Comments (0)

By Larry, July 24, 2014 1:21 pm

Listen/Download The Cocktail Cabinet – Breathalyser

Greetings all

The end of the week is approaching so I will remind you once again to twist the dials on your interwebs radiola to tune in the Funky16Corners Radio Show, this and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. You’ll get an earful of the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove, all on original vinyl. You can also subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, or grab yourself an MP3 out of the archive here at the blog (where more than 200 episodes are stored!).

Hows about some Hammond to close out the week?

I first heard the Cocktail Cabinet’s ‘Breathalyser’ many years ago, courtesy of a mixtape from my man Mr. Luther.

I have been in search of my own copy ever since then, only acquiring one in the last few months.

Released in 1967, as the flipside to a horrifying novelty remake of Sandie Shaw’s hit ‘Puppet On a String’, it remained for many years the obscure prize of many a mod/Hammond collector.

Written by hitmakers Phil Coulter and Bill Martin, ‘Breathalyser’ is a Hammond burner of the first order.

Opening with a fuzz guitar, and then kicking into high gear with absolutely wailing organ, ‘Breathalyser’ ought to have been a hit.

Though I have nothing but circumstantial evidence, I suspect that the person manipulating the stops and pedals is none other that the mighty Alan Hawkshaw.

If anyone out there knows for sure (one way or the other) I would appreciate it if you would drop me a line.

Big ups to my man Todd Lucas who informed me that this recording had a US release on the Dunhill label, credited to ‘We Believe’.

That said, no matter who’s playing the organ, ‘Breathalyser’ is a stunning Hammond 45, and ought to have a place of honor in the playbox of any self-respecting mod spinner.

I hope you dig it as much as I do.

See you on Monday.

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.

Comments (0)

By Larry, June 12, 2014 11:18 am

Prime Mundo – Soundset
rudy ray moore – put your weight on it [generation int.] wilson pickett – baby call on me [double l] meters – just kissed my baby [soul jazz] dave and ansell collins – that girl [big tree] hector rivera – drown my heart [barry] fatback band – njia walk [perception] the people’s choice – hot wire [grandland] bo diddley – ooh baby [checker] jackie verdell – hush [peacock] bobby moore’s rhythm aces – try my love again [checker] junior parker – lover to friend [blue rock] billy fury – what do you think you’re doing of [decca] jaynetts – sally go ’round the roses [tuff] b bumble and the stingers – nautilus [rendezvous] roy ayers – i can’t help myself [polydor] trevor dandy – is there any love [numero] dennis brown – black magic woman [sun shot] roscoe shelton – you got to roll with the punch [sound stage] jesse boone and the astros – no particular one [sunburst] sly and the family stone – remember who you are [warner bros.]

Listen/Download Funky16Corners Presents: DJ Prime Mundo – Soundset

NOTE: Today’s mix is from another Asbury Park 45 Sessions hitter, this time from my man DJ Prime Mundo.

Prime is another one of those guys that always has a surprise up his sleeve. His taste is unfuckwithable, and he is well versed in funk, soul, jazz, reggae and rock.

When you strap yourself in with a DJ Prime Mundo mix you know you’re in for an exciting ride

.
He is a master chef out in the real world, and applies the same level of craft when on the turntables.

We have six more new mixes coming, starting on Monday with the mighty Tarik Thornton. You will not want to miss it!

If this is the first you’re seeing of the 2014 Allnighter, make sure to scroll back for mixes by M-Fasis, Tony C, DJ Prestige, Kris Holmes and Funky16Corners!

See you next week.

Larry

___________________________________________________________________________
Contest!

Anyone that donates today to the Allnighter/Pledge Drive will (in addition to getting the badge and stickers) be entered into a random drawing for a copy of the Cultures of Soul 45 reissue of two very solid tracks by Roy Roberts, ‘So Much In Love’ (upbeat Northern Soul) and ‘You Move Me’ (Gritty, mid-tempo funk).
There will be more drawings over the next few weeks for CDs by Cultures of Soul, Light In the Attic and Secret Stash, and 45s from Cultures of Soul!

___________________________________________________________________________

The winner of yesterday’s drawing for The Wheedle’s Groove II CD is Manual Records and Comics!

____________________________________________________________________________

Greetings all

Welcome to the 2014 edition of the Funky16Corners Allnighter/Pledge Drive.

