The Mighty Imperials – Thunder Chicken
The Mighty Imperials LP
Listen/Download The Mighty Imperials – Thunder Chicken
Greetings all.
I am happy to pop back up here with an unexpected mid-week surprise post.
First off, I wanted to let you all know that there is a new, extra groovy Funky16Corners-related sticker on the way.
I’m not going to say what it is right now, but I assure you that you will dig it and want to use it to deface both your own, and other people’s personal property, marking your territory like any proper soul fan would.
I’ll be selling these stickers at a nominal cost. There are a few old Funky16Corners bumper sticker requests pending (thanks to the clusterfuck our lives have become around here) but if you good folks will hang tight I’ll toss one of the new stickers in the envelope and mail them out as soon as they get here.
That said, I have often used the term “slept on’ in this space to indicate when I (or anyone else) ought to have been aware of a particularly good piece of music (or artist) and was not.
Such is the case with the bone-rattling 45 I bring to you today.
While I would not describe myself as a rabid fan of a lot of modern soul and funk in the retro stylee, I do know what I like and when I hear it it goes into the rotation, both personally and on the Funky16Corners Radio Show (Friday nights at 9PM on Viva Radio, or whenever you feel like it on your iPod).
A while back I was tuned into my friend Michael Newman’s Hinky Dinky Time Radio Show and he dropped a bomb that grabbed me by the ears and shook hard.
Michael does not focus solely on soul and funk, but has impeccable taste in pop, soul and rock, so what he does choose to air is outstanding, and today’s selection is no exception.
While I had heard of the Mighty Imperials – they are after all a part of the consistently remarkable Daptone organization – I had not heard any of their stuff.
When Michael dropped ‘Thunder Chicken’ into his playlist I was all like ‘What the hey?’ (in a good way) and all “I got to get me some of this!’
As soon as I discovered that this was in fact a new(ish) record I was even more pleased.
I have a fair amount of modern soul/funk/afrobeat on the Funky16Corners Radio Show, but there’s a lot more that I do not spin, because – as was the case 25 years ago in the retro garage/mod scene – sometimes, despite the best intentions, people end up sounding like they’re trying too hard, by which I mean the music ends up (for a variety of reasons) lacking a certain organic quality.
Nothing sucks more than soul or funk without one or the other (or both) and because I endeavor to provide the folks that come here (and to the radio show) with a certain level of quality, when I am served weak sauce, I send it back to the kitchen.
This, however, is not one of those times.
‘Thunder Chicken’ is, in a word, slamming.
As far as I can tell it is close to (or a little bit more than) a decade old, and I am embarrassed to admit to having missed the boat in the first place on account of I would have been spinning this one out in funk sets if I had it, which I didn’t, but I will now, ‘cuz I can, so there.
The whole band is cooking but extra special big ups go out to drummer Homer Steinweiss who comes correct.
So dig the mighty Imperials, and if you do, head on over to Daptone (or Amazon, or Ebay where their stuff is plentiful) and grab yourself some.
I’ll see you all on Friday.
Keep the faith
Larry
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).
Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press
Themocracy
“When I am served weak sauce, I send it back to the kitchen.” Line of the day. Thanks a lot.
Thank you, sir!
Boy, did this hit the spot. Thanks Larry!
Larry, my brother…you are the shiz. Thanks for the plug. I’m humbled. You do the research, you write the great blog posts. I just listen to music all day and when I hear something I like…I play it on my show or put it on my (ahem) Viva Radio show *cough* The Emergency Broadcast System *cough*. I have ripped off and played *so* many of you crate dug, vinyl rips that there’s no counting them all. Thanks for everything you do.
Thanks for posting this track (and I have to recommend the entire album for those interested). In thinking about this track, I realized that in some ways it lead me to your universe of funkiness. After I heard this album years ago I wanted more, discovered the acid jazz scene, listened to The New Mastersounds, Bamboo, The Diplomats of Solid Sound, and eventually onto the quest for older, original material. Keep up the great work – I especially need to thank you for introducing me to Clarence Wheeler and the Enforcers. I could listen to them all day.