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By Larry, January 31, 2017 12:34 pm

The Invincibles

Listen/Download – The Invincibles – Heart Full of Love MP3

Greetings all.

I come to you mid week with one of my all time favorite soul ballads.

I first encountered the Invincibles’ ‘Heart Full of Love’ when I picked it up at a yard sale years ago, never having heard it, but taking a chance on the group name/song title/label combo.

When I got the record home and gave it a spin I was blown away.

There are soul ballads, and then there are records that sound like they were pressed from pure human emotion.

This is one of the latter.

The obvious touchstone here is the work of Curtis Mayfield, though perhaps a step further removed from the heavily Impressions-influenced Van Dykes ‘No Man Is An Island’ which came out the following year.

Though I have no doubt that there is a certain amount of Mayfield-worship at work here, I would also bet that some of the similarity is due to common sources, those being group harmony of both the secular and religious variety.

Gospel is one of the most important root sources of soul, but how visible those roots are vary from performer to performer, but there’s no mistaking that ‘Heart Full of Love’ could have been created in the amen corner.

When I found out that ‘Heart Full of Love’ was a Top 40 R&B hit in the Spring of 1965, I could scarcely believe that a record this raw, this intimate could have had that kind of mass appeal, but in many ways (aside from the obvious one) 1965 was a very different time. Radio audiences were capable of accepting a slower, quieter sound into their heads.

The arrangement is deceptively spare. While the only instruments you focus on are the guitar and drums, there are chimes, and even beautifully subtle horns in the mix, and the production by Hal Winn and Joseph Hooven (owners of the Sure Shot, Double Shot and Whiz labels) is perfection.

The Invincibles – Dave Richardson, Lester Johnson, Clifton Knight – (who recorded in Los Angeles but appear to have come from Louisiana) wrote the song, and the falsetto lead, and group harmonies are wonderful. The group would record a string of 45s for a few different labels in the 60s, including WB, Loma, Double Shot, and Rampart and even placed another tune, ‘I Can’t Win’ in the R&B Top 40 in 1966.

Though individual tracks have appeared on compilations, as far as I can tell the Invincibles catalog has not been collected in one place for reissue.

I hope you dig the cut, and I’ll see you all on Friday.

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, January 29, 2017 10:34 am

Fugi aka Ellington Jordan

Listen/Download – Fugi – Red Moon Pt1 MP3

Listen/Download – Fugi – Red Moon Pt2 MP3

Greetings all.

The record I bring you today is an especially groovy one from the intersection of Fugi (aka Ellington Jordan) and the band known as Black Merda.

Fugi and BM collaborated on a number of excellent 45s, the best known being the psychedelic soul classic ‘Mary Don’t Take Me On No bad Trip’ from 1969.

Over the course of the next few years, Fugi and Black Merda made a handful of 45s for Cadet and Grand Junction between 1969 and 1971 of which ‘Red Moon’ was the last.

‘Red Moon’ was written by Black Merda drummer/singer Tyrone Hite and Grand Junction fixture Marvin Figgins (who also penned Fugi’s 1972 ‘Sweet Sweet Lady’.

The song is driven by the rhythm guitar, with funky bass and drums, all pushed along by a great lead vocal by Fugi.

The overall vibe fall into that bag that Hendrix was stitching together in the years leading up to his death, where soul, funk and rock coexist peaceably, creating a kind of “black hippie” groove that is very cool indeed.

‘Part 2’ keeps things going with some cool lead guitar laid on top.

Black Merda recorded two albums, one for Chess and then another for Janus after Tyrone Hite had departed from the band.

Fugi’s discography is limited to a half dozen excellent 45s, all of which make you wish he’d had the opportunity to do an album.

I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll see you on Wednesday.

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, January 26, 2017 1:43 pm

The Isley Brothers

Listen/Download – Isley Brothers – Nowhere To Run MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the week is upon us, and I will remind you – as I always do – not to forget to dig into the Funky16Corners Radio Show, which drops each and every Friday with the best in soul, funk, jazz and rare groove, all on original vinyl.

