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By Larry, May 29, 2014 11:18 am

Listen/Download The Other Brothers – It’s Been a Long Time Baby

Greetings all

The Funky16Corners 2014 Allnighter and Pledge Drive is arriving Friday, June 6th!

We have a stellar line up of selectors contributing mixes this year, and the mixes are killer.

The format will be slightly different this year, with a new mix being added each weekday from June 6 to June 20.

All donors this year will receive the new 2014 Funky16Corners badge (see the left side of the banner, above), as well as stickers from the archive (while they last). There will also be prizes every day (drawn at random) including CDs and 45s from Cultures of Soul, CDs from Light in the Attic and more!

It’s sure to be a gas, so stay tuned for more details in the coming week.

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As the weekend is approaching rapidly, I should take a moment to remind you to lend an ear to the Funky16Corners Radio Show, which hits the airwaves of the interwebs this and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. You can also subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes or grab yourselves an MP3 here at the blog.

The record I bring you today was one of those happy little b-side discoveries.

I originally picked up this 45 for the very cool vocal version of ‘Hole In the Wall’ by the Other Brothers.

Released in 1966 – covering the Packers OG from 1965 – the Other Brothers take on the tune was groovy indeed (and covered in this space backin 2009).

Fortunately, I remembered to flip the record over when I was recording it, and discovered much to my delight that the b-side was also quite good, in an entirely different bag.

‘It’s Been a Long Time Baby’ is one of those melodic, hard charging tunes that should have found its way onto the radio, or at the very least, onto a Northern Soul playlist or two.

I’ve never been able to nail down any information on the Other Brothers.

There appears to have been a few different groups operating under than name during the 1960s, and the names on the 45 have not provided any leads.

That said, if your intention is to acquire 45s with the maximum amount of heat for dollar value, you could do a lot worse than adding this one to your record box.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, April 24, 2014 1:14 pm

Toby Lark

Listen/Download Toby Lark – Shake a Hand

Greetings all

The end of the week is near, so I will take a moment to remind you that the Funky16Corners Radio Show hits the airwaves of the interwebs this and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. If you cannot be there to dig it at airtime, you can always subscribe to the show as a podcst in iTunes, or grab yourself an MP3 here at the blog.

The tune I bring you today is a very groovy, very funky number by a singer you probably know under another name.

I can’t remember exactly when or where I picked up the 45 you see before you today, but I probably grabbed it because the name of the singer rang a bell.

As it turns out, when I saw the name Toby Lark, I was probably thinking of the name Tobi Legend, which is a good thing, since as it turns out, they are both the same person.

Bessie Grace Gupton was born in Alabama but grew up in Detroit.

She spent most of her early years performing gospel, before going to work as a backing singer for BB King.

She first recorded for Jay Pee records in the early 60s as Bessie Watson, changing her name to Tobi Lark in 1964.

She would record for the Palmer, Topper and USD labels under that name before signing with Mala in 1968 and recording under the name Tobi Legend.

It was under that name that she waxed the Northern Soul classic (one of the famous ‘Three Before Eight’) ‘Time Will Pass You By’.

The following year found her recording under the name on today’s selection, Toby Lark.

‘Shake a Hand’ is a funky number, with Lark dipping back into her gospel roots, singing in a deeper, throatier style. The song, written by Joe Morris and first recorded in 1953 by Faye Adams (much slower, and a huge R&B hit), and covered over the years by everyone from Little Richard, to Magic Sam, to Elvis Presley.

She recorded two more 45s for Cotillion, and eventually settled in Canada, where she continues to perform.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, April 10, 2014 1:34 pm

The Mighty Harvey Fuqua

Listen/Download Harvey – Any Way You Wanta

Greetings all

The end of the week is here, and so is the Funky16Corners Radio Show, which lights up the wireless each and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. If you aren’t able to dig it at airtime, you can always keep up by subscribing to the show as a podcast in iTunes, or by grabbing an MP3 here at the blog.

I thought I’d end the week with something very groovy.

The first time I heard ‘Any Way You Wanta’ by Harvey (courtesy of my man Michael Newman) I pretty much flipped my wig.

There’s a Latin term (dropped here from time to time), ‘sui generis’ meaning ‘in a class or group of its own’ or ‘not like anything else’.

