Billy Preston – Outta Space

Mr. Billy Preston

“Listen -Billy Preston – Outta Space – MP3″

Greetings all.

How’s things in your corner of the blog-o-mos-phere?
Things here are pretty groovy, though by the time you read this I’ll be on a table somewhere getting yet another kidney related procedure (outpatient and only – heh “only” – uncomfortable) and wondering if the groundhog that moved in under our deck has been apprehended yet. Not the way I’d choose to spend a Friday, but in the grand scheme of things not all that tragic and I ought to be back in the saddle (as it were) on Saturday.
Not too long ago me and some of my on-line compadres were having a chat about the basic quality of a particular funk 45 that also happened to have been a HUGE chart hit. The convo followed the usual collector/digger blueprint in that a good portion of the people were sick to death of it, a few – like myself – rode hard for it and some on the fringe got their pants wet soapboxing about how anything so popular couldn’t possibly be good.
It was during that exchange that a number of other records that were – if not as popular – significantly more popular than the kind of rarified wax that usually pads the boxes of your average funk 45 DJ, were discussed, and lined up against the first record (which was the AWB’s ‘Pick Up the Pieces’). One of the records listed was today’s selection, ‘Outta Space’ by the mighty Billy Preston.
In addition to being the proud owner of what might have been the wildest afro in the history of “the natural”, Mr. Preston – who sadly shook off this mortal coil back in ought-six – was a keyboard wizard and vocalist extradordinaire. Starting with his earliest Hammond material (especially the Northern fave ‘Billy’s Bag’ on Vee-Jay), his work with the Beatles, on through his funky hits of the early 70s, and his mellower (and very successful) stuff like his 1980 duet with Syreeta Wright ‘With You I’m Born Again’, Preston laid down a very solid body of work.
Of course, this being Funky16Corners, his Hammond stuff has gotten the most shine hereabouts.
However…and I’ve given this a lot of though in the last couple of years, I would be remiss if I didn’t step up to the pulpit to preach a little bit about ‘Outta Space’.
First and foremost, no matter how popular this record was in its day, there is no denying (by any sane person) that ‘Outta Space’ is as solid a piece of keyboard funk ever produced by Billy Preston (or anyone else). The clavinet is one of the signature sounds of the funk movement (YOWWWWWW!!!), and ‘Outta Space’ is built on 100% certified clavinet DNA.
The song has a very solid dancefloor beat, with that little rhythmic kick at the end of each bar that suggests some kind of funky twist on a conga line.
There’s a video on Youtube with Preston working ‘Outta Space’ with his band, Billy on the Hammond and someone else on the clavinet and they are tearing it the fuck UP!
I mean honestly….
There’s probably a major treatise to be written on the artistic value of funk 45s balanced against their obscurity. There’s a basic issue of, one man’s obscure is another man’s obvious, but once you get beyond a certain level, where you’re dealing with things that almost no one has heard, that the rarity fetishists, the label coverers and the Secret Squirrelistas would have you believe that the relic they dug out of some long forgotten basement is the ne plus ultra of all things funky. However my friends; as someone with experience, and a discerning ear, I can assure you that many of these records, despite their lofty provenance, suck out loud. Of course so do a lot of popular records, but the scale swings both ways.
Many is the time that I’ve finally gotten to check out a copy of a storied funk (or soul) 45, dropped the needle and found myself decidedly underwhelmed. I have also gone into detail in this very space, time and time again of the power coming out of the kind of records at which most seasoned collectors would roll their eyes and guffaw dismissively. I don’t have the time to waste on that kind of shite and I will go ahead and assume you don’t either.
A true follower of the funk, one with an honest feel for music – as opposed to an obsession with the encyclopaedia of ephemeral back alleys – will put on a record like ‘Outta Space’, and start to move, taken away by the power of a real, solid record.
That’s what this is.
Real.
Solid.
Funk.
I can promise you this my friends: the next time I find myself behind the decks, whipping the funk 45 love on the masses, I will be dropping ‘Outta Space’*, and so help me Jeebus if it doesn’t fill the assembled multitudes with the spirit of all things good and funky, I will resign my commission in the army of the funk.
This is my promise to you.

