Comments (2)

By Larry, April 14, 2011 10:30 am

The Spellbinders

Listen/Download – Spellbinders – Help Me (Get Myself Back Together Again)

Greetings all.

The end of what turned out to be a spectacularly busy week (the kind where I had to start writing things down so as not to forget to do them) has finally arrived. While I’m bushed, I’m also all revved up because this Saturday night I’ll be spinning at the Subway Soul Club.

This is going to be an especially groovy night for a few different reasons.

First and foremost, I hear that the crowd at Subway Soul likes to get out on the floor and dance, and I dig nothing more than spinning soul 45s for dancers.

Second, I’ll be spinning alongside two legendary NY area selectors, those being my old Asbury Park 45 Sessions cohort the mighty Connie T Empress, and Subway Soul resident, Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus.

If the names above don’t signify the presence of the hottest soul records available, then you have not been paying attention.
A very solid time is guaranteed for all.

Assuming that I make it home from Brooklyn on Sunday morning, the fam and I will be heading out for some vacation-style action, which will be capped off at the end of the week by two more gigs in western Massachusetts.

Since I’ll be away for the week I’ll be posting a live set from last week’s Spindletop on Monday, along with all the details of next week’s gigs, so stay tuned.

I should also mention that this Friday at 9PM the Funky16Corners Radio Show returns to the crackling airwaves of the intertubes for another session of the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove, all on vinyl. Make sure you stop by Viva Radio, or fall by the blog on Saturday to pick up the MP3 version of the show.

The tune I bring you today is most definitely going to be making the trip up to Brooklyn with me on Saturday.

My acquisition of the Spellbinders ‘Help Me (Get Myself Back Together Again)’ is yet another one of those twisted tales that winds its way back to the big mountain of 45s that came into my life lo these many years ago.

I’ve gone on about it many times, so I’ll keep it short. My father-in-law, while out scouting for antiques happened upon a huge stash of 45s, called and asked if I wanted them (naturally I said yes) and then brought them down to our house.

When they got here I was stunned by the sheer quantity (several thousand), and my wife and I spent the better part of a summer going through them, pulling out the stuff I knew was good, culling the stuff I knew was bad, and trying to figure out the difference on everything else.

Thanks to the huge amount of records, this proved to be an inexact science, and in addition to several boxes of the good stuff, I ended up with a couple of hundred things that at least looked interesting (or too interesting to throw out) and I’ve been picking at those ever since.

Every once in a while, when I have a little time on my hands I head back into those boxes, and recently such a trip resulted in one of the great ‘how the hell did I miss this?’ moments.

I must have given the Spellbinders 45 a spin at some point (since I had it filed as ‘soul’) but I suspect that I only listened to the other side (‘Danny Boy’), since it did not make a significant impression on me, which, had I listened to today’s selection, would not have been the case (am I making any sense here?).

That said, when I did drop the needle on ‘Help Me (Get Myself back Together Again)’ I was immediately drawn in by the wonderful intro, with the bass, vibes and percussion, followed immediately by the drums bringing in the pounding four on the floor beat. The rest of the record is pure Northern Soul genius, combining a great song, stellar arrangement and production (by Van McCoy) and fantastic vocals by the group.

What little I’ve been able to find out about the Spellbinders is that they were only together for a few years, recording a handful of 45s and an LP for Columbia (and one 45 for Date), with ‘Help Me…’ being issued as a non-LP 45 in 1966.

The group also had New Jersey roots, which is always a cool thing (for me) to find out.

I’m just thankful now that this 45 didn’t languish for another few years, or get sucked back into the vinyl maelstrom forever.

If you come out to Subway Soul, stop by the booth and say hi.

Have a great weekend.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo), in regard to the April 2nd walk. The whole Funky16Corners gang will be walking in support of autism services, 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 (5)

By Larry, April 10, 2011 12:54 pm

Medley and Hatfield hail a cab!

Listen/Download – Righteous Brothers – Harlem Shuffle

Greetings all.

How’s by you? Groovy, I hope.

This post sees the beginning of a very busy month for me and my record box, with another appearance at Spindletop @ Botanica Monday night 4/11, which I suspect will be a gritty, mostly 60s funk bag. Things get rolling at 10PM, so drop by if you’re in the neighborhood.

This will be followed on Saturday 4/16 by my first appearance at the storied Subway Soul Club. I’ll be digging deeply into my Northern crates for this one, and I have a whole stack of recent acquisitions as well as many storming old faves that I assure you – if you are in a terpsichorean mode – will get you out of your seats and onto the floor. Since I’ll be spinning alongside Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus and Connie T Empress I can say without hesitation that you will be in for a night of the finest dance floor soul available on 45RPM discs. You do not want to miss it.

Assuming I survive the week, the Funky16Corners fam will be hitting the road for a little rest and relaxation, which will be capped off by two nights in northwestern Massachusetts, with stops on Friday 4/22 in Greenfield (Sweet Exorcist @ The People’s Pint)  and Saturday 4/23 in Northampton (Wooly Bully @ The Basement) . I’ll post more details as the week moves on.

