Listen/Download – Melting Pot – Kool and the Gang

 

Greetings all.

I got a shitstackof stuff on the agenda today, so I’m going to make this as short and sweet as possible.

First, a word from our sponsor, i.e. me, in the way of a reminder about the Funky16Corners Radio Show which hits the air this and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. It is always a very groovy scene and if you dig the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove – all on vinyl – you should fall by.

Also, the 2011 Funky16Corners Pledge Drive begins this coming Monday 6/6, with a grip of outstanding new mixes from some of my (and your) favorite selectors. There’s gonna be funk, soul (Northern and othern), disco, rock steady and much more for you to pull down the ones and zeros while you toss a couple of buck into the till to help pay for the yearly upkeep of this massive undertaking.

That said, let’s get the weekend started with some hard charging funk.

Today’s selection is right, tight and outta sight, with the wocka-wocka guitar, the organ and naturally the crazy horn section going buckwild.

The band in question is one of the many funky rock groups that seemed to be popping up everywhere like mushrooms in the late 60s and early 70s, in this case going by the name Melting Pot.

I don’t know for sure where they hailed from, but since they were part of Phil Walden’s stable, my first guess would be somewhere in Georgia or the surrounding area.

They recorded at least one LP and a pair of 45s for the short-lived Ampex label in 1970 and 1971, and today’s selection is especially interesting because of its provenance.

If you hadn’t already figured it out (perhaps having had the initial diggers reaction to this 45, i.e. ‘I did not know Kool and the Gang covered ‘Melting Pot’…) , the song ‘Kool and the Gang’ is in fact a cover of the song of the same name by the band of the same name, that of course also being the funkiest of all New jersey bands, the mighty Kool and the Gang.

The original recording of ‘Kool and the Gang’ was a minor hit during the summer of 1969, which is probably where Melting Pot picked it up. Melting Pot lay the cover down at about twice the speed of the original.

I haven’t heard any of their vocal tracks, but descriptions I’ve read seem to indicate that Melting Pot were operating in a Blood Sweat and Tears-y vein.

That said, this is most definitely a burner, the perfect accompaniment for the blazing hot weather we’re dealing with all of a sudden.

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

Peace

Larry

 

 

 

 

 

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5 Responses to “Melting Pot – Kool and the Gang”

1. Stu says:

   June 2, 2011 at 1:12 pm

   Hey Larry,

   I fell into that exact trap (the whole ‘When did Kool & The Gang cover ‘Melting Pot’??!?’) the first time I came across this track. In fact, I went so far as to ‘correct’ the mp3 tag and swapped the artist to KATG and the title to Melting Pot. It wasn’t until I realised that it sounded nothing like Melting Pot that I began to do a bit of googling and realised the error of ways!

   Cracking track, as usual!

   Stu, Glasgow, Scotland

2. elmussol says:

   June 2, 2011 at 2:56 pm

   pedantry alert: the id3 tags for artist and title are the wrong way round. but a cool tune nevertheless, thanks.

   elM

3. elmussol says:

   June 2, 2011 at 2:57 pm

   bah

4. Larry Grogan says:

   June 2, 2011 at 4:28 pm

   Yeah, the stuff is out of order in the URL but the ID3’s are okeydoke.

5. Listening booth — Kool & the Gang, “Too Hot” says:

   July 22, 2011 at 1:52 pm

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