[Repost] I'll be there, wishing, waiting, hoping....

[Issac Bolden died a few days ago. Respect is due]

A record more often referred to than posted. In fact, I can't find where it's been posted at all. Could be the 45's a little hard to find.

Anyway, it's a great two-sider, including the original version of "Wishing,Waiting, Hoping", which was a local New Orleans hit, not once, but twice. The second time when it was covered by Lee Bates in 1976.

As fond as I am of Bates' version, I have to admit that when Owens recorded the song in 1967, he created a classic.

Isaac Bolden is one of the more under-rated arranger/producers to have worked in New Orleans. Both these songs are simply gorgeous. Even, gorgeous in their simplicity. Bolden had a knack for making everything sound just-right. Virtually no fluff, few stumbles, heavy on the atmosphere, yet still clean sounding. It's a tough trick to pull off.

"I'll Be There" is at least as much a favorite as "Wishing, Waiting, Hoping", don't overlook it. Both songs are quite different from each other. If you don't like one, be sure and try the other. Hopefully, you'll like them both as much as I do.

Wishing, Waiting, Hoping

I'll Be There

I'm glad about it...

[Oops, sorry about that. I've added a link.]

I'm sure I've read about the ACR "KNO BEL" label somewhere but can't seem to find any info at the moment. My impression is that it was the Austin Tx. equivalent of the New Orleans based Booker label. Or at least the business model was similar. Portable tape recorder for hire, church meetings a specialty.

Beautiful label design isn't it.

I particularly like the screams from the congregation.

Hope ya'll enjoy....

You are more precious than gold....

The Marvetts [also Marvettes] were a Jamaican group who worked in what's commonly known as the "revivalist" gospel style of the mid 60's. Laid back, folksy, totally earnest, decidedly un-hip, the style is not to everyone's taste....in fact, there are folks who'll tell you it's only appeal is it's strangeness.

The great Coxsone Dodd was behind the Tabernacle label. One source says the label was started before his Studio 1 label, but the info's a bit confusing so take it for what it's worth. While this is clearly a Jamaican issue [it was later released in the UK], the discography I have says the issue numbers are wrong....so I really don't know for sure what this 45 is.

The run out code refers to the Wirl label....but if there was an issue on Wirl, I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere.

From 1965 [?], possibly the first 45 on the Tabernacle label [?].

Hope ya'll enjoy....

Just you and me....

Can I get an Amen?

Take me by the hand.....

It's impossible to overestimate the influence of Napoleon Brown Culp. It was he that brought hard core gospel-style vocals into the secular realm, for all practical purposes inventing "deep soul".

I don't really need to write anything else 'cause that about says it all, but there's something of interest I'd like to point out. Much has been written about Brown's voice, his use of vibrato/melisma,/etc.....but I've yet to see anyone mention that the man regularly sang in what you might call a mid-range falsetto. His natural voice being very deep, sounding something like John Lee Hooker with considerably more lung power.

You can hear the shift between his natural voice and the falsetto on almost every one of his records. Quite suddenly he'll drop an octave [or two] time and again. At it's most exaggerated, this vocal shift can make the records almost sound like the work of a non-harmonizing duo.

On this cut, Brown starts off singing in the falsetto, then quickly reverts to his natural voice [pushing it about as far as it'll go], and then shifts back to the falsetto for a few seconds before finishing up the record in his natural voice. The shift isn't as obvious as it is on some records, but it's definitely there.

The word for today is, fascinating.

My tears was in vain....

Finally, a day off. Maybe I'll even get around to answering some of my emails....

One of four 45s recorded by Martha Carter [one as Martha Nelson]....all issued on Joe Ruffino's Ric/Ron labels....all apparently Eddie Bo related.

As I recall, several cuts by Carter [including this one], are included on a comp called "New Orleans Ladies". Ya'll should check it out.

Hope ya like it.

It comes and it goes....

I've only familiar with a couple of records by Nat Hall, the other being his fabulous "Why" on the D.C. based Loop label, but a friend tells me there several more around. Seems most, if not all, are worth checking out. Given how much I like this record [and the Loop 45] I'll def be keeping an eye open.

In poking around for info I was surprised to find only a few mentions of this tune. The superb flip-side, "Talkin' About Love", doesn't even show on any DJ playlists I could find. I would have thought both tunes had been played/comped to death. I guess not.

If anyone has info on Hall, I love to see it. I got nothin'.

Hope ya'll enjoy.....

She didn't say no....

One of two records by Big Daddy Green, both on Goldband sister-label, Anla, out of Lake Charles.

I'm usually right there with Sir Shambling, but in this case I couldn't disagree more. Big Daddy Green's first record is totally the one to have. "Lady In Red" is a long term major hit around this house. I like it so much I recently bought a second copy just 'cause I couldn't pass it by.

Check out what Sir Shambling has to say, here.

Hope ya'll enjoy....

Soul feeling....

Rather like a story with two possible endings.....

