Comments (2)

By Larry, March 13, 2011 3:04 pm

Haiiiiii-YA!

Listen/Download -Jimmy Ruffin – 96 Tears

Greetings all.

I hope all is well on your end.

Before we get started this week, I would like to let you know that the entire Funky16Corners clan will be walking in the 2011 Monmouth/Ocean County POAC (Parents of Autistic Children) Walk for a Difference on April 2, 2011.

As you may have gleaned via mentions here over the past few years, or by the prominent link in the sidebar, my wife and are the proud parents of two sons with Autism Spectrum Disorders. We are extremely fortunate that they are both high-functioning, and all-round wonderful kids.

We are also very lucky to have an organization like POAC operating locally. They provide information, training for professionals and parents, as well as a wide range of activities for the kids.

The walk (held again this year at the local minor league baseball park) raises money to help make sure that POAC can continue providing much needed services to the kids and their families in our communities.

If this sounds like something you can get behind, click on the this link (or the logo above) and you will be taken to a secure donation page for the team we’ll be walking with and donate whatever you can afford.

Anything you can do to help will be greatly appreciated.

That all said, how about some music?

While I’ve known of Jimmy Ruffin since I was a kid (who among us hasn’t heard his 1966 hit ‘What Becomes of the Brokenhearted’?), and later learned that he was the brother of David Ruffin of the Temptations, I never knew much beyond that.

Then late last year I’m out digging and what should I pull out of a moldy box but an LP with Jimmy Ruffin on the cover whipping a little soulful martial arts on the kids.

That album, 1968’s ‘Ruff’n Ready’ was initially of interest because it contained his version of one of my favorite Motown cuts, ‘Lonely Lonely Man Am I’, also recorded by the Velvelettes (as ‘Lonely Lonely Girl Am I’, by far the finest version of the tune) as the Temptations.

When I got the record home and gave it a spin, I discovered that among its many treasures was a smoking cover of Question Mark and the Mysterians ’96 Tears’.

The tune, a grungy epic in its original Mich/Mex garage-a-delic form has been covered a number of times – seldom successfully – the finest (that I’d heard before) being Big Maybelle’s recording on Rojac.

Interestingly, most of the material on ‘Ruff’n Ready’ wears the influence of 1968 on its sleeve, moving in a vaguely funky direction, yet ’96 Tears’ sounds like it could have been recorded two years before, with a pulsing, almost Northern beat, opening with one of those patented Funk Brothers snare/rack-tom combos that adorn countless Motown recordings.

It is very groovy indeed, highly danceable and manages to do justice to the OG.

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

Peace

Larry

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PS Head over to Iron Leg for some insane surf instros.

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By Larry, March 10, 2011 11:12 am

The Eyes of Blue

Listen/Download – The Eyes of Blue

Greetings all.

The end of a very long week is here, and despite pounding out more than my quota of words and such, I’m still ready and raring to go.

But first this update from the Funky16Corners newsroom…

This Friday night at 9PM the Funky16Corners Radio Show returns once again to Viva Radio, with the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove, all brought to you with the hot wax squeezed through the digital meat grinder and transplanted onto the throbbing airwaves of the interwebs. This week we have more of the groovy gravy you have come to know and love, including some cool new arrivals.

As always, if you are otherwise occupied during our normal time slot, you can always fall by the blog over the weekend to collect your very own MP3 copy of this week’s show that you may insert onto the pod-like thingy of your choice.

Oh, and this…

I mentioned that I’m all fired up, and the record I bring you today is the reason why.

I can say with some certainty that the Eyes of Blue version of ‘Heart Trouble’ made its way into my ears some time during the mighty mod days of the mid-80s, courtesy of the tape-making mania of my man Mr Luther. From that moment it was lodged in my brain like the thorn in the foot of Androcles lion, nagging at me for decades until the day when a copy this very 45 and yours truly finally intersected.

I had copies of the song on tape, and then CD, but as any DJ worth their wax will tell you, when a record really knocks you out, until you have a copy in your box to whip on the groovers (which I will be doing when I return to Spindletop on 3/21), nothing else matters.

As I said, the song blew my mind but got even better when I found out that the song in question had originally been recorded by the Parliaments.

In fact, the Parliaments version is the rarest of their 45s, pulling in a few hundred smackers when it shows up.

The original version by Mr. Clinton and his pals was released on Detroit’s storied Golden World imprint in 1966. Written by George Clinton and Sidney Barnes, the original version (which can be heard here) is not only one of the group’s finest songs, but a certified Motor City soul classic. The lyrics would resurface years later in the Funkadelic song “You Can’t Miss What You Can’t Measure”.

That said, the Parliaments never got its due, and remains as obscure as it is good.

Which begs the question where did the Eyes of Blue, the pride of Neath, Wales get their hands on it?

While Northern Soul hadn’t really happened yet, there was certainly a soul scene in the UK, and it seems entirely possible that the Eyes of Blue heard the song in any number of clubs, or even played on the radio.

Ultimately, what matters is that they not only met the Parliaments on their own musical turf, and I would go as far as to say bested them when they waxed the tune for Deram in 1967*.

How do I arrive at this somewhat controversial conclusion?

Well, there are a couple of reasons, first and foremost being that the Eyes of Blue (ironic name for what might be termed blue-eyed soul, a subgenre we will henceforth refer to as – in the words of reader George Macklin – “equal opportunity soul”) version of ‘Heart Trouble’ is without any question one of the two or three finest mod soul covers ever recorded, up there alongside numbers like the Action’s epic version of the Radiants ‘Baby You’ve Got It’ and the Artwoods take on Solomon Burke’s ‘Keep Looking’.

It has a sonic power that the original lacks, and a fantastic vocal by Gary Pickford Hopkins sounding like a rougher-edged Paul Jones.

The Eyes of Blue version record is every bit as danceable as the Parliaments and then some.

Where the original has a more complex vocal mix – with female backing singers and a powerful male bass vocal – as well as strings (a role taken in the Eyes of Blue version by piano), the cover builds its power in an entirely different way. The beat is constructed on powerful snare drum hits, which are the mimicked by the tambourine, piano chords and pumping bass guitar.

Whenever you run into a cover of a soul tune by a white band, there are always perceived issues of authenticity, with ‘perceived’ being the operative term.