If ever there was a 45 for which this term was seemingly invented, ‘Any Way You Wanta’ is it, brother.

It pays to start by mentioning that Harvey, was in fact Harvey Fuqua, late of the Moonglows (they even take the time to mention that fact on the label). Fuqua had had a solid and very interesting career prior to this record, recording with the Moonglows, and duetting with Etta James on Chess.

He eventually found his way to Detroit, where he fell in with the various and sundry figures that would eventually give birth to the Motown organization.

Fuqua worked with Anna Gordy (sister of Berry), married Gwen Gordy (their other sister, who co-wrote this 45) and in addition to work on the Anna label (home to Barrett Strong’s ‘Money’) started his own Tri-Phi and Harvey labels where he would record a number of artists that would end up on Motown, like the Spinners, Junior Walker and Shorty Long.

‘Any Way You Wanta’ was recorded in 1962, but sounds like it could have come from anytime in the previous five years, or from Mars or some other crazy place.

The musical backing is fairly simple and straight ahead, but the vocals are – in the words of the kids – cray cray.

Ho-lee-shizzle, there’s a reason this record is sweated bigtime (and pulls in serious coin), and that is because it is possessed of a kind of odd magic that sounds like a mixture of pure enthusiasm, Tarzan, glue-sniffing and that wolf from the old Tex Avery cartoons.

Harvey spends the better part of two minutes and forty five seconds singing, howling, stuttering, calling out dance steps and occasionally throwing in whatever he can pull from his grab bag.

It’s really something else, though perhaps too much so, since I can only find one instance of ‘Any Way You Wanta’ charting anywhere, and not very high or for very long.

That said, since its inception, ‘Any Way You Wanta’ has become a big favorite of soul/R&B fans, even finding its way onto Northern Soul playlists.

Harvey Fuqua went on to be an important figure in the history of soul, as a songwriter, producer, performer and discoverer of artists like Marvin Gaye, New Birth and Sylvester.

He was a very serious cat indeed, passing away in 2010 at the age of 80.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, March 30, 2014 11:53 am

The Four Pennies in their later incarnation as the Hearts of Stone

Listen/Download The Four Pennies – You’re a Gas With Your Trash

Greetings all

I hope the new week finds you well.

Before we get started, I should direct you over to the archive page for my man Studebaker Hawk’s ‘Acapulco Nights’ radio show (on WMUA 91.1FM in Amherst, MA) where he has posted this week’s (3/29) episode, which included a tribute to Funky16Corners.

Make sure to bookmark the site because next week the show will include a special mix, put together by yours truly.

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The tune I bring you today is another one of those things that popped up on a sales list, sounded interesting (and was inexpensive), so I decided to scoop it up.

The song in question, ‘You’re a Gas With Your Trash’ (how could I pass up a title like that?) by the Four Pennies is a very groovy slice of mid 60s soul.

I had initially assumed (you know how that works…) that they were a Chicago group, due to the fact that they were on Brunswick.

When I finally started to poke around for information (finding some conflicting data) it turned out that the Four Pennies (not the UK beat group of the same name) had actually originated in Knoxville, Tennessee.

They got their start in the early 50s as the Five Pennies, eventually becoming (with a number of personnel changes along the way) the Chimes, and the 4 Jokers, evolving into the Four Pennies in the early 60s.

One of the group’s early members was none other than Clifford Curry, who recorded a number of cool soul 45s in the 60s including ‘She Shot a Hole In My Soul’.

They recorded two 45s for Brunswick in 1967, with ‘You’re a Gas With Your Trash’ coming out first.

Though the 45 was produced by James Chavis, I cannot confirm that this was the same guy that ran Chavis records in Delaware, which released a number of rare soul, garage and gospel 45s.

The song is a fast-moving dancer with lots of high harmonies and a honking sax that ties it to a slightly earlier R&B sound.

The Four Pennies would eventually evolve into the Hearts of Stone, recording an album for the Motown subsidiary VIP in the early 70s.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (3)

By Larry, March 16, 2014 12:56 pm

Jimmy Holiday

Listen/Download Jimmy Holiday – The New Breed

Listen/Download Jimmy Holiday – Love Me One More Time

Listen/Download Ron Moody and the Centaurs – The New Breed

Greetings all

I hope the new week finds you all welland in rapt anticipation of the oncoming Spring (despite all meteorological evidence to the contrary).

