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By Larry, March 13, 2012 10:31 am

The Mighty Mighty Dells!

Listen/Download – The Dells – Windy City Soul

Greetings all.

I come to you mid-week with something funky from the mighty Dells.

As much as my Chi-town crates are populated with several Dells 45s (mostly spanning the 60s) I’m surprised (and a little embarrassed) by their lack of appearances in this space.

The Dells were formed in the early 50s and their line up remained almost completely unchanged for almost 50 years.

They made the charts more than 40 times between 1956 and 1984 and managed to hit twice with two different versions of their first hit ‘Oh What a Night’ in 1956 and 1969!

The Dells also managed to cross over into the Pop charts several times as well with cuts like the storming ‘There Is’.

The tune I bring you today hails from their 1972 LP ‘Sweet As Funk Can Be’ (dig that title!), coming from the latter part of their association with the Cadet label (they would move to Mercury in 1975).

‘Windy City Soul’ is a funky mover with contributions from all members of the group but marked by some hard edged soul shouting from the mighty Marvin Junior.

The album is a concept album of sorts with a stream of funkiness feel to it, including some quasi-spoken interludes between the tracks.

What is unusual and extra-groovy about this particular set is that is was almost all written by none other than Terry Callier and his writing partner Larry Wade,and the album was produced by the brilliant Charles Stepney.

If this sounds like a combination of talents guaranteed to please, you will not be disappointed. A couple of tracks from the album (though not today’s selection) made it into the R&B Top 40, but the album was not a big hit.

I hope you dig the track, and I’ll be back with more on Friday.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, March 8, 2012 5:14 pm

Playlist

Jenny Misty – Nature Boy- Breakout
Earnest Jackson – Funky Blackman (Stone)
Bill Withers – Kissing My Love (Sussex)
Talmadge Armstrong – You’ve Got So Much Feeling (In Your Love) (Love Records)
Sir Wales Wallace- Whatever you Want (Innovations 2)
Big John Hamilton – Just Seeing You Again (Minaret)
Alex Williams & The Mustangs – Thrill Aint Gone ( Jewel)
Ernest Johnson – Old Man Blues (Steph and Lee)
Rickey Calloway – Paid My Dues Part. 1 (Super Records)
Fabulous Counts – Rhythm Changes (Westbound)
Jimmie (The Shiek) Green – Let Yourself Go (Stringer)
Stage Three- Don’t Ever Go Home (Zelia)
Wisdom – Nefertiti (Adelia)

Listen/Download -The Wiz – Mixed by Tarik Thornton – 48MB Mixed Mp3/160K

Greetings all.

The end of the week is here and I have a very special treat for you all.

But first – as is always the custom – I simply must remind you that the Funky16Corners Radio Show will be blowing up the intertubes this Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. Or, should you be unable to attend at the time of broadcast, you can always drop by this very spot to grab yourselves an MP3 of this (or any of the previous ninety-some) week’s show.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Also, I don’t usually do a whole ot of plugs here, but I got word that the BBC is doing an hour-long radio documentary on one of my all-time faves, the mighty Wilson Pickett, featuring interviews with folks like Bobby Womack, Steve Cropper, Bobby Eli, Willie Schofield, Eddie Floyd, Sir Mack Rice, Rick Hall, and Spooner Oldham and the whole thing is narrated by none other than Roger Daltrey.

It will be broadcast on BBC2 (for you good folks in the UK) on Monday March 12th at 10pm and will also be available on their listen again feature on their website for the following 7 days.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Now, back to the treats.

If you are a regular attendee of the festivities here at the Funky16Corners you will already be familiar with the mixing/digging prowess of my man Tarik Thornton.

Tarik has contributed to both of the previous Funky16Corners Soul Club Allnighters, as well as dropping one of his live sets from the Hip Drop.

Tarik is a very solid cat and it should go without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) that I hold his musical taste in high esteem.

The mix he brings us today is his latest excursion, this in a down-to-mid-tempo style, entitled ‘The Wiz’.

I’m always down to listen to any of Tarik’s mixes, but this one is extra groovy.