NOTE: Don’t forget to fall by Viva Internet Radio Tonight at 9PMEST for the latest edition of the Funky16Corners Radio Show. You can always check out the show (and many pastshows) in the archive.

Peace

Larry

*Yes, I have it on 45, but happened to pull out the LP first, thus the picture above…

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PSS Check out Paperback Rider too.

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James Carr – Gonna Send You Back to Georgia

The Mighty James Carr

“Listen -James Carr – Gonna Send You Back To Georgia – MP3″

Greetings all.

I hope all is well on your end.
Things here are good to peachy keen, with lots of groovy sunshine and the Funky16Corners fam settling into a summer routine (of sorts).
A little while back (on Fathers Day) they were having another garage sale over at the Asbury Lanes, and because I heard an old friend was going to be there, unloading some prime 45s, I figured I’d fall by and see what I could find.
So, I get down to Asbury, stroll through the doors and am immediately struck by what can only be described as the dispiriting sight of very few dealers (none of whom were my pal). My first thought was that I was not going to find anything worth my time, and that I had driven all the way to the Lanes for nothing (and on Fathers Day no less). I took a quick look around, and fixed my eyes on a new guy who happened to be sitting next to about a dozen boxes of 45s.
Naturally, that’s where I started.
The 45s were in alphabetical order, and fortunately for me I turned up something interesting in the first handful I pulled out, because I can’t guarantee I would have gone through all those boxes if I hadn’t. Anyway, I pulled three or four cool things out, at which point I turned dolefully to the dealers and asked “How much?”, assuming that he was going to toss back a big fistful of record dealer hoodoo about how “Everything’s different” and “I’ll check them out when you’re through”.
Instead, what I got was “Everything’s a buck!”, at which I responded with an internal (of course) hi-diddly-dee and plowed through the other eleven boxes.
When I was through, I bagged twenty excellent 45s, including a couple of $50+ garage 45s, a number of cool soul and soul jazz things and a few oddball bits of weird pop that were worth taking a one-dollar chance on.
Among the soul 45s were a couple of James Carr numbers I didn’t have (always worth picking up). The one I’m featuring today, is his 1967 ‘Gonna Send You Back To Georgia’.
I get said record home, slap it on the turntable and as soon as the music starts a lightbulb goes on over my head and I realize that I know this song – in a slightly different form – as recorded by the Animals (as ‘I’m Gonna Send You Back To Walker’). My recollection of Carr’s history suggested to me that the gents from Newcastle upon the Tyne weren’t covering him (which was borne out by a little checking), so I figured I ought to get to looking to see what I could turn up.
It turns out that (barring any old timey, delta bluesy source material) ‘Gonna Send You Back To Georgia’ was initially recorded in 1963 under the title ‘City Slick’ by a singer named Timmy Shaw. Shaw rerecorded the song as ‘Gonna Send You Back To Georgia’ for the Wand label in 1964. Shaw had co-written the tune (under his real name Jake Hammonds Jr.) with Detroit singer, songwriter and producer Johnnie Mae Matthews. The Animals heard, and covered the song as ‘Gonna Send You Back To Walker’ later in 1964.
James Carr – the mightiest of the southern soul masters – recorded ‘Gonna Send You Back to Georgia’ in 1967 for Goldwax.
Carr’s version is a solid slice of soul with a pumping bass line, organ, femme backing vocals and (after the first verse) horns. Those that are used to hearing Carr’s deep ballad performances might be surprised to hear him tear into the song, his tenor at times being wound up into a scream. The end result is a powerful soul dancer and further evidence of Carr’s greatness.
I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll be back on Friday with some funk.

Peace

Larry

PS Don’t forget to head over to Iron Leg .

