Comments (4)

By Larry, August 2, 2011 11:33 am

Richard Berry

Listen/Download – Richard Berry and the Pharaohs – Have Love Will Travel

Greetings all.

I hope all is well in your little corner of the interwebs, as well as whatever connection any of us has to the “real” (less so every day) world.

As referenced in Monday’s post, this has been an exceptionally busy couple of weeks for yours truly as well as a fantastic example the old saw about how life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.

The Funky16Corners fam had quite a bit of planning (and travel) already penciled in on the calendar, and then a death in the family ended up sending us a few hundred miles in the opposite direction.

Fortunately the week ended on a big up note, with the Funky16Corners Mobile Sound System rolling into Philly to provide the musical entertainment for a wedding party.

I’ve spun many a night, but never before in celebration of someone’s nuptials, and it was a stone gas.

This probably has to do with the fact that the loving couple put together quite a wingding. In addition to requesting a soundtrack of the finest in funk and soul (me again) with a concentration of the sounds of the Big Easy (you know how I roll), the people were very cool (there were even a couple of Funky16Corners fans in the crowd) and the food was spectacular.

It’s always nice to be a part of a happy occasion (usually as a partygoer) but spinning records (there were more than a few people who were stunned to see vinyl being used) and seeing folks get down to stuff like Roger and the Gypsies and Professor Longhair was – in the words of my old man – “something else”.

If anyone else out there decides to get hitched and wants to hear music like that, you know where to find me.

That said, I pulled out a grip of “love” related 45s on Saturday night (on account of what else are you celebrating at a wedding??) but didn’t get around to spinning today’s selection, which is more a reflection of the fact that I went in loaded for bear than anything to do with the quality of the music in the grooves, which is – as usual – quite high.

However, it would have been groovy for two reasons, not the least of which is the fact that I use a spin on the title for the motto on the back of my DJ business cards (as seen directly below this sentence).

You see, if you haven’t heard the OG version of Richard Berry’s ‘Have Love Will Travel’ (which is something that can also be said about his original ‘Louie Louie’, featured here a few years back) you have almost certainly heard the song covered by folks like the might PNW garage gods the Sonics, Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Black Keys, Thee Headcoatees, and Central Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen.

Released in 1960 (the title is a tip of the hat to Richard Boone’s TV cowboy Paladin aka ‘Have Gun Will Travel’), and like ‘Louie Louie’ doomed to see success only in the hands of others (though in this case not much more) the original ‘Have Love Will Travel’ is a tightly swinging bit of West Coast R&B by Berry and his Pharaohs.

Opening with the “bow bow bow bow” of the bass singer and pushed along by a hard-hitting snare drum and piano, ‘Have Love…’ sees (hears?) Berry’s stellar lead sailing on top of the tight harmonies of the Pharaohs. Once heard – or danced to – it is immediately obvious why this record became an anthem of sorts.

It was already a killer, but like ‘Louie Louie’ it was ripe for seismic reinterpretations by disaffected, snotty, testosterone fueled headbangers, fired up enough to convince their audience that the title was not in fact an idle threat.

The record is sought after by both the Mod and Northern Soul crowd because it kicks all kinds of ass while retaining a stylish, dare I say soulful veneer lost in most of the later interpretations.

Not too long ago I got into a small interwebs shouting match with some thickheaded garage purist who insisted that in the case of ‘Louie Louie’ Richard Berry had been consistently outdone by most of his coverers. This goon had the poor taste to try to serve me a dish of cold “Paul Revere and the Raiders did the best version”, which I promptly sent back to the kitchen with a note that said something to the effect of “pull your head out of your ass”.

I am of the opinion that if you have any taste at all for black music, once you’ve heard Richard Berry’s originals there’s really no going back.

Those that know me (or have happened upon my other blog Iron Leg) know that I have a definite taste for (and strong roots in) garage rock (the fuzzy 60s kind) but I’m smart enough to know the real thing when it falls into my ears, and Richard Berry and the Pharaohs were/are that real thing. All following versions are reinterpretations on a theme, and that theme has strong, deep roots in R&B that are not coming out no matter how hard some pageboyed, Beatle-booted stooge yanks on them.

If today’s story had a moral, it has something to do with knowing the value of those roots and paying respect to the people that cultivated them in the first place.

So there.

Bow bow bow bow, bow bow bow, bow bow bow….

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 recreational 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, July 27, 2011 11:33 am

Listen/Download – Funky16Corners – Set 1 – Botanica 7/18/11

You can hear these mixes over at the Funky16Corners Soul Club Archive

Funky16Corners – Botanica 7/18 – Set 1

Earl King – Come On Pt1 (Imperial)

Johnny Otis Show – Country Girl (Kent)

Frank Frost – My Back Scratcher (Jewel)

Timmy Thomas – Have Some Boogaloo (Goldwax)

Betty Harris – Ride Your Pony (Sansu)

Oscar Toney Jr – Ain’t That True Love (Bell)

Human Beinz – Nobody But me (Capitol)

Buddy McKnight – Every Time Pt2 (Renfro)

Eddie Bo – Skate It Out (Seven B)

Howard Tate – Stop (Verve)