Despite my obvious love for hard charging bangers (funk and/or soul) I have a highly developed taste for the somewhat more laid back side of funk (see ‘Easy Mover’ just added to the Guest Mix Archive), in the “it doesn’t have to crack you over the head to bring the funk” school of thought.

That is the vibe of ‘The Wiz’ with some stuff straight out of the old school, some of slightly later – how the kids say “modern soul’ bag – and some very tasty breaks as well.

He doesn’t belabor the point either, bringing the whole thing in at around a tight 40 minutes.

Give this one a spin with the lights down low.

I know you’ll dig it.

See you on Monday.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (3)

By Larry, March 6, 2012 2:29 pm

Osibisa

Listen/Download – Osibisa – Ayiko Bia

Greetings all.

Welcome to another spectacular week in the world of vinyl.

The middle of the week is here, and like Simtec and Wylie, I’m just trying to get over the hump.

The tune I bring you today is something I featured a while back on the Funky16Corners Radio Show.

Osibisa is a band that I knew of (mainly via their albums covers, illustrated by Roger Dean*) long before I ever heard a note of their music.

When I finally came across their first album (the self-titled ‘Osibisa’ from 1971) I was already well into my funky years, so I grabbed it and took it home.

While I wouldn’t describe Osibisa as a purely funk band, they were undeniably funky.

Formed by Ghanian sax player Teddy Osei (who with several other members of the band had roots in the highlife band the Star Gazers, going back to the 1950s) in London in the later 60s, Osibisa featured members from Ghana, Nigeria, Antigua, Grenada and Trinidad.

They were a great example of the wide variety of sounds being blended by musicians who came to the UK from British colonies all around the world (see also, Cymande and countless reggae artists).

Osibisa blended African highlife, rock, jazz, soul and funk together to create a sound all their own.

The tune I bring you today, ‘Ayiko Bia’ brings together the native sounds of all the band’s members, sounding at times like Carribbean carnival transported to the streets of Africa (with a little US funk thrown into the stew for flavor).

Bassist Spartacus R deserves special mention.

‘Ayiko Bia’ was later sampled by the Jungle Brothers for their track ‘Good Newz Comin’.

It is a very groovy tune indeed, and I hope you dig it.

Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you all on Friday.

Peace

Larry

*If you were a stoner, or an art student in the 70s (I got to be both!) Roger Dean was a god.

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (4)

By Larry, February 28, 2012 1:59 pm

Adriano Celentano enjoys a snake and some poison for lunch.

Listen/Download -Adriano Celentano – L’Unica Chance

Greetings all.

I should begin today by saying that things around here have gotten especially hairy these last few weeks.

My interweb/tech travails will already be old news, and I’m happy to say that thanks to pushing my already rattled brain to the breaking point, we should be back on a fairly solid footing. We’re not at 100% yet, but getting closer every day.

On the home front, the treatment regimen for my wife seems to be headed in a new, slightly more convoluted direction. The part of this that affects us here – aside from my own ability to function under practical and emotional stress – is that the upcoming treatments are likely to occur at a remote location, some 90 minutes away from home, necessitating a great deal of travel.

I only mention this because there may soon come a day when the posting schedule at Funky16Corners is curtailed while we take care of more important things.

So that’s where that’s at…

_______________________________________________________________________________

One of the great by products of Facebook is that I get to experience the excellent musical taste of many of my friends (many of whom are also DJs/collectors and/or bloggers).

One day last year one of these friends (I wish I could remember who) posted a clip of a black and white Italian TV show from the 70s that featured Lola Falana (hubba hubba) and a cat by the name of Adriano Celentano.

I had no idea who Celentano was (though he looked like the kind of guy that would play an early 70s TV mobster), nor was I aware that Lola had herself a whole second career in Italy as a TV personality.

So, Lola and Adriano start off in a comedic sketch of sorts (I don’t speak Italian, but the audience was laughing) then all of a sudden a very funky bass line starts and their dancing and lip-synching to a very funky track.

I initially assumed that this was someone else’s tune that they were dancing to, but after a littler research discovered that it was in fact Celentano’s record, and that it was called ‘L’Unica Chance’.

Of course I wanted my own copy, but assumed that I’d never find one here in the US, and previous interactions with the Italian post office did not bode well for an international purchase.

