recorded some very tasty organ sides, but they are every bit as elegant and fine as his piano work, which is not a bad thing at all, but compared to the jagged edge of Mac’s sound here is something else entirely.

A very tasty record indeed, and one that filled a miniscule but important hole in my crates. Also a groovy window into the soul of young Mr. Rebennack before the left coast called and he packed up his John the Conqueror Root, Mardi Gras feathers and attitude and headed out to Cali-For-Ny-Yay.

I hope you all dig it as much as I do, and I’ll see you all on Monday.

Oh, but before I go, you will most definitely want to check this out:

”

Some very groovy folks down in DC and Virginia have put together what promises to be the show of the year under the name the Chocolate City Soul Revue, with performances by Marva Whitney, Martha High, Vicki Anderson, both Clyde Stubblefield and Jabo Starks (?!?!?) legendary James Brown MC Danny Ray, original members of the JBs, the Impressions, and 21st century soul man Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed and his band the True Loves.

I mean, honest to god people, does it get any better than that?

The shindig goes down on June the 4th at the D.A.R. Constitution Hall in Washington, DC.

You can get yourself tickets via Ticketmaster.

Peace

Larry

 
Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recr events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (6)

By Larry, May 1, 2011 5:35 pm

DJ Andujar and Funky16Corners @ Sweet Exorcist @ The Peoples Pint 4/22

Studebaker Hawk (above), D.J. Andujar (below)

Listen/Download – Studebaker Hawk @ Sweet Exorcist 4/22/11

Studebaker Hawk Set List
Dave Valentin – Sidra’s Dream (GRP)
Phantom Slasher – Furry Whiplash (Noid)
Pia Zadora – The Clapping Song (Elektra)
Marsha Hunt – (Oh, No! Not) The Beast Day (n/a)
Gypsy Lane – Show Me How To Groove (Drive)
The Love Machine – Sex-O-Sonic (London Records)

Listen/Download – Funky16Corners @ Sweet Exorcist Set 2 4/22/11

Funky16Corners @ Sweet Exorcist Set 2

Nanette Workman – Lady Marmalade (Pasha)
Lynda Lyndell – What a Man (Volt)
Rufus Thomas – Funky Penguin Pt1 (Stax)
Lou Courtney – Hey Joyce (Popside)
James Brown – Get On the Good Foot (Polydor)
Chuck Carbo – Can I Be Your Squeeze (Canyon)
Gene Chandler – In My Body’s House (Chess)
Marva Whitney – It’s My Thing (King)
Eddie Bo & Inez Cheatham – Lover and a Friend (Capitol)
Willie Tell and the Overtures – Kick Back (Chess)
King Curtis – Pop Corn Willy (Atco)

Listen/Download – DJ Andujar & Studebaker Hawk @ Sweet Exorcist 4/22/11

DJ Andujar @ Sweet Exorcist Set 1

James Brown…I Got Tha Feelin (45)
Dyke & the Blazers…Let a Woman… (45)
Ivo Meirelles & Funk N Lata…Baile Funky (make it funky) (LP)
Lou Toby & his Heavies…Heavy Steppin (45)
Lyn Collins…Think (45)
Toots & Maytalls…Funky Kingston (LP)

Studebaker Hawk Set List

Williams Brothers – I Feel Good (New Birth Records)
Kabbala – Ashewo Aro (Red Flame)
Panama – Long Train Runnin’ (Pathé Marconi EMI)
Dorothy Morrison – All God’s Children Got Soul (Elektra)

Listen/Download – DJ Andujar Set 2 @ Sweet Exorcist 4/22/11

Greyboy with Sharon Jones & Quantic…Got To Be A Love (Paul Nice rmx) (12″)
Gizelle Smith…June (LP)
Clarence Reid…Masterpiece (45)
Charles Wright & Watts 103rd…What Can You Bring Me (45)
Orchestra Baobab…Kelen Ati Leen (45)
Ripple…Funky Song (45)
Bob Marley…Could You Be Loved (12″)
Gwen McCrae…Rockin Chair (45)

Greetings all.

I hope the new week finds you well.

Things are finally starting to settle down here in the Funky16Corners Blogcasting Nerve Center and Record Vault after the busiest month of DJ activity I’ve seen in a long, long time.

