Huggin' and kissin' is what I've been missin'........

I was supposed to get this post up earlier today, in fact I've been trying to post this record for a very long time. But there have been problems......

First: This record brings up a lot of memories. It's one of my dad's favorites, and I undoubtedly heard it for the first time as a kid in my grandmother's house. That's the house where I developed my fascination with records. My grandmother is now dead and very much missed. Every time I've tried to write something about this cut in the past, I've gotten bogged down in worthy, but also very messy, sentiment. Playing this record is like having an old friend visit.

Second: I have a good bit of anecdotal evidence that this record sold because of this b-side, not because of "Confessin' A Feeling" which is the cut listed as making the charts. Thus I get a little twisted-up every time I try to figure out how that could possibly be and find myself close to shouting, "Isn't it obvious, this side was the real hit!!!". I have no doubt "Confessing' A Feeling" got a lot of airplay, but apparently what people remembered at the record store were those times when DJs flipped the 45 over. And they did flip it over. Folks in Texas tell me the song was in rotation on Top 40 radio stations. My dad say's there was a time in New Orleans when you couldn't go to a party without hearing "Got'a Get My Baby Back Home" played five times in a row.

That about covers it. At least I finally got something written. Such as it is.

Derek's got "Confessin' A Feeling" posted here. Don't be confused by the different label, his is the issue distributed nationally, mine's the local pressing.

Hope ya'll enjoy the non-hit b-side [uh huh].....

Homegoing....with the Rebirth Brass Band

For some reason I can't get this to re-size. Which sucks. And it's playing very badly once on the page. Best to just follow this link.

You don't know....

We're still getting used to the new Momma/Poppa/Baby Bear dynamic, but ya know, so far it's not nearly as big of deal as I expected. A little early to say for sure, but could be we've got ourselves a happy [as opposed to cranky] baby. She seems very good to me, which I suppose means she doesn't take after her mama at all.

Can I say I'm totally relieved the pregnancy is over? I-really-did-not-enjoy-it-one-bit. I mean, what's there to enjoy about feeling like you're mutating into a whale...complete with blubber, bristles, and the inability to walk on dry land? Personally speaking, I think it's worth beaucoup bucks to no longer have 7+ pounds pressing on my bladder or alternatively pushing against my lungs so hard that I can't breathe. Does that make me weird?

Anyway, I feel like I've been given my life back rather than had it taken away. Baby Girl, I can deal with. Feeling like total shit all the time is a whole other story. I think I did very well over the last six months not to fill this blog with insane rants about swelling feet, itching skin, or how my hair color suddenly changed to black.

Continuing in that vein, I promise to only bring up the subject of "babywearing" when absolutely necessary. Recipes for baby food and "breast pumps" are also off limits. Please take note.

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Here's another pre-Stax 45 by Ruby Johnson. I'm not sure about the yellow label, most of the Neb's issues I've seen have red labels. Could be this is an early re-issue. Which doesn't really matter to me 'cause I got it ultra-cheap.

I said it the last time I posted Ruby Johnson and I still can't think of a better description of her recordings.....the girl is ferocious.

My only complaint is that I can't crank it up at the moment......

But ya'll can, right?

I don't know about ya'll out there....

A very sweet and somewhat hard to find record by Bobby LaCour. Strictly speaking it's one of three total, although there is another 45 credited to someone else on which LaCour provides minimal vocals. I've yet to find a copy of that one.

More or less my theme song at the moment. I happen to like LaCour's version better than George Jackson's original. It's a little more upbeat, the horn chart is tighter, and there are no annoying back up singers. LaCour may not have been quite the singer that Jackson was but certainly has his own special appeal. I wish he'd recorded more.

On the whole, Senator Jones' productions get little love, but in my opinion the Bobby LaCour sides are different. Notice the name John Berthelot on the label. He undoubtedly did the actual production work. Berthelot is a well respected composer/arranger/music teacher/ex-label owner who still occasionally plays jazz around New Orleans.

Hope ya'll enjoy....

How can he treat me this way....

A friend sent this along as a "birth-day" present. It's Shirley Raymond's only release. I'm not sure, but could be this side's never been comped. Google makes me think it hasn't, but I have a hard time accepting that a cut this good hasn't been re-issued somewhere, sometime.

It's not as though it's unknown. Mr. Finewine likes the tune a good bit. He's played it at least four times on his show, which given the seemingly infinite depth of that man's crates says quite a lot. But ya know, his playlists are the only online evidence I can find of it getting spins, which makes me think the 45 is a tough-ish find. Certainly I didn't have an mp3 of "What A Wedding Day" until I ripped my own.

The flip-side, "You're Gonna Miss Me", shows up here and there, but as far as I can tell never tied to comp or even a label scan. I'm thinking most or all were sourced from Sir Shambling's site where a download has been available for some time. Could be it's never been comped either.....it's just "around".

Only saying because I'm surprised. Raymond's voice is top notch, it's a seriously good record.

