Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Down on my knees, beggin' baby please...


This is the less commonly heard, second, version of I'm Gonna Leave You. Interestingly, the two versions were released consecutively on Whit 716 and Whit 717.

Both are very good, I just happen to prefer the slightly slower, more country blues sounding, second one. Where the first one rocks, this one lays back and grooves. Doesn't hurt that as a duet [the first is not] the song itself shows much more depth.

Jackie Johnson, the female vocalist and writer of the song [I assume the writing credit given to the owner of the label is BS], is a mystery. I've yet to find a mention of her anywhere. Too bad, as she has such a great voice. I can't imagine a better pairing with Bobby Powell, seems a real shame they didn't do more than this one single together.

from 1963....

[Update: check the comments, one of my readers found Jackie Johnson/Jacqueline Johnson. She's now known as Lady Mem'fis.]


Monday, December 28, 2009

Love can make you feel this way...


I'd like to thank those folks who've bothered to send me such nice emails recently. It's a been a real pleasure hearing from each and every one of you.

A favorite quote from one of those emails: "I now have a Playlist on my Ipod called Singing Bones!"
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Been far too long since I posted any Eddie Bo.

This is off of one of my favorite two-siders. Bo is just starting to get his funk on.....it's early 1966.


Saturday, December 26, 2009

Talkin' that moon talk..


I've been going through my 45's trying to get them organized. I'm convinced the silly things purposely re-shuffle themselves in the middle of the night just to irritate me. Clearly, that's their idea of fun.

The up-side of this re-ordering is that I've found a few things I forgot I owned and/or don't remember buying. Keep in mind that, on average, I bring home fifty 45's a month....sometimes, a lot more than that...but never less than twenty five or thirty.

Anyway, here's one of my 'new' discoveries, a record I'm shocked to have over-looked. I must have got it for cheap because I'm sure I'd remember paying the usual going rate.

King Solomon [not to be confused with King Solomon Burke, King Solomon Hill, or even Solomon King] recorded a string of good to great singles on a lengthy roster of obscure labels in the late sixties/early seventies. It's almost as if everything he did qualifies as a 'one-off'. His only album was issued on the Celestial label.

Other than that, it's difficult to find any info. The liner notes to the album say he was born in Louisiana, but most of the labels he recorded for were located on west coast, which may or may not be meaningful.

Anyone got more info?...cause I'm stumped.

Enjoy the tune...it's from 1969


Friday, December 25, 2009

Waaay better than a lump of coal...



Because ya'll were very good this year, Santa left a little present. A mixture of Skunk Juice and Toe Jam distilled by those wicked alchemists The Pazant Brothers.

Consider it an antidote for all that dreadful Christmas music you've absorbed over the last few weeks.

Now, take that silly cap off your head and....turn it up!

Doctor Ana sez so.



Thursday, December 24, 2009

Got myself a new personality...


There isn't much known about Stacy Lane except that he's probably from Memphis and recorded four singles. One on the obscure Memphis label, Bar....two on Excello....and another, rather bizarrely, issued on the Playboy label [yes, that Playboy].

I haven't heard the single on Bar but the sides on Playboy are quite different from those on Excello. Seems the man was a chameleon of sorts. On Excello he sounds an awful lot like Wilson Pickett, on Playboy he's doing his best to sound like Al Green. Neither imitation is done so badly as to be irritating.

Wish I knew more, but I don't.

Hope ya enjoy the tune....it's from 1968.


Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Went to a fortune teller...


Here's another one which owes it's groove to Cuban music.

I realize this is included on a million comps and is in virtually constant rotation on classic oldies stations, but the truth is that it wasn't a huge hit at the time. The 45 is sometimes hard to get, often selling for more than you might think....mainly because everyone seems to want a copy.

The flipside, Lipstick Traces, went to no. 28 on the R&B charts in 1962, but only managed to reach no. 80 on the Hot 100 pop chart. Fortune Teller never charted. It wasn't until various British invasion groups covered the song that it began it's rise to modern day 'classic' status.

Hope ya enjoy...


Me think of girl constantly...


*deftly sidesteps a huge pile of Christmas caca*

When I posted my copy of Earl King's, Come On Pts 1&2, Derek, from over at Derek's Daily 45, left an amusing comment about the condition of his copy. Well, seeing is believing. Derek posted his copy yesterday and it's hard to imagine that the 45 wasn't used as a sanding disc at some point. Amazing that it plays as well as it does.

Anyway, in keeping with the same spirit, I'm posting one of my most beat-up records. I found it in a box of un-sleeved 45's at a yard sale. Given what the record is, I figured I could afford to take a chance. This chewed up piece of vinyl, along with a handful of other equally dicey 45's, set me back the princely sum of 50 cents.

The disc is completely covered with scratches, to the point where you almost can't see any grooves. I fully expected the record to be unplayable. Imagine my surprise when I gave it a spin.

Yeah, it's a bit worn and got some crackling going on, but given that I'd expect to pay at least $50 for one in better shape, this copy will do for the time being. I'm pleased as punch to own it.
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I first heard Berry's version of Louie Louie when was 13 or 14. My mother was listening to NPR and 'Afro-Pop Worldwide' came on. The host started off the show with the song and then segued into the Cha-Cha tune from which the main riff derives. I was totally smitten.

