Turn It On - An hour of groovin and shakin!

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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)

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

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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

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

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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 (Vocal)” (Chess, 1973)

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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

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

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 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)

George Kerr Orchestra “Back Lash” 45 All Platinum (1970)

This 45 is a little hard to put my thumb on, it’s clearly coming from a soul perspective though the end result that ends up working it’s way off the record and into yr earhole is something, in my opinion, all together different. There’s a mod / hard soul / garage feel that I can’t escape and does not fit with the work of NY native Kerr. The track is unrelenting with a sort of live energy that gets running with the ominous organ and stomping bass drum intro, never letting up with the no-reverb-lead guitar line that repeats and repeats only pausing briefly to mash out some chords briefly and it sounds like even missing a few notes here and there, kind of losing some steam after the second breakdown.

Not to say that counts against it, the sort of desperate, frantic energy, including straight up dropping notes during the final go round makes me get even more psyched on the performance and enhances the sort of general weirdness of the song. Like a bloodied boxer getting a little sloppy but fighting with all his heart.

Released in 1970 on New Jersey’s All Platinum, the record’s details, despite my enthusiasm, suggests this side was probably not much more than filler with its frantic drumming, technical errors and the “one take, done live” vibe. Further the writing credits belong to Kerr and label owner Sylvia Robinson which is the same as the A side, a verifiable soft soul, croon fest “3 Minutes to Hey Girl” that was the actual hit they were interested in getting to market. (Reminds of you the Cliff Nobles “Love is Alright” vs. “The Horse” situation except “Back Lash” is more of a rave up sweat machine that a catchy dance tune.)

Kerr’s other productions work (O’Jays, Linda Jones, Whatanuts) has nary a hint of the adrenaline contained in one measure of “Back Lash” instead, his work was often refined and smooth, which is great and worth checking out when you’re in a dim the lights, pour some cognac kinda mood, but for now, thank you for the filler!

Download here.

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

Lloyd Price “Bad Conditions” 45 on Lloyd Price’s Turntable

Where to start on this record?

Yes, this is Lloyd Price of “Personality” and “Stagger Lee.”  Despite some of the energy behind his version of “Stagger Lee” (which saw much more intense readings in my opinion) I never would have wagered a wet snot on good old Lloyd knocking out a total barnstorming funk bomb like this sweet 45 released on his own label.

A confusing 45, it was released in 1969 and the label is conflicted on whether it was recorded in NYC (where he was based at the time) or West Indies, Jamaica.  Price was based out of New York at the time running a night club of the same name as his label which could have just been stock label art and the silver print would actually indicate where the track was recorded.  Lloyd would only release a few records on this label before a personal tragedy would compel him to move to Africa where he maintained a low profile creatively but worked with, surprisingly, Don King to help book Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier among others.  Who knew this dude would be behind the scenes of so many things I like?!

I love the artwork on this label and never tire of hard, gut punching funk/hard soul that points out how shitty the world was in the late 1960s.  Infinitely curious what a club called “Lloyd Price’s Turntabler” run in late 60s NYC would be like?  Show me the jukebox!

Download here.

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