PSS Check out Paperback Rider too.

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Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles – Take Me For a Little While

Patti LaBelle (right) and the Bluebelles

“Listen – Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles – Take Me For a Little While – MP3″

Greetings all.

I hope that everyone (at least here in the States) had a great holiday weekend. The sun actually made the occasional appearance (interrupted by the occasional downpour) so the Funky16Corners fam was actually able to get out of the house for a change. We headed down to Asbury Park for the 4th of July fireworks and managed to get in some genuine rest and relaxation (which is good since we have an assload of stuff to take care of this week).
It’s really a gas to see the way that Asbury Park is coming back. I remember going down to the boardwalk there when I was a little kid (late 60s, before the riots). Now finally, after decades of unfulfilled promises the boardwalk area, as well as Cookman Ave and vicinity has really gotten a new lease on life. It’s great to see.
It was also something else to be able to look out over the ocean and see the fireworks all the way over on the shore of Long Island. Positively surreal.
The tune I bring you today just fell through the mail slot on Friday. Although I hadn’t heard it, I picked it up as a ‘buy it now’ because it was a cover of one of my favorite songs.
Once I tossed it on the turntable, it promptly blew my mind and instantly became my favorite (version of that song).
The song in question is ‘Take Me For a Little While’, recorded many times, but featured at Funky16Corners in the past in versions by Evie Sands and the Mirettes. Written by Trade Martin, ‘Take Me…’ is a perfect example of the dawning of an era where songwriters were “writing records” as much as they were writing songs. The song has a wonderful melody and a hearwrenching lyric, but its triumph is in its very structure, employing a pleading verse with a cascading, and ultimately volcanic chorus. No matter who’s singing the song, the basic framework – which is what makes it great – is always there.
While I love Sands voice, and the vaguely funky edge of the Mirettes’ version, believe me when I tell you that you haven’t really experienced the song until you get your ears blow off by Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles.
Formed at the dawn of the 60s by Philadelphia’s own Patti Labelle (along with Sarah Dash, Trenton, NJ’s Nona Hendryx and future Supreme Cindy Birdsong) Labelle and the Bluebelles (or Blue Belles) hit first with 1962s ‘I Sold My Heart to the Junkman’. They moved to Atlantic in 1965, where they would remain for the next four years, eventually recording the original version of ‘Groovy Kind of Love’ (a hit the following year for the Mindbenders).
Arranged by Bob Gallo (who had worked with Solomon Burke, Mary Wells, Barbara Lewis and many others) and produced by Gallo and the legendary Tom Dowd, LaBelle and the Bluebelles rendition of ‘Take Me For a Little While’ is no less than epic in its scope.
Opening with juxtaposed cellos and an oddly tuned guitar (the sound reminds me a little Chris Farlowe’s cover of the Rolling Stones’ ‘Out of Time’) , LaBelle enters with the verse backed by the Bluebelles. The drums enter, giving the song forward momentum into the chorus. It is at this point that sweeping strings come in as LaBelle belts out the chorus with a power that reaches from the amen corner, to the moon and back.
I love the way Gallo brings things down at the end of the first chorus, with a funky little drum breakdown, followed by the two different rhythm guitar lines.
I’ve never been partial to “high note” artists, but Patti LaBelle exercises precisely the right amount of control, flying high – but not too high – creating yet another one of those records where the grooves are barely sufficient to contain the power within. It’s an operatic cum gospel explosion masquerading as a ballad, and an absolutely brilliant record.
As always, I hope you dig it and I’ll be back on Wednesday with some southern soul.

Peace

Larry

PS Don’t forget to head over to Iron Leg .

PSS Check out Paperback Rider too.

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Two From the Stonewall Jukebox

Stonewall Inn, NYC 1969

“Listen – Gladys Knight & the Pips – The Nitty Gritty – MP3″

“Listen – Gladys Knight & the Pips – Friendship Train – MP3″

Greetings all.

