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By Larry, March 13, 2012 10:31 am

The Mighty Mighty Dells!

Listen/Download – The Dells – Windy City Soul

Greetings all.

I come to you mid-week with something funky from the mighty Dells.

As much as my Chi-town crates are populated with several Dells 45s (mostly spanning the 60s) I’m surprised (and a little embarrassed) by their lack of appearances in this space.

The Dells were formed in the early 50s and their line up remained almost completely unchanged for almost 50 years.

They made the charts more than 40 times between 1956 and 1984 and managed to hit twice with two different versions of their first hit ‘Oh What a Night’ in 1956 and 1969!

The Dells also managed to cross over into the Pop charts several times as well with cuts like the storming ‘There Is’.

The tune I bring you today hails from their 1972 LP ‘Sweet As Funk Can Be’ (dig that title!), coming from the latter part of their association with the Cadet label (they would move to Mercury in 1975).

‘Windy City Soul’ is a funky mover with contributions from all members of the group but marked by some hard edged soul shouting from the mighty Marvin Junior.

The album is a concept album of sorts with a stream of funkiness feel to it, including some quasi-spoken interludes between the tracks.

What is unusual and extra-groovy about this particular set is that is was almost all written by none other than Terry Callier and his writing partner Larry Wade,and the album was produced by the brilliant Charles Stepney.

If this sounds like a combination of talents guaranteed to please, you will not be disappointed. A couple of tracks from the album (though not today’s selection) made it into the R&B Top 40, but the album was not a big hit.

I hope you dig the track, and I’ll be back with more on Friday.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, March 11, 2012 11:40 am

The Trammps – Jimmy Ellis at left

Listen/Download The Trammps – Hold Back the Night
Listen/Download The Trammps – Scruboard (Inst)
Listen/Download The Trammps – Medley – Penguin at the Big Apple/Zing Went the Strings of My Heart
Listen/Download The Trammps -Penguin at the Big Apple (Inst)

Greetings all.

I heard late this week that Trammps lead singer Jimmy Ellis had passed away at the age of 74 after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s.

Though known to the general public mainly for their 1977 hit ‘Disco Inferno’ (which had the good fortune to be included on the Saturday Night Fever OST) hardcore soulies and Philly aficianados know that the Trammps legacy was much bigger than that.

It bears mentioning – especially here – that the Trammps had their roots in the Volcanos (of ‘Storm Warning’ fame) and through their multi-decade career included not only the exceptionally soulful voice of Jimmy Ellis, but the backing – instrumentally, songwriting and production – of some of the finest talent in Philadelphia.

The four tunes I bring you today hail from the Trammps 1975 LP ‘The Legendary Zing Album’.

A slightly deceptive bit of packaging – the ‘album’ was actually a compilation of earlier (circa 1972) tracks, remixes, instrumental dubs and new tracks – ‘The Legendary Zing Album’ is nonetheless remarkable.

First and foremost it highlights the Trammps as one of the more soulful acts associated with the disco era, i.e. heavy on actual songs/singing as opposed to injection molded/assembly line dance floor fodder. Though you don’t get a hell of a lot of vocals here, what you do get are outstanding.

Jimmy Ellis had one of those rare, perfect soul voices that combined a remarkable level of control that allowed him to swing effortlessly between moderation and soaring gospel-inflected shouts.

‘Hold Back the Night’ which was the Trammps’ first R&B Top 10 hit (also making into the Pop Top 40 and the Top 5 in the UK). Written by Norman Harris, Ronnie Baker, Earl Young and Allen Felder, ‘Hold Back the Night’ combines smooth, yet danceable soul with pop hooks. It has a certain pre-disco feel to it, and managed to get a fair amount of play on Northern Soul dance floors when it hit in the UK.

‘Scruboard’ (or ‘Scrub-Board’ as it was titled on its 1972 45 release) is actually the instrumental track that would later be used for ‘Hold Back the Night’. It first appeared as the B-side of the group’s version of ‘Sixty Minute Man’.

