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By Larry, May 17, 2015 11:26 am

I see Inez and Charlie, but where’s the band?

Greetings all.

Here’s a gasser for you all.

A while back I was perusing Kliph Nesteroff’s showbiz blog, and noticed that he had posted a bunch of album covers.

My curiousity was piqued when I spied an album I’d never seen before, by Inez and Charlie Foxx’s Swingin’ Mockin’ Band.

There are a number of LPs and 45s from the classic soul era wherein singing stars allowed their bands to move to the front of the stage, most notably the JBs, The Iceman’s Band (Jerry Butler), Lloyd Price’s band (featuring James Booker) and many others.

What really grabbed my attention, though, was the presence of a tune entitled ‘Shimmy’ listed on that LP jacket.

“No…” I thought, “It couldn’t possibly be a cover of the Toussaint McCall song, could it?”

Well, after a bit of rooting around (this is after all a very scarce LP), I discovered that it was indeed another version of the mighty organ instro, so I set out in search of a copy.

This took a little more effort than I expected, and I ended up taking a chance on a poorly graded (yet well-priced) copy.

When the record finally dropped through the mail slot, and after some cleaning, and picking out a skip here and there, I am very happy to report that it was worth all the effort (and then some).

As far as I can tell, judging by the covers included on the album, it was recorded sometime in 1968 or 1969. No personnel are listed, but I’m guessing at the very least it includes Charlie Foxx on guitar.

The record includes covers of tunes by Otis Redding, Archie Bell and the Drells, Hugh Masekela, The Moon People, the Fame Gang, and right there in the middle of side one, Toussaint McCall’s ‘Shimmy’.

The Mockin’ Band’s version of ‘Shimmy’ is – if not as heavy as the OG, but then what is? – right, tight and outasite, with some sharp, percussive organ playing, guitar, drums and horns. As far as I can tell it’s the only cover of ‘Shimmy’ that was ever recorded.

Though the album is like hen’s teeth, you ought to be able to find the only 45 released from it, the excellent ‘Speed Ticket’ fairly easily.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, March 31, 2015 11:08 am

Tarik Thornton – Scattered, Covered, Smothered and Diced

Ahmad Jamal – M*A*S*H Theme
Art Jerry Miller- Finger Lickin’ Good
Odell Brown & The Organizers – The Look Of Love
James Brown- Spinning Wheel
Lena Horne – Rocky Raccoon
Lonnie Smith- Move Your Hand- Part 1
Joe Williams & The Jazz Orchestra – Get Out My Life Woman
Brother Jack McDuff- Theme From The Electric Surfboard
Bobbi Humphrey- Harlem River Drive
Gene Ammons- Jungle Strut
Charlie Earland- Sing a Simple Song
Billy Cobham- Crosswind
Walter Wolfman Washington & Solar System – Good & Juicy
(Bonus Cut) Dejan’s Olympia Brass Band of New Orleans – Tuba Fats & Drums

Listen/Download – Tarik Thornton – Scattered, Covered, Smothered and Diced 46MB/Mixed MP3

Greetings all.

This is a very fortuitous week indeed, since thanks to a communique from my man Tarik Thornton (veteran of many Funky16Corners pledge drives and guest spots) we have the second brand new mix of the week!

If you have sunk your ears into any of his previous mixes, you know that Tarik has deep crates and excellent taste, and both are on display in ‘Scattered, Covered, Smothered and Diced’. Here you get just about 40 minutes of very tasty soul jazz and jazz funk, well mixed and served up hot.

I’m digging this one for the second time as I write this, and I think you’ll be giving it repeated plays as well.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, March 22, 2015 10:46 am

Lou Johnson

Greetings all.

I hope you all have your Hammond groove pants on.

I first heard Ross Carnegie’s ‘Cool Dad’ (like so many other organ classics) on the legendary ‘Vital Organs’ comp, though it took me something like 15 years before I got around to filing a copy of the OG 45.

Carnegie was a pianist/organist working out of the New York area who is best known (to record collectors, anyway) for a series of self-released 45s he put out between the mid-60s and the late 70s.

‘Cool Dad’ , which I haven’t been able to date exactly, but I’d be willing to bet came out sometime in the mid-to-late 60s, is a hard-charging soul groover, with some especially heavy (and well recorded) drums, pulsing bass, tastefully applied horns, and – of course – Mr Carnegie’s wailing Hammond organ.

