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By Larry, October 26, 2010 10:16 am

Weldon McDougal III

Listen/Download – The Twilights – Shipwreck

Listen/Download – The United Four – Go On

Listen/Download – Eddie Holman – Don’t Stop Now

Greetings all.

As promised, I have returned to continue our tribute to Weldon McDougal III and the Harthon sound. I was originally planning to take it through to the end of the week, but then I looked at the calendar and realized that I had to do some shuffling.

I’ll be posting the election-themed mix that I mentioned a little while back later this week (and it will stay posted until the middle of next week).

If you are one of the regular readers who doesn’t dig it when I down-shift (up-shift?) into political/rant mode, you might want to give this one a pass because it is – as they used to say in the days of raccoon coats and rumble seats – a doozy.

I will certainly return to the Harthon theme on the blog in the next few months, but I will devote the entirety of next weeks (11/5) Funky16Corners Radio Show on Viva internet radio to the Harthon sound, so make sure you fall by for that. It’ll be a good one.

That said, over the last few days I’ve been giving Weldon McDougal III’s legacy, at least as it applies to the records he helped to make while at Harthon, a great deal of thought.

There are times here when I have to catch myself, and remember that not everyone that stops by the Funky16Corners blog to soak up the soul is a collector, and might not be as interested in the historical minutiae as they are in just soaking their ears in some good music.

Taking that into consideration, it pays to remember that Harthon, as both a free standing label, as as a production entity that leased recordings to other labels, is almost completely unknown to most people, including a lot of soul fans.

This, in and of itself is not unusual, since most of what gets posted here fits the description of ‘obscure’, or at the very least under-appreciated.

I’m not deluded in believing that everything that is obscure is also good, or at least good enough for most people to dig. However, a lot of it is good, and often enough great, which is why Funky16Corners came about.

The more I dug for, listened to, and (where possible) read about soul music, the more I realized that it was quite literally a treasure trove, that once unearthed had to be passed on, record by record, so that it might live the life it deserved.

This isn’t the musical equivalent of ‘outsider art’ either. I have certainly known (and still know) people that collect music created on the technical or emotional fringe, but the sounds created by Weldon McDougal III, Luther Randolph and Johnny Stiles, and their many collaborators during the few years that Harthon was in operation meets, and often exceeds the definition of the word extraordinary.

That most of these records went largely unheard outside of the Philadelphia area when they were first released is a painful truth, but diminishes their quality not a whit. The fact that many of these records are as good, or in some cases far better than what hit the charts at the time is both mind boggling and infuriating, bringing us all back to the starting point where I have to dip back into the crates and share what I have with the folks that read the blog.

Now, it bears mentioning that not everyone was ignorant of Harthon. The devoted people of the Northern Soul scene in the UK consider Harthon to be one of the truly great soul labels of the 60s, to the point where there was a fairly brisk trade in bootleg repressings of the label’s best and often rarest productions.

If not for the soulies and their enthusiasm I might never have heard so many of the records that I searched diligently for, and now consider to be the prizes of my collection.

But outside of that scene, the stark reality is that Harthon records, in the tangible 45RPM form, are extremely hard to come by.

Take a stroll over to Popsike.com and plug in Harthon as a search term, and after the realization that these records are often expensive (though not in the multi-thousand dollar way that so many Northern Soul sides are), they don’t seem to be that many of them changing hands.

This is probably due to a combination of actual scarcity, and that once obtained, these records rarely re-enter the marketplace. That, and the fact that I’ve never seen a complete Harthon discography compiled anywhere has made it difficult to track these records down.

The selections I’m featuring today are all from the ballad side of the label.

The first of these is a 45 I picked up near the beginning of my interest in Philly soul which I only associated with Harthon a few years later. That it is also one of the most unusual soul records I own makes it all the more intriguing.

I’ve never been able to track down any information on the Twilights. They recorded two 45s for Harthon, one released on the label, and the other (today’s selection) on Parkway. ‘Shipwreck’ is a deeply atmospheric record that sounds like a darker ‘answer’ to records like ‘What Time Is It’ by the Jive Five.

It’s taken at a slow pace (almost plodding), with a funereal horn chart (which sounds like it’s playing at too slow a speed), and a weird sound effect that sounds like someone is striking the reverb chamber (or a steel drum) in the studio. It’s a hypnotic tune, but just as you’re absorbed into the sound, the lead vocalist quite literally starts screaming. I don’t mean soul shouting either, but rather screaming of the padded cell variety. It’s both unsettling and provocative, making me want to track down Luther Randolph – who is credited with the arrangement – and asking him what was up.

The second of today’s records is ‘Go On’ by the United Four, the flipside of the Northern fave ‘She’s Putting You On’. If ever a record predicted the sweet ballad sound that would come to be associated with Philadephia a few years later, this is it. The lead vocal is delivered in a dramatic falsetto, with harmony assistance from the rest of the group. The power of the vocals is juxtaposed with a fairly austere instrumental base, with drums, organ, spare guitar and glockenspiel accents. The song is co-written by Vivian McDougal (Weldon’s wife), as is the flip.

The last tune today is a fantastic b-side by the man who was in many ways Harthon’s brightest star, Mr. Eddie Holman. Taking into consideration his work as performer and songwriter, Holman is almost elevated to an equal spoke in the Harthon wheel.