The tune I bring you today comes to you courtesy of my own curiosity.

While I would say that it’s safe to assume that my record jones is by and large a 45 thing, one of my favorite things to do is grab albums and plumb their depths to see what might be hidden in the grooves. Sometime last year I was out (I can’t remember exactly where) and I happened upon the Righteous Brothers 1967 LP ‘Sayin’ Somethin’.

I would not describe myself as a big fan of the duo, at least not of their biggest hits (some of which hail from the Wall of Sound). I would say that I dig both Bill Medley’s thundering baritone, and to a lesser extent Bobby Hatfield’s soaring tenor (occasionally falsetto).

When I found the LP in question, and noticed that it contained a variety of interesting cover songs, I tossed it in the ‘keeper’ stack and took it home.

When I got back to the crib and dropped the needle a few times, the track that really hit me was (not coincidentally) today’s selection, the Brothers’ cover of Bob and Earl’s classic ‘Harlem Shuffle’.

What grabbed me was the fact that Medley and Hatfield crank down the tempo a few steps, giving the song a menacing, vaguely sexy feel.

The arrangement, by Bill Baker makes excellent use of the brass section (the trombones are tearing it up), and I dig the throbbing bass guitar in the background.

While I don’t see many people getting up and dancing to this one, it really is a groovy twist on a classic, and it sounds great on the old headphones.

I hope you dig it, and that I’ll see some of you good folks down at Botanica.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo), in regard to the April 2nd walk. The whole Funky16Corners gang will be walking in support of autism services, 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, April 7, 2011 9:35 am

Bo Diddley by Mat Vullo

Listen/Download – Bo Diddley – I Can Tell

Greetings all.

The end of the week is finally here, and I hope you’ve all gotten good and oiled up with this week’s mix as your soundtrack.

The track I bring you today ought to put a nice cap on the whole deal, but first some news you can use.

This Friday night – just like every Friday night – sees the return of the mighty Funky16Corners Radio Show, on the equally mighty Viva Radio. This is the thang where you get to sit down with me (or at least the dulcet tones of my voice) and some of the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove vinyl for an hour of sheer, unadulterated musical pleasure. If you can’t be there during the broadcast, you can always fall by over the weekend and pick yourself up an MP3 of the show, or several dozen past shows to stuff into your iPod.

Also, I will be returning to Spindletop @ Botanica (47 E Houston St, NYC) this coming Monday (4/11) to join my man Perry Lane for some more of that good, vinyl-based groove grease. This will be the first gig of an unusually busy month for yours truly, and I’ll be bringing along a pile of new arrivals/discoveries, so if you’re in the area, and feel like a frosty beverage and some hot music, join us.

You should also pop on over to Fleamarket Funk, where my man DJ Prestige has undertaken a redesign, as well as added a new feature called ‘Big Ups’, in which yours truly has been featured. Make sure you stop by to take a look.

I’ll assume that as soon as this page loaded in your browser, the first thing you noticed was the exceedingly groovy illustration of our friend Mr. McDaniels by Mat Vullo.

Mat and I have been Facebook pals for a long time, he an admirer of the Funky16Corners Blog, and I digging his groovy illustrations. We put our heads together and settled on an illo for a Bo Diddley feature, but you really need to go by his site and check out his other stuff. If you dig the sounds herein, you will most certainly dig the visuals over there.
Many thanks to Mat.

That all said, the tune I bring you today is yet another Asbury Lanes Garage Sale find. It was one of those ‘I’ve spent most of my dough and I’m on my way out the door and I think I’ll paw through one last box before I split’ things, and good thing too since I dig me some Bo Diddley and don’t have all that much of his original vinyl in the crates.

He was one of the true elemental forces of the Chess/Checker Chitown arsenal, alongside Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf and Chuck Berry (and many others, but those are the stony visages on that particular Mt Rushmore).

The cool thing is, though Bo has shared roots with some of his labelmates, in many ways he is the very definition of sui generis, straddling the worlds of the electric blues and rock’n’roll, existing on a stylistic island all his own. This is not to say that he did not at times record what might be seen as conventional blues or rock, but rather that at his best, with tunes like the eponymous ‘Bo Diddley’, he created something without equal.

One need only look at his impact on the British Invasion (and all that flowed from it) to realize that that darkness you sensed was actually his titanic shadow draped over the whole thing. London in 1963 was almost like Jackson Pollock had dipped his brushes in a huge vat of Bo Diddley and splattered it every which way. The Kinks, Pretty Things (named for a Bo song with no less than four of his tunes on their first album), Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, Rolling Stones, Yardbirds and many others, all quaking in their pointy boots from the reverberato shock wave started by Bo Diddley’s massive stomp and rightly so because even though this lot liked to pay tribute to Messrs Morganfield, Burnett, Reed et al, nobody smacked them in the gob like Bo Diddley, because where all of the others were deep and menacing, Bo Diddley was also fun in his own, oblong, horn-rimmed, wobble-legged way.