Though the Trammps had their first hit with their version of the old standard ‘Zing Went the Strings of My Heart’ in 1972, the medley of that song and its instrumental dub ‘Penguin at the Big Apple’ was a “new” assemblage created for the ‘Legendary Zing Album’ by none other than mix-meister Tom Moulton. It has a much more disco-friendly mix – approaching the five-minute mark – and you get to hear more of that fantastic rhythm guitar.

The Trammps run of hits came to a close in 1978, though they continued to perform (with and without Ellis) for many years.

I hope you dig the tracks, and that you raise a glass (or more appropriately, cut a rug) in memory of Jimmy Ellis.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, March 8, 2012 5:14 pm

Playlist

Jenny Misty – Nature Boy- Breakout
Earnest Jackson – Funky Blackman (Stone)
Bill Withers – Kissing My Love (Sussex)
Talmadge Armstrong – You’ve Got So Much Feeling (In Your Love) (Love Records)
Sir Wales Wallace- Whatever you Want (Innovations 2)
Big John Hamilton – Just Seeing You Again (Minaret)
Alex Williams & The Mustangs – Thrill Aint Gone ( Jewel)
Ernest Johnson – Old Man Blues (Steph and Lee)
Rickey Calloway – Paid My Dues Part. 1 (Super Records)
Fabulous Counts – Rhythm Changes (Westbound)
Jimmie (The Shiek) Green – Let Yourself Go (Stringer)
Stage Three- Don’t Ever Go Home (Zelia)
Wisdom – Nefertiti (Adelia)

Listen/Download -The Wiz – Mixed by Tarik Thornton – 48MB Mixed Mp3/160K

Greetings all.

The end of the week is here and I have a very special treat for you all.

But first – as is always the custom – I simply must remind you that the Funky16Corners Radio Show will be blowing up the intertubes this Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. Or, should you be unable to attend at the time of broadcast, you can always drop by this very spot to grab yourselves an MP3 of this (or any of the previous ninety-some) week’s show.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Also, I don’t usually do a whole ot of plugs here, but I got word that the BBC is doing an hour-long radio documentary on one of my all-time faves, the mighty Wilson Pickett, featuring interviews with folks like Bobby Womack, Steve Cropper, Bobby Eli, Willie Schofield, Eddie Floyd, Sir Mack Rice, Rick Hall, and Spooner Oldham and the whole thing is narrated by none other than Roger Daltrey.

It will be broadcast on BBC2 (for you good folks in the UK) on Monday March 12th at 10pm and will also be available on their listen again feature on their website for the following 7 days.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Now, back to the treats.

If you are a regular attendee of the festivities here at the Funky16Corners you will already be familiar with the mixing/digging prowess of my man Tarik Thornton.

Tarik has contributed to both of the previous Funky16Corners Soul Club Allnighters, as well as dropping one of his live sets from the Hip Drop.

Tarik is a very solid cat and it should go without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) that I hold his musical taste in high esteem.

The mix he brings us today is his latest excursion, this in a down-to-mid-tempo style, entitled ‘The Wiz’.

I’m always down to listen to any of Tarik’s mixes, but this one is extra groovy.

Despite my obvious love for hard charging bangers (funk and/or soul) I have a highly developed taste for the somewhat more laid back side of funk (see ‘Easy Mover’ just added to the Guest Mix Archive), in the “it doesn’t have to crack you over the head to bring the funk” school of thought.

That is the vibe of ‘The Wiz’ with some stuff straight out of the old school, some of slightly later – how the kids say “modern soul’ bag – and some very tasty breaks as well.

He doesn’t belabor the point either, bringing the whole thing in at around a tight 40 minutes.

Give this one a spin with the lights down low.

I know you’ll dig it.

See you on Monday.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (3)

By Larry, March 6, 2012 2:29 pm

Osibisa

Listen/Download – Osibisa – Ayiko Bia

Greetings all.

Welcome to another spectacular week in the world of vinyl.

The middle of the week is here, and like Simtec and Wylie, I’m just trying to get over the hump.

The tune I bring you today is something I featured a while back on the Funky16Corners Radio Show.

