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By Larry, January 4, 2011 4:10 pm

Vernon Garrett

Listen/Download – Vernon Garrett & Marie Franklin – Second To None

Greetings all.

I hope all is groovy on your segment of the sphere.

I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things, following a long and snow-infested Christmas break, during which the fam and I were literally trapped in the house for a few days. It’s not that we don’t enjoys each other’s company, but when the food and beverage choices start moving into crisis mode (what can you make from a can of tomato soup and a pack of instant rice) folk’s nerves start to get on edge.

Fortunately we were eventually plowed out and took a drive up to visit my in-laws, located much further north, and (oddly enough) under a whole lot less snow.

I did manage to get in a digging session, in what used to be one of my favorite ‘road’ spots. Unfortunately it looks like the place has changed ownership and I walked out of the store with every good record in the place, all eight of them.

It was mostly unusual rock stuff, but there were a couple of nice soulful selections as well, so all is well.

I should mention again that I’ll be taking part in the Spindletop night with DJ Perry Lane next Monday night, beginning at 10PM at Botanica, 47 East Houston Street (between Mulberry and Mott) in New York City. Expect all manner of Hammond grooves, Mod soul, International au go go goodies etc.

The tune I bring you today is yet another gem from the stash that keeps on giving.

As mentioned in this space many times, some years back my father-in-law came upon a deposit of several thousand 45s, which he was kind enough to procure on my behalf. Though I made several passes through the crates over the last five or six years, there are still a few stacks left that I head back to now and then, and as luck would have it, they still yield some goodies every once in a while (this being one of them).

I have to admit that before I heard Vernon Garrett and Marie Franklin’s ‘Second To None’ I didn’t know much about the Venture label, other than Calvin Arnold’s ‘Funky Way’ from 1967.

The label was founded when Mickey Stevenson (and his wife Kim Weston) left Motown and relocated to the West Coast in the mid-60s. The pair hooked up with MGM Records, which established Venture as a soul subsidiary*.

Though the label didn’t produce many hits, there were a number of solid artists on its roster, including Larry Williams, The Mighty Hannibal and the Ballads.

The raging ‘Second to None’, heard here in a duet with Vernon Garrett and Marie Franklin, was originally recorded as a solo by Garrett in 1968 as the first of his three 45s for the label.

Garrett had been recording since the early-50s, waxing gospel, R&B, duets with his wife Jewel (who died in the late 60s), and as a solo for a wide variety of labels like Kent, Venture, Watts USA, Gator and ICA.

Marie Franklin is even more of a mystery. After her duet with Garrett, she recorded at least one 45 for Tangerine, as well as the killer ‘You Ain’t Changed’ for Maverick.

‘Second To None’ is a rock solid, right on the edge of out and out funk 45, with heavy guitar and fantastic vocal interplay between Garrett and Franklin. Both singers have especially raw, soul-shouting voices and it pains me to think that they didn’t go on to record more as duet partners.

The tune was written by Darryl Carter, Dick Cooper and Ernie Shelby, with Carter (as a solo) and Shelby (as a member of the Seven Souls) both having recorded for Venture.

Interestingly, the flipside of ‘Second to None’, ‘Without You’ hit the R&B Top 40 in 1969.

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

Peace

Larry

*There were also a couple of rock bands on the label, including the 49^th Parallel and Southwind

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By Larry, December 19, 2010 4:47 pm

Harvey Averne

Listen/Download – Harvey Averne Band – Let’s Get It Together This Christmas

Greetings all.

Christmas week has finally arrived, and so, as is the custom, have some funky and soulful holiday 45s.

I managed to get in a nice dig/hang this weekend down at the world famous Asbury Lanes where I managed to grab some excellent records (both the 45 and LP varieties) and meet up with some of my old mod scene compadres (Mr Luther and Mick) as well as AP45 Sessions’ very own DJ Prime Mundo. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

I’ve made mention of the fact that I have never been a big collector of holiday music, Don’t get me wrong – I dig the jingle bells and the ho ho ho and what not – but with rare exception (generally the records that I feature here around Christmas time) I don’t go out of my way to add this kind of stuff to my record box.

Occasionally – as is the case with the Soulful Strings Christmas LP – such a record dovetails nicely with an existing obsession. Sometimes, as was the case with Clarence Carter’s ‘Backdoor Santa’, we might be talking about a record that kicks ass solidly despite the fact that it’s aimed at a Yuletide audience.

This week I’ll be bringing you two great holiday selections (Monday and Wednesday) and then taking the rest of the week off to enjoy the holiday with the fam.

I wouldn’t leave you hanging though, so make sure you tune into the Funky16Corners Radio Show this Friday at 9PM, Christmas Eve for the first annual Funky16Corners Radio Christmas Special, for an hour of the coolest funk and soul sounds for the holiday. You’ll hear the Soulful Strings, Clarence Carter, James Brown and many, many more.

The tune I bring you today is nice but of funky Latin soul by the mighty Harvey Averne.

Averne was – like his bandmate and fellow Latin music legend Larry Harlow – a non-Hispanic (both men were Jewish) who played a big role in the history of the storied Fania label.

Averne, a vibraphonist, got his start under the name Arvito and his Latin Orchestra, playing during the 50s mambo craze, eventually taking over a band that included Harlow on piano.

He had a great deal of success as a musician (and in the construction business) but had probably his most important role as the mad behind the day to day operations of Fania.

Hired by label owner Jerry Masucci, Averne worked at Fania as musician, producer (of Ray Barretto’s ‘Acid’ LP among many other classics) and A&R man.