Our friends in the UK had a serious jones for US soul and R&B, and there were tons of such covers recorded with widely varying levels of success. When I tell you that I first fell in love with the song ‘Our Love Is In the Pocket’ when I heard the version by Amen Corner, I wouldn’t hesitate to tell you while it’s groovy in its own way it doesn’t really stack up favorably with the versions by Darrell Banks or JJ Barnes and the same could be said for the Alan Bown Set’s cover of Edwin Starr’s ‘Headline News’.

However, every once in a while you get the perfect pairing of band and song that manages to transcend a soul original, and this is one of those times.

Oddly, the Eyes of Blue, which got its start as an R&B/soul band, recorded one more 45 for Deram, the excellent ‘Supermarket Full of Cans’ before signing with Mercury and morphing into a much heavier, prog/psych concern, with members of the band ending up in groups like Man, Gentle Giant and Wild Turkey.

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

Peace

Larry

*What you see before you is a US issue of the 45. Go to this 2004 article in the Funky16Corners web zine for a gander at the UK pressing.

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PS Head over to Iron Leg for some interesting late 60s pop.

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By Larry, February 25, 2011 11:02 am

Spindletop Northern Soul Pt4

Jackie Lee – The Shotgun and the Duck (Mirwood)
Judy Street – What (Grapevine)
Rodge Martin – Loving Machine (Bragg)
Olympics – Mine Exclusively (Mirwood)
JJ Barnes – Day Tripper (Ric Tic)
Bonnie and Lee – The Way I Feel About You (Fairmount)
Marvin Gaye – Baby Don’t Do It (Tamla)
Pieces of Eight – Come Back Baby (A&M)
Liberty Belles – Shing A Ling Time (Shout)
Tommy & Cleve – Boogaloo Baby (Checker)
Guitar Ray – Patty Cake Shake (Hot Line)
Gloria Jones – Tainted Love (Champion)
Jean Wells – With My Love and What You Got (Calla)

Listen/Download -F16C Spindletop Northern Soul Pt4 – 59MB Mixed MP3

Greetings all.

The week is coming to a close, and so is our little experiment.

I behooves me to remind you that the Funky16Corners Radio Show returns tonight at 9PM at Viva Radio. Make sure you tune in for the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove. If you can’t, make sure to stop by the blog over the weekend to  pick up the MP3 version of the show.

When you whip four separate Northern Soul mixes* on the blog on four consecutive days, you risk being accused of overkill.

That my friends is a risk I am ready and willing to take.

You see – and I don’t think I’ve discussed this before, at least in this way – Northern Soul, or at least much of the music that meets the sonic criteria to be considered part of the genre, is some of the most dynamic, exciting and above all accessible ‘soul’ music.

Though there are the occasional fringe records that fall inside the Northern bailiwick that manage to be danceable yet ultimately soul-less, they are the exception to the rule.

To lay it out in the simplest way possible, Northern Soul was mostly (important word, that) imitation Motown, or at least music that strove to imitate those labels that arose alongside of Motown in the world of stylish urban soul. By this I mean labels like Okeh, Brunswick, Mirwood, Harthon, Fairmount, Chess, Calla and any number of smaller Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles labels (or points anywhere else on the musical map) where records with pounding beats, pop hooks and soulful vocals were being made.

When I was rapping with my man Perry Lane, I mentioned that my wife, a woman of exceptional taste but who would not normally be described as a soul fan, really digs the Northern sound. This is relevant because I’d say that most hardcore soul fans approach records with an agenda, whether it’s because a given 45 is cemented in a stylistic canon, coveted because of its rarity, or connected to a label, artist or other focal point.

When someone who is not a record collector finds themselves drawn to a genre that they wouldn’t identify, the chances are that they do so simply because they like the way it sounds. The music rises up from the grooves, through the stylus and the speakers and finds its way into the pleasure centers of their brain, and whatever part of the central nervous system that causes involuntary movement in the feet (tapping), hips (swaying) and head (nodding).

A lot of the Northern Soul records that I have either hit me retroactively (i.e. I grabbed them because I was collecting a certain group, label or region) or because I heard them first (by the original artist on a comp) or second (via a cover by groups like the Action, Artwoods, Timebox etc) hand but as I became acquainted with the genre and found my way into the canon I began to seek out records because of that and the new stuff coalesced with the things I already had and I discovered a sound or genre rising from the depths of my crates.

I realize that my attachment to this music comes at some distance, and that much of what made the movement exciting – the whole of Northern Soul culture in the UK – is part of the past, there’s something rewarding (as there is when you spin any collection of music that ought to be better known than it is for people eager to listen, and dance) about gathering these sounds and whipping them on people.

I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating, any DJ worth their salt carries with them the power packed in the grooves of records, and when you spin the right records at the right time, in the right sequence you release that power and pass it on to the people listening, and all that matters then is that good music that they may not have heard before is hitting those pleasure centers I mentioned a few graphs ago, and it is translated into smiles and movement and if you’re lucky someone picks up on it and wants to seek it out on their own and an obscure, 45 year old record, filled with talent and passion lives another day.

Because keeping the sound alive – keeping the faith – is what it (and this blog) is all about.

I hope you dig it, pull down the ones and zeros on this fourth installment and move, groove and feel it.

I’ll be back on Monday.

Peace

Larry

* All recorded live on 2/21/11 at Spindletop @ Botanica in NYC

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PS Head over to Iron Leg for an unusual cover of one of the greatest records of the 60s.

Comments (2)

By Larry, February 24, 2011 10:24 am

Spindletop Northern Soul Pt3

Intruders – All the Time
Irma Thomas – What Are You Trying To Do
Sugarpie DeSanto – Go Go Power
Vontastics – Never Let Your Love Grow Cold
Little Carl Carleton – Competition Ain’t Nothing
Luther Ingram – If It’s All the Same To You Baby
Volcanos – Storm Warning
Mary Wells – Can’t You See You’re Losing Me
Darrell Banks – Our Love Is In the Pocket
Clydie King – ‘Bout Love
Four Larks – Groovin’ at the Go Go
Persionettes – It Happens Every Day
Cooperettes – Shingaling

Listen/Download -F16C Spindletop Northern Soul Pt3 – 59MB Mixed MP3

Greetings all.

Not a whole lot to add with today’s post, aside from the fact that Part three of the mix includes some real winners from Philadelphia, including an early 45 by the Intruders that hasn’t appeared in this space before in any form.