We already covered my appearance at the Subway Soul Club, and today’s post will tell the tale of my journey to the great state of Massachusetts for a pair of very groovy nights.

I’d like to get started though by telling you how I spent my weekend, which dovetails nicely with everything else and kind of puts a cap on things.

As has been related in this space before, for a couple of vary important reasons (those being our sons) our family is involved with POAC (Parents of Autistic Children, you can follow the link at the bottom of this or any other recent post).
POAC organized a dodgeball tournament, and they asked me to come out and spin some records during the festivities, which is how I spent my Saturday (with Miles acting as my roadie).

I packed up the decks and mixer in my new road case (I think I’m going to stop referring to it as a coffin, which is slightly morbid nomenclature and has to be explained every single time I use it in conversation), packed up a case of funk and disco 45s, filled the record bag with albums and 12”s, and headed over to the local rec center.

Despite years of DJing, this is the first time I took the old Funky16Corners Sound System on the road, and it was a resounding success (even if I forgot to bring a surge protector and an extension cord, but the audio gods look out for the foolish and forgetful, and I was covered).

It was a gas (including a bunch of high school kids singing along with ‘Pass the Hatchet’ which I’m 100% certain they’d never heard before), and despite a couple of close calls, wherein the dodge balls inadvertently came in contact with the sound system (but never the turntables, thankfully), things went swimmingly.

The trip to Massachusetts was similarly excellent.

A few months back my man DJ Andujar got in touch as asked if I might be interested in coming up his way to do his (and Studebaker Hawk’s) night in Greenfield, MA (Sweet Exorcist), followed by a Saturday in Northampton, MA with Snack Attack and DJ Cashman (Wooly Bully).

I checked the calendar and discovered that the dates in question intersected with the Funky16Corners family spring break, so arrangements were made to wrap the two nights into our vacation.

We’d been up to Northampton last year (for vinyl and yarn digging) and found the area to our liking, so the wife and I were both psyched about a return trip.

The Monday before the gigs I phoned in to DJ Andujar’s Radio Clandestino Show on WMUA-FM, and did an interview, which he was kind enough to record, and which I’ll post here for your listening pleasure.

Download/Listen: DJ Andujar Interviews Larry Grogan/Funky16Corners on WMUA-FM, UMASS Amherst, 4/18/11

Sweet Exorcist is held at a very groovy joint called the People’s Pint in Greenfield, MA, and I have to tell you, if you’re in the area, and crave some excellent food and drink, this is the place for you. I’m a ginger beer fanatic, and the People’s Pint makes their own, as well as house made cola, root beer, and a few varieties of regular beer (I tried the oatmeal stout and was very pleased).

The records started spinning around 10PM, and the night was a gas. Both DJ Andujar and Studebaker Hawk brought the heat (as you’ll hear when you pull down the ones and zeros) and I did my level best not to disappoint.

The peeps were dancing, the vinyl was spinning and a good time was had by all. Many thanks to the DJs (and the staff at the People’s Pint) for a great night.

The following night I was on my own (my wife was with the little Corners) and I packed up the record box and headed over to Northampton for Wooly Bully at the Basement.

Yours truly staring intently at the PA system @ the Basement, somehow sensing impending failure…

Run by Snack Attack and DJ Cashman, Wooly Bully runs a little more in the 60s soul direction, and I’d packed a grip of Northern and 60s dance floor soul for the occasion. The Basement is a small room in the back of a building, but by the time the music got started it was packed to the rafters with party people who never stopped dancing until the lights came on and the door guy ushered them out into the night at closing time.

Hazy cellphone pics of the Basment

(Top) Billy Butler on the decks

(Bottom) Imagine these people plus about 100 more revelers, packed like soulful sardines

The place was a madhouse, and much good music was spun and danced to.

Unfortunately – and this was the only sour note of the whole trip – my recordings from the Basement were unusable. The levels were set too high and the recordings were distorted. There were other technical issues (the PA system overheated at one point) but they were all surmountable.  Hopefully, if I make a return visit during the summer, I can remedy the situation and bring back a couple of sets by Snack Attack and DJ Cashman, who both rocked the house.