The flipside ‘Win. Lose or Draw’ is slightly ‘cooler’, featuring a reapeated figure delivered by the flute and trumpet in unison, before the flute steps out front to solo, followed of course by the Hammond.

Though I’ve seen this 45 billed as funk (I suspect the drums have something to do with that), it really hews closer to classic-era Hammond soul jazz, like Wild Bill Davis’s ‘Breaking Out’ and Hank Marr’s ‘White House Party’, which is a groovy thing since those are two of the finest platters to emit the sound of the organ.

As I mentioned when I wrote up his later ‘Open Up Your Mind’ 45 back in 2010, Carnegie worked as a bandleader,music educator and later became well-known in the area as the pianist in residence at the White Plains location of the Nordstroms department store.

‘Cool Dad’ b/w ‘Win Lose or Draw’ is probably the most expensive of Carnegie’s 45s, running between 40 and 100 bucks, but if you pull down the ones and zeroes and give it a listen, I think you’ll agree that it’s worth every penny.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, February 17, 2015 1:54 pm

Leon Haywood

Greetings all.

Today’s selection is an early side by a guy that I find very interesting, indeed.

Most casual soul fans will be aware of Leon Haywood via his biggest early hit, the sweet soul of ‘It’s Got To Be Mellow’, and R&B Top 20 hit in the summer of 1967.

However, do a little digging, and a little b-side flipping, and before you know it you’ve discovered that Mr Haywood had something of a double life going on.

In addition to be an excellent singer, Leon Haywood knew his way around a keyboard (mainly organ).

His very first 45 was a blazing organ instro version of Percy Mayfield’s ‘A River’s Invitation’, and many of his early 45s sport instrumental b-sides.

Haywood was also the organist of record (as it were) on the Packers 1965 ‘Hole In the Wall’, one of those soul records that had an influence far beyond it’s chart success would suggest. Keep your eyes peeled in this space for a mix I’ve been working on involving various and sundry Packers/Hole In the Wall variations, rip-offs and homages, or which there were many (and many of which featured Mr Haywood).

That said, his early sides for the Fat Fish label feature Haywood on vocals, organ and piano, which is where we come to today’s selection, ‘Skate A While’. Released in 1966, ‘Skate a While’ is the 45-only vocal take of the the LP track ‘The Fat Fish’, which – unsurprisingly – falls quite neatly in line with the ‘Hole In the Wall’ stylistic continuum, if you will. You get Leon laying down an excellent,soulful vocal over a tight band, led by his piano, the only bummer being that the whole thing clocks in at just 1:52!

It’s a great bit of classic-era soul party, and I hope you dig it as much as I do.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, January 4, 2015 2:15 pm

Messrs Baker, Bruce, Bond and Heckstall-Smith

 NOTE/UPDATE 01/05/15 – Thanks go out to Nick Rossi for hepping me to the fact that the version of ‘Wade In the Water’ released in the US by the GBO was recorded just after Jack Bruce had departed the group (Jan ’66) for greener musical pastures. The version of the group featured on this 45 includes Graham Bond (covering the bass with his left hand) , Ginger Baker, Dick Heckstall-Smith, and new member Mike Falana on trumpet. Nick  also pointed me in the direction of this excellent Graham Bond discography.

Greetings all.

I thought I’d start the new week with some hot and heavy Hammond action.

The Graham Bond Organization’s version of ‘Wade in the Water’ had been on my want list for years, and I only managed to score a copy a few months ago.

I’ll go ahead and assume that many of you are unfamiliar with Bond, one of the key figures of the 1960s UK R&B movement.

He got his start on saxophone (much like Charles Earland in the US) eventually moving onto the organ, which became his signature axe.

The Graham Bond Organization is not only worth knowing for the music they made during their relatively short time together, but because of those that made it. Joining Bond, and saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith were two youngsters who would go on to (much) bigger things, Jack Bruce on bass, and Ginger Baker on drums.

That rhythm section would have a tumultuous relationship from their earliest collaborations, on through Cream and that band’s reunion in the 2000s.

‘Wade In the Water’, the oft-covered spiritual was recorded by the Organization in 1964 and released in the US on the Ascot label in 1965.

Opening and closing with organ work by Bond that suggests a Hammer horror film as much as a sweaty R&B basement club, the tune soon swings into action, with stellar work by the whole band, but especially Bond and Baker, whose thunderous drumming is particularly well recorded.

The flip side is a slow, vocal reading of the blues standard ‘St James Infirmary’.