I should mention that I will be returning to Spindletop @ Botanica for some more record spinning on Monday March 21st, so if you’re in the area, stop by.

I also have a grip of groovy stuff all teed up for next week, and of course there’s the Funky16Corners Radio Show this Friday night at 9PM, so you might want to pencil that in as well.

I’ll be back tomorrow with the fourth and final installment of this live mix.

See you then.

Peace

Larry

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 an unusual cover of one of the greatest records of the 60s.

Comments (4)

By Larry, February 23, 2011 10:42 am

Spindletop Northern Soul Pt2

Henry Lumpkin – Soul is Taking Over (Buddha)
Bob and Earl – Harlem Shuffle (Marc)
Sam Dees – Lonely For You Baby (Soul City RE)
Dean Courtney – We Have a Good Thing (RCA)
Barbara Banks – River of Tears (Veep)
R. Dean Taylor – There’s a Ghost In My House (VIP)
Billy Butler – I Bet You (Brunswick)
Betty Lavette – Feel Good All Over (Calla)
Fantastic Johnny C – New Love (Phil L.A. of Soul)
Bob and Earl – Dancing Everywhere (Mirwood)
Velvelettes – Needle In a Haystack (VIP)
Dean Parrish – I’m On My Way (UK)
Royalettes – Out Of Sight Out Of Mind (MGM)

Listen/Download -F16C Spindletop Northern Soul Pt2 – 59MB Mixed MP3

Greetings all.

Strap yourselves in because Part 2 of my live set from this past Monday’s Spindletop is here and it is packed from end to end with what the kids like to call ‘stormers’.

That’s right, solid, fast moving soul for the dance floor with the pounding drums, honking sax-o-mo-phones, ringing vibes, poppy hooks and of course soul clapping.

This is yet another half hour (in a series of four, like a smaller but much more tuneful set of encyclopedias) with several indisputable classics of this or any other genre, some even rising to the level of ‘anthem’.

As I was motoring around this morning, running my errands and what not I was listening to this very mix in the automobile, and as is often the case when I hear a record that means a lot to me, I start running through the rolodex in my big juicy brain (zombies beware), remembering where and when I first got my hands on some of these.

The other night I was talking to my man Perry Lane about how my musical sensibility was formed, especially in regard to soul music.

Unlike some folks, my musical tastes were not formed from whole cloth, arising suddenly like a volcano in a corn field.
As I have mentioned in this space countless times, the number one influence, especially when you’re talking about love of music in general is my father.

A teacher and musician, he always had music in the house and encouraged all of his children to be involved in music, whether it was by playing an instrument (which we all do with widely varying degrees of facility), singing around the piano at family gatherings or just plain listening, which when you’re talking about music is really the basic building block.

After that, I think about all of the people that have influenced me directly or indirectly over the years, sharing their musical passions with me as I have with them.

Big ups go out to my Mod soul brothers, Mr. Luther and Haim who first hepped me to countless amazing records.

Thanks also to the many DJs I have either spun records with or just befriended over the vast expanses of the interwebs.

First and foremost, the Asbury Park 45 Sessions crew (and the many guest selectors that have come to the Lanes to spin with us), DJ Prestige, Prime Mundo, M-Fasis, Bluewater, Devil Dick, and Jack the Ripper have packed a serious amount of musical knowledge and taste into the years we’ve been DJ-ing together. Not a single AP45 night has gone by without several new records being added to my want list. There never a shortage of lively discussion. It’s almost like an Oscar Wilde salon had been repopulated with wild-eyed, bearded, tattooed freaks, all clutching boxes of 45s in one hand and beer in the other.

Down in DC my man DJ Birdman – another cat who’s friendship dates back to the mod/garage days – has been a huge influence on the way I listen to disco and 70s soul.

Dudes like Mr. Finewine, Perry Lane, Agent 45, Tony C – as well as various and sundry members of the Soulstrut crew – have all turned me on to amazing music.

All it really takes is someone whose taste you hold in high regard to tell you ‘Check out this record’ and before you know it you’re off on a new tear.

Any fool can work their way through the internet and pick through set lists to see what records are popular, but it also takes a sense of what’s good (i.e. taste) to add records to those lists. It takes an overwhelming curiosity, and enough of a love of what you’re doing to keep digging.

Anyone that tells you they know everything about music, or have heard all the good records, is either 200 years old, or more likely, full of shit. Without generosity, humility and passion, and the excitement that comes from sharing good music, this all wouldn’t mean much.

That and having a wife and kids that love you enough to put up with having a whole room in their house devoted to records.

So dig the music, and pass it along so someone else can dig it too.

See you tomorrow with Part Three.

Peace

Larry

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 an unusual cover of one of the greatest records of the 60s.

Comments (2)

By Larry, February 22, 2011 4:35 pm

One of my fave sides of the evening…

Spindletop Northern Soul Pt1
Dolly Parton – Busy Signal (Monument)
Maurice & the Radiants – Baby You’ve Got It (Chess)
Butlers – Laugh Laugh Laugh (Phila)
O’Jays – I Dig Your Act (Bell)
Chuck Jackson – Good Things Come To Those Who Wait (Wand)
Pat Lewis – Look at What I Almost Missed (Solid Hit)
Producers – Love is Amazing (Huff Puff)
Supremes – Love Is Like and Itching In My Heart (Motown)
Jimmy Ruffin – 96 Tears (Soul)
Platters – With This Ring (Musicor)
Players – Get Right (Minit)
Chris Clark – Love’s Gone Bad (Motown)
Betty Everett – Getting Mighty Crowded (VeeJay)

Listen/Download -F16C Spindletop Northern Soul Pt1 – 58MB Mixed MP3

Greetings all.

I hope you’re all well.

I’m ready for a nap, on account of I didn’t get home until 2:30 last night after having a fantastic evening spinning Northern Soul 45s at Spindletop @ Botanica in NYC.

If you’re in the area and haven’t checked out one of DJ Perry Lane’s Monday night fiestas, you’re really missing something. In addition to his own excellent taste in sounds he brings in a wide variety of guest DJs to whip their wax on the assemble multitudes.

I find it to be an especially groovy experience because I get to play whatever I want for an extended period of time, which is exactly how I like it.

I’m all for dropping a tight half an hour to forty-five minute set, but nothing beats being able to settle in with a box full of hot 45s for the long haul, building a wave and riding the crest for as long as the 45s and the vibe holds out.