‘Don’t Stop Now’, the flipside to ‘Eddie’s My Name’ showcases the falsetto that would bring Holman acclaim a few years later with ‘Hey There Lonely Girl’, and a wonderful, stylish arrangement with strings, unusual guitar accents and woodwinds. Written, like so many of his Harthon-related sides, by Holman and James Solomon, and with production credited as ‘A Harthon Production by Randolph, Stiles, McDougal’, ‘Don’t Stop Now’ didn’t make a dent upon its original release in 1966, but charted for Holman when he rerecorded it for ABC in 1970.

I hope you dig the sounds.

I’ll see you on Friday.

Peace

Larry

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg

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By Larry, October 24, 2010 3:55 pm

Weldon McDougal III

Luther Randolph & Johnny Stiles

Listen/Download – Four Larks – Groovin’ at the Go Go

Listen/Download – Cooperettes – Shingaling

Listen/Download – Lee Garrett – I Can’t Break the Habit

Listen/Download – Bernard Williams and the Blue Notes – It’s Needless to Say

Listen/Download – Volcanos – It’s Gotta Be a False Alarm

Listen/Download – Eddie Holman – Stay Mine for Heaven’s Sake

Listen/Download – Eddie Holman – Eddie’s My Name

Listen/Download – Eddie Holman – I’ll Cry 1,000 Tears

Greetings all.

I hope all is well on your end.

Over the weekend I found out via Colin Dilnot of In Dangerous Rhythm that the legendary producer, performer, songwriter and promoter Weldon McDougal III had passed away.

If the name isn’t familiar, the music he helped create in Philadelphia during the 1960s should be.

McDougal was one of the co-founders (with Luther Randolph and Johnny Stiles) of the legendary Harthon production house.

In addition to the Harthon label, home to many brilliant (and rare) soul 45s, they created, and farmed out to a number of other labels, many equally excellent sides.

If memory serves, I first became aware of Harthon via an old comp of their best stuff (issued and unissued) that turned me on to a wide variety of records that I would hunt breathlessly for the next decade.

The tough thing is, for all the undeniable greatness of the records that McDougal made with Harthon, very little has been published about the label’s history.

Randolph (an organist) and Stiles (sometimes listed as ‘Styles’, guitar) had worked in and around Philadelphia before joining together and recording what would be the first Harthon 45s (one being released on Cameo).

They eventually joined up with McDougal, who was performing with his group the Larks (no relation to the Don Julian group on the West Coast) and the Harthon powerhouse was soon up to full speed.

They eventually brought local group Jo-Ann Jackson and the Dreams into the studio and recorded ‘Georgie Porgie’ (no doubt aimed at garnering airplay from local radio giant Georgie Woods), the first 45 on the label that wasn’t a Randolph/Styles instrumental.

In Tony Cummings rare – and indispensable – tome The Sound of Philadelphia (the source for most of what I know about the partnership), Stiles was quoted as to the source of the Harthon sound:

“The sound we were trying to get was that Motown sound. The Detroit thing was what was happening so we just tried to get as near to it as we could. Our things were done in a small time kinda studio but we got the sound we wanted.”

Stiles was basically getting to the root of the Northern Soul equation, i.e. reaching back to the Motor City and trying to recreate/expand on the sound in places like Philadelphia, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.

The music that McDougal, Randolph and Stiles would create over the next few years, with the help of the famed Philly rhythm section (Bobby Eli, Norman Harris, Earl Young, Ronnie Baker), writers and producers like Thom Bell, Eddie Holman and many others, created a number of records that are worshiped to this day on the Northern scene, and have also become some of my favorites, making Harthon my all-time favorite soul label.

Over the years I’ve been tracking down Harthon records (It was years before I scored an OG with the famous black and orange logo see above) I ended up following all kinds of leads and discovering a number of things I hadn’t expected.

The tunes I’m featuring today – I’ll be posting Harthon stuff all week – are in many ways the cream of the Harthon crop (at least to my ears) all bearing the marks of the label’s sound, i.e. solid, hook-laden songwriting, sparkling production and most important of all, fantastic singers.

The first of these is what is probably the best known of all Harthon productions, the Four Larks (McDougal’s group with a ‘Four’ added to distinguish them with the LA group) ‘Groovin’ at the Go Go. Written and arranged by Thom Bell, ‘Groovin’ at the Go Go’ is a record that I chased for a long time, often being outbid (when it showed up for auction) and bemoaning my failure to procure it – in this very space – often.

Then, in what must surely be one of the great moments of vinyl related altruism, a reader found a copy and sent it to me, gratis.

Needless to say my mind was good and truly blown (this is not a cheap record) and the 45 has held a place of honor in my record box ever since then.

Leased to the Capitol Records subsidiary Tower, ‘Groovin’ at the Go Go’ is one of those records that in a just world would have been a huge hit.

The record featured Irma Jackson on lead vocals, and has a great repeated riff played on piano and vibes, backed by a throbbing bass and drums, as well as wonderful, atmospheric backing vocals and a horn chart that won’t quit.

I don’t know much about the Cooperettes other than the music I’ve heard on their Brunswick and ABC 45s. They were a Philly-based girl group, and their ‘Shingaling’ is an absolutely stunning Northern-styled pounder. This track would later be recycled as the unreleased (but heavily bootlegged) ‘You Need Love’ by Irma and the Fascinators. I’ll post a recording of my bootleg 45 later this week.