Make no mistake, my hand has been hovering over the delete button for the past several weeks. But there are all these extraordinary comments being posted. Surprisingly, not a one of which have I had to censor. Not a single one.

Popularity doesn't influence me, just as heartfelt appreciation most assuredly does. My sincere thanks to everyone who bothered to comment. I am, to put it mildly, nonplussed by your responses....even somewhat embarrassed....but more than anything, I am exceedingly grateful.

Ya'll think I'm good at this? Really? All I've ever thought I had to offer was some interesting records. And ya know, in my book that makes the this whole enterprise somewhat suspect. Anyone with the time, money, and interest can gather a nice collection. That I enjoy hunting up useless bits of plastic does not make me an authority on anything.....in fact, it probably means I'm an idiot.

I should also mention that I received some very nice emails concerning my last post. My thanks to you folks as well. One of those emails correctly noted that my life has changed a great deal over the last two years. This is God's Own Truth and of more importance than I care to go into except to say that I am very busy these days. I didn't so much take on a new job in May as I took on a new [and very interesting] life. I would never downplay Baby Girl's role, but compared with the job, she's just along for the [wild] ride.

Anyway, we'll see how this goes. There are situations which will likely make me cut this revival short. Specifically, harassment from any one of several quarters.

........................................................................................

Shall we make a party? [my mama taught me to go formal when in doubt]

I really wouldn't know if this is the rarest of Eddy Giles 45s, but folks do often want some serious cash for it. Luckily, I scored my copy for cheap. Don't pass up Pt.2, it's the side I play most often.

Soul Feeling Pt.1

Soul Feeling Pt.2

Just a note....

Oops, I missed the blog's anniversary for the second year in a row. At least I'm consistent.

Once again, I'd like to thank those you who've bothered to leave such kind and encouraging comments. Without your feedback the blog wouldn't have lasted three months.

Unfortunately, there's a relatively new side to the feedback [mostly via email]. Seems there are a few folks who have nothing better to do than mock me for my grammatical and factual lapses. Thanks ya'll for making me feel like I shouldn't bother to write anything at all. If that was your initial plan, it worked.

And there are several other new problems as well....fellow bloggers who post my vinyl rips as their own "discoveries" [totally lame], the stalker who keeps changing his online identity but always gets around to wanting a "date" [creepy]....and perhaps a special mention should go out to the idiot who for some unknown reason faults me because some of the records I've posted are worth a good bit of cash [how I spend my money is none of your business].

Oh yeah, there's also the person who implied that I'm ungenerous [after posting thousands of dollars worth of rare-ish 45s] because I made a joke about sending in $5 for instructions on how to fix skips. You can fuck off.

In short, a small number of people have succeeded in making my "blogging experience" much less fun this year. In fact, I'm at an impasse. How do I continue? Basically I've just been going through the motions for the last couple of months.

And that's the most serious problem of all, 'cause this whole house of cards is built solely on my enthusiasm. Once that's gone, there's absolutely no point in continuing. All that's left to do is hit delete.

There ya have it. I'm unhappy with the way things are going. In particular I dislike the idea that I simply provide rare vinyl rips for other, more "fabulous", blogs.

ana...

If I could be with you....

I own two copies of this record. The first was a cheapie I picked up without really knowing what it was. I bought the second a couple of years ago thinking I'd use it in trade. Problem was, it turned out to be virtually mint. Thus I kept it.

Sometimes, having a nice clean copy is a beautiful thing. Ya know, in this case, I'm not sure it's possible to get the full effect otherwise.

Bless those horns.

Hope ya'll enjoy....

I love you...

Al Johnson's first record for Joe Ruffino's Ric label...and a particular favorite of mine. Truth is, I've never thought much of Johnson's voice, but the band is kicking it so hard on this one that I can't help but be won over. In particular, the piano work is spectacular. If I had to guess, I'd say that's James Booker doing his best 'Huey Smith plays Professor Longhair' imitation [I just made that up, but it sounds about right].

Hope ya'll enjoy....

Rock and roll is her favorite sound...

One of those records you'd think someone must know something about and yet there's nothing, nada, no info at all. Funny, 'cause I was under the impression it was hit. But then, what do I know?

Odd thing about this record is that it sometimes sells for big bucks when it's really not that scarce. I see them fairly regularly. Popsike lists a copy sold at auction for close to $80. I can't imagine I paid more than $10 for mine [I tend to remember the records I've paid more than $10 for].

The run-out code makes me think Winner was a [one off?] label started by Joe Ruffino, owner of Ric/Ron. Probably pre-Ric/Ron. I could easily be wrong, but that's what it looks like to me. If I'm right, that dates the record to the late fifties, which is a totally obvious conclusion 'cause if that isn't some version of Cos Matassa's late 50's house band playing on the 45 then I'm a purple polka dot giraffe.

My guess is 1957, but possibly as late as 1959. Hope ya'll enjoy....

Tell me baby, what wrong have I done?

I grew up listening to the Maytals and own an awful lot of their records. Something like five or six Jamaican and English albums never released in the U.S. [at least initially], every album issued in the U.S. from "Reggae Got Soul" up to "Toots in Memphis", several comps on CD.....

