Primarily focusing on American Soul, R&B and Funk music presented on the glorious 45 format. I'll be posting write ups of some of my favorite records along with longer mixes.

All tracks come from vinyl that's in a box somewhere in my room.

I regularly DJ here in western mass (and nearby) with my homeboy DJ Cashman and a bunch of other great folks. If you're in the area be in touch if you're interested.

If you have any questions or corrections: gwmyers@gmail.com

Feel free to share and repost. Where possible always try to support artists and record stores!

Enjoy!

George / Snack Attack
hello! theme by cissysaurus
02
27
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!

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!

10
21
The Magic Tones “Lets Let Our Love Roll On” (Mah’s Records, 1968) (Click title to download) Nothing to help brighten a pretty dark New England Fall day than a little bit of mid-tempo upbeat Detroit soul.  Today’s cold rain and monochrome grey sky is no challenge for this shimmering bit of beauty brought to us by the Magic Tones. Released in 1968 on Mike Hank’s label Mah’s Records this 45 was well received and got some decent distribution through Ric Tic before they folded up their operation in the buyout with Motown.  The Magic Tones were actually the reason that Hank re-started the Mah’s label which was active mostly in the early part of the decade in a string of labels that Hanks operated/produced/wrote for included but not limited to D-Town, Wheelsville, Wheel City and an association with a number of other small Detroit labels (including Soul, before it was bought by Motown). The Magic Tones had been working with Hank as session musicians doing back up vocals and evidently had his faith to revive the Mah’s label to release the hit “Together, We Shall Overcome.”  A massive hit that was recorded days before Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated and rushed to press selling over 100,000 copies in a short couple of weeks.   It was on the success of that release that two more Magic Tones 45s, including the beautiful piece of music you’re hearing today, were released. Shortly after this record, with the distribution deal with Ric Tic over, The Magic Tones moved over to Westbound where they made some records with Calvin “Doc” Stephenson later leaving to become a member of The Undisputed Truth. For all you beat diggers, this track starts with a totally open break with, unusually, a very clean acoustic guitar accompaniment.  It also is worth noting it’s quite clear that Hanks had 10 years in the studio behind him because this song is IMPECCABLY produced.  An acoustic guitar lead with a horn section?  You got it!  Super crisp drums with a little percussion sprinkle?  No problemo.  How about three back up singers behind that lead?  Easy!  It’s the type of stuff that gets overlooked but for me it really separates this record from a lot of others in my collection. Hope you enjoy! 

The Magic Tones “Lets Let Our Love Roll On” (Mah’s Records, 1968)

(Click title to download)

Nothing to help brighten a pretty dark New England Fall day than a little bit of mid-tempo upbeat Detroit soul.  Today’s cold rain and monochrome grey sky is no challenge for this shimmering bit of beauty brought to us by the Magic Tones.

Released in 1968 on Mike Hank’s label Mah’s Records this 45 was well received and got some decent distribution through Ric Tic before they folded up their operation in the buyout with Motown.  The Magic Tones were actually the reason that Hank re-started the Mah’s label which was active mostly in the early part of the decade in a string of labels that Hanks operated/produced/wrote for included but not limited to D-Town, Wheelsville, Wheel City and an association with a number of other small Detroit labels (including Soul, before it was bought by Motown).

The Magic Tones had been working with Hank as session musicians doing back up vocals and evidently had his faith to revive the Mah’s label to release the hit “Together, We Shall Overcome.”  A massive hit that was recorded days before Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated and rushed to press selling over 100,000 copies in a short couple of weeks.   It was on the success of that release that two more Magic Tones 45s, including the beautiful piece of music you’re hearing today, were released.

Shortly after this record, with the distribution deal with Ric Tic over, The Magic Tones moved over to Westbound where they made some records with Calvin “Doc” Stephenson later leaving to become a member of The Undisputed Truth.

For all you beat diggers, this track starts with a totally open break with, unusually, a very clean acoustic guitar accompaniment.  It also is worth noting it’s quite clear that Hanks had 10 years in the studio behind him because this song is IMPECCABLY produced.  An acoustic guitar lead with a horn section?  You got it!  Super crisp drums with a little percussion sprinkle?  No problemo.  How about three back up singers behind that lead?  Easy!  It’s the type of stuff that gets overlooked but for me it really separates this record from a lot of others in my collection.

Hope you enjoy! 