Withing a year and a half, Bruce and Baker would join Eric Clapton in Cream, and Bond continued a truncated version of the Organization and would eventually reappear in Ginger Baker’s Air Force, as well as making a few solo LPs before is suicide in 1974.

Fortunately for us all, he left a trail of hard-hitting wax in his wake.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (2)

By Larry, November 5, 2014 11:57 am

Charlie Earland Erector Set – Yes Suh! (Eldorado)
Chicago Cubs Clark Street Band – Slide (Chess)
RD Stokes – My Sandra’s Jump (II Bros)
Cocktail Cabinet – Breathalyser (Page One)
Perry and the Harmonics – Do the Monkey With James (Mercury)
Dave Baby Cortez – Getting To the Point (Chess)
Gene Ludwig – The Vamp (Travis)
Timmy Thomas – Have Some Boogaloo (Goldwax)
Graham Bond Organisation – Wade In the Water (Ascot)
Hank Marr – White House Party (Wingate)
Georgie Fame – El Bandido (Imperial)
Albert Collins – Cookin’ Catfish (20th Century Fox)
Louis Chachere – The Hen Pt1 (Paula)
The Mohawks – The Champ (Philips NE)
Art Butler – Soul Brother (Epic)
Billy Preston – Billy’s Bag (VeeJay)
Andre Brasseur –The Duck (Palette)
Memphis Black – Why Don’t You Play the Organ Man (Ascot)
Wynder K Frog – Dancing Frog (United Artists)
Brother Jack McDuff – Hunk of Funk (Blue Note)
David Rockingham Trio – Soulful Chant (Josie)
Dave Davani Four – The Jupe (Capitol)
The Turtles – Buzz Saw (White Whale)
Toussaint McCall- Shimmy (Ronn)

Listen/Download Funky16Corners 10th Anniversary Pt4 – Organs

Greetings all

I hope you’re all digging the mixes this week.

Those of you that stop by here on the reg know that I am deep into the Hammond thing, with several boxes of 45s (and a grip of LPs) devoted to the sound.

I am a Hammond nut from way back, but got seriously into collecting the sound after Finewine and Pat James Longo put together the ‘Vital Organs’ comp back at the end of the 90s.

As has been recounted here before, my man Mr Luther dropped a copy of that very comp on me back in ’99, and it promptly blew my mind.

It was the collection that set me out in search of Hammond 45s (especially Toussaint McCall’s ‘Shimmy’ and Louis Chachere’s ‘The Hen’ which immediately became favorites), and the digging never stopped. Though I probably don’t search with the same vigor I did in the early days, there are a couple of 45s in this mix that I only managed to get my hands on in the last year.

That all said, this is a particularly groovy mix, which I have listened to all the way through a number of times since completing it.

If you dig yourself a nice, gritty organ 45, I think you’ll dig it too.

__________________________________________________________________________

Also, I had some groovy anniversary bumper stickers made, and they’re free to anyone that sends a self-addressed #10 envelope. I’ll cover the postage.

Send your sticker requests to:
Funky16Corners c/o Grogan
80 New Brunswick Ave
Brick, NJ 08724 USA

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Enjoy, and I’ll be back tomorrow with the final 10th Anniversary mix.

Keep the faith

Larry

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (1)

By Larry, October 16, 2014 12:37 pm

Merit Hemmingson at the Hammond

Listen/Download Merit Hemmingson – Pata Pata

Greetings all

The end of the week is here, so I will take this opportunity to remind you that the Funky16Corners Radio Show hits the airwaves of the interwebs each and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. If you cannot join me at airtime, there are a variety of ways to keep yourself apprised of the soulful goodness, including subscribing to the show as a podcast in iTunes (or any other podcast handling program), in the TuneIn app, or as an MP3 here at the blog.

Today’s selection is one from the Hammond Internationale file.

You all know how much I dig the Hammond organ, and that I’m always in search of new (to me) organ 45s and LPs for the crates.

I knew of Merit Hemmingson for years before I was able to put my hands on one of her records.

She was a Swedish pianist who switched to Hammond in the 1960s, and recorded a couple of albums of soul jazzy grooves before switching over to new agey treatments of Swedish folk songs (no, really.).

I dig both of the albums that I have, but the track I bring you today stands out above all others.

‘Pata Pata’ was originally a hit for Miriam Makeba in 1967 (Top 10 Pop and R&B), and was covered by many jazz and pop artists over the next couple of years.