Osibisa is a band that I knew of (mainly via their albums covers, illustrated by Roger Dean*) long before I ever heard a note of their music.

When I finally came across their first album (the self-titled ‘Osibisa’ from 1971) I was already well into my funky years, so I grabbed it and took it home.

While I wouldn’t describe Osibisa as a purely funk band, they were undeniably funky.

Formed by Ghanian sax player Teddy Osei (who with several other members of the band had roots in the highlife band the Star Gazers, going back to the 1950s) in London in the later 60s, Osibisa featured members from Ghana, Nigeria, Antigua, Grenada and Trinidad.

They were a great example of the wide variety of sounds being blended by musicians who came to the UK from British colonies all around the world (see also, Cymande and countless reggae artists).

Osibisa blended African highlife, rock, jazz, soul and funk together to create a sound all their own.

The tune I bring you today, ‘Ayiko Bia’ brings together the native sounds of all the band’s members, sounding at times like Carribbean carnival transported to the streets of Africa (with a little US funk thrown into the stew for flavor).

Bassist Spartacus R deserves special mention.

‘Ayiko Bia’ was later sampled by the Jungle Brothers for their track ‘Good Newz Comin’.

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

Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you all on Friday.

Peace

Larry

*If you were a stoner, or an art student in the 70s (I got to be both!) Roger Dean was a god.

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (6)

By Larry, March 4, 2012 3:12 pm

Darrell Banks

Listen/Download – Darrell Banks – Open the Door To Your Heart

Greetings all.

Welcome to another spectacular week in the world of vinyl.

The tune I bring you today is one of those case studies in a record that I came around to, despite plenty of evidence, very, very late in the game.

It must be said in my defense, however, that this was wholly the fault of this record’s no less than spectacular b-side, one of my all time favorite soul tunes, Darrell Banks’ version of ‘Our Love Is In the Pocket’.

A song that I heard first (and fell in love with) via Amen Corner, and then picked up on Banks’ version on an old Northern Soul comp, ‘Our Love Is In the Pocket’ is one of those records that never, ever gets old to me.

Oddly enough, I had read (and been told directly) many times that the version I needed to hear was that by JJ Barnes, and that I ought to have flipped the Banks 45 over to hear the song I bring you today, ‘Open the Door To Your Heart’.

Once I listened deeply and attentively ‘Open the Door To Your Heart’ – how do they say – grew on me, so much so that I felt compelled to pull it out of the crates and digimatize it.

Though it doesn’t have the power hooks of ‘Our Love…’ it is without a doubt a wonderful record, so much so that it was a #2 R&B hit in 1967 and made it into the Pop Top 40 as well (it was in fact Banks’ biggest hit before his premature death in 1970).

I suppose the problem – if it can be said that there was one – was my yet to be developed taste for a more subdued, mid-tempo variety of Northern (and othern) soul. Whether it was a matter of my ears maturing, or seeing what folks liked to dance to (that being not everything at 140+ BPM), this is now a record that dig quite a lot.

Since I know a lot of you already do too, I can only say that I hope someone out there that was similarly afflicted hears it and is so converted.

See you on Wednesday.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (3)

By Larry, March 1, 2012 2:29 pm

Mr Ben E King

Listen/Download – Ben E King – What Is Soul

Greetings all.

I hope all is well in your corner of the world.

I should remind you all that the Funky16Corners Radio Show once again takes to the airwaves of the interwebs this Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio.

This week we have a very groovy – and in the words of Slim Gaillard “Mellow like a cello” – all soul ballads show for you. If you can’t make it at the time of broadcast, you can always stop by the blog and pick up the MP3 version of the show over the weekend, or listen to it in the Flash player in the sidebar.

The tune I bring you today fell into my ears fairly late in the game.

I have to be honest and say that I have slept on the sounds of Ben E King in a big way.

Aside from ‘Spanish Harlem’, the Soul Clan, various and sundry Drifters cuts, and of course ‘Stand By Me’ (one of those tunes I never need to hear again), I hadn’t heard much of anything else from his catalog.