09
02
Marv Johnson “I’ll Pick A Rose For My Rose” 45 Gordy, 1968 This song is definitely not for the weak willed, recently single or overly sensitive romantic types.  I can say because in my coldest, darkest, most cynical moment hearing this song will shatter the illusion that I am a man of any spartan cut; my ability to remain stoic and logical in the face of Marv’s recorded longing simply does not exist. Marv Johnson, for those uninitiated in his work, was a solid member of the Motown family, having the first single on Anna released under his name though it was picked up by United Artists (don’t be fooled like I was for so long, just because the label is really ugly - in the bad way- it doesn’t mean his sides aren’t worth your time!) for national distribution.  Side note, Gordy was probably pretty lucky that happened, there are too many stories of tiny labels releasing absolutely stellar records that have massive national demand which the label meets, paying and paying and paying for a million and a half singles only to see the middle men, stores and distributors slow (if ever) to pay effectively bankrupting a group of people who just displayed musical, if not business, brilliance.  Side-Side Note, lucky they didn’t get hooked into some eventual shit storm distribution deal like Stax-Atlantic allowing Gordy, ever the astute businessman, to retain rights to his artists and work. Back to this absolutely gorgeous 7inches of circular acrylic.  Cut in 1968 it wasn’t the smash it should have been (who the shit didn’t have something to be totally depressed about or long for in 1968, I mean, really?!) in America but, as is often the case with soft soul dancers like this, it caught on in a big way in the UK the following year. Marv’s career with Motown continued into the 70s primarily as a song writer but this record, for me, marks the peak of his recording though you’re not going to feel disappointed if you pick up any of the records you come across. Download here This track can be found in “Singles Mixer Vol. 1”

Marv Johnson “I’ll Pick A Rose For My Rose” 45 Gordy, 1968

This song is definitely not for the weak willed, recently single or overly sensitive romantic types.  I can say because in my coldest, darkest, most cynical moment hearing this song will shatter the illusion that I am a man of any spartan cut; my ability to remain stoic and logical in the face of Marv’s recorded longing simply does not exist.

Marv Johnson, for those uninitiated in his work, was a solid member of the Motown family, having the first single on Anna released under his name though it was picked up by United Artists (don’t be fooled like I was for so long, just because the label is really ugly - in the bad way- it doesn’t mean his sides aren’t worth your time!) for national distribution. 

Side note, Gordy was probably pretty lucky that happened, there are too many stories of tiny labels releasing absolutely stellar records that have massive national demand which the label meets, paying and paying and paying for a million and a half singles only to see the middle men, stores and distributors slow (if ever) to pay effectively bankrupting a group of people who just displayed musical, if not business, brilliance. 

Side-Side Note, lucky they didn’t get hooked into some eventual shit storm distribution deal like Stax-Atlantic allowing Gordy, ever the astute businessman, to retain rights to his artists and work.

Back to this absolutely gorgeous 7inches of circular acrylic.  Cut in 1968 it wasn’t the smash it should have been (who the shit didn’t have something to be totally depressed about or long for in 1968, I mean, really?!) in America but, as is often the case with soft soul dancers like this, it caught on in a big way in the UK the following year.

Marv’s career with Motown continued into the 70s primarily as a song writer but this record, for me, marks the peak of his recording though you’re not going to feel disappointed if you pick up any of the records you come across.

Download here

This track can be found in “Singles Mixer Vol. 1”

08
17
The Four Sonics “It Takes Two” 45 Sport Records There’s no Rob Base, DJ EZ Rock or Lyn Collins samples here but The Four Sonics put together a pretty rowdy little number that is, in context, definitely a great dance record.From the ashes of the Velvet Angels (a group that credits their 45 with being “recorded in a jersey city hotel room”!) the Four Sonics -named after their production company cut a couple 45s on Sport Records, sometime home of the venerable Andre Williams, one of which we have here today.The vocal group origins of the Four Sonics is only a hair’s breath away with an awesome, dominant bass performance by Jay Johnson but the record has a definite rollicking soul vibe that places the record pretty clearly in time, 1968 to be precise.Enjoy! Download here. This track can be found in “Singles Mixer Vol. 1”

The Four Sonics “It Takes Two” 45 Sport Records

There’s no Rob Base, DJ EZ Rock or Lyn Collins samples here but The Four Sonics put together a pretty rowdy little number that is, in context, definitely a great dance record.

From the ashes of the Velvet Angels (a group that credits their 45 with being “recorded in a jersey city hotel room”!) the Four Sonics -named after their production company cut a couple 45s on Sport Records, sometime home of the venerable Andre Williams, one of which we have here today.

The vocal group origins of the Four Sonics is only a hair’s breath away with an awesome, dominant bass performance by Jay Johnson but the record has a definite rollicking soul vibe that places the record pretty clearly in time, 1968 to be precise.

Enjoy!

Download here.

This track can be found in “Singles Mixer Vol. 1”