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The Tarantulas “Vera Brown” (Stop, 196?) (Click...

Mon, 28 May 2012 23:43:00 -0400

The Tarantulas “Vera Brown” (Stop, 196?)

(Click title to download)

Happy Memorial Day to you all, I hope none of you have friends or family out in harm’s way and if you do, may they return safely.

Today’s 45 is by The Tarantulas, most well known for their eponymous Atlantic single with the Black Widow flip, they were one of those great 60’s bands that everyone can lay claim to; surf-rock, R&B and rockabilly (is that everybody?).

A great band who recorded in Memphis, TN, The Tarantulas (originally named The Spyders), included Bob Tucker, the writer of today’s song, who later became the stand-in for Bill Black in 1963 when he began to be to ill to tour. Upon Black’s death in 1965 Tucker purchased Black’s studio in Memphis and continued to tour with the Bill Black Combo for the next 30 years. (Here’s an interesting piece about Tucker finding the Ampex recorder he bought from Sam Phillips in the back of his Bus Warehouse.) Many of the other members of The Tarantulas ended up in the Bill Black Combo (sans Black) to tour with The Beatles (at their request) in 1964.

About the record, there’s another issuing of this 45 out there on the Silver-Dollar label with an address listed in Memphis with no production credits but my copy is on the Boston based Stop label (though I did find this record in New England, I’ll be damned if I’ve ever seen a record on that label in all my years digging in Boston…) and it lists “Skippy” White as the producer and he was based out of Bean town. Despite the “production” credit, based on The Tarantulas small reach and immersion in the Memphis scene, my guess is it was released on Silver Dollar first then picked up by the (relatively) larger Stop.

I can’t find anything out there on the year it was released but I’m swinging for the fences with 61?

All the best, see you soon.

-George / Snack Attack

Edit: It appears Stop was owned by Pete Drake, the legendary lap steel guitarist and based out of Nashville, Skippy White was a Boston producer that worked in Gospel, Blues and R&B so that fact seems to sit right, just not sure how the two meshed. Would love to hear any ideas you all have!

The Commands “Hey, It’s Love” (Dynamic,...

Tue, 22 May 2012 21:23:00 -0400

The Commands “Hey, It’s Love” (Dynamic, 1966)

(Click title to download)

Please excuse any typos in this post, they’re a result of my unbridled enthusiasm for today’s 45. I have been trying for quite some time to secure a copy of this gem and it came in the mail today after a lucky snag off an unnamed internet auction site and I literally can’t wait to share it with the world.

“Hey, It’s Love” is an absolutely beautiful, literally shockingly smooth track from San Antonio, TX. The Commands were a group of guys who came together from, no surprise from their name, an Air Force base. The arrangements and sensibility do not suggest they spent their time tearing up the pub on the base but instead were more focused on harmony and singing, not something unknown to those parts of Texas with Dan Henderson delivering a monster performance on what is a B-Side performance.

The Commands themselves were actually just a vocal group with all the backing music provided by the Dell-Tones and boy, what backing music it is! Crisp (but mellow) drums, including a gorgeous opening drum break are accompanied by super clean almost harp-like guitar. Truly amazing stuff.

Released on the local Dynamic label, the record was picked up by the nearby powerhouse of Backbeat in Houston for national distribution and exposure even leading to the O’Jays covering the A-Side “No Time For You.” There were a few more records released but none with the popularity of “No Time For You / Hey It’s Love” and fate intervened to take the lead Singer (of the A-Side) Sam Peoples to a station overseas before we were able to see what the group was really able to do.

This is literally one of my favorite records and if you’re listening I’m sure you understand why.

Enjoy the music and be good to each other,

-George / Snack Attack

The Mar-Keys “Last Night” (Stax/Satellite,...

Tue, 15 May 2012 01:29:00 -0400

The Mar-Keys “Last Night” (Stax/Satellite, 1961)

Eddie Purrell “The Spoiler” (Volt, 1964)

Booker T & The MG’s “Booker-Loo” (Stax, 1966)

(Click each title to download the individual track)

I regret that the purpose of today’s post is to mark the passing of one of the greats of the rhythm section in all of music, Donald “Duck” Dunn. My ability to keep up with this modest little blog here is being tested by the falling of musical giants what feels like every week, never mind someone who I admired as much and managed to wear as many hats as Duck Dunn.

Donald “Duck” Dunn for any who don’t know was 1/4 of the heavy weight Stax attack known as Booker T and the M.G’s. His bass playing along with Al Jackson’s drumming is some of my favorite rhythm section work in all of music; the two of them creating some of the heaviest and amazingly minimal grooves you could ever hope for in a band.

His ability to find a deep, simplified and heavy pocket began with his involvement in the early Stax group The Mar-Keys who had a hit in 1961 with “Last Night” that was solid shoulder-wiggling, hard hitting R&B at its best. The record, originally released on the Satellite label (pictured) was a big deal for the Stax brand, giving it an early shot in the arm so big that they realized they couldn’t keep their current label name due to a conflict and were forced to come up with the Stewart/Axton combo meal we all knew to grow and love as Stax.

