Miss Etta James

 

Listen/Download – Etta James – Something’s Got a Hold On Me

 

Greetings all.

If you were hanging about on the interwebs this past Thursday, you might have stumbled upon the news (thankfully untrue) that the mighty Etta James had shaken off this mortal coil and was now singing with the choir invisible.

Some jackass, somewhere (not sure who) posted a fake story indicating that Miss Etta had died and the rumor spread like wildfire with any number of my Facebook friends (a list that includes a wide variety of record fiends, DJs etc) posting tributes.

It struck me as odd that I couldn’t find any corroboration for the story anywhere on the web (the one link that kept being posted on Facebook turned out to be a hoax).

While it is true that James has been seriously ill for some time, she is in fact still with us.

This unfortunate glitch is an object lesson in both the speed (and often inaccuracy) of the internet, and why folks ought to double check their sources before posting stuff like this.

If there was a positive by-product at all, it was that I was reminded that I hadn’t posted anything Miss James in a long time, so here you go.

This amazing 45 that came into the world the same year I did (that being 1962).

I’ve often packed ‘Something’s Got a Hold On Me’ in my DJ box but have seldom actually spun it, due in large part (in only part) to its extended intro. It’s a brilliant record, but unless you plan on starting a set with it, not ideal to DJ with.

That said, once Miss Etta gets the preaching out of the way, the tune rolls out of the amen corner like a semi-sanctified juggernaut.

‘Something’s Got a Hold On Me’ is as gospel-feeling as upbeat soul 45s get. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find out that it was modeled on a specific gospel tune (as several soul songs are).

Dig it, keep Miss Etta in your thoughts and I’ll see you all on Wednesday.

Peace

Larry

 

 

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One Response to “Etta James – Something’s Got a Hold On Me”

1. [ Episode #21 // When Technology Fails ] | Extraenvironmentalist says:

   August 18, 2011 at 3:06 am

   […] Music (in order of appearance) Son Lux – All The Right Things via Zen Tapes Etta James – Something’s Got a Hold On Me via Funky16Corners Medicine Hat – Forbidden via BandCamp Sleep ? Over – Romantic […]