The next two cuts were also lifted from bootleg 45s (there was a brisk trade in bootlegs on the Northern Soul scene in the 70s) , and are among the finest things to come out of Harthon (if only I’d been able to score original copies, but alas…).

The first is by Lee Garrett, who would later move to Detroit, recording his own records as well as co-writing the Spinners hit ‘It’s a Shame’. ‘I Can’t Break the Habit’ is a killer with a great vocal by Garrett and a very cool piano interlude in the second half of the record.

The other bootleg-sourced cut is in my Top 3 Harthon sides, Bernard Williams and the Blue Notes ‘It’s Needless To Say’. I know I’m repeating myself, but this record really, REALLY should have been a hit. It has it all, great songwriting, performance, production and arrangement. This is the group that was formed when the original Blue Notes split up, with Williams forming his group and Harold Melvin forming the other.

The next cut is the A-side from one of the two 45s the mighty Volcanos recorded during their brief sojourn with Harthon. Aside from a typically solid lead vocal by Gene Faith, the record features a pounding instrumental backing, which would later be bootlegged in the UK with the vocals stripped off (credited to the Body Motions). I’ve never been able to nail down the chronology of the Volcanos time with Harthon, but a number of clues (including the funkier b-sides on the 45s) lead me to believe that they were recorded after the group’s Arctic period but before the sides released on Virtue, which are basically Gene Faith solo records (the remainder of the group moving on to record as the Moods and the Trammps).

Eddie Holman

The last three cuts are two of the finest soul sides produced by any label, let alone Harthon.

If you mention the name Eddie Holman to most people, the record that comes to mind is ‘Hey There Lonely Girl’ the Ruby and the Romantics* cover that Holman took into the Top 10 in 1970. However, one of my earliest Philly soul related obsessions was tracking down and reveling in the spectacular nature of the 45s that Holman recorded with Harthon for Cameo/Parkway and Bell during the mid-60s.

Often working with his writing partner James Solomon, Holman, possessor of one of the mightiest singing voices ever committed to vinyl, recorded several remarkable 45s that were largely ignored by radio. Aside from 1966s ‘This Can’t Be True’ (to be posted later this week) Holman was absent from the Top 40 until he hit with ‘Lonely Girl’.

The first of these is ‘Stay Mine for Heaven’s Sake’. Written by Holman and Solomon, and arranged by Luther Randolph, ‘Stay Mine…’ is yet another record that seemingly had every prerequisite for chart success, pop hooks, solid arrangement and above all Holman’s voice.

The second of the Holman sides featured today is the Northern Soul favorite (and a record I’m proud to say I scored digging within the Philadelphia city limits) ‘Eddie’s My Name’. Propelled by a speedy dancers beat, handclaps and sharp snare drum shots, ‘Eddie’s My Name’, with production credited to ‘Randolph, Stiles and McDougal’ is a big fave with the soulies and has been comped a bunch of times.

The final record for today is Holman’s epic ballad performance ‘I’ll Cry 1,000 Tears’. Released on the Bell label, this is the Eddie Holman 45 that eluded me the longest. With a melody that occasionally touches on Jimmy Ruffin’s ‘What Becomes of the Broken Hearted’, ‘I’ll Cry…’ is really Holman’s vocal tour de force. The chorus sees him soaring to almost operatic heights against an amazing arrangement. This was his last 45 with Harthon (in 1968), before moving to ABC.

The end of Holman’s tenure with Harthon coincided with the end of the partnership. McDougal would leave Philadelphia to go work in promotions for Motown, where he stayed until returning to Philly in 1972 to work with Gamble and Huff at Philly International.

The news of McDougal’s unfortunate passing led me back into the crates where I dug out a couple of Harthon rarities, which I’ll be posting later in the week.

I hope you dig the sounds.

Peace

Larry

*Originally recorded as ‘Hey There Lonely Boy’

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By Larry, October 21, 2010 9:31 am

Byron Lee

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

Greetings all.

The end of a very busy week is here, and so is some music.

I have to start things out with the news that after about three and a half years of posts, my other blog, Iron Leg is going on hiatus.

I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, and an increasingly busy schedule and the resulting lack of free time finally forced my hand.

I say hiatus – as opposed to a complete shutdown – because I’d like to get it going again some time in the future, but right now, for my own sanity, and for the quality of the blogs, I’m going to take a break.

Funky16Corners, and the Funky16Corners Radio Show are in no danger and will continue on as scheduled.

That said, make sure to tune in this Friday at 9PM over at Viva Radio for this weeks show, which features a tribute to the late, great Solomon Burke.

I’d also like to say thanks (again) to Sean Rowley on the BBC for giving Funky16Corners props on his Joy of Music radio show. I’ve added him to the blogroll, so make sure you take a listen.

All of that out of the way, let’s get to today’s selection.

Byron Lee and the Dragonaires have been featured in this space a few times in the past.

Lee was a producer and bandleader who recorded in a wide variety of island styles, releasing a huge stack of LPs. Many (most) of these were fairly middle of the road affairs aimed at folks flying into Jamaica for rum drinks and suntans, but every once in a while, Byron and his band hit the nail right on its soulful head.

One such example is the track I bring you today, ‘Who Done It’.

Does the title sound familiar?

If so, then the song itself will ring and even bigger bell, since although it’s credited to Jackie Mittoo (and the spelling of the title has been altered), this is clearly a cover of Monk Higgins and the Specialties 1966 R&B Top 40 hit ‘Who Dun It’ (originally released on Chicago’s St. Lawrence label).