Fortunately for me I ended up finding a copy at a shockingly low price (and in wonderful condition) from a seller here in the US.

Celentano – as it turns out – was a huge star in Italy, recording music since the 50s in a wide variety of styles.

He was also a successful film and TV actor and director.

I have no idea how something as groovy as ‘L’Unica Chance’ got made, but I’m glad that it did.

Released in 1973, it features that fat, funky bass, some very cool wah-wah guitar and organ.

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

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (1)

By Larry, February 26, 2012 4:02 pm

The People’s Choice

Listen/Download -The People’s Choice – Do It Any Way You Wanna

Greetings all.

Welcome to another week at the Funky16Corners!

First, a very brief technical note, it occurred to me that if you use the RSS feed you’ll have to reset the link you use, as the feed has changed.

The tune I bring you today is one of those records that should have been glaringly obvious (or at least it seemed so when I finally heard it) but I managed (in classic Larry Grogan fashion) to find my way there by the most circuitous route possible.

I first knew the People’s Choice via their early 70s 45s for the Phil-LA of Soul label (‘I Likes To Do It’ was R&B Top 10 in 1971), which were very early digging scores of mine during the first days of my Philly obsession.

Then, a few years later my man Tony C dropped a mix with a track that blew my mind, which opened up with a stunning version of this song (later featured in this very space after I managed to get my grubby little fingers on a copy of my own) by Louie Ramirez on Cotique (which can be heard in this past Friday’s Funky16Corners Radio Show).

It was only after that, that during a bit of dusty, outdoor, flea market digging that I happened upon a copy of the record you see before you today, which is of course the original (hit) version of the song by the People’s Choice.

As soon as I gave it a spin it was obvious that I had indeed heard it before, which spurred me to dig out my Billboard R&B chart book, which confirmed that ‘Do It Any Way You Wanna’ was a number one R&B hit and Top Ten pop hit in the summer of 1975, right smack in the middle of my AM radio listening years.

This is of course indicative of one variety of the diggers disease, wherein the obvious seems to get washed away in a torrent of obscurity, which happens to us all but still shames me when I manage to step in it (I really ought to know better).

That all said, the People’s Choice version of ‘Do It Any Way You Wanna’ is a prime piece of funky disco (disco-y funk?) with enough heat for the dance floor and enough edge for the ears, which goes a long way in explaining why it was such a big hit.

I hope you dig it, and I’ll see you all next week.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (10)

By Larry, February 19, 2012 3:15 pm

Roger and the Gypsies – Pass the Hatchet Pt1 (Seven B)
Professor Longhair – Big Chief Pt2 (Watch)
Bobby Marchan – Shake Your Tambourine (Cameo/Parkway)
Diamond Joe – Gossip Gossip (Sansu)
Eddie Bo – Hook and Sling Pt1 (Scram)
Lee Dorsey – Four Corners Pt1 (Amy)
Dixie Cups – Two Way Poc A Way (ABC)
Earl King – Street Parade (Kansu)
Meters – Cardova (Josie)
David Batiste and the Gladiators – Funky Soul Pt2 (Instant)
Bobby Williams – Boogaloo Mardi Gras Pt2 (Capitol)
Curly Moore – Sophisticated Cissy (Instant)
Ernie K Doe – Here Come the Girls (Janus)
Larry Darnell – Son of a Son of a Slave (Instant)
Explosions – Hip Drop Pt1 (Gold Cup)
Rubaiyats – Omar Khayyam (Sansu)
Warren Lee – Funky Belly (Wand)
Willie Tee – Sweet Thing (Gatur)
Danny White – Natural Soul Brother (SSS Intl)
Lee Dorsey – Who’s Gonna Help Brother Get Further (Polydor)
Oliver Morgan – Roll Call (Seven B)
Eddie Bo – Can You Handle It (Bo Sound)

Listen/Download -Funky16Corners Presents Boogaloo Mardi Gras! – 85MB Mixed Mp3/192K

Greetings all.

I hope you all are well.

I had some other things planned for today, then while I was out running errands I drove past a church with a sign up about Ash Wednesday, which meant only one thing to my deeply lapsed, heathen, ex-Catholic self (I’m so far gone I usually don’t catch on until I see people walking around with ashes on their foreheads), that being that Mardi Gras was at hand.

