Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Gettin' Up With The Devonnes and Larry Banks!


The Devonnes - Doin' "The Gettin' Up"



Singer/songwriter/producer Larry Banks cemented his name in the annals of rock history with his composition "Go Now," which the Moody Blues turned into a big hit in the mid-'60s (although it unfortunately crushed the original version that his then-wife, Bessie, cut for Lieber and Stoller), but fortunately his output extended much farther than that one song, and us soul fans are double fortunate that the late Dave Godin championed Banks' songs and recordings and started work on Larry Banks' Soul Family Album before his death. Kent's Ady Croasdell picked up where Godin left off and the resulting CD closed out a great year of Kent comps. I featured Banks' demo of "Ooh It Hurts Me" on Episode #24 of the podcast, and today's selection is another fine cut from the CD.

The Northern groover "Doin' 'The Gettin' Up'" is a nice piece of "get on down" by the femme group The Devonnes. After some dialogue to establish the "blossoming of the wallflower" theme, the song's groove kicks in and the lead singer shows that there's more than meets the eye, especially since she's got a new dance to lay on the world. The GWP recording nods to the Esquires' "Get on Up" and "And Get Away" in the chorus, and the whole thing, despite its "soul musical theater" feel, really cooks. Get on up and get away!

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