While Mittoo had already covered the song on the Coxsone label (where the song is credited to Coxsone Dodd) it’s entirely possible that Lee was unaware of the song’s origins.

Jamaican music of the 60s and 70s is filled with adaptations of American R&B, soul and funk, some presented as a straight cover version, others altered ever so slightly and yet others providing little more than what might be considered a sample in today’s more technologically advanced world.

Lee’s version of ‘Who Done It’ strips away the saxophone that leads the original and appears on the Mittoo version, putting a chicken scratch guitar and organ in its place.

I have no idea who’s playing the organ on this one. If any of you know, please drop me a line.

The result is a great bit of soulful, ever so slightly funky reggae.

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

Peace

Larry

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg

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By Larry, October 19, 2010 1:27 pm

The lovely Miss Mary Wells

Listen/Download – Mary Wells – Can’t You See (You’re Losing Me)

Greetings all.

Once again I’m neck deep in a busy week, but what better time for an invigorating and restorative shot of soul?

Like anyone who tuned into an oldies station in the 1970s (or 80s, 90s or 00s) Motown looms large.

Unfortunately – and I’ve spoken on this issue at length in the past – what you basically get in that format is the same dozen of so songs by the label’s biggest artists, repeated ad infinitum to the point of nausea.

It was just such a situation that turned me off to the wonders of Motown for a long time, until many years later, when the sounds of Northern Soul came into my life.

Though the phrase Northern Soul, used as a descriptive can be unbelievably wide-ranging, were you to approach it from the broadest possible angle, what you’re hearing is musicians and singers, in and out of Detroit making an effort to duplicate the soul sounds coming out of that city, in and out of Motown (and I say in and out because so many Motor City records on other labels were played by the same general group of musicians creating the magic for Berry Gordy).

One of those oft-repeated songs was ‘My Guy’ by Mary Wells. A big hit in the Spring of 1964, that song cemented Mary Wells in the minds of a generation (and beyond).

What a lot of folks don’t know, is that Wells left Motown soon after, and spent the rest of the decade bouncing to 20th Century Fox, Atco and Jubilee, making a few minor dents in the charts but nothing like her time at Motown.

Despite that fact, she continued to make great music, including today’s track, recorded in 1966 for Atco.

I first heard this tune via my man Agent 45, who had picked it up on a mispressed/labeled 45. When I heard ‘Cant’ You See (You’re Losing Me)’ I flipped my wig.

What a fucking stormer!

Not only is the song a bit of Northern Soul genius (that honking baritone sax is the shit!), with a powerful, propulsive dancer’s beat, but the song itself is a killer.

Written by none other than Barrett Strong (another tie back to Motown), and recorded in Chicago with a brilliant arrangement by Sonny Sanders, another former Detroiter who had worked on a number of classics at the Golden World label, ‘Can’t You See (You’re Losing Me)’ is yet another example of a record that should have been a huge hit, yet only finds its reward in the hearts of soulies decades on.

‘Can’t You See (You’re Losing Me)’ has since become a staple of my Northern Soul box, and always brings someone up to the decks to see what’s playing.

Love, love, love this record.

I hope you do too,

Peace

Larry

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg for some proto-powerpop

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By Larry, October 17, 2010 1:56 pm

General Johnson.

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

Greetings all.

I hope everyone had a stellar weekend.

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

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

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

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

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

Originally Posted 4/2006

“So, anyway, how’s about some music?

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

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

No such luck.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peace

Larry

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg for some proto-powerpop

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By Larry, October 14, 2010 1:48 pm

Pete and band, looking el snappy in those blue suits.

Listen/Download – Pete Rodriguez – I Like It Like That

Greetings all.

I have returned.
This week has been a downer, with the passing of Brother Burke, as well as a wide variety of irritants.

The real challenge in life today is to remain positive in the face of a seemingly relentless wave of crap, coming at you either directly or indirectly.

The groovy things is – a ray of sunshine and all – is that once in a great while something manages to tunnel through the shitstorm, steady the ship and deliver a welcome message.

This week that message came in the form of props (for the blog and the radio show) from BBC DJ Sean Rowley and his show the Joy of Music. It’s always a groove when someone steps forward to say that they “get” what’s going on here (as many of you have done in the past, and I say thank you once again). If you get the chance check out Mr. Rowley’s show, either streaming live or via archive. He’s got a very solid musical sensibility (rock, pop and soul).

The tune I bring you today is engineered (and guaranteed) to get you up out of your seat and onto the floor, where you will promptly forget (as I have) whatever it is that is presently afflicting you, bringing elation and opening the gate onto a weekend you can be proud of.

I have gone on record many times about my deep and abiding love for Latin soul, especially funk and boogaloo, and today’s selection is a stellar example of the latter.

The only reason I didn’t bring it to you sooner was the fact that my copy is – how do they say – a little crackly (crackley??) and I needed to apply my limited technical skills to the task of reducing the extraneous noise before I posted it. I cannot say that I was 100% successful, but this record is so powerful, so joyous and so boogaloo-tastic (Boricua-delic???), that I think you will soon forget the Rice Krispie-esque emanations and step to it.

The tune in question is brought to you by Pete Rodriguez, and is entitled ‘I Like It Like That (a Mi Me Gusta Asi)’ and is as solid a slice of Spanish Harlem party starter as has ever been committed to wax.

