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By Larry, October 4, 2016 10:04 am

Johnny Gibson

Listen/Download – Johnny Gibson Trio – Beachcomber MP3

Greetings all.

I have a very cool one today, that goes way, way back in my crates, yet took me years to kind of figure out.

I picked up ‘Beachcomber’ by the Johnny Gibson Trio years ago in one of periodic Hammond 45 sweeps. As soon as I got it, and slipped it under the needle I discovered that it had been mis-identified (as an organ instro) by the seller. I was bummed, but it wasn’t expensive enough to make an issue of it (and buyer beware and all that) so into storage it went, forgotten for years.

Flash forward a few after that and I find myself in possession of a 1967 45 by the Semi-Colons? (question mark part of the name, stick with me) performing a song of the same name.

I really dug it, and discovered in short order that the Semi-Colons? Were actually Question Mark and the Mysterians performing under an alias.

What was also cool was that the song ‘Beachcomber’ was originally written and recorded by none other than Bobby Darin in 1960.

It was only much later (after I had already written by the Semi-Colons? 45 over at Iron Leg) that I dug the Johnny Gibson Trio 45 out of a box and realized that it was a cover of the very same song.

I flipped it back onto the turntable, and it kind of blew my mind.

I have often described the experience of a kind of seasoning/maturing of the ear, in which experience allows you to understand/appreciate a piece of music much more deeply because of all that you have heard/learned between the first time you heard it and the present.

Johnny Gibson Trio in a Billboard listing, 1964

When I finally gave the Johnny Gibson version of ‘Beachcomber’ a listen I wasn’t sitting there with visions of Hammond organs wailing in my imagination. My ears were wide open, and as soon as I heard that slightly distorted electric piano, and the relaxed, yet still deep in the groove tempo, all was well with the world.

Then (yes, it gets better) when I started to dig into the history of the Johnny Gibson Trio, another chapter in the small but interesting story was revealed.

Pianist Johnny Gibson, his brother Dwight (on drums) and bassist Ron Haste (an integrated trio, the Gibsons were African American and Haste was white) were a Toledo, Ohio group that recorded ‘Beachcomber’ for the local Twirl label in 1964, which became a local hit and was picked up for national distribution by the Laurie label. The group went on to record a few more singles for the Big Top label before breaking up.

‘Beachcomber’ was a Top 20 hit in Ohio and Detroit, which is where the Mysterians (natives of Saginaw, MI) first heard it and added it to their repertoire.

The Johnny Gibson Trio version of ‘Beachcomber’ has built up a following over the years, eventually becoming a favorite on the dance floors in the UK.

Though the Trio broke up, Gibson continued to work as a musician, eventually relocating to Europe.

I hope you dig the track, 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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, October 2, 2016 11:03 am

Tommy Ridgley

Listen/Download – Tommy Ridgley – In the Same Old Way MP3

Greetings all.

Long time followers of the Funky16Corners thing will be aware of my deep and abiding love for the music of the mighty Eddie Bo.

In the annals of New Orleans R&B/soul auteurs, Bo resides in the pantheon with giants like Allen Toussaint and Wardell Quezerge.

His career stretched from the 1950s up until his death in 2009, and he was a prolific songwriter, recording artist and producer.

It was in my pursuit of anything and everything Bo-related that I dug up this 45 more than a decade ago.

Though I only knew the name Tommy Ridgley in passing, the presence of an Eddie Bo writing credit made me put the 45 in my keeper pile and bring it home.

The extent of Bo’s career is often difficult to pin down because like many of his contemporaries, he was at the mercy of the whims of the independent record industry, label owners, wrangling over publishing and restrictive contracts (like Toussaint, Bo often wrote pseudonymously).

That said, Bo was a busy man, on his own records, and crafting the records of others as a composer, arranger, producer, musician or any combination of the above.

Tommy Ridgley was a similarly situated, journeyman recording artist (though mainly as a singer), having started his recording career in the early 50s as a vocalist with Dave Bartholemew and then under his own name for a variety of national (Atlantic, Herald) and local (Ric, Cinderella, Hep’Me, Sans, Blue Jay, White Cliffs among others) labels up into the late 80s.

