Carl Holmes and the Commanders on Italian TV

Listen/Download Carl Holmes and the Commanders – Mashed Potatoes Pt1

Listen/Download Carl Holmes and the Commanders – Mashed Potatoes Pt2

Greetings all

The end of the week is here, and before I blow your brain out through your ears, I thought it wise to remind you that the Funky16Corners Radio Show takes to the airwaves of the interwebs this and every Friday night on Viva Radio. If you can’t be there to dig it at airtime, you can always subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, or grab an MP3 here at Funky16Corners.

That said, ka-boom.

That’s right.

How else can you describe a record like ‘Mashed Potatoes Pts 1&2’ by Carl Holmes and the Commanders?

Carl and the boys were one of the more interesting bands hovering on the outskirts of soul success in the 1960s.

They recorded an album and some 45s for Atlantic, as well as singles for Cameo, Verve and the local Philly labels Black Jack and CRS, included a young Jimi Hendrix in their performing line-up for a short time, and were – believe it or not – one of the models for Otis Day and the Knights in Animal House*. They even managed to make their way over to Italy and onto TV! (performing ‘Shout’ no less…)

The tune I bring you today, 1962’s ‘Mashed Potatoes Pts 1&2’ is a positively explosive, maniacal slice of R&B.

The band takes off like a buffalo stampede as soon as the record starts going, with a wild vocal, but things really get going in Part 2, where the singer (Pervis Herder, I think) loses his mind and starts scatting like a madman.

It is not hard at all to imagine a basement full of completely polluted undergrads rolling in their own filth as the band sets fire to the stage (just like in the movie, see?).

Carl Holmes went on to form the funky Sherlock Holmes Investigation and recorded the ‘Investigation #1’ LP in the early 70s.

I hope you dig the track, and give it a spin or three (or five) after you’ve gotten mellow as a cello.

See you on Monday.

Keep the faith

Larry

 

 

 

*See the movie’s co-writer Chris Miller’s 2007 book The Real Animal House: The Awesomely Depraved Saga of the Fraternity That Inspired the Movie where he namechecks Carl Holmes and the Commanders and Lonnie Youngblood as among the frequent bands at the frat that inspired Delta House during his early 60s time at Dartmouth.
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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

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).

 

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.