{"id":315,"date":"2010-02-21T17:12:17","date_gmt":"2010-02-21T22:12:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/funky16corners.lunarpages.net\/?p=315"},"modified":"2015-02-04T08:27:29","modified_gmt":"2015-02-04T13:27:29","slug":"funky16corners-radio-v-82-groovin-at-the-go-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/?p=315","title":{"rendered":"Funky16Corners Radio v.82 – Groovin’ at the Go Go"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Example\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Funky16Corners Radio v.82 – Groovin’ at the Go Go<\/strong><\/p>\n

Playlist<\/strong><\/p>\n

Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes \u2013 Get Out (and Let Me Cry) (Landa)
\nPat Lewis \u2013 Look At What I Almost Missed (Solid Hit)
\nMaurice and the Radiants \u2013 Baby You\u2019ve Got It (Chess)
\nBroadways \u2013 You Just Don\u2019t Know (MGM)
\nFour Larks \u2013 Groovin\u2019 at the Go Go (Tower)
\nBob Brady and the Con Chords \u2013 Everybody\u2019s Goin\u2019 To the Love In (Chariot)
\nVolcanos \u2013 (It\u2019s Against) The Laws of Love (Arctic)
\nBarbara Banks \u2013 River of Tears (Veep)
\nBonnie and Lee \u2013 The Way I Feel About You (Fairmount)
\nIrma Thomas \u2013 What Are You Trying To Do (Imperial)
\nOlympics \u2013 Mine Exclusively (Mirwood)
\nMary Wells \u2013 Can\u2019t You See (You\u2019re Losing Me)
\nVontastics \u2013 Never Let Your Love Grow Cold (St Lawrence)
\nJJ Barnes \u2013 Chains of Love (Groovesville)
\nMarvelettes \u2013 I\u2019ll Keep On Holding On (Tamla)
\nSam and Bill \u2013 I\u2019ll Try (Decca)
\nFascinations \u2013 Girls Are Out To Get You (Mayfield)
\nYoung-Holt Unlimited \u2013 California Montage (Brunswick)
\nEddie Holman \u2013 Eddie\u2019s My Name (Parkway)
\nEthics \u2013 Look at Me Now (Vent)
\nIntruders \u2013 (You Better) Check Yourself (Gamble)
\nJust Brothers \u2013 Sliced Tomatoes (Music Merchant)
\nLorraine Ellison \u2013 Call Me Anytime You Need Some Lovin\u2019 (Mercury)
\nMarvin Gaye \u2013 Baby Don\u2019t You Do It (Tamla)
\nLen Barry \u2013 I Struck It Rich (Decca)
\n<\/strong>
\nTo hear this mix, head over to the Funky16Corners Radio Podcast Archive<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/strong><\/div>\n
Greetings all.<\/strong><\/div>\n