Today’s selections come to you well in advance of my original plans, thanks to a special request from a reader.

Naturally the story of how I got this record is quite convoluted (aren’t they all?).

A while back, a friend on Facebook posted a clip of a song called ‘The New Breed’ by a band called Ron Moody and the Centaurs.

It was a very groovy song indeed, and a little bit of research revealed that they were a white R&B band from Richmond, Virginia who recorded one 45, ‘The New Breed’ b/w ‘If I Didn’t Have a Dime’.

I wanted a copy of the 45, so I added it to my watch list and grabbed it when it popped up.

This is where things move into the ‘easier said than done’ category.

The package arrived, and I opened it to find…the wrong record.

I contact the seller who says that he must have sent the Ron Moody 45 to some guy in Germany (who was supposed to get the record that I got) and as soon as he gets it back from him, he’ll send it to me.

I figured I was never going to see the 45, but after going back and forth with the seller for a few months, it finally showed up!

I’m glad it did because the Centaurs version swings in a Beach Music stylee (the group had a following on that scene) and is very cool.

So I dig a little deeper and discover that ‘The New Breed’ was in fact a cover, having been originally recorded by a singer named Jimmy Holiday.

While the Centaurs version was cool, it paled (no pun intended) in comparison to Holiday’s original.

So I figured (as I always do…) that I ought to find myself a copy of the OG.

I checked Ebay (usually a good, basic gauge of whether or not a record is readily available), found a copy (graded VG) for five bucks and pulled the trigger.

When the record arrived, I discovered that the seller had under-graded the 45 (always cool) and also that the flip-side, ‘Love Me One More Time’ was a killer as well.

As it turns out, Jimmy Holiday was an interesting cat, indeed.

He recorded frequently through the 60s and early 70s, waxing more than two dozen 45s (and at least one LP) for labels like Everest, Diplomacy and Minit, all the while working as a songwriter, co-writing ‘Put A Little Love In your Heart’ for Jackie DeShannon, and working as a staff writer for Ray Charles’s Tangerine label.

He had a Top 10 R&B hit with “How Can I Forget’ in 1963 and placed one record a year into the R&B Top 40 in 1966, 1967 and 1968, as well as scoring a minor regional hit in a duet with Clydie King on ‘Ready, Willing and Able’ in 1967.

‘The New Breed’ b/w ‘Love Me One More Time’ was the first of his two 45s for the Diplomacy label in 1965*.

‘The New Breed’ is a hard charging floor-filler, with propulsive rhythm guitar and piano and a powerful horn section.

‘Love Me One More Time’ has a slightly heavier R&B edge, with a wailing vocal by Holiday.

The arrangements are by Jimmy Long who did a lot of work for Motown (Temptations, Four Tops, Gladys Knight and the Pips).

Sadly, Jimmy Holiday passed away in 1989, at the age of only 52.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

*’The New Breed’ was also issued on Kent in 1967 but replacing ‘Love Me One More Time’ with a tune called ‘I Can’t Stand It’

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (4)

By Larry, March 4, 2014 6:53 pm

Nolan Porter

Listen/Download NF Porter – Keep On Keeping On

Greetings all

If you – like moi – spends an inordinate amount of time listening to, thinking about, researching and digging for music, it is easy to become jaded, or at least top have your senses dulled to a certain degree.

As a result, it’s easy to miss some of the subtler wonders out there, which is why you have to engage in periodic reappraisal.

That said, the other side of the coin is that the truly remarkable records cut through that fog in remarkable ways.

I first heard NF Porter’s ‘Keep On Keeping On’ years ago when it was included on a comp of favorites from the storied Golden Torch soul club in the UK.

That collecting included a lot of amazing records, but none stood out more starkly than ‘Keep on Keeping On’.

It’sone of those records that I have often found myself spinning repeatedly, letting the vibe sink in a little more deeply with each play.

Recorded in 1971 by Nolan Porter (billed at different times as Nolan, NF Porter, and Frederick II), the record made it into the R&B Top 40 at the end of 1971, Porter’s second such hit that year.

Porter came up in Southern California, getting his start as a classical singer, before meeting producer Gabriel Mekler’s sister while in college.