Etta James and Sugar Pie DeSanto – In the Basement Pt1 (Cadet)

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Listen/Download – DJ Hambone – Set 2 – Botanica 7/18/11

You can hear these mixes over at the Funky16Corners Soul Club Archive

DJ Hambone – Botanica 7/18 – Set 2

The Interpretations – Trippin’ – Jubilee

Duralcha – Ghet-o-funk – Microtronics Records

The Soul Lovers – Gonna Have Fun Tonight – Pacemaker

Big Al & The Star Treks – Funky Funk – Double M

Big Jay Bush – Funky Horns – Vangee

Kim Melvin – Doin’ The Popcorn – Hi Records

Frank Williams Rocketeers ft. Little Beaver – Good Thing Pt. 1 – Lloyd Records

The Czars – Get Down Pt. 1 – Key-Loc

Flip Flop Stevens & his Psychedelic Soul Orchestra – Live Your Own Life – Dynamite

The Soul Machine – Twitchie Feet – Pzazz

The Meters – Ease Back -Josie

Lee Dorsey – Tears Tears and More Tears – Polydor

Gary Griffin & The Top Notes – Bootleg – HMF Records

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Listen/Download -M-Fasis – Set 1 – Botanica 7/18/11

You can hear these mixes over at the Funky16Corners Soul Club Archive

M-Fasis – Botanica 7/18 – Set

the wash – brenda & the tabulations – dionn

2. give me you – lee dorsey – fury

3. jungle beat – sir victor uwaifo – phillips

4. take your love (and shove it) – kane’s cousins – shove love

5. humpin’ – the bar kays – volt

6. s’cuse uz y’all – brenda & the tabulations – top and bottom

7. the stretch – detroit sex machines – soul track

8. it’s amazing – johnny taylor – stax

9. knocking ’round the zoo – james taylor – euphoria

10. hard life – motherlode – buddah

11. summertime – billy stewart – chess

12. utica club natural beer drinking song – national carbonation band – rca

______________________________________________________________________________

Greetings all.

This post is the tiniest bit rushed, since some unexpected and unpleasant news rendered an already jam-packed week even more jam-packier.

What you have here is evidence of a hot night at Botanica which was also (sadly) the last Spindletop.

A few weeks back the mighty Perry Lane said that he’d be bringing things to a close, and honored me by asking if I’d man the decks on the final night.

Though I was bummed – Spindletop has been my favorite place to spin this year – I agreed to helm things for the night and kept things sharp by enlisting the help of my buddies M-Fasis and Joe Cristando (aka DJ Hambone).

We had a hell of a time getting the somewhat beleaguered equipment to behave itself (the battered mixer was especially problematic) and then when we finally did, the digital recorder started to misbehave. As a result there are segments of the night that either went unrecorded, or were – thanks to technical difficulties – unacceptable for presentation herein.

I’ve decided to post one set each by the DJs and I think you’ll be satisfied with the results.

I brought a mix of soul that included a tip of the hat (via Howard Tate) to the recently departed Jerry Ragovoy.

DJ Hambone brought a grip of serious  heat including a bunch of stuff I’d never heard before, and M-Fasis dropped yet another incredibly diverse set, packed (as always) with surprises.

That said, I hope you dig it all, and I’ll be back next week.

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 recreational 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, July 24, 2011 1:20 pm

London Fog(g) and the Continentals

Listen/Download – London Fogg – Easy Mover

Greetings all.

I hope everyone had themselves a groovy weekend and haven’t succumbed to the ungodly heat and humidity.

I thought we had it bad here in Jersey, but it seems our friends in the Midwest are sizzling, so as your physician I recommend that you stay in the air conditioning, pour yourself something cold and restrict yourself to the heat generated by high quality soul and funk in your headphones.

With that in mind, I bring you something cool.

A little while back I indulged my organ 45 jones by finally picking up a copy of London Fogg’s ‘Trippin’ 45. As solid a Hammond junkie as exists, I’d certainly known of the record for years, but had neither scored a copy in the field, nor found one elsewhere at a reasonable price. This time out it appeared on a friend’s set sale list, so I grabbed it.

When it fell through the mail slot I gave ‘Trippin’ a spin, and was happy to see that it was a funky and organ-tastic as I recalled.

Then – as is my wont – I flipped it over and gave the flip a spin, assuming (via the title ‘Easy Mover’) that what I was going to get was a mellow(er) instrumental.

When the needle hit the wax and the grooves started to give up their bounty I was both surprise and pleased to hear not an instrumental but a slow, funky female vocal feature. It was so surprising in fact that I set upon the interwebs to seek out information on the band.

As it turns out, this particular 45 was issued twice, first on the Dayton, Ohio (the band’s hometown) Gold Stars label, and then picked up for national distribution on Imperial. The assemblage –as listed on the label of the first pressing – was London Fog (one “G”, the band) and the Continentals (the singers).

These groups came together during high school in Dayton (unusual in that they were a racially integrated band), and recorded their single in 1969.