Bo was the shit, and the tune I bring you today (which I first heard by the aforementioned Pirates, who lay it down with a rockabilly twang which is also cool since Bo’s version has a little country in it) is just another bit of evidence in that case.

‘I Can Tell’ is Bo’s rough-edged lament at a love cast aside, packed end to end with his ringing guitar, Jerome’s maraccas, and someone pumping a bass guitar con brio.

The fact that he manages to namecheck no less a light than Charlie Brown – the greatest sack of sad that the world has ever known – as the guy that elbowed in on his action speaks volumes.

You can just see his eyes rolling back into his head when he finally loses his shit and shouts ‘I Can Tell You Don’t Love Me No More!!!’

Heavy, heavy stuff, and if someone doesn’t get their shit together and erect a huge statue in his image soon…well…I don’t know what I’ll do but it ain’t gonna be nice.

That said, have a lovely weekend 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), in regard to the April 2nd walk. The whole Funky16Corners gang will be walking in support of autism services, 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 (5)

By Larry, April 3, 2011 3:18 pm

Slap those keys Mr. Reeder!

Doc Bagby – Mix It Up (Vim)
Donald Height – Soul Monkey Twist (Jubilee)
Gate Wesley and Band – Do the Thing (Atlantic)
Four Gents – Soul Sister (HBR)
Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts – Instrumental (Jubilee)
Ike & Tina Turner – Tina’s Dilemma (Sue)
Eskew Reeder – Green Door (Minit)
Baby Lloyd – the Dog (Smash)
Jon Thomas – Hot Tip (Mercury)
African Beavers – You Got Something (RCA)
Mark III Trio – Cagey (Downhill)
Bunker Hill – Hide and Go seek (Intermission)
Tempos – Monkey Doo (Fairmount)
Chet Poison Ivey – Poo Poo Man (Bee Cee)
Hollywood Persuaders – Last Night (Original Sound)
Carl Holmes and the Commanders – Mash Potatoes Pt1 (Atlantic)
The Sunglows – Happy Hippo (Sunglow)
Chuck Edwards – Chuck Roast (Roulette)
Rivingtons – Papa Oo Mow Mow (Liberty)
Turtles – Buzz Saw (White Whale)
Candy Phillips – Timber Pt1 (Atlantic)
Emperors – Tic Tac Toe (unreleased)
Ray Sharpe – Help Me (Get the Feeling) Pt1 (Atco)
Wynder K Frog – Dancing Frog (UA)
Shadows of Knight – Shake (Team)

Listen/Download – F16C Radio v.93 – Half ‘Mental’ – 116MB/256K Mixed MP3

NOTE: This mix is NSFW, in that it will inspire all manner of odd behavior, but also because the drops within are meant for mature audiences. So don’t play this in front of your kids unless you’re ready for some ‘splainin.

Greetings all.

I hope the new week finds you all well.

Me, I’m cool (maybe depends on who you ask….)

Gonna get things started this week a note of thanks and a slew of DJ gig announcements.

First, I’d like to say thank you to the Funky16Corners readers, and especially my wife’s knitting pals (who clicked through the donation link here at F16C) who helped us raise money for the POAC Autism Walk this past Saturday. It’s not too late to throw a couple of bucks into the till for a very worthy cause, so I’ll leave the link below for this post.

Now to the gigs…

Before we get things rolling I should mention that I will be returning to Spindletop @ Botanica next Monday, 4/11 for more of the good stuff. I always look forward to packing up the 45RPM heat and hanging with my man Perry Lane. I realize that Monday night isn’t everyone’s ‘get out and hang’ night, but if you are so inclined you could do a lot worse than joining me for some hot 45s and some cold drinks.

Now, Saturday, that’s a CLASSIC get out of the house and dance your ass off kind of night, and it just so happens that April 16th I will be spinning at the legendary Subway Soul Club alongside the mighty Connie T Empress (Empire State Soul Club and the early days of the Asbury Park 45 Sessions) and SSC resident Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus. This shindig occurs at Public Assembly (70 North 6th Street, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn) and runs from 10PM until 4AM the following morning. Subway Soul Club feature 60s soul and R&B with an emphasis on Northern.

You know I’m a Northern Soul nut, and my crates run deep with the stuff. I’ll be packing only the finest midtempo and storming dancers into my 45RPM steamer trunk (as well as some gritty 60s movers) , so if slipping and sliding on the talc is the bag you’re in, or just doing the Philly Dog, the Monkey (Boston or other…), the Jerk, or any of the other classic steps, you need to bring your feet and your ears on down to Subway Soul.

Then (YES, There’s MORE!!), I’ll be motoring up to Massachusetts for what promises to be an absolute burner of a weekend.

Friday 4/22 I’ll be joining DJ Andujar and Studebaker Hawk for Sweet Excorcist @ The Peoples Pint, 24 Federal St in Greenfield Mass, and then on Saturday 4/23 I’ll be spinning alongside DJ Cashman and Snack Attack at Wooly Bully @ the Basement, 21 Center St, Northampton Mass. I’ll be packing all manner of deep funk, hard charging party soul, latin boogaloo and even some funky reggae. Both of these nights are banging, so I look forward to bringing the very busy month of April to a loud, sweaty close. Won’t you join us??