I hope everyone has downloaded this weeks slice of the Funky16Corners Radio pie, ingested the funk and got themselves some pep in their step.
Summer is finally here, and although the thunderclaps pop in now and again, it’s usually at the end of a hot day, which is par for the summer course, so I can’t really complain (can I?).
And now, a sociopolitical public service message…*
Last weekend we were out running the errands and what not, listening (as we always are) to the Sirius satellite radio, and since Mr Stern was pumping a repeat, we moved on over to OutQ (the LGBT station) to see what was up, and happened upon a very interesting piece of soul/funk related information.
June 28th marked the 40th anniversary of the beginning of the Stonewall uprising, in which the patrons of the bar of the same name fought back against police harassment of the gay community, giving birth to the modern gay rights movement.
The host (I think it was Derek Hartley Larry Flick) was going through a list of the songs on the jukebox at the Stonewall that night in June 1969. Naturally my ears perked right up, since history has proven our gay brothers and sisters to have excellent taste in dance music.
I made a note to myself to dig into Google to see if I could turn up a copy of the song list.
I did.
“Why?” you ask “am I doing this?”
Well, first of all, basic cultural/musical curiosity.
Secondarily – but ultimately more importantly – we as a nation are at a crossroads of sorts in relation to recognition of gay Americans as first class citizens (i.e. entitled to the same rights as the rest of us), especially in relation to the institution of marriage and all the rights that follow.
The fact that we have allowed religious ideologues to keep this right (which is a 100% civil concept in that you can get whatever religious figure you want to marry you, but if you don’t get a license and file it at city hall you are not married) away from our fellow citizens, because they happen to be gay, lesbian or transgender, is a digrace.
The concept in question is equal protection under the law. It’s pretty simple despite a veritable tsunami of disingenuous double-talk from religious figures and their political servants to the contrary.
The time is long since passed for this injustice to be remedied. President Obama seems to be taking a (very) measured approach to the situation, but I hope that he’ll end up doing the right thing and ending the prohibition against gay marriage.
The Stonewall uprising is an important touchstone for this issue since it was really the first significant event in which the gay community stood up and insisted that they be treated with the same level of legal respect as their fellow Americans.
It has been a long 40 years, but things have gotten better since then. They aren’t where they should be, but it is important to keep in mind that for almost three of those four decades, the fight for gay rights has been running against the rising tide of religious fundamentalism, and the latter’s effect on political discourse (as it is).
Fortunately for all of us, we have a Constitution that is supposed to guarantee equal rights for all citizens. Unfortunately not everyone that has taken an oath to uphold that document is clear on this point.
Anyway…
If you take a look at the 1969 playlist from the jukebox at the Stonewall, there’s lots of Top 40 soul and funk, a couple of surprises (the Equals’ ‘Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys’ , The Flirtations ‘Nothing But a Heartache’ and Marva Whitney’s slamming ‘It’s My Thing’), as well as show tunes and mainstream balladeering (Streisand, Sinatra, Eydie Gorme and Connie Francis).
I wanted to commemorate this anniversary, so I picked a couple of personal favorites out of the list and reposted them.
The tunes in question are both by Gladys Knight and the Pips. The first, their version of Shirley Ellis’ ‘The Nitty Gritty’, which is a funky killer, and second (and more symbolically important) ‘Friendship Train’.
I’ve always felt that despite their chart success, Gladys and her Pips don’t really get the respect they deserve amongst the soul and funk crowd.
So, the next time this particular issue comes up for discussion, whether among friends, at the ballot box or in court, keep these words of wisdom in mind, and do what you can to push things in the right direction.

Oh yes it is now people let me tell you now
We’ve got to learn to live with each other
No matter what the race, creed or color
I just got to tell you what the world needs now
Is love and understanding get aboard the friendship train
Everybody shake a hand make a friend now
Listen to us now, we’re doing our thing
On the friendship train

Keep it in mind, and I’ll be back on Monday with some soul.