The Continentals were Quinn Moorman, Bozie Black, Loretta Reid (lead vocal on ‘Easy Mover’) and John Mortimer. The London Fog were Gary Kaiser (organ), Bud Kraft and Ed Toll (gtr), Vince DiSalvo (dr), Dan Connaughton (bass), Tony Giambrone and Gary Moon (tenor sax), Robert Pennington (trombone) and Mike Riley (alto sax).

‘Easy Mover’ was a regional hit, supposedly selling quite briskly. The song was actually written by Brenda Lee Jones, “Jean” of “Dean and Jean” who recorded a number of 45s from the late 50s through the mid-60s.

I hope you dig the tune and I’ll be back 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 recreational 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, July 17, 2011 3:25 pm

Jerry Ragovoy

Listen/Download – Howard Tate – Get It While You Can (1)

Listen/Download – Lorraine Ellison – Stay With Me (2)

Listen/Download – Lorraine Ellison – Try (Just A Little Bit Harder (3)

Listen/Download – Erma Franklin – Piece Of My Heart (4)

Listen/Download – Garnett Mimms and the Enchanters – Cry Baby(5)

Listen/Download – Irma Thomas – Time Is On My Side(6)

Listen/Download – The Olympics – Good Lovin(7)

Listen/Download – Terry Reid – Stay With Me Baby (8)

1 – Written/produced/arranged by Jerry Ragovoy

2 – Written by Jerry Ragovoy and George David Weiss, produced by Ragovoy

3 – Written by Jerry Ragovoy and Chip Taylor, produced by Ragovoy

4 – Written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns

5 – Written by Ragovoy and Berns as Meade and Russell

6 – Written by Jerry Ragavoy with additional lyrics by Jimmy Norman

7 – Produced by Jerry Ragovoy

8 – Ragovoy/Weiss

Greetings all.

I hope everyone is well.

I come to you this day with a heavy heart, since the news came down last week that one of the greatest soul songwriters and producers of the classic era, the mighty Jerry Ragovoy had passed away at the age of 80.

His name was probably familiar to label scanning record nerds (like myself) and soulies, but largely unknown to the general public.

The same cannot – thankfully – be said of the music he made as a songwriter, producer and arranger.

Ragovoy got his start working as a music buyer for an appliance and record store in his native Philadelphia. He eventually found work as an arranger and writer for Chancellor Records, before moving to New York and hooking up with Bert Berns with whom he wrote his first big soul hit, Garnett Mimms and the Enchanters ‘Cry Baby’ in 1963.

Through the 60s, under his own name and psuedonyms like ‘Norman Meade’ and ‘Norman Margulies’ – it’s been said that he thought the record he worked on would lose airplay if he was listed as producer and songwriter – he wrote or co-wrote a string of genuine soul classics for the likes of Howard Tate, Erma Franklin and Lorraine Ellison, and had his songs covered by the James Gang, Terry Reid and most famously, Janis Joplin.

I don’t exaggerate when I say that many records from the Ragovoy canon hold a special place of honor in my record box and my heart.

The most important of these is Howard Tate’s ‘Get It While You Can’.

One of the greatest soul ballads of the 1960s by any measure, it’s the finest thing that Ragovoy and Tate created during their time working together, and epic in every sense. Co-written by Ragovoy and Mort Shuman, ‘Get It While You Can’ is a slow building show-stopper with a brilliant lyric, delivered with both intensity and nuance by Tate (and piano by Ragovoy himself). It is a record of singular power that never fails to bring me to tears.

It would be a gross understatement to say that Ragovoy had a special talent for grand soul ballads. If the best songs he wrote were spread over the catalogs of a few different songwriters they would be hailed as masters.

How surprising must it be for some people to discover that the same man wrote or co-wrote ‘Time Is On My Side’, ‘Cry Baby’, ‘Piece of My Heart’, ‘Stay With Me’ and ‘Get It While You Can’, and then even more shocking when you realize that he also produced the landmark versions of many of them?

There’s the famous story of the creation of Lorraine Ellison’s ‘Stay With Me’ (co-written by Ragovoy and George David Weiss) in a block of abandoned Frank Sinatra studio/orchestra time, one of the greatest soul ballad performances ever, put together on incredibly short notice.

It is also a testament to the power of Ragovoy’s songs that they translated so well in the rock world.

The first Jerry Ragovoy song I remember associating with his name was the James Gang’s 1969 version of ‘Stop’ (originally recorded by Howard Tate), long a teenage favorite of mine which I only discovered was a cover years later when a friend played Tate’s version at a party.

The only rock take on one of Ragovoy’s tunes I bring you today has become one of my favorite recordings in any genre, Terry Reid’s 1969 recording of ‘Stay With Me (Baby)’.

Though he is not well known in the US, Reid had a brief heyday on the the underground FM airwaves of the late 60s and early 70s. he was possessed of a voice reminiscent of a somewhat more refined version of Steve Marriott and in the midst of an era filled with overkill, his recording of ‘Stay With Me Baby’ is a revelation. The instrumentation is fairly spare and restrained, giving Ragovoy’s melody full attention and is, at least in my opinion, every bit as majestic in its own way as Ellison’s version (whose 1968 original recording of ‘Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)’, another tune covered by Joplin, is also included).

