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By Larry, January 15, 2015 11:47 am

This guy? Funky?!

Greetings all.

The end of the week is nigh, so I will take this opportunity to remind you all that the Funky16Corners Radio Show returns to the airwaves of the interwebs this and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva-Radio.com. You can also subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, listen on your mobile device via the TuneIn app, or grab an MP3 here at the blog.

Having started the week with some Northern Soul, and moved on to Library, I thought I’d keep the spirit of diversity alive and bring you some funky big band ish to close things out.

You know I love to dig up examples of old-school jazzers dipping their beaks into funk and soul, but when I heard there was a joint worth seeking out by Stan Kenton, my bullshit detector blew a fuse.

Kenton was one of the coolest (some might say cold) of the West Coast jazzers running a cerebral, heavily brassy, outfit from the 40s on through the 70s.

He started out as a pianist, and eventually concentrated on arranging and working as a bandleader, running an orchestra that produced alumni like Maynard Ferguson, Art Pepper and Shorty Rogers.

Kenton was very successful and always kept an experimental edge to his sound, but at no point did he produce anything that would suggest to me that he had anything like today’s selection in him.

Of course, by the time he recorded ‘2002 Zarathustrevisited’ in 1973, Deodato had already had a substantial hit with his own funky reworking of the Strauss classic ‘Also Sprach Zarathustra’.

The early 70s were not a great time for big jazz bands in America, and the few old heads that were still working it, guys like Kenton, Woody Herman and Buddy Rich, were doing everything they could to stay relevant and commercially viable.

Though I can’t say for sure, it seems likely that Kenton (or the arranger on this number Dale Devoe) heard the Deodato arrangement and thought piling a truckload of brass on top of it would send it into the stratosphere, and decided to take a shot at it.

While it lacks some of the subtlety of the Deodato version, the Kenton version has a substantial amount of kick to it, from the drums (very nicely recorded) and of course, the brass, which comes on in wave after wave.

There’s a groovy sax solo, and some Maynard Ferguson-esque high-note antics, but the drums and percussion keep coming on strong, all the way to the end.

Oddly enough, I owned the LP version of this for years (which also features a nice version of ‘Live and Let Die’) but when a 45 popped up I had to grab it, because…come on…funky Stan Kenton on 45. You can’t leave that sitting in the bin.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

_________________________________________________________________________________________

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

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, January 13, 2015 10:39 am

Greetings all.

The middle of the week is upon us, so I thought I’d smooth us all over the hump with some tasty library/sample source sounds.

I don’t recall when I became aware of guitarist Clive Hicks’ ‘Look Hear’, but when I did it immediately lit up multiple pleasure centers in the brain.

The first thing – is that ‘Look Hear’ is the sample source for one ofmy favorite hip hop joints, ‘What’s Golden’ by Jurassic 5 from their 2002 LP ‘Power In Numbers’. There’s something special about hearing a sample well-flipped, that also manages to stand on its own.

‘Look Hear’ is such a sample.

I haven’t been able to track down much info on Clive Hicks, other than that he was a UK-based studio guitarist who recorded a number of sessions for the KPM and Bruton library music houses, as well as sessions for the likes of Elton John.

‘Look Hear’ was released in 1973 on KPM 1121/Fusion, alongside pieces by Brian Bennett and Alan Hawkshaw among others.

The tune seems to be aiming for Zep-like heaviness, but also manages to work in some of that band’s underlying funk as well.

The guitar takes the lead but this one is all about the organ and the drums.

It is a very groovy one indeed. I hope you dig it, and I’ll see you all on Friday.

Keep the faith

Larry

_________________________________________________________________________________________

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

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, January 11, 2015 2:07 pm

The Incredibles

Greetings all.

I hope the new week finds you well.

While I have a sizable backlog of material to-be-blogged (not to mention mountains of stuff behind that) every once in a while something falls through the mail slot that by virtue of its greatness, simply must be pushed to the front of the line.

The record you see before you today is one of those.

Oddly enough, though I had a vague acquaintance with the Incredibles (on paper, if not vinyl) I ended up grabbing this record when it was recommended by one of my favorite dealers. I clicked on the link he sent and was blown away, so I pulled the trigger and after struggling its way across the country during the holiday rush, it finally arrived early in the new year.

The Incredibles were a West Coast foursome (two guys, two girls) that recorded just over a dozen 45s and an LP for the Audio Arts label between 1966 and 1968.

One of those, 1967’s ‘There Is Nothing Else To Say’ is a big Northern Soul side (and expensive) but I am here to tell you that today’s selection, ‘I Can’t Get Over Losing Your Love’ (released twice, in 1966 and 1968 with different b-sides) is the one you need to get your hands on.