The tune was written by Manny Rodriguez and Pete’s trumpeter Tony Pabon and released on the 1967 LP of the same name.

If the tune sounds at all familiar it’s because a 1994 reworking of the song by the Blackout All Stars, which was then used in an ad campaign by Burger King. Sadly, the King and his minions have never produced anything as delicious or caliente as this number.

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

But first….In other interesting, Funky16Corners-related news, don’t forget to tune in to this week’s Funky16Corners Radio Show, Friday night at 9PM at Viva Radio. If you dig what’s happening here, you’ll probably like what it does to your ears.

Peace

Larry

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg for some proto-powerpop

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By Larry, October 10, 2010 12:32 pm

The Mighty Brother Solomon Burke 1940 – 2010

Listen/Download – Solomon Burke – Keep Looking

Listen/Download – The Soul Clan – Soul Meeting

Listen/Download – Solomon Burke – Proud Mary

Listen/Download – Solomon Burke – Uptight Good Woman

Listen/Download – Solomon Burke – These Arms of Mine

Listen/Download – Solomon Burke – Generation of Revelations

Listen/Download – Betty Harris – Cry To Me

Listen/Download – Wilson Pickett – Everybody Needs Somebody To Love

NOTE: Though a few of these tracks have appeared on the blog in the , these were all freshly recorded this morning, so hopefully the sound is a little better.

Greetings all.
I come to you this fine, crisp fall day with a suddenly heavy heart.

I rolled out of bed this morning, and as I usually do, grabbed the old smart phone and checked my e-mail.
There, hanging in my inbox was a message that one of the greatest soul singers of the classic era had passed on into the great hearafter.

I’m talking about Brother Solomon Burke, you all know him dontcha???

Man, what a kick in the ass.

Burke was still recording and performing at the age of 70, and since he was a presence on Facebook, I got to see his comings and goings, and sadly this morning, word of his death.

No matter what I had planned for this week, as soon as the news sunk in, I did exactly what I did when I heard about Wilson Pickett’s passing, I dove directly into the crates to pull out some examples of Burke’s greatness that I might pass on to you all in commemoration of his life and music.

But then I was faced with a huge problem, that being thousands of largely unsorted 45s.
I knew exactly what I was looking for, but no idea where it was.

I was certain that the records in question were in the Funky16Corners Record Vault….somewhere. Some of them are among my all-time favorites, and I was sure that I wouldn’t have parted ways with them, but they were buried deep, deep in the vinyl cavern of my record room.

I went through box, after box, and it was almost as if the spirit of Brother Solomon was standing over my shoulder, nodding with a raised eyebrow as if to say,

“You haven’t given me the respect I deserve, son.”

And he’d be right.

I first heard Solomon Burke by virtue of the aforementioned Wicked Pickett, who’s anthemic version of ‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Love’ led me to the source.

When I picked up a budget Atlantic Records Best of LP, probably at the old Tower Records in NYC, sometime in the early 80s, I was a bit taken aback by what I heard.

Where Pickett took ‘Everybody…’ and laid into it like a house on fire, there was Burke, with a voice like the worn velvet seat of a church pew, mixing gospel, R&B and country in a sound that I was not yet accustomed to hearing.

It was the country that surprised me the most. My ears were still young and unseasoned, and I had yet to discover for myself the cross pollination between country and soul that was one of the great musical innovations of the 60s.

‘Just Out of Reach (Of My Empty Arms)’, one of Burkes first hits,  was in fact a popular country song, having been recorded by Patsy Cline and Faron Young among others. Burke’s stylistic crossover was every bit as vital, if not as well known as Ray Charles’ efforts from around the same time.

Not long after that, I filed Solomon Burke away on the shelf with other artists acknowledged as seminal, yet not a big part of my listening.

That was until a few years later when, in the midst of the garage/mod revival I encountered a recording by a UK R&B group called the Artwoods called ‘Keep Looking’. I fell in love with this record (as did most of my contemporaries, with the Artwoods reissue comp being required listening), and was blown away when I found out that it was a cover of a record by none other than Solomon Burke.

When I finally tracked down a copy of the original 45 I was blown away.

Where the gospel influence on soul music is a given, with many of the greats having started out in the amen corner, Solomon Burke was the real thing times ten.

He was a child preacher in his family’s church in Philadelphia, as well as hosting his own gospel radio show.

‘Keep Looking’, in addition to being one of the greatest of all mod soul 45s, is also a brilliant flip of the sacred to the secular, with Burke quite literally preaching, delivering a message that wasn’t that far removed from something he might have done in church.

Burke’s intro…

I’m so happy to be here today
And for all of you who are searching for the answers to your problems in life
If you’re ready right now, we’re gonna solve’em
And this is alllllll you got to do….

Burke’s original version of ‘Keep Looking’ was no less than a revelation. It was a remarkable, life affirming, soul storming, dance floor bit of genius and while treasured by the soulies, ought to be much better known, i.e. an accepted 60s soul classic.

Another big fave of mine is the 1966 45 by the Soul Clan, i.e. Burke, Don Covay, Joe Tex, Arthur Conley and Ben E. King. The song ‘Soul Meeting’ is three and a half minutes of soul brilliance, with every member of the esteemed group delivering as if their lives depended on it.

