The Coasters - Bull Tick Waltz
Tabby Thomas - Hoodoo Party
Happy Halloween to all you guys and ghouls out there! I got beat to the punch for putting Charles Sheffield's "It's Your Voodoo Working" on here, and I had already posted Gene "Bowlegs" Miller's "Frankenstein Walk," so today's short post features two tales of oddball parties that would be just perfect for the occasion. The Coasters' "Bull Tick Waltz" brings a romping, Bobby Darin-esque groove to the depiction of what should be a problematic infestation of insects, and Charles Sheffield's Excello labelmate Tabby Thomas lays down a rhumba-oriented piece of Louisiana swamp blues with "Hoodoo Party." No tricks, just treats here!
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Monday, October 30, 2006
Deep Chicago Soul
Jones and Blumenberg - I Forgot To Remember
This week finds your ever-lovin' Stepfather again on time crunches and, accordingly, short posts. Today's selection was a one-off Volt single from 1968 or '69. Jones and Blumenberg, both part of Jerry Butler's songwriting workshop (from which Butler drew material to record at around that time), make for a strong duet over a very strong ballad. It's unfortunate that this record went nowhere. Perhaps had Mel & Tim (whose sound is redolent here) recorded this it could've been a hit, but their tenure with Stax was still three or four years away. At the time of this song's release, that formidable duo was still working with Gene Chandler for Bamboo Records in Chicago - Gene should've called Jerry up!
This week finds your ever-lovin' Stepfather again on time crunches and, accordingly, short posts. Today's selection was a one-off Volt single from 1968 or '69. Jones and Blumenberg, both part of Jerry Butler's songwriting workshop (from which Butler drew material to record at around that time), make for a strong duet over a very strong ballad. It's unfortunate that this record went nowhere. Perhaps had Mel & Tim (whose sound is redolent here) recorded this it could've been a hit, but their tenure with Stax was still three or four years away. At the time of this song's release, that formidable duo was still working with Gene Chandler for Bamboo Records in Chicago - Gene should've called Jerry up!
Sunday, October 29, 2006
YouTube Gospel Time!
Rather than post anything today, I'll point you to YouTube to see these outstanding outstanding gospel, blues and jazz videos that user "Mandy39" has put up. A great deal of the gospel material comes from the seminal "TV Gospel Time" and "Jubilee Showcase" television programs but some come from other sources. Here's some serious "church" from King Louis Narcisse, who is singing "In Jerusalem" with the choir of his San Francisco church. There's some serious "holy ghost" going on in this clip!
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Soul-Blues Saturday: Al Bell, Monk Higgins and Bobby Bland!
Bobby Bland - Love To See You Smile
Al Bell found himself at the bottom of the bottom when Stax Records collapsed in 1975. Not only was the label for which he had spent the last ten years working for (and the last three years owning) out of business, he was personally out of money, as he sank everything he could into fighting CBS (whose distribution agreement had basically put a choke hold on the label's finances) and Union Planters Bank (whose machinations, which were very racist-tinged, hastened the label's demise) and trying to keep the label afloat. Once all the smoke cleared, Bell moved to Washington, D.C. and attempted to get back in the record business through a venture called Independence Corporation of America (ICA). ICA was a pretty quixotic enterprise, considering that independent record companies were all but dead and buried by 1977, and the singles that came out on the ICA label on artists such as L.V. Johnson and Vernon Garrett (whose ICA record of "I'm at the Crossroad" will be featured on a future Soul-Blues Saturday post) didn't fare very well. In the '80s Bell would be involved with Motown and in the '90s would finally hit paydirt with his Bellmark concern, with hits by Prince ("The Most Beautiful Girl in the World") and the rap classic "Whoomp (There It Is)."
The lone success that ICA had came from its productions on blues legend Bobby Bland for MCA Records at the end of the '70s. Bland had gone into the decade continuing on ABC-Dunhill the hit streak he had started at Duke in the '60s. By the time MCA took over the ABC labels he had started the transition toward what is now called "soul blues." Bell and Monk Higgins, whose own career in Chicago and L.A. had created lots of great recordings, worked with Bland during this era (Higgins also produced some other ICA recordings; was he a partner in ICA?), leaving behind some very good recordings. Today's selection came from Bland's LP Come Fly With Me and has endured on soul-blues radio to the present day. Bland gives a warm reading to the uplifting song, and the toe-tapping groove and background singers really bring it home.