Mekler signed him to his Lizard label, where he would record the ‘No Apologies’ LP in 1971*.

Porter was backed in the studio by various and sundry members of the Mothers of Invention and Little Feat (Lowell George, Jimmy Carl Black and Roy Estrada) as well as Johnny Guitar Watson.

‘Keep On Keeping On’ – co-written by Porter and Richie Flowers but originally only credited to the latter – is a record of unique power.

Though Porter’s delivery is purely soulful, there is an underlying foundation of rock and even psychedelia to the song (dig the backward guitar) that imbues it with a certain darkness.

The ominous, propulsive rhythm guitar and the tom-toms create a thick, often thunderous platform from which Porter launches his high tenor into the stratosphere.

Its strong beat has made is a perennial favorite with the Northern Soul crowd, as is his (much rarer/more expensive/excellent) 1972 ABC single ‘If I Could Only Be Sure’ (a US R&B Top 30 hit).

Porter recently ended a long, self-imposed retirement to return to the stage in the US and the UK, and recent video demonstrates that he is still in fine voice.

I hope you dig this amazing record, and I’ll see you all on Friday

Keep the faith

Larry

*Porter would also compose ‘Funky LA’ for labelmates Paul Humphrey and the Cool Aid Chemists

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (2)

By Larry, February 18, 2014 12:30 pm

Jackie Wilson

Listen/Download Jackie Wilson – Whispers (Gettin’ Louder)

Greetings all

How about something a little sweet for the middle of the week?

Jackie Wilson is high on the list of major soul figures that I took for granted for far too long.

He was a consistent hitmaker, placing dozens of records in the charts between 1958 and 1975.

Though a fair amount of those hits crossed over into the pop charts, Wilson was (at least to my ears) damned by the tight programming of oldies radio. Until I started collecting soul 45s, if you’d asked me about Jackie Wilson, I would have known ‘Higher and Higher’ and ‘Lonely Teardrops’, and little else.

Fortunately, over the years I have kept up the search for new sounds, and more and more Jackie Wilson records have found their way into my crates.

The tune I bring you today represented a “comeback’ of sorts for Wilson, making his first trip into the R&B Top 10 since ‘Baby Workout’ in 1963.

Written by Barbara Acklin (then a secretary at Brunswick Records) and David Scott, ‘Whispers (Getting’ Louder)’ is a prime example of the classy sounds that producer Carl Davis was the master of in the 1960s.

It is a particularly interesting record (aside from its obvious quality) because it features both the Funk Brothers and the Andantes, making it a perfect intersection of (moonlighting) Detroit and Chicago sounds.

The arrangement is perfection, with guitar and vibes pushed along by comparatively raw sounding drums, all juxtaposed with sweeping strings and horns.

It is one of Wilson’s finest sides, and went into the R&B Top 5 (grazing the Pop Top 10) in October of 1966.

‘Whispers (Getting’ Louder)’ was covered by Erma Franklin in 1970 (with another Jackie Wilson cover, ‘(I Get the) Sweetest Feeling’ on the flipside).

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

See you on Friday.

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, January 26, 2014 11:08 am

Al Green(e) at the wheel!

Listen/Download Al Greene and the Soul Mates – Don’t Leave Me

Greetings all

I’d like to get the new week started with another one of those great – had it for years but never really listened to it – bangers.

I picked up the ‘Back Up Train’ 45 – Al Green’s debut (when he was still ‘Al Greene’) from 1967, years ago, and apparently – as was often the case – never flipped it over.

So, a few weeks back, I was pulling 45s for my DJ set at the David Porter tribute, looking for Memphis stuff, and I pulled the disc you see before you out of the crates.

I dropped the needle on ‘Back Up Train’, which is a very tasty ballad, but a little on the slow side, so I flipped it over to check out the b-side, which I was admittedly unfamiliar with.

Whoa, dad…

There, on the flip was a very nice, very upbeat, very Norther Soul-ish bit of gravy called ‘Don’t Leave Me’.

Where had this killer been all my life? Why, right there in the crates, waiting for me to do the right thing and listen to both sides of the record.

Written by Palmer James, who had sung with Green in the Creations with Curtis Rogers, ‘Don’t Leave Me’ (produced by Rogers and James) opens with a tasteful duet of strings and vibes.