You can subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, listen on your mobile device via Stitcher or TuneIn, check it out on Mixcloud or gran yourself an MP3 right here at Funky16Corners.com.

I usually prep these posts weeks in advance, in an attempt to stockpile enough so that the chaos of normal life doesn’t intrude on the routine of the blog.

That said, the previous four posts were a reaction to the events of the last few months – culminating in the inauguration – and they all fell together in the space of a couple of hours last weekend.

The post you see before you today was written and assembled weeks ago, but manages to capture (at least in its title) a bit of the current, angst-ridden zeitgeist.

It comes to us courtesy of the mighty Isley Brothers.

I am in the habit of grabbing each and every original Tamla/Motown LP I find in the wild (not as common as you’d think) and I was very happy indeed when I found the record you see before you.

I was even happier when I discovered that the purchase would also scratch another itch, the one that concerns itself with Motown having their acts cover songs by other (Motown) acts.

This was a fairly common phenomenon, and the Isley Brothers take on Martha and the Vandella’s ‘Nowhere To Run’ is a killer.

The groovy thing is, that is is no mere retread. It is a different backing track than the Vandellas hit, slightly sparer with interesting guitar and piano touches, with the harmony backing vocals much more prominent in the mix, and a great wailing lead vocal.

While I don’t think that the Isley’s take on the song would have surpassed Martha and the Vandellas (in fact the Isleys version remained an LP-only cut), which has a uniquely clear, direct sound as well as Martha Reeves remarkable lead vocal, it is excellent.

If you can get your hands on a copy of the LP, do so, as there are a number of amazing tracks, including ‘Seek and You Shall Find’ which I consider something of a forgotten Motown classic.

I hope you dig the tune, that you can all hang on to the ride, and I’ll see you 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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, January 25, 2017 10:46 am

Listen/Download – Kim Weston – Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead MP3

THIS WILL NOT STAND.

___________

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, January 24, 2017 11:34 am

Listen/Download – Wildare Express – Why Am I Treated So Bad MP3

THIS WILL NOT…

___________

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, January 22, 2017 1:48 pm

Listen/Download – Shirley and Company – Shame Shame Shame MP3

THIS

___________

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, January 18, 2017 11:46 am

Marching Music

Gladys Knight and the Pips – Just Walk In My Shoes (SOUL)
Jackie Verdell – Are You Ready For This (Decca)
Mary Love – Lay This Burden Down (Modern)
Tina Britt – The Real Thing (Eastern)
Barbara Banks – River of Tears (Veep)
Betty Everett – Getting Mighty Crowded (Veejay)
Royalettes – Out of Sight Out of Mind (MGM)
Theresa Lindsay – I’ll Bet You (Golden World)
Mary Wells – Can’t You See You’re Losing Me (Atco)
Marvelettes – I’ll Keep On Holding On (Tamla)
Apollas – Mr Creator (WB)
Bettye Lavette – I Feel Good All Over (Calla)
Bobbettes – Tighten Up Your Own Home (Mayhew)
Clydie King – ‘Bout Love (Lizard)
Dorothy Berry – Shindig City (Planetary)
Glories – Give Me My Freedom (Date)
Exciters – Blowing Up My Mind (RCA)
Helena Ferguson – My Terms (Compass)
Ikettes – Don’t Fee Sorry For Me (Modern)
Irma Thomas – What Are You Trying To Do (Imperial)
Shirelles – Last Minute Miracle (Scepter)
Supremes – Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart (Motown)
Aretha Franklin – Save Me (Atlantic)
Marva Whitney – Things Got To Get Better (Get Together) (King)
Jean Wells – With My Love And What You Got (Calla)

Listen/Download – Funky16Corners – Marching Music MP3

Greetings all.

What you see before you is my small contribution to the Women’s March on Washington, this Saturday, January 21 2017.

This historic assembly will be the first of what I’m sure will be a long list of actions confronting the incoming administration (and Congress and the Senate) for its horrifying policies.

This Saturday, hundreds of thousands of women (and men) will gather in Washington, DC, and in cities all over the country in ‘sister’ marches to send a message that the rights of women must be respected.