Then someone, somewhere (I forget who) posted a clip of ‘What is Soul?’ and I was all “What the hey?”

Where had this gem been all my life?

I started to look for a copy forthwith and was initially unsuccessful.

It seemed that most of the available copies were over in the UK (where it was included on a popular late 60s comp) or over here for prices a little higher than I was willing to spend.

Fortunately, as one of the old dogs that has been able to learn a new trick along the way, I was patient, did a saved search and a nice copy popped up before long at an even nicer price.

The appeal, upon first listen is obvious.

The tune, recorded with Eric Gale’s band in October of 1966, and beginning with a very tasty drum break by Bernard Purdie, ‘What Is Soul?’ is an odd but compelling hybrid soul shout/ballad.

Ben E’s vocal is pure heat and the production/arrrangement by Bob Gallo (who also did Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles stunning version of ‘Take Me For a Little While’) is hot in every sense of the word. It sounds like one of those sessions where the meters were pushed into the red all the way through the song.

‘What Is Soul’ slipped just inside the R&B Top 40 in January of 1967, remained on the charts for two weeks and then disappeared. King wouldn’t have another big hit until 1975’s ‘Supernatural Thing’.

Interestingly enough, not long after I grabbed this 45, I found a cover of the tune by one of my favorite acts, Benny Gordon and the Soul Brothers (which I’m saving for another time).

Ben E. King would sneak the song through the back door of the Top 40 again in 1977, when his cover of the song with the Average White Band appeared on the b-side of the song ‘A Star In the Ghetto’.

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

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (4)

By Larry, February 28, 2012 1:59 pm

Adriano Celentano enjoys a snake and some poison for lunch.

Listen/Download -Adriano Celentano – L’Unica Chance

Greetings all.

I should begin today by saying that things around here have gotten especially hairy these last few weeks.

My interweb/tech travails will already be old news, and I’m happy to say that thanks to pushing my already rattled brain to the breaking point, we should be back on a fairly solid footing. We’re not at 100% yet, but getting closer every day.

On the home front, the treatment regimen for my wife seems to be headed in a new, slightly more convoluted direction. The part of this that affects us here – aside from my own ability to function under practical and emotional stress – is that the upcoming treatments are likely to occur at a remote location, some 90 minutes away from home, necessitating a great deal of travel.

I only mention this because there may soon come a day when the posting schedule at Funky16Corners is curtailed while we take care of more important things.

So that’s where that’s at…

_______________________________________________________________________________

One of the great by products of Facebook is that I get to experience the excellent musical taste of many of my friends (many of whom are also DJs/collectors and/or bloggers).

One day last year one of these friends (I wish I could remember who) posted a clip of a black and white Italian TV show from the 70s that featured Lola Falana (hubba hubba) and a cat by the name of Adriano Celentano.

I had no idea who Celentano was (though he looked like the kind of guy that would play an early 70s TV mobster), nor was I aware that Lola had herself a whole second career in Italy as a TV personality.

So, Lola and Adriano start off in a comedic sketch of sorts (I don’t speak Italian, but the audience was laughing) then all of a sudden a very funky bass line starts and their dancing and lip-synching to a very funky track.

I initially assumed that this was someone else’s tune that they were dancing to, but after a littler research discovered that it was in fact Celentano’s record, and that it was called ‘L’Unica Chance’.

Of course I wanted my own copy, but assumed that I’d never find one here in the US, and previous interactions with the Italian post office did not bode well for an international purchase.

Fortunately for me I ended up finding a copy at a shockingly low price (and in wonderful condition) from a seller here in the US.

Celentano – as it turns out – was a huge star in Italy, recording music since the 50s in a wide variety of styles.

He was also a successful film and TV actor and director.

I have no idea how something as groovy as ‘L’Unica Chance’ got made, but I’m glad that it did.

Released in 1973, it features that fat, funky bass, some very cool wah-wah guitar and organ.

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

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (1)

By Larry, February 26, 2012 4:02 pm

The People’s Choice

Listen/Download -The People’s Choice – Do It Any Way You Wanna

Greetings all.