Thus is the bag that I’m in when I hit the decks at Botanica.

Last night was an especially groovy experience for a few reasons.

First, I brought my favorite Northern Soul sides, a genre I don’t really get the opportunity to spin that often, especially over a period of a couple of hours.

Yours truly (right) and the legend, Matt Weingarden aka Mr Finewine

Second, none other than the mighty Mr. Finewine fell by and he brought Andy Noble of Kings Go Forth with him. Nothing like having a little funk and soul royalty in the house to get things going.

I was also able to record most of my set this time. Aside from some early technical glitches, I walked out of Spindletop last night with over two hours of soul grooves packed tightly onto the SD card of my digital recorder.

In spite of the fact that I was running on about three hours sleep today, I managed to finish up next weeks Funky16Corners Radio Show, and edited down the raw files from last night.

When I was done, I had broken it down into four sets, all around a half hour in length.

It took me a while to decide what to do with all this goodness, but in the end I figured I’d try something new.
So, what you’re going to get is a new half hour mix every day for the next four days in nice, manageably sized chunks.

When they’ve all been posted, you can string a few or all of them together in a playlist, flip your wig and cut yourself a nice piece of rug.

I’ll be returning to Spindletop on March 21st, so keep your eyes peeled for announcements in this space when that date gets closer. Of course you don’t have to wait until then to head down to Botanica. DJ Perry Lane does his thing every Monday night.

That said, I’m going to go pass out somewhere.

See you tomorrow with Part Two.

Peace

Larry

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 an unusual cover of one of the greatest records of the 60s.

Comments (8)

By Larry, February 20, 2011 12:37 pm

His name is Jackie Lee!

Listen/Download – Jackie Lee – The Duck Pt1

Listen/Download – Jackie Lee – The Duck Pt2

Greetings all.

I hope everyone had a most groovy weekend.

I got to spend a lot of quality time with the little Corners, since they have an inexplicably long Presidents Day weekend, which isn’t such a bad thing since any four year old who knows who Abraham Lincoln is OK in my book.

I’ve been ensconsed in the Funky16Corners Record Cave and Blogcasting Nerve Center with my headphones affixed to my head (is there anywhere better?) working on mixes, radio shows and digimatization of raw vinyl (soulful alchemy, as it were).

I was also pulling out Northern Soul vinyl for my guest spot at Spindletop @ Botanica in NYC this Monday night (2/21). It’s a very groovy scene there, and our host Perry Lane trusts me to bring nothing but the best vinyl available (out of my crates anyway) to spin for the people. I guarantee you a soulful good time, should you choose to join us. Things get rolling at 10PM, and I would suggest that you lace up your dancing shoes.

It is in that spirit that I bring you two halves of a great side by one of my favorite West Coast soul stars, the mighty Jackie Lee (aka Earl as in Bob &, as well as a few other choice pseudonyms).

Earl Nelson (his real name) aka Jackie Lee was a prolific recording artist during the late 50s and all through the 60s, hitting the charts with the Hollywood Flames, Bob & Earl and under the Jackie Lee pseudonym. I’m not going to go into it in too much depth, but if you get a sec, pop on over to Soulful Kinda Music and take a gander at his discography, which is likely to give you whiplash.

The tune I bring you today is his biggest hit as Jackie Lee, ‘The Duck’ which was a Top 40 hit in 1965.

What you’re hearing here is the two part version of ‘The Duck’ which appeared on the Mirwood LP of the same name, and the interesting thing is, that as far as I can tell Pt2 never appeared on a 45.

This is a stereo mix (slap on the headphones and pan it back and forth, the separation is pretty drastic) which is bright and really brings the pulsing backing to the fore, with the horns, the vibes and the background singers.

I really dig Pt2 where it almost sounds as if Lee was flying by the seat of his pants and improvising over the backing track. I love where the background singers come in with ‘His name is Jackie Lee!’.

It’s a storming dancer, and indicative of the kind of stuff I’ll be spinning at Spindletop.

I hope you dig it, and I hope to see some of you good people there.

Peace

Larry

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 an unusual cover of one of the greatest records of the 60s.

Comments (8)

By Larry, February 10, 2011 2:46 pm

Sam Dees, truly lonely…

Listen/Download – Sam Dees – Lonely For You Baby

Greetings all.

I’m gonna start things off  by telling you that you really should tune in to this week’s Funky16Corners Radio Show, Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. I have concocted an hour’s worth of the hottest soul party 45s, so what you need to do is put on your dancing shoes, tuck into the intoxicant of your choice (if that’s how you roll, since these 45s are so powerful getting oiled up might be interpreted as overkill), roll up the carpet and grab yourself a partner. I guarantee a good time.

As is always the case, I have something of a story to tell, so I figured I’d close out the week with something interesting (which also happens to be a monumental soul 45).

Sometime last year a reader sent me a message that the old Funky16Corners organization had been getting props on Sean Rowley’s ‘Joy of Music’ show on the BBC.

I tracked that week’s show down, gave it a listen and was pleased when Mr. Rowley had some very kind things to say about the blog.

That, though, is neither here nor there, but it does get us to the point I’m trying to make.

When I clicked on the link and started to play the show in question, the very first song he played knocked me flat on my ass.

I gave it a second listen, and then decided that I really ought to keep listening to the show to find out what this record was.

When Mr. Rowley announced the name Sam Dees and the title ‘Lonely For You Baby’ I opened up another tab on the browser and set out into the wilds of the interwebs to see if I might procure a copy of this wonderful record for my own.

Unfortunately I discovered in rather short order that ‘Lonely For You Baby’ is as rare as it is kick-ass, ranging in price from three to five hundred dollars (sometimes more).

Now I have spent a great deal of money on records over the years, but never that kind of scratch on a single 45 (or dozen 45s for that matter). In fact, I question the sanity of anyone spending five hundred smackers on a single record. Even the most rarified items on my want list ( a couple of soul, funk and psyche 45s) couldn’t get me to pony up that kind of dough.

I have a wife, kids, and surprisingly enough a conscience, all of which prevent me from indulging in that particular variety of insanity.

This is not to say that there are people that would question my sanity in this regard (on both sides of the issue, i.e. some suggesting that my limits are too high, as well as those for whom expenditures in that league are common), but I have decided that no matter how much a 45 blows my mind, nothing so fleeting is worth that much, at least to me.