Dunn left the Mar-Keys in 62 but returned to the Stax fold full-time to join Booker T and the M.G’s in 1964 where he continued to create amazing music both in the style of the punchy r&b of the mar-keys and more complex, Jamerson-style melodic bass lines. One of my favorites is while backing Otis Redding on “I Can’t Turn You Loose” from 1965, it’s a frantic run on the fret board while Otis goes to town. (I previously posted a very early Sly and The Family Stone cover here, check it out in Singles Mixer V. 1)

Though not as prolific of a songwriter as fellow MG’s Booker T and especially Steve Cropper, Dunn also had writing credits of a few songs that weren’t released by the MG’s. Included here today is a record I’m fond of but was by and large ignored when it was released (with the exception being that it was a regional hit in Chicago by Eddie Purrell an artist from Detroit recorded by a Memphis group and label…). Either way, I dig “The Spoiler” and hope it helps to round of the picture of the multi-talented Duck Dunn.

Strangely, this past Saturday day I was hanging out with my step-father and the Blues Brothers movie was on. I’ve never seen it (despite the incessant hounding of a few good friends) but was psyched to see Duck jamming while Belushi and Aykroyd went nuts. I said “jeez, George, see the dang movie already.” It’s sad to know that’s the only way I’ll get to see the great, immortal Donald “Duck” Dunn perform.

I hope you enjoy the tracks and highly recommend anything the man ever touched and reading Rob Bowman’s great book Soulsville USA: The Story of Stax Records for lots of great anecdotes and stories that show how full of love and joy he was for music and his fellow woman and man.

All the best,

-George / Snack Attack

John Holt “For The Love of You (Part 1)” (Impact,...

Sun, 06 May 2012 12:13:00 -0400

John Holt “For The Love of You (Part 1)” (Impact, 1975)

(Click title to download)

John Holt is about as big a name as you can get in reggae without being Robert Nesta. As lead singer of the Paragons (and still a pretty young dude) he penned and sang a number of massive hits including Tide is High later covered by Blondie. When Holt struck out on his own he was even more successful both with original compositions and a series of cover songs including today’s 45.

The song “For The Love of You” should be more than familiar with your ear/brain combo as one of the many scorching ballads the Isley Brothers dropped on us in the 70’s and Holt handles it masterfully as he did with all his lover’s rock ballads.

Hope you enjoy today’s record, it’s a favorite.

-George / Snack Attack

Eddie & Ernie “Outcasts” (Eastern, 1965) (Click...

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:59:00 -0400

Eddie & Ernie “Outcasts” (Eastern, 1965)

(Click title to download)

I’m glad to be back and more or less recovered from my brief trip overseas and the bummin cold/cough I got while traveling and ready to lay another 45 on you all!

I figured with all the absolutely bummin news coming out of Arizona these days it would only be right to try and shine some positive light on one of our Southwestern states.

Eddie and Ernie were a great (and as is often the case) overlooked duo from Phoenix, Arizona whose recorded output lands mostly in the mid-60s. They recorded for a number of labels (Columbia, Chess and Revue) but today’s record was released on the (adopted) hometown Eastern label.

This little slab of wax is kind of a heavy record. You know, not in a Sabbath type of way heavy but instead, it’s the meditative, slightly noodley and somber guitar that opens the track that kind of weighs on you. And while the beat is up-tempo and the horns feel like they’re reaching upwards, it all comes together to just ooooooooze melancholy. Of course you have Eddie (Campell) and Ernie (Johnson) delivering an exquisite vocal performance that assures you feel their pain when they cry “I don’t know how long I’m gonna last.” The song breaks after the first chorus and lets you feel that awesomely sad and clean guitar break (with a touch of organ buried under there) again this time knowing full well you’re into so deep territory.

An all around great track that stays on repeat in my room (even in my happy moments!) was surely helped out by the production of the great Juggy Murray (who I swore I had featured in one of my longer mixes, but apparently not!) of Sue Records.

I hope your month is winding down peacefully, happily and healthily and you enjoy today’s track as much as I do!

-George / Snack Attack.

Luvenia Lewis “Let Me Be The One” (Suave,...

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:08:40 -0400

Luvenia Lewis “Let Me Be The One” (Suave, 1964)

(Click title to download)

Hey everyone, dropping a pre-prepared post on you while I’m here in The Netherlands.

Hailing from Houston, TX, Luvenia had an unfortunately brief recording career, only putting out a handful of singles in the 60’s (and one in the early 70s) both under her given name and Lovely Lewis. The latter on the Duke label and the name change was done at the insistence of label head Don Robey.

Today’s record is a perfect in the pocket R&B shaker, starts with the pumping organ and drums that sound like 100 other songs from this time, but when Luvenia’s voice comes in the song really picks up. Add in the wimpering horns and the super clean guitar solo and we have lots more to listen to and they work with Lewis’ voice beautifully to give her simultaneously more grit and refinement.