The the interplay of bass and drums is the thing on "What A Wedding Day". Sir Shambling suggests that John Boudreaux is on the sticks, and as far as I'm concerned Charles Mingus might as well be playing the bass [that's a very small joke]. You can read what Shambling has to say and pick up the flip-side where Raymond really shows off her pipes, here.

As a side note....the Amistad Research Center in Hartford, Conn. has put up a small exhibition called "Keeping The Music Alive" to celebrate their recent acquisition of Harold Battiste's papers. Too bad it's not closer to home, there a few items in the show I'd like to see. One of the exhibits is a copy of this 45. Since I can't find a discography, I'm taking that to mean this is first record issued on the At Last label.

Hope ya'll enjoy....

Praise Him with stringed instruments, Part 4.

Another Sacred Steel clip, this time from the Church Of The Living God [Jewell Dominion]. It's maybe 15-20 years old [?].

Very little of what I post is foreign to me. Mostly, I didn't come to the music from outside sources, rarely feel like I'm stepping outside my own culture, and never ever approach anything I post with a sense of irony, but these Sacred Steel clips show something waaaay beyond my personal experience. I have never seen anything quite like them. I'm thinking I need to visit some of the congregations. Soon.

Just a note....

Baby Girl came in at 7 lbs 1 ounce, 19.5 inches long. She's got a full head of black hair [for the time being] with absolutely the cutest toes you ever saw in your life. More importantly, she's healthy.

I've never felt so relieved/happy in my life....

I gave her a couple of traditional family names along with a very beautiful Italian/Spanish "first" which has already been shortened by unanimous public decree into an unexpected diminutive...Anza [pronounced "ahn za", not "an za"].

You'll just have to believe me when I say I never planned to come up with a cutesy combo like "Ana and Anza" [I use the "ah" sound for the "a" as well], in fact the nickname never occurred to me at all. Blame it on my younger sis, she started it.

Anyway, we're fine. The rough stuff actually went down last week. Just took me a little longer than some to get out of the hospital.....and longer than I expected to think of something to say.

Praise Him with stringed instruments, Part 3.

There's a new group of Sacred Steel clips up on you tube. This one looks to have been recorded quite recently at the State Assembly of the House Of God [Keith Dominion] in Gary, Indiana [?]. The band kicks in after the 2 minute mark, but I don't suggest skipping over any of it.

Let's get a line sweet meat, and do the ghetto grind...

Automated Ana here.

I think being able to schedule posts is hilarious. I've yet to figure out a serious reason for having the feature. Well, except for the way I'm using it....which is of course totally serious. The fate of the entire world hinges on whether or not my silly blog runs on time. But you knew that.

Today, I've got three seriously funky instrumentals for you. All of them very high quality, not a dud in the bunch. I also don't know a thing about any of them, which makes it an easy post for me.

Hope ya'll enjoy....

Let's Get A Line Pt.1

The Ghetto Grind

Sweet Meat Pt.2

That's what I'm talkin about....

It upsets my acute sense of aesthetics to leave my last note at the top of the page. Thus, here's a clip of James Booker I hadn't seen until recently. Possibly the only clip from one of his gigs at the Maple Leaf. As is usual with Booker, he screws around a good bit [like half the clip] before he starts to show you why the posthumous collection, "Spiders On The Keys", is the single most aptly named album ever.

Time out...

It ain't over 'til the fat lady screams, but after 8 and three quarters months I'd say the smart money is on the baby coming soon. Doncha think?

Thus, I'm gonna sign off for awhile.

Ya'll are such nice folks. Please, do me a favor and wish me luck, not so much in the comments but in your thoughts....and I do mean for real 'cause I totally need all the help I can get. No shit.

I swear, I'll pay ya back later.

I've scheduled a few surprises for the next few weeks, and am disabling comment moderation just in case I'm not around to uhmmm.....moderate.

Ya'll play nice while I'm gone.....

You read my mind....

It's been awhile since I looked, but I think I'm pretty safe in saying there's no use in googling Henry Moore unless you're interested in British sculpture of the last century. Wish I knew more about the man, but so far I've got zip.

I think the A Fada label is out of Georgia, as is Athens [?] on which Moore had another release. Beyond that there's a 45 on Hermitage [which often leased recordings out of New Orleans], another on a tiny label out of Houma Louisiana, two others on Texas labels associated with Huey Meaux, and a split single on King.

1,2,3,4,5....6 and a half 45's to his name. This is the funkiest of the bunch.

Hope ya'll enjoy.....

You, and a bottle of soda pop....

This is my favorite Willie Harper 45. It's so I good I can't choose one side over the other.

Take two very simple songs, add incredibly complex but in no way over-powering arrangements, then spice it all up with a slight touch of fuzzed out guitar.

I consider these two "sleepers". Took me a few listens before they caught my attention in a major way. After maybe five plays, I was hooked solid.

Soda Pop

You, You

I hope it breaks, soon...

Another of Jessie Hill's slightly strange 45s on the Downey label out of Los Angeles. Actually, what am I saying...all Jessie Hill recordings are a little strange. I'm surprised anyone outside of New Orleans ever gave him a chance to record.