Peace

Larry

*Bet you thought you wouldn’t see one of those for at least four years..

PS Don’t forget to head over to Iron Leg .

PSS Check out Paperback Rider too.

PSSS Don’t forget to hit up Funky16Corners on Facebook

Grand Opening of the Funky16Corners Guest Mix Archive

 

Photo by Eilon Paz

The Funky16Corners Guest Mix Archive

Greetings all.

I wasn’t expecting to be back mid-week, but I accidentally lit a fire (figurative, of course) under my own ass and took care of a piece of business that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.

That bit of undone work is the creation of the Funky16Corners Guest Mix Archive, assembling the mixes I’ve done for other sites over the last few years. Some of these are faves of mine, so if you weren’t around when they first dropped, or missed them the first time around, do yourself a favor and take a listen.

Right now there are eleven a dozen thirteen(Mike from This is Tomorrow reminded me about another) mixes in the Archive, and as I do new “outside” mixes, I’ll add them to the page, and you can always fall by and click on the link in the sidebar.

I’ll be back on Friday with something cool.

 

Peace

Larry

PS Don’t forget to head over to Iron Leg .

PSS Check out Paperback Rider too.

PSSS Don’t forget to hit up Funky16Corners on Facebook

Funky16Corners Radio v.71 – Getting the Corners

Funky16Corners Radio v.71 – Getting the Corners
The Highlighters Band of Indianapolis, Indiana!

Playlist

Highlighters Band – The Funky 16 Corners Pt1 (Jazzman)
Richard Marks – Funky Four Corners (Roulette)
Tommy Wills – (Funky) 4 Corners (Airtown)
Lee Dorsey – Four Corners Pt1 (Amy)
Willie & the Mighty Magnificents – Funky (8) Corners Pt1 (All Platinum)
Jerry-O – Funky Four Corners (White Whale)
Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs – The Four Corners (Veep)
TSU Toronadoes – Getting the Corners (Atlantic)
Willie & the Mighty Magnificents – Funky (8) Corners Pt2 (All Platinum)
Lee Dorsey – Four Corners Pt2 (Amy)
Highlighters Band – The Funky 16 Corners Pt2 (Jazzman)

Listen/ Download 51MB 192kb Mixed MP3

Listen/ Download 40MB ZIP FILE

 

Greetings all.