That said, thanks to a fair amount of record nerds who operate in the same way – whether by choice or necessity – there has been for decades a brisk market in vinyl reissues.

And I’m not talking about 180g audiophile nonsense for someone to unsleeve with kid gloves and place on their scientifically engineered, space age turntable in their gold lined listening cave, but rather records (mostly 45s) pressed up and sold to DJ types so that even though they have not been lucky (or rich) enough to find an original copy of a record like ‘Lonely For You Baby’, they still might have a copy of same in their record box that they can whip it on folks on the dance floor of their choice.

The really interesting thing (at least to me, once again record nerd related) is that some of these reissue 45s themselves become somewhat rare.

Nothing like several hundred dollars rare, but much more than the seven to ten dollars they initially sell for.
You tend to see a lot of this in the Northern Soul market, so much so that I have several UK-only repressings of records (some obviously so, others pressed to fool the less discriminating among us*) dating back to the very early 70s, a time when a number of 1960s soul records reentered the charts in England, thanks to the soulies.

The tune I bring you today only set me back around 20 bucks, but not only is it worth every copper penny and more, but it carries with it another interesting tidbit.

Back in the day (that being the 60s), a very tasteful and prescient chap named Dave Godin – verily the godfather of soul music in the UK (who would also go on to give name to the Northern Soul phenomenon) –  opened a record shop by the name of Soul City.

Before long, Soul City also became a record label, founded with the express purpose of issuing hard to find US soul sides in the UK market. Between 1968 and 1970, Soul City issued a few dozen 45s in the UK (including Chuck Edwards ‘Downtown Soulville’, a Soul City issue of which holds a special place in my crates), at least one of which, Gene Chandler’s ‘Nothing Can Stop Me’ made it onto the UK charts.

It’s important to note that what labels like Soul City, Mojo and Action were doing wasn’t really “reissuing” records in the commonly understood sense, but rather pressing what were by and large contemporary (within a year or two) issues of records for the overseas market. Many US record companies either had their own UK/Euro subsidiaries or licensees, but sometimes it took folks like Dave Godin to see the value in (or at least the demand for) a more obscure US record.

At some point**, someone (I’m not sure who, since Godin passed away in 2004) reactivated the Soul City imprint, using the same basic logo and color scheme and started reissuing 45s, which is where this particular pressing of ‘Lonely For You Baby’ comes from.

Now,  the record itself is undeniably a wonder.

‘Lonely For You Baby’ was Sam Dees’ debut 45, recorded in 1968 for SSS Intl.

The record opens with a hypnotic drum and bass riff that lulls you into submission, and before you know it your feet start moving, your hips start swaying and then Dees’ vocal and the horns come in and the record (and the listener) really blasts off.

Dees’ vocal is incredible, and the arrangement is a marvel of powerful simplicity. Though you really only heard the bass, drums, piano and horns (and the barest bit of rhythm guitar) there’s a serious amount of rhythmic propulsion here, so much so that ‘Lonely For You Baby’ is a big fave with the dancers on the Northern scene.

Dees only recorded this one 45 for SSS Intl before leaving, going on to record for Lolo, Chess and eventually Atlantic. Dees eventually worked mainly as a producer and songwriter, penning hits for a number of other performers, the biggest being Larry Graham’s recording of ‘One In a Million You’.

I hope you dig the tune (I’m sure you will) and I’ll be back on Monday.

Peace

Larry

*The John Manship record guide includes a marking indicating whether or not a record has been bootlegged. There are a LOT of them

** As far as I’ve been able to tell this pressing is between 10 and 15 years old.

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By Larry, January 2, 2011 4:59 pm

Dean Courtney

Listen/Download – Dean Courtney – We Have a Good Thing

Greetings all, and Happy New Year

How’s about we get the Funky16Corners juggernaut rolling again with a very tasty bit of Northern Soul?

Before we get started I have to let you know that our sister blog, Iron Leg, where the sounds of 60s garage, psyche and pop are discussed returns to new posts today, so head on over there for a searing garage punk cover of a classic soul 45.

Also very important to note, I’ll be taking part in the Spindletop night with DJ Perry Lane next Monday night, beginning at 10PM at Botanica, 47 East Houston Street (between Mulberry and Mott)  in New York City. They have a very groovy thing going there so come on down to soak up the Hammond 45s, soul jazz and other swinging sounds.

I have to begin by admitting that within my Northern Soul infatuation, there was a time when somewhere, locked deep in my mind, I conflated the existence of two separate singers, Dean Parrish, and Dean Courtney into one person.

This is not to say that I ever had any evidence that this was in fact the case, but rather my dilapidated, overworked mind (I think it has poorly lit hallways like an abandoned building) took two people with the same first name, who were both soul singers, and stapled them together (though I suppose mixing him up with Lou Courtney would have made more sense).

This probably had something to do with the fact that both of these singers made records that are verily worshipped on the Northern scene.

That silliness out of the way, Dean Courtney’s ‘We Have a Good Thing’ is without question a fantastic record.

Courtney was an Alabama native who did most of his recording in New York City for RCA and MGM.
‘We Have a Good Thing’ was the top side of his first RCA 45 in 1966.

One of the things that drew me into Northern Soul is the fact that so many of the records, while ostensibly ‘soul’ sides, also have a serious pop underpinning. This is part and parcel of the Motown-worship that inspired the creation of so many of them, and yet another painful reminder of the uncertainty of the marketplace when you consider how many of the classics of the genre were utter commercial failures (thus the rarity).

According to Dave Ferguson’s comprehensive overview of the career of arranger Jimmy Wisner (in the March 2007 issue of There’s That Beat), ‘We Have a Good Thing’ was co-written by Dean Courtney, despite being credited solely to John T. Mack.

The arrangement by Wisner is the epitome of stylish, danceable soul. Opening with rock solid drums, and marked by a descending rhythm guitar line, Courtney delivers the verse in a velvety tenor. The melody is filled with hooks, and the addition of backing harmonies, restrained strings and vibes fleshes things out nicely.

Despite it’s 1966 release date, ‘We Have a Good Thing’ didn’t enter the Northern canon until the mid-70s.