Al Bell found himself at the bottom of the bottom when Stax Records collapsed in 1975. Not only was the label for which he had spent the last ten years working for (and the last three years owning) out of business, he was personally out of money, as he sank everything he could into fighting CBS (whose distribution agreement had basically put a choke hold on the label's finances) and Union Planters Bank (whose machinations, which were very racist-tinged, hastened the label's demise) and trying to keep the label afloat. Once all the smoke cleared, Bell moved to Washington, D.C. and attempted to get back in the record business through a venture called Independence Corporation of America (ICA). ICA was a pretty quixotic enterprise, considering that independent record companies were all but dead and buried by 1977, and the singles that came out on the ICA label on artists such as L.V. Johnson and Vernon Garrett (whose ICA record of "I'm at the Crossroad" will be featured on a future Soul-Blues Saturday post) didn't fare very well. In the '80s Bell would be involved with Motown and in the '90s would finally hit paydirt with his Bellmark concern, with hits by Prince ("The Most Beautiful Girl in the World") and the rap classic "Whoomp (There It Is)."
The lone success that ICA had came from its productions on blues legend Bobby Bland for MCA Records at the end of the '70s. Bland had gone into the decade continuing on ABC-Dunhill the hit streak he had started at Duke in the '60s. By the time MCA took over the ABC labels he had started the transition toward what is now called "soul blues." Bell and Monk Higgins, whose own career in Chicago and L.A. had created lots of great recordings, worked with Bland during this era (Higgins also produced some other ICA recordings; was he a partner in ICA?), leaving behind some very good recordings. Today's selection came from Bland's LP Come Fly With Me and has endured on soul-blues radio to the present day. Bland gives a warm reading to the uplifting song, and the toe-tapping groove and background singers really bring it home.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Mr. Porter's Opus
David Porter:
When You Have To Sneak (You Have To Sneak)
Help!
David Porter's legacy in soul music is usually always presented in tandem with Isaac Hayes, with whom he wrote and produced hit after hit for Stax/Volt artists like Sam & Dave and the Soul Children. Porter's tenure with Stax, however, actually began before he and Hayes found their groove and would continue when Isaac became a superstar at the end of the '60s, effectively ending the partnership. After Hayes moved on, Porter released three albums on Enterprise and a handful of singles (one of them a disappointing duet with Isaac on "Ain't That Loving You (For More Reasons Than One)"), of which only a remake of "Can't See You When I Want To" (which he had recorded in the early days of Stax) had any particular chart action. Porter had found a new songwriting partner in Ronnie Williams, whose gospel piano playing had interested him (the first of today's selections is exemplary of such style).
Porter's 1971 LP Victim of the Joke? An Opera was a concept album built around the story of a love triangle. Porter, Stax engineer Henry Bush, and others recorded little interludes not unlike the skits that populate many albums today to thread together the songs. "When You Have To Sneak" sets up the illicit love affair between Porter and his paramour (Bush's girlfriend). Once the affair is discovered, and Porter receives a beating from Bush and his gang (one of the funnier moments on the album), a cover of The Beatles' "Help!" is only appropriate. Although the album is best known for Porter's funky reading of the Tin Pan Alley standard "The Masquerade Is Over," the former two songs are my favorites. "When You Have To Sneak" features a great gospel sound featuring Williams' piano, and Porter's vocals really convey the weight of the lyrics. "Help!" is given a stomping treatment that seems almost in line with one of Isaac Hayes' blaxploitation film scores, but in a very attractive mid-section, Porter and the background singers take it down and the soul of his rendition shines through. Victim of the Joke? was probably too strange for its time (the cover art, shown above, probably didn't help either) and the album and the two singles pulled from it ("When I Give It Up, I Want It Back" and "The Masquerade Is Over") were commercially unsuccessful. Porter, however, would stay with Stax until its demise (Rob Bowman notes in Soulsville, U.S.A. that in the final days of the label Porter would actually would ask other Stax personnel how much money they needed to survive and give them money), and when Fantasy Records made a stab at resurrecting the label in the late '70s they tapped Porter to run it (despite scoring a big hit with "Holy Ghost" in 1978 and some minor hits thereafter, the label was shuttered as an active concern by 1980 or 1981).