Truly a man who was what he was. My impression is that Allen Toussaint literally gave up trying to control Hill during some of their sessions together. Now, I could be very wrong about that, but I can't think of a single other artist Mr. T worked with where he allowed "live" in-studio recordings to be released as is, with no overdubs....even including bits of studio chatter. For a known control-freak, that's awfully close to admitting total defeat.

I think the word I'm looking for is, irrepressible.

Hope ya'll enjoy....

Messed up baby, for the rest of my life....

What an amazing record. Hard to believe it wasn't a hit.

Jody Williams plays guitar on this one, as he did on a number of totally brilliant sides by Bo Diddley, Howlin' Wolf, Otis Rush, and a bunch of others. The short-lived Cobra label was owned by Eli Toscano, but Willie Dixon was the man responsible for the label's sound. One fabulous 45 after another, 33 releases in only three years.

If you need more info on Harold Burrage, you can find it here. Unfortunately it's only the standard poop from All Music, oddly enough I couldn't find much more.

From 1957....

Messed Up

I Don't Care Who Knows

[Btw, there's a very nice comp of Harold Burrage sides around titled, "Messed Up". Ya'll should check it out, if you haven't already.]

...even had love to spare

T.V. Slim's discography is confusing. He had his own label early-on and some of those sides were later re-issued, even a couple of times, on his own and other people's labels. There are also a few records issued under his real name, Oscar Wills, and some re-makes as well.

Anyway, this is the b-side of the original version of "Flat Foot Sam". It may have been originally released on Slim's own Speed label in 1955 with a different flip. Hard to say given that I don't own the Speed 45. However, it is certain that this tune was released on the Cliff label [along with Flat Foot Sam] prior to being picked up by the Chess brothers, presumably through their contact with Stan Lewis, owner of Jewel/Paula out of Shreveport, Louisiana.

In short, this may be the third pressing of an older tune which became the b-side to a song which was re-cut and re-issued the same year as the original without this particular tune on the b-side. Got it? Took me at least half an hour to figure out how to say it.

It's a great tune. A nice lo-fi rocker with slightly bizarre backing vocals. As much as I like "Flat Foot Sam", I never put this record on the turntable without playing both sides.

Issued in 1957, possibly recorded in '55. Hope ya'll enjoy....

You done me wrong...

Not those Supremes! And also not the Supremes who recorded "Snap, Crackle, and Pop" for the Mark label. This group was out of Ohio. I'm pretty sure this is their only 45.

Given that Joe Ruffino gets song writing credit, he must have had something to do with getting the group to New Orleans. He worked A&R for Johnny Vincent at Ace? This must have been right before Ruffino started the Ric label.

Actually, that's a pretty interesting thought, because it's made me realize this record uses the exact same backing track as Edgar Blanchard's, "Lets Get It", the very first record issued on Ric [check the sidebar is you want to hear it]. Funny that I never put that together before.

That explains why "Lets Get It" is credited solely to Blanchard rather than his band, the Gondoliers. The original track had to have been cut by Huey Smith, Lee Allen, Hungry Williams, et al.....essentially Cos Matassa's a-list studio band at the time....maybe as part of a Huey Smith and the Clowns session?

Ya know, I may not have many answers, but sometimes I ask really good questions.

Anyway, this record rocks hard. Too bad the Supremes didn't get another chance, I'm really surprised Johnny Vincent didn't see the potential.

Hope ya'll enjoy....

She can do the jerk better than anyone else in town...

So, what do ya get when you let Jimi Hendrix play the riff to "Gloria", add horn charts/production by none other than King Curtis, and then top it all off with vocals by rockabilly singer Ray Sharpe?

That's whatcha call a rhetorical question, but personally speaking, the term "momentous event" comes to mind. More than that, I can honestly say I'm glad the earth didn't crack in half during this session.

Hope ya'll enjoy....

Part 1.

Part 2.

[Btw, if anyone needs more info on Ray Sharpe, you can find it here.]

[Update: As far as I know this is the first use of the basic track King Curtis later re-cycled into "Instant Groove". It is also the basis for Aretha Franklin's, "Save Me", issued a year later.]

Horns!

A record I'm sure has been spun by every funk DJ in the world at least once. Which only means it's really good. I may be a vinyl snob, but I'm not the kind of snob which values obscurity over a funky groove.

And yes indeed, it's truly a monster groove. Did fairly well when it was released too, although the Counts [they issued issued a few records under the shortened name] never really got the push they deserved from their labels. After three albums, the band called it quits.

Out of Detroit in 1968. Richard "Popcorn" Wylie lends a hand with the superb production.

Get Down People

Lunar Funk [actually, Part 2 of "Get Down People"]

Got a new dance....

My apologies to some of you who've emailed me recently, I just found a bunch of very nice notes in the spam folder. I really should check more often. .

Major Lance put out something like 35 singles during his career. Had a several hits as well, but this isn't one of them. In fact, the first few discographies I looked through didn't list this record at all.

Truth is there's so much info out there on Lance you're best off looking him up yourself if you need to know more. He even has his own good-sized wikipedia page.

Willie Henderson gets kudos for the production on this one. Love those horns.

Hope ya'll enjoy.....it's from 1967.