Welcome to something unusual, that being the second consecutive week in a row starting with a new Funky16Corners Radio<\/strong> mix. While I normally wouldn\u2019t stack them so close together, the circumstances are unusual.
\nLast week \u2013 as you already know \u2013 I returned to DJ Bluewater\u2019s Master Groove<\/strong> night with a promised all-Northern Soul set. One of the great things for me about spinning at Master Groove is that I have a certain amount of flexibility in what I can spin, the only real constraints being those of the genres funk and soul (and there\u2019s even a bit of wiggle room therein), and the format of the seven-inch, 45RPM single. Outside of those rather expansive guidelines, pretty much anything (assuming that the attendees dig it) goes.
\nThe last time I brought my record box to Forbidden City<\/strong>, the sounds therein were entirely organ driven. It was on that night that I was rapping about the scene with my man Bluewater, when I said that I\u2019d been thinking about working on a Northern (style) set, to which my esteemed host said \u2018Why not?\u2019.<\/em>
\nEarly last week I strode into the Funky16Corners record vault \u2013 which is in a seemingly constant state of chaos \u2013 and set upon the crates in search of my favorite Northern Soul 45s.
\nI should take a second here to mention that the definition of \u2018Northern Soul\u2019 that I\u2019m using here is strictly a stylistic one, i.e. not every record I played is necessarily an accepted part of the Northern canon (though some are long standing faves on the scene), but rather hew fairly close to the \u2018sound\u2019 in question.
\nI pulled every single 45 box off of the shelves in search of the best and brightest (necessary since at least five of these records were in the very last box) and pulled out enough 45s for at least three hours worth of play. I spent the next few days at the turntable, working out which records I wanted to play, revising the set more than a few times until I was happy with the chosen sides. I\u2019m happy to say that with one exception (the very last record on the playlist) I stayed with all the 45s I had originally selected.
\nAs I\u2019ve stated here many times before, while I\u2019m no expert on the subject of Northern Soul, I am a huge fan of the sound, and the playlist above represents several of my very favorite soul records. And when I say \u2018favorite\u2019 I\u2019m not referring to some passing affection. I\u2019m talking about the kinds of 45s that set my hair on end and shivers up and down my spine. Heavy, heavy stuff. There are 45s here that combine propulsive, soulful power with pop hooks and brilliant performances in ways that very few records can approach. Getting to play them for people over a nice sound system is (as it is with any great record) an absolute blast.
\nMy plan was \u2013 as I had done on my previous visit \u2013 to bring my digital recorder, hook it into the board and record the set as I laid the records on the turntables. Murphy\u2019s Law being what it is, I drove all the way into the city without the necessary cable with which to make the connection. This was a huge drag, but I decided there and then that although I would be unable to present the \u201clive\u201d mix as promised, (since I was so happy with the results) I would record the set at home and bring it to you anyway, thus the new mix.
\nThe mix features a lot of Philly sides, selections from Chicago, Detroit (natch) and even a couple of New Jersey sides, one hailing from my home turf on the Jersey Shore.
\nThings get started with a classic by Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes<\/strong>. \u2018Get Out (and Let Me Cry)\u2019 is probably unfamiliar to folks who\u2019s concept of the group starts with the Teddy Pendergrass<\/strong> era, but by the time \u2018Get Out\u2026\u2019 was released in 1965 the group had been together for almost a decade. It has a deceptively mellow opening, but once things get going it evolves into a hard charging dance number.
\nThe original recording of \u2018Look at What I Almost Missed\u2019 by Miss Pat Lewis<\/strong> was the first tune to appear on the latest incarnation of the Funky16Corners blog. Though it\u2019s better known via the version by its author George Clinton<\/strong> with his group the Parliaments,<\/strong> the Solid Hit version by Lewis is sweet.
\nMaurice (McCallister) and the Radiants<\/strong> are one of the greatest Chicago groups of the 60s. They recorded a number of classics, including \u2018Voice Your Choice\u2019. The selection included in this set, the epic \u2018Baby You\u2019ve Got It\u2019 first made its way into my ears via the cover by the Action<\/strong>.