Here’s hoping that everyone is finally enjoying their summer.
It’s been a busy week hereabouts, less to with the blog than the real world moves. Nothing serious, just stuff.
That said, by the end of the week things – blogside – got quite busy as I foolishly sat down and decided to put together (and write up) two podcasts, one for Funky16Corners and one for Iron Leg (If you dig fuzzed out 60s pop, make sure you check it out). As a result I find myself here (on Saturday) marching through a marathon writing session, all the while digi-ma-tizing new vinyl arrivals and keeping an ear peeled for the napping three year old in the other room.
The new edition of the Funky16Corners Radio Podcast that I bring you today – the seventy first – started to come together a month or so ago when my man Tony C hepped me to the quality of a record that I had heard of, but never actually heard, that being ‘The Four Corners’ by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs. Now, as is evidenced by the title of this very blog, I have an interest in the “corners” sub-genre of funky 45s, so much so that I’ve endeavored to pick them up wherever I find them.
Oddly enough, of all the funk/soul dances namechecked in the records of the day, the execution of ‘The Four Corners’ (and all exponential variations herein) wasn’t all that mysterious, being a fairly simple hip-thrust to the points of the compass, multiplied when deemed necessary by the man on the record. In addition to the records included in this mix (and some I’m sure I have yet to hear) that use a ‘corners’ dance in the title, there are scores of others that drop the name of (usually) ‘The Four Corners’ in the standard listing of the popular dances of the day, a list that almost always included the Boogaloo, Philly Dog, Camel Walk, Boston (or other regional) Monkey on and on ad infinitum.
Having christened this blog after one of the truly great funk 45s, ‘The Funky 16 Corners’ by the Highlighters Band, in which the original dance is squared (though not a square dance), I bring you today a collection of variations on the theme (as the longhairs once said), every last one a seriously funky record.
Things get started (of course) with the Highlighters Band and the original (though not an original 45…I wish*) and ‘The Funky 16 Corners’. This is nothing if not a virtuoso performance by the band, led by vocalist James Bell, who having decided to double down (and then again) on the corners, absolutely tear up the joint. One can only imagine the looks on the dancers in the room when they went into that sixteen hit breakdown near the end of part one, many of them sprawled on the floor with lower back injuries. The mix is set up so that with all the two part records (there are three of them), you get the first part, and then the second part drops at the other end of the mix in descending (ascending??) order (i.e., the Highlighters Band Pt1 is first, and Pt2 is last), so stay tuned for the rest of the record.
Next up is Atlanta area funkster Richard Marks with the ‘Funky Four Corners’ on Roulette (originally on the ATL label Tuska). ‘Funky Four Corners’ was the second of his four 45s for Tuska (and as far as I can tell the only one to be picked up nationally) , and while I haven’t heard the other three, I can’t imagine they all kick ass as soundly as this one.
I have a couple of 45s by Ohio saxophonist Tommy Wills in the crates, but his ‘(Funky) 4 Corners’ is a recent discovery. According to the Buckeye Beat web site, Dayton (and later Richmond, IN) based Airtown was Wills label. He recorded four 45s for the label, releasing ‘(Funky) 4 Corners’ in March of 1968. While the fidelity may not be high (is there such a thing as “half-a-mono”?) energy and funk are in high gear. The flip side of this one is a nice version of Aretha’s ‘(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You’ve Been Gone’.
The next record has appeared in this space before, but honestly, could I do a mix like this and leave out Lee Dorsey’s unfuckwithable ‘Four Corners’? Written and produced by Allen Toussaint, and rumored to feature none other than James Black on the drums (how about those breaks?) ‘Four Corners’ is one of the great New Orleans funk 45s. I mean, in addition to all those drums, you get to hear Lee testify with the “SHAKE-A MAKE-A BREAK-A HULA” and the “FOUR CORNERS BABY!”. It bears mentioning that ‘Four Corners’ is one of a couple of 45s in this mix that owe a serious debt to Archie Bell and the Drells’ ‘Tighten Up’. Whether this has to do with that particular record being especially suited to doing the “four corners”, I cannot say for sure.
Next up is New Jersey’s own Willie and the Mighty Magnificents, taking things to the next level with the ‘Funky (8) Corners’. Led by Willie Feaster, the Mighty Magnificents laid down some very tasty 45s (and a couple of LPs) for All Platinum between 1968 and 1972. ‘The Funky (8) Corners’ opens up (and continues) with some heavy drums, sampling once again from the ‘Tighten Up’ template, with a very tasty horn chart and all manner of dance floor/craze jive from Feaster and company.
If you fall by here on the reg you already know that I ride for the work of Mr. Jerry Murray (known to his friends as Jerry-O) in a big way. His entire career was built almost entirely on dance craze records, and ‘Funky Four Corners’ is the funkiest and most storming of them all. His White Whale era (most of which were originally issued on Murray’s Boo-Ga-Loo imprint) is by far his heaviest stuff (including a funk version of Paul Williams old school R&B chestnut ‘The Hucklebuck’) and should be grabbed whenever located in the field.
Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs made their first, biggest (and almost only) assault on the charts in 1960 with ‘Stay’. Of course if you’re only going to hit once, it helps if you do it with a certifiable rock’n’roll classic. They kept recording through the 60s for a variety of labels (including the New Orleans imprints Deesu and Sea-Horn), recording ‘Four Corners’ for Veep in 1969. The funk of ‘Four Corners’ is light years beyond ‘Stay’, with a whole lot of grit and the complete absence of falsetto vocals.
The ‘Tighten Up’ connection gets a whole lot closer, with a number by the band that provided the (uncredited) backing on the original Archie Bell hit, the TSU Toronadoes. ‘Getting the Corners’ is a not so distant cousin of the original “source document” with a somewhat funkier beat. They namecheck the ‘four corners’ throughout with some nice drum breakdowns and a horn line that borrows from ‘The Horse’
The final three tracks in the mix are the second parts of the Willie and the Mighty Magnificents, Lee Dorsey and Highlighters Band 45s, all significantly lighter on the vocals than their respective a-sides, all worth grooving to.
I hope you dig this edition of Funky16Corners Radio, and I’ll be back on Friday with something to close out the week.