Today I’ll be trying something new, which is basically posting sets by everyone who spun at Sweet Exorcist. I won’t be posting my first set, since there was a problem with a ground wire and there’s an annoying buzz that cuts into the music at a number of points.

It’s interesting to hear the different sensibilities of three DJs, all funky, but coming at the sound from different angles.
My assessment of a quality night is one where I walk away from the evening with new records added to my want list, and Sweet Exorcist definitely fit the bill.

I hope you dig the sounds, and I’ll be back later in the week with something cool.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recr events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, April 28, 2011 12:01 pm

King Curtis

Listen/Download – King Curtis – Pop Corn Willy
Listen/Download – King Curtis – Patty Cake (Valdez In the Country)

Greetings all.

I hope the end of the week finds you all robust, rosy cheeked and filled to the gills with soul.

I am – as usual – up to my substantial ass in alligators, with an exceptionally busy vacation followed immediately with an equally jam packed week.

I will save my recap of my DJ gigs in Massachusetts (which were a gas) for next week, but I did want to fill out this week’s posting with a very recent acquisition, that has (and this should come as no surprise) an interesting story attached to it.

The first part of our family vacation was occupied with an ongoing, very important errand, and as a result, when an opportunity opened up to do a little on-the-road 45 digging, I was both surprised and very pleased.

I hit a spot in upstate NY, that has – like many record stores that I haunt on the reg – seemed like a case of diminishing returns, i.e., the more I go back, the less there is to look through.

This time out was a different story, and by the time I had worked my way through the soul and funk section I had built up a nice stack of 45s to peruse, including some new (to me) stuff, one longtime want list item, 45 versions of things I previously had only on LP, as well as a couple of nice items for the trade box.

Among the new things was a King Curtis 45 with two tracks that were both previously unknown to me.

The one that caught my eye was ‘Pop Corn Willy’, which seemed – thanks to the mention of the funky snack food in the title – to be part and parcel of the 1969 dance craze.

Once I got it to the listening station, my suspicions were confirmed. It was extremely funky, and fast moving, and I gave it a spin when I took to the decks in Northampton, MA.

‘Pop Corn Willy’ is one of those cheap 45s that would likely be worth a nice chunk of change if it were rarer.

I gave the other side a brief needle drop, but since it didn’t grab me right away, I didn’t give it much thought.

When we finally returned home, and I got all my ducks in a row – including the acquisition of a brand new DJ coffin (not something you bury a DJ in, but rather a road case for two turntables and a mixer) – I sat down to digimatize the new records so that I might include them in next week’s edition of the Funky16Corners Radio Show (which by the way will air, on schedule, this Friday evening at 9PM on Viva Radio), I decided to give the King Curtis flipside a closer listen, and it’s a good thing I did too.

When I put the needle on the record, the song coming out of the speakers was pleasant enough, but after about 20 seconds it started to sound oddly familiar, and by the time the chorus rolled around I realized that although the song was titled ‘Patty Cake’, what I was actually hearing was a version of one of my favorite Donny Hathaway tunes, ‘Valdez In the Country’.

I’d first heard the song in a cover by the Soulful Strings, then by Hathaway himself, and eventually in a smoking version by Cold Blood.

The thing that bugged me though, was why it had been recorded by Mr Ousley under a different title.

As it turns out, this may very well have been the initial waxing of this composition. Hathaway himself (credited here, oddly as ‘Don Hathaway’) wouldn’t record it until 1973 on his ‘Extensions of a Man’ LP, after the Soulful Strings, Cold Blood, Nite Liters and Black Sugar (it would later be covered by George Benson).

As it turns out, the keyboardist on this session (recorded in August of 1969) was none other than Hathaway himself*, which would explain where King Curtis got his hands on the song. I don’t know for sure, but it’s possible that Curtis changed the title (the song would only appear on a non-LP 45) in an effort to keep it simple for the juke boxes and the dance floor. It’s also possible that it had yet to take on the ‘Valdez…’ title (I’ve never been able to discover the origin or significance of the title), though the Soulful Strings version, also recorded in 1969 carried the longer title.

That all said, it’s a great song (one of my favorite instrumentals), and I hope you dig it.

Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you all on Monday.

Peace

Larry

*Interestingly, Hathaway also plays on (as well as produced and arranged) the Cold Blood version, and may very well have had something to do with the Soulful Strings version as well. He was clearly proud of the composition and did a lot to get it out there.