When You Have To Sneak (You Have To Sneak)
Help!
David Porter's legacy in soul music is usually always presented in tandem with Isaac Hayes, with whom he wrote and produced hit after hit for Stax/Volt artists like Sam & Dave and the Soul Children. Porter's tenure with Stax, however, actually began before he and Hayes found their groove and would continue when Isaac became a superstar at the end of the '60s, effectively ending the partnership. After Hayes moved on, Porter released three albums on Enterprise and a handful of singles (one of them a disappointing duet with Isaac on "Ain't That Loving You (For More Reasons Than One)"), of which only a remake of "Can't See You When I Want To" (which he had recorded in the early days of Stax) had any particular chart action. Porter had found a new songwriting partner in Ronnie Williams, whose gospel piano playing had interested him (the first of today's selections is exemplary of such style).
Porter's 1971 LP Victim of the Joke? An Opera was a concept album built around the story of a love triangle. Porter, Stax engineer Henry Bush, and others recorded little interludes not unlike the skits that populate many albums today to thread together the songs. "When You Have To Sneak" sets up the illicit love affair between Porter and his paramour (Bush's girlfriend). Once the affair is discovered, and Porter receives a beating from Bush and his gang (one of the funnier moments on the album), a cover of The Beatles' "Help!" is only appropriate. Although the album is best known for Porter's funky reading of the Tin Pan Alley standard "The Masquerade Is Over," the former two songs are my favorites. "When You Have To Sneak" features a great gospel sound featuring Williams' piano, and Porter's vocals really convey the weight of the lyrics. "Help!" is given a stomping treatment that seems almost in line with one of Isaac Hayes' blaxploitation film scores, but in a very attractive mid-section, Porter and the background singers take it down and the soul of his rendition shines through. Victim of the Joke? was probably too strange for its time (the cover art, shown above, probably didn't help either) and the album and the two singles pulled from it ("When I Give It Up, I Want It Back" and "The Masquerade Is Over") were commercially unsuccessful. Porter, however, would stay with Stax until its demise (Rob Bowman notes in Soulsville, U.S.A. that in the final days of the label Porter would actually would ask other Stax personnel how much money they needed to survive and give them money), and when Fantasy Records made a stab at resurrecting the label in the late '70s they tapped Porter to run it (despite scoring a big hit with "Holy Ghost" in 1978 and some minor hits thereafter, the label was shuttered as an active concern by 1980 or 1981).
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Tyrone Says: "He's/She's Just Not Into You!"
Tyrone Davis - Give It Up (Turn It Loose)
Today's post is partial fulfillment of an earlier promise to feature more Tyrone Davis material on this blog. In 1976 Davis parted ways with the Brunswick subsidiary Dakar Records and signed to Columbia, where he scored a few more hits before changing times ended a decade of solid hits, at least as far as R&B audiences were concerned. "Give It Up" was one of his bigger hits on Columbia, although stylistically it didn't stray too far from the sound of his Dakar hits, especially his last #1 hit, "Turning Point," which had come out in Dakar in '76. The springy groove and femme chorus provide great support to Tyrone's advice to those whose lovers were turning away from them.
Today's post is partial fulfillment of an earlier promise to feature more Tyrone Davis material on this blog. In 1976 Davis parted ways with the Brunswick subsidiary Dakar Records and signed to Columbia, where he scored a few more hits before changing times ended a decade of solid hits, at least as far as R&B audiences were concerned. "Give It Up" was one of his bigger hits on Columbia, although stylistically it didn't stray too far from the sound of his Dakar hits, especially his last #1 hit, "Turning Point," which had come out in Dakar in '76. The springy groove and femme chorus provide great support to Tyrone's advice to those whose lovers were turning away from them.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
This Is Soul!