“I Can’t Get Over Losing Your Love’ is one of those 45s that takes off like a shot and moves like a freight train. From the opening drum roll, through the piano chords and the group harmonies, this is one of those records that demands that you get up and dance. When you get to the second verse and the organ kicks in, it gets even better.

Written by lead singer Cal Waymon, the song features some fantastic hooks as well as a propulsive beat.

It has quickly become a fave here at Funky16Corners, and I hope you dig it as much as I do.

See you on Wednesday.

Keep the faith

Larry

_________________________________________________________________________________________

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

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, January 8, 2015 4:47 pm

The Glories being interviewed in 1967

Greetings all.

The end of the week is here, and so is the Funky16Corners Radio Show, in its regular Friday night 9PM bag on Viva Radio. If you can’t be there to listen at airtime, make sure you subscribe to the show as a podcast on iTunes, listen on you mobile device through the TuneIn app, or grab an MP3 here at the blog.

Today’s selection is one of those records that I first encountered on what can only be called an internal safari through my crates.

I was looking for something else, and happened upon an old UK comp of the Direction label (CBS and sub-labels in the UK).

When I realized that there were a few songs on the LP that I was not familiar with, I unsleeved it, slipped it under the needle and gave them a listen.

The one that really grabbed me is today’s selection, ‘(I Love You Babe But) Give Me My Freedom’ by the Glories.

Never having heard of the group before, I set out in search of information and (naturally) a copy of the 45.

The Glories, led by Florida-born singer Frankie Gearing recorded a handful of singles for the Date label in 1967 and 1968, of which ‘Give Me My Freedom’ was the first.

The group never had much success, with ‘Give Me My Freedom’ becoming a minor regional hit in the Northeast in the Summer of 1967.

Opening with a short, spoken intro, the song is soon off to the races with a fast, four on the floor dance beat in the Motown stylee.

Gearing lays down a very solid lead vocal, with some very nice harmonies by the rest of the group.

This is yet another record that should have been a hit, but it appeared in a crowded field, with no less than five female-led soul singles competing with it for chart space.

One of their last 45s was a cover of ‘Dark End of the Street’, recorded in Memphis with Chips Moman at the board.

The Glories eventually morphed into the group Quiet Elegance, who recorded eight singles for Hi between 1972 and 1977.

‘Give Me My Freedom’ is both excellent, and inexpensive (unlike their Northern fave ‘I Worship You Baby’ which can be quite costly), so grab yourself a copy for your box and start dancing.

See you on Monday

Keep the faith

Larry

_________________________________________________________________________________________

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

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, January 6, 2015 1:05 pm

Richard ‘Popcorn’ Wylie

Greetings all.

The record I bring to you this fine day is one of those elusive 45s that I knew about and dug long before I was ever able to lay my hands on a copy.

‘Maybe So, Maybe No’ by the New Holidays was the fifth of six 45s (seven but one was issued twice) on Tony Hester and Richard ‘Popcorn’ Wylie’s Soulhawk imprint.

Released in 1969, it was the first of two 45s (the second issued on Westbound in 1970) by the New Holidays, James and Jack Holland, Maurice Wise and (at least on this track) ex-Contour Joe Billingslea.

Almost all of the tracks recorded on the label were Wylie/Hester compositions, with artists like Jimmy ‘Soul’ Clark, Eric and the Vikings, The Mighty Lovers and Third Party.

Wylie had gotten his start at Motown, as part of Popcorn and the Mohawks, also working as a songwriter and session musician. After parting with Motown, he went on to found his own labels, one of which was Soulhawk.

‘Maybe So, Maybe No’ is one of records that immediately seems like it must have been a hit, yet the luminous, imaginatively arranged slice of sweet soul made no noticeable impact outside of Detroit where it was a minor local hit in late 1969/early 1970.

The song makes an impact from the very start, opening with piano glissandos, and heavily reverbed (and slightly off-key) wordless vocals. The band, featuring bright rhythm guitar accents and a tastefully restrained horn section lays down a solid foundation under wave after wave of group harmony.

I especially dig when the group starts chiming like a bell, before returning to the verse.

The flipside, ‘If I Only Knew’ is pretty cool as well, on a more upbeat tip, though it doesn’t approach the trtranscendent nature of the A-side.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

_________________________________________________________________________________________

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

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, January 4, 2015 2:15 pm

Messrs Baker, Bruce, Bond and Heckstall-Smith

 NOTE/UPDATE 01/05/15 – Thanks go out to Nick Rossi for hepping me to the fact that the version of ‘Wade In the Water’ released in the US by the GBO was recorded just after Jack Bruce had departed the group (Jan ’66) for greener musical pastures. The version of the group featured on this 45 includes Graham Bond (covering the bass with his left hand) , Ginger Baker, Dick Heckstall-Smith, and new member Mike Falana on trumpet. Nick  also pointed me in the direction of this excellent Graham Bond discography.