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recr events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (5)

By Larry, April 26, 2011 11:22 am

Lurking in the shadows with a loaded turntable…

OV Wright – Love the Way You Love (Backbeat)
Billy Butler – Right Track (Okeh)
Lynne Randell – It’s a Hoe Down (Epic)
Thelma Jones – Stronger (Barry)
The Platters – Sweet Sweet Lovin’ (Musicor)
Christine Cooper – SOS (Heart In Distress) (Parkway)
Irma Thomas – What Are You Trying To Do (Imperial)
Henry Lumpkin – Soul Is Taking Over (Buddah)
Barbara Banks – River of Tears (Veep)
Luther Ingram – If It’s All the Same To You (Hib)
Chuck Wood – Seven Days Is Too Long (Roulette)
Maurice and the Radiants – Baby You’ve Got It (Chess)
Parliaments – Don’t Be Sore At Me (Revilot)
O’Jays – I Dig Your Act (Bell)

(Full set list at the bottom of the post)

Listen/Download – F16C Soul Club Presents – Soulshake! Funky16Corners Live at the Subway Soul Club 61MB/256K Mixed MP3

Yours truly, Luther Ingram (spinning) and Chuck Wood (cued up)

Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus

Girlsoul selects another winner!

The mighty M-Fasis on the dance floor.

The crowd

Everyone’s records, ready to go.

Greetings all.

I have – like the prodigal son – returned from my wanderings tired, but satisfied.

The past week saw a mini-burst of DJ activity, with the Subway Soul Club (which we’ll be rapping about this fine day) last Saturday (4/16), then driving up to Massachusetts for Sweet Exorcist on Friday 4/22 in Greenfield, and Wooly Bully on Saturday 4/23 in Northampton (which we will cover next week).

I even managed to get in some unexpected 45 digging in New York, which turned up a couple of nice funk 45s, a few disco things and a couple of doubles for the old trade box.

Wrapped around all of this tomfoolery was a family vacation, with the swimming, the sightseeing, the fine dining (pho and New Haven pizza on the same trip!!) and a lot of close quarters, but much fun (if little actual relaxation) was had, and now here we all are, back in the daily groove.

As I mentioned, I spent the evening of Saturday 4/16 alongside Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus, Girlsoul and PJ Lozito (Connie T Empress had to cancel) whipping the best in soul on the crowd at the storied Subway Soul Club, at Public Assembly in Williamsburg, BK.

Despite the fact that the area was in the midst of a near-monsoon, which made motoring to Brooklyn a real hoot, there was a nice turnout, and by midnight the floor was full of good people soaking up the sounds of soul and cutting themselves what the old folks used to refer to as a slice of rug.

I have probably said this numerous times, but it bears mentioning once again, I love nothing more than to spin soul and funk for people that like to dance. There is something magical about pulling an especially cool record out of your box, slipping it onto the turntable and watching the crowd react when the sounds make their way out of the speakers.

Subway Soul Club is really a dancers scene, with people grooving steadily for several hours (I honestly have no idea where some people get the energy), especially to Northern Soul. This was a very appreciative/receptive crowd who dug what we all were spinning, and the experience was, as you can imagine, exceptionally rewarding.

The mix you see above is the second set I spun that night, and features a number of favorites, all floor-fillers, including a bunch of things that have had a home in my crates for many years, as well as a few recent acquisitions.

I also managed to snap a couple of pictures, and while I’m no Scavullo, I think the results manage to capture the vibe fairly well.

Big thanks go out to Phreddie and our host Lady Dawn, the other DJs (who were uniformly excellent) and especially the dancers, without whom it wouldn’t have been nearly as groovy.

I hope you dig the sounds, and I’ll be back on Friday with some funk for your weekend.

If things go as planned, I’ll have some live mixes (and pics) from Massachusetts for you next week.