The version you’re hearing today was recorded by Hemmingson in 1968 on the ‘Merit Hemmingson Plays..’ LP.

Including a variety of pop and jazz covers, the LP features an all-Swedish band, with the exception of American conguero Sabu Martinez.

It is Martinez’ percussion and vocals that make Hemmingson’s version of ‘Pata Pata’ so groovy.

Opening with a lazy sounding organ, the peace is interrupted by Martinez and the band chanting, followed by his congas, and then the drums.

Then the guitarist comes in with a riff that sounds like it was lifted from the Spencer Davis Group’s ‘I’m a Man’.

Once Hemmingson’s organ comes in the song regains some of it’s bright, poppy feel, but thanks to the percussion a sharper edge remains through the arrangement.

It’s really unusual, and unlike pretty much everything else on the album.

If you’re a Hammond (or au-go-go) fan, Hemmingson’s first two LPs, ‘Plays…’ and ‘Discotheque Dance a Go Go’ are definitely worth picking up.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (3)

By Larry, September 25, 2014 1:59 pm

Casey and the Pressure Group

Listen/Download Casey and the Pressure Group – Powerhouse

Greetings all

I hope the new day finds you well.

The end of the weeks I finally at hand, and so that means you should prepare to dial up the Funky16Corners Radio Show on the old radiola, or better yet, point your intertubes browser in the direction of Viva Radio, this and every Friday night at 9PM. If you can’t dig in at airtime, you can always subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes.

The tune I bring you today first slipped over the transom and into my ears years ago via a mixtape of Hammond tunes, passed on to me by a friend.

I knew nothing of the band, Casey and the Pressure Group, but I dug the tune, ‘Powerhouse’.

‘Powerhouse’ – at least for me – hit all the same pleasure centers as the Turtles’ ‘Buzz Saw’, moving at a similar pace and driven along by insistent Hammond organ chords.

Flash forward a decade or so, and the record turns up on a sale list (at a very low price indeed), so I took the opportunity to pick it uo and add it to my arsenal.

As it turns out, Casey and the Pressure Group hailed from the Netherlands, and released several albums of instrumental grooves in the early 70s.

They were led by keyboard player Cees Schrama (aka ‘Casey’), and somehow managed to get the 45 you see before you (‘Powerhouse’ was also the title cut of their debut LP) released here in the US on Jimmy Wisner’s Wizdom label in 1970.

Schrama had spent the latter part of the 1960s as the keyboardist for the Golden Earrings (one of the Netherlands top pop bands, later better known simply as Golden Earring).

Casey and the Pressure group had a European hit in 1970 with the tune ‘Soul Tango’ (the flipside of this very record) which is probably how it ended up getting released here in the States.

‘Powerhouse’ is a very groovy record indeed, and the US version of the 45 is pretty cheap, and well worth adding to your Hammond box.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, September 18, 2014 11:03 am

Listen/Download The Naked Truth – The Shing-a-Ling Thing

Listen/Download The Naked Truth – The Stripper

Greetings all

Don’t forget that the end of the week is nigh, so the Funky16Corners Radio Show, dropping every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio isn’t far off. If you can’t be there at airtime, you can always subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes.

The track I bring you today is a testament to the value of carrying piles of otherwise useless facts around in your head at all times.

As has been stated here many a time, I spent a lot of years chasing down as much Philly soul as my greedy little hands (and not so little ears) could grab.

One of the things I always do – with records from Philly, or any other area – is to try and get a handle on the major players in any scene, i.e. musicians, songwriters, producers and arrangers. This information will allow you – in the absence of specific discographical data – to gather up 45s you might otherwise have passed over.

While I had never heard of the Naked Truth, when I picked up the 45, aside from the title ‘The Shing-a-ling Thing’ (note to fledgling collectors of 60s soul, pick up any and all ‘shingaling’ records), I noticed several names on the label that indicated that this was a Philadelphia-based record.

The disc was arranged by Richie Rome, a Madara-White production, and co-written by none other than Leon Huff.

Needless to say (though you can already see I’m going to say it anyway…) I put this one in the keeper pile and brought it home.

As it turns out, ‘The Shing-a-ling Thing’ is a groovy, pulsing dancer that has its share of devotees on the Northern Soul dance floors ( I would not be surprised to find out that it is Mr Huff tickling the ivories on the record).

My guess is that ‘The Shing-a-ling Thing’ was a throwaway b-side, with the cover of David Rose’s ‘The Stripper’ being the selling point (thus ‘The Naked Truth’).