For those that haven’t heard Erma Franklin’s original (1967) version of ‘Piece of My Heart’, it too should prove to be an eye-opening experience. Franklin’s approach to the song, cross-breeding lamentation and defiance and delivered in her deeply soulful voice employs a dynamic range and casual power that Joplin  – at least to my ears – never really achieved.

Also worth hearing is a great example of Ragovoy’s work as a producer, the Olympics 1965 recording of ‘Good Lovin’ (arranged, as was Franklin’s ‘Piece of My Heart’ by Gary Sherman).

Ragovoy continued to write and produce into the 70s and went on to open and run the famous Hit Factory recording studio from 1969 to 1975 when it was sold.

If the sounds herein interest you, make an effort to pick up the outstanding Ace Records comp ‘The Jerry Ragovoy Story’ which covers his best work as a songwriter and producer from the early 50s into the 70s.

He was a master, and will be missed.

Peace

Larry

____________________________________________________

PS  – Don’t forget, Monday, 7/18 I will be sitting in for DJ Perry Lane and spinning at Spindletop @ Botanica (47 E. Houston St, NYC). I will be joined by M-Fasis and Joe Cristando, so come on by for some hot music and some cold drinks…

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 recreational 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, July 12, 2011 3:09 pm

Billy Butler (center) and the Chanters

Listen/Download – Billy Butler – Right Track

Greetings all.

Before we get rolling I have a few short items on the agenda that must be addressed.

First, I heard yesterday that the might composer and producer Alphonso ‘Fonce’ Mizell had passed away. I will be paying tribute to him this Friday with both sides of an exceptional 45, so stay tuned.

Also,  I will share a bit of late breaking news with you, that being that this coming Monday, 7/18 I will be sitting in for DJ Perry Lane and flying solo at Spindletop @ Botanica (47 E. Houston St, NYC). I will be packing the finest soulful 45s at my disposal and would like it very much if some of you fine folks would fall by, grab yourselves a beer and join me. Things get rolling at 10PM and will likely continue until my eyelids start to droop. Hope to see you there.

When I was dipping into the old to-be-blogged archive and letting my head, heart and hands battle it out to figure what I’d be posting this fine day (I assure you it’s not always this complicated) I was faced with what might be termed an embarrassment of riches.

What I usually do – if I don’t already have something specific in mind – is open the folder with the label scans and roll through it, backwards in time and see what grabs me.

The first thing that rang my bell was a 45 by Billy Butler and the Chanters called ‘I Can’t Work No Longer’.

It was probably the soulfully hypnotic Okeh label that caught my eye, with its rich purple background, the prominent script logo, and of course the big ‘45’ on the lefthand side of the label, but I have a bunch of those (ran one just last week) and ultimately it was Mr Butler’s name that sealed the deal.

A man with a tasty catalog of his own, he is known to most outside of hardcore soulies as the brother of the famous Jerry, an original Impression and one of the leading lights of Chitown soul.

However, as mentioned, Billy made some incredible records with the Chanters (originally Enchanters) as a single, and with the group Infinity.

Now, as we return to the decision-making process, while ‘I Can’t Work No Longer’ would have been a sound choice, with composition by the mighty Mr. Mayfield, and its status as Billy Butler and the Chanters biggest hit (in 1965), however, there was a somewhat crackly spectre looming in the background (a few rows down in the folder) that simply would not be denied.

There are a few truly great Billy Butler 45s, but none looms as large as his 1966 solo side ‘Right Track’, which is justly revered as a mod and Northern Soul anthem.

Problem is, it is not only increasingly (45 years on) uncommon, but also in demand, and thus is harder to find and somewhat costly, which is in a very roundabout way my way of saying that I decided to post that particular song instead.

I sought a copy of ‘Right Track’ for my DJ box for a long time, lost out on it more than once and ultimately settled on a copy in less than pristine, but ultimately playable condition, since as most DJs will tell you a loud sound system and pulsing dance floor make for a more forgiving sonic environment in which the sometimes scratchy, crackly sins of a well-traveled 45 can be overcome by the power of a great record.

These sins are much more evident when played through headphones, so I warn you before you pull down the ones and zeros that you might be in for a rougher ride than you’re used to, though a cursory examination of the label pictured above would tell the same story.

I mean, take a look at that label. That is a record that has been places. Whether those places were a teen’s record player, jukebox, flea market cardboard box or all of the above, that label shows every second of its 45 years, and truth be told makes it look a lot worse than it sounds.

That said, ‘Right Track’ is revered for a number of reasons, first and foremost being that it is a stellar example of dance floor soul that builds gradually from the opening guitar riff, drums and tambourine, strings and then on to Billy’s vocal. Pushed along by a piano and rhythm guitar, the tempo picks up steam until the backing vocals come in during the chorus, at which time the record’s Northern Soul bona fides are immediately evident.

The stomping beat, coupled with the repeated chants of ‘I believe! I believe’’ then ‘I believe that I’m on the right track!’ is undoubtedly powerful, but the full weight of the signature line:

“I’m gonna keep on steppin’ never looking back I believe that I’m on the right track.”

Whether taken in the context of civil rights, viewed through the prism of working class mod or simply as a bold statement of perseverance in the wider context, in which you prefer your manifestos delivered at a danceable tempo, there is no denying that ‘Right Track’ is as anthemic a 60s soul record as was ever made.

