Things Are Getting Better?

Clarence Carter - And They Say Don't Worry

Roy "C" - We're on the Road to Hell

The social message of soul music made a dramatic change by the end of the '60s and at the dawn of the '70s. Artists began to move away from songs about improvement and empowerment and began instead to present blunt statements about racism, poverty, the war in Vietnam, and other issues. Clarence Carter's "And They Say Don't Worry," from his Sixty Minutes With FAME LP, presents the flip side to the optimism that politicians and the media promulgated during the early '70s over a groove that is similar to that of his FAME hit "I'm the Midnight Special." More pointed, however, is Roy C's Alaga recording "We're on the Road to Hell," whose discussion of the war in Vietnam is, unfortunately, in some respects extremely relevant today. The country soul groove of Roy's Alaga and Mercury sides of the time is used to good effect here.

Believers Shall Enjoy!

James Brown - Believers Shall Enjoy (Nonbelievers Shall Suffer)

James Brown's organ-led instrumentals of the '60s are a mixed bag to most soul fans. As stated in the liner notes to the Funky Good Time anthology of sides by the various '70s incarnations of the J.B.'s, Brown didn't always recognize his limitations as an organist. Opinions are split: some people think that James' weird, noodly playing is interesting but others think it ruined the records on which he played. I'm in the former camp. "Believers Shall Enjoy" was the flip to the Christmas-themed "Tit for Tat" and it's a swinging piece of jazzy soul featuring Brown on the organ, doing his thing and making good use of his technique in the stop-time portions of the tune. Incidentally, "Believers Shall Enjoy" was going to be the original title of this blog before "Get on Down ..." was devised!

Country Soul Special!

The new episode of the show is now available as a direct download, via RSS feed or via iTunes. This episode was born out of a project of making two "Country Soul" CDs for a friend. I looked at the playlist and said, "there's a show here!" With some tweaking, I recorded the playlist that I had prepared for the project, holding off on voiceovers until the end. Enjoy!

1. William Bell, "You Don't Miss Your Water"
2. Solomon Burke, "Can't Nobody Love You"
3. Joe Tex, "You Better Get It"
4. Bobby Powell, "Your Cheating Heart"
5. Percy Wiggins, "Book of Memories"
6. Chairmen of the Board, "Patches"
7. Candi Staton, "Stand By Your Man"
8. John R, "Soul Medallion" Ad
9. Jimmy Lewis, "String Bean"
10. Lou Rawls, "Gentle on My Mind"
11. James Carr, "The Dark End of the Street"
12. Johnny Jones, "Tennessee Waltz"
13. Kip Anderson, "Without a Woman"
14. Bettye Swann, "Just Because You Can't Be Mine"
15. Clarence "Frogman" Henry, "That's When I Guessed"
16. Otis Redding, Coca-Cola Ad
17. Joe Simon, "Help Me Make It Through the Night"
18. Doris Duke, "Feet Start Walking"
19. Earl Gaines, "From Warm to Cool to Cold"
20. James Brown, "Nothing Beats a Try (But a Fail)"
21. Benny Gordon, "Crying Man"
22. The Darnells, "Come on Home" (closing theme)

Cold Bologna!

The Isley Brothers - Cold Bologna



I really don't think I need to write anything about The Isley Brothers except to say that today's selection is a tasty piece of get down from their Givin' It Back album. Dig the percussion work and guitar strumming.

EDITOR'S NOTE - At some point this weekend I will be posting the new episode of the podcast! Look out for it!

I Used to Worry ...

Eddy "G" Giles - Ain't Gonna Worry No More

Eddy Giles makes a return to this page after a March appearance with this soulful strut that was released on Murco. "Ain't Gonna Worry" is lyrically akin to "Ain't Nobody Home" or "It's Just a Matter of Time" and the engaging horns and Giles' enthusiastic singing bring it on home. I quote John R in saying that "the only thing wrong with this record is it's too short."

Don Covay's Southern Soul

Don Covay - Watching the Late Late Show

Don Covay is one of those figures of soul history who never quite "fit in" as well as his contemporaries. Although he had hits of various magnitudes through the '60s and into the '70s, he is known more for the songs he wrote - especially "Chain of Fools," which he also recorded - than for his recordings, which crackle with Covay's eccentric energy. Apparently, although he was known as "Pretty Boy" (and photos from the era do show Covay to be handsome albeit somewhat effete), his limited vocals (overall he sounded like a black Mick Jagger - has Jagger ever publicly acknowledged his vocal debt to Covay?) and alleged poor stage presence (Solomon Burke once said that people would pay for Don to get off the stage!) prevented him from being as big a star as his compadres of the era. Of his recordings, his Atlantic sides of the '60s are arguably the best, ranging from the relaxed groove of "Mercy Mercy" to the Stax soul of "See Saw" to the soul supergroup 45 "Soul Meeting" b/w "That's How It Feels" to the oddball - but actually brilliant - Jefferson Lemon Blues Band sides. In the '70s Covay would record for Janus, Mercury and Philadelphia International, scoring some big hits (especially "I Was Checkin' Out (She Was Checkin' In)") but then fading into soul history by the end of the decade.