The mix you see before you – Marching Music – is an hour of some of the best, hard charging, uplifting and inspirational female soul records, engineered to provide an emotional boost to the people in the streets.

There are a few empowerment anthems, but by and large I assembled the mix with the uplifting quality of the music in mind. These are all records that are at the very least dance floor anthems (by some of the great female voices of the classic soul era) , engineered to lift the listener, and hopefully they can provide a boost for marchers as well.

If you’re going one of the marches, slap it onto your phone or iPod, or if you’re supporting in another way (like my lovely wife who has been knitting ‘pussy hats’ for marchers non-stop) put it on and do your thing wherever you are.

I think you’ll find that while they’re not all ‘message’ songs, they all pack a lot of power into their grooves.

I wanted to get it up here early, since people who will be traveling will get a chance to pull down the ones and zeros before they hit the road.

So get out there and fight the power!

And always and in all ways,

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, January 17, 2017 12:24 pm

Lee Rogers

Listen/Download – Lee Rogers – Go Go Girl MP3

Greetings all.

I hope the middle of the week finds you well enough to get up outcha seat and dance, on account of what’s up.

Lee Rogers (nee Rogers Lee Caton) was a fairly prolific (on the 45RPM tip, anyway) Detroit soul singer with a catalog that stretched from the early 60s into the late 70s.

The tune I bring you today was released in 1966 on the D-Town label.

Rogers one and only hit had come the previous year when ‘I Want You To Have Everything’ made it into the R&B Top 20.

He never made another dent in the national charts, but the A-side of today’s selection, ‘I’m a Practical Guy’ was a regional hit in Detroit and the Great Lakes area in the summer of 1966.

Though that tune is a cracker, ‘Go Go Girl’ is the side for me.

Written by Detroit stalwarts Mike Hanks, Rudy Robinson and William Garrett, produced by Hanks and arranged by McKinley Jackson, ‘Go Go Girl’ is a hard-hitting dance floor stormer, with booming drums, solid guitar and bass and a horn section thar builds nicely.

Roger’s vocal moves between a smooth tenor and a reaching falsetto.

It’s not hard to imagine packed rooms of dancers, here in the US and over in the UK where Rogers’ 45s are sought after, getting down to this one.

‘Go Go Girl’ isn’t cheap, but it’s not going to put you in the poorhouse either, so if you dig it, and you want to make some people dance, go get yourself a copy for your playbox.

I hope you dig it, and I’ll see you tomorrow with something very special!

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, January 15, 2017 11:37 am

The Countdown Five

Listen/Download – Countdown Five – Shaka Shaka Na Na MP3

Greetings all.

The beginning of the week is here and I have something groovy for you.

Those of you that have followed the Funky16Corners blog for while, checked out my mixes, or heard me spin 45s in person, know that I have a taste for what might otherwise be termed ‘garage or bubblegum soul’ i.e. white rock bands laying down soulful party starters.

I started out collecting garage punk 45s way back in the day and most of those bands incorporated soul and R&B material into their playlists, covered those songs on record, and often came up with their own bangers.

Among my faves are tunes like ‘Shake’ by the Shadows of Knight, and ‘Sally Had a Party’ by Flavor (featured here a while back).

Not all that long ago my man Emery blew my mind with a tune that I had never heard by a group that I was already familiar with.

The band was Texas sixties punkers the Countdown Five, and the tune was ‘Shaka Shaka Na Na’.

The Countdown Five formed in Texas in the unlikely sounding Galveston suburb of Texas City, Texas.

They recorded a number of 45s during the 60s, including the oft-comped classic ‘Uncle Kirby’ (1967).

‘Shaka Shaka Na Na’ is a banger of the first order, sounding like a more soulful cousin of the Easybeats ‘Good Times’ (released the previous year), with fuzz guitar, organ (keyboardist Mack Hayes wrote the song) and a wailing sing-a-long chorus. It’s a great mix of fuzz, bubblegummy simplicity and soul, and a very groovy number indeed.

It was the band’s last 45, and though it wasn’t a hit, it got issued on no less than six countries!