It is powerful in every conceivable meaning of the word, and thus I must bring it to you, snaps, crackles, pops and all.

I will now bring the post to a close so that rug cutting (or at least fist pumping) may commence.

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 recreational 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, July 10, 2011 3:53 pm

James and Bobby Purify

Listen/Download – James and Bobby Purify – Let Love Come Between Us

Greetings all.

I hope everyone’s head is screwed on securely and that you’re all enjoying the summer so far.

As has been discussed here many a time, I have a serious Northern Soul jones and as a result the large and throbbing ‘to-be-blogged’ file in the Funky16Corners Blogcasting Nerve Center and Record Vault is verily swollen with it.

However, firm in the knowledge that it’s not everybody’s bag, and one must keep the stylistic lamp lit in all corners of the soul spectrum, it behooves me to let it out one small, delicious bit at a time so as not to tax the sensibilities of those who dig things on the funkier tip.

That said, today’s selection hails from a 45 that has lived in my crates since the earliest days of my soul collecting, when my mind was fixed on all things southern and I was grabbing up everything I could from the region.

James and Bobby Purify (aka James Purify and Robert Lee Dickey) hailed from the sunny state of Florida and recorded a grip of tasty soul during the 60s and 70s (when the role of Bobby was taken over by Ben Moore).

They got things rolling with a huge hit, the certified soul classic ‘I’m Your Puppet’ in 1966, following it with a string of Pop and R&B chart hits through 1968 (though the continued to record for Bell, Casablanca and Mercury through the mid-70s).

The tune I bring you today ‘Let Love Come Between Us’ was a Top 20 hit in the US in 1967, charting again in the UK in 1969.

It’s a stellar bit of semi-sweet, danceable soul with a beat that endeared it to the UK Soulies (not yet dubbed Northern). It had enough of a poppy edge to maintain their hit momentum in 1967 but remains solidly soulful in all other respects.

In an interesting footnote, ‘Let Love Come Between Us’ was originally recorded in 1966 by the Georgia-based Rubber Band and was written by two of it’s members, Joe Sobotka and John Wyker. The original version (which you can check out on YouTube) was sung by the group’s lead singer Johnny Townsend who would go on to sing lead on the Sanford-Townsend Band’s 1977 FM hit ‘Smoke From a Distant Fire’. John Wyker was later a member of the group Sailcat, and co-wrote their 1972 hit ‘Motorcycle Mama’.

Very groovy all around, and I hope you dig it.

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 recreational 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, July 7, 2011 9:35 am

Washington Smith aka Nat Wright

Listen/Download – Washington Smith – Fat Cat

Listen/Download – Washington Smith – Don’t Take Your Love Away From Me

Greetings all.

The end of an exceptionally long (in spite of the holiday) week is finally at hand, and in commemoration I bring you something exceptionally groovy.

But first (always with the “but first”…) I should remind you that the Funky16Corners Radio Show, your source for all things soul and funk, will once again be taking to the airwaves this Friday night at 9PM over at Viva Radio. As always, I promise you an hour of the best groovy gravy pulled from the catacombs of the Funky16Corners Blogcasting Nerve Center and Record Vault, so fall by and glue your ears to the interwebs, or stop here at the blog over the weekend to pick up the MP3 version of the show.

A little while back, Oscar winning songwriter Joe Brooks took his own life in the midst of a very dark scandal.
Known mainly for writing the 70s uber-schmaltz of ‘You Light Up My Life’, Brooks also had a little known and incredibly cool chapter in his past.

As covered here back in 2008, Brooks was the man behind one of the great breakbeat funk 45s of all time, ‘Yo Yo’ by Richard’s People.

Thanks in large part to the mighty Matt ‘Mr Finewine’ Weingarden, who provided some crucial information I was able to get to the bottom (or as close as possible) of the story.

When Brooks passed, Finewine made a Facebook post about it, first including a clip of ‘Yo Yo’, then a record I had never heard before, by a singer I’d never heard of named Washington Smith.

As soon as I hit the play button I was blown away, and even more so when I realized that the song in question ‘Fat Cat’ was another Brooks composition, and in this case (co) production.

What it also was/is, is as smoking a slice of Mod soul as you’re ever likely to hear.

Opening with a vaguely Beatle-y bass/guitar riff, the tune zips from zero to sixty in no time at all, with Smith (wait, there’s more on old ‘Washington’) blazing in with a Jackie Wilson-esque vocal, backed by a girl chorus and a pounding piano.

Things get kicked up to another level when a wild harmonica solo comes in. Though not always a welcome addition to a soul record, the harp gives ‘Fat Cat’ a hot R&B edge that makes for absolute, soulful perfection.

Interestingly, ‘Washington Smith’ appears to have been a nom de wax for a cat named Nat Wright, who also recorded under the pseudonym ‘Nat Love’. As Wright he recorded jazz, soul and R&B vocals, as Washington Smith and Nat Love soul and R&B, and then later on in his life, jazz again as Tony Moore. Wright also performed on Broadway in the 1950s.

There are clips on YouTube of some of his other efforts (soul and jazz)  as Nat Wright.