Oddly enough, his first record, among them the boogaloo classics ‘The Micro Mini’ and ‘You’re No Good’ were released on the Atlantic label, with Averne eventually having a bunch if stuff released on Fania and its Uptite subsidiary.

The tune I bring you today ‘Let’s Get It Together This Christmas’ is a funky mover, with the punchy bass, the jingling jingle bells, and an upbeat message for the season.

I haven’t been able to nail down a release date, but the catalog number would suggest something in the area of 1969 or 1970.

The flip side is a an otherwise groovy version of ‘The Christmas Song’, marred by the ‘contributions’ of a barking dog (who gets credit on the label!).

‘Let’s Get It Together This Christmas’ was also included on the excellent ‘In The Christmas Groove’ comp.

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

Peace

Larry

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By Larry, December 14, 2010 2:51 pm

Calender

Listen/Download – Calender – Hypertension Pt1
Listen/Download – Calender – Hypertension Pt2

Greetings all.

The tune I bring you today is a little bit of stylish, late period New Jersey funk.

Back about a year or so ago, when I pulled this 45 out of a box at a record show, I grabbed it because the label was familiar (and from NJ).

I’d never heard of the group, but I figured (as I often do) that all signs pointed to ‘cool’, and the price was right, so I took it home.

When I finally got a chance to put it on the turntable I was pleased.

Though the group, Calender, was a complete mystery, the song ‘Hypertension Pts 1&2’ turned out to be an extremely cool number from the era when funk was on a speeding train to Disco City.

This is not to say that the tune itself is actually disco, but that it comes from a period where the artists and producers were clearly less interested in crafting a short, one-sided 45 statement than they were in stretching things out so that the dancers might have some time to get down.

Since the group name and song title led only to various sites concerned with high blood pressure, I decided to search on some of the names on the label, which turned up some interesting info.

The tune was written and produced by Paul Kyser, a Jersey City, NJ based record man who had his biggest successes with Jimmy Briscoe and the Little Beavers, a teenaged funk band from Baltimore, MD who had a number of hits in the mid-70s.

Kyser had his own label, Kyser Records in the 60s, recording Robby Lawson among others. He also worked with the Soul Generation, Super Disco Band, and Rhyze (formerly known as the Nu Sound Express, who recorded two excellent funk 45s for Silver Dollar), who had a minor hit with the tune ‘Just How Sweet Is Your Love’ in 1980.

‘Hypertension’ is a great slice of sophisticated, string laden funk in the style of B.T. Express. There’s more than enough real musicianship in the grooves, but enough grooves in the playing to get people out on the dance floor. The production and arrangement by Kyser is perfect; smooth but never slick. There are bits of synthesizer here and there, but they never overpower the band. Make sure to stick around for Part 2, which features some great flute work.

The group included two sets of brothers, John and Michael Barbee and Gerry and Hurley Fair, as well as Stanley Haygood, William Jones and Donna Ahjuder, and recorded this 45 (in 1975) and an LP called ‘It’s a Monster’ for Pi Kapp in 1976 with all songs either written or co-written by the group, Kyser and his frequent writing partner Leon Stuckey.

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

Peace

Larry

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By Larry, December 9, 2010 2:46 pm

Isaac Redd Holt & Eldee Young

Listen/Download – Young-Holt Unlimited – Horoscope

Greetings all.

I hope the end of the week finds you well.

It’s been a busy one hereabouts, with the kids, and the errands and Hanukkah ending and Christmas coming and jeebus knows what else going on.

This is the part of Friday’s post where I pause for my regularly scheduled reminder that the Funky16Corners Radio Show will be airing, as is the custom, Friday night at 9PM. There will be some old favorites, a couple of new arrivals and some groovy stuff out of the archives, so if you have your ears pointed at the interwebs this Friday night, make sure to point the browser of your choice at Viva Radio and tune in. If you are otherwise occupied, you can always come by the blog over the weekend and pull down the ones and zeros, since every single episode of the Funky16Corners Radio Show is promptly digimatized and posted at the blog after it airs.

I thought I had the whole week planned out, but when I sat down to write today’s post, I had a change of heart, and went back into the to-be-blogged folder to see what tickled my fancy. After some deliberation, I saw that I had no less than three very groovy tracks from the Young-Holt organization waiting to go, all funky, all very groovy.

This of course opened up a whole new can of worms, since I didn’t want to post all three at the same time. Despite all stories to the contrary, the Funky16Corners record vault is not six stories deep with an endless supply of vinyl, and things need to be parceled out gradually.

I gave the matter some consideration, and settled upon the 45 you see before you today, Young-Holt Unlimited’s ‘Horoscope’.

I don’t recall where I came across this disc, or where I first heard it.

It’s entirely possible that I bought it sight unheard, since I’ve come to the conclusion that Young-Holt are verily the gift that keeps on giving. They were not only prolific, but their catalog – like the many petals of the lotus – unfolds to reveal more and more funky 45s at every turn.

Here you have two journeyman jazz cats – pianist Eldee Young and drummer Isaac Redd Holt – who made their bones with the mighty Ramsey Lewis, with the 1965 hit ‘The In Crowd’ (currently being used in TV ads in furtherance of the execrable Ashton Kutcher industry). They parlayed it into their own career, eventually hitting the charts with one of the best loved soul instrumentals of the 60s, ‘Soulful Strut’ (ironically, a record they are rumored not to have actually played on).