My parents had a Cd recorder, so I checked the schedule for when the show would be replayed and made a point to record the song. I played that copy over and over and over.

And ya know, it's still one of my favorite tunes ever.

Hope ya enjoy...it's from 1957.


Friday, December 18, 2009

Rain rain go away...


This December, we've had the most rain ever recorded in one month. More than four times the average.....20+ inches.

Consider that a lame attempt at being topical.

Here ya go....one of the many gems produced by the Dorsey/Toussaint collaboration.

Enjoy


Thursday, December 17, 2009

Here it is...


Info on the Wallace Brothers is hard to come by. Word is that they were two cousins out of Atlanta even though their only album has a picture of three guys on it.

It's actually pretty strange that there ever was an album, because they only released 12 singles.....eight on the Sims label....three on Jewel...one on Royal. There are an awful lot of artists who produced scads more work and never had an album issued in their name.

While the singles may not knock you out with a bang, there is something special about the Wallace Brothers. Once heard, the songs continue to linger in the mind. I dunno what it is for sure....but I do wonder if there isn't some kind of purity at work. And ya know, maybe that's just another way of saying their work is classic, in the real sense of the word.

Hope ya enjoy....the song's from 1965.


Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Ignore me if you wanna..


A request from my friend Angel. Hope it makes her smile.....it's a very beautiful smile.

Truth is, I'm of two minds when it comes to posting anything by Betty Harris.....she is one of the very few artists, if not the only artist, I've posted who is still alive and actually owns the rights to some of her past work. Specifically the sides on the Sansu label.

Thus, ya'll really should go buy a copy of her Lost Soul Queen CD. I've bought at least four for friends....own one myself, even though I also own all the 45's.

It's a great collection....my only complaint is that it includes a song called, All I Want Is You, which isn't by Harris. The song was recorded by Zilla Mayes and issued on the Tou-Sea label [funny, how no one seems to catch that, the same mistake shows up on Charly's Selected Hits collection].

Hope ya enjoy the tune...and please go buy the CD, Betty deserves it.


Guest Post at Derek's Daily 45...


I should go ahead and post this just in case someone hasn't seen it over at Derek's Daily 45...

When Derek asked me to guest on his blog, my first thought was....yikes! do I even own a record he hasn't already posted? In short, going toe to toe with Derek's collection is a little intimidating. Or, at least it is to me. But ya know, of course I do own some cool 45's which Derek hasn't posted, maybe even a few he hasn't scooped up yet. So, there's really no reason why I should get all twisted-up about this, right? [uh huh]

Anyway, I recently added a sixth Diamond Joe Maryland 45 to my collection. This is out of seven possible. So, in honor of my dogged pursuit of fairly obscure singles.....I'm offering up a song which I don't think has been posted on any of the soul blogs before. At least, I haven't seen it posted before and a quick search didn't turn up anything either.

This surprises me. It's a great tune...full of twists, turns, and stops. Most of all, stops. Heavy on the stops. Allen Toussaint produced it. I love it.

The title is, Don't Set Me Back. From 1966...



Saturday, December 12, 2009

There's a right way...and a wrong way...


This is a genuine monster of a record.

Although it's likely that some version of the Meters are layin' down the track [Leo Nocentelli gets song writing credit and that's clearly him playing guitar] ....it does also seem just as unlikely that Ziggaboo Modeliste is providing the beat. If it is Modeliste, then it's the most restrained drumming he ever waxed.

But ya know, this ain't no ordinary Meters type funk record....in fact, I wouldn't say it's funk at all, as the groove is all about hip-swinging. My sisters will know what I mean.

In particular, listen to that bass line [whew]....I'm thinking it's George Porter Jr. making up for the lack of [more usual] percussive pyrotechnics.

Enjoy

[As a side note, the label name, Deesu, is part of an extended joke revolving around an early nickname for Allen Toussaint [two cents]. Deesu is a play on the French wording, dix sous [think of it as ten cents]. There was a time when French currency coming out of New Orleans was the major source of cold hard cash for the fledgling United States. The word, 'Dixie', comes from dix sous.]

[Addendum: a couple of folks have pointed out that the bass work on this record is not atypical of George Porter...they are, of course, completely correct. Truth is, I haven't been listening as closely as I should. The man's playing is astounding.]


Friday, December 11, 2009

Every time you move like that....


Leiber and Stoller deserve a great big kiss for this one. Wish I owned the later version by the Coasters, I'd love to post both together.

Enjoy


Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Don't deny it...


God loves a record store owner who drops a record like this in the $1 bin.

Enjoy



Friday, December 4, 2009

I tossed and turned all night...


It's been a very very long week. And I still have fifty pages of text to re-work by next friday. Thus, maybe you can imagine that writing anything, even if it's for fun, is NOT on the agenda.

Which sucks, cause I actually have quite a lot to say about Nappy Brown.

Oh well, maybe another time. It's not like this is the only record by Napoleon Brown Culp I plan on posting.

Hope ya enjoy the tune.