To say that I have sweated over the mix you see before you would be at the very least an understatement. Though the overall number of mixes posted here has certainly increased, the flow of the old school, non-live Funky16Corners Radio jawns has been lean.

This has everything to do with the increase in both the F16C Soul Club series (live recordings) and the weekly Funky16Corners Radio Shows.

I am – despite rumors to the contrary – but a solitary man, and one can only turn out so much product without blowing some kind of mental gasket, so I figured that I would take my time with the ‘regular’ mixes in an attempt to make them a little more special.

That said, this particular mix has been germinating for a long time, first in my fevered brain, then on the old laptop where it has seen no less than four separate ‘drafts’, the last of which is posted above.

Funky16Corners Radio v.93 – Half Mental (as in “instru” but also crazed) is my attempt to recreate the spirit of the smoky taverns, sweaty frat house basements* and other places where people gathered to dance (and or grind) in close proximity to loud, soulful music while spilling their beverages (and whatever else gets spilled on nights like this) on the floor (and each other).

This is not music to let into your ears passively.

While you may choose to close your eyes, plug in your earbuds and have a frat party of the mind, you’d be better served cranking this stuff up in an overpacked room full of funseekers, with at least a few people fired up enough to start singing along into their beer bottles while they stagger about breaking your stuff (I can’t keep anything nice in here…).

There’s all kinds of powerful stuff in here, including the soul, the greasy Hammond groovers, (African) Beavers, Monkeys, Dogs, Hippos and Frogs and enough high octane slop to get even the drowsiest bore off of his can and out on the floor.

Normally, I would reserve such a punch in the head for a Friday, but I figured that if you were to grab the ones and zeros on a Monday, you’d have all week to get your friends together to dig it with you.

I’m not going to say much more, nor am I doing a zip file on this one. Pulling this apart would be like dissecting a peanut butter and jelly sang-weech. The pieces just aren’t the same as eating the whole thing.

So, pull down the mix (and your pants if that’s how you swing), spill some beer and get with the party.

See you later in the week.

Peace

Larry

*Just to provide a frame of reference, Carl Holmes and the Commanders were a regular attraction at Chris Millers Dartmouth U frat back in the early days of the 60s, providing (alongside folks like Lonnie Youngblood) the model a decade and a half further on up the road for Otis Day and the Knights when Miller would co-write ‘Animal House’. Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts were working the same (if a lot dirtier) vibe south of the Mason-Dixon line.

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo), in regard to the April 2nd walk.

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 for some very tasty UK Folk Rock.

Comments (0)

By Larry, March 31, 2011 10:45 am

Oh, yes…

Listen/Download – F16C Soul Club Presents – Spindletop A-Go-Go 71MB/256K Mixed MP3

Brothers Two – Boogaloo Soul Party (Crimson)
Roy Lee Johnson – Boogaloo #3 (Josie)
Barbara Lynn – Club A Go Go (Tribe)
Norman T Washington – Jumping Jack Flash (Pama)
Eyes of Blue – Heart Trouble (Deram)
Lil Bob and the Lollipops – I Got Loaded (La Louisianne)
Wayne Cochran – Goin’ back to Miami (Mercury)
Chet Poison Ivey and His Fabulous Avengers – Shake a Poo Poo (TRC)
Willie Tell and the Overtures – Soul Ranger (Chess)
Interpretations – Snap Out (Bell)
Syl Johnson – Different Strokes (Twilight)
Mad Men – African Twist Pt1 (Gamble)
Sir Lattimore Brown – Shake and Vibrate (SS7)
Georgie Woods – Potato Salad Pt1 (Fat Back)
Jerry Lee Lewis – Shotgun Man (Smash)
Jeanne & the Darlings – Soul Girl (Volt)

Greetings all.

The end of the week is here, and as is almost always the case, so is the end of my patience/energy.

This has been a very busy week, blog-o-rifically and lifewise, and sometimes it seems that the challenges just keep on coming, like lining up outside my door like I’m handing out hundred dollar bills and grilled cheese sandwiches, and then going around the back so they can get in line again to kick me in the ass.

Not everything is bad, since it looks like April is going to be a very busy month DJ-wise, but as always, it’s just a matter of getting all of my psychotic ducks in a row.

When I get all the gig details ironed out, I will make announcements in this space.

That said, it’s time again to remind you all that if you are not otherwise occupied Friday night at 9PM, you should roll on up to the intertubes and grab you some Funky16Corners Radio Show on Viva Radio. I always endeavor to bring you the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove, all culled from vinyl, all engineered for your listening pleasure. If you can’t be there at broadcast time, you can always pick up the shows in MP3 form over the weekend here at the blog.

As promised, I’m posting the second live set from last week’s Spindletop @ Botanica. This time you get more of the partying grooves, including one of my faves by an artist who was taken from us unexpectedly last week, the mighty Sir Lattimore Brown.