‘In the Same Old Way’ was released in 1969 but has a somewhat earlier sound.

Opening with a solid, basic rhythm section and a wonderful horn arrangement, Ridgely comes in (with female backing singers deep in the mix) with a great vocal.

The record was produced by local New Orleans DJ Bob Robin, aka Robert Echols who produced a wide range of NOLA artists through the 60s, including Gerri Hall, Senator Jones, Robert Parker and Van Broussard, as well as working as a New Orleans distributor/A&R guy for Stax records. Robin also produced Ridgley’s 1966 International City 45 ‘My Love Gets Stronger’.

Ridgley had a smooth tenor, with just a hint of a New Orleans twang to it, and though his chart success was minimal, it’s easy to understand why people kept taking him into the studio.

Ridgley continued to record into the mid-1990s, and kept performing until his death in 1999.

I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll 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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, September 29, 2016 11:36 am

Buddy Guy

Listen/Download – Buddy Guy – Buddy’s Groove MP3

Greetings all.

Since the end of the week is approaching, I will remind you once again that the Funky16Corners Radio Show drops each and every Friday with the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove, all on original vinyl. You cans ubscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, listen on your mobile device via the TuneIn app, check it out on Mixcloud, or grab yourself an MP3 right here in the Radio Show archive.

We close out the week with something very groovy, and very soulful (and even a little bit funky) from the mighty guitar slinger Buddy Guy.

If you have even a passing familiarity with modern blues you know the name Buddy Guy, on his own, or in partnership with harp burner Junior Wells.

Though Guy is often associated with Chicago, he came up in Louisiana, before moving to Chitown in 1957.

Guy is younger than the first wave of Chicago bluesmen (he was born in 1936 and laid down his first sides in the late 50s for Artistic.

He worked as a solo, with Junior Wells and as a sideman for a wide variety of people including Muddy Waters, Koko Taylor, and Big Mama Thornton.

He was also respected by, and a big influence on several generations of blues and rock guitarists, including Hendrix, Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughn.

‘Buddy’s Groove’, which was originally included on the 1968 Chess LP ‘I Left My Blues in San Francisco’ sees Buddy stretching out a little bit, crossing over to the soul side of the street.

The tune, written and produced by Gene Barge has Buddy wailing on vocals and guitar, with backing from piano, saxophone, bass and drums. The drummer (not sure who) even gets to work it out with a nice long drumbreak!

What I find especially cool about this record is that while it appears to be a shot at hitting the pop charts (which, sadly it did not) it works 100%. At no point do I find myself rolling my eyes at any obvious sell-out moves. Buddy is on point the whole time and there’s nothing here that doesn’t sound completely organic.

There are other soulful tracks (though nothing quite this funky) on the album, right alongside plenty of straight blues, and there is plenty of evidence on his Vanguard and Chess sides that he was capable of that and much more (even jazz, check out his version of Bobby Timmons ‘Moanin’).

Buddy Guy was also an excellent singer, as evidenced by smoking, soulful R&B like ‘I Dig Your Wig’.

Guy is an artist that is considered a giant of the blues today, but I suspect that most people have little knowledge of his 1960s recording, which are essential. There is a great two-disc collection of his Chess studio recording that ought to be a part of everyone’s library.

That said, I hope you dig the tune, 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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, September 27, 2016 10:42 am

Ronnie Marks (today)

Listen/Download – Ronnie Marks – Some Lonely Heart MP3

Greetings all.

The tune I bring you today made its way into my playbox via the generosity and knowledge of a friend, which is always a groovy thing.

Many, many years ago my man Haim and I were out digging at a record show when he passed a Fania 45 to me, saying ‘You need this. Soul 45 on Fania.’ Naturally that sounded like a tasty proposition, so I tossed the 45 on my stack, paid up and took it home.

Good thing I did, since not only is it a very cool 45, but Ronnie Marks has a very cool story.

I have always been fascinated by non-Latinos that made their mark in the boogaloo era, especially guys like Harvey Averne and Larry Harlow.