Today's selection is my favorite of the Atlantic sides. "Watching the Late Late Show" finds Covay adopting Joe Tex's multi-track harmony effects and country soul groove to good effect before breaking into his more usual style on the bridge. It's a very sweet song with a great story.

Steppin' Up In Class!

Thanks to J.A. Bartlett over at The Hits Just Keep On Comin' an RSS feed for this blog also exists, so you can aggregate away! I'm trying out Feedburner and we'll see if it works. I don't use any blog aggregators so I'll have to trust your feedback to see if it works. Lots of good things are going on here for your ever-lovin' Stepfather!

Get on Down With iTunes!

I have received notification that the "Get on Down ..." podcast has been approved by iTunes to be listed in the podcast directory! I'm not sure exactly when it will appear (the e-mail said "a few hours"), but you can access the show from iTunes Music Store! Please spread the word! Hurray!

King Albert!

Albert King - Crosscut Saw

Albert King (born Albert Nelson) has been featured once on the podcast, and discussed briefly in a post from a couple of weeks ago, but today he gets the "King"-size treatment. King is my favorite blues guitarist, and during a very short period at which I tried to pick up guitar I bent the hell out of my strings to get his mercurial sound, to no avail.

Although King had been recording since the early '50s (initially as a drummer on some Jimmy Reed sessions; King was driving a bulldozer as a day job) for several labels and had a hit with "Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong" in 1961, it wasn't until he hooked up with Stax Records in 1966 that he became a blues phenomenon. Ably backed on his '60s sides by Booker T. & The MG's, King parlayed his unique sound (due in part to his left-handedness, which resulted in his playing his Gibson Flying V, "Lucy," upside-down) into eight or nine years of soul-flavored blues (such as his first Stax record, "Laundromat Blues"), straight-ahead soul (1972's "I'll Play the Blues For You") and funk ("Cold Feet" and "I Love Lucy"). After Stax's demise he recorded for several labels and toured regularly until his death in 1992.

King's influence in the rock world was immense, influencing everyone from Eric Clapton to Stevie Ray Vaughn and playing at rock venues such as San Francisco's famous Fillmore Auditorium (he was the first blues act to do so). King also had no problem playing a wide range of material, from straight-ahead blues ("Laundromat Blues") to straight-ahead soul ("I'll Play The Blues For You") to funk ("Cold Feet") to standards ("The Very Thought of You"). Although not as strong a vocalist as his namesake B.B., King had a smoky singing voice and a direct approach (one writer said that his singing sounded like "a man having the last word in an argument") that served him well.

Today's selection is a 1973 (or was it '74?) remake of his 1967 hit "Crosscut Saw." The Bar-Kays replaced Booker T. & The MG's rhumba-oriented groove of the original with a nice stomping Memphis funk. The single version of the song keeps the funk throughout, but the album version (featured here) finds King in the mood to reminisce, so about halfway through they switch to the original groove. Although there are places where it appears the band is in a hurry to get back to the funk, King leisurely works his way along to the extent that it appears that the new groove was simply an envelope for the old one. When the band brings back the funk it's almost enough to make you say "school is out," because King has shown his whole bag of tricks. It's a great recording.

As awesome as King's records were, however, he cut a bold figure as a live act. A physically intimidating figure (6'4", 250 pounds), King would work the stage and the band as if he were on a construction crew, puffing away at his pipe and working it out on the guitar. Here is a video of King, doing "Blues Power." It's good stuff.

Get on Down With Mr. Big Stuff!

Get on Down With Mr. Big Stuff!

(EDITOR'S NOTE - Revived and edited on 11/20/07.)

As I mentioned in a prior post, Jean Knight's 1971 hit "Mr. Big Stuff" set off a flurry of covers, "answer records" and songs that cribbed the song's sassy message and jaunty beat. I mentioned at that time that I would do a post or mini-set about the "Mr. Big Stuff" records. Thanks to some prodding from a Soul Sides post on the same topic, here's the set!