There’s all kinds of groovy stuff in the mix, all good’n’greasy enough to get the laziest SOB up off their butt and out onto the floor.

Speaking of getting out on the floor, I’ve been hard (and I do mean hard) at work this week cooking up a very tasty mix that will most definitely loosen up your wig and heat up your shorts. I will be dropping it on Monday, so make sure you have lots of ice, potato chips and several varieties of potent spirits, ‘cuz you’re going to need them.

That said, enjoy the sounds, have yourself a groovy weekend and I’ll be back on Monday with more of the stuff you love.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo), in regard to the April 2nd walk. The whole Funky16Corners gang will be walking in support of autism services, 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 (5)

By Larry, March 29, 2011 11:46 am

Jackie Mittoo and a huge stone lion…

Listen/Download – Jackie Mittoo – Soul Finger

Listen/Download – Jackie Mittoo – Who Done It

Listen/Download – Byron Lee and the Dragonaires – Who Done It

Greetings all.

I hope everyone is feeling groovy in the middle of week.

As I mentioned in Monday’s post, I’ve been in discussions about some cool DJ stuff in the next few months, and as soon as it’s all firmed up I’ll pass on all the details to you.

I would also like to request once again that if you have a couple of bucks you feel like throwing at a very good cause, please click on the POAC link below. The whole Funky16Corners fam will be walking to raise money for autism services here in the area. This is a cause that hits very close to home (so close as to actually be in it), so anything you can do is greatly appreciated (and many thanks to those of you who have already donated).

Today’s post manages to both bring you something new, and do a little bit of a call-back/clarification to an earlier post.
I’ll go ahead and assume that most of you are already familiar with the name Jackie Mittoo.

Mittoo was one of the most prominent ska/rock steady/reggae organists (playing with the Skatalites and the Soul Vendors among others) in Jamaica during the 60s, before he relocated to Canada at the end of the decade. He continued to play and record until his untimely death on 1990.

Like most other Jamaican musicians of the time, Mittoo was a big fan of American soul and funk, and recorded his fair share of cover material (one of my fave being ‘Hip Hug’ his funky take on Booker T and the MGs ‘Hip Hug Her’).

Back in October of last year I posted a very groovy cover of Monk Higgins ‘Who Dun It?’ as recorded/retitled by Byron Lee and the Dragonaires as ‘Who Done It’. The version on that album gave writer’s credit to Jackie Mittoo, and at the time I wondered if it were him playing on the track (the Lee album didn’t list any individual musicians).

Flash forward a few months and I needed a 12 x 12 picture frame, so I took down my copy of the ‘Jackie Mittoo in London’ album, which had been hanging over my turntables for a few years. I grabbed it originally maybe 10 years ago, recorded the cuts I liked and filed it, forgetting until I took it down that it also contained a version of ‘Who Done It’.

I re-recorded a couple of tracks for the blog, and decided to go back and compare the version from ‘Jackie Mittoo In London’ with the one I posted last year (reposted above).

As it turns out, the arrangement is very similar, with the earlier version by Mittoo winning out (at least to my ears).

While this doesn’t exactly confirm that Mittoo is playing on the Lee album (that could very well be someone who wasn’t familiar with the Higgins OG and copying/crediting Mittoo’s arrangement), it pushed me a little further in that direction.

That said, the cut I was originally going to post today, was Mittoo’s excellent cover version of the Bar-Kays’ ‘Soul Finger’. Here you get Mittoo’s organ subbing for the Bar-Kays horns (though there is a trumpet in the mix), and someone (not sure who) laying down a very tasty guitar solo. The only clue that this is from a reggae album is the sound of the second lead guitar, and the somewhat suspect fidelity (as opposed to ‘Who Done It’ which is played with a rock steady beat).

Both cuts are very cool and I hope you dig them.

I’ll be back on Friday with the second mix from last week’s Spindletop gig.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo), in regard to the April 2nd walk. The whole Funky16Corners gang will be walking in support of autism services, 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 for some late period British Beat.

Comments (9)

By Larry, March 27, 2011 1:48 pm

Miss Della Reese

Listen/Download – Della Reese – It Was a Very Good Year

Greetings all.

How’s by you?

All is as well as can be expected on my end of the interwebs.

The weekend was relatively uneventful, and despite anything the calendar says, Spring has yet to arrive in any real way.

I should mention that I have a couple of very groovy DJ gigs in the pipe, details to follow soon.

I’m not going to be able to make it to the Allentown 45 show this year, but I don’t really mind.

The vinyl gods have been good to me these last few months, bringing in all manner of cool stuff, including a couple of longtime white whales, as well as a bunch of low priced, but uniformly excellent groovers.

I’ve also been edging up to the second big push in the reorganization of the Funky16Corners Record Vault and Podcasting Nerve Center, which always yields cool stuff from deep in the crates that had been unjustly neglected.

I just dug out a groovy Northern 45 last week that I had either forgotten about – or more likely – had not listened to closely the first time I found it. I like when stuff like that happens.