Though her recorded output was (unfortunately) limited she was an active and influential musician in the Houston scene during this period, performing regularly as a singer in the local clubs and groups including singing for her husband Cal Green (who later became the lead guitarist for Hank Ballard and was the brother of session musician and Rhythmaires band leader Clarence Green.)

Here’s a great video about T-Bone Walker from the mid 80’s that has a very brief clip of Luvenia in it if you’re interested in seeing her sitting down, not performing. It’s worth 15 minutes of your time even if you’re not, facebook isn’t going any where…

Hope you enjoy!

-George / Snack Attack

Turn It On - An hour of groovin and shakin! (Click title to...

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 18:42:11 -0400

Turn It On - An hour of groovin and shakin!

(Click title to download)

Thanks to some helpful ~~internet stalking~~ reminding, I realized I was rather behind on putting up some longer mixes so let today’s post right that wrong.

This mix doesn’t have too deep of a theme, there’s a pretty broad range in terms of style, year and geography, so while none of those characteristics will help your mind contextualize the music, what will come in helpful is the area between your thighs and back, because ALL of these tracks are killer hip shakers.

To ensure variety, there’s a dash of latin (and latin-tinged), some killer r&b, a couple of great instrumentals (that James Booker record is so bonkers!) and a few burners (I do have to admit, I’ve never played the Mabel John record for a crowd).

I hope you enjoy the mix on this gorgeous TGIF! I’m about to set sail for a week across the pond (any digging tips in Amsterdam or London?!) but I have one post cued up so you’ll get a real tasty 45 next week!

All the best,

-George / Snack Attack

Tracklist:

The Fabulous Traits - Love Is Strange (Tele-Phonic, Early 70s?)

Lloyd Price - Love Music (GSF, 1973)

The Nite-Liters - Tanga Boo Gonk (RCA, 1971)

Lena Horne - Rocky Raccoon (Skye, 1969)

Mighty Joe Young - Tell Me Something (Celtex, late 60s?)

George Torrence & The Dippers - Fine Foxey Frame (Duo-Disc, 1965)

Tony & Tyrone - Turn It On (Columbia, 1965)

Harold Johnson - Soul Perception (Revue, 1970)

Marvin Holmes & The Uptights - Ooh Ooh, The Dragon -Part 1 (Uni, 1968)

Nina Simone - Save Me (RCA, 1969)

King Curtis - Memphis Soul Stew (Atlantic, 1967)

Ricky Ricks - Chained & Bound (Sure Shot, 1966)

The Diplomats - Your Love Is A Shelter (Dynamo, 1969)

Barbara A. West - I’m A Fool For You Baby (“Nu”-Sound, 1968)

James Booker - Big Nick (Peacock, 1963)

Roy Head & The Traits - Treat Her Right (Back Beat, 1965)

Betty Harris - Mo Jo Hannah (Jubilee, 1964)

Ann Cole - Got My Mojo Working (But It Just Won’t Work On You) (Baton, 1957)

Freddy King - The Bossa Nova Watusi Twist (King, 1963)

Albert Washington - I’m The Man (Fraternity, 1968)

Mable John - If You Give Up What You Got (You’ll See What You Lost) (Stax, 1967)

Erma Franklin - Big Boss Man (Shout, 1967)

The Epsilons - Really Rockin (Stax, 1968)

Ike & Tina Turner “Stagger Lee and Billy” (Sue,...

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 20:48:34 -0400

Ike & Tina Turner “Stagger Lee and Billy” (Sue, 1965)

(Click title to download)

For anyone who has read Griel Marcus’ excellent book Mystery Train, every version of Stagger Lee that you come across while digging should at the least illicit an a slight additional twinge of curiosity about the contents of the record. I’d also bet that anyone who sees and Ike & Tina single from the mid-60’s has another appeal that will result in them walking out the store with said 45.

This record is a bit of a curiosity because it does not follow the (very well established) traditional Stagger Lee narrative and instead recreates from Tina’s perspective, a bar fight from which she can’t escape where Billy beats the living snot out of Stagger Lee. Nothing too subtle in that if you’re familiar with the turbulent history of Ike & Tina…

On the second point, this record delivers without question, pure mid-60’s greased out (but kinda up tempo) R&B with an absolutely killer boot-dusting guitar and vocal intro.

This record came 5 years after their first hit with Sue “A Fool In Love” though they were never tied exclusively to the label. Over the course of the sixties there were releases coming out, for both Ike & Tina and The Ikettes, on as many labels as they could sign on with: Sonja, Warner Bros, Kent, Loma, Modern, Philles, Innis, Blue Thumb, Minit, A&M and others.

Barbra Carr “Shake Your Head” (Chess, 1967) Holy...