\nThe Jersey Shore record I mentioned above is \u2018You Just Don\u2019t Know\u2019 by the mighty Broadways<\/strong>. Hailing from Asbury Park and Long Branch, and featuring members that would go on to join the Moments<\/strong>, the Broadways recorded two outstanding 45s for MGM. \u2018You Just Don\u2019t Know\u2019 is a soaring, hook-filled masterpiece.
\nOf the many Philadelphia records revered by the Northern Soulies, my favorite (out of the remarkable Harthon stable) is the Four Larks <\/strong>\u2018Groovin\u2019 at the Go Go\u2019. Having found almost every other45 by the group, I chased this record for years, ultimately convinced that I would never find \u2013 or be able to afford<\/em> \u2013 a copy of my own. Until, that is, a reader of the blog, in one of the greatest recorded acts of vinyl-related altruism<\/strong>, found a mint copy at a New York City stoop sale and sent it to me. To say that I was pole-axed when I opened the package and saw that it contained one of my all-time white whales is an understatement. One of the many records in this mix that might be described as \u2018anthemic\u2019, \u2018Groovin\u2019 at the Go Go\u2019 \u2013 penned by Thom Bell <\/strong>\u2013 has it all, and is justifiably considered a classic.
\nPossessor of the greatest faux-Smokey Robinson<\/strong> voice in soul history, Baltimore\u2019s Bob Brady<\/strong> (and the Con Chords<\/strong>) recorded a number of excellent sides for the Chariot label, but none of them is as flat-out amazing as \u2018Everybody\u2019s Goin\u2019 to the Love In\u2019, with its pounding piano line, blaring horns and era-specific lyrics. I dare you to stay in your seat when this one starts playing.
\nHeading back to Philly \u2013 and one of my all-time fave soul groups \u2013 we hear the Volcanos<\/strong> and \u2018(It\u2019s Against) the Laws of Love\u2019. When I packed my record box for the night it contained no less that four Volcanos 45s, from both their Arctic and Harthon periods. Though \u2018Storm Warning\u2019 is still my fave, I decided to go a little deeper and drop \u2018(It\u2019s Against) The Laws of Love\u2019 instead. Written by Carl Fisher<\/strong> (who also wrote \u2018Storm Warning\u2019), the tune features Vince Montana\u2019s <\/strong>vibes and a typically excellent Gene Faith<\/strong> vocal.
\nI\u2019ve gone on at length in this space before about my love for Barbara Banks\u2019<\/strong> \u2018River of Tears\u2019 (as well as the Royalettes<\/strong>\u2019 cover of same). It\u2019s simply a brilliant record.
\nThough Bonnie and Lee\u2019s<\/strong> storming \u2018The Way I Feel About You\u2019 was released on Philadelphia\u2019s Fairmount label, I\u2019ve never been able to nail down any info on the duo. It opens with a jangling guitar line, and then the rest of the band falls in like a ton of bricks. It was \u2013 as far as I can tell \u2013 the last 45 to be released on the label, which would place it somewhere in 1965\/66.
\nIrma Thomas<\/strong> has long been known as the Soul Queen of New Orleans for good reason. Her discography is packed with winners, from soaring ballads like \u2018I Wish Someone Would Care\u2019, to uptempo dancefloor killers like her cover of Jackie DeShannon\u2019s<\/strong> \u2018Breakaway\u2019, and the song included in this mix, the amazing \u2018What Are You Trying To Do\u2019. Unusual in her Imperial discography in that it was written and produced by the master Allen Toussaint<\/strong> \u2018What Are You Trying To Do\u2019 sounds a lot more Detroit than New Orleans.
\nOddly enough, the first time I heard the Olympics<\/strong>\u2019 \u2018Mine Exclusively\u2019 was in an unjustly forgotten, period\/teen film called \u2018The In Crowd\u2019. A barely disguised retelling of the story of Jerry Blavat\u2019s<\/strong> Philly dance party TV show, the movie features a great soundtrack and some wonderful production numbers. \u2018Mine Exclusively\u2019 is one of the finest late-period numbers in the Olympics discography.
\nI have to admit that I only heard Mary Wells<\/strong> powerful \u2018Can\u2019t You See (You\u2019re Losing Me)\u2019 a few months ago, via a tip by Atlanta\u2019s finest, Agent 45<\/strong>. This was another one of those \u2018where has this record been all my life\u2019 numbers which knocked my flat on my ass the first time I heard it. I wasted no time in tracking down a copy.
\nWhen I mentioned that some of these records sent chills up my spine, I was referring specifically to the Vontastics\u2019 <\/strong>\u201cNever Let Your Love Grow Cold\u2019. One of my fave Chitown 45s, it has a fantastic arrangement which builds excitement from the first guitar riff all the way to the run off groove. If you find any of their 45s in the field, do not sleep!
\nJJ Barnes<\/strong> made some of the greatest Detroit soul 45s, and is justly revered as a kind of patron saint of the Northern scene. \u2018Chains Of Love\u2019 is one of his harder 45s, and features my favorite vocal by Barnes.