See you on Friday

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recr events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Funky16Corners Subway Soul 4/16 Set List

Set 1
Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes – Get Out (Landa)
Bettye Lavette – Feel Good All Over (Calla)
Dean Courtney – We Have a Good Thing (RCA)
John Williams and the Tick Tocks – Do Me Like You Do Me (Sansu)
Peggy Scott and Jo Jo Benson – Soul Shake (SSS Intl)
Felice Taylor – Under the Influence of Love (Mustang)
Frankie Valli – You’re Gonna (Hurt Yourself) (Smash)
Four Larks – Grooving at the Go Go (Tower)
Broadways – You Just Don’t Know (MGM)
Volcanos – (It’s Against) The Laws of Love (Inst) (Arctic)
Bob Brady and the Conchords – Everybody’s Going to the Love In (Chariot)
Jean Wells – With My Love and What You Got (Calla)
Danny White – Natural Soul Brother (SSS Intl)
The Contours – Just a Little Misunderstanding (Gordy) (Fade out)

Set 2

OV Wright – Love the Way You Love (Backbeat)
Billy Butler – Right Track (Okeh)
Lynne Randell – It’s a Hoe Down (Epic)
Thelma Jones – Stronger (Barry)
The Platters – Sweet Sweet Lovin’ (Musicor)
Christine Cooper – SOS (Heart In Distress) (Parkway)
Irma Thomas – What Are You Trying To Do (Imperial)
Henry Lumpkin – Soul Is Taking Over (Buddah)
Barbara Banks – River of Tears (Veep)
Luther Ingram – If It’s All the Same To You (Hib)
Chuck Wood – Seven Days Is Too Long (Roulette)
Maurice and the Radiants – Baby You’ve Got It (Chess)
Parliaments – Don’t Be Sore At Me (Revilot)
O’Jays – I Dig Your Act (Bell) (fade out)

Set 3

Mickey Lee Lane – Hey Sah Lo Ney (Swan) (partial)
R Dean Taylor – There’s a Ghost In My House (VIP)
Scatman Crothers – Golly! Zonk! It’s Scatman (HBR)
Eyes of Blue – Heart Trouble (Deram)
Rodge Martin – Lovin’ Machine (Bragg)
Cooperettes – Shing-a-ling (Brunswick)
Darrell Banks – Our Love Is In the Pocket (Revilot)
Spellbinders – Help Me (Get Myself Back Together Again) (Columbia)
Olympics – Mine Exclusively (Mirwood)
Chubby Checker – (At the) Discotheque (Parkway)
Peaches and Herb – I Need Your Love So Desperately (Date)
Rex Garvin and the Mighty Cravers – I Gotta Go Now (Out On the Floor) (Like)
Dean Parrish – I’m On My Way (Laurie) (fade out)

End of Night Wrap Up

Timmy Willis – Mr Soul Satisfaction (Sidra)
Clydie King – Bout Love (Lizard)
Producers – Love Is Amazing (Huff Puff)
Pat Lewis – Look at What I Almost Missed (Solid Hit)
Poets – She Blew a Good Thing (Symbol)
Chuck Jackson – Good Things Come To Those Who Wait (Wand)
Intruders – All the Time (Excel)

Comments (2)

By Larry, April 24, 2011 6:12 pm

Wayne Cochran

Listen/Download – Wayne Cochran – Hootchie Cootchie Man

Greetings all.

As I have been/am on vacation, this post is being prepared well in advance of publication, all pending and timely issues to be addressed upon my return.

I have gone on at length in this space, several times about my deep and abiding love for the sounds of the mighty Wayne Cochran.

As far as crazed, insanely be-conked white soul guys go, there was no one deeper in the game than brother Wayne.

He recorded rock, R&B, blazing soul and funk, all with his big, cornbread fuelled frame jammed into sparkling, skin tight togs, all placed carefully under what can only be described as the craziest haircut in the history of the tonsorial arts.

It’s like an atomic cotton candy process, as if Mr Softee had gotten himself a head full of Dixie Peach, Aqua-Net and gym-floor shellac, and then let all of his ice cream melt while he drove the truck at high speed listening to nothing but heat-distressed James Brown and Otis Redding tapes.

The tune I bring you today is his cover of the Willie Dixon standard ‘Hootchie Cootchie Man.

Therein you get to hear WC rip through the litany of hoodoo talismans, until, filled with the spirit, he declares that he is going to ‘Hootchie your Cootchie’, which on the surface doesn’t sound at all like an idle threat, and while the common 21st century usage may not have been in effect, I suspect it meant the same thing anyway, since we’re talking about Wayne Cochran.