Greetings all.

I thought I’d start the new week with some hot and heavy Hammond action.

The Graham Bond Organization’s version of ‘Wade in the Water’ had been on my want list for years, and I only managed to score a copy a few months ago.

I’ll go ahead and assume that many of you are unfamiliar with Bond, one of the key figures of the 1960s UK R&B movement.

He got his start on saxophone (much like Charles Earland in the US) eventually moving onto the organ, which became his signature axe.

The Graham Bond Organization is not only worth knowing for the music they made during their relatively short time together, but because of those that made it. Joining Bond, and saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith were two youngsters who would go on to (much) bigger things, Jack Bruce on bass, and Ginger Baker on drums.

That rhythm section would have a tumultuous relationship from their earliest collaborations, on through Cream and that band’s reunion in the 2000s.

‘Wade In the Water’, the oft-covered spiritual was recorded by the Organization in 1964 and released in the US on the Ascot label in 1965.

Opening and closing with organ work by Bond that suggests a Hammer horror film as much as a sweaty R&B basement club, the tune soon swings into action, with stellar work by the whole band, but especially Bond and Baker, whose thunderous drumming is particularly well recorded.

The flip side is a slow, vocal reading of the blues standard ‘St James Infirmary’.

Withing a year and a half, Bruce and Baker would join Eric Clapton in Cream, and Bond continued a truncated version of the Organization and would eventually reappear in Ginger Baker’s Air Force, as well as making a few solo LPs before is suicide in 1974.

Fortunately for us all, he left a trail of hard-hitting wax in his wake.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

_________________________________________________________________________________________

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

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, January 1, 2015 12:50 pm

Greetings all.

I shall once again remind you that the Funky16Corners Radio Show takes to the airwaves of the interwebs this and every Friday night on Viva Radio. You can also subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, listen on your mobile device through the TuneIn app, or help yourself to an MP3 here at the blog.

I thought I’d end the week on the kind of up note that you could stuff in your ears and carry to whatever party you’re heading to.

The Soul Brothers Six are one of those soul groups that is in the required acquisition category, i.e. if I find it, I buy it.

Like most folks my age, I found my way to the SB6 via the bare-chested wailing of Grand Funk Railroad, who had a hit with their 1974 cover of the group’s ‘Some Kind of Wonderful (a hit for the SB6 in 1967), and I’m not ashamed to say that I still dig the stadium stomp of their version, too.

That said, someone (I do not recall who) posted a video a few years back, of what appeared to be an indie film about the SoCal mod scene (‘We Are the Mods’) . It was visually arresting (with the mod girls and the scooter and all that) but what really grabbed me was the song that was playing in the background of the club scene.

I did a little digging and discovered that the tune I was hearing, ‘Thank You Baby For Loving Me’ was a Soul Brothers Six record (from 1968) that I hadn’t heard before.

Written by group member Charles Armstrong, ‘Thank You Baby For Loving Me’ is fast moving (dig that bass) dancer that contains everything that made the Soul Brothers Six such a great group.

There’s the rawness of gospel, street corner harmony, old time soul shouting and that gritty guitar that you hear on so many of their records.

The chart prospects of the SB6 were a thing of the past by the time ‘Thank You Baby…’ came out, but the record almost seems too raw for 1968.

A few years later, John Ellison would go solo, and soon after that would reconstitute the SB6 on Phil LA of Soul and GRT.

You used to be able to pick up a couple of their 45s on the cheap, but those days appear to be gone.

So dig the tune, and I’ll see you all on Monday.

See you on Friday.

Keep the faith

Larry

_________________________________________________________________________________________

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

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, December 31, 2014 12:10 pm

Miss Della Reese

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

Originally posted in 2011…

Note: It was indeed a very good year. Funky16Corners celebrated its 10th anniversary, the music kept flowing and all was well.

I thought it would be cool to repost this banger to ring in the New Year.

I hope you all had an excellent 2014, and I look forward to more music in the coming year.

Happy New Year!

Keep the Faith

Larry

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

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, December 30, 2014 11:23 am

Greetings all.

Today’s selection is another lesson from the chapter where the old sage tells you to remember to flip over those 45s.

If memory serves, I first encountered the Magictones via Odub’s Soul Sides, where I was knocked on my ass by the epic breakbeat that opens their 1970 cover of the Parliament’s ‘Good Old Music’.

Naturally, I set out in search of my own copy. It took me a little while to file it, bit when I did I w as happy as the old record collecting clam, because there was almost as much heat on the b-side as there was on the top.