This is the ninth annual Pledge Drive, and the fifth Allnighter.

If you haven’t experienced the Allnighter/Pledge Drive, it can be explained as thus: once a year, the Funky16Corners Blog, your home for the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove vinyl for almost 10 years comes to you with hand outstretched, asking for donations to offset the operating expenses of the web site.

The Funky16Corners ‘operation’ (as it is) included the Funky16Corners and Iron Leg blogs, the mix archives for both (containing well over 200 mixes), and the Funky16Corners Radio Show/Podcast (another 200+ files available for download, or through subscription in iTunes).

The money raised during the pledge drive goes to pay for the server space and fees associated with hosting the whole megillah.

As has been attested to many times in the past, Funky16Corners has humble beginnings, starting out on the old (free) Blogger service, moving to WordPress, and then to self-hosted WordPress. The move to paid hosting was necessitated by increased bandwidth usage, as well as the need for a place to store all the mixes (and eventually the radio show episodes).

The Allnighter/Pledge Drive is a once-yearly occurrence, in which yours truly, and some of the finest selectors out there whip up new mixes for your delectation.

In past years, I have posted all of the mixes in a single post, and left it up for a week.

This year, the quality and quantity of the mixes spurred me on to try something a little different, i.e. posting a new mix each weekday for a period of just over two weeks. This way, each selector gets their moment in the spotlight, and the mixes get spaced out so that the listeners don’t suffer from mix-fatigue.

Each day, you’ll get a fantastic mix (there really are some amazing ones this year) from one of my favorite DJs, many of whom have participated in the Allnighter before, as well as a couple of great new contributors.

So, if you dig what we do here at Funky16Corners, click on the Paypal link and toss some cash into the barrel.

Contributors will receive a 2014 Allnighter badge, as well as some stickers from the archive (as long as they last).

This year I will also be drawing the names of contributors at random for groovy swag, including CDs and 45s from Cultures of Soul, and CDs from Light in the Attic and Secret Stash.

So, dig the sounds for the next couple of weeks, and make sure you stop back on a daily basis to pick up new mixes and contribute for a chance to win some cool stuff.

Thanks, and as always,

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.

Comments (2)

By Larry, May 22, 2014 11:59 am

The Mighty Esquerita!

Listen/Download Eskew Reeder – Green Door

Greetings all

The end of the week is upon us, so that means that it’s also Funky16Corners Radio Show time! You can pile it all into your ears each and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio, or you can subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, or grab an MP3 at the Radio Show Archive here at the blog.

The tune I bring you today is a very solid sender indeed, brought to you by the mighty Eskew Reeder (aka Esquerita, aka SQ Reeder).

I remember first hearing about Esquerita back in the 80s via the mighty Kicks magazine (the greatest zine that ever was and a HUGE influence on yours truly).

Esquerita was one of the legendary madmen of R&B and rock’n’roll, an influence on none other than Little Richard, and a cat who made some very groovy music of his own over the years.

The song ‘Green Door’ was first recorded in 1956 as a novelty tune by DJ Jim Lowe.

The Eskew Reeder version was waxed way down yonder in New Orleans with the assistance of none other than the mighty Allen Toussaint.

Reeder’s version is largely an organ instrumental. He was mainly a pianist but displays a solid facility on the organ, even if he appears to begin soloing with his elbows about halfway through the record.

You also get a couple of vocal interjections by Eskew along the way.

This version is (like the Wynder K Frog cover from a few years later that leans heavily on it for inspiration) a dance floor banger, and if this doesn’t get the folks twisting and shaking, you need to check them for a pulse.

Esquerita’s career and discography were pretty spotty after the mid-60s, and by the time he was rediscovered in NYC in the 80s he was parking cars and playing in dives.

Sadly, he passed away from AIDS complications in 1986.

His spirit is carried on by the folks at Norton (it’s Esquerita’s mug that greets you when you hit their website) in the form of much music and ephemera.

I hope you dig the sounds, and I’ll see you all on Monday.

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.

Comments (0)

By Larry, May 11, 2014 10:42 am

Dave says, ‘Keep wearing sweaters like this and some day you’ll be funky, too!’

Listen/Download Dave ‘Baby’ Cortez – Twang Taang

Greetings all

Welcome to another week of musical stuff here at Rancho Del Funky16Corners.