Released in 1967, wedged in between very hot 45s by Laura Lee and Lonnie Brooks, Wayne’s version stands up proudly alongside all soulful interpretations thereof, as well as floating near the top of his own discography.

I dig it, and I suspect you will as well.

I’ll be back on Wednesday to regale you with tales of my time on the road.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recr events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (2)

By Larry, April 17, 2011 11:56 am

Lots more where that came from…

Listen/Download – F16C Soul Club Presents – Get It (Come and Get It) 118MB/256K Mixed MP3

Laura Lee – I Need It As Bad As You (Invictus)
Gene West – In the Ghetto (Original Sound)
Marva Whitney – This Girl’s In Love With You (King)
Kenny Smith – Go For Yourself (RCA)
Ohio Players – Find Someone To Love (Capitol)
Common Pleas – The Funky Judge (Crimson)
Eddie Bo and Inez Cheatham – Lover and a Friend (Capitol)
Jesse Hill – Mardi Gras (Pulsar)
Gunga Din – Crab Cakes (Valise)
Billy LaMont – Sweet Thing (20th Cent Fox)
Young Holt Unltd – Who’s Making Love (Brunswick)
Winfield Parker – Starvin (Spring)
James Brown – There Was a Time (King)
Senor Soul – Don’t Lay Your Funky Trip On Me (Whiz)
Howlin’ Wolf – Pop It To Me (Chess)
Wayne Logiudice – Ow Boogaloo (Philips)
Jay Dee Bryant – Get It (Come and Get It) (Enjoy)
Gene Dozier and the Brotherhood – Testify (Minit)
Jo Armstead – I’ve Been Turned On (Giant)
Syl Johnson – Dresses Too Short (Twinight)
Johnny Otis Show – Country Girl (Kent)
Bobby Byrd – I Know You Got Soul (King)
Gene Waiters – Shake and Shingaling (Fairmount)
Lavell Hardy – Don’t Lose Your Groove (Rojac)

Greetings all.

I have to get things started by letting you know what an absolute, stone gas my stint at the Subway Soul Club was this past Saturday night.

I’ve gone on in this space many times about how spinning soul music is a blast, but doing it for a room full of enthusiastic dancers really takes things to the next level. Despite the fact that we were in the midst of an impromptu monsoon (which made motoring out to Brooklyn a major undertaking) the room at Public Assembly filled up fast and quicker than you can say Wigan Casino the dance floor was slamming.

Both Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus and Lady Dawn were spectacular hosts, and the other guest DJs, Miss Evon and PJ Lozito (Connie T Empress had to bow out due to the inclement weather) both brought the heat and things were cooking for several hours straight.

I had an amazing time, got to spin the Northern Soul I love so much and got lots of great feedback from the crowd.

I managed to get most of my sets recorded, so sometime next week I’ll post at least one of them, as well as some pics from the night.

Subway Soul Club will return in May, and will then be taking the summer off, so if you’re close enough to make the scene, you should do so.

Now, welcome to Funky16Corners Spring Break!

No bikini girls or beer bongs, just an hour of funk 45s to hold you all until I return to the Funky16Corners Record Vault and Blogcasting Nerve Center.

As mentioned previously, the fam and I will be vacating for a few days, at the end of which I will be spinning funk and soul 45s for two nights in western Massachusetts.

Friday 4/22 I’ll be joining DJ Andujar and Studebaker Hawk for Sweet Exorcist @ the People’s Pint in Greenfield, MA. I’ll be bringing funk, latin and maybe even some reggae to help keep things hot.

The following night, Saturday 4/23, I’ll be joining DJ Cashman and Snack Attack at Wooly Bully @ the Basement in Northampton, MA for funk and soul on 45. I might bring a little Northern Soul with me this time.

If you’re in the area it would be very cool if you could drop by. I hear on very good authority that these are both smoking parties, and I will be packing nothing but heat in the record box, so a good time is guaranteed for all.

That said, what I bring you today is the first set from my latest appearance at Spindletop @ Botanica in NYC. This time out I spun all manner of funk and funky soul. I recorded the whole night, but the second set had some crossover with the last sets I posted, and the tonearm got jostled in the third set, so I’ll just file those away in the archive for a later date.
There are a fair number of classics, plus a grip of stuff that I haven’t played out in years, so hopefully you’ll all be able to find something grooveworthy within.