The tune I bring you today is one of the aforementioned white whales, which I chased like Ahab for a long time before finally landing it late last year.

When you mention the name Della Reese to folks, the reaction you get depends on generational variables.

Folks my parent’s age remember her career as a pop/jazz vocalist that produced a couple of big hits in the late 50s.

Younger folks will remember her mainly as a TV actress, on shows like ‘Touched By an Angel’.

Sit down with a couple of hip DJs, and you very well may hear tell of a lesser known, but truly interesting part of her career, when despite a lack of commercial success she managed to make some very soulful, very danceable records.

Back in the early days of the blog (2005) I featured one of these sides, Ms. Reese’s excellent take on Gene McDaniels’ soul jazz epic ‘Compared to What’, recorded for AVCO in 1969.

The tune I bring you today hails from 1966, and like that session was made with jazz trumpeter Bobby Bryant (search the F16C Podcast Archive for some of his groovier tracks) and his band.

The tune ‘It Was a Very Good Year’, was written in 1961 by Ervin Drake. It was originally recorded by the Kingston Trio, but the song will forever be identified with Frank Sinatra, who recorded – and had a hit with the song – in 1966.

The Sinatra version is a doleful lament, sung by an old man looking back on his life.

Della Reese’s version is a radical reworking of the song, both lyrically (she embellishes the verses) and stylistically. Arranged by Bryant, the song is recast as a funky, hard charging cri de coeur, less wistful than the musical equivalent of a fist in the air. Reese sings the song like someone who despite a colorful past, is looking forward to bigger and better things.

Her vocal is powerful, often sounding as if she was testing the limits of the recording equipment.

The band is on fire, with a pumping Hammond and remarkable drums. The recording has a very hot sound, and the snare and kick drum are – next to Della – the loudest things on the record.

This is one of those records that would have languished in obscurity, had it not been revived by DJs on the jazz dance scene in the UK. It has become increasingly popular with funk and soul DJs, and was reissued by the Jazzman label (with a live version on the B-side).

As far as I can tell, this version is not in print on CD and the 45 can be quite expensive, so unless you need one to play out, slip the ones and zeros on your pod-like-thingy and dig.

See you on Wednesday.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo), in regard to the April 2nd walk. The whole Funky16Corners gang will be walking in support of autism services, 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 for some late period British Beat.

Comments (4)

By Larry, March 24, 2011 9:31 am

Listen to him Lucy. He know’s what he’s talking about.

Listen/Download – F16C Soul Club Presents – Spindletop New Breed 76MB/256K Mixed MP3

Jimmy Hannah & the Dynamics – Leaving Here (Seafair/Bolo)
Frank Frost – My Back Scratcher (Jewel)
Bobby Powell – Why Am I Treated So Bad (Whit)
Ike Turner and the Kings of Rhythm – The New Breed Pt1 (Sue)
Richard Berry & the Pharaohs – Louie Louie (Flip)
Roy Thompson – Sookie Sookie (Okeh)
Mighty Hannibal – Jerkin’ the Dog (Shurfine)
Bobby Parker – Watch Your Step (V Tone)
Gene Waiters – Shake and Shingaling Pt1 (Fairmount)
Roger & the Gypsies – Pass the Hatchet Pt1 (Seven B)
Scatman Crothers – Golly! Zonk! It’s Scatman (HBR)
Derek Martin – Daddy Rollin’ Stone (Crackerjack)
King Coleman – Boo Boo Song Pt2 (King)
Billy Preston – Let the Music Play (Capitol)
Etta James and Sugar Pie DeSanto – In the Basement Pt1 (Chess)
Dottie Cambridge – He’s About a Mover (MGM)
Freddie Scott – Pow City! (Marlin)

Greetings all.

The end of the week is here, and I am in dire need of some form of stress relief, whether it’s extended, uninterrupted sleep, intoxication of some sort or just deep, silent meditation.

It’s not that this week has been extraordinarily rough, ‘cause it hasn’t, but rather some combination of not enough sleep (DJ-ing two hours away on a Monday night will do that), a cold (and/or the onset of seasonal allergies) and the normal slate of irritants, have all combined to do a number on my head.

That said, I’m going to take a tip from the Sims Twins and let a little soul music ‘Soothe Me’.

First, I’ll remind you that this Friday night at 9PM the Funky16Corners Radio Show returns to Viva Radio with another hour of the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove, all straight from my crates to your ears. As always you can either tune in on the interwebs, or come by here over the weekend to pick up the show in its easy to use MP3 form. Either way, the sounds are equally excellent.

I had a gas on Monday spinning at Spindletop, and managed once again to capture the goings on with my handheld digital recorder, so that I might share some of it with you good folks.

I went through the musical fruits (no beans…) of the evening and carved out two sets of grooves, one of which I’ll whip on you today, the second which I’ll drop at the end of next week.

This time out I dipped into the crates and whipped out the best in hard-charging, soul party action, from gritty R&B, tough dance floor soul, right on to early funk.