Something that also grabbed me, was how many great Latin soul records are credited to the bandleader, while someone else is actually handling the vocals (very, very common in boogaloo).

Today’s selection is an intersection of those two threads.

Ronnie Marks worked as a singer with Latin bands for relatively brief, bit important and particularly productive time in the late 60s and early 70s. He worked with both Mongo and Monguito Santamaria, as well as Johnny Pacheco.

Marks was the singer on Monguito’s ‘Juicy’ and ‘Hey Sister’, as well as Mongo pere’s classic ‘We Got Latin Soul’.

‘Some Lonely Heart’, released in 1971 and produced by Jerry Masucci and Harvey Averne is prime, blaxplo-era funky soul. There is a little bit of Latin percussion helping to keep the beat, but this tune could have appeared on an LP by the Four Tops or the Temptations without a single alteration.

It contrasts the funky backing with a nice string arrangement and interlude, and Marks’ vocals are top shelf.

As far as I can tell ‘Some Lonely Heart’ didn’t chart anywhere, which is a damn shame.

Ronnie Marks is still around today, and working on a comeback. Dig this interview with Antonio Caez.

I hope you dig the tune, 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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, September 25, 2016 10:29 am

Willie West

Listen/Download – Willie West – Keep You Mine MP3

Greetings all.

The beginning of another week is here, and as is my occasional custom, I bring you something guaranteed to ease you into things.

Willie West is one of the finest singers to come out of New Orleans, having recorded several amazing 45s back in the day, and then making a comeback in the last ten years.

His sides for Rustone, Frisco, Deesu, Josie and Warner Brothers, covering ground from deep ballads to spot-on funk are to the last, stellar examples of the greatness of the Crescent City.

Unlike many of his NOLA contemporaries, West had seen some success outside of the city, having had a hit with his first Deesu 45, ‘Greatest Love’ earlier in 1967 in a number of markets.

Today’s selection is the B-side of his second outing for Deesu (from 1967). ‘Keep You Mine’ (written by West) was paired with a rerecording of his first local hit, 1960’s ‘Did You Have Fun’, and it is not only one of my favorite NOLA ballads, but yet another incredible example of the sublime arranging and producing talents of the mighty Allen Toussaint.

‘Keep You Mine’ moves at a deliberate pace, with the instrumental backing just unobtrusive enough to allow West’s voice to shine, yet still filled with interesting touches that grab your attention with every listen.

The lead guitar accents, well-placed horns, and especially Toussaint weaving in and out with what sounds like a combo organ (really the co-star of the record) make this one for the ages.

Interestingly enough, the flipside of this record ‘Did You Have Fun’ (which deserves its own post) charted briefly in Detroit and New Orleans.

Willie West is another one of those brilliant, Toussaint-associated New Orleans singers, along with Eldridge Holmes, Diamond Joe, Willie Harper and Wallace Johnson, who really is deserving of having his work compiled and reissued by a quality outfit, capable of presenting it with the care it deserves.

I hope you dig this one as much as I do, and I’ll 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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, September 22, 2016 1:36 pm

John R, On the Air…

Listen/Download – John R – Keep On Scratchin’ MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the week is here, and so is the Funky16Corners Radio Show, which appears wafting on the airwaves of the interwebs each and every Friday with the best in soul, funk, jazz and rare groove, all on original vinyl. You can subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, listen on your mobile device via the TuneIn app, check it out on Mixcloud, or grab yourself an MP3 right here at the blog.

If you are a fan old old-school radio, especially R&B radio, the name of John Richbourg, better known to ears far and wide as ‘John R’ looms large.

Richbourg, who was (unknown to most of his listeners on WLAC in Nashville, TN, where he worked alongside legends like Gene Nobles and Hoss Allen) a white guy (who spoke in a style that used a lot of black vernacular), was a pioneering R&B and soul DJ from the late 40s on into the 70s, as well as a talent scout/A&R man, and (with the Seventy Seven label) record man.

Today’s selection will attest to the fact that he was also, on occasion, a recording artist.