The tune I bring you today is something from a little bit later in the discography of one David Clowney, better known to one and all as Dave ‘Baby Cortez’.

Cortez, who had his first hit in 1959 with ‘The Happy Organ’ was one of the most interesting performers associated with organ sounds in the classic era.

He was at ease working in the gray area between pop and soul, often bouncing between R&B (like the savage ‘Hurricane’ from 1960) to soul (like ‘Countdown’ from 1965) to funk (like ‘I Turned You On’ from 1970).

He was mainly an organist, but also recorded as a vocalist from time to time, having gotten his start singing doowop in the 50s.

Cortez spent the early part of his career recording for Clock Records, then spending most of the 1960s bouncing between Mercury, Chess, and Roulette before a short period working under the aegis of the Isley Brothers on T-Neck.

The tune I bring you today is from a brief, two-single run Cortez did with the Sound Pak label in 1971.

Sound Pak was, like Clock Records the brainchild of James J. Kriegsmann (who is listed on many Cortez tunes – perhaps dubiously – as co-writer). If that name is familiar it is because he is better known as one of the premier promo photographers of performing artists in the 50s, 60s and 70s, his famous logo appearing on countless glossy photos.

‘Twang Taang’ is a funky vocal, heavily influenced by his time in proximity to the Isley’s organization. The tune is marked by heavy bass, horns and a great vocal by Cortez. I also dig the guitar solo, with just the right amount of fuzz dialed up.

Cortez went on to record for All Platinum through the mid-70s,before going off the grid.

He returned in 2011 to record an LP for Norton, backed by none other than Lonnie Youngblood.

I hope you dig the track, and Ill see you all on Wednesday.

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.

Comments (1)

By Larry, April 27, 2014 12:53 pm

Baby Face Willette

Listen/Download Baby Face Willette – Amen

Greetings all

How about we get the week started fine and mellow with a little slice of Hammond heaven.

Roosevelt ‘Baby Face’ Willette is one of those players that was always kind of floating on the periphery for me.

While I saw his name pop up here and there, and saw pictures of his albums on inner sleeves, it was a long time before his actual playing entered my ears or his records found their way into my crates.

Willette was the son of a minister and a missionary, and when he started tickling the ivories, he did in service to the lord.

He ended up playing piano as a sideman in a number of R&B and jazz groups, eventually switching to the Hammond organ.

Willette recorded a few sessions as a sideman on Blue Note before waxing his own LPs as a leader in 1961.

He moved from Blue Note to the Chess subsidiary Argo, recording two LPs and a number of 45s for the label.

The disc you see before you today was released in 1965 and also appeared on his LP ‘Behind the 8 Ball’ that year.

The song ‘Amen’ often credited to Jester Hairston but almost as often listed as ‘traditional’ was a hit for the Impressions in 1960 and covered by the Winstons in 1969 (the one with the famous break).

Here Willette takes things slow and easy, swinging the choir loft as it were, with able assistance from guitarist Ben White and drummer Jerold Donavon.

It is a very groovy disc indeed, and a fine example of the kind of thing you might hear pumping out of a tavern jukebox back in the day.

Baby Face Willette passed away a few months before his 37th birthday in 1971.

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

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.

Comments (0)

By Larry, March 20, 2014 12:31 pm

The Nilsmen, smoking them, cuz they got ’em…

Listen/Download The Nilsmen – Le Winston

Greetings all

The end of the week is upon us so I will remind you once again to check out the Funky16Corners Radio Show, this and every Friday night on Viva Radio. You can also keep up with the show by subscribing as a podcast in iTunes, or by grabbing an MP3 here at the blog.

The other day I was rummaging through my crates (edging up to, but not quite crossing over into a frenzy of reorganization) and I happened upon the disc you see before you.

Long (long) time a favorite of mine, ‘Le Winston’  is one of those records that has been banging around my subconscious for so long that I was convinced that I had already written it up.

Turns out that – no, I hadn’t – though it had appeared in a mix or two, and made a few appearances on the Funky16Corners Radio Show over the years.

Recorded some time in the late 60s by a Swedish group called the Nilsmen, ‘Le Winston’ (and it’s funky flip ‘The Sandstep’) was issued by the RJ Reynolds tobacco company (thus the RJR label) a few times (with a few different picture sleeves) over the years to promote different brands of cigarettes.

‘Le Winston’ is a fine, hard-charging Hammond instro, guaranteed to light up the dance floor.