There, opposite ‘Good Old Music’ was a fantabulous, funky bit of sweet soul. ‘I’ll Make It Up To You’, opens with psychedelic sounding guitar, which is soon joined by electric sitar, and some tight drums. The Magictones themselves soon follow with some delicious harmony singing.

The group, Virginia McDonald, Tyrone Douglas, Tyrone Berkeley and Calvin Stephenson (and several other members over the course of their career) recorded just over a dozen 45s for six different Detroit labels between 1965 and 1972.

“I’ll Make It Up To You’ was recorded and released in 1969, and was a regional hit in Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.

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

See you on Friday.

Keep the faith

Larry

_________________________________________________________________________________________

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

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, December 28, 2014 10:46 am

Greetings all.

I’ve been cold and tired of late, so I thought it wise to light a fire under this week’s figurative ass, and what better way to do that than with a tasty slice of breakbeat funk.

‘Shack Up’ by Banbarra is one of those records that I knew of – as a breakbeat source – long before I ever heard (or owned) it.

Not only was it sampled heavily, but it also had a second (third?) life of sorts when it was covered by the UK post punk band A Certain Ratio in 1980.

The thing that I found odd is that when I started to look for information on the band and the record, I found almost nothing.

The facts as they stand are, Banbarra was a Washington, DC based act featuring Moe Daniels and Joseph Anthony Carter. They recorded ‘Shack Up’ in 1975, and though it didn’t hit the Pop or R&B charts, it was popular on disco dancefloors in both the US and the UK (it shows up on Billboard’s disco charts for 1976).

Bearing both a very 1970s message of “we don’t need a piece of paper to prove our love”, and one of the tastiest, swingingest breakbeats ever, ‘Shack Up’ really ought to have been a hit.

Unfortunately, as good as ‘Shack Up’ is, Banbarra never made another record.

That, as they say, is a drag.

So dig the funk (and that break), and I’ll see you all on Wednesday.

Keep the faith

Larry

_________________________________________________________________________________________

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

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, December 25, 2014 1:08 pm

Mamie Galore and Dee Irwin

Greetings all.

The end of the week is upon us, and so is the Funky16Corners Radio Show, which drops each and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. This week’s show features the Best of 2014 (Part two to follow next week). If you can’t be there at airtime, you can always subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, listen on your mobile device via the TuneIn app, or grab yourself and MP3 here at the blog.

Today’s selection is yet another chapter in the ever unfolding saga of Dee Irwin.

The more of his records that I track down (whether billed as Big Dee Irwin, Dee Ervin, or Dee Erwin), the more I understand that he was both an excellent singer, and songwriter.

The record I bring you today, ‘All I Want For Christmas is Your Love’ was the b-side of the first of three duet 45s that Irwin would record with Mamie Galore for the Imperial label in 1968 and 1969.

Recorded with Monk Higgins in Chicago (and written by Higgins as well), ‘All I Want For Christmas Is Your Love’ is a slow, mellow tune, with solid vocals by both Irwin and Galore, and a nice arrangement by Higgins (listen hard for the lead guitar and the backing vocals, both subtle but excellent).

Both Irwin and Galore are singers that deserve to be better known. They both have impressive discographies (albeit spread over a number of 45s), both worked as both vocalist and songwriter, but neither ever really broke through to a wider audience.

‘All I Want For Christmas Is Your Love’ is the perfect soundtrack to that mellow, post-presents chill time, so dig it, and I’ll be back on Monday.

Keep the faith

Larry

_________________________________________________________________________________________

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

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (1)

By Larry, December 23, 2014 11:37 am

Greetings all.

The middle of the week is here, and so (almost) is Christmas.

Today’s selection is a record that I’d heard of before, but only put my hands on a copy earlier this year.

‘Christmas in Viet Nam’ by Johnny & Jon was released at the height of the war in 1966.

It’s a slow moving bit of deep soul, with great trade-off lead vocals, pulsing bass, dirge-like organ and cool guitar.

Johnny & Jon were John Wilson and John Wessler, and per the always reliable Sir Shambling, they only ever laid down this one 45.

There were a grip of Vietnam War-related soul records, including ‘The Lonely Soldier’ by Mike Williams, ‘A Soldier’s Prayer’ by Archie Bell and the Drells, and ‘Marching Off to War’ by William Bell among many others.

There were actually (at least) two other records called ‘Christmas in Viet Nam’,one by Private Charles Bowens (on Rojac) and another by the Soul Searchers (probably a gospel outfit, not the DC group, on the Peacock subsidiary Song Bird).

The subject matter is a little grim, but it’s a great song, and a stark reminder that with every war, families are separated, and that we ought to think of those that can’t be with their loved ones at this time of year.

So dig the tune, have yourself a Merry Christmas (if you celebrate).

I’ll see you on Friday.

Keep the faith

Larry

_________________________________________________________________________________________

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

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.