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 19:41:00 -0400

Barbra Carr “Shake Your Head” (Chess, 1967)

Holy smokes…

Found this record, a one-sided promo, while on a trip to Chicago. While all things (unusual grooves in the record, the title, the misspelling of the name and the co-production credit of Billy Davis) pointed in the right direction, I try never to hype myself up too much before hearing a new record. It’s way too easy to start imagining the greatest record in the world only to be disappointed with a so-so cookie cutter track just looking to chart.

This, my friends, was not one of those times. I got back to the room (Two Urns Bed & Breakfast in Wicker Park!) and didn’t have a portable with me (stupid in retrospect) but I found the record on youtube and then spent the next 2.5 minutes in a hair whipping fit.

Needless to say, it’s a scorcher with all the elements.

Heavy drums, horns galore, backup singers screaming for you to ‘Shake Your Head’ and a total party vibe with a beat that has just enough swing to it that you feel like freaking out but not moshing.

Barbara Carr took a familiar route to end up in Chicago and recording on Chess. From St. Louis she was performing in a local group The Petites before meeting Oliver Sain and auditioning to be in his band. Sain’s band, like Ike Turner and the revolving cast of Ikettes, turned out a lot solo careers, some longer lasting than others.

Unfortunately Chess didn’t put a whole lot of muscle behind her career (I mean, there’s no B side and the record has her name spelled wrong…) and Carr became disillusioned with recording and turned her focus on her family and in later years on music again.

It’s unfortunate there wasn’t some more energy behind her career at this point because even throw away sessions of this caliber would send me into a digging frenzy. Still, don’t want to be greedy; lets remain grateful this late 60’s romper was released into the world at all.

All the best,

-George / Snack Attack

Ps, I once again have a computer so I hope to get back to posting weekly or thereabouts.

Miles Davis “Yesternow (Excerpt)” from the Jack...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 22:35:00 -0400

Miles Davis “Yesternow (Excerpt)” from the Jack Johnson LP/OST (Columbia, 1971)

(Click title to download)

Evening everyone, back with some killer Miles Davis for yr earbuds (please listen to music on an actual stereo when you can!). I’m nursing a broken rib from a sporting accident so I thought it would be good to have an athletic tie in for today’s post.

Today’s track is a bit of left turn compared to what I’m usually putting up here but I’ve been so psyched on this record I felt compelled to share it with the world (or whatever part of the world ever makes its way here…).

This selection comes from rather peculiar origins but from an extremely fruitful and exciting period in Davis’ career. Plopped right between Bitches Brew and (depending on the session/side) Live/Evil this record delivers some of the looser aspects of Davis’ electric period before he got closer to the funk of On The Corner (my personal favorite LP of his if anyone is keeping track). The story goes that side A was a byproduct of a few jam sessions (boy, that phrase sounds pretty corny…) and the whole session was stitched together after the fact. The second side holds a similar story quoting from James Brown on the first half (which again portended the oncoming funk and reinforcing Davis’ Black Power politics that were an important part of the LP itself) and, on the excerpt featured here, referencing his 1970 tune Willie Nelson.

The record itself is technically a soundtrack though it was stitched together after the fact and used in a Jack Johnson documentary. The record was well received though not to the extent of Bitches Brew. Davis himself felt strongly about the record and the eponymous character feeling a kinship to Johnson in his struggles to gain recognition for his greatness over other less skilled players/competitors who were white.

The musicians featured on this excerpt are some heavyweights and deliver some pretty amazing performances, Sonny Sharrock on electic guitar absolutely kills (when does he not?) with his signature fuzz and ability to move dissonant notes into any field, Bernie Maupin on bass clarinet, John McLaughlin on guitar, Chick Corea on electric piano does an amazing job of insert soft stabs all over the place without ever becoming a disruptive presence, Dave Holland on electric bass and Jack DeJohnette on Drums playing his psychotic/hypnotic staccato drumming that makes me love On The Corner so much.

It’s a long selection and it’s a little loose so apologies for those who have become acquainted with the under three minute soul sides but I think this will appeal to some new ears and is some really beautiful music.

Hope this finds everyone well,

-George / Snack Attack

The Equals “Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys” (Shout,...

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 19:30:29 -0400

The Equals “Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys” (Shout, 1970)

(Click title to download)

Eddy Grant recently got a little shine on this blog for his role in excellent Tony Morgan production “Racial Segregation” from 1973 but for those who don’t know about his work you’re in for a treat. The Equals were a multi-racial, multi-talented group from the UK best know for their 1966 hit “Baby Come Back” an excellent beat-stomper with though it’s today’s 45 that is my personal favorite. Though recorded in the UK (where it was released on President) it was released here in the states on Bert Berns NYC based Shout label. This 45 fires on all cylinders and it surprises me it hasn’t had more visibility.

Recorded at the end of The Equals career- it was their last charting record- the song is registering on a lot of radars at once. Yelped introduction to his “children” fuzzed out guitars, latin percussion buried under the lead riff, a stomping (though quiet) drum mix and Eddy’s disregard of almost all political and social institutions give the listener quite an earful. Take that and add a slight West African vibe to the whole joint and you’ve got a keeper. Eddy, after a fairly serious illness, returned to his home of Guyana where he remained active in writing an producing before emerging with his own label (ICE) and the mega hit “Electric Avenue.”