\nI mentioned being turned on to the Radiants \u2018Baby You\u2019ve Got It\u2019 by UK mod gods the Action, and such is also the case with the Marvelettes<\/strong> \u2018I\u2019ll Keep On Holding On\u2019. Though this mix features a lot of favorites, this is probably \u2013 for me \u2013 the very top of the heap. It\u2019s not only a great dancer, but the chorus builds into one of the great soul anthems of all time. I remember sweating this record heavily for years until I scored a copy (at a premium) many, many years ago. Oddly enough I found a second, mint copy about a month ago for a pittance. I plan on keeping it in cold storage in case anything untoward happens to my original.
\nWe return to New Jersey with the great \u2018I\u2019ll Try\u2019 by Sam and Bill.<\/strong> This is another one of those 45s that I pulled out a huge, multi-thousand<\/em> record haul some years back, and it sat, unlistened to for a good, long time until it finally blew me away. It\u2019s records like this that remind me that I need to be more thorough when I\u2019m reviewing my finds.
\nIt wouldn\u2019t be very cool if I put a set like this together and didn\u2019t include anything from the pen of the brilliant Curtis Mayfield.<\/strong> The Fascinations <\/strong>1967 \u2018Girls Are Out To Get You\u2019 (one of their six 45s for the Mayfield label, almost half of its entire discography) is a classic.
\nWhen I mentioned accepted numbers from the Northern Soul canon, I was referring to 45s like Young-Holt Unlimited\u2019s <\/strong>\u2018California Montage\u2019. Actually a piece of film music (from the movie \u2018Winning\u2019), \u2018California Montage\u2019 is a classy instrumental, with a strong dancers beat and layer upon layer of strings and horns.
\nEddie Holman<\/strong> is best known for his late 60s ABC sides like \u2018Hey There Lonely Girl\u2019, but I\u2019m here to tell you that unless you\u2019ve heard his Cameo\/Parkway 45s, you\u2019re missing a big part of the picture. Holman worked as both a performer and songwriter attached to Philadelphia\u2019s Harthon organization for a few years before he hit it big, and made some really brilliant 45s. \u2018Eddie\u2019s My Name\u2019 \u2013 featuring Holman\u2019s soaring tenor – is my personal fave, and it makes me happy that after a long search, I dug up my own copy inside the Philadelphia city limits.
\nAnother great Philly side is the Ethics\u2019<\/strong> \u2018Look at Me Now\u2019, which should have been a huge hit (they did have a couple of R&B chart placements, but this wasn\u2019t one of them), instead of the local sensation that it was.
\nThe most successful of the classic Philly soul groups, the Intruders <\/strong>had no less that twenty-four (?!?) R&B chart hits between 1966 and 1975, including 1968\u2019s Number One hit \u2018Cowboys to Girls\u2019. The storming \u2018(You Better) Check Yourself\u2019, from 1966 is proof that they were capable of more than the sweet soul they were best known for.
\nAnother Northern classic (a fave at the UK – Stoke On Trent – venue the Golden Torch) \u2018Sliced Tomatoes\u2019 by Just Brothers<\/strong> is actually a later record, having been released in 1972. I always enjoy dropping this one since most people, if they\u2019re unfamiliar with the OG, recognize it as the song Fatboy Slim<\/strong> sampled for \u2018Rockafella Skank\u2019.
\nIf you follow the Funky16Corners blog, you already know that I verily worship at the altar of the mighty Lou Courtney<\/strong>. He penned (and produced) Lorraine Ellison\u2019s<\/strong> stratospheric \u2018Call Me Anytime You Need Some Loving\u2019. Featuring a propulsive verse and a positively explosive chorus, \u2018Call Me\u2026\u2019 is a great illustration of Ellison\u2019s amazing range.
\nMarvin Gaye\u2019s<\/strong> oft covered \u2018Baby Don\u2019t You Do It\u2019 is yet another great tune that I first heard via a performance by a UK 60s mod band, in this case the mighty Small Faces<\/strong>. Though their version is very cool, Gaye\u2019s original snaps, crackles and pops on a whole \u2018nother level. Listen to how those drums explode from the speakers as Marvin winds his smooth way in and out of that powerful Motown sound. Solid, solid stuff.
\nThis edition of the Funky16Corners Radio Podcast comes to a conclusion with a killer song by Len Barry<\/strong>. I knew (and loved) \u2018I Struck It Rich\u2019 in the version by Billy Harner<\/strong>, but only found the original (written by Barry with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff<\/strong>) late last year. While it lacks the power of Harner\u2019s cover, it has a certain stylish, polished vibe that I dig a lot. I\u2019ve always considered Barry to be an underrated singer, and \u2018I Struck It Rich\u2019 is proof as to why.
\nI hope you dig the mix, and hopefully the next time I hit the decks at Master Groove, I\u2019ll have all my technical ducks in a row.
\nSee you later in the week.<\/p>\n