Don’t forget to tune in to the Funky16Corners Radio Show on Viva Radio this Friday night at 9PM. It’s the one year anniversary of the transformation from a glorified playlist into something that sounds like a radio show and it’s packed with good stuff.
The episode may not get posted at the blog until I get home, but there are close to 50 episodes archived there already, so lots to listen to.

Dig it all, and I’ll be back next week with tales of my travels, some new live sets recorded for the blog (hopefully) and maybe even some new records.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recr events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (2)

By Larry, April 14, 2011 10:30 am

The Spellbinders

Listen/Download – Spellbinders – Help Me (Get Myself Back Together Again)

Greetings all.

The end of what turned out to be a spectacularly busy week (the kind where I had to start writing things down so as not to forget to do them) has finally arrived. While I’m bushed, I’m also all revved up because this Saturday night I’ll be spinning at the Subway Soul Club.

This is going to be an especially groovy night for a few different reasons.

First and foremost, I hear that the crowd at Subway Soul likes to get out on the floor and dance, and I dig nothing more than spinning soul 45s for dancers.

Second, I’ll be spinning alongside two legendary NY area selectors, those being my old Asbury Park 45 Sessions cohort the mighty Connie T Empress, and Subway Soul resident, Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus.

If the names above don’t signify the presence of the hottest soul records available, then you have not been paying attention.
A very solid time is guaranteed for all.

Assuming that I make it home from Brooklyn on Sunday morning, the fam and I will be heading out for some vacation-style action, which will be capped off at the end of the week by two more gigs in western Massachusetts.

Since I’ll be away for the week I’ll be posting a live set from last week’s Spindletop on Monday, along with all the details of next week’s gigs, so stay tuned.

I should also mention that this Friday at 9PM the Funky16Corners Radio Show returns to the crackling airwaves of the intertubes for another session of the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove, all on vinyl. Make sure you stop by Viva Radio, or fall by the blog on Saturday to pick up the MP3 version of the show.

The tune I bring you today is most definitely going to be making the trip up to Brooklyn with me on Saturday.

My acquisition of the Spellbinders ‘Help Me (Get Myself Back Together Again)’ is yet another one of those twisted tales that winds its way back to the big mountain of 45s that came into my life lo these many years ago.

I’ve gone on about it many times, so I’ll keep it short. My father-in-law, while out scouting for antiques happened upon a huge stash of 45s, called and asked if I wanted them (naturally I said yes) and then brought them down to our house.

When they got here I was stunned by the sheer quantity (several thousand), and my wife and I spent the better part of a summer going through them, pulling out the stuff I knew was good, culling the stuff I knew was bad, and trying to figure out the difference on everything else.

Thanks to the huge amount of records, this proved to be an inexact science, and in addition to several boxes of the good stuff, I ended up with a couple of hundred things that at least looked interesting (or too interesting to throw out) and I’ve been picking at those ever since.

Every once in a while, when I have a little time on my hands I head back into those boxes, and recently such a trip resulted in one of the great ‘how the hell did I miss this?’ moments.

I must have given the Spellbinders 45 a spin at some point (since I had it filed as ‘soul’) but I suspect that I only listened to the other side (‘Danny Boy’), since it did not make a significant impression on me, which, had I listened to today’s selection, would not have been the case (am I making any sense here?).

That said, when I did drop the needle on ‘Help Me (Get Myself back Together Again)’ I was immediately drawn in by the wonderful intro, with the bass, vibes and percussion, followed immediately by the drums bringing in the pounding four on the floor beat. The rest of the record is pure Northern Soul genius, combining a great song, stellar arrangement and production (by Van McCoy) and fantastic vocals by the group.

What little I’ve been able to find out about the Spellbinders is that they were only together for a few years, recording a handful of 45s and an LP for Columbia (and one 45 for Date), with ‘Help Me…’ being issued as a non-LP 45 in 1966.

The group also had New Jersey roots, which is always a cool thing (for me) to find out.

I’m just thankful now that this 45 didn’t languish for another few years, or get sucked back into the vinyl maelstrom forever.

If you come out to Subway Soul, stop by the booth and say hi.