Despite my obvious affinity for and devotion to the music of New Orleans, for some reason I have a fairly consistent mental block when it comes to remembering Mardi Gras.

It seems that every single year it comes into my sightline either on the day of or after and I end up sitting here like a schmo wondering why I couldn’t get it together to commemorate that most significant of New Orleans-based festivities.

Fortunately, this year fate stepped in, I saw that sign and mixed you up a nice, spicy bowl of New Orleans funk and soul gumbo.

I don’t think there’s anything in this mix that hasn’t appeared in this space at least once over the years, but that shouldn’t stop you from digging in.

There are a few Mardi Gras-specific numbers here, including the record that gives the mix it’s title by Bobby Williams, the mighty Professor Longhair and ‘Big Chief’, the Dixie Cups and their Mardi Gras Indian chant Two Way Poc A Way’ and Earl King’s ‘Street Parade’.

There are also a grip of drum-heavy, NOLA party burners as well, powerful enough to get you up out of your seat and on to the floor.

I hope you dig the sounds and I’ll be back on Wednesday with something cool.

Also, don’t forget to check out the latest episode of the Funky16Corners Radio Show via the Flash player in the sidebar.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (3)

By Larry, February 7, 2012 4:18 pm

The Evergreen Blues

Listen/Download -Evergreen Blues – Bring It On Back

Greetings all.

The tune I bring you today is a little something from my ongoing horn rock obsession, crossed with the sounds of East LA.

I picked up the Evergreen Blues album while I was out digging, knowing nothing of their music, but sure (thanks to various and sundry context clues) that they were of a 1960s vintage.

When I got the record home and gave it a listen I was surprised to hear a lot of soul where I was expecting something a little psyche and decided that I ought to see what I could discover.

As it turns out, the Evergreen Blues got their start in East LA as the Two Thirds Majority, changing their name to the Evergreen Blues around the time they signed their first major label record contract (with Mercury) in 1967.

They recorded their first album that year, which included the original version of song that would become much better known in a recording by the Grass Roots, ‘Midnight Confession’.

That song was written by Lou T Josie, who would contribute a few songs to their second album (recorded for ABC) , including today’s selection ‘Bring It On Back’ (not the same song that was recorded by Dyke and the Blazers).

The Evergreen Blues sound, led by vocalist Manny Esparza, was organ and horn driven soul/rock. Unlike a lot of their contemporaries, the horn section wasn’t employed as a jazz proxy, but rather in the classic Stax/Volt style.

The Evergreen Blues were a great example of the kind of fusions going on in East LA where Chicano musicians were mixing R&B and rock in lots of interesting ways.

Following their second album, Evergreen Blues changed their name to Elijah and recorded two albums (at least one with the help of Al Kooper) during the early 70s.

I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll be back on Friday.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (1)

By Larry, February 5, 2012 1:23 pm

Listen/Download -Jesse Gresham Plus Three – Bust Out

Greetings all.

Welcome to another week here at the Corners.

The tune I bring you today is something I’ve had warming up my crates for many years, that I knew almost nothing about.

I picked up my first Jesse Gresham Plus Three 45, ‘Shootin’ the Grease’ way back in the way back, and dug it for its organ groove grease, but also because it was on a strange label (Head) with a Robert Parker hit (‘Barefootin’) inexplicably placed on its flip side.

A few years after that score, I happened upon today’s selection, ‘Bust Out’ and then later heard (but have yet to score a copy of) ‘The Penguin’.

‘Bust Out’ has always tickled my fancy because, in the late period Merl Saunders/Toussaint McCall stylee,  it features the keyboard player doing double duty on the organ and the electric piano.

I had been unable to find any information about Gresham, until I recently set to Googling and happened upon a page on the Mississippi Blues Trail site, where in an article about the Staple Singers, they happened to mention several other musicians who worked out of the Drew, Mississippi area, one of whom was Jesse Gresham.

The site mentioned that Gresham was a keyboard player, who also worked as a school teacher and who had become a minister.

I adjusted my search criteria, and found a comment on the mighty Home of the Groove blog from the researcher who had written the Blues Trail page, who fleshed out the Jesse Gresham Plus Three story somewhat.