While I may not be digging for organ 45s as diligently as I was a few years back, I still love the sound and pick up new (to me) groovers whenever I find them.

This record is a testament to the value of keeping your ears open.

Despite what the occasional inflated ego will tell you, there isn’t a crate digger in the world who is 100% responsible for their collection.

If you have any interest at all in expanding your musical horizons, you keep your eyes and ears open.

I am always on the lookout for collectors and DJs with tastes complementary or at least tangential to my own. You can never know all the good records, and listening to other people’s mixes can really expose you to records you never would have found on your own.

I remember rapping with my man DJ Bluewater at one of the old Asbury Park 45 Sessions gigs, and marveling at how many amazing records I’d seen on another DJs playlist that were completely new/unknown to me.

He dropped a very solid bit of wisdom on me, that being ‘there’s probably a grip of things on your playlists that THEY haven’t seen or heard before either’.

I’ve been very lucky to spin beside folks with both excellent taste and very deep crates, and I hardly ever leave a gig without something new tacked on to my want list.

Now, take that concept and apply it to the internet, where you can connect and interact with DJs/diggers at a significant geographic remove, and the potential for new discoveries grows exponentially.

I can trace my knowledge of ‘Le Winston’ directly to a playlist (many, many years ago) by the great DJ Soulmarcosa, late of the Carolinas, presently burning up the decks in California.

His knowledge of US soul and funk is next level, but when it comes to international sounds, there’s no one better.

There are more than a few burners in my crates that I can trace directly back to one of his mixes/set lists.

So, props offered up, and if you’re out in LA, check him out in person.

As far as I can tell the Nilsmen never recorded anything else (at least under this name).

If you dig the sounds, it shouldn’t be hard to score your own copy, as Nilsmen 45s and plentiful and not terribly expensive.

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

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.

Comments (1)

By Larry, December 12, 2013 12:34 pm

The Fabulous Counts

Listen/Download The Fabulous Counts – Lunar Funk

Greetings all

It’s almost Friday, which is why I will remind you once again that the Funky16Corners Radio Show is on its way, taking to the airwaves of the interwebs this and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. You can also keep up with the show by subscribing to it as a podcast in iTunes, or by grabbing an MP3 at the blog.

The Funky16Corners Radio Show Christmas Special will be dropping next Friday, 12/20 at the usual time, so make sure to pencil that into your datebooks! Also, the next two weeks will be devoted to Christmas music, with some old faves making their yearly appearances, as well as some new finds from this year which I think you’ll dig. _____________________________________________________________________________________

I thought we’d finish off the week with something funky.

I have long been a fan of the Fabulous Counts. Their 1969 hit ‘Jan Jan’ (just skirting the R&B Top 40) was one of the first funk 45s I heard (or owned) and I did my level best to amass all of their stuff as quickly as possible.

They recorded three excellent of 45s for Ollie McLaughlin’s Moira label (his Detroit labels Carla, Karen and Moira all named after his daughters) and an LP for the Cotillion label (produced by McLaughlin), all in 1969.

Led by organist Mose Davis, the Fabulous Counts laid down a jazzy style of funk that broke from the James Brown mold, with their sound much closer in spirit to a group like Kool and the Gang.

Today’s selection, ‘Lunar Funk’ was the flipside of their biggest hit, 1970’s ‘Get Down People’ (R&B #32, Pop #88).

Featuring fuzz bass, wah wah guitar by Leroy Emmanuel and some groovy clavinet by Davis, the tune is a fast moving number with a great horn section.

The group would eventually leave Moira for the Westbound label, recording one more 45 as the Fabulous Counts, before shortening their name to the Counts.

I hope you dig the track, and I’ll see you all on Monday.

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.

Comments (0)

By Larry, November 19, 2013 12:44 pm

Listen/Download Gulf Stream – Sophisticated Soul

Greetings all

The day of the hump is upon us, and I have something groovy lined up for you.

I’m a big fan of the UK library sound, especially where it intersects with the Hammond.

Today’s selection popped into my ears whilst I was casting my net on the interwebs.

I had never heard of Gulf Stream, nor the tune ‘Sophisticated Soul’ but I liked what heard, so I pulled the trigger.

As it turns out, Gulf Stream was (as far as I can tell) a one-off project for UK library maestro Alan Moorhouse.