In the late 60s Burke left Atlantic and moved on to the Bell label where he went down to Muscle Shoals and recorded one of the greatest albums of his career, ‘Proud Mary’. Backed by the famed Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, Burke settled into a deep soul groove, scoring a hit with the title tune, as well as covering a couple of Dan Penn classics (including ‘Uptight Good Woman’), and a deeply felt reading of Otis Redding’s ‘These Arms of Mine’. It’s a great album, and I recommend it highly.
The 1969 single ‘Generation of Revelations’ is another great one from the same period with Burke once again building a timely statement on a gospel foundation.

I’ve also included two covers of Burke classics that are worth hearing on their own, as well as an indicator of his influence.

The first is Betty Harris’ first hit, her 1963 cover of Burke’s classic ‘Cry To Me’, taken at a slow, sultry pace. It’s a great showcase for Harris’ mighty voice, and recasts the song with a slightly deeper R&B edge. While it was not written by Burke, it is most certainly “his” song.

The second is probably one of the five or ten greatest soul records ever made, that being the aforementioned Wilson Pickett recording of ‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Love’. That this record is positively epic in every possible sense of the word almost goes without saying.

So why am I saying it?

Because one cannot approach a record like this without paying due tribute.

‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Love’ is soul music gone to church, left church to go to a party and back again. It’s lyrics are beautiful, simple and above all true, and when Pickett stepped onto the launching pad and lit up his rockets (taking the song at a pace about five times as fast) the very first thing he did was give props to brother Solomon Burke.

I have it playing in the background while I write this and I’ve already had to stop twice to wipe the tears from my eyes, but what I have to tell you brothers and sisters is that these are not tears of sadness because Brother Burke is not with us anymore, but tears of joy that come to me almost every time I hear this song because it is without question, and in every way, perfect.

In the years before I met my wife, and we had our kids, and I was all but alone in the wilderness of life it was records like this that kept my spirit lifted, and filled me with the passion that is always there with me whenever I post to the blog, or more importantly enter a DJ booth with my records to spread the love.

Without Solomon Burke, and Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett, and Howard Tate, and James Carr, and Sam and Dave and Eldridge Holmes and Diamond Joe and any number of brilliant soul singers none of this would be possible.

I leave you today with the thought that while I am not a religious man, whenever I put on a soul record I am filled with the spirit, and Solomon Burke is a part of that.

Everybody does need somebody to love.

Go in peace Solomon.

Peace

Larry

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg for some proto-powerpop

Comments (7)

By Larry, October 9, 2010 12:49 pm

John…

and Antoine…

Listen/Download – Fats Domino – Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey

Greetings all.

This is a previously unplanned post, but that’s just the way we roll here, since one must allow themselves to be guided by inspirado, or something like that.

This weekend marks what would have been the 70th birthday of John Lennon.

I have gone into my deep and abiding love for the Beatles in this space before (and over at Iron Leg), but something I haven’t discussed is my growing ambivalence about Mr. Lennon.

I would not have discussed it at all were I not spurred on to introspection about this specific subject by various and sundry celebrations of the aforementioned occasion in every conceivable nook and cranny of the media, but especially the postings of my many Facebook friends, many of whom have exceptional taste in music.

The Beatles were the first music that I truly loved and connected with, and for a few years in the time when I was passing from childhood into adolescence they were pretty much all I listened to with any regularity (other than the jazz and classical music that was played by my father).

The walls of my room were plastered with clippings about the Beatles that I had collected from newspapers and magazines, as well as posters and ephemera like the inserts from the ‘Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band’ album.

This is all said only to indicate that the Beatles – as musicians, cultural avatars and people – and the music they made meant, and mean a great deal to me.

However, over the many, many years (I turned 48 this year) I have read a great deal about them, their impact on the culture and the way they created their records, and my impressions of the four Beatles have evolved considerably for a wide variety of reasons.

Back when I was younger, obsessed with rock’n’roll and with all the signifiers of “authenticity” that go along with it when you’re young and full of a wide variety of things, from beans, to piss and vinegar, and what in retrospect – if you’re being honest – something that is clearly shit, I followed the script that said that McCartney was the sellout, Lennon the rebel, Ringo the good natured post-Fabs hitmaker and Harrison the incorruptible mystic.

This had a lot to do with my brain being young, soft and unable (or unwilling) to process anything more complex than a handful of cliches.

That said, as I aged, and read more, I came to understand that the Beatles were much more complex and human that I was willing to allow them to be when I first fell in love with them and the wondrous sounds that they made.

Unfortunately, this evolution softened my appraisal of McCartney (no mean feat) and poked a number of holes in how I saw Lennon.

I’ll let you read up on your own, but I came to the end of this long reappraisal not liking John Lennon all that much.

What I’ve come to discover over the last few weeks of thought and discussion is that this is ultimately my own problem, and should be rightfully separated from his music.

That and the fact that while he wasn’t a saint, he wasn’t a complete asshole either.

John Lennon was a human being, just like the rest of us.

A prodigiously talented (and flawed) human being, but a human being nonetheless, who was never comfortable with the idolatry of many of his fans, and at the end of the day, he was also a Beatle, and responsible for some of the finest music of the last half of the previous century.

And when I say music, I don’t mean the Beatles recordings exclusively, but also their songs as interpreted by others.

Funky16Corners, while always a kind of free-flowing deal – as far as musical style goes – has always found it’s way back to a focus on funk, soul and jazz, and it was by way of that short list that I’ve paid my own sort of tribute to the Beatles and their music over the last five years.