Jean Stanback - The Next Man
I first heard of Jean Stanback via Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures, where Dave, in his usual purple prose, sang the praises of Stanback's "I Still Love You" (Peacock). Stanback's vocals thrilled me on that tune, and when I heard today's selection on The Heart of Southern Soul, Vol. 3, I was equally thrilled. "The Next Man" came out on Swamp Dogg's Mankind label (an Excello subsidiary) and it's pure soul music. The bluesy, churchy ballad is a showcase for Stanback's heavily-gospelized singing, as she catalogues how her present man did her wrong and how her next man will make it right. This tune never lets up the intensity - notice the portion where Jean does a little testifying over a quiet backdrop; at the beginning of the section one of the background singers seems to be so caught up she lets out a "holy ghost" shout!
I first heard of Jean Stanback via Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures, where Dave, in his usual purple prose, sang the praises of Stanback's "I Still Love You" (Peacock). Stanback's vocals thrilled me on that tune, and when I heard today's selection on The Heart of Southern Soul, Vol. 3, I was equally thrilled. "The Next Man" came out on Swamp Dogg's Mankind label (an Excello subsidiary) and it's pure soul music. The bluesy, churchy ballad is a showcase for Stanback's heavily-gospelized singing, as she catalogues how her present man did her wrong and how her next man will make it right. This tune never lets up the intensity - notice the portion where Jean does a little testifying over a quiet backdrop; at the beginning of the section one of the background singers seems to be so caught up she lets out a "holy ghost" shout!
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
The Funky Invitation
Junior Parker - River's Invitation
Percy Mayfield's "River's Invitation" is one of many of his blues classics that has been recorded by a wide range of artists in several styles. Mayfield himself recorded the song originally on Specialty in the '50s but then hit the R&B charts with a jauntier version of the song on Tangerine in 1962. Several blues and soul acts would revisit the tune throughout the '60s and the early '70s, including Aretha Franklin, Freddie Robinson and Junior Parker. All three of their versions of the song added a degree of funk to the tune's instantly-recognizable instrumental riff, from the Southern soul edge of Aretha's version to the fatback funk of Freddie Robinson's version.
By the time Junior Parker recorded his version of the tune on Capitol, the blues man had begun a period of experimentation that resulted in a lot of great soul and funk-oriented recordings for several labels. His take on "River's Invitation" is a jazzy, funky ramble which somewhat de-emphasizes the darkness of Mayfield's lyrics and focuses more on the good time generated by the groove.
Percy Mayfield's "River's Invitation" is one of many of his blues classics that has been recorded by a wide range of artists in several styles. Mayfield himself recorded the song originally on Specialty in the '50s but then hit the R&B charts with a jauntier version of the song on Tangerine in 1962. Several blues and soul acts would revisit the tune throughout the '60s and the early '70s, including Aretha Franklin, Freddie Robinson and Junior Parker. All three of their versions of the song added a degree of funk to the tune's instantly-recognizable instrumental riff, from the Southern soul edge of Aretha's version to the fatback funk of Freddie Robinson's version.
By the time Junior Parker recorded his version of the tune on Capitol, the blues man had begun a period of experimentation that resulted in a lot of great soul and funk-oriented recordings for several labels. His take on "River's Invitation" is a jazzy, funky ramble which somewhat de-emphasizes the darkness of Mayfield's lyrics and focuses more on the good time generated by the groove.
Monday, October 23, 2006
The Atmospheric Soul of William Bell!
William Bell - All For The Love Of A Woman
Soul legend William Bell's legacy as an artist is often presented in terms of the two major bookends of his career in the '60s and '70s, the Southern soul masterpiece, "You Don't Miss Your Water," his first hit, and the post-Stax "Trying To Love Two," his only #1 Billboard R&B hit. Fortunately for Stax fans and soul fans in general, the wide range of material he recorded during his long tenure at Stax shows a versatile artist whose sound evolved with fabulous results.
Today's selection was released in 1971 and right away the atmosphere of the record caputres one's attention. The strings and the chorus swirl about and then Bell steps in to explain that for a woman a man is liable to do anything - certainly things that aren't so nice, as his litany of items over the song's hook shows. It's one of my favorite Bell records.