Welcome to another week at the Funky16Corners!

First, a very brief technical note, it occurred to me that if you use the RSS feed you’ll have to reset the link you use, as the feed has changed.

The tune I bring you today is one of those records that should have been glaringly obvious (or at least it seemed so when I finally heard it) but I managed (in classic Larry Grogan fashion) to find my way there by the most circuitous route possible.

I first knew the People’s Choice via their early 70s 45s for the Phil-LA of Soul label (‘I Likes To Do It’ was R&B Top 10 in 1971), which were very early digging scores of mine during the first days of my Philly obsession.

Then, a few years later my man Tony C dropped a mix with a track that blew my mind, which opened up with a stunning version of this song (later featured in this very space after I managed to get my grubby little fingers on a copy of my own) by Louie Ramirez on Cotique (which can be heard in this past Friday’s Funky16Corners Radio Show).

It was only after that, that during a bit of dusty, outdoor, flea market digging that I happened upon a copy of the record you see before you today, which is of course the original (hit) version of the song by the People’s Choice.

As soon as I gave it a spin it was obvious that I had indeed heard it before, which spurred me to dig out my Billboard R&B chart book, which confirmed that ‘Do It Any Way You Wanna’ was a number one R&B hit and Top Ten pop hit in the summer of 1975, right smack in the middle of my AM radio listening years.

This is of course indicative of one variety of the diggers disease, wherein the obvious seems to get washed away in a torrent of obscurity, which happens to us all but still shames me when I manage to step in it (I really ought to know better).

That all said, the People’s Choice version of ‘Do It Any Way You Wanna’ is a prime piece of funky disco (disco-y funk?) with enough heat for the dance floor and enough edge for the ears, which goes a long way in explaining why it was such a big hit.

I hope you dig it, and I’ll see you all next week.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (7)

By Larry, February 24, 2012 1:00 pm

Greetings all.

This is just a brief update to let you all know where things are at.

First, remember that the Funky16Corners Radio Show takes to the airwaves of the interwebs tonight at 9PM at Viva Radio.

If you can’t be there at airtime you can always come by here over the weekend to pick up an MP3 of the broadcast.

It does bear mentioning that tonight’s show is the first since the technical specifications for assembling the show have changed. Due to Viva Radio’s requirements about tagging the songs used in the broadcast, I have had to make serious changes in the way the show is put together for broadcast.

Normally I would create the show in chunks of 15 minutes or less (according to Viva’s server requirements) and upload them to the server, basically dividing the broadcast into separate segments of music and spoken word. This would allow me to EQ the individual tracks and mix them together with bumpers and drops for a fairly seamless delivery.

I would then mix all the segments together into the single, downloadable MP3s that you see in the radio show archive here at the blog.

Now, I have to upload the songs to their server individually, with the bumpers and drops mixed into my spoken passages, which means that the normal, audible flow of the show will be changed somewhat, with some variations in the volume and breaks present where there were none previously.

This won’t make a huge amount of difference in what you hear at broadcast (and almost none at all in the download) but I take pride in what I present to you and I’m not 100% thrilled in the way it works now.

I have heard suggestions that I create the show in a program like Garage Band and then break it into pieces and tag the pieces separately, but I have neither the money to buy new software, nor the time to do it that way. I currently use Acid to mix the segments and rip to MP3, and if the capability for such a process is in there, I am not currently aware of it.

I’ll keep working on a solution so that I can meet Viva’s requirements and still bring you the kind of show that you’re used to hearing.

__________________________________________________________________________

In regard to the changes in the blog that have transpired this week, the situation is thus…

The server provider that I use apparently sent out a message last year about the end of the subdomain I was using and I missed seeing it in the flood of solicitations that they send out.

The deadline for the changeover came due this week with only 72 hours notice this week and I had to get things done in short order.

If I was a little more internet savvy, this process might have been easier, but I’m not, so it wasn’t and for some people the blog dropped off the face of the interwebs with little or no notice.

It was still “here” but was in actuality “somewhere else” (the “new” here) and I could definitely have done a better job getting that news out.