The US issue is on the Buddah subsidiary Cobblestone, and isn’t too pricy or hard to find.

So grab yourself a copy, slip it into your playbox and dance!

See you on Wednesday

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, January 12, 2017 12:59 pm

Listen/Download -Bobby Boseman – Astrological Soul Train MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the week is upon us, and so then is the Funky16Corners Radio Show, which pops into the airwaves of the interwebs each and every Friday. You can subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, listen on Stitcher, TuneIn and Mixcloud, check out the show on Cruising Radio in the UK, or grab yourself an MP3 right here at Funky16Corners.com

We finish out the week  – following a bunch of gospel –  with something decidedly more secular (and funky).

Bobby Boseman is one of those intriguing characters from the classic soul era.

Hailing from Texas, he originally recorded a few 45s under the name Gashead (yes, Gashead) for the Paradise label, later heading to California.

In Cali he joined up with Leon Haywood for one 45 on the Evejim label in 1970, and then recorded one last time – in a funky style – for the Tangerine/TRC imprint with ‘Astrological Soul Train’ in 1972.

The song, basically a funky, Wilson Pickett-esque party record (dig that kick drum at the beginning), combining the popular themes of astrology and ‘soul trains’, and it has the sound of a somewhat earlier side (1972 was really pushing the outer limits of when a record like this might have hit the charts).

Interestingly enough the song was written and produced by another Texan-gone-west, keyboard man Willard Burton (as in The Funky Four).

In an odd footnote, ‘Astrological Soul Train’ was later sampled by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion in the song ‘Calvin’.

Unfortunately, after ‘Astrological Soul Train’, there doesn’t appear to be any evidence that Bobby Boseman ever set foot in a recording studio again.

So get down with your bad selves, 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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, January 10, 2017 11:05 am

The Dixie Hummingbirds

Listen/Download – The Dixie Hummingbirds – She Loves Me Like a Rock MP3

Greetings all.

Since we got the week started with some high quality gospel, I thought I’d bring you another taste of the good (sanctified stuff).

If you are inclined to split hairs, ‘She Loves Me Like a Rock’ is closer to gospel pastiche in its original version, by its composer, a little known commodity by the name of Paul Simon.

Originally appearing on his 1973 LP ‘There Goes Rhymin’ Simon’, ‘She Loves Me Like a Rock’ was a #2 Pop single that year.

Simon’s LP was recorded in a number of different settings, with ‘She Loves Me Like a Rock’ being done in Muscle Shoals, with the Swampers providing instrumental backing and the mighty Dixie Hummingbirds laying on the harmonies.

The tune I bring you today is the Dixie Hummingbirds’ own version of the song, recorded and released later that same year on the Peacock label.

The Dixie Hummingbirds came together in South Carolina 1928, with lead vocalist Ira Tucker joining the group in 1938 at the age of 13 (!?!).

The group eventually moved north to Philadelphia (Ira Tucker was the father of Sundray Tucker, aka Cindy Scott, a name that should be familiar to Northern Soul fans) and went on to become one of the most important gospel groups of the day.

Their recording of ‘She Loves Me Like a Rock’ doesn’t stray that far from Simon’s original, with the marked exception of Ira Tucker’s vocals taking over in the lead spot from Simon’s pleasant, but much less substantial voice.

The Dixie Hummingbirds version of the song was a minor gospel hit, and went on to win a Grammy for the Best Soul Gospel Performance in 1974.

It’s a groovy side, and I hope you dig it.

I’ll see you all on Friday with something funky.

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, January 8, 2017 11:45 am

Listen/Download – The Staple Singers – Nobody’s Fault But Mine MP3

Listen/Download – The Staple Singers – I Wish I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again MP3

Greetings all.

I was recently gifted (in conjunction with Christmas) with the absolutely amazing Staple Singers boxed set, ‘Faith and Grace, A Family Journey 1953 – 1976’.

First released in 2015, and compiled by Joe McEwen, it is the first collection cover the Staples’ entire career, from their very first record in 1953 to their commercial heyday at Stax in the 1970s, with stops at VeeJay, Riverside, D-Town and Epic along the way.