It’s kind of refreshing to have a group called “The Equals” sing about world peace, racial harmony and global peace and manage to make it not feel didactic and the bigger accomplishment, to make AN AWESOME SONG. Just imagine another scenario of that set up? Sounds like a Putamayo mix in the making…

MEGA BONUS: Check out this youtube clip of the ‘video’ for the song. Why isn’t there more footage like this!?

Alright, hope everyone is doing well out there!

-George / Snack Attack

Little Johnny Taylor “If You Love Me (Like You Say)...

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 20:30:56 -0500

Little Johnny Taylor “If You Love Me (Like You Say) (Galaxy, 1964)

(Click title to download)

One of my favorite things to do every few months is to wrangle up a few boxes of my 45s and make 90 minute mixes of the records I don’t give enough air time to in my regular listening. Through almost abusive repetition of these tapes this process helps me convince (delude?) myself that these particular tracks are as engrained in everyone else’s head as much as they are in mine and were on the Stand By Me, The Big Chill and American Graffiti soundtracks in an alternate dimension.

This method is pretty tried and true with me and helps me really get the records I’ve otherwise overlooked stuck in my head and helps me break out of habits I develop from dj’ing weekly.

One of the most recent standouts from this process was today’s track “If You Love Me (Like You Say)” by our old friend (Little) Johnny Taylor. Today’s Mr. Taylor is not to be confused with the more famous Johnnie Taylor of Stax and ‘Disco Lady’ fame.

Today’s Taylor was raised in Arkansas before moving west to LA to join the group you often find enjoying a very lonely hang out session with the Edwin Hawkins Singers, in the otherwise empty “Gospel 45s” section, The Mighty Clouds of Joy. After leaving the Clouds, Taylor’s pursuit of a secular music career picked up when he started releasing records on the San Francisco based Galaxy. He struck his biggest hit, reaching #1, with “Part Time Lover” a slow deep r&b/blues burner in 1963. Today’s record, though not a charting hit, followed the next year. It’s interesting to note how much “younger” he sounds on “If You Love Me” which was recorded and released a year later than ‘Part Time.’

After releasing a few more excellent tracks (see Zig Zag Lightning) with Galaxy with limited chart action, Taylor went on to record on the Ronn label and its subsidiary Jewel with some success into the early 70s. All were much more ‘traditional’ sounding blues than the record we’re listening to here today and because he probably felt like making things just a little more confusing a few records he did were duets with his unrelated label mate Ted Taylor.

Two final notes of irony: as if their names weren’t enough of a problem, Johnnie Taylor later covered “Part Time Lover” and it was released on the much better distributed Stax. Secondly, Fantasy, the parent label of Galaxy is the label that eventually bought the bankrupt Stax records in the mid 70s.

Hope you enjoy this track as much as I have in the past two months!

J.J. Barnes “Chains of Love” (Groovesville,...

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:06:00 -0500

J.J. Barnes “Chains of Love” (Groovesville, 1967)

(Click title to download)

First off I’d like to apologize for the slowness of posts in the past and near future, my laptop died and I’m trying to figure out a new arrangement so in the mean time I’m trying to cobble together posts and not get too behind.

J.J. has graced these pages before, but only in a larger mix (see the “You Ain’t Too Cool” mix for probably my favorite track of his “Please Let Me In” on the Ric-Tic label) so I thought it about time to bring him to center stage for a posting all of his own.

As you can glean from the label and from listening to the first 2 seconds of the record JJ was a product of Detroit, with the bulk of his recording coming out on Detroit/Michigan based labels, with earlier works coming out on Ring (the great track “Poor Unfortunate Me”)the esteemed Ric-Tic label before B. Gordy bought the parent label Golden World and later recordings on Revilot, among others.

This record was made shortly after Barnes was released from his fruitless contract with Motown where he worked as a writer and all of his recordings were shelved due to the thinking he was too similar sounding to Marvin Gaye. It’s an unfortunate, though accurate, criticism. I don’t think Marvin’s career suffered any because of this record being out in the world in 1967 and I don’t think it would have hurt him if songs like this came out in the years prior.

Co-written and Co-produced by Groovesville label head Don Davis this record foretells his future work with Stax/Volt. After a string of hits with Barnes, Darrell Banks and a few others, Davis moved South and began bringing some of his artists with him (he also started farming out some of the string arrangements back north his old Detroit connections, a move that didn’t sit well with some of the in house people in Memphis and, for the record, often doesn’t sit well with my ears).

Enjoy this slice of upbeat and smooth (with a touch of grit) Detroit soul .

Till next time!

Etta James “The Love of My Man” (Chess, 1971) (Click...

