Troy Keyes – Love Explosions
The High Keys featuring Troy Keyes
Listen/Download – Troy Keyes – Love Explosions MP3
Greetings all.
The end of the week is here and so is the Funky16Corners Radio Show, which drops a brand new episode each and every Friday with the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove, all on original vinyl. You can subsribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, listen on your mobile device via Stitcher and the TuneIn app, check it out on Mixcloud or grab a download out of the archive here at Funky16Corners.
This week’s show is a very special edition of the podcast, about the New Orleans/L.A. Connection, in which a bunch of NOLA expats, including Mac Rebennack, Jessie Hill, Harold Battiste, Alvin Robinson and King Floyd head out to California in the mid-60s and worked on a grip of amazing records. It’s almost two full hours of music and information, so make sure to check it out.
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We end the week with a very groovy bit of stylish, Northern Soul by Troy Keyes.
Keyes is an interesting performer in that he goes back to the doowop era with the Velours, moves on into the classic soul era as the lead vocalist in the High Keys/Keyes (‘Living a Lie’ is a stone classic) who recorded for Atco and Verve between 1963 and 1966, and then went on to record under his own name.
The High Keys managed to record with both the duo of Bob Crewe and Charlie Calello (famous for working with the Four Seasons) who produced the group’s 1963 hit version of ‘Que Sera Sera’ and then George Kerr (who would also produce Troy Keyes solo 45s).
Though it has East Coast fingerprints all over it (Kerr, Richard Tee) ‘Love Explosions’ has the sound of a Detroit joint (specifically something out of the Four Tops oeuvre).
Opening with a female backing chorus, and waves of harp over a pulsing rhythm section, Keyes joins in, sounding like a more tightly wound Levi Stubbs.
The song (written by Kerr and Gerald Harris) has enough push for the dance floor, and a great, anthemic chorus.
Though the record made it into the Top 20 in a bunch of Mid-Atlantic/Northeast markets, it didn’t break through nationally.
It did however catch on with the soulies in the UK, where it was issued in 1968 and the reissued a year later to satisfy demand.
Keyes went on to have a local New York hit with ‘If I Had My Way’ in 1971, and has performed in the UK at Northern Soul shows.
I hope you dig the track, and I’ll see you all on Monday.
Keep the faith
Larry
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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.
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