Apparently Gresham and his band worked out of the Clarksdale, MS area and recorded their one session in Memphis, TN. The group featured Gresham on keys, Johnny Agnew on guitar, Larry Haggans on bass and Nathaniel Jefferson on drums (Agnew and Haggans get writing credit on this cut).

That the group’s entire output was limited to a single session isn’t surprising, since all that appears to exist is the two sides of today’s 45, plus two different edits of the song that appeared first as ‘Shootin’ the Grease’ and later as ‘The Penguin Pts 1&2’.

All told, for a three-song run, they were pretty much batting .1000.

I hope you dig the sounds, and I’ll be back on Wednesday with something cool.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (3)

By Larry, February 1, 2012 2:09 pm

Mr Don Cornelius

Listen/Download -The Ramrods – Soul Train Pts 1&2

Listen/Download -The Rimshots – Soultrain Pts 1&2

Greetings all.

I come to you on what would normally be a ‘between-posts’ day because the news came down today that the great Don Cornelius had died.

Cornelius was the host of the long-running ‘Soul Train’, the premiere showcase for black music on national TV in the 70s, 80s and 90s.

I spent many a Saturday morning watching the best dancers in America groove on the Soul Train line and listening to his deep, rich voice end every show with the phrase “You can bet your last money it’ll be a stone gas honey!”

Cornelius got his start as an insurance salesman, but moved into entertainment as a DJ on Chicago’s legendary WVON in 1966.

Soul Train started as a local Chicago show on 1970, moving into national syndication in 1971 (Cornelius was the host until 1993).

Though the theme that most people associate with the show is ‘TSOP’ by MFSB and the Three Degrees, which was the show’s theme from 1973 to 1975, the original theme was an unusual, very groovy, and totally recycled record.

The original ‘Soul Train’, as credited by the Ramrods was used as the theme to the show from 1971 to 1973. It may very well have sounded familiar to some of the older heads in the audience, because it had originally been released almost ten years before as recorded by the Rinky Dinks (actually a group led by King Curtis on guitar) under the title ‘Hot Potato’.

I had never heard this ‘version’ of the Soul Train theme until a few years after I picked up a copy of the Ramrods 45, when I saw a clip from the early years of the show and heard it playing in the background.

When it was released on Rampage records in 1972 under the Ramrods name, it grazed the R&B Top 40, remaining on the charts for several weeks.

That same year, the Rimshots covered the song and released their version on the All Platinum subsidiary A-1 records.

I present both two-part versions in full today in remembrance of the mighty Don Cornelius, and because they both represent a good, greasy, soulful groove.

He will be missed and we wish him love, peace and soul.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (1)

By Larry, January 29, 2012 4:01 pm

Woody, the Herd and one blazing white suit.

Listen/Download -Woody Herman and the Thundering Herd – Crosswind

Greetings all.

Welcome to another week here at the funk ranch.

I hope all is well with you and yours.

I wanted to get the week started with something funky, but also a little jazzy, and then I thought “cover-y, too” so I went digging in the Funky16Corners Digital Funk Silo, plugged the coordinates into the GPS and arrived at the track you see before you today, Woody Herman’s version of ‘Crosswind’.

Originally recorded (and composed) by drummer Billy Cobham in 1974 on his ‘Crosswinds’ LP, the tune is one of the finer examples of jazz funk from the era.

I’ve gone on the record in this space (and other places as well) about my love for late-period Woody Herman.

Though he was an acknowledged jazz master for his work with the original Thundering Herd(s), Herman kept big bands going long past the time when most folks thought it financially and artistically feasible, and he did it well.

His late 60s/early 70s sessions for Cadet, done with the assistance of folks like Richard Evans show that Herman was able to stay relevant, keeping his head and ears in the game.

His version of ‘Crosswind’ was recorded at Montreux in 1974 and appeared on the (self-explanatory) ‘Herd at Montreux’ LP, which also features a very groovy, funky reworking of Aaron Copland’s ‘Fanfare for the Common Man’.

The arrangement is very funky, with lots of electric piano, bass and drums, as well as soaring brass.