Soul legend William Bell's legacy as an artist is often presented in terms of the two major bookends of his career in the '60s and '70s, the Southern soul masterpiece, "You Don't Miss Your Water," his first hit, and the post-Stax "Trying To Love Two," his only #1 Billboard R&B hit. Fortunately for Stax fans and soul fans in general, the wide range of material he recorded during his long tenure at Stax shows a versatile artist whose sound evolved with fabulous results.
Today's selection was released in 1971 and right away the atmosphere of the record caputres one's attention. The strings and the chorus swirl about and then Bell steps in to explain that for a woman a man is liable to do anything - certainly things that aren't so nice, as his litany of items over the song's hook shows. It's one of my favorite Bell records.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
"Get on Down ..." Anniversary Special!
Because of a lot of stuff going lately, I don't think I'm going to have time to put together a podcast for this month - for shame! - but I do want to get one up in time for the blog/podcast's first anniversary (November 3). What I would like to do is create an "Anniversary Special" which would feature reader favorites from the year of "Get on Down ..." posts. Of course, to feature reader favorites means that you have to let me know which tunes you would like to have featured. You can contact me either by commenting or by e-mail and by the end of the month I will have a playlist put together and will do a commemorative show. I would like to have all recommendations end by the end of this week (October 28). I look forward to your suggestions!
Sunday Gospel Time
The Ramada Singers - Stand Still Jordan
Last night I had the honor of being one of the guest DJs for "Rhythm & Booze" at El Myr in Atlanta, and it was great to get to spin again and listen and dance to so many great soul records! I managed to slip in one gospel record, the Meditation Singers' "Don't You Want to Go (Pt. 1)." Today's selection would be a good candidate for "Rhythm & Booze," but unfortunately its condition is just a bit too rough to play out. I picked it up from Kurt Wood, who also was on board for "Rhythm & Booze" last night. "Stand Still Jordan" is a nice piece of gospel soul, featuring a nice rhythm and good group singing. The record came out on Su-Ann, which was part of the HSE Records empire and, accordingly, is pretty collectible (and pricey - I saw a VG copy of this for sale online for $50!). Writing about an HSE record shames me somewhat, as I interviewed Larry Blackwell (owner of the HSE catalogue) in July 2006 but just haven't had time to sit down and craft an article about the label. Maybe gospel fans who read this blog can pester me to get it done!
Last night I had the honor of being one of the guest DJs for "Rhythm & Booze" at El Myr in Atlanta, and it was great to get to spin again and listen and dance to so many great soul records! I managed to slip in one gospel record, the Meditation Singers' "Don't You Want to Go (Pt. 1)." Today's selection would be a good candidate for "Rhythm & Booze," but unfortunately its condition is just a bit too rough to play out. I picked it up from Kurt Wood, who also was on board for "Rhythm & Booze" last night. "Stand Still Jordan" is a nice piece of gospel soul, featuring a nice rhythm and good group singing. The record came out on Su-Ann, which was part of the HSE Records empire and, accordingly, is pretty collectible (and pricey - I saw a VG copy of this for sale online for $50!). Writing about an HSE record shames me somewhat, as I interviewed Larry Blackwell (owner of the HSE catalogue) in July 2006 but just haven't had time to sit down and craft an article about the label. Maybe gospel fans who read this blog can pester me to get it done!
Friday, October 20, 2006
Koko's Funky Soul
Koko Taylor - Yes It's Good For You
Wrapping up this week of short posts is this piece of funky soul by Koko Taylor. "Yes It's Good For You" finds the Queen of the Blues working it out over a hot groove laid down by the Chess musicians (that must be Maurice White - of eventual Earth, Wind & Fire fame - laying down that drumming that really pushues this record).
Wrapping up this week of short posts is this piece of funky soul by Koko Taylor. "Yes It's Good For You" finds the Queen of the Blues working it out over a hot groove laid down by the Chess musicians (that must be Maurice White - of eventual Earth, Wind & Fire fame - laying down that drumming that really pushues this record).
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