The band lays down a pulsing beat, and the backing singers come in before Al starts the verse.

Green’s voice is recognizable, but instead of the slow, love man styling of his big hits, you get a more straight ahead delivery in a record that should have been a hit, instead of a neglected b-side.

The topside of the disc, ‘Back Up Train’ was an R&B Top 5 hit (skirting the outer limits of the Pop Top 40) in December of 1967.

Green would not return to the charts for a little over two years, returning with ‘You Say It’ on Hi in February of 1970.

‘Don’t Leave Me’ has a bit of a following with the Northern Soul crowd (for obvious reasons), with the Hot Line and Stateside issues of the 45 going for around 40 or 50 dollars.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, January 10, 2014 11:54 am

Connie T Empress Set , Friars Club 01/07/14
Philly Dog Mar-Keys (Stax)
Soul Sister, Brown Sugar- Sam & Dave (Atlantic)
In The Basement Part 1- Etta James & Sugar Pie DeSanto )Cadet)
Hear Say-Soul Children (Stax)
A Dime A Dozen-Carla Thomas (Stax)
I Used To Cry Mercy, Mercy-Lamplighters (Gusto reissue)
Toe Hold-Wilson Pickett (Atlantic)(“David said he had no idea WP had ever done this! so I played it.“)
Soul Girl-Jeanne & The Darlings (Volt)
I Could Never Be Satisfied Pt 1 – Sir Mack Rice (ATCO)
Ya Ya-Tamiko Jones (A&M)
Snatchin’ Back-Calvin Arnold (Venture)
Love Bug Got A Bear Hug-Melvin Davis (Mala)
Let Me Be Your Boy-Wilson Pickett (Verve)
Formula of Love – William Bell (Stax)
Fall In Love With Me-Bettye Swann (Money)
Say You-The Monitors (V.I.P.)
Oh, I’ve Been Blessed-Bobby Taylor (V.I.P.)
Late Shadows-Nicki Lee (Dade)
You Can’t Miss What you Can’t Measure-Clarence Carter (Atlantic)
Love Bones-Johnny Taylor (Stax)
Loving Material-The Charmels (Volt)
I Found Out-The Astors (Stax)
Baby Make Your Own Sweet Music-The Bandwagon (Epic)
Do The Whoopie-SugarPie Di Santo (Brunswick)
I can Take Care of Myself – Gene Chandler (Constellation)
Sleep Good Tonight-Sam & Dave (Stax)

Listen/Download Connie T Empress’s Set: Friars Club NYC 01/07/14 78MB/256K Mixed MP3

Greetings all

I hope you all dug my account of this week’s amazing Friars Club experience with the legendary David Porter.

What I am privileged to bring you today is the complete set spun that night by the mighty Connie T Empress.

For the few of you that won’t know her name, Connie T Empress was one of the founders of the legendary Empire State Soul Club. Starting in 1987 and lasting well into the 90s, Connie, along with W. Lee and Jeff the Chef spun the finest in rare soul for audiences all over New York City.

The Empress feeling the groove!

Though I missed out on the ESSC experience, I was lucky enough to spin alongside Connie when she joined the ranks of the Asbury Park 45 Sessions back in 2007, spinning with our crew for a few years.

She is that rarest of soul DJ, in that she’s no mere trainspotter/collector, but rather a dyed in the wool fan who feels the music as much as the dancers on the floor (she’s usually moving and grooving behind the decks at the same time).

Her enthusiasm is obvious and contagious, and I always relish the opportunity to share the turntables with her. It never fails that I come away from one of her sets with a number of sides added to my want list, and this evening was no exception.

ESSC Reunion: Connie T Empress and W. Lee!

What you get here is a little over an hour of solid senders, engineered for the dance floor, all groovy.

A brief technical note; as I mentioned with my set, there were some problems with the mixer, with some bleed through from channel to channel, but certainly not enough to keep such a tasty set under wraps. Fortunately, Connie did not experience the drop-out I did during my set, so you get this mix in stereo!