There are tons of stories out there, in books and carried on the air by the voices of musicians and music fans a like, of hearing the voice of John R, travelling over the airwaves on WLAC’s powerful AM signal (at night WLAC could be heard through most of the US and the Caribbean), bringing with it the sounds of everyone from Howlin’ Wolf to Otis Redding into their ears in the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s.

Back in the day when radio DJs were literally and figuratively powerful, John R was an influential presence, selling music, mail order tchotchkes and soul.

Most people that came of age in the internet era will have no idea what a big deal radio DJs were back in the day, and in his time, John R was one of the biggest.

He recorded ‘Keep On Scratchin’ in 1965, and while he doesn’t really ever “sing” in the classic sense of the word, he does rap over a tight R&B backing, recreating (to a degree) the feeling of his nightly broadcasts (with a band and backing chorus).

I have no idea who ‘A. Valier’ was, who is credited with writing the tune, but the producer Jerry Kennedy was a busy man in the 50s and 60s, recording all kinds of country and R&B sides (he produced Charlie Rich’s ‘Mohair Sam’).

John R left WLAC in the early 70s, when radio was starting to morph into an entirely different beast, and passed away in 1986 at the age of 75.

There are a bunch of examples of his on-air style available on Youtube (and elsewhere on the internet), and you should definitely check them out.

I hope you dig the record, and I’ll see you all 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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, September 20, 2016 10:08 am

Miss Delores Hall

Listen/Download – Delores Hall – Good Lovin’ Man MP3

Listen/Download – Delores Hall – W-O-M-A-N MP3

Greetings all.

One of the great pleasures of doing a blog like this is discovering that names on obscure 45s have entire careers attached to them that I knew nothing about.

Today’s artist, Delores Hall is a great example thereof.

I’ve had the 45 you see before you today for a while (if memory serves I first heard it on Kris Holmes’ radio show) and I knew of (but do not yet own) her duet 45 with Jackie Lee.

That said, her presence on the Keymen and Mirwood labels suggested to me that she was an LA-based singer, but I had no idea.

As it turns out, Hall was not only a recording artist (she went on to make albums for RCA and Capitol in the 70s) but was primarily a musical comedy performer, working in the original LA cast of HAIR, and acting on stage and in TV and movies, including a long run on the show ‘Diagnosis Murder’ in the 90s.

Her 1968 Keymen 45 is one of those great, sort of crossover (not in the collector sense of the word) discs, with a Northern-flavored number on one side and something funkier on the flip.

‘Good Lovin’ Man’, written and produced by LA giant Fred Smith is an upbeat dancer with a great four-on-the-floor beat and nice vibes and guitar accents (right out of the Mirwood playbook) through the song. Hall has a powerful voice that soars into the rafters at points.

The breakdown at 1:27 sounds like an outtake from an Aretha Franklin session.

The flip, ‘W-O-M-A-N’, written by Smith and Jackie Lee and produced by Lee, is a funkier affair, with a slower beat, a more gospel-inflected vocal by Hall and more of a southern soul sound to it.

It’s a very cool 45, and last I checked, not terribly hard to find or expensive, either.

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, September 18, 2016 10:26 am

Tommy Wills (seriously…)

Listen/Download – Tommy Wills – Funky Sax MP3

Greetings all.

As I was pulling selections from the to-be-blogged folder, I grabbed the 45 you see before you today.

If you dig anywhere east of the Mississippi (maybe west, too) Tommy Wills 45s are a pretty common sight. On variations of the familiar, blue Airtown and Juke labels (and several others, too) Wills cuts like the sought after ‘KC Drive’ and ‘(Funky) 4 Corners’ are always nice to find.

That said, though I’ve included Wills cuts in mixes, before I sat down to research this record I knew nothing about him.

My assumption had always been that he was in all likelihood a journeyman R&B/soul musician, and also (probably) black.

Well, as Felix Unger was wont to say, “When you assume, you make an ASS out of U and ME” (right on, Felix).

Turns out not only was Tommy Wills a white guy, but he was a fairly straight-looking middle aged white guy who was well into his 40s when he made these records.

The odd thing is, that for a guy who put out as much music as he did, and was still active as late as 2009, touring with a big band, there’s not a lot of info out there.