I did so by compiling six mixes (se below) of funk, soul and jazz Beatles covers (one’s a shorter one, but I like it anyway), all of which I’ve pulled out of the Podcast Archive to repost today.

I’ve also included a cover of ‘Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey’ that I picked up after all of these mixes were assembled.

The version here is by the mighty Fats Domino. It was recorded in 1970 (I picked it up on an old Warner/Reprise sampler) and John Lennon was reportedly pleased to have one of his songs covered by one of his own idols.

Fats does a very nice version of the song, which is groovy, and brings things full circle since he was the stylistic inspiration for ‘Lady Madonna’.

I hope you dig it, and that – have you not already partaken (partooken???) that you dig into these mixes.

The day when Lennon would have turned 70 (!?!?) is a big deal, and since we only have two Beatles left, it’s worth celebrating.

There’s lots of groovy stuff.

See you later.

Peace

Larry

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Funky16Corners Radio v.28 – Rubber Souled Pt1

Funky16Corners Radio v.28 – Rubber Souled Pt1

Playlist
Billy Preston – Eight Days a Week (Exodus)
Music Company – TheWord (Mirwood)
Bunny Sigler – Yesterday (Parkway)
Stevie Wonder – We Can Work It Out (Tamla)
Vontastics – Day Tripper (St Lawrence)
Chris Clark – Got To Get You Into My Life (Motown)
El Chicano – Eleanor Rigby (Kapp)
Junior Parker – Tomorrow Never Knows (Capitol)
Bill Cosby – Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (WB)
Soulful Strings – Within You Without You (Cadet)
Bud Shank – I Am the Walrus (World Pacific)
Soulful Strings – Hello Goodbye (Cadet)
Soulful Strings – The Inner Light (Cadet)

Listen/ Download 37MB Mixed MP3
Download 37MB Zip File

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Funky16Corners Radio v.29 – Rubber Souled Pt2

Playlist
Ramsey Lewis – Mother Natures Son (Cadet)
Bobby Bryant – Happiness Is a Warm Gun (Pacific Jazz)
Orchestra Harlow – Larry’s Complaint (Me & My Monkey) (Fania)
Ramsey Lewis – Back In the USSR (Cadet)
Chubby Checker – Back In the USSR (Buddah)
Groove Holmes & Ernie Watts – Come Together (Pacific Jazz)
Jazz Crusaders – Golden Slumbers (Chisa)
Gene Ammons – Something (Prestige)
Ike & Tina Turner – Get Back (UA)
Shirley Scott – Get Back (Atlantic)
Mohawks – Let It Be (Supreme)

Listen/ Download 37.5MB Mixed MP3
Download 37.5MB Zip File

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Funky16Corners Radio v.30 – Rubber Souled Pt3

Playlist
Overton Berry Trio – Hey Jude (Jaro)
Freddy McCoy – Hey Jude (Cobblestone)
Jimmy Caravan – Hey Jude (Vault)
Clarence Wheeler & the Enforcers – Hey Jude (Atlantic)
Fabulous Counts – Hey Jude (Cotillion)
Wilson Pickett – Hey Jude (Atlantic)

Listen/ Download 25MB Mixed MP3
Download 25MB Zip File

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Funky16Corners Radio v.54 – Come Together

Funky16Corners Radio v.54 – Come Together

Playlist

Funky16Corners Radio v.74 – Day Tripping

Comments (2)

By Larry, October 7, 2010 5:11 pm

Richard Marks

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

Greetings all.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I’m gonna go get some snoozeration….

Peace

Larry

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg for some proto-powerpop

Comments (1)

By Larry, October 3, 2010 2:15 pm

Tarik Thornton Hip Drop Set List

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

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

Tarik Thornton on the decks….

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

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

Justin ‘Rambo’ Salinas and Joe Cristando

Greetings all.

I hope you’re all well.

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

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

Of what do I speak?

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

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

What does this mean to you?

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

Very groovy indeed!

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

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

– Tarik Thornton

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

Peace

Larry

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

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

Comments (2)

By Larry, September 30, 2010 3:04 pm

Ekseption and their shiny silver sleeve…

Listen/Download – Ekseption – Ritual Fire Dance

Greetings all.

Please allow me to begin by making a simple statement of fact.

I am definitely getting too old for this shit.

Hooboy….

I piled myself and my records into the trusty Funky16Corners-mobile last Saturday morning, and set off (alone) for a whirlwind weekend of DJ-ing and digging in Washington, DC.

That was the easy part.

I had a grip of podcasts to keep me company on the trip and the drive down was uneventful (and quick). I rolled into the city by the early afternoon, meeting up with my buddy DJ Birdman and his lovely family (finally getting to meet Birdman Jr.!), followed by some digging (natch…whatup to Marshall and Mike) and then on to some delicious bar-b-que ribs.

That night Birdman and I did the late shift at Marvin where the crowd was predictably lively (with many predictable and unsuitable requests, but that’s how these things go). I recorded one of my sets (funk and disco), which I’ll be posting here sometime in the next few weeks.

The next morning, following an all too brief bit of sleep, we got up and rolled out to the DC Record Fair, where Birdman (and some other DC heads, whatup Neal and Nightkrawler) were running the show and had to get things set up. The U Street Music Hall was a very nice space, and the Record Fair produced some stellar results which will see the light of day well into the next year (or two) here on the blog.