I was surprised when I picked up this album and realized that I knew almost none of the players, though it was cool to see that Herman still had Richard Evans arrangement of ‘Can’t Get Next To You’ in his book.

It’s a fine example of early-70s jazz funk and I hope you dig it.

See you on Wednesday.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (9)

By Larry, January 26, 2012 2:56 pm

Magic Sam

Listen/Download -Magic Sam – I’ll Pay You Back

Greetings all.

Welcome to the end of yet another week at the Les Corners Seize Funkee.

It behooves me to remind you that were you to tune into Viva Radio Friday night at 9PM you would encounter (once again) the Funky16Corners Radio Show, where yours truly whips the funk, soul, jazz and rare groove on the masses via the airwaves of the interwebs. If this is an appointment you are unable to make at the time of broadcast, you can always come by here over the weekend and pick yourselves up an MP3 of same.

This week’s show is especially interesting if you dig the “now” sounds of soul and funk with new stuff from Japan, the good ole US of A, and Australia.

That all said, the tune I bring you today is something out of the blues guys go funky bag.

What’s particularly interesting is that the blues guy in question is the mighty Magic Sam and the funky tune in question is yet another iteration of the thousand-petaled lotus known as ‘It’s Your Thing’.

Magic Sam Maghett was a generation younger than many of the bluesmen that made the trek from Mississippi to Chicago, and his approach to the blues guitar was a new(er) one.

One need only listen to his recordings for labels like Cobra and Delmark to realize that he was on to something new.

Unfortunately, he was felled by a heart attack in 1969 (not long after he recorded this 45) and never really got to build the kind of discography that might have elevated him into a position of prominence.

The tune in question, ‘I’ll Pay You Back’ is something I knew only as an instrumental (‘Sams Funck’) for years until I scored a copy of the 45 and had the opportunity to flip it over.

When I did I was pleasantly surprised not only because of its basic coolness, but also because I finally realized that ‘I’ll Pay You Back’ was in fact a vehicle rebuilt on the Isley Brothers’ ‘It’s Your Thing’ frame.

Along with Archie Bell and the Drells ‘Tighten Up’, ‘It’s Your Thing’ was one of the most imitated and borrowed from songs of the late 60s. It was on the R&B charts for 14 weeks in the Spring of 1969 (4 weeks at Number One).

Magic Sam reprises the song’s title and rhythmic structure, but lays his own guitar style on top of things, and the lo-fi production by Bobby Rush (a master of the soulful blues himself, who is also credited with the writing the song) gives the whole affair a rougher edge, less funky than muddy.

We can only wonder how far Magic Sam might have gone had he not met such a premature end.

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

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (7)

By Larry, January 22, 2012 12:58 pm

Miss Etta James

Listen/Download -Etta James – Something’s Got a Hold On Me

Listen/Download -Etta James and Sugar Pie DeSanto – In the Basement Pt1

Listen/Download -Etta James – I’m So Glad

Listen/Download -Etta James – Tell Mama

Listen/Download -Etta James – I Got You Babe

Listen/Download -Etta James – I’d Rather Go Blind

Listen/Download -Etta James – I Worship the Ground You Walk On

Listen/Download -Etta James – Out On the Street Again

Listen/Download -Etta James – Groove Me

Greetings all.

I think that it would not be overstating things to say that for fans of the music we call soul, this has been an absolute motherfucker of a week.

First Jimmy Castor, then Johnny Otis, and then on Friday we got the news that the mighty Etta James had gone to her great reward.

Goddamn…

I mean, as we have discussed previously, we are in the midst of an era when these sad events will be coming with increasing frequency, but the inevitability of age doesn’t make these losses any easier to take.

Etta James was as bad-ass as they came.

When you talk about serious, heavy, real performers, they seldom got any realer than Etta James.

She came out of R&B, walked straight on into soul and funk, all the while packing one of the most powerful, emotional voices ever heard.

And that voice carried with it the seasoning of a hard life.

Born Jamesetta Hawkins  in Los Angeles in 1938, she first recorded (discovered by none other than Johnny Otis) in 1954 and hit the top of the charts in 1955 with ‘The Wallflower’ (aka Dance With Me Henry) in 1955.

She remained on the charts, both R&B and Pop, through the 50s, 60s and 70s, wrestling on and off with heroin addiction, yet still making some remarkably powerful records.