Why this crew thought to resuscitate ‘The Stripper’ (which had been a huge hit in 1962) as a fairly hard-hitting organ instro in 1967 is a mystery, though I suspect that it has something to do with a popular commercial for Noxzema shaving cream, that used ‘The Stripper’ as its backing music that year.

Interestingly, the Naked Truth’s version of ‘the Stripper’ charted briefly in Philadelphia in the fall of 1967.

It’s pretty cool, which is why I’m including it here.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, July 24, 2014 1:21 pm

Listen/Download The Cocktail Cabinet – Breathalyser

Greetings all

The end of the week is approaching so I will remind you once again to twist the dials on your interwebs radiola to tune in the Funky16Corners Radio Show, this and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. You’ll get an earful of the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove, all on original vinyl. You can also subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, or grab yourself an MP3 out of the archive here at the blog (where more than 200 episodes are stored!).

Hows about some Hammond to close out the week?

I first heard the Cocktail Cabinet’s ‘Breathalyser’ many years ago, courtesy of a mixtape from my man Mr. Luther.

I have been in search of my own copy ever since then, only acquiring one in the last few months.

Released in 1967, as the flipside to a horrifying novelty remake of Sandie Shaw’s hit ‘Puppet On a String’, it remained for many years the obscure prize of many a mod/Hammond collector.

Written by hitmakers Phil Coulter and Bill Martin, ‘Breathalyser’ is a Hammond burner of the first order.

Opening with a fuzz guitar, and then kicking into high gear with absolutely wailing organ, ‘Breathalyser’ ought to have been a hit.

Though I have nothing but circumstantial evidence, I suspect that the person manipulating the stops and pedals is none other that the mighty Alan Hawkshaw.

If anyone out there knows for sure (one way or the other) I would appreciate it if you would drop me a line.

Big ups to my man Todd Lucas who informed me that this recording had a US release on the Dunhill label, credited to ‘We Believe’.

That said, no matter who’s playing the organ, ‘Breathalyser’ is a stunning Hammond 45, and ought to have a place of honor in the playbox of any self-respecting mod spinner.

I hope you dig it as much as I do.

See you on Monday.

Keep the faith

Larry

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (5)

By Larry, July 6, 2014 12:23 pm

Charles Fox (2nd from left) with co-writer Norman Gimbel,
Lily Tomlin, Roberta Flack and Isaac Hayes

Listen/Download Bob’s Band – Score

Greetings all

Here’s a very groovy one for you to start the week.

Groovy, and somewhat sonically deceptive, if you have your ears attuned to the library.

If memory serves I grabbed this 45 while digging through the interwebs for Hammond sounds.

When I first heard a clip of the song, the first thing that went through my head was ‘UK Library’.

‘Score’ has all the hallmarks of late 60s/early 70’s UK library composers like Alan Hawkshaw and Alan Moorhouse, with it’s groovy, fast moving organ and drums action.

Once I got my hands on the 45, the first thing I noticed was that the song was composed by Charles Fox.

If you don’t know, Fox, who got his start arranging for Latin bandleaders in New York, was a major hitmaking composer of the 70s, writing/co-writing songs like Robert Flack’s ‘Killing Me Softly’, ‘I Got a Name’ by Jim Croce and the themes to tons of sitcoms and game shows.

Fox was also writing incidental music for the NFL and ABC’s Wide World of Sports, which is where ‘Score’ comes in.

Composed as the theme music for ‘Monday Night Football’* in 1972, ‘Score’ was produced by Bob Israel (the ‘Bob’ in ‘Bob’s Band’ no doubt…) the man in charge of the company Score Productions, which was an American ‘library’ music house.

Formed in 1963 to compose TV themes and background music, Score (where Fox had worked) created original music for new programs, game shows, TV movies and sitcoms, and is still active today.

The funky ‘Score’ was used as the theme to ‘Monday Night Football’ from 1972 to 1975.

It is very groovy indeed, and one of my favorite recent finds.

I hope you dig it too.

Keep the faith

Larry

*Coincidentally, one of the best known pieces of Monday Night Football music  – Johnny Pearson’s ‘HeavyAction’ was from the KPM Library in the UK.