The flip side of this 45 (which was originally issued on the Rainbow label, then picked up for national distribution by Okeh in 1967) is an excellent, Walter Jackson-esque ballad called ‘Don’t Take Your Love Away From Me’ (also written by Brooks) which had a great deal of potential in its own right.

That said, ‘Fat Cat’ is a gasser of the first order and will be traveling with me (in yon record box) the next time I spin the 45s.

I hope you dig it as much as I do, and I’ll see you all 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 recreational 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, July 5, 2011 12:49 pm

The Players LP

Listen/Download – The Players – Get Right

Greetings all.

It’s getting hot and humid her in NJ, which since it’s July shouldn’t come as a surprise, but there’s still nothing worse that stumbling out the front door, half awake and stepping from crisp, conditioned air into soupy humidity.

It’s positively gruesome, with my brain dialing down two notches and the rest of me following closely.

It’s times like this that you need something bracing to help you get back into the bag of your choosing, and what better than a tasty soul 45?

If memory serves I first heard the Players ‘Get Right’ when some groovy soul from the UK posted it on Facebook, and it instantly turned into one of those deals where I could think of little else. The song shot directly into the pleasure centers of my fevered brain (and my feet). I immediately waded into the interwebs in search of a copy but was initially stymied.

It took a few months of waiting before a copy of the 45 turned up, and then another week while I hung by my thumbs waiting to see if I was going to be outbid.

In the end, it was President Jackson and I that won the day (and the record) and in a few more weeks (as the 45 had to cross the mighty Atlantic) it was in the door and spinning on turntable number one.

The record in question is a storming, Northern-ready soul killer with some pulsing organ, a powerful horn section and of course the vocals of the Players. I especially dig the baritone sax solo.

Led by vocalist Herbert Butler who was ably assisted by several members of the Dells , the Chicago-based Players recorded three 45s (and an LP) for the Minit label, with ‘Get Right’ appearing on the final disc.

The group’s only success – as it was – was with their initial waxing, the ballad ‘He’ll Be Back’.

That a brilliant record like ‘Get Right’ didn’t hit the charts is probably a testament to a marketplace crowded with genius, no doubt aided by poor promotion.

The disc was written by the Artistics lead singer Robert Dobyne (with his writing partner Charles Jones) and produced by Cal Carter (staff producer at the Vee Jay label).

It is just over two and a quarter minutes of soulful dynamite and I dig it very much.

I hope you do too, and I’ll see you all 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 recreational 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, June 26, 2011 4:01 pm

In black and white, like the keys, dig?

Dee Felice Trio – There Was a Time (King)
Don Randi – Taxman (Reprise)
New London Rhythm and Blues Band – Soul Man (Vocalion)
Ramsey Lewis – African Boogaloo Twist (Cadet)
Roy Meriwether Trio – What’s the Buzz (Notes of Gold)
Overton Berry Trio – Guacamolean Shuffle (Jaro)
Gene Harris – Green River (Blue Note)
Johnny Watson – Hold On I’m Coming (Okeh)
Mr Jim and the Rhythm Machine – Mrs Robinson (Date)
Junior Mance – Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin (Atlantic)
Cha Cha Hogan – Grit Gitter (Soulville)
The Stokes – Crystal Ball (Alon)
Allen Toussaint – HandsChristianAnderson (Bell)
The Music Company – The Word (Mirwood)
Mary Lou Williams – The Credo (Mary)
Backyard Heavies – Expo 83 (Scepter)
Ray Bryant – Up Above the Rock (Cadet)

Listen/Download – F16C Radio v.94 – The Living Piano – 86MB/256K Mixed MP3

Listen/Download – F16C Radio v.94 – The Living Piano – 63MB ZIP File

Head on over to the Funky16Corners Radio Podcast Archive to Check This One Out

Greetings all.

As mentioned previously, this is a Funky16Corners vacation week, but I love you mugs so much that I couldn’t very well decamp without leaving something to keep your ears busy while I was away.

The mix I bring you this week is something that had been percolating in my fevered brain for a long time, and was finally spurred on to fruition by the recent passing of Mr. Ray Bryant.

Though we have covered the piano before (see Funky16Corners Radio v.81) it was recordings of the electric variety thereof.

Having been brought up in a house with a master of the acoustic piano (that would be my Pop), I have always wanted to assemble my fave funky and soulful acoustic piano tracks, and so you have it (the mix, that is…).

Most of the numbers in this mix will be familiar to longtime followers of the Funky16Corners blog, whether via appearances in previous mixes, or having appeared by themselves at some point.

There are a number of previously unheard/unposted numbers as well, so dig those too.

Though the electric piano is the version of the instrument generally associated with funk and soul (mainly due to the electrification of music in general during the era in question) there were a number of recording artists – many of them rooted in jazz – who took the old-style acoustic piano, a massive conglomeration of wood, wires and ivory, and managed to wring a little funk out of it.

Though I love electric piano, there’s something special about the way a real piano resonates, especially when it’s played by someone that really knows the instrument.

Some of the recordings in question go back to the earliest days of my crate digging and blogging, including the Mary Lou Williams and Cha Cha Hogan 45s, where others are fairly recent acquisitions.