I also have to note that this 45 also has the greatest span between physical appearance and actual playability of any record I own (and I have a grip of water damaged 45s from a certain Philadelphia basement). Fortunately there was a nice scan of the 45 in ‘There’s That Beat’ that allowed me to get the label info.

Courtney still performs today, and has traveled to the UK for appearances on the Northern scene.

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

Peace

Larry

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By Larry, December 26, 2010 1:23 pm

Funky16Corners Radio v.91 – Year End Soul!

Playlist

Listen/Download 800MB/256kb Mixed MP3

I hope that everyone is grooving on the good will and brother – and sister – hood of the holiday season.

Obviously not everyone celebrates Christmas, but we can all soak up the peace and goodwill that floats in the ether this time of year.

This has been a big year for Funky16Corners.

The first quarter saw the move off of the free WordPress platform onto our own server space, which – despite any technical limitations yours truly might be encumbered with – worked like a charm.

This May saw the ‘opening’ of the Funky16Corners Soul Club series of live DJ sets, with contributions from lots of groovy people, as well as number of my own sets from various and sundry DJ gigs.

Thanks go out to all of you who once again contributed to the yearly Pledge Drive, which kept the Funky16Corners empire solvent for another calendar year. Your continued generosity makes me glad that I started the blog six years ago. In fact, it just occurred to me as I write this that I neglected to mark the sixth anniversary of the blog this past November.

Such is the chaos of my daily life that I neglected to remember, let alone mark the occasion.

Another groovy milestone that we marked in 2010 was the rebirth/re-engineering of the Funky16Corners Radio Show on Viva Radio. The folks at Viva were nice enough to bump me into a better time slot, and I responded by changing the way I do the show, hopefully for the better. We continue to broadcast every Friday night at 9PM, followed by uploading the show every Saturday so that you fine people can pull down the ones and zeros and append each week’s broadcast to the MP3 delivery device of your choosing.

On the DJ front, I’ve been up to New York City (and will be again on January, 10 2011, watch this space for details), down to Washington, DC (thanks to the mighty DJ Birdman for facilitating the journey). Hopefully 2011 will provide more opportunities for me to pack up my record box and hit the road, and (if all goes well) maybe even the return of the Asbury Park 45 Sessions.

The New Year will also see the return of our sister blog, Iron Leg, where we’re in a 60s pop/garage/psyche bag. Real world commitments caused me to put the blog on hiatus a few months back, but I’ve decided to bring it back – albeit with an abbreviated posting schedule – in 2011. I’ll be posting a year end wrap-up mix today, and regular posts will recommence next week.

So, once again, allow me to say thanks to all of you for stopping by and engaging in our ongoing conversation about music and how it moves us.

Since the fam and I will be out and about visiting family, I’ll be dropping the mix you see before you and taking the rest of the week off.

I’ve gathered the best of the upbeat and funky tracks from the past year and whipped them into a nice little party mix that you can play during your New Years Eve festivities (or whenever you need a lift).

There are lots of faves, plenty of funky rhythms with which to set loose your caboose, and enough grooves to grease your way past Father Time and into 2011.

I hope you dig it, and that you all have a safe and healthy rest of the year.

Peace

Larry

NOTE: There’s no accompanying zip file with this mix, since all of the tracks included have appeared here individually this past year.

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By Larry, November 21, 2010 3:03 pm

Funky16Corners Radio v.90 – Soul In Harmony

Playlist

Listen/Download 110MB/256kb Mixed MP3

Download 81MB Zip File

Thanksgiving week is here (at least in the US), and this year I have lots to be thankful for, as well as lots to do.

I’ve decided to drop this mix today, and pretty much take the rest of the week off.

There will be a new episode of the Funky16Corners Radio Show on Viva radio this Friday at 9PM, so make sure you check that out, should you be passed out next to the internet, in a turkey and pie induced food coma.

Funky16Corners Radio v.90 – Soul In Harmony is one of those mixes that has been cooking (in my head, anyway) for a long time.

I’m not sure how much it has been visible here on the blog (anyone have time lapse footage of the last five years?), but my tastes – often spurred on by a periodic excavation in my record room – are always evolving.

Back in the day, when I first started to collect soul 45s, it was all about the rough and ready Southern sound, fast moving and loud.

It would be years before I really started to examine soul ballads, and then I started to dig into funk, and then Northern Soul, then to disco and on and on, hopefully ad infinitum.

The latest spike on the evolutionary time-line popped up sometime in the last year, spurred on by the sounds of sweet soul.

The AM radio of my youth was filled with bands like the Chi-Lites, the Stylistics, Blue Magic and others, and to be honest, it all struck me as a little mushy, but then again I was 10 years old.

As I got older, and started to listen and dig, ever deeper into the sounds of soul, I discovered a fair amount of sweeter, soul harmony stuff, often on the B-sides of more upbeat, aggressive records, and as is often the case, despite the comparative ‘lightness’ of some of these records, I was drawn in by what always grabs me, that being good songs.

The first record in this style that really knocked me out was the Intruder’s ‘A Love That’s Real’ still one of my favorite records.

Thanks to both geographic proximity and the quality of the music, I’ve collected Philly soul for a long time, and one thing the cats in Philly knew how to create was solid harmony soul. Almost a third of the records I put into this mix are by Philly groups, another third from Detroit or Chicago, and the rest spread over the map (including one by my Jersey Shore homeboys the Broadways).

The importance of tight harmony singing has been a hallmark of black music, from the Mills Brothers and the Ink Spots in the 30s and 40s, countless groups in the 50s and of course everything in this mix, from the classic soul era.

There’s really something special about harmony singing. Done well, it’s not just an accidental meshing of random voices, but rather an aural tapestry woven from perfectly complementary elements.

The ‘classic’ soulful blend, with a tenor, or sometimes baritone lead, a bass and often someone capable of singing in falsetto provides a basic sound, but when some (or all) of these roles are filled by extraordinary singers the end result is something magical.

All of the songs in this mix hail from between 1966 and 1970, a period when a certain maturity and creative growth was on the rise in soul music, when the finest groups intersected with great writers and producers to make music of increasing sophistication and depth.

Though there is a general stylistic thread running through this mix, the tempos vary between pure balladry, upbeat, danceable soul and slightly rougher edged sounds.

There are a few songs that have appeared here before, but when I started assembling the playlist, I knew that they had to be included.