Wills apparently ran the Airtown/Juke labels (according to a 1970 issue of Billboard) based alternately out of Dayton, OH (thus the Airtown designation) and Indiana, putting out his own 45s (mostly on Airtown), and (on Juke) records by Dumpy Piano Rice and a variety of R&B, country and polka performers. The labels appear to have been set up to provide jukebox filler, thus the high frequency of covers and the wide variety of styles.

The Wills 45s I have are all pretty cool, and today’s selection, ‘Funky Sax’ is no exception.

Released in 1968, ‘Funky Sax’ has a Junior Walker flavor, with a soulful backing and some wailing sax by Wills. There’s also a very tasty organ solo (I have no idea who’s playing) and the overall effect is very groovy. I mean, since he was feeding jukeboxes, he called the tune ‘Funky Sax’, filled it with funky sax, so that when someone walked up to the Wurlitzer and dropped in their nickel, what they got was….get ready…funky sax.

I’m not sure if Wills is still around (he’d be 92 if he is), but as I said, most of his 45s are pretty easy pulls.

I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll 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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, September 15, 2016 11:56 am

Floyd Morris

Listen/Download – Floyd Morris – A Mellow Mood MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the week is here, and so is the Funky16Corners Radio Show, which drops each and every Friday with the finest in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove all on original vinyl. You can subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, listen on your mobile device via the TuneIn app, check it out on Mixcloud or grab yourself an MP3 right here at the blog.

We close out the week with a very groovy bit of Chitown soul butting right up against funk.

As a certified Hammond nut, I have been picking up Floyd Morris records for years.

He was a Chicago-based piano and organ player, who came up playing in a group with Johnny Pate, and went on to play keyboards on a grip of classic-era soul and funk records in the Windy City.

Oddly enough, it’s supposedly Morris who plays the piano solo on ‘Soulful Strut’ (credited to Young/Holt, but, despite their incredible catalog, they do not play on their signature hit).

Today’s selection, ‘A Mellow Mood’ was released on Bill Sheppard’s BBS label in 1968 and is one of the coolest instrumental 45s to come out of Chicago (and that’s saying a LOT).

Morris is featured on piano, backed by an absolutely thumping bass and drums (which sound like they were lifted from Dorothy Ashby’s ‘Soul Vibrations’) and a great, chanking rhythm guitar (which gets louder in the mix closer to the end of the record), with Morris soloing over the proceedings. Plus, it was co-written by Andre Williams!

While the record isn’t quite out-and-out funk, it is certainly funky, and with a raw enough vibe that you could drop it into a funk 45 set and no one would blink.

It is groovy, relatively inexpensive, and the kind of 45 you want to spin repeatedly.

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, September 13, 2016 1:01 pm

The Chambers Brothers performing ‘Call Me’ on Hollywood A Go Go

Listen/Download – The Chambers Brothers – Call Me MP3

Greetings all.

The Chambers Brothers are one of the coolest, and also most misunderstood acts of the 1960s.

Though they created one of the signature psychedelic records of the era in ‘Time Has Come Today’, one of those tunes that serves as musical shorthand for the 60s itself, their discography is much more diverse and interesting than that record would suggest.

Hailing from Mississippi, the Chambers Brothers – George, Lester, Willie and Joe – got their start singing gospel (evidenced in their strong, tight harmonies), worked their way up through the folk revival – appearing at Newport in 1965 and backing Barbara Dane and Hoyt Axton on a couple of records.

‘Call Me’ was one of their very first recordings, released on the LA-based Vault label in 1965 (it appeared on their debut LP ‘People Get Ready’).

The song has touches of contemporary rock, though the brothers’ voices push it well into the realm of R&B. They even do a little homage to the Isley’s ‘Twist and Shout’ in the middle of the song.

There’s a great clip of the group performing the song on Hollywood A Go Go.

They had a great knack (like Sly and the Family Stone) for wiping away the dividing lines between soul and rock, recording records like ‘Uptown’ and the oft-sampled ‘Funky’ as well as out-and-out psyche like ‘Time Has Come Today’. They would record well into the 1970s for Columbia and Avco (with Vault releasing material recorded in the mid-60s for years), getting funkier along the way.