Moorhouse was a trumpeter, composer and arranger who collaborated with no less a light than the mighty Keith Mansfield and put together his own stuff for the KPM music library.

The track I bring you today is the very groovy ‘Gulf Stream’, released on the Paramount label (at least here in the US) in 1969.

‘Sophisticated Soul’ is a reworking/rebuilding of the track ‘Boss Man’ that Moorhouse composed and arranged for KPM around the same time (you can find it on iTunes on ‘The Big Beat Volume Two’).

The track opens with an acoustic guitar riff, before the drums and organ (wish I knew who that was) come in. You get a very groovy organ solo starting around the :52 second mark, with the guitar joining in soon after.

The tune has the feel of a piece of soundtrack music, reminding me of a slightly more laid back version of the kind of stuff Barry Gray was writing for Gerry and Sylvia Anderson shows like ‘UFO’.

Paramount Records had – at that time – a strange catalog, packed with middle of the road singers past their sell-by date, easy listening stuff, a grip of pop and rock bands that were never heard from again, and the occasional gem.

As far as I can tell this is the only release under the Gulf Stream name.

Moorhouse continued to write and record for KPM, as well as releasing his own albums of mood music in the UK.

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.

Comments (0)

By Larry, October 24, 2013 9:18 am

Funky16Corners Presents:It’s Gonna Be Good!

Johnny Jones and the King Casuals – It’s Gonna Be Good (Brunswick)
Albert Collins – Cookin’ Catfish (20th Century Fox)
Chuck Berry – Club Nitty Gritty (Mercury)
Atlantics – Beaver Shot (Rampart)
Little Richard – Soul Train (Brunswick)
Bobby Hollaway – Corn Bread, Hog Maws and Chitterlins (Smash)
The Turtles – Buzz Saw (White Whale)
The Vibrations – Soul a Go Go (Okeh)
Benny Scott – Soul Beat (Brunswick)
Junior and the Classics – Mix Up a Go Go (Magic Touch)
Jon Lee Group – Pork Chops (Sparton)
Ricky Allen – Cut You a Loose (AGE)
El Dorados – The New Breed (Port)
Danny White – Cracked Up Over You (Decca)
Louis Chachere – A Soulful Bag (Forte)
Timmy Thomas – Have Some Boogaloo (Goldwax)
Toussaint McCall – Shimmy (Ronn)
Rex Garvin and the Mighty Cravers – I Gotta Go Now (Up On the Floor) (Like)

Listen/Download -Funky16Corners Presents: It’s Gonna Be Good – 75MB Mixed MP3/256K

Greetings all.

I hope all is well on your side of the universe, and that you’re all ready for the weekend.

Don’t forget that the Funky16Corners Radio Show hits the airwaves of the interwebs this and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. If you can’t be there at the time of broadcast, you can always subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, or grab an MP3 (or two, or 100) out of the archive here at the blog.

A while back my man DJ Trick over in St. Petersburg, RU asked if I would be amenable to doing an interview and whipping up a mix that they could post in their ‘Grooves’ project*.

As someone who is always down with the cause of spreading the sounds of soul and funk all over the globe, I agreed and set to work.

As you will hear as soon as you pull the trigger on this one, I was in a particularly raucous mood that day, packing just about 40 minutes worth of sonic nitroglycerin into mix form and setting the fuse.

What you get here, is some of my favorite, high-octane soul shouters, organ burners, hardcore R&B and dance party starters, stitched together so that the assembled multitudes might cut themselves a slice of rug (and maybe spill a little beer, too).

If you haven’t sussed it out over the long haul, this is a pretty good approximation of the kind of set I’d throw down were I spinning in a live setting.

That said, this is perfect weekend stuff, so get your download on, and have yourself a party, Artie.

Have a great weekend, and i’ll see you all on Monday.

Keep the faith

Larry

PS They’re posting the interview over there, but it’s in Russian…
___________________________________________________________________________________________

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.

Comments (0)

By Larry, October 22, 2013 11:52 am

Hank Marr

Listen/Download Hank Marr – White House Party

Greetings all

What say we all get over the hump with a certified, Hammond organ swinger?

Hank Marr was one of the great, exalted past masters of the greasy R&B/soul jazz organ 45.

He recorded a grip of sides (45s and lps) for Federal in early to mid 60s for Federal and King, before landing at Detroit’s storied Wingate label for one and a half 45s in 1966.