Over the course of the next decade they would go on to release ten albums (for Brunswick, Cotillion and Paula) and over a dozen singles, all taking the concept of soul jazz and flipping the formula. The music they would create would prove to be commercial (if not commercially successful) while still substantial, formulaic without being boring and much more soulful than that of a lot of their similarly labeled contemporaries.

I always find it odd that for a group that was obviously selling a lot of records, Young-Holt Unlimited didn’t really have much in the way of chart success. ‘Soulful Strut’ was a Pop and R&B hit in 1968, but they would only hit the R&B chart two other times, earlier in 1968 with ‘Wack Wack’ and barely scraping the Top 50 with ‘Just a Melody’ n 1969.

Yet the more I dig, especially into their later Cotillion and Paula periods (1970 to 1975) the more quality stuff I discover.

Today’s selection hails from 1969, at the very end of their time with the Brunswick label, just before their move to Cotillion.

‘Horoscope’ features funky piano and bright horns, and a shouted run (credited, hysterically as ‘Narration by Isaac Holt’) through the zodiac, hitting on all the signs, ex.Virgo (‘The virgin! Ha ha, you gotta be kidding!’), as well as timely references to the Age of Aquarius and Hair (“and NO CLOTHES!!”).

The tune was written by Young, Holt and their pianist at the time, Ken Chaney (who replaced Hysear Don Walker when the group morphed from the Young Holt Trio into Young Holt Unlimited).

They’ve appeared here a bunch of times, with individual tracks and in mixes, as long as I keep digging their stuff they’ll continue to do so.

I hope you dig the track, and I’ll be back on Monday.

Peace

Larry

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By Larry, November 16, 2010 3:22 pm

Popcorn Wylie blasts off in his leisure suit…

Listen/Download – Richard ‘Popcorn’ Wylie – Funky Rubber Band

Greetings all.

The middle of the week is upon us, and in response to the cold, gray skies, falling leaves and various and sundry major and minor irritants, I come to you with something upbeat and funky so that we may all be warmed (at least spiritually) and forward motion may be maintained.

Before we get started, some news, that being that all of the mix archives have been updated, with 14 mixes in the Soul Club, 28 episodes of the Funky16Corners Radio Show, another 14 in the Guest Mix Archive (haven’t done one of those in a while), and 96 mixes in the Funky16Corners Radio Podcast Archive. That’s 152 mixes stacked neatly awaiting delivery to the pleasure centers of your fevered brains.

If you haven’t heard them all, and you need something to do…

Today’s selection is another entry in a relatively small, yet not insignificant dance craze movement, centered around the lowly rubber band.

Naturally, the assumption here is that the rubber band in question is not the object, but rather a dance named after it.

Over the years, I have found ‘Rubber Band’ 45s by the mighty Eddie Bo (under his own name with the Soul Finders and under the rubric of Curley Moore and the Kool Ones), the mighty Meters and Atlanta DJ Alley Pat.

I’m sure there must be some others that I have yet to hear and/or excavate, but they currently escape me.

The record I bring you today is 1971’s ‘Funky Rubber Band’ by the legendary Richard ‘Popcorn’ Wylie.
Wylie, a Detroit pianist, singer and arranger was an important part of the early years of Motown as a recording artist (with Popcorn and the Mohawks), arranger and pianist and leader for a time of the Motortown Review.

Though his own discography is fairly short for a cat who worked all through the 60s and 70s, the more you dig, the more you discover he was a very busy man.

He left Motown in the early 60s, recording a number of 45s under his own name for Epic, and working as a producer/arranger for artists like Edwin Starr and JJ Barnes on labels like Ric-Tic and Golden World.

He also founded the short-lived, but legendary Soul Hawk label, where he recorded Jimmy Soul Clark, the New Holidays (who Wylie also produced for Westbound), Eric and the Vikings and the Mighty Lovers among others.

Among his freelance work were recordings with the Fabulous Counts (producing the classic ‘Jan Jan’), Jerry-O (he co-wrote ‘Funky Football’), Jamo Thomas (he co-wrote ‘I Spy (For the FBI)’) and co-writing the Northern Soul classic ‘With This Ring’ for the Platters.

Following his last Epic 45 in 1964, he only recorded sporadically under his own name through the 60s, laying down 45s for the Karen and Carla labels in 1968, and then ‘Funky Rubber Band’ for Motown’s SOUL subsidiary in 1971.

‘Funky Rubber Band’ without any question delivers on the ‘funky’ part of the title, as well as the classic ‘dance craze’ framework in that the lyrics are composed largely of dance step instructions. You also get funky guitar, Wylie’s own clavinet, hard hitting drums and a tight horn section.

It’s a very solid – and affordable – funk 45.

Wylie had a revival of sorts in the 80s and 90s when he discovered his popularity with the Northern Soul crowd in the UK.

I hope you dig it, and I’ll be back on Friday with something groovy.

Peace

Larry

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By Larry, November 11, 2010 4:30 pm

Listen/Download – Jake Wade and the Soul Searchers – Searching For Soul Pt1

Listen/Download -Jake Wade and the Soul Searchers – Searching For Soul Pt2

Greetings all.

The end of the week is upon us and I don’t know about you kids, but my head is in a deep funk place right about now, so hows about some’o that (deep funk, that is)??

First – there’s always a ‘first’, isn’t there – it behooves me, as proprietor of the Funky16Corners Radio Show, to remind you all that if it’s Friday (and it almost is) it’s time for my latest excursion into the ether. This week’s edition of the Funky16Corners Radio Show on Viva radio (Friday’s at 9PM) is an all distaff affair with the finest in funk and soul as interpreted by the ladies. There’s lots of fine sounds, from lots of fine ladies, so make sure to fall by and fill your ears up with some of the good stuff.