1. Jean Knight, "Mr. Big Stuff" - No write-up needed; if you don't know this song you must've stumbled upon this blog by using Blogger's "random blog" feature! Just kidding. Read the Soul Sides post above for info about Jean Knight and this classic song. Knight would go back to the well on her next Stax single, "You Think You're Hot Stuff," and the Mr. Big Stuff LP track "You City Slicker," but lightning like "Mr. Big Stuff" only strikes once.

2. Jimmy Hicks, "I'm Mr. Big Stuff" - It's only fitting that another New Orleans musician would bring out an "answer" record to the Knight hit pretty quickly, and Jimmy Hicks' Big Deal 45 may very well have been the first. Over a dirtier and slower groove than the original, Hicks tweaks just enough words to tell Mr. Big Stuff's side of the story in an almost-flat baritone.

3. Vicki Anderson, "I'm Too Tough For Mister Big Stuff (Hot Pants)" - James Brown enters the fray with this one from James Brown Revue member Vicki Anderson. Although the song doesn't use the "Mr. Big Stuff" groove or words, the sass is there, as Vicki puts down all of the guys all over the U.S. who might think they're "Mr. Big Stuff" - even Wilson Pickett, her husband Bobby Byrd, and James Brown himself! The songwriter credit on this one goes to JB guitarist Hearlon "Cheese" Martin, the only such credit I've seen on a JB production.

4. Mighty Sam, "I'm Mr. Big Stuff" - "Mr. Big Stuff" producer Wardell Quezerque revisited his hit for this recording on Mighty Sam, employing a slower and softer groove. There are several great compilations featuring Quezerque's '60s and '70s productions, and all are worth checking out; they show that Allen Toussaint wasn't the only genius in New Orleans during the soul era!

5. Tomorrow's Children, "Sister Big Stuff" - Considering that both "Mr. Big Stuff" and King Floyd's "Groove Me" (recorded at the same recording session in 1970) made use of reggae-tinged grooves, it's only a natural that both songs would later be recorded by reggae artists in Jamaica. Tomorrow's Children reverse the gender of the title character here and create a good group version of the song in the process.

6. Barbara Lynn, "Daddy Hot Stuff" - The singer/guitarist Lynn borrows the lyrical feel, if not the sass or groove, of the Knight recording to provide a nice mid-tempo groover under the production auspices of Huey Meaux, whose contributions to soul deserve more attention than is currently given.

7. The James Young Blues Band, "Funky Booty" - I suppose the JYBB thought they were fooling someone by renaming the song, but "Funky Booty" stands as a great instrumental version of "Mr. Big Stuff." I don't know anything about this group or the recording, but I know the group does a good job with the relaxed groove.

8. Freddie Robinson, "Sister Hot Pants" - Blues singer/guitarist Freddie Robinson was signed to Stax's Enterprise label at the time of Jean Knight's hit and the two albums he recorded are very good (his take on Percy Mayfield's "River's Invitation" is a sampler's delight). "Sister Hot Pants" finds Robinson's sly vocals admitting that he is indeed "Mr. Big Stuff" but challenging the title character to drop the sass and come on to him. It's fun stuff (dig the reading of the line "I got something right here, girl, that can make you come alive"), but the song did not see the light of day until the 1999 issue of the Ace/Stax compilation Stax Funx 2.

9. Lyn Collins, "Mr. Big Stuff" - As mentioned in my prior post, Lyn Collins does her thing over a lighter and faster version of the original, but provides a surprise twist at the end.

10. Everclear, "AM Radio" - This is the first (and probably only) time a rock song (and a contemporary one, to boot) will appear on this blog. Everclear's 2000 homage to '70s music and culture made great use of samples from the Knight recording and caught my attention the first time I heard it on the (FM) radio. Even after thirty-plus years, "Mr. Big Stuff" still can deliver the goods.

More Big News!

Brian Phillips has identified the mystery tune I posted in March! The name of the record is "Welcome Me" by The Scott Brothers. Brian is one of my two "main soul men" here in Atlanta and I am pleased as punch that he solved the puzzle! Thank you so much! Look out for a shout-out on Episode #8 of the podcast!

Big News!

I have finally figured out how to write a WORKING RSS feed for the podcast! http://stepfatherofsoul.com/getondown.xml is the URL for it. I have made the most recent episode (#7) the "premiere" for the purposes of the feed; if anyone wants an earlier episode to be the feed let me know and I'll set up a feed for it so you can download it.

I have also submitted the feed to iTunes; here's hoping it will be accepted!