Gospel has become a collectible genre among soul fans over the last ten years or so with some of the deeper cats – like Greg Belson – mining the depths for the soul, funk and even disco iterations of the genre.

While I have never collected gospel records in earnest (I still have a lot to learn), it is nearly impossible to listen to soul music from the classic era and not yearn to investigate the wellspring from which so many of its greatest practitioners came.

Gospel music is at least as big a contributor to what we know as soul music as was R&B, in both its style – brought forward by countless singers who spent their childhoods (and often adulthood) singing the music – and its repertoire, much of which made its way into the soul catalog via osmosis, theft and homage.

The mighty Staple singers are a perfect bridge for those with a taste for soul music who want to find a way into the gospel realm.

The group was in many sui generis, in that their approach to the genre was unusual (becoming even moreso as the years passed), with Roebuck ‘Pops’ Staples Delta blues inspired guitar style and Mavis Staples uniquely powerful voice.

They were deeply influential, inside and outside of gospel, and work as a touchstone to pure, gospel quartet singing, and socialy conscious soul music.

As a listener of music, I have always been more attuned to the overall sound, as opposed to lyrics, effected first by the feel of things, and the Staple Singers had a sound that was remarkable.

It’s not that elements of their music blend can’t be found in earlier performers. Pop Staples grew up near the Dockery Plantation in Mississippi and learned to play the guitar while listening to Charley Patton, Robert Johnson and Son House, and Mavis’s voice has echoes of both secular (Patton) and sanctified blues (Blind Willie Johnson). However nobody combined the sounds of the Delta and gospel harmony like the Staple Singers did.

Their sound – and it’s interesting to listen to how its power persisted through the different production styles over the years – was unique, spiritual (in every way) and at times almost ghostly, in its ability to carry the voices of the past into the present.

I’ve spent a great deal of time since Christmas listening, and relistening to ‘Faith and Grace’, and diving deep into the sound of the Staples’ music.

Though I was already familiar with much of the second half of the set (the late Riverside, Epic and Stax periods), the earlier recordings were a revelation.

To listen to their earliest recordings, like ‘It Rained Children’ (from 1953) and their first hit ‘Uncloudy Day’ (from 1956) and realize that Mavis’s booming, richly layered and masterfully controlled voice was coming from a teenager, verily boggles the mind. And it must be acknowledged that even that supreme instrument was only one component of the group’s sound. Pops’ high, keening voice, tremelo-soaked guitar, and the harmonies and call and response of Pervis, Cleotha and Yvonne (the line up changing frequently over the years) all came together to make something remarkable.
The two tracks I bring you today hail from the Staples 1965 and 1966 Epic LPs, ‘Amen!’ and ‘Why’, and are both included on ‘Faith and Grace, A Family Journey 1953 – 1976’.

The first, ‘Nobody’s Fault But Mine’ is a gospel standard that was first recorded by the aforementioned Blind Willie Johnson in 1927 as ‘It’s Nobody’s Fault But Mine’. It should also be familiar to listeners of Led Zeppelin as just one (particularly egregious) example of their thievery.

The Staples take advantage of a small-band backing to add a brisk, rolling propulsion to their version of the song, with Pops’ guitar edging right up to an almost rockabilly sound (a recurring motif in songs like ‘Swing Down Chariot’ and ‘I’m So Glad’), and his vocal in the lead, with response from his children.

The second tune, ‘I Wish I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again’ is another gospel chestnut, which was recorded over the years by a variety of performers, many of the coming from the white/country gospel sound. You can hear traces of that sound in the Staples’ version.

The astounding quality of the music on ‘Faith and Grace’ will blow away the most jaded listener, and certainly spur many of you to head out and find as many of the original releases as possible. There are a few omissions (I wish that they had included the Larry Williams produced reworking of ‘Why Am I Treated So Bad’) but there are so many great moments (including a couple of rare live recordings) that nobody outside of pedantic record collectors will find any reason to quibble with the selection.

So dig the sounds, and go out and find yourself a copy of this collection, and settle in for several hours of amazement.

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

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.