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:05:29 -0500

Etta James “The Love of My Man” (Chess, 1971)

(Click title to download)

I’m a week or so behind in eulogizing one of my favorite singers of all time. I’ve been busy the past month (along with having some computer problems) so I haven’t been able to keep up as much as I’d like. Part of that not keeping up was not acknowledging the passing of the inimitable Etta James.

Her career was one marked by endless personal ups and downs- experiences she relayed in her music and in her amazing autobiography Rage To Survive- but she had remarkable and sustained success with her music despite the down times. I don’t know how many tracks I could call “my favorite” but it’s a list longer than most artists could ever dream of assembling.

She had most recently been in the news about the controversy surrounding Beyonce’s rendition and ultimate performance of “At Last” at the White House. While it only seems sensible that Etta should have been honored it ultimately overshadowed a career of remarkable breadth and gave the perception she was being slighted because her hit was being taken by someone else. In my mind it’s no contest. Beyonce could never handle 85% of Etta’s catalog, never mind that should couldn’t hold a candle to Etta’s versions of the other 15%. Etta was also familiar with re-working other people’s material though in her cases she took on tough challenges and made them very much her own. Who else would dare take on Otis Redding (and win!) in his prime?

Anyhow, I digress. What is important is Etta had a startling career from her early days with Johnny Otis (RIP) singing her playful “Roll With Me Henry” (penned by Mr. Otis) and shooting up the tour bus as a wild teenager through her barnstorming soul tracks with Chess finally to her stateswoman like performances of the past 10 years where she would perch upon a crown and rain down her gifts on spellbound audiences who know she was and will always be the true Queen of Soul.

Today’s track is one I rarely hear people discuss and often when they do it’s about the ballad of the same name.

Her music was about as deep as it gets so I know she’ll be gracing these pages, my dj nights and my home turntable for many nights to come.

Harvey Scales and The Seven Sounds “Funky Football”...

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 22:43:29 -0500

Harvey Scales and The Seven Sounds “Funky Football” (Chess, 1970)

(Click title to download)

Been meaning to post this on a Sunday before a long hard day of watching the week’s NFL drama unfold but I’m usually too busy with waking up after dj’ing and having breakfast to muster the brainpower for the all consuming task of posting a blog entry. Other than football, things have been remarkably busy, as is usually the case this time of year, apologies if you were upset by the lack of content over the past couple weeks.

To fix that I’m psyched to present today’s 45: “Funky Football” by the esteemed Harvey Scales and his hard working Seven Sounds. Born in the south then relocated north to the cold country known as Wisconsin, Scales began putting out records as a member of the Seven Sounds but his strength and personality were much too large to be seen as just a member of the group so the names on the label changed but the music remained the same, KILLER.

Football was going through some momentous changes with the AFL-NFL merger taking place in 1970 so the idea of a dance being named after a sport doesn’t seem that outrageous (does any dance name really sound that weird? The Ali Shuffle would be a good compliment to this post!) Plus, the dance seems logical enough “everyone get in a huddle…wave your hands…do the quarterback.” Man I’d love to see that Soul Train. Interestingly, both 1970 and 1971 were pretty poor showings for both the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears both posting losing records, maybe that’s who Harvey was referring to when he warned “gonna put you on the bench.”

Scales made his way up the musical pecking order starting from the small Wisconsin Cuca label to later working with Johnny Taylor (the Seven Sounds as backing band) at Casablanca where he wrote the (first RIAA certified) platinum record “Disco Lady.” In between there and here Scales touched down at the Stax, Cadet and Magic Touch labels making lots of great records.

Scales is currently still performing and evidently without losing a step; reviews from his show in Chicago last month reported he was performing at Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers levels.

Hope you enjoy as much as I do!

Tony Morgan & Muscle Power “Racial Segregation...

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 18:39:00 -0500

Tony Morgan & Muscle Power “Racial Segregation (Vocal)” (Chess, 1973)

(Click title to download)

What wonders the world holds for us, it’s into December and the only blizzard of the season is a month behind us and we’re otherwise enjoying a string of moderate days. (Maybe though, it’s less of a wonder and more of a direct byproduct of global warming turning New England into a more temperate zone as the Earth is put into our hand made tanning booth.)

Today’s 45, and what a 45 it is, by Tony Morgan & Muscle Power is appropriately world travelling, bringing the some amazing afro-cuban (nearly west african) rhythm to us via the Chicago blues label founded by Polish Jew Leonard Chess.

Released on Chess in 1973 “Racial Segregation” was written, arranged and produced by Eddy Grant, who you may know from his gigantic 80’s hit Electric Avenue or if you dig below that his massive 60’s hit with The Equals “Baby, Come Back” or my personal favorite “Black Skinned Blue Eyed Boy.” After a medical issue in 1971 Eddy left his adopted home in the UK to return to his native Guyana to run his Ice label, where he produced this and a cover of “Black Skinned Blue Eyed Boy” along with a few others for Tony Morgan & Muscle Power (alternately spelled ‘Mussel Power’, not sure if that’s a food pun or failed translation, but it shows up regularly).