I spun a set of uptempo Northern Soul at the Fair, which I did not record (left the recorder in the car…), but if you want a taste go back to the Northern set I did at Master Groove earlier this year (Funky16Corners Radio v.82 Groovin’ at the Go Go) which repeats about half of what I played on Sunday and you’ll get the idea. I’ll whip up an all-new Northern mix sometime in the not too distant future.

The folks at the Record Fair were very cool, especially the old school soulie right in front of the DJ booth (perhaps the most luxurious DJ booth I’ve ever been in, I felt spoiled) who requested the Just Brothers ‘Sliced Tomatoes’ about ten seconds after I’d already cued it up (it was kismet I tell you!), and it was very cool to meet up with some old friends and make first-person contact with a couple of interwebs acquaintances.

I have to say that DC is always a chill scene, with cool people and tons of great records to be had. The thought of restricting my digs to the DC area crossed my mind, but then I remembered what a degenerate record collector I am and realized that just wasn’t going to happen.

I rolled out of the Record Fair about an hour after I finished my set with a HUGE stack of vinyl, including more than a few longtime want list items (on 45 and LP). The only bummer being that I don’t have any pics, since I didn’t bring my camera, instead relying on my new phone, which I still haven’t learned to operate properly, rendering the few pictures I took tiny, low-res and unusable.

As is always the case, Igot lost on my way out of DC. It wasn’t too bad, but by the time I hit Baltimore I also hit the wall. My tired old carcass is not used to being treated like it’s 25 again, and I ran out of steam, forcing a pit stop at Starbucks where I loaded up on coffee and food and hit the road once again.

Unfortunately, as easy as my ride down to DC was, my ride home was plagued with difficulty, including an insane traffic jam in northern Maryland (understaffed toll booth related) and then another jam up in NJ which forced me to alter my route and take a time consuming detour.

This all followed by the fact that I had yet another medical procedure scheduled for Tuesday morning, and I’m sitting here at the laptop just about ready to go into hibernation.

I have something cool in the cooker for Monday morning (just waiting for all the pieces to arrive in the in-box) and after that I’m not sure what I’ll do, since I now have so much to choose from (in addition to everything else aging in the oaken barrels in the vinyl cellar).

I figured I’d close out the week with something I’ve wanted to post for a while now. Even though I’d digi-ma-tized it weeks (months?) ago, when I went to post it I discovered that I had neglected to photograph the label, but – as is always the case – when I was pulling records for the DC trip I put aside a number of records similarly afflicted, and I bring it to you now, better late than never.

I first posted something by the Dutch prog band Ekseption way back in 2007 when I included their version of the soul jazz classic ‘This Here’ in Funky16Corners Radio v.32. Some time after that, while engaged in a little e-digging, I discovered a 45 of yet another of their classical pastiches (something they did a lot), this time a version of Manuel de Falla’s ‘Ritual Fire Dance’ from his 1915 ballet ‘El Amor Brujo’.

I posted a couple of other jazz-funk reworkings of classical pieces a while back (with Deodato and Woody Herman covering Strauss and Copland), and while I’m not likely to make it a regular feature here at the Corners, the Ekseption 45 is so groovy I would be remiss were I not to share it with you.

I have to admit that I was not familiar with de Falla’s original piece when I first heard it (check out Artur Rubinstein playing it here, for comparison), but after hearing it in its original setting, it’s safe to say that aside from some heavy drums and organ (and giving it that Euro-swinger je ne sais quois), Ekseption don’t really stray too far from the source.

I don’t think I’d be telling tales out of school were I to suggest that this particular gem might get some of your modder types out onto the floor, with a little bit of that au-go-go flavour.

In other news, don’t forget to tune in Friday night at 9PM for this week’s all-new edition of the Funky16Corners Radio Show on Viva internet radio. I assure you that the collection of funk, soul, jazz and rare groove that awaits you get your weekend off to a groovy start.

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

Peace

Larry

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg for some puh-sike-a-dellia….

Comments (8)

By Larry, September 26, 2010 5:46 pm

Funky16Corners Radio v.88 – Throbbing Organs

Playlist

You can check out this mix in the Funky16Corners Radio Podcast Archive

This is being prepared in advance of my excursion to Washington, so any reporting on that trip will have to wait until later in the week.

Hopefully it was a gas and I found lots of groovy records.

That said, it’s been a while since the last organ mix (a live mix, back in January), and I can’t go very long without a Hammond infusion, so I figured it was time.

This mix is all over the map, with some hard driving R&B, soul, funk and even a little bit of soul jazz, but since we’re talking about the universe of the Hammond organ, that’s kind of how these things swing.

A couple of these tracks have seen the light of day here on Funky16Corners individually (none recently), but since two slices of bacon is always better than one, and organ records are the soulful and delicious equivalent of bacon in the musical food pyramid, it couldn’t possibly hurt to hear them again.

Anyhoo… this week might be a little light, since I’m one hundred and eleventy seven percent that I will be returning from DC exhausted, and then I have a little surgical type thingy on Tuesday which is sure to knock me on my ass for a few days, but it’s one of those ‘gotta do it when you gotta do it’ deals, so there.

I hope you dig the mix, and I’m sure I’ll make it back onto the scene by the end of the week (if not sooner).

Peace

Larry

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PPS – Make sure to fall by Iron Leg for a new psyche mix!

PPPS Make sure to hit up Funky16Corners on Facebook