Things get started with the truly amazing ‘I Don’t Know How To Say I Love You (Don’t Walk Away)’ by the mighty Superlatives. I have sung the praises of this record before, but it certainly can’t hurt to hear it again. The combination of sweet vocals, heavy drums and that stellar arrangement are truly amazing.

The Broadways, without any question the greatest soul group to come out of the Jersey Shore recorded two solid 45s for MGM. Their ‘You Just Don’t Know’ is a staple of my Northern Soul sets, and while ‘Sweet and Heavenly Melody’ also packs a driving beat, it has a lushness to it (how about those strings) that sets it apart.

I don’t know much about the Hesitations. I’ve seen their records – often packed with covers – for years, but only bought on for the first time a few months ago. ‘Stay In My Corner’ is a marvel, with the singers alternating leads over dynamic backing vocals.

The Ethics recorded a series of excellent 45s for Philadelphia’s Vent label in the late 60s, including the Northern classic ‘Look at Me Now’. ‘Think About Tomorrow’ is a much slower, much sweeter, falsetto-led ballad that was clearly tailored to reflect the sounds that Gamble and Huff were creating at the same time.

One of the rougher sounding, yet oddly pretty songs in this mix is ‘I’ll Be Loving You’ by the Soul Brothers Six. The flipside of the classic ‘Some Kind of Wonderful’, ‘I’ll Be Loving You’ features what is, in comparison to most of the records in this mix, remarkably spare instrumentation, with rhythm guitar, thumping bass, drums and tambourine, all sounding like it was recorded in one take. The real star here, aside from John Ellison’s wonderful lead vocal, is the second guitar, which has a kind of chiming overtone to it that from a distance sounds like vibraphone accents. The more I listen to this one the more I love it.

The next cut is by the Blue Notes (as in Harold Melvin and…). Right before they began their run of hits with Philadelphia International, the group recorded two 45s for the Uni label. ‘Never Gonna Leave You’ (from 1969) was the B-side of the funky ‘Hot Thrills and Cold Chills’. The 45 was reissued a few years later, no doubt to capitalize on the success of their PI hits.

‘I’ll Make It Up To You’ by the Magictones is the bottom half of one of the truly great Detroit soul 45s (the A-side being their epic cover of the Parliaments’ ‘Good Ole Music’). Much like the Superlatives record (also released on Westbound), the Magictones juxtapose their harmonies with a heavy background, including some tasty electric sitar.

Though they’re best known for their early, doowop sides, Little Anthony and the Imperials recorded well into the classic soul era, including and excellent run of 45s for the Veep label between 1966 and 1969. ‘It’s Not the Same’ which features Anthony Gourdine’s unmistakable falsetto, and a classy arrangement (in which the Imperials are often doubled by female backing singers), bears a slight (but not overpowering) similarity to ‘Goin’ Out of My Head’ (also from 1966).

Speaking of Philadephia soul, there are few groups who were as successful – artistically and on the charts – as the mighty Intruders. ‘Everyday Is a Holiday’ (from 1969) is a great showcase for their unique harmonies and a muscular production and arrangement by Gamble and Huff. Listen closely to the bass and drums (almost funky), as well as the horns and staccato piano accents in the verse.

Chicago’s Artistics were reliable hitmakers for the Brunswick label in the late 60s. ‘What Happened’ is another record that seems to run on the outskirts of funk, as well as displaying the influence of the Temptations.

Another group with solid roots in the doowop era, that also made some great soul records was the Platters. Though they had few (if any) original members by the time they recorded ‘Sweet Sweet Lovin’ in 1967.
Featuring a great lead vocal by Sonny Turner, ‘Sweet Sweet Lovin’ is typical of the kind of upbeat, danceable soul the group was making in this period.

We head back to the City of Brotherly Love with the Ambassadors. One of the truly great Philly bands of the late 60s and early 70s, the Ambassadors recorded some excellent 45s for Atlantic before moving on to Arctic records where they would record several outstanding 45s and an LP. They were adept a certain brand of funky soul, best displayed on 1969s ‘A.W.O.L.’.

When I wrote about the Precisions ‘You’ll Soon Be Gone’ back in 2008, I compare the sound of the record with a lot of the later period stuff that the Parliaments recorded for Revilot (it probably featured a lot of the same musicians. It has a much harder sound than their other Drew 45s.

Chicago’s Radiants recorded some of my favorite soul 45s of the 60s. By the time they recorded ‘I’m Glad I’m the Loser’, their lead vocalist Maurice McAlister had departed. I’m not sure who’s singing lead on this one, but he tears it up.

The Originals recorded a string of great records for Motown in the late 60s, their biggest hit being 1969s ‘Baby, I’m For Real’. ‘Love Is a Wonder’ is a brilliant bit of late 60s Motown, mixing tight, tight harmonies and a powerful arrangement. The lead vocalist sounds like someone Daryl Hall probably spent a lot of time listening to.

Another great tune that bears a passing resemblance to a previous success is the Intrigues ‘I’m Gonna Love You’. The Philadelphia group hit the charts in the summer of 1969 with ‘In A Moment’, a song with a similar vibe and arrangement to the tune in this mix. They recorded a number of cool 45s for the Yew label and hit the R&B (and occasionally Pop) charts a few times between 1969 and 1971.

If you’re a regular visitor to Funky16Corners, you’ll already know that the mighty Volcanos are one of my all time favorite soul groups. Led by singer Gene Faith (born Eugene Jones), the Volcanos recorded some of the finest soul singles to come out of Philadephia in the 1960s for the Arctic and Harthon labels. They had the instrumental backing of the core of the famed Philly rhythm section and material from some of the best songwriters around. ‘You’re Number One’ is a bright, fast moving dancer with lots of sweet background harmony lifting Faith’s lead. Many of the Volcanos went on to form the core of the Trammps who went on to much success in the 70s.

The Vontastics (who took their name from Chicago’s black radio powerhouse WVON) recorded a couple of truly amazing 45s for a variety of Chitown labels (mostly St. Lawrence) between 1965 and 1969. ‘You Can Work It Out’ sports a stylish arrangement (dig those horns!) and some razor sharp vocals in a song that sounds like a tip of the hat to the Miracles ‘Shop Around’.