Peace<\/strong><\/p>\n

Larry<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\"Example\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

PS \u2013 One of the benefits of running the blog out of my own web space, is the opportunity for better statistical tracking. One of the benefits of that is seeing where all of you fine folks are visiting from, which has been a sobering experience. If you take a look at the list below the Funky16Corners blog is bringing folks in from all over the world. In addition to almost every one of the United States (especially one person in Atlanta who seems to be the biggest fan this blog has ever had), people are falling by from all corners of the world.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I drive my wife nuts every day as I check the visitor stats to see if I can find a flag I haven\u2019t seen before.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019d just like to say thanks to the folks in…<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Peru<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chile<\/strong><\/p>\n

Italy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sri Lanka<\/strong><\/p>\n

India<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tahiti (French Polynesia)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reunion Island<\/strong><\/p>\n

Madagascar<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ukraine<\/strong><\/p>\n

Russia<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hungary<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sweden<\/strong><\/p>\n

Denmark<\/strong><\/p>\n

Germany<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jordan<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dubai<\/strong><\/p>\n

Argentina<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bulgaria<\/strong><\/p>\n

Netherlands<\/strong><\/p>\n

Belgium<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yemen<\/strong><\/p>\n

Israel<\/strong><\/p>\n

England<\/strong><\/p>\n

China<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thailand<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hong Kong<\/strong><\/p>\n

Austria<\/strong><\/p>\n

France<\/strong><\/p>\n

Greece<\/strong><\/p>\n

Spain<\/strong><\/p>\n

Japan<\/strong><\/p>\n

Portugal<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brazil<\/strong><\/p>\n

Switzerland<\/strong><\/p>\n

Czech Republic<\/strong><\/p>\n

Slovenia<\/strong><\/p>\n

Croatia<\/strong><\/p>\n

Australia<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finland<\/strong><\/p>\n

South Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mexico<\/strong><\/p>\n

South Korea<\/strong><\/p>\n

Iran<\/strong><\/p>\n

Poland<\/strong><\/p>\n

Latvia<\/strong><\/p>\n

Estonia<\/strong><\/p>\n

Malaysia<\/strong><\/p>\n

Serbia<\/strong><\/p>\n

Puerto Rico<\/strong><\/p>\n

Canada<\/strong><\/p>\n

New Zealand<\/strong><\/p>\n

Malta<\/strong><\/p>\n

England<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ireland<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scotland<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wales<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just added 2\/26 ! Venezuela, Cambodia and Bulgaria!!!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Added on 2\/28 – Moldova and Pakistan!!!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Added 4\/4 Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Libya!!!
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

PPS – Make sure to fall by Iron Leg for some tracks by the late Doug Feiger’s first band.
\n
\n<\/strong><\/a>PPPS Make sure to hit up Funky16Corners on Facebook<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Funky16Corners Radio v.82 – Groovin’ at the Go Go Playlist Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes \u2013 Get Out (and Let Me Cry) (Landa) Pat Lewis \u2013 Look At What I Almost Missed (Solid Hit) Maurice and the Radiants \u2013 Baby You\u2019ve Got It (Chess) Broadways \u2013 You Just Don\u2019t Know (MGM) Four Larks \u2013 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20,15,24,35,18],"tags":[166,167,28,29,169,164],"class_list":["post-315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dj-gigs","category-funky16corners-radio","category-northern-soul","category-podcast","category-soul-45","tag-funky16corners","tag-funky16corners-radio","tag-live-gigs","tag-marvin-gaye","tag-northern-soul","tag-soul"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pMKgo-55","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=315"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5405,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315\/revisions\/5405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}