As it stands I have notified all of the blogs in my blogroll, as well as all the members of the Funky16Corners Facebook group (about 1400 folks) as well as the Twitter followers (around 700 folks, many probably duplicated from the Facebook numbers) as well as readers of a couple of message boards I frequent.

The good news is that alot of the incoming links to the blog have been updated.

The bad news is that the search engines still haven’t found the blog and webzine, at least not at the levels previous to this week.

The good news is, as a result, the spambots haven’t re-found me yet either, which means that I have temporarily been spared the trouble of deleting the thousands of pieces of spam that hit the blog on a weekly basis.

The bad news is that a lot of people still think the blog has vanished (which sucks).

All I can ask is that if you have the ability to somehow spread the word about the change of address (to Funky16Corners.com) please do so, knowing that you have my gratitude (and big ups to those that have already done so).

This has been – thanks to stress about my wife’s treatment and all of this blog-related bullshit – a very, very stressful week, so please bear with me as I get things straightened out.

Otherwise, have a great weekend and I’ll be back with some new stuff on Monday.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (10)

By Larry, February 22, 2012 11:56 am

Packy Axton (2nd from left) with some Memphis heavies…

Listen/Download -Martinis – Hung Over

Greetings all.

First, some important news.

The day before yesterday I found out that I was going to have to change the domain where the Funky16Corners Blog and web zine reside. Unfortunately I had very little notice and the change was made rather hastily.

As a result, a lot of people that come looking for the blog using the old funky16corners.lunarpages.net links are going to find NOTHING. If you use the www.funky16corners.com, or just funky16corners.com (no WWW) you’ll still get here.

The problem is, blogging being what it is, a lot of the incoming links are located in places where they aren’t likely to get changed any time soon, and it’s going to take Google a while to rediscover the content here.

In the interim, I would appreciate it, that if you’re associated with a blog or website that links here, please adjust the links accordingly. If not, please just pass the word along, via Twitter or Facebook, that we have moved.

As I explained briefly yesterday, the switch over to the new domain should appear largely seamless – completely so in regard to new content – but there will be some effect on older stuff.

The graphics have to be restored to all posts prior to last November.

The links should be working in the Radio Show, Podcast, Guest Mix and Soul Club archives. If you find any broken links, please let me know.

This is an especially hectic and stressful time already, and I may have missed something here or there.

Thanks – as always – for your patience.

__________________________________________________________________________________

That said, today’s selection is one of those records that have been staple in my crates for a long, long time, and I can’t honestly say why I never featured it before.

Why am I posting it now, you may ask?

Because it is, quite suddenly, timely.

A while back I provided some very minor assistance in the research for the folks assembling the Light In the Attic compilation ‘Charles Packy Axton: Late Late Party: 1965-1967’ for which they very graciously (and surprisingly) thanked me in the liner notes.

Long-time readers of the blog will be aware that packy Axton features prominently in one of my favorite sagas, that being the story of the Packers ‘Hole In the Wall’ (more here) and its reappearance as a single by a cat named Joe S Maxey (as well as the vocal cover by the Other Brothers).

Ever since being clued into the various recorded exploits of Charles Packy Axton in Rob Bowman’s excellent book ‘Soulville USA: The Story of Stax Records’ I have picked up Packers record where and whenever I find them.

Axton, the son of Stax co-founder Estelle Axton, was a saxophonist and a hard living party animal who expired prematurely in 1974 at the age of 32.

He was, through the 60s a member of the Mar-Keys, and recorded with a revolving cast of characters (that often included Stax heavies and the Hodges brothers of the Hi records house band) under the names the Packers, the Martinis and the Pac-Keys, as well as providing backing for singles by singers LH White and Stacy Lane.

Thes 45s are collected in the aforementioned Light In the Attic comp, which if greasy, low down R&B and soul is your bag, ought to be on your shopping list.

The tune I bring you today, ‘Hung Over’ is the very essence of smoky, late night grooves, until it is rudely interrupted by the sound of someone making a very loud noise, which I (and many others) assumed was simulated (?) vomiting, but according to the liner notes of the comp, was actually Packy’s version of an angry growl.