I remember the first time I was exposed to this little stick of dynamite, courtesy of my old friend Haim.

It took me a while to score myself a copy of this banger, but it has held a place of honor in my record box ever since.

Released in 1966, ‘White House Party’ (and its most excellent flip, ‘The Out Crowd’) is without question one of the finest, swingingest, slabs of Mod soul ever committed to vinyl.

While I have never been able to track down any detailed session information, my assumption has always been – spurred on by the sounds in the grooves – that this was a Detroit session (there are no production credits on the 45).

‘White House Party’ is especially groovy for all of the vocal interjections on the record, which (for the younger folks out there) are references to the presidency of Texan Lyndon Johnson, thus the ‘meanwhile, back at the ranch’ and ‘champagne and barbecued ribs’ shout outs.

It is a dance floor killer of the first order, with an aggressive arrangement (dig the way the bass and the horns push the record along behind Marr’s Hammond).

Marr also split a 45 with Sonny Stitt (Marr’s Groove b/w Stitt’s Groove, which has the catalog number just before ‘White House Party’) but as far as I can tell never had the opportunity to expand (at the time) on the remarkable sounds on these 45s.

Marr continued to perform (as well as teach) and recorded through the 80s and 90s, passing away in 2004 at the age of 77.

‘White House Party’ is the rarest of Marr’s 45s (it’s also, at least in my opinion, his best) and seems to be trading hands for around a C-note these days.

I hope you dig the sounds, and I’ll see you all 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.

Comments (1)

By Larry, September 26, 2013 12:22 pm

Listen/Download Larry Hale – Shout and Do the Duck

Greetings all

The end of the week is nigh, so you should lock yourselves in the storm cellar with the wireless set and get ready for the Funky16Corners Radio Show,which comes to you each and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. If you are unable to make the scene then, you can always subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, or grab an MP3 out of the archive here at the blog.

The record I bring you today is yet another one of those “bought it for the organ tune on one side and ended up digging the flip a little bit more” things that keep popping up here at Funky16Corners.

I forget exactly where I first got wind of Larry Hale’s ‘Shout and Do the Duck’, but I suspect that it was on another DJs finds/wants list.

I do remember that it was not an expensive 45, and that it did take me a little while to flip it over, but as I said, when I did, I ended up preferring the vocal side.

Larry Hale recorded a few 45s under his own name for United Artists, Columbia and Diamond, as well as being one of the vocalists on the RCA 45s by the African Beavers.

‘Shout and Do the Duck’, which came out in 1966 starts with a spoken/shouted gospel-feeling instro, before opening up into a fast moving soul tune with a wailing vocal by Hale.

There is a vague Latin feel running underneath things, as well as a short breakdown that borrows from Stevie Wonder’s ‘Fingertips’.

I have no idea who’s playing the organ on ‘Organ Shout and Do the Duck’ (hear it in Funky16Corners Radio v.42) but the playing is rudimentary enough to suggest to me that the organ was not their first/main instrument.

In an interesting twist, it would seem (read Sir Shambling’s piece here) that Larry Hale and Tony Fox were in fact the same person recording under a number of aliases. If you listen to Tony Fox’s ‘I’ve Got To (Do It To It)’ on Calla, it is definitely the same person singing on this 45.

That said, this is a very cool 45, and I hope you give it a spin or two this weekend.

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.

Comments (0)

By Larry, August 11, 2013 3:32 pm

The Spencer Davis Group

Listen/Download The Spencer Davis Group – Trampoline

Greetings all

Welcome to another groovy week here at the Corners.

I thought I’d get things started this week by dipping into the Hammond crates for something cool.

Oddly enough, I dug up this German Fontana pressing of the Spencer Davis Group’s ‘Trampoline’ right around the corner from my crib here in Central NJ.

I was unfamiliar with either of the tunes on the 45, and since it was a dollar (and I really dig the SDG) I grabbed it and took it home.

Good thing too, because in addition to the cool ‘When I Come Home’ (co-written by Jackie Edwards and Stevie Winwood), you get the very swinging bit of Mod soul on the flip.

Released in 1966, ‘Trampoline’ sees our boy Stevie working it out on the organ and piano with enough groove grease for the dancers.

The 45 fell in between their big British hits ‘Somebody Help Me’ and ‘Gimme Some Lovin’ and grazed the UK Top 10.

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

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.