There are a couple of unusual tracks in the mix, in particular Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson’s one-off piano instrumental 45 for the Okeh label.

You also get a couple of tracks featuring Allen Toussaint, first with his early group the Stokes (dig ‘Soda Pop’s not so subtle variation on ‘Fortune Teller’) and a rare solo 45 (Hands Christian Anderson).

Mr Jim of ‘Mr Jim and the Rhythm Machine’ (with the swinging version of ‘Mrs Robinson’) is Philly area composer/arranger/keyboardist Jimmy Wisner who recorded a couple of 45s under this name for the Date and Wizdom label.

There are also a couple of anonymous pianists working it out here, including whoever tickled the ivories for the New London Rhythm and Blues Band (likely a UK studio musician) and the pianist for the Music Company, an LA studio group that recorded an album of Beatle covers for the Mirwood label in 1966.

Of the known jazz heavies in the mix, you get to choose from the likes of Mary Lou Williams, Don Randi, Gene Harris, Ramsey Lewis, Roy Meriwether, and Overton Berry, and the man we eulogized just this past week, Ray Bryant.

Having given it a number of spins, I can attest to the fact that it’s a lot of fun to listen to and I hope you dig it.

See you next week.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo), in regard to the April 2nd walk.

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 for some very tasty UK Folk Rock.

Comments (3)

By Larry, June 23, 2011 11:31 am

Too much popcorn…

Listen/Download – The Rivingtons – Pop Your Corn Pt1

Listen/Download – The Rivingtons – Pop Your Corn Pt2

Greetings all.

I’m going to try to make this short and sweet (like I always say, and almost never do…)

I’m trying to get this week finished up and next week’s stuff all prepped and swinging, since the Funky16Corners fam is going to try to slip some vacay into the shed-jool and my days of dragging my laptop with me on the road resulted in a lot of web surfing when I should oughtta be having real fun, so I won’t be doing that.

I am planning on a mix to keep your ears happy while I’m off the grid, so stay tuned for that.

The Funky16Corners Radio Show will be dropping this (and next, and the one after that, and so on) Friday night at 9PM at Viva Radio. It’ll be quite groovy, so strap yourselves in with a cold beverage and the snack food of your choice and let your ears fill up with the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove. It will of course be archived and ready for download over the weekend, right-cheer at the old blog.

The tune I bring you today is another one of those cool, late career revivifications wherein an artist best known for their work in an earlier era gets back on the horse and drops something of a more contemporary (at least at the time) nature that allows those of us who follow such things to reconsider their place in the musical landscape.

The group in question is the Rivingtons, and the tune is ‘Pop Your Corn Pts 1&2’.

The Rivingtons, who’s members had been recording in other groups since the very early 50s, released their first and best remembered record, ‘Papa Oom Mow Mow’ in 1962. It was a minor hit, and followed the next year by another one called ‘The Bird Is the Word’, which, when stolen and stitched together by a group of Minnesotans called the Trashmen the year after that, became a much bigger hit by the name of ‘Surfin’ Bird’, after which the members of the Rivingtons hired a lawyer and took the Trashmen to court, where they successfully sued for redress of griveances.

That said, though the Rivingtons recorded fairly steadily through the 60s for labels like Liberty, Reprise, Vee Jay and Columbia, they weren’t meeting with much success.

The record I bring you today was the last thing they recorded in the 1960s, and sees them glomming onto the Popcorn wave on 1969.

There are countless dance crazes through the 60s that inspired a lot of records (i.e. the Popeye, the Twist etc) but few of them took off like the Popcorn. Not only were there a grip of Popcorn 45s in 1969, but for a while James Brown turned the dance into something of a cottage industry (see Funky16Corners Radio v.14 Butter Your Popcorn).

The Rivingtons of ‘Papa Oom Mow Mow’ are not entirely absent on ‘Pop Your Corn’ (dig the bass vocals) but the buttery flavor is much funkier than they were known for, with some tight, snappy, break-y drums, a guitar riff lifted directly from the JB ‘Popcorn’ and some wailing soul vocals.

Make sure you listen to both parts of this one, since the drums get a little bit heavier in Pt2.

It’s cool one and I hope you dig it.

See you 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 recreational 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, June 19, 2011 3:57 pm

Jimmy Helms

Listen/Download – Jimmy Helms – Your Past Is Beginning To Show (My Love)

Greetings all.

The new week is here and summer is (at least in the Funky16Corners Blogcasting Nerve Center and Record Vault) officially underway.

Everyone in this crib is on vacation and the challenge is always to make the most of our leisure time without driving each other insane in the process.

It promises to be an eventful summer, so I’m confident that it will be memorable (in the good way) as well.

I’m still planning the Ray Bryant tribute for later this week (waiting on a crucial piece of vinyl), but there are lots of groovy things to write about (and listen to) until we get there, so let’s get started.

The tune I bring you today was something I picked up after seeing it on a friend’s sale list.

I’d never heard of Jimmy Helms before, but since the song was cool, and the price was right I picked it up, since there’s nothing cooler than more soul music.

As it turns out, Mr Helms is a member of that relatively small but always interesting soul music sub-strata, that being the American ex-pats.