Have a great weekend.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo), in regard to the April 2nd walk. The whole Funky16Corners gang will be walking in support of autism services, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (3)

By Larry, April 12, 2011 1:06 pm

Keith Beckingham and his organ

The label (above) and a Dutch picture sleeve (below)

Listen/Download – Royal Dukes – A First Full of Crumpet

Greetings all.

The middle of the week is upon us, and I am just about keeping my eyes open.

I think I may be getting to the point where the phrase “I’m getting too old for this shit” will be nailed securely into my vocabulary.

The days where I would roll in through the front door after sunrise without a care in the world are far behind me. It seems that for every night I’m out way past my bedtime spinning records, the number of subsequent days reserved for recuperative efforts grows ever larger.

This is not to say that I don’t enjoy spinning records, because it’s just about my favorite pastime, but rather that unlike in my 20s, I am now living the life of a suburban dad with a pretty full dance card, and spending a reasonable number of hours in the land of nod is a crucial prerequisite to feeling like something besides shit.

I spent last night (happily) spinning funk 45s at Spindletop @ Botanica. Since our host Perry Lane was indisposed, I was flying solo, and surprisingly enough managed to get the equipment assembled and working without any major problems.

Me and my box of 45s were settled in by 10PM for no less than three full hours of musical wonderfulness, for what was a surprisingly large crowd (though the unseasonably warm weather probably had a lot to do with that).

I managed to record the proceedings, and since the fam and I will be vacating next week, I’ll post some of it then for you to ruminate on until my return.

That said, please keep in mind that I’ll be hitting the legendary Subway Soul Club this coming Saturday for an evening of high energy soul on 45 alongside Connie T Empress and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus. If you’re in the area (Brooklyn, that is) you really should make an effort to fall by as it promises to be a gas.

Then (YES, There’s MORE!!) after some of the aforementioned vacation I’ll be spinning for two nights in Massachusetts, Friday 4/22 in Greenfield, Mass at Sweet Exorcist @ the People’s Pint, and then Saturday 4/23 in Northampton, Mass at Wooly Bully @ the Basement. Both nights promise to be very groovy indeed, so if you’re within driving distance, you should join us.

The tune I bring you today is a little something I picked up many years ago in furtherance of my Hammond organ obsession.

I’d never heard of the group or the song, but the sound clip was intriguing so I bid and won.

That said, the record remained an almost total mystery until very recently, when I started scouring the interwebs.

As is always the case, when nothing obvious presents itself, you have to start Googling the available info on the label, in the hope that some connection might be made.

The first clue that I might be on to something came when I started looking for John and Malcolm Jackson, listed as producers on the label.

As it turns out, the brothers (I’m assuming) Jackson were fairly busy running what appears to be something of an exploito music factory, casting their net rather widely, attempting to get a hit in a number of styles, including as it turns out, Hammond organ LPs.

The trail – as far as I was able to follow it – sees the Johnson brothers machine working as far back as the early 60s beat boom, moving on into psychedelic pop and then into easy/loungey Hammond records with groups like the Bunnies, the Flintlocks, Rainbow Ffolly, Tony Knight’s Chessmen and the Second City Sound, with author credits often going to the duo of Thompson and Hancock.

Today’s selection, ‘A First Full of Crumpet’ by the Royal Dukes, appears to have been issued a few times (this is an Italian 45), credited a few different ways.

One of those ‘ways’ led me to organist Keith Beckingham (with an LP appearance of the track being credited to ‘Keith Beckingham on the Hammond with the Royal Dukes’.

The song itself (released in 1972) is quite interesting, with a reggae-ish backing, over which a relaxed, atmospheric Hammond carries the melody.

It is in no way ‘funky’, but it carries with it a very groovy, Euro soundtrack vibe – reminiscent of some of the Peddlers later Hammond instros – that I dig.

I had originally thought that the title of the song was the result of a typo (assuming ‘fist full’ where it says ‘first full’) but the spelling is repeated that way more than once, so I’ll go ahead and assume that this is the result of some impenetrable English slang construction.

If any of you good people have any info to contribute, I would be most appreciative.

See you on Friday.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo), in regard to the April 2nd walk. The whole Funky16Corners gang will be walking in support of autism services, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.