This record was released on a number of labels internationally, but for American distribution Chess, now run by the much more psychedelically inclined son Marshall Chess, got the nod. My copy is a DJ Promo so I’m not sure how much noise this made on the charts (nothing according to what I can tell by the silences in Billboard/Cash Box etc) but since when did chart action equate to the quality of a record?

This record is an absolute shaker with every part of the arrangement- voice, clean guitar, horns, percussion- heavy and locked in enough to carry the whole song. It’s worth noting the flip is an instrumental version that hits just as hard but I prefer the fearless politicizing of the vocal. A pretty unique record on most accounts and without a doubt worth dropping the coin on if you come across it in your travels.

Till next time, health and happiness,

-George / Snack Attack

The Tams “What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am?)”...

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 01:33:00 -0500

The Tams “What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am?)” (ABC-Paramount, 1964)

(Click title to download)

Today’s Thanksgiving post comes courtesy of The Tams. Hailing from Atlanta, GA “What Kind of Fool” was The Tams biggest hit. After some success in the early 60’s on the Philly based Arlen label (with a Joe South penned song no less), The Tams moved over to ABC where they immediately hit gold with today’s record. Though they didn’t make too much more noise on the charts (until the 70’s and 80’s, gaining popularity in the Beach Music/Shag and UK Northern Soul scenes) their output in the 60’s isn’t overlooked due to lack of quality (Laugh It Off and Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy are personal favorites).

Named for their signature Tam O’Shanter hat The Tams were of the well dressed, choreographed dance move mold and were (and evidently still are!) great performers and as is obvious on this record, outstanding musical talents. The song itself has most of the music pushed to the back of the mix allowing the vocals to carry the weight of the song.

An easy to come by and affordable record, no reason you shouldn’t add it to the T section (or Atlanta section) of your collection.

Enjoy!

Singles Mixer Volume 1. (Click title to download) Greetings...

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:54:30 -0500

Singles Mixer Volume 1.

(Click title to download)

Greetings internet friends. Here is the first volume of “Singles Mixer” which collects the first 20 individually posted 45s I’ve put up onto this site into one long mix. I’ve already mentioned it once but I’ll just repeat, the individually posted 45s will only be up for a limited time after which they’ll end up in one of these mixes. The posts will remain but without the link to the individual track, when possible please support your local record stores and the artists. Listening through to the mix the sequencing isn’t as much of an issue as I’d have imagined. Definitely can be a little curvy but nothing feels totally out of place. Track list follows. Enjoy!

Singles Mixer V.1

Jackie Lee : Oh, My Darling (Mirwood)

Major Lance : Hey, Little Girl (Okeh)

Lloyd Price : Bad Conditions (Turntable)

Ruby Andrews : You Made A Believer (Out Of Me) (Zodiac)

The Four Sonics : It Takes Two (Sport)

Betty Harris : I’m Evil Tonight (Sansu)

G. Kerr Orchestra : Back Lash (All Platinum)

Howlin Wolf : Do The Do (Chess)

The Intruders : All The Time (Excel)

Mamie Galore : It Ain’t Necessary (St. Lawrence)

Ruby Winters : Just Like A Yo-Yo (Diamond)

Marv Johnson : Pick A Rose For My Rose (Gordy)

The Classettes : I’ve Got To Space (Ultra-Class)

The Stylistics : Let The Junkie Bust The Pusher (Sebring)

James Brown & The Famous Flames : Shhhhhhh (For A Little While) (Delta)

The Superlatives : We’re So Lonely (Uptite)

Sly & The Family Stone : I Can’t Turn You Loose (Loadstone)

The Soul-Mates : I Want A Boyfriend (Girlfriend) (Era)

Oscar Toney Jr. : Turn On Your Love Light (Bell)

O.V. Wright : Working Your Game (Back Beat)

El Chicano : I’m A Good Woman (Kapp)

The Meditations : Rebounce (Bullwackies / Basic)

“You Ain’t Too Cool” An hour of Soul and...

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 18:48:00 -0400

“You Ain’t Too Cool” An hour of Soul and R&B 45s

(Click title to download)

Greetings from the dark and freezing valley of Western Mass as we recover from the Halloween snow massacre that took out power, phones, internet and all the other advances of Western Civilization that have been chipping away at our ability to talk to other real-life human beings.

Just in from a digging trip to Chicago I got home with a massive box of 45s and I was eager to listen to a lot of my finds (no listening stations in stores, no portable) and of course the first thing to happen when I get home is the power goes out for 2.5 days! As a result, despite this new cache of wax, I didn’t include too much of that stuff, but I got a ton of great sides and made my pilgrimage to the Dusty Groove brick and mortar spot which was great.

Today’s serving of bumpin and thumpin draws heavily on Northern tracks, with some funk(y) tracks sprinkled in the middle and closing up with some R&B. The JJ Barnes and Radiants track that open the mix are both standard bearers of their respective cities, JJ’s clap/tambourine beat couldn’t scream Detroit more loudly if it had a wall of Man O War amps and The Radiants track has all the hallmarks of Chicago with the falsetto vocals, trading off leads and delicate handling of the arrangements.