That out of the way, now is being the time for the aforementioned deep funk.

Back in the olden days, where I was first being introduced to the niceties of old school funk via the UK ‘Sound of Funk’ comps, the songs that blew my mind immediately (on Volume One if memory serves) were ‘Iron Leg’ by Mickey and the Soul Generation, and ‘Hector’ by the Village Callers, both still huge favorites and mainstays of my record box.

There were several burners on that comp, but one in particular evaded me for a long time, so much so that it was pushed into the recessed of my fevered mind, where it would be pried loose many years later when the mighty DJ Prestige dropped the needle on it at an edition of the late, lamented Asbury Park 45 Sessions.

That record was ‘Searching for Soul’ by Jake Wade and the Soul Searchers.

Naturally, once it got it’s hooks into me, I set out in search of my own copy.

Of course, as soon as I did I discovered (not at all surprisingly) that this was not a cheap record (unless you’re lucky enough to spend a lot of your vinyl digging time in and around Detroit).

As is often the case, I looked and looked, was outbid a number of times, and then, like a bolt out of the blue, on a day when I had a big fat wad of cash burning a hole in my pocket, I opened up a record box of the dealers “good stuff” at a records show, and BING, BANG, BOOM, as if placed there by the benevolent hand of the gods was a mint copy of this very record, along with a nice fat stack of other items from the old want list.

I will not deceive you my friends, this record did not come cheap (though a lot of it’s box-mates did, softening the blow somewhat) but I think once you pull down the ones and zeros and stuff it into your ears, you too – if infected by the vinyl disease – will want to get one of these for your very own.

The info on Jake Wade and the Soul Searchers is – as they say – slim pickings, but the few scraps drifting in the breeze are indeed interesting.

‘Searching for Soul Pts 1&2’ (gotta include part two on account of the heavy git-tar) was released on Inkster, Michigan’s (suburb of the Motor City, home to the Marvelettes) Mutt label circa 1970.

Owned and operated by Nate Dorr (a bail bondsman by trade), the Mutt imprint released a variety of Detroit-area sounds, including soul by The Two Fellows, The Majjestees and Carol Jones (the two radically different versions of the sought after ‘Don’t Destroy Me’), garage punk by the Ruins*, rock by the Dale Jones Trio and of course the unspeakably deep funk of Jake Wade and the Soul Searchers.

‘Searching for Soul’ is, aside from being a remarkably heavy, ass-kicking slab of funk, works on a number of levels.

First and foremost, there’s that break. Sweet Mother Macree that’s some wild shit right there, from the slick, opening hi-hat, to the extremely ‘hot’ bass drum and snare, both of which can be heard ringing after the sticks hit.

Then there’s that wobble-legged guitar, which bears the mark of an axe-man who might have heard a few Meters 45s in his time.

But it’s all rendered (temporarily) meaningless when the bass falls in.

The Mutt 45s that I’ve heard all have a certain, how do they say, raw sound, but it doesn’t ever get any raw-er than the bass guitar on ‘Searching for Soul’ which when it first comes in sounds like every mike in the studio was pointed at the bass amp.

It THUNDERS, so much so that raising the volume above a certain point would likely put your speakers at risk.
This is, without any doubt, the kind of record, were you asked to define ‘deep funk’ for an uninitiated listener, that you could slap on the turntable, drop the needle and sit back and watch as their mind was good and truly boggled.

You also get the extra added bonus of a dual sax attack, which kicks things up a notch about two thirds of the way through side one.

When you flip the platter over, side two sees the band re-stating the break, ladling on a little bit of heavy, wah-wah guitar, and a tasty sax-o-mo-phone solo, including a very groovy moment when the guitar starts to feed back a little and the sax starts to mimic it and things get just a little bit psychedelic.

Interestingly, at the time that Jake Wade and the Soul Searchers were rattling the walls of any number of Detroit area clubs, there was a duo recording for Motown’s Rare Earth subsidiary by the name of Stoney and Meatloaf (yes, that Meat Loaf). When they went on the road they took Jake Wade and the Soul Searchers with them as their backing band.

Small world, indeed.

Solid.

Have a great weekend.

Peace

Larry

NOTE: If this record sounds eerily familiar, it was sampled a few years back for the Beyonce cut ‘Suga Mama’.

*Check out the detailed story of the Ruins at the fantastic Garage Hangover site which includes an anecdote about Dorr saving the day by using his day job to get a truckload of impounded equipment released so a gig might continue.

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By Larry, November 9, 2010 11:22 am

The Temptations (above), Norman Whitfield in the studio (below)

Listen/Download – The Temptations – Masterpiece

Greetings all.

The middle of the week is here, and despite nagging fatigue, I have returned.

This is no doubt an indicator of advancing age, but whenever daylight savings time comes in, or out, I always get knocked for a loop. Maybe my circadian rhythms are especially delicate (probably the only delicate thing about me), but it takes me a week to get my shit together, i.e. feeling sleepy when I’m supposed to, and not sleepy the rest of the time instead of all bombanootz (my own misspelling of my mother-in-law’s Italian slang, which roughly translates to life akimbo) which is how I feel now.

In spite of that fact, I hunkered down on Monday and got a stack of rekkids digi-ma-tized for the blog, including a couple of hot new finds, one of which I’m itching to drop, but I have to do some more research on it before I do.

The tune I bring you today is yet another mile marker on the long journey that is my Norman Whitfield obsession.

A while back, while digging in what turned out to be a largely non-rewarding location (with a few marked exceptions, including today’s selection), I happened upon the Temptations 1973 LP ‘Masterpiece’.

