Charles Hodges – (They Call Me) Daddy Love Pts 1&2
Listen/Download – Charles Hodges – Daddy Love Pt1
Listen/Download – Charles Hodges – Daddy Love Pt2
Greetings all.
The end of the week has finally arrived and I couldn’t be more pleased, since the several days preceding sucked out loud.
I was sick/recovering, and the new family schedule – an arcane and improbably complicated web of appointments, school buses and the like – has started and is proving to be a little more challenging than I had anticipated.
Fortunately, the schools hereabout closed for Rosh Hoshanah, giving the wife and kids a day off, so we took advantage of it and went to the zoo.
The record I bring you to you today (both sides) is something that kind of hung around in the catacombs of my want list (also arcane and improbably complicated) for many years.
If the title sounds familiar, it’s because another version of this very song appeared as a part of Funky16Corners Radio v.6 more than four (?!?) years ago, sung by a female artist named Gi Gi, about whom I have never discovered a single fact.
I mention her distaff nature only because the version I present to you today is sung by a male, who just happens to be the author of the song, producer and arranger of both records (I’d say ‘versions’ but they both appear to employ mostly the same backing track) and released it on his own Sweet label, Mr. Charles Hodges.
The song in question ‘(They Call Me) Daddy Love Pts 1&2’ is a fast moving, horn driven funk 45 that is worth grabbing in both versions, since neither of them is particularly expensive, and they are just about guaranteed to get even the squares out of their chairs and onto the floor making like Soul Train Line vets.
The basic structure is very – how do they say – James Brown-y, in that what your getting is layers of guitar, drums, bass and horns, all ticking along like clockwork (I really dig the guitar on this one). The vocals, by Mr. Hodges are groovy indeed. According to the man Sir Shambling Hodges was New York based and recorded as a vocalist for a number of labels including Philips, Genuine, and Calla between 1964 and 1973.
After you pull down the ones and zeros on ‘Daddy Love’ make sure you check out the song clips that Sir Shambling has posted, which taken together reveal Hodges to have had Pickett-ian aspirations. He may not have risen to the level of the Wicked one (for that matter, who did?) but he acquits himself nicely.
Now, to the very important differences between the Gi Gi and Charles Hodges 45.
As I mentioned before, they use the same backing track, but Hodges adds on a couple of important layers that bear mentioning, including an improved horn chart (I’d say new, but my suspicion is that the two versions were roughly contemporary, with the Hodges 45 bearing a 1973 date) and an increasingly orgasmic chorus of backing ‘vocals’.
As early 70s funk 45s go, this may not get the uber-deep hipster collectorinos to wet their pants, but it’s good, funky, and of course good’n’funky, which means you will certainly dig listening to it, and were you to slip it under the needle at your next funk 45 and potato chip soiree, the attendees would be compelled to dance.
I hope you dig it, and I’ll be back on Monday.
Peace
Larry
Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press
PS Head over to Iron Leg for some moody garage psyche
Themocracy
yeah, the right channel guitar line is awesome
The lyrics are great … nice find!
Here’s the female sung version of the same tune! GI GI was the artist! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MUdWOKdOW8