Like Geno Washington, Mr Helms was an American who eventually settled in the UK, where he would find success as a performer.
He recorded his own records, and worked steadily as a studio singer through the 60s, 70s and 80s, before scaling the charts in the UK and Europe as the lead singer of the group Londonbeat, best known for their 1990 hit ‘I’ve been Thinking About You’.

The tune I bring you today is a stomping bit of soul from 1969 called ‘Your Past Is Beginning To Show (My Love)’.

It sounds every bit a solid piece of southern soul. Helms’ vocal cooks, and the arrangement, featuring pounding piano, tight horns and some cool fuzz guitar (even a little bit of electric sitar!) is perfect for the dance floor.

It would appear that ‘Your Past…’ was recorded before Helms’ migration overseas. The Oracle label was based out of the Boston area and was distributed by GRT, and later Capitol Records. The other acts I’ve seen listed for the label appear to have been pop and rock bands, including one with the improbable, Uncle Remus-inspired name of Brother Fox and the Tar Baby. I have seen references that mention Helms performing in and around Boston in the late 60s (this appears to have been issued in 1969) and he seems to pop up in the UK around 1972.

It’s a cool record, and I hope you dig it.

See you 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, June 14, 2011 11:06 am

Odell Brown and the Organizers (above)
A recent shot of Odell Brown (below)

The Sounds of Odell Brown

Odell Brown and the Organizers – No More Water In the Well (Cadet) from Ducky
Odell Brown and the Organizers – Baby You Just Don’t Know (Cadet) from Mellow Yellow
Odell Brown and the Organizers – Think About It (Cadet) Cadet 45 5624B
Odell Brown and the Organizers – Mas Que Nada (Cadet) from Mellow Yellow
Odell Brown and the Organizers – Ducky (Cadet) from Ducky
Odell Brown and the Organizers – Raising the Roof (Cadet) from Raising the Roof
Odell Brown and the Organizers – Day Tripper (Cadet) from Raising the Roof
Odell Brown and the Organizers – The Thing (Cadet) from Raising the Roof
Odell Brown and the Organizers – The Weight (Cadet) Cadet 45 5624A
Odell Brown – Hard To Handle (Cadet) from Odell Brown Plays Otis Redding
Odell Brown – Respect (Cadet) from Odell Brown Plays Otis Redding
Odell Brown – Nitty Gritty (Cadet) from Free Delivery
Odell Brown – Free Delivery (Cadet) from Free Delivery

Listen/Download – Odell Brown Tribute Mix 97MB/256K Mixed MP3

Greetings all.

As I mentioned on Monday, this week will be devoted entirely to obits/remembrances of musicians who either passed on during the pledge drive, or who’s passing I became aware of during that time.

Monday saw a tribute (starting with an incorrect picture) to the mighty Benny Spellman, and today I bring you something a little bit special to give you an idea of how much I dig the music of the great Odell Brown.

I first became aware of Odell Brown and the Organizers back in the day when my man Haim hepped me to their single ‘No More Water In the Well’. I grabbed a copy and promptly fell in love with the group’s sound.

You all know I’m an incurable Hammond nut, but I’m also a huge jazz fan, and the music of Odell Brown (with and without his band) satisfied both needs quite nicely.

I’ve gone on in this space many times about soul jazz, and how rare it is to find an artist who really brought that particular fusion to purity. Odell Brown was one of those cats.

Born in Louisville, KY, Brown went to Tennessee State A&M before being drafted in 1960. Following his stint in the Army, he moved to Chicago and formed Odell Brown and the Organizers with musicians he’d first connected with in college, Artee ‘Duke’ Payne and Tommy Purvis (tenor sax), Curtis Prince (drums) and Master Henry Gibson (congas).

Indeed he was…

Between 1966 and 1970 Brown recorded three albums with the Organizers (Raising the Roof, Mellow Yellow and Ducky), as well as two solo albums (Odell Brown Plays Otis Redding and Free Delivery). He recorded one more solo album for the Paula label in 1971.

Brown spent the 70s working as a studio musician and musical director for artists like Minnie Riperton, Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye, with whom he eventually co-wrote the mega-hit ‘Sexual Healing’.

He spent much of the 80s battling severe depression, but settled in Minnesota and returned to playing and recording in the 90s.

The albums he recorded with the Organizers, all produced by the legendary Richard Evans are some of the finest material released on the Cadet label in the 60s, and while hard to find (the 45s not so much) are all worth picking up.

His solo albums, minus the twin sax attack of the Organizers, operate at a slightly more soulful frequency, and while also hard to find, are definitely worth whatever it takes to acquire them.

The fact that most of the Cadet catalog remains out of print (particularly Richard Evans projects like the Soulful Strings) is nothing less than a crime.

What I’ve included in this tribute mix (available only as a mixed MP3, no zip file) are my favorite tracks from the Organizers albums and both of Brown’s Cadet solo LPs (I have yet to find a copy of the Paula album).

Hopefully this will serve as an introduction for those unfamiliar with Odell Brown, and maybe pack a few surprises for those in the know.

I hope you dig the sounds, and I’ll be back 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.