As soon as I got it home and dropped the needle into the grooves on the title cut, I knew I’d heard the song before, but until I played the whole thing I had no idea what I’d been missing.

As has been said elsewhere, ‘Masterpiece’ marks the onset of an artistic period where the group itself had almost become incidental to Whitfield’s creative process. I’m not sure I’d go quite that far, since Whitfield clearly enjoyed creating music with/for the Temps, but once you give ‘Masterpiece’ (the song) a listen, it becomes clear that at least in this case the group were secondary to the recording.

If the music itself didn’t make this clear, take a look sometime at the back cover of the album where the Temps are dwarfed by a huge, godlike  picture of Whitfield’s head, looming over them.

The group isn’t heard from until the four minute mark, and then only sporadically for the next two minutes, after which they disappear into the background again.

What you’re getting is a whole lot (about 13 and a half minutes worth) of Whitfield atmosphere, but what atmosphere it is.

There are dark washes of strings, subtle lead guitar, echoed trumpet (shades of ‘Papa Was a Rolling Stone’) and electric piano snakes in and out of the arrangement.

The effect is cinematic, without sounding entirely like a blaxploitation soundtrack.

Unfortunately, the divide that came from Whitfield overpowering the group caused the pairing that had made so much great music to split. The Temps did one more LP with Whitfield, after which he left Motown and had success with Rose Royce.

That all said, ‘Masterpiece’ is a very groovy, late-night bit of ‘head’ music and I dig it a lot.

I hope you do too, and I’ll see you all on Friday.

Peace

Larry

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By Larry, November 3, 2010 7:21 am

Curtis Mayfield

Listen/Download – Curtis Mayfield – Move On Up

Greetings all.

Welcome back to the house with sixteen funky corners.

I’m writing this prior to the Election, since the fam and I are heading out for a few days of much needed rest and relaxation.

The crispness of Fall is in the air (along with lots of leaves), so hopefully all of us will be able to get outside, clear our heads and have a good time.

Because this is being written prior to any voting or the results thereof, and since realism does not allow me the luxury of optimism, I’m just going to go ahead and assume that come Wednesday morning, I’m not going to be happy, and a whole new set of challenges will lie ahead for this country, and progressive causes in general.

That said, what better time for a positive message, from the man that I (and I’m sure a lot of other people) consider to be the greatest of the socially conscious soul masters, the mighty Curtis Mayfield.

I’ll go ahead and assume that you all know something about Curtis – and if you don’t, step out into the day and read up on your read ups – via his hits with the Impressions, his stellar solo work or the countless amazing records that he either wrote, arranged, or produced (or all three) for others.

Among his finest ‘message’ songs, is today’s selection ‘Move On Up’ from the brilliant 1971 ‘Curtis’ album.

I’ll let Curtis Mayfield speak for himself, with the added note, that if the lyrics below are not words to live by, I don’t know what else to say.

Move On Up

Hush now child,
and don’t you cry
Your folks might understand you
by and by
Move on up
towards your destination
You may find
from time to time
Complications

Bite your lip
and take a trip
Though there may be
wet road ahead
You cannot slip
Just move on up
and peace you will find
Into the steeple
of beautiful people
Where there’s only one kind

So hush now child
and don’t you cry
Your folks might understand you
by and by
Just move on up
and keep on wishing
Remember your dreams
are your only schemes
So keep on pushing
Take nothing less –
not even second best
And do not obey –
you must have your say
You can past the test

Move on up!

I’ll be back later in the week with my Marvin set from my DC trip back in September, and of course this Friday’s Funky16Corners Radio Show, which is dedicated entirely to the Harthon sound, and the memory of Weldon McDougal III.

See you then.

Peace

Larry

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By Larry, October 28, 2010 9:14 am

Funky16Corners Radio v.89 – Things Got To Get Better (Get Together)

Playlist

Funky16Corners Radio v.89 – Things Got to Get Better (Get Together)

As first hinted at, then promised, and finally warned about (for those of you who are diametrically opposed politically), Funky16Corners Radio v.89 – Things Got To Get Better (Get Together), aka the ‘election mix’ has finally arrived, been posted at the top of the blog, where it will remain until the election is over.

I know I normally run Halloween themed posts this time of year, but we have real things to be scared about.
There is a Halloween set in this week’s Funky16Corners Radio Show on Viva Radio (Friday night at 9PM) so you can get your fix there.

As far as I can recall, I haven’t approached the readers of the Funky16Corners blog with anything sociopolitical since the ‘Two From the Stonewall Jukebox’ post back in July of 2009, and before that the posts about the Presidential election of 2008.

Though I think most of you have some idea of my political orientation, it’s not a frequent subject here, because ultimately Funky16Corners is about music.

However (big however coming here)…

We are currently in the midst of a very dark time, not just in the US, but worldwide.

The rise of the ultra-right and the ensuing anti-immigrant, anti-gay and ultimately anti-intellectual wave that is poised to wash away decades of important social gains in this country is the single most important issue at hand.

Having grown up in the 1970s, I find the idea that this great country would ever descend again into a maelstrom of religious lunacy, open hatred of immigrants and homosexuals, demonization of organized labor (especially teachers) and hateful, empty Rand-ian ‘libertarianism’ is beyond insane.

The economy is in terrible shape, and is unlikely to get better any time soon, and those that have been able to return to work often find that the salaries are lower and the benefits non-existent.

How have some of our countrymen reacted to these challenges?

Not well.