I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating, that one of the prime reasons I love to DJ in a bar or club is the opportunity to hear really amazing records pumping out of a great big set of speakers. You can set the Mighty Hannibal loose in your earbuds, but it’s just not as cool as hearing him unwind his turban with ‘Jerkin’ the Dog’ shaking a room full of people like a minor earthquake.

Every single one of the records in these mixes is perfect for such an environment. I’d go as far as to say that gathered together like this, they might be too powerful for a Friday or Saturday, yet pack just enough musical TNT to set things off on a Monday.

If I was you, I’d pull down the ones and zeros, hit the liquor store, invite over some friends, roll back the carpet and turn up the stereo and do like Mr. Waiters says:

Jump back honey and let the New Breed by!

See you on Monday

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo), in regard to the April 2nd walk. The whole Funky16Corners gang will be walking in support of autism services, 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 for some Laurel Canyon cool from Mama Cass.

Comments (3)

By Larry, March 22, 2011 11:10 am

Melvin Sparks 1946 – 2011

Listen/Download – Melvin Sparks – Thank You Pt1

Listen/Download -Melvin Sparks – Thank You Pt2

Greetings all.

I had an excellent time spinning soul 45s last night at Spindletop @ Botanica in NYC. Once again my man Perry Lane was the host with the most, and some cool people (including my brother) came by to join in the fun. I recorded my sets again, and will be posting one of them on Friday, so stay tuned for that.

Late last week I heard via the Facebook grapevine that the mighty Melvin Sparks had passed, just short of his 65th birthday. The news was confirmed later that day.

If you’re a hardcore soul jazz fiend (like me) especially someone who really digs Hammond sounds, then his name looms large.

Born and raised in Texas, Sparks went on to be the go-to guitarist on late 60s/early 70s Prestige (and Blue Note) dates, working with heavies like Leon Spencer, Lonnie Smith, Charles Earland, Reuben Wilson, Rusty Bryant, Lou Donaldson, Caesar Frazier, Jack McDuff, Charles Kynard and Sonny Phillips among many others.

If you recognize a lot of organists in that list, it’s a testament to the fact that Sparks was a treasured sideman for the Hammond set, laying his licks deep inside the groove in a career that lasted more than 40 years.

Sparks also recorded a number of sought after albums as a leader for labels like Prestige, Eastbound/Westbound and Muse.
The 45 I bring you today (both extremely tasty sides) is his reading of Sly and the Family Stone’s ‘Thank You (Fallettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)’ (truncated here to just ‘Thank You’). It was recorded in 1970 with a tight group that included Idris Muhammad on drums, Leon Spencer on the organ (you really get to hear him cut loose on Pt2) and Virgil Jones and John Manning on horns.

Sparks’ style was economical, soulful and right in the groove. Listen to his sustain at the end of the verse phrases, and the way he builds complexity gradually, never flashy, but always solid.

Part one sees Sparks soloing, with Spencer comping in the background, the two masters switching places in part two.

It’s a fantastic example of the Prestige jazz funk sound, and an all-around great 45 with which to groove.

Melvin Sparks was a giant and he will be missed.

See you on Friday.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo), in regard to the April 2nd walk. The whole Funky16Corners gang will be walking in support of autism services, 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 for some Laurel Canyon cool from Mama Cass.

Comments (2)

By Larry, March 20, 2011 1:45 pm

The Velvelettes

Listen/Download -The Velvelettes – A Bird In the Hand (Is Worth Two In the Bush)

Greetings all,, and welcome to the working week.

Before I get started I want to remind you that I’ll be spinning 45s at Spindletop @ Botanic in NYC Monday night (3/21) starting at 10PM. If you’re within driving distance, try to fall by and say hello. It’s a very groovy scene that Perry Lane has going there, and you could spend your Monday night doing a lot less interesting things than getting down to rare soul with a delicious cocktail in your hand.

The tune I bring you today is one of my favorite 45s by my all-time favorite Motown group, the mighty Velvelettes.

Interestingly, though this is the very first thing I ever heard by the group (on a late 80s Motown Rarities comp) it’s the last 45 of theirs I found, picking it up on the cheap at one of the Asbury Lanes record shows.

Formed in the early 60s as the Barbees, then changing their name and releasing their first VIP 45 ‘Needle In a Haystack’ in 1964, the Velvelettes – working almost exclusively with the legendary Norman Whitfield – recorded only five 45s during their existence. That these are uniformly excellent, representing the best that the Motown girl groups had to offer explains why I dig them so much.

Though most civilians have probably heard a Velvelettes song or two (possibly via the wan Bananarama cover of ‘He Was Really Sayin’ Something’), their 45s are coveted by soul fans, who recognize a great record when they hear one.

Their material was written by a Who’s Who of Motown greats, including Whitfield, Eddie Holland, Mickey Stevenson, Sylvia Moy, Johnny Bristol and Harvey Fuqua, and though the group only managed minor hits, as I said, the few records they made are unbeatable.

The tune I bring you today, 1965s ‘A Bird In the Hand (Is Worth Two In the Bush)’ is a storming dancer with a typically fantastic vocal by Cal Gill. It’s worth checking out for the bass line alone, which pretty much drives the record. I really dig the way the intro builds its power as well.