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

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, December 5, 2013 11:47 am

Funky16Corners Set List – Botanica 12/04/13

Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes – Get Out (and Let Me Cry) (Landa)
Theresa Lindsey – Daddy-O (Golden World)
Ted Taylor – (Love Is Like A) Ramblin’ Rose (Okeh)
Delores Hall – Good Lovin’ Man (Keymen)
Shirelles – Last Minute Miracle (Scepter)
Homer Banks – 60 Minutes of Your Love (Minit)
Four Larks – Groovin’ At the Go Go (Tower)
Jimmy Hanna and the Dynamics – Leaving Here (Seafair/Bolo)
Lee Garrett – I Can’t Break the Habit (Harthon)
Otis Clay – I Got To Find A Way (One-Derful)
Wynder K Frog – Dancing Frog (UA)
Eyes of Blue – Heart Trouble (Deram)
The Soul City – Everybody Dance Now (Goodtime)
Mary Wells – Can’t You See (You’re Losing Me) (Atco)
Jimmy Holiday – The New Breed (Diplomacy)
G. Davis and R. Tyler – Hold On Help Is On the Way (Parlo)
Joann and Troy – Who Do You Love (Atlantic)
The Olympics – Mine Exclusively (Mirwood)
Bobby Hollaway – Cornbread Hog Maws and Chitterlins (Smash)
Warren Lee – Star Revue (Deesu)
Rubaiyats – Omar Khayyam (Sansu)
Betty Lavette – I Feel Good All Over (Calla)
The Performers – I Can’t Stop You (Mirwood)
Irma Thomas – What Are You Trying To Do (Imperial)
Roger and the Gypsies – Pass the Hatchet Pt1 (Seven B)
Gene Waiters – Shake and Shingaling Pt1 (Fairmount)
The Eldorados – The New Breed (Port)
Albert Collins – Cookin’ Catfish (20th Century Fox)
Bob and Earl – Harlem Shuffle (Marc)
Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band – (I Gotta) Hold On To My Love (Picadilly)
The Chitlins – Sugar Woman (Pala)
Jeanne and the Darlings – Soul Girl (Volt)
Wayne Cochran – Going Back to Miami (Mercury)
Danny White – Cracked Up Over You (Decca)

Trading one for one with Mr Finewine

Billy Davis – Stanky Get Funky (Cobblestone)
Little Bob and the Lollipops – I Got Loaded (La Louisianne)
Harvey – Any Way You Wanta (Tri Phi)
BJ and the Profits – It’s Gonna Rain Outside (Uptown)
Scatman Crothers- Golly Zonk! (It’s Scat Man!) (HBR)
Ross D Wylie – Do the Uptight (A&M)
Dinah Washington – Soulville (Roulette)
Rex Garvin and the Mighty Cravers – I Gotta Go Now (Out On the Floor) (Like)
Richie Barrett – Some Other Guy (Atlantic)

Listen/Download Funky16Corners Presents: A Fat Stack O’45s Mixed MP3 147MB/256KB

Greetings all

The end of the week is coming on fast, so I’ll remind you that the Funky16Corners Radio Show will be returning to the airwaves of the interwebs Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. If you cannot join me at airtime, you can always keep up with the show by subscribing to it as a podcast in iTunes.

Mr Finewine cues up another killer!

This past Wednesday I had the privilege of joining Matt ‘Mr Finewine’ Weingarden at his regular weekly shindig at Botanica in New York City.

Thanks to a variety of difficulties – most of which have been covered in this space – I haven’t been able to get out and spin soul 45s for more than two years, and I was eager to get back on the decks.

It turned out to be a very groovy affair indeed, with some heavy record people – including Connie T. Empress of the Empire City Soul Club (and Asbury Park 45 Sessions) and my man Keenan Popwell falling by to soak up the sounds.

Connie T. Empress and Keenan Popwell rap about wax.

I also got to meet some new folks (Monk One was in the house), and sample a couple of glasses of sparkling ginger beer (I had to drive back to NJ…).

The only bummer was, once we got ready to toss some platters on the decks, my trusty digital recorder decided not to cooperate, and would not fire up, preventing me from recording my set live.

Somebody’s got a frowny face… (I’m probably thinking about the drive home).

Not one to let a little technology rain on my parade, I sat down this morning (after not quite enough sleep) and typed up my set list, then moved over to my turntables and mixer to recreate my set.