Though the early Vault 45s can be kind of hard to find, their Columbia material is everywhere and is highly recommended.

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

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, September 11, 2016 10:50 am

Listen/Download – Frankie Gee – A Date With the Rain MP3

Greetings all.

I have a very groovy, very danceable 45 for you this fine day.

Featured back in March in the ‘Funky Music Is the Thing’ mix, Frankie Gee’s cover of ‘A Date With the Rain’ is stunning.

Originally done by the mighty Eddie Kendricks on his monumental 1972 ‘People Hold On’ LP, ‘A Date With the Rain’ was an early disco landmark and one of the most sublime soul records of the 70s. The song appeared on the LP and as the B-side of a 45 (both running 2:42) but there was also a 12” edit running over nine minutes that as far as I can tell is only currently available on YouTube.

That said, Frankie Gee, an LA artist who recorded a handful of disco 45s in the mid 70s for labels like Claridge, Lipstick, Sky and Galactic Star recorded his own version of the song in 1975, picking up the pace a little, adding heavier bass, organ and clavinet.

Though it clocks in at almost the same length as Kendricks’ OG, it has a more aggressive feel and probably could have had some success on the dance floor, but didn’t chart (unbelievably, neither did the original). I can’t even find traces of it on the disco charts.

Gee’s version of ‘A Date With the Rain’ has, however, built up a following with DJs since its release, and was pressed up I sufficient quantities by Claridge (a label with multiple lives) that it isn’t terribly hard to find or expensive.

The flip side is a bizarre cover of Lee Dorsey’s ‘Ya Ya’.

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

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, September 8, 2016 11:09 am

Taj Mahal

Listen/Download – Taj Mahal – A Lot of Love MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the week is here, and so is the Funky16Corners Radio Show, which drops each and every Friday with the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove. You can (and should) subscribe in iTunes, listen on your mobile device via the TuneIn app, check it out on Mixcloud or grab yourself an MP3 right here at Funky16Corners.

You all know that I am all about a groovy cover version, and especially when it comes from an unexpected source.

I have been a Taj Mahal fan since way back in the day, but always associated him with a more hippy/bluesy train of sound (if you will), from his early days with the Rising Sons, through his Woodstock-era sounds and beyond.

So, when I picked up an old CBS records loss-leader (so budget-y that it was released with two LPs jammed into a single sleeve?!?) and discovered Taj working it out on one of my fave soul tunes, Homer Banks’s ‘A Lot of Love’, I was stunned!.

The version in the LP was a longer (4:00) LP edit, but when I started looking on the intertubes for information, I discovered that there was also a much tighter 45 edit (2:44) that had a certain amount of popularity with the Northern Soul crowd.

I set myself a saved search, and before long the 45 popped up and I grabbed it for my playbox.

One of Taj Mahal’s greatest strengths (and also, oddly enough, a weakness of sorts) is that he was an able interpreter of all kinds of material. This is something that was for decades and essential talent in singers, but in the rock era kind of fell by the wayside.

He took full advantage of this talent over the years, and as as a result, his managed to avoid being pigeonholed, but also (unfortunately) avoided the charts.

‘A Lot of Love’ originally appeared on his 1968 LP ‘The Natch’l Blues’ which included traditional material like ‘The Cuckoo’ and ‘Corinna’ alongside soul material like ‘A Lot of Love’ and William Bell’s ‘You Don’t Miss Your Water’.

While the longer, LP version of ‘A Lot of Love’ is excellent, the 45 edit is trimmed nicely to give it a lot more dance floor/jukebox appeal, thus its popularity with the soulies.

Aided by a tight band, including a couple of Leon Russell’s Okie homeboys, Jesse Ed Davis and Chuck Blackwell, Taj kicks up the tempo of the original, and delivers a very groovy vocal.

It’s a tasty bit of late 60s soul, and I dig it a lot.

I hope you do, too.

See you on Monday.

Keep the faith

Larry

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.