It’s always worth mentioning how good a singer Gill was, especially since when you ask most people, the female singer on Motown they remember is Diana Ross, probably the weakest vocalist in their stable, behind powerhouses like Martha Reeves, Brenda Holloway, the alternating leads of the Marvelettes, and ultimately the mighty Gladys Knight.

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

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo), in regard to the April 2nd walk. The whole Funky16Corners gang will be walking in support of autism services, 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 for some Laurel Canyon cool from Mama Cass.

Comments (3)

By Larry, March 17, 2011 1:11 pm

The Ohio Players

Listen/Download -Ohio Players – Find Someone To Love

Greetings all.

I hope you’re all ready to shed the week and slip on into the weekend.

Before we wrap things up, I’d like to remind you that I’ll be back in NYC spinning the 45s with soul this coming Monday at Spindletop @ Botanica. It’s a very groovy scene and I assure that I only bring 100% USDA certified soul 45s, guaranteed to move your feet, and under the proper circumstances, strengthen your pimp hand.

You should also tune in to the Funky16Corners Radio Show on Viva Radio, this Friday night at 9PM for the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove, all from vinyl sources. As always, if you are otherwise occupied at the time of broadcast, you can always fall by the blog over the weekend and pick up the show in convenient MP3 form.

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo), in regard to the April 2nd walk. The whole Funky16Corners gang will be walking in support of autism services, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

Now, about the funk…

The tune I bring you today is a bit of instrumental genius from the early days of the mighty Ohio Players.

With a lineage that goes back to 1959 (when the group came together as the Ohio Untouchables), on into their mid-decade rebirth as the Ohio Players, after which they worked in New York as the house band for Compass Records (releasing two singles for the label in 1967 and 1968).

They were working with producer Johnny Brantley’s Vidalia productions when they hooked up (for one album) with Capitol Records.

The tune I bring you today comes from that partnership.

Interestingly, their recording from this period, for both Compass and Capitol had been recirculated on the exploit/ripoff label Trip/Upfront as the album ‘First Impressions’, which is where I first heard ‘Find Someone To Love’. Their Capitol LP, ‘Observations In Time’ isn’t incredibly rare, or expensive (copies go for between 40 and 100 bucks) but it doesn’t show up that often.

The group’s vocal material from this period has always reminded me of the Parliaments stuff from the mid-60s, with a slightly more raucous edge.

‘Find Someone To Love’ features Sugarfoot Bonner’s wobbly, deeply funky guitar prominently, as well as hard hitting drums, droning organ and the band’s horn section. It’s a much deeper, grittier groove than the flashy, fonky stuff they’d hit the charts with a few years later.

Not exactly the Love Rollercoaster, more like the funhouse on the way there.

I dig it a lot, and I hope you do too.

See you on Monday (either here or in NYC).

Peace

Larry

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 for some insane surf instros.

Comments (3)

By Larry, March 15, 2011 10:15 am

Pat Rhoden

Listen/Download -Pat Rhoden – Boogie On Reggae Woman

Greetings all.

I hope all is groovy in your neck of the interwebs.

As I mentioned on Monday, my wife, the little Corners and I will be walking in the 2011 Monmouth/Ocean County POAC (Parents of Autistic Children) Walk for a Difference on April 2, 2011.

Thanks to those of you that have already donated.

I’ll be keeping the donation link in my posts (click on the logo below) until the date of the walk (4/2). If you can afford to toss a few bucks into the pot to advance a very important cause, please do so. It is greatly appreciated.

I should also mention today that I will be returning to Spindletop @ Botanica with DJ Perry Lane this coming Monday 3/21. I’ll be bringing a mixed bag of soulful sounds with me, including hard charging party soul, Northern, Hammond grooves and maybe even a little bit of early funk for your feet. Drop on by and say hi if you’re in Manhattan.

The tune I bring you today is something I happened upon a few years back.

I don’t know much about Pat Rhoden, other than that he seems to have been a journeyman ska/rock steady/reggae singer.

He recorded for a variety of labels, including Ska Beat, Trojan, Attack, Pama and Horse between the mid-60s and the early 80s as a solo, and also as part of the duo Winston and Pat (with Winston Groovy of ‘Please Don’t Make Me Cry’ fame) for Bullet.

He recorded his cover of Stevie Wonder’s big hit ‘Boogie On Reggae Woman’ for the Trojan subsidiary Horse. The date on the label says 1974, but Stevie didn’t hit with it until the very end of ’74, so unless he was sending his demos over to Pat, I’m going to go with 1975.

I thought this was a groovy bit of circle-closing, that being a Jamaican cover of Mr. Wonder’s tribute to the sounds of the island.

Rhoden takes things at a mellow – ever so slightly funky – pace, and I really dig the drums at the beginning.

He also did a very cool cover of Stevie’s ‘Living For the City’ which I’ll have to post sometime in the future.

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

Peace

Larry

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 for some insane surf instros.