I was on the decks for about an hour and twenty minutes, and then Matt and I closed out the night by trading off, 45 for 45. Though I did not recreate that part of the evening, I listed the 45s I played above.

Mr Finewine was an exceptionally gracious host, and I really had a gas. Hopefully I’ll be getting back into the city to spin some more in the coming year. I will of course keep you apprised of any upcoming dates.

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

Now I’m gonna take me a nap…

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, November 26, 2013 1:41 pm

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

Listen/Download Sokey Robinson and the Miracles – Whole Lotta Shakin’ In My Heart (Since I Met You)

Greetings all

As we prepare to cross the border into the money half of the week, I bring you some first-class, floor-filling, spellbinding Motor City soul.

I always pick up Tamla/Motown LPs when I find them in the field.

They are often heavily played but since they are also cheap, and usually harbor songs of interest, they go on the keeper pile without hesitation.

I don’t have much to say about Smokey Robinson that hasn’t already been chiseled into granite elsewhere, other than, whoa, that voice, and double-whoa, all those songs.

Oddly enough, today’s selection did not spring from the prolific pen of Mr. Robinson, but rather the mighty Frank ‘Do I Love You’ Wilson!

This is one of those records that can be held up as a prime example of the Motown record-makers (including Funk Brothers, producers and songwriters) art.

It is a propulsive dancer, filled with hooks and played (if you’ll excuse the expression) like a motherfucker.

The band is absolutely relentless in precision and drive, and Smokey is right on the money, especially when (at around 2:12) he mounts the word “I” and rides it on out of the studio into the sunset.

This is pure dance floor heat, from the opening drum roll right on into the fade out.

‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ In My Heart (Since I Met You)’ just made it into the R&B Top 20 in the summer of 1966, grazing the Pop Top 50.

It is a monster, and I hope youdig it as much as I do.

See you all on Friday.

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (2)

By Larry, November 17, 2013 1:20 pm

Robert John

Listen/Download Robert John – Raindrops, Love and Sunshine

Greetings all

Welcome to another groovy week here at Funky16Corners.

Today’s entry is yet another chapter in the sometimes strange world of Northern Soul.

There was a period some years back where it seems a new book about Northern Soul – reference or otherwise – was coming out every month or so, and I think I bought them all.

In addition to countless familiar soul artists, I was turned on to tons of new ones.

What I also kept finding were seemingly incongruous artists, who one would never (at first glance) consider soulful (Paul Anka, Joey Heatherton, Bobby Goldsboro etc), yet who all recorded great, soulful 45s.

Northern Soul playlists have always been a home to records that in one way or another, fit the mold whether it was a one-off record that was recorded/performed in a soul style, or a wide variety of instrumentals that provided enough of that powerful, four on the floor beat.

The record I bring you today is a great example of the former.

When I saw the name Robert John pop up in a soul playlist, my brain had a brief short circuit, during which I was unable to reconcile the singer of the 70s AM hit ‘Sad Eyes’ with anything remotely soulful. I figured it had to be someone else with the same name.

As it turns out, the Robert John of ‘Raindrops, Love and Sunshine’ is the very same guy who had a number of hits in the 70s.

John – born Robert John Pedrick – had been recording since he was 12 years old, first charting in 1958 (as ‘Bobby Pedrick’), and then continuing to record through the 60s for a variety of labels.

He recorded ‘Raindrops, Love and Sunshine’ in 1970, featuring his powerful (nearly ear-shattering) falsetto, and an arrangement that owes a huge debt to the previous year’s mega-hit ‘More Today Than Yesterday’ by the Spiral Starecase.

If you are at all familiar with Northern Soul, it is immediately obvious why this record became popular on the scene.
It has both the solid, propulsive beat, and an anthemic, nearly explosive chorus.

I wouldn’t be surprised if some folks thought they were hearing a female singer the first time they heard the song.

Interestingly enough, the record’s A-side ‘When the Party Is Over’ was a minor hit (Pop #71).

John went on to have a number of hits in the 70s and 80s, including the aforementioned ‘Sad Eyes’ (#1 1979) and even and putting that falsetto to use again in 1983 with a remake of the Newbeats ‘Bread and Butter’ (#68 1983), which came out on Motown.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived!

The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock.

They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US).

Click here to go to the ordering page.
Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.