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, June 12, 2014 11:18 am

Prime Mundo – Soundset
rudy ray moore – put your weight on it [generation int.] wilson pickett – baby call on me [double l] meters – just kissed my baby [soul jazz] dave and ansell collins – that girl [big tree] hector rivera – drown my heart [barry] fatback band – njia walk [perception] the people’s choice – hot wire [grandland] bo diddley – ooh baby [checker] jackie verdell – hush [peacock] bobby moore’s rhythm aces – try my love again [checker] junior parker – lover to friend [blue rock] billy fury – what do you think you’re doing of [decca] jaynetts – sally go ’round the roses [tuff] b bumble and the stingers – nautilus [rendezvous] roy ayers – i can’t help myself [polydor] trevor dandy – is there any love [numero] dennis brown – black magic woman [sun shot] roscoe shelton – you got to roll with the punch [sound stage] jesse boone and the astros – no particular one [sunburst] sly and the family stone – remember who you are [warner bros.]

Listen/Download Funky16Corners Presents: DJ Prime Mundo – Soundset

NOTE: Today’s mix is from another Asbury Park 45 Sessions hitter, this time from my man DJ Prime Mundo.

Prime is another one of those guys that always has a surprise up his sleeve. His taste is unfuckwithable, and he is well versed in funk, soul, jazz, reggae and rock.

When you strap yourself in with a DJ Prime Mundo mix you know you’re in for an exciting ride

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He is a master chef out in the real world, and applies the same level of craft when on the turntables.

We have six more new mixes coming, starting on Monday with the mighty Tarik Thornton. You will not want to miss it!

If this is the first you’re seeing of the 2014 Allnighter, make sure to scroll back for mixes by M-Fasis, Tony C, DJ Prestige, Kris Holmes and Funky16Corners!

See you next week.

Larry

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Contest!

Anyone that donates today to the Allnighter/Pledge Drive will (in addition to getting the badge and stickers) be entered into a random drawing for a copy of the Cultures of Soul 45 reissue of two very solid tracks by Roy Roberts, ‘So Much In Love’ (upbeat Northern Soul) and ‘You Move Me’ (Gritty, mid-tempo funk).
There will be more drawings over the next few weeks for CDs by Cultures of Soul, Light In the Attic and Secret Stash, and 45s from Cultures of Soul!

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The winner of yesterday’s drawing for The Wheedle’s Groove II CD is Manual Records and Comics!

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Greetings all

Welcome to the 2014 edition of the Funky16Corners Allnighter/Pledge Drive.

This is the ninth annual Pledge Drive, and the fifth Allnighter.

If you haven’t experienced the Allnighter/Pledge Drive, it can be explained as thus: once a year, the Funky16Corners Blog, your home for the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove vinyl for almost 10 years comes to you with hand outstretched, asking for donations to offset the operating expenses of the web site.

The Funky16Corners ‘operation’ (as it is) included the Funky16Corners and Iron Leg blogs, the mix archives for both (containing well over 200 mixes), and the Funky16Corners Radio Show/Podcast (another 200+ files available for download, or through subscription in iTunes).

The money raised during the pledge drive goes to pay for the server space and fees associated with hosting the whole megillah.

As has been attested to many times in the past, Funky16Corners has humble beginnings, starting out on the old (free) Blogger service, moving to WordPress, and then to self-hosted WordPress. The move to paid hosting was necessitated by increased bandwidth usage, as well as the need for a place to store all the mixes (and eventually the radio show episodes).

The Allnighter/Pledge Drive is a once-yearly occurrence, in which yours truly, and some of the finest selectors out there whip up new mixes for your delectation.

In past years, I have posted all of the mixes in a single post, and left it up for a week.

This year, the quality and quantity of the mixes spurred me on to try something a little different, i.e. posting a new mix each weekday for a period of just over two weeks. This way, each selector gets their moment in the spotlight, and the mixes get spaced out so that the listeners don’t suffer from mix-fatigue.

Each day, you’ll get a fantastic mix (there really are some amazing ones this year) from one of my favorite DJs, many of whom have participated in the Allnighter before, as well as a couple of great new contributors.

So, if you dig what we do here at Funky16Corners, click on the Paypal link and toss some cash into the barrel.

Contributors will receive a 2014 Allnighter badge, as well as some stickers from the archive (as long as they last).

This year I will also be drawing the names of contributors at random for groovy swag, including CDs and 45s from Cultures of Soul, and CDs from Light in the Attic and Secret Stash.

So, dig the sounds for the next couple of weeks, and make sure you stop back on a daily basis to pick up new mixes and contribute for a chance to win some cool stuff.

Thanks, and as always,

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.