An increasingly angry minority, funded by the mega-rich have become a political force, eager to build fences (literal and figurative) to keep those they consider ‘undesirable’ from participating fully in our democracy.

The rise of these deeply ignorant ‘patriots’ (they love to wrap themselves in the flag, unable to embrace its true meaning), marching alongside religious ideologues and plutocrats has woven together a rancid fabric, its warp and weft rife with xenophobia, racism, class warfare, homophobia and various and sundry fringe hatreds.

You may step back and see these negative forces as smaller, separate issues, but the truth is that they are all part of the same, ugly reaction.

When the going got tough, the right got nasty.

Those institutions tasked with keeping us informed have collapsed under the collective weight of corruption by and collusion with those that have the most to gain by a population ignorant of the truth.

I still have a basic faith in the goodness of the human race, but it is being sorely tested.

I want my children to grow up in a world where they are indifferent to the color of a person’s skin, the language they speak or their sexual preference, but we are surrounded by those that would deny them that future.

This includes people of supposed deep religious faith who forget that their own freedom to worship and express the tenets of their faith includes the freedom of others to find their own path. These are the people who continually fight to deny gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans their civil rights.

These are the people who want to rewrite the textbooks in our schools to cleanse them of science and fill them with creationism and revisionist (racial and political) history.

This also includes a lot of people, many of them radicalized after the attacks of 9/11, who have turned against American citizens of Muslim faith, and stoked fears (alongside similarly radicalized anti-Muslim forces in Europe and Scandinavia) of all Muslims, as well as immigrants in general.

These are the people who allowed 30 years of Republican propaganda to turn them against organized labor, while simultaneously building an obscene faith in big business that allowed massive deregulation and tax cuts, as well a cheering our way into two insane wars.

This is the same big business that – thanks to a bizarre Supreme Court decision – is now allowed to flood the political system with piles of cash (anonymously) to attack those that would put a stop to our slow (but seemingly inevitable) march to plutarchy.

Please don’t mistake this as an endorsement of President Obama specifically, or the Democrats in general.
Despite promises to the contrary, the President has continued to fight the right of gays to serve in the military, and has stated that he opposes the idea of gay marriage.

Many of those that serve with the (D) next to their name have also thrown their lot in with the ‘whatever big business wants’ crowd as well.

There may be something “trickling down” onto the middle class and the poor, but it’s not money.

However (another big one here), the alternative is people like Joe Miller in Alaska, Sharon Angle in Nevada, the execrable Rand Paul in Kentucky, deeply ignorant Christine O’Donnell in Delaware, Ken Buck in Colorado, Marco Rubio in Florida and countless others who have embraced the insane ideas of the radical right.
These people are only the larger public face of this movement.

While they run for national office, their foot soldiers are poised to fill seats in state legislatures, county and local office, and worst of all, school boards.

There are those that would have you believe that the system is utterly broken, and that an appropriate response is not to vote at all.

This is insane.

Is there any among you that really think that the way to right a staggering democracy is to withdraw from it?
Not only should every one of you exercise your right to vote, but you should do what you can to convince your family and friends that they should as well, because one thing the forces of the radical right do, religious or otherwise, is vote.

These are the people that are counting on apathy to help them get their hooks into the government where they can start to punch holes in the Constitution they ironically wave like a battle flag.

So what does this have to do with Funky16Corners?

Like the mighty James Brown says:

People, people we got to get over before we go under!

Tell’em Godfather!

The majority of the soul and funk music we celebrate here was created during a time when the forces of the right were attempting to tighten the screws of the status quo, while the forces of peace, racial equality and sexual liberation were battling in the streets (and the ballot box) to upend it and seize their rights.

Soul and funk are the sounds of struggle and liberation. Not every number here has an explicit political/social message, but the music of black America, created in the 60s and 70s in its core rarely says anything else.
Funky16Corners Radio v.89 is an attempt to string some of the more powerful musical statements of the time together, along with spoken intervals by important thinkers.

Things get off to a depressing, yet wholly realistic start, but work their way up through anger, defiance and ultimately (hopefully) triumph.

Not every number here carries an explicit message, but taken together they make an important statement.
The voices heard between the songs include some very well known (civil rights figures like Dr Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Jesse Jackson), and some lesser known (Dorothy Day*), and in a few cases dreadfully misunderstood and demonized (Saul Alinsky**, Noam Chomsky), but their words all have in common is their relevance to the world we live in today.

I’m not saying that things are going to be fixed if the opponents of democracy are defeated in this election (since many of them clearly won’t be), but rather (to borrow an old saw) the journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step, and stepping into the voting booth and making yourself heard is that step.

Far too many Americans take a pass on that important responsibility, and if they continue to do so, they’ll have no one to thank but themselves when the world around them gets worse.

So, once again in the words of James Brown:

Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved.

Educate yourself.

Educate others.

Don’t allow hatred and disinformation to go unchallenged.

Don’t be afraid.

Peace

Larry

*Dorothy Day is an especially important figure in the history of social justice and charity. If her name is unfamiliar, dig a little deeper and read about this great woman.

**Saul Alinsky has been demonized by the right to the point where his name has become a kind of shorthand (with just the tiniest bit of anti-semitism attached to it) for leftist subversion. I doubt most of the people that throw his name around as an epithet have read anything about him. His voice – like most of those in this mix – was an important one in the struggle to transfer power from the haves to the have nots (which goes a long way to explaining why those that shill for the mega-rich hate him so). If all you’ve ever heard about him are bad things, do yourself a favor and read up on his life (outside of right wing web sites).