James recorded for Modern through the 50s, moving to the Chess organization (recording for Chess, Argo and Cadet) where she remained from 1960 to 1976.

The records she made during this period were some of the best soul of the era.

The songs I’m posting today while not by any means comprehensive, represent what I would consider to be her finest work*.

Starting with the epic ‘Something’s Got a Hold On Me’ from 1962 (I love pulling out a record that’s as old as I am…), you get Etta reaching back to her teenage, gospel roots, gathering some R&B on the way and whipping it all up into a solid blast of soul. The record is a great sampler of her vocal range, from her rich contralto right on through to her piercing growl.

Her epic duet with Sugar Pie DeSanto, ‘In the Basement’ has appeared in this space before, but to attempt to pay appropriate tribute to Etta without including it would be the work of a fool. Not only is one of the truly great soul sides of the 60s – by anyone – but you get to hear two monumental divas trading lines.

Another cut from 1966 (coming from the period right before she headed down to Muscle Shoals) ‘I’m So Glad’ sees James working a slightly different groove. While the vocal is classic, mid-period Etta, the instrumental backing – arranged by Monk Higgins – is pure Chitown soul.

Leonard Chess’ decision to send James down to Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama was without a doubt one of the smartest things he ever did.

If ever a voice existed that sounded purpose-made for the backing of the legendary Fame house band, it belonged to Etta James.

James recorded just under two dozen sides (almost all released) at Muscle Shoals, and they represent not only a high point in her discography, but also in the long stream of genius that emitted from those hallowed halls during the 60s and 70s.

The best known of her Fame-era tracks is undoubtedly 1967’s‘Tell Mama’, which hit the R&B Top 10 and grazed the Pop Top 20. The tune is hard-charging Southern soul with a supremely confident vocal by James and a horn chart that is in itself a soulful bit of genius. It puts the well-known cover by Janis Joplin to shame.

It was only last year, courtesy of my man Vincent the Soul Chef that I was exposed to James’ insanely good cover of Sonny and Cher’s ‘I Got You Babe’. Never in a million years would I have imagined anyone, even a master like Etta James, taking a hippy-dippy pop confection and turning it into hard hitting proto-funk, but that’s exactly what she did.

Interestingly enough, both of the previously mentioned 45s had powerful ballads on the flip side.

‘I’d Rather Go Blind’ (the flip of ‘Tell Mama’) is widely regarded as one of James’ finest recordings, and for good reason. It’s one of those deep, bluesy soul ballads that sounds less like a performance than a late-night confession.

‘I Worship the Ground You Walk On’ (the flip of ‘I Got You Babe’) is cut from the same cloth, if a little less raw. It features a great change-up in the chorus as well.

By the 1970s, James was still with Chess/Cadet, but her sound was evolving. Her 1974 album ‘Come a Little Closer’ was reportedly recorded concurrent with a stint in rehab, and while her voice seems a touch deeper, dare I say smoother (though not to a fault), the power is still there. The track ‘Out On the Street Again’ is particularly interesting, with a a dark, smoky early-70s Motown feel (a la Norman Whitfield) feel to it.

The latest track I bring you today comes from her 1976 LP “Etta and Betta than Evah’. Produced by none other than the great Mike Terry, the album definitely has a 70s feel to it (some era-appropriate synth/clavinet action), but her cover of King Floyd’s ‘Groove Me’ is classic, funky Etta.

The album was her last for Chess, after which she moved to Warner Brothers.

What she left behind after a decade and a half is a veritable mountain of high quality soul music.

Despite her personal struggles, first with drugs and later with failing health Etta James remained an icon continuing to record and perform almost to the end, releasing her final album last year.

What you need to do next – assuming you already haven’t – is get out there and start digging for some Etta James records. There are plenty of them, and aside from a couple of heavily sweated 45s, they shouldn’t cost you all that much, and no matter what they cost, it’s worth it to add so much musical gravitas to your crates.

I hope you dig the sounds.

See you later in the week.

Peace

Larry

*Though I’m not posting her 1961 hit ‘At Last’ it holds a very special place in my heart. It was the first song my wife and I danced to at our wedding.

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