Funky16Corners

James Coit – Black Power

By Larry, April 11, 2010 3:02 pm

Listen/Download -James Coit – Black Power

Greetings all.

Welcome once again to the beginning of what should be another stellar week at the Funky16Corners blog.
The weekend was a busy one, with operations commencing on the restructuring of the Funky16Corners Record Vault. Many records were moved, much junk was taken out to the trash cans and I went back to the drawing board to try and figure out how to consolidate the computer equipment (some of which is going to be retired) and construct a surface on which to install my DJ setup.
Since the closest I’ve ever come to being a carpenter is owning a Carpenter’s record, this may prove more daunting than it sounds. I suspect that whatever I manage to put together will be both sturdy, and incredibly unattractive, but since it will be covered from end to end by turntables, a mixer and a couple of big speakers, I’m allowing myself a certain amount of aesthetic leeway.
I’ll probably get it figured out this week (the first in a long time that isn’t packed with appointments and such), so I’ll keep you posted on my progress.
The tune I bring you today is another one of those that has proven especially resistant when it comes to digging up facts.
‘Black Power’ by James Coit was something I picked up from a friend last year after hearing a short but extremely intriguing sound clip. When I finally got to give both sides of the record a thorough listening to, I was more than pleased with my purchase.
Aside from the music, the first thing I noticed was that it appeared that the record (or at least the label, Phoof) was from Long Island, NY, affixed with the snappy slogan: “Featuring the Bayport Echo Sound of Long Island”.
Both sides of the record are excellent in their own way. ‘Black Power’ opens with catchy, fast moving guitar riff, followed by some heavy drums and sharp horns. Mr Coit drops in with a rough and ready, Eddie Floyd-esque vocal. The lyrics are – if not exactly as militant as the title might suggest – certainly topical and powerful, and might be even more so if the composition thereof weren’t credited to someone named ‘Mike Szymanski’.
The flip side, ‘Phillandrine’ is a mid-tempo, melodic number with a very catchy chorus and an incongruous, psychedelic interlude.
One of the very few things I was able to find out about ‘Black Power’ is that it enjoyed a period of popularity on the Northern Soul scene (Wigan Casino specifically) in the late 70s. It is a storming dancer, but not at all what one would consider a stereotypical ‘Northern’ side.
Other than that (and the fact that it appears to have been bootlegged/reissued a few times for the UK market) my searching has yielded nothing. If you know anything else about Messrs Coit or Szymanski, Phoof records or the Bayport Echo Sound of Long Island, please drop me a line.
I’ll be back on Wednesday with some more soul.