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PPS – Make sure to fall by Iron Leg

PPPS Make sure to hit up Funky16Corners on Facebook

Comments (9)

By Larry, October 17, 2010 1:56 pm

General Johnson.

Listen/Download – Chairmen of the Board – From the Days of Pigtails (and Fairy Tales)

Greetings all.

I hope everyone had a stellar weekend.

We got the sad news last week that soul legend General Johnson, who led the Showmen in the early 60s and the Chairmen of the Board later in the decade had passed away at the age of 67.

His career as a singer and songwriter (he wrote ‘Patches’, a huge hit for Clarence Carter, and co-wrote ‘Want Ads’ for the Honey Cone) was long and rewarding, and in addition to their chart success, the Chairmen of the Board became legends on the Beach Music scene in the Carolinas.

The tune I bring you today appeared hear four years ago, after I happened upon it in a mix and was blown away.

It quickly became a fave and I rarely take my DJ box out without it.

I hope you all dig it, and take a moment to remember the great General Johnson.

Originally Posted 4/2006

“So, anyway, how’s about some music?

I’ve gone on before about the joy of discovering a great new track, and haven’t been above admitting the instances when I had been unable to see the forest for the trees. This is one such instance. A few weeks ago, via a Myspace friend, Spain’s own Gruyere DJ, I received a link to download his New Years Eve DJ mix.

I did so, and the mix was excellent, featuring a wide variety of rare funk nuggets, as well as a bunch of stuff that was not familiar to me. One such track appeared less than 15 minutes into the mix, and it was a killer. I immediately recued the tune (three of four times), listening to see if I might recognize the singer(s), or if any of the lines might reveal a familiar title.

No such luck.

So, I tried to contact Gruyere DJ to ask him who it was. The Myspace link wouldn’t load. So, I posted a query over at Soulstrut, figuring that one of the learned heads over there would recognize the refrain. Snake eyes…. Then I tried Google-ing the lyrics, only to discover that the main line in the chorus also appeared in a Jackson Five song (this was clearly not the same song, nor was it the Jackson Five). I thought I had reached a dead end.

Then Myspace started working again, and I got a message through to my amigo in Spain. He got back to me in short order, and informed me that the track was ‘Since the Days of Pigtails (and Fairy Tales)’ by the Chairmen of the Board. So I start searching around to see how I an get myself a copy of this funky gem, and lo and behold, it turns out to be residing on the b-side of a huge hit, ‘Give Me Just A Little More Time’. Well, dip me in shit and call me stinky!

Naturally, I found a nice copy for under ten bucks, and had it drop through the mail slot a few short days later. If you’ve heard the song (which I’m sure someone out there does), you’ll already know how smoking hot it is. If you’re as blissfully ignorant as I was, it should come as a very nice surprise indeed.

The Chairmen of the Board was one of the top acts in Holland-Dozier-Holland’s Invictus/Hot wax stable. Formed in 1968, by General Johnson – who had previously been in the Showmen, who’s Beach Music anthem ‘It Will Stand was a hit in 1961 and 1964 (for Minit and Imperial) – Danny Woods and Harrison Kennedy, hit the top ten several times between 1970 and 1973.

‘Since the Days of Pigtails (and Fairy Tales)’ appeared on their 1970 debut LP, and was credited to Ronald Dunbar and Edith Wayne. The Dunbar/Wayne credit, which was also attached to Freda Payne’s ‘Band of Gold’ (among other tunes) was in fact a pseudonym for Holland-Dozier-Holland who were still contractually obligated (as songwriters) to the Motown organization. That LP also featured the original recording of Patches (written by General Johnson) which went on to be a huge hit for Clarence Carter.

While the a-side of the 45, ‘Give Me Just A Little More Time’ is one of the most fondly remembered early 70’s soul classics – which strangely enough did better on the Pop charts (#3) than the R&B charts (#8) – it’s killer flipside is what we’re hear to talk about today.

Starting off with a funky guitars and tambourine, the good General drops in with the first few lines before the congas, and then the drums kick the tune into gear. The first chorus takes things to another level entirely, bolstered by the horn section. The arrangement is clean, mean and delicious, with enough kick to please the funk fans and the dancers, and plenty of hooks for the pop crowd.

Why this didn’t catch on to create one of the great two-sided hits of all time is beyond me. I’d place it up there with ‘Band of Gold’, and Laura Lee’s ‘Crumbs off the Table’ as the absolute best of Invictus/Hot Wax. So the next time you’re prowling garage sales and flea markets, bring along an extra quarter. You’ll be able to get your own copy of this killer. You can thank me then.”

Peace

Larry

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg for some proto-powerpop

Comments (2)

By Larry, October 7, 2010 5:11 pm

Richard Marks

Listen/Download – Richard Marks – Funky Four Corners (inst)

Greetings all.

I’m back, but I wouldn’t swear that I’m all there, if you know what I mean.

I make reference in this space repeatedly to the storied “real world moves” and I’m not kidding. In addition to the recent health-related stuff (things are cool, but I’m taking a little time to bounce back) we’ve had a full slate of responsibilities here in the Funky16Corners compound, which are on the cusp of a shift, which, if not resulting in a net gain of free time, will at least preclude a loss thereof.

That said, I’m whipped right now (physically, not philosophically), so I’m going to keep it relatively brief.

First off, I have one of my Marvin sets from the DC trip recorded and ready to go, bit it’s been so mix-heavy here lately I figured I’d drop some individual tracks and bring that mix into the lineup in the next few weeks.