The Ikettes and Barbara George sauce things up a little with the horns turning from soft to vamping and introduce us to a little of the New Orleans flavor. The Sister and Brothers also hail from Louisiana and drop some seriously killer funk/soul with their ‘Yeah, You Right.’ Adding to the gumbo there’s a nice Lee Dorsey Track and Marie ‘Queenie’ Lyons, who though raised in NYC, was born and recorded in Louisiana. Bettye Swann another transplant was from Louisiana but relocated to Los Angeles where she recorded some (of my favorite) sides. Irma Thomas also fits this transplant mold that is coming to shape here, being a NO staple but recording this side of decidedly Stax inspired beauty for the Chess label.

Linda Jones and Willie Mitchell are the two tracks who are geographically dislocated here but it doesn’t mean they aren’t welcome additions to the mix, Willie bringing his rager of a track “That Driving Beat” that feels more at home in the Jr. Walker vein than the restrained Hi-Records sounds we’re used to hearing from him. The Linda Jones track would be comfortable coming out of any number of studios over a pretty wide swath of time so it’s fine with me we share the love with the coastal Mid-Atlantic. The flip to this record is just as legit and def worth your time if you come across it.

Sprinkled in for good measure are a few other instrumental movers and shakers; the classic Phil Upchurch anthem “You Can’t Sit Down”, a nice groover from Cash McCall (picked that up in Chicago this past week), a record I hadn’t seen before by the memorably named “Robert, Ron & Eddie” (sounds more like dudes around a cooler than a band), Otis Spann’s freakout “Walking” featuring the smooth dudes Fleetwood Mac showing their teeth and The Interpretations rave up “Snap-Out”.

The last batch of records gets us rolling and rocking with Johnny Rivers’ cover of the Willie Dixon song (made famous by Willie Mabon!) Seventh Son, similarly unusual, we have Ruth Brown reprising her hit “Mama…” which was an early hit for her on Atlantic almost 10 years later on the Phillips label, Andre Williams drops some greasy moralizing in Cadillac Jack in a way that makes it seem like he could just breath songs like this without even trying. I really like how chill the Willie Mabon track is, like it’s missing the deep gut in some of the other R&B tracks but not in a way that’s lacking punch, it’s more conversational and relaxed. The mix wraps up with an absolute scorcher by Donoman and the Lakettes doing “Here Comes The Fool” a track I never ever tire of listening to, no matter what my mood.

Alright everyone, I’m going to go back to thawing my toes. Hope you enjoy.

-George / Snack Attack

Tracklist:

J.J. Barnes “Please Let Me In” (Ric Tic, 1965)

The Radiants “Voice Your Choice” (Chess, 1964)

The Ikettes “Don’t Feel Sorry For Me” (Modern, 1965)

Barbara George “If You Think” (Sue, 1962)

The Accents “New Girl” (M-Pac!, 1964)

Robert, Ron & Eddie “Love Potion #9” (UniSFERE, 1968)

Sister & Brothers “Yeah, You Right” (Uni, 1969)

Marie “Queenie” Lyons “See And Don’t See” (De Luxe, 1970)

Bettye Swann “Don’t Take My Mind” (Money, 1967)

Irma Thomas “Cheater Man” (Chess, 1967)

Linda Jones “I Can’t Stop Loving My Baby” (Loma, 1967)

Lee Dorsey “Behind The 8 Ball” (Fury, 1962)

Cash Mc Call “You Ain’t Too Cool” (Thomas, 1966)

Willie Mitchell “That Driving Beat” (Hi, 1966)

Otis Spann “Walking” (Blue Horizon, 1969)

The Interpretations “Snap-Out” (Bell, 1969)

Phil Upchurch Combo “You Can’t Sit Down” (Boyd, 1961)

Johnny Rivers “Seventh Son” (Imperial, 1965)

Ruth Brown “Mama (He Treats Your Daughter Mean)” (Phillips, 1962)

Willie Mabon “Too Hot To Handle” (USA, 1963)

Andre Williams “Cadillac Jack” (Chess, 1968)

Donoman and the Lakettes “Here Comes The Fool” (Thunderbird, 1960)

FYI

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:45:42 -0400

In the next week or two I’m going to archive the first 20 45s on this blog. I’ll be taking down their individual MP3’s and putting up a “Singles Mixer v.1” mix of all of them. This is something I’ll be doing regularly (prob 15-20 at a time and making new volumes of ‘Singles Mixer’) so don’t expect the individual MP3s to be up forever.

I want to put this music out there so people can learn something new but I don’t want to rip off the artists if there’s a chance for you to go out and buy it through other channels. I will leave up the scans and posts so you can always refer back to them for whatever information is posted about the artists/records.

Thanks,

-George / Snack Attack