The flip side, ‘Late Late Party’ is built on the same frame.

The various and sundry Axton-related 45s run from not too expensive to very much so, so if you’re not dedicated to finding them and shaking out your wallet, picking up the CD might be a better idea.

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

Peace

Larry

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, February 21, 2012 1:39 pm

Updated 4:00PM EST

Greetings all

Due to a change in the domain for the Funky16Corners Blog and Web Zine, the incoming link has changed to:

funky16corners.com

You don’t have to use the WWW….

As a result there have been countless background changes, the most serious of which being that all of the URLs (web addresses) for pictures, MP3 files etc have to be changed. I fixed the links in all of the mix and radio show archive
pages, and have updated the graphics for all posts going back to before Halloween 2011.

The rest of the links will be restored as time allows.

If you find any broken sound files, please let me know.
Please bear with me.

Thanks

Larry

Comments (10)

By Larry, February 19, 2012 3:15 pm

Roger and the Gypsies – Pass the Hatchet Pt1 (Seven B)
Professor Longhair – Big Chief Pt2 (Watch)
Bobby Marchan – Shake Your Tambourine (Cameo/Parkway)
Diamond Joe – Gossip Gossip (Sansu)
Eddie Bo – Hook and Sling Pt1 (Scram)
Lee Dorsey – Four Corners Pt1 (Amy)
Dixie Cups – Two Way Poc A Way (ABC)
Earl King – Street Parade (Kansu)
Meters – Cardova (Josie)
David Batiste and the Gladiators – Funky Soul Pt2 (Instant)
Bobby Williams – Boogaloo Mardi Gras Pt2 (Capitol)
Curly Moore – Sophisticated Cissy (Instant)
Ernie K Doe – Here Come the Girls (Janus)
Larry Darnell – Son of a Son of a Slave (Instant)
Explosions – Hip Drop Pt1 (Gold Cup)
Rubaiyats – Omar Khayyam (Sansu)
Warren Lee – Funky Belly (Wand)
Willie Tee – Sweet Thing (Gatur)
Danny White – Natural Soul Brother (SSS Intl)
Lee Dorsey – Who’s Gonna Help Brother Get Further (Polydor)
Oliver Morgan – Roll Call (Seven B)
Eddie Bo – Can You Handle It (Bo Sound)

Listen/Download -Funky16Corners Presents Boogaloo Mardi Gras! – 85MB Mixed Mp3/192K

Greetings all.

I hope you all are well.

I had some other things planned for today, then while I was out running errands I drove past a church with a sign up about Ash Wednesday, which meant only one thing to my deeply lapsed, heathen, ex-Catholic self (I’m so far gone I usually don’t catch on until I see people walking around with ashes on their foreheads), that being that Mardi Gras was at hand.

Despite my obvious affinity for and devotion to the music of New Orleans, for some reason I have a fairly consistent mental block when it comes to remembering Mardi Gras.

It seems that every single year it comes into my sightline either on the day of or after and I end up sitting here like a schmo wondering why I couldn’t get it together to commemorate that most significant of New Orleans-based festivities.

Fortunately, this year fate stepped in, I saw that sign and mixed you up a nice, spicy bowl of New Orleans funk and soul gumbo.

I don’t think there’s anything in this mix that hasn’t appeared in this space at least once over the years, but that shouldn’t stop you from digging in.

There are a few Mardi Gras-specific numbers here, including the record that gives the mix it’s title by Bobby Williams, the mighty Professor Longhair and ‘Big Chief’, the Dixie Cups and their Mardi Gras Indian chant Two Way Poc A Way’ and Earl King’s ‘Street Parade’.

There are also a grip of drum-heavy, NOLA party burners as well, powerful enough to get you up out of your seat and on to the floor.

I hope you dig the sounds and I’ll be back on Wednesday with something cool.

Also, don’t forget to check out the latest episode of the Funky16Corners Radio Show via the Flash player in the sidebar.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.