I first heard the Unifics a few years back when I scored a copy of their monumental 45 ‘It’s a Groovy World. A product of Washington, D.C.’s Howard University (like Roberta Flack and the Blackbyrds) the Unifics hit the charts a few times in 1968 and 1969, their biggest hit being ‘Court of Love’. They recorded some 45s and an excellent LP for the Kapp label under the guidance of songwriter and producer Guy Draper. The amazing ‘Which One Should I Choose’ was co-written by Draper, lead singer Al Johnson and yet another Howard alumni, the mighty Donny Hathaway (who also plays piano on the track).

The Formations were another Philadelphia group with a Northern Soul classic – ‘At the Top of the Stairs’ – to their credit. ‘Love’s Not Only For The Heart’ shows a harder edged side of the group that went on to perform and record as the Corner Boys (for Neptune), the Silent Majority (for Hot Wax) and Hot Ice (for Atlantic).

The next track is a personal favorite of mine. One of my earliest ‘cool’ Philly 45 scores, the Producers 45 (on Gamble and Huff’s short lived Huff Puff label) is a very solid two sider. ‘Love Is Amazing’ (the only tune in this mix with a female lead, provided by Mikki Farrow) is one of those records that should have been a substantial hit, yet never really (as far as I can tell) made a dent anywhere, even in Philly). It does have it’s partisans in the UK, but remains (unjustly) obscure.

The Parliaments, led by George Clinton are best known as the group that started the Parliament/Funkadelic empire, but recorded some of the finest soul 45s to come out of Detroit in the 60s. ‘Time’ (from 1968) was the upbeat flipside of the psyched out breakbeats of ‘Good Ole Music’.

The Four Sonics – another Detroit group – had connections to Nolan Strong and the Diablos. The unusual, bass-heavy vocals of ‘It Takes Two’ (not the Marvin Gaye song) appeared on the B-side of their epic version of Dusty Springfield’s ‘You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me’.

I recounted the tale of the Masqueraders in this space not too long ago, but I couldn’t very well do a mix dedicated to soul harmony without including their incredible ‘I Don’t Want Nobody To Lead Me On’. A group of Texans, who relocated first to Detroit, and then ended up recording their best stuff in Memphis, the Masqueraders ought to be much better known. This song was also covered by the Dynamics.

This edition of Funky16Corners Radio closes out with the only white group in the mix, Pennsylvania’s Magnificent Men. ‘Peace Of Mind’, written by lead singer Dave Bupp and trumpeter Buddy King, which hit the R&B charts in 1966 is an outstanding example of the influence of Curtis Mayfield specifically, and Chicago soul in general. Bupp has been quoted as saying that the song was written with Walter Jackson in mind, and it’s not hard to imagine the master balladeer doing a fine version of the song. The Magnificent Men were one of the few white soul harmony groups to have success with black audiences in the 60s, though there must have been something in the water in Pennsylvania, with folks like Len Barry, Billy Harner and the Temptones (featuring a young Daryl Hall).

As always, I hope you dig the sounds, and have yourselves a great Thanksgiving.

Peace

Larry

NOTE: This past weekend I installed software that allows users who view the blog via a handheld (iPhone, Android, Blackberry etc) to see a new theme that allows easier navigation in the small screen size. If you have one of these devices, check it out and let me know what you think.

Thanks – Larry

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By Larry, November 16, 2010 3:22 pm

Popcorn Wylie blasts off in his leisure suit…

Listen/Download – Richard ‘Popcorn’ Wylie – Funky Rubber Band

Greetings all.

The middle of the week is upon us, and in response to the cold, gray skies, falling leaves and various and sundry major and minor irritants, I come to you with something upbeat and funky so that we may all be warmed (at least spiritually) and forward motion may be maintained.

Before we get started, some news, that being that all of the mix archives have been updated, with 14 mixes in the Soul Club, 28 episodes of the Funky16Corners Radio Show, another 14 in the Guest Mix Archive (haven’t done one of those in a while), and 96 mixes in the Funky16Corners Radio Podcast Archive. That’s 152 mixes stacked neatly awaiting delivery to the pleasure centers of your fevered brains.

If you haven’t heard them all, and you need something to do…

Today’s selection is another entry in a relatively small, yet not insignificant dance craze movement, centered around the lowly rubber band.

Naturally, the assumption here is that the rubber band in question is not the object, but rather a dance named after it.

Over the years, I have found ‘Rubber Band’ 45s by the mighty Eddie Bo (under his own name with the Soul Finders and under the rubric of Curley Moore and the Kool Ones), the mighty Meters and Atlanta DJ Alley Pat.

I’m sure there must be some others that I have yet to hear and/or excavate, but they currently escape me.

The record I bring you today is 1971’s ‘Funky Rubber Band’ by the legendary Richard ‘Popcorn’ Wylie.
Wylie, a Detroit pianist, singer and arranger was an important part of the early years of Motown as a recording artist (with Popcorn and the Mohawks), arranger and pianist and leader for a time of the Motortown Review.

Though his own discography is fairly short for a cat who worked all through the 60s and 70s, the more you dig, the more you discover he was a very busy man.

He left Motown in the early 60s, recording a number of 45s under his own name for Epic, and working as a producer/arranger for artists like Edwin Starr and JJ Barnes on labels like Ric-Tic and Golden World.

He also founded the short-lived, but legendary Soul Hawk label, where he recorded Jimmy Soul Clark, the New Holidays (who Wylie also produced for Westbound), Eric and the Vikings and the Mighty Lovers among others.

Among his freelance work were recordings with the Fabulous Counts (producing the classic ‘Jan Jan’), Jerry-O (he co-wrote ‘Funky Football’), Jamo Thomas (he co-wrote ‘I Spy (For the FBI)’) and co-writing the Northern Soul classic ‘With This Ring’ for the Platters.

Following his last Epic 45 in 1964, he only recorded sporadically under his own name through the 60s, laying down 45s for the Karen and Carla labels in 1968, and then ‘Funky Rubber Band’ for Motown’s SOUL subsidiary in 1971.

‘Funky Rubber Band’ without any question delivers on the ‘funky’ part of the title, as well as the classic ‘dance craze’ framework in that the lyrics are composed largely of dance step instructions. You also get funky guitar, Wylie’s own clavinet, hard hitting drums and a tight horn section.

It’s a very solid – and affordable – funk 45.

Wylie had a revival of sorts in the 80s and 90s when he discovered his popularity with the Northern Soul crowd in the UK.

I hope you dig it, and I’ll be back on Friday with something groovy.

Peace

Larry

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