I’m also working on a special election mix. I was pulling records for it this morning, but I still have a little theoretical/curatorial cooking to do, and there’s still four weeks until the rise of the cranks, so just know that it’ll be here sooner or later.

There’s also a brand new edition of the Funky16Corners Radio Show this week (I made sure to whip it up before all the recent excitement), so you’ll want to set aside an hour this Friday to dig it (though you can always fall by the blog on Saturday and pull down the ones and zeros for your personal listening device).

The track I bring you today is one of my DC finds, and it was a groovy one indeed.

I already knew Richard Marks’ ‘Funky Four Corners Pt1’ via a comp (it appeared here in the ‘Getting the Corners’ mix) but I hadn’t scored a copy of the 45 until my trip to Washington.

When I got the 45 and gave it a spin, I was very pleased to discover that ‘Funky Four Corners Pt2’ was no run of the mill ‘second half of a funk 45’ but rather a very cool version of the tune as guitar instrumental (a la Lowell Fulsom’s ‘Tramp’/’Pico’ pairing).

According to my man Brian Poust over at the Georgia Soul blog, Marks was an Atlanta-based guitarist, which naturally makes me think that it’s him plucking the funky git-box on FFC2.

I love the production, and the reverb and fat tone of the lead guitar on this one, so much so that I think were I to slip it into my record box, I’d be happy playing either side of this one for a room full of dancers.

I hope you dig it too, and that you all have a groovy weekend.

I’m gonna go get some snoozeration….

Peace

Larry

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg for some proto-powerpop

Comments (1)

By Larry, October 3, 2010 2:15 pm

Tarik Thornton Hip Drop Set List

Willie Tee- Gatur Bait (Gatur)
Eula Cooper- Shake Daddy Shake (Atlantic)
The Vibrettes – The Humpty Dump (Lujon)
Soul Tornados- Hot Pants Breakdown (Magic City)
Leon Haywood- Skate Awhile (Fat Fish)
Bobby Williams – Funky SuperFly ( Duplex) Original Pressing
Eddie Jacobs- Pull My Coat (Columbia)
Bernard Drake- The Natural Thing (Louisiane)
Charles Mintz –Give a Man Break (Abbott)
Gloria Walker & The Chevelles – You Hit The Spot (Flaming Arrow)
Danny DeLaney- Stop & Think (Seeda)
Richard Marks – Funky Four Corners (Roulette) French Import
Rocker Roberts – T- Bird Stomp ( Roulette)
Soul Setters – Out O Sight (Onacrest)
Gene Waiters – Shake and Shingaling Pt. 1 (Fairmount)

You can check out this mix in the Funky16Corners Soul Club Archive

Tarik Thornton on the decks….

Justin ‘Rambo’ Salinas
Sunny and the Sunliners-Talk That Trash (Key-Loc)
Rocky Gil and the Bishops- Soul Party (Teardrop)
Sunny and the Sunliners-If I could See You Now (Key-Loc)
The Majestics- I Love Her So Much It Hurts (Linda)
Dimas and The Royal Jesters-So Funny (Clown)
The Royal Jesters- Use Your Head (Jester)
Thee Midnighters – Whittier Blvd. (Whittier)
Sunny and the Sunliners-Somethings Gotta Hold on Me (Teardrop)
The Eptones-A Love That’s Real (Jox)
The Commands-Hey Its Love (Dynamic)
Thee Midnighters- Chicano Power (La Raza)
Sunny and the Sunliners- Saving My Love (Key-Loc)

You can check out this mix in the Funky16Corners Soul Club Archive

Justin ‘Rambo’ Salinas and Joe Cristando

Greetings all.

I hope you’re all well.

I have returned from DC laden with vinyl and tired as a mofo.

I’m this close to a full restoration of energy and enthusiasm, but I’m gonna rest a little bit more while you all get down.

Of what do I speak?

Well, I have a very special treat for you all to get your week started.
A little while back my man Tarik Thornton let me know that he was going to be spinning a set in New Orleans at the Ponderosa Stomp pre-party known as the Hip Drop. Naturally I asked him if he’d be recording it, so that I might place it up here on the blog for the delectation of the reader/listener-ship.

Naturally he gave me the okeydoke, in addition to getting Mr. Justin ‘Rambo’ Salinas (of the famed Hot Pants party in Minneapolis) – who was also spinning at the party – to contribute his set as well.

What does this mean to you?

Well, you get to wrap your ears around two superb sets of funk and soul by two of the country’s finest selectors, with Tarik bringing a regionally diverse set of heat, and Justin dropping a very nice set of Chicano soul and funk bouncing from Texas to East LA and back again (that Intruders cover by the Eptones is amazing!).

Very groovy indeed!

And now, a few words from Tarik about the experience.

“Hip Drop is the opening party for the Ponderosa Stomp. This 45 all-nighter hosts 10 DJs from all around the world. This year Justin Salinas along with myself were invited to participate in the festivities. Justin, who is a member of the Hot Pants Crew of Minneapolis, flew into New Orleans with only backpack and a 45 case ready for action. As for myself,a New Orleans native, this was a homecoming of sorts. I haven’t lived in the city for almost 10yrs so this weekend was very welcoming and adownright funky experience. As you can tell from both of our sets the night was hot and heavy as all the invited DJs brought in their best arsenal of 45’s. Throughout the madness of the weekend, I managed to dig up an old Mini Disc player to record both of our sets live! The end result is a something only fit for place called The Funky 16 Corners. Enjoy!”

– Tarik Thornton

I hope you dig the sounds, and I’ll be back later in the week.

Peace

Larry

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg for some Dutch sunshine pop.