Listen/Download – Slim Willis Band – I Say That MP3

Greetings all.

I have to start things out by sending out a big (HUGE) thank you to my man Kris Holmes, through whom I first encountered today’s monster of a 45.

Back when Kris was doing his weekly radio thing on Radio Ponsonby in NZ, he dropped this heater one night and it went directly onto my want list.

As it turns out, most of the available info on the 45 comes to us via Kris’s ‘Greenville and Beyond’ project, in which he tracks the various and sundry threads passing into, through and beyond a group of Mississippi-based labels.

Interestingly enough, though this 45, The Slim Willis Band ‘I Say That’ bears a Mississippi address, it was boiled up in Chitown.

‘I Say That’ is one of those records that is both amazing, and confounding at the same time.

Ostensibly a blues side, yet undeniably funk as well, it brings with it a kind of brilliant, sui generis production that makes you wonder why it isn’t much better known.

What ‘I Say That’ sounds like, is a conglomeration of 60s garage band, Southside electric blues, and then an extra helping of Southside-electric-blues-UK-ripoff, a la Led Zeppelin, cooked long and slow in a cauldron in the back of a tin-roof shack somewhere.

The way the bass and drums throb relentlessly, and the Little Walter-on-LSD echoed harp dancing around in the mix ricochet off of each other (not to mention the sax-o-mo-phone) is a thing to behold.

It’s one of those records that sounds like a genre unto itself, which it ought to be, but instead it’s the sole purvey of 45 collector types like you and me, which is fine, too.

As far as I can tell, this is of an early 70s vintage. Willis recorded singles for a variety of labels, and you can probably grab yourself a copy of this one in the $40.00 range (results may vary..).

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

Keep the faith

Larry

 

 

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________

 

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.