And then there are the Jamaican pressed singles, some of which are different versions than what appeared on albums. Even well known songs often show up with a different mix on 45 [sometimes with an instrumental version as well].

Anyway, even after all that exposure to the Maytals I still occasionally find stuff on 45 that I've never heard before. But not in this case. Actually, I thought it was a "personal unknown" when I picked it out of a box of unsleeved 45s, but jeeze was I ever surprised when I gave it a listen. The record is mislabeled, it's actually a copy of "Treating Me Bad", one of the groups early great ones. Not a bad score for less than a buck.

Just so happens there's even footage from 1962 of the Maytals singing this song, which makes the post even sweeter. Check the clip below.

In case ya'll are wondering about the scratchy records I've been posting lately, I'm not really doing it on purpose. I'm just having fun digging through a pile of interesting 45s that don't normally get spins....often because they're too beat up for polite company.

I'll get back to the cleaner 45s soon enough. Truth is, this rip doesn't sound all that much worse than the copy I have from a legitimately issued comp.

Hope ya'll enjoy.....

Dance...

Just case ya'll don't know, compared to what I usually do, the easiest thing in the world is post a bunch of you tube clips....

Trashed is as trashed does...

Mark this one as "for reference only". It's possibly the most trashed record I've ever posted.

There are some boring Big Bo and The Arrows records out there. This isn't one of them.

My hope is that ya'll will appreciate what you're hearing despite the obvious flaws.

Please God, wontcha send me a better copy real soon...

Let me drive.....

The flip-side of yet another 45 I've already posted. It's not quite as good as the other cut but I figure ya'll might like to hear it just 'cause it's obscure. As far as I know it's never been comped, in fact I can't see that it's ever been offered anywhere else before.

One of three records issued on the Invicta label....

Hope ya'll enjoy....

Or go back home and be shamed shamed shamed...

Either I'm very unlucky or this 45 is a tough find. This is the only original copy I've ever run into.

Just so happens both sides were recently re-released on a comp called "Face The Music". Can't say I like the cover [absolutely as cheesy as they come] but it's an interesting release, partially because some of the songs are re-cut. Now, normally I'd say that's a bad thing, but in this case it undoubtedly means Willie West is getting a few bucks out of the deal....and that's a good thing.

Anyway, there are def better copies of these songs around....my 45 is rough.

Hope ya'll enjoy....in my opinion, these are two of the more interesting arrangements Allen Toussaint ever created.

Face The Music

Baby Baby I Love You

Everybody's doin' it.....

I don't know about ya'll, but I'm def enjoying the long weekend. I've hardly had a moment to myself for more than a month.

I posted the flip-side of this record a long while back and always wanted to post this side as well, but the stupid record skipped. After some minor surgery, the patient has recovered nicely and now plays all the way through. I'm amazed at how well a little trick of mine works. Send in $5 and I'll cough up the secret.

Anyway, I think this record must have been a regional hit as R.L. Griffin is occasionally referred to as "Mr. Ting-A-Ling". I believe he's still active today, possibly still owns the Blues Palace in Dallas? He's originally from East Texas where he played with a band called the Corvettes until Big Bo Thomas tempted him into heading to the big city.

Now, Bo Thomas was a major regional player. He had the hottest band in Dallas, owned several very profitable clubs, and booked big name acts throughout the region. All of which brought in buckets of money. Thomas once estimated that he made $250,000 to $400,000 a year during the early 60's. Even if those figures represent a bad case of the brags, it's clear he made plenty.......enough that Big Bo and the Arrows were rarely tempted out of Dallas....enough that Thomas was able to retire in the early 70s.

The Gay-Shel label was started in 1960 and is named after Thomas' two children, Gayle and Sheldon. As far as I know there were only something like 10 releases on the label, all of them Big Bo and The Arrows related.

Hope ya'll enjoy....

This clip is super low quality, but ya'll get the idea, right? I seriously need the stripey dress on the second girl to be featured.

[Addendum: I'm shocked to see that someone actually took my joke about sending in $5 seriously. I realize that my sense of humor is very dry, but jeeze.....

Anyway, If anyone really wants to know how I get skips out of records, check the comments of this post on Derek's Daily 45.]

Drop out...

As far as I know, this is Mildred Scott's only 45. Just in case you're tempted to poke around for info, this is not the same woman as Mildred Vaney, aka Mildred Scott, out of Detroit. It's someone else.

I've nothing factual on Scott [don't know that anyone does], but I will say this: to my ears she sounds a good bit like the Marilyn Scott who recorded with Johnny Otis in the early 50's. I'd be as surprised as anyone if there's a connection, but I do wonder.

Big Bee was apparently associated with the elusive Booker/Invicta labels. If there's another release on the imprint, I'm not aware of it. [Correction: Bob of the blogs Dead Wax and That's All Rite Mama has pointed out two other releases on Big Bee.]

Hope ya'll enjoy....