Etta James & Sugar Pie DeSanto – In the Basement Pt1
Etta James and Sugar Pie DeSanto
Listen/Download – Etta James and Sugar Pie DeSanto – In the Basement Pt1
Greetings all.
The end of the week is finally here, and in one of the great feats of meteorologic redundancy, we are once again buried in snow.
Were I a resident of the Arctic I would have nothing to complain about, but this is New Jersey, where we are supposedly exempt from this kind of foolishness.
There’s not a damn thing we can do about it either, which is why I’m bitching.
This is the part of the week-ending post where I remind you all to fall by this week’s Funky16Corners Radio Show on Viva Radio, where I’ll be whipping Part 2 of the Northern Soul Dance Party on your ears. Remember, if you can’t listen Friday at 9PM, you can always stop by the blog over the weekend and pick up the show in MP3 form.
However, like the postal service, neither rain, nor sleet, snow, ice globs the size of baseballs or falling space junk can keep me from my appointed rounds, so here I am.
In the spirit of priming the engine for the weekend, so that the festivities can get off on the good foot, I dug down into the crates and pulled out a certified soul party burner.
We recently heard the sad news that the mighty (and I mean that in every sense of the word) Miss Etta James is ailing once again. Hers has been a long, troubled but musically amazing life, straddling the eras of R&B, soul and funk.
She had the skills to sing (now) standards like ‘At Last’, dance floor killers like ‘Something’s Got a Hold On Me’ and ‘Payback’ , the Muscle Shoals heat of ‘Tell Mama’ right on through solid funk like ‘Tighten Up Your Own Thing’.
The tune I bring you today is what is considered to be a genuinely legendary Mod soul side, and has the extra added power of a dynamite duet partner, Miss Sugar Pie DeSanto.
Released on Cadet in 1966, ‘In the Basement’ is just under two and a half minutes of white hot, hand clapping, foot sliding, hip swinging soul power with two truly great voices trading lines.
What you have here – in a sane world – would be elevated to the level of National Soul Anthem, on account of this is really what it’s all about. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of spinning hot 45s for a groovy crowd, or cut a rug to some laying it down, you have some of the musical DNA of this record running through your veins.
Ohh, now tell me where can you party, child, all night long?
In the basement, down in the basement, yeah.
Oh where can you go when your money gets low?
In the basement, whoa down in the basement
And if a storm is taking place, you can jam and still be safe
In the basement, down in the basement, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Where can you dance to any music you choose?
In the basement, whoa down in the basement
Oh, you got the comforts of home, a nightclub too.
In the basement, whoa down in the basement.
There’s no cover charge or fee and the food and drinks are free,
In the basement, down in the basement
This is, as they say, the shit, and then some. What Friday nights are all about.
As a matter of fact, I can guarantee you that when I take to the decks next week at the After the Laughter Soul Club at Lulus in Greenpoint, I will have this 45 in my box, and when the moment is right, when the crowd has consumed just the right combination of greasy soul, cold beer and good times, I will whip this onto the decks and push the whole affair to the next level.
Solid.
Have yourselves a great weekend, and I’ll be back on Monday with a funky mix.
Peace
Larry
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PS Head over to Iron Leg for some classic 1965 LA garage folk.
Themocracy
That has to be a staple at all downstairs soul clubs.
Glad I found your new digs – looking all moved in already.
I love the way you describe holding back this track until just the right moment … somebody gets it!
Good luck in the new zone.
If we’re talking about legendary Mod discs from the inestimable Ms James, I would always go for “Mellow Fellow” – says it all really.
Ms Sugar Pie DeSanto – one of my all-time favourite singers, massively under-rated.
A performance she gavein the Albert Hall London 1965
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxsaNsB15c0
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