Peace

Larry

*Though my Jazzman reissue is autographed by two members of the band, so that’s cool too…

PS – Make sure to fall by Iron Leg for new fuzz pop mix

PSS Make sure to hit up Funky16Corners on Facebook

F16C Meets IL #4 – Lorraine Ellison – Stay With Me

Miss Lorraine Ellison

Listen -Lorraine Ellison – Stay With Me – MP3

Go to Iron Leg to hear the version by Terry Reid

Greetings all.

The end of another week approaches and although there’s s summery touch of humidity hanging in the air the sun is still as elusive as ever. I suppose I’m going to have to find a way to deal with this, but it’s still a drag.
Today sees another installment of the recurring features known as the Intersection of Funky16Corners and Iron Leg. The last time we did this, back in March of this year it was devoted to two versions (one soul, one rock) of the classic Ed Cobb tune ‘Every Little Bit Hurts’ (by Brenda Holloway and the Spencer Davis Group). This time out sees a similar juxtaposition with two different versions of a song from the catalog of one of the great geniuses of 60s soul, Mr. Jerry Ragavoy.
If the name is not familiar, get down into the crates and start checking the fine print on your record labels, since Ragavoy was the composer, arranger and producer of some of the finest soul records ever made, among them Erma Franklin’s ‘Piece of My Heart’, Howard Tate’s ‘Get It While You Can’ (a personal fave), Garnett Mimms’ ‘Cry Baby’, Irma Thomas’s ‘Time Is On My Side’ and today’s selection ‘Stay With Me (Baby)’ (the “baby” in parentheses since the song is billed with and without it).
The best known version of this song, by the mighty Lorraine Ellison is rightly regarded as a high point in the history of classic soul ballads. As the story goes, Ragavoy brought Ellison into the studio in early 1966 to take advantage of some orchestra time left over from a cancelled Frank Sinatra session.
Ellison’s recording, like so many of Ragavoy’s creations is a sublime mixture of gospel inflected soul with touches of R&B grit. The “build” of the song is much like that of ‘Cry Baby’, with a slow, drawn out verse building into a dynamic, nearly overpowering chorus. The lyrics are a heartbreaking plea to repair a shattered love and Ellison’s delivery, especially during the chorus where she soars into the stratosphere (vocally and emotionally) is brilliant.
It wasn’t that long ago when I was digging down south during a DJ trip and I uncovered a copy of Terry Reid’s 1969 self titled LP. Reid was a UK rock wunderkind of sorts (making his first record at 15) , highly regarded in his homeland, known amongst the heads stateside, but never really breaking through in a big way. He is best known as having reportedly turned down the chance to front both Led Zeppelin (the original) and Deep Purple (replacing Rod Evans). He recorded a number of LPs in the late 60s under the aegis of popmeister Mickie Most, the finest of which was the aforementioned ‘Terry Reid’.
Reid was possessed of a raw tenor reminiscent of – yet more subtle than – Steve Marriot. Reid often worked in a stripped down, power-trio (with embellishments) format. While in the hands of others this was applied with the delicacy of a sledgehammer, Reid exercised a fair amount of taste and restraint, actually arranging his songs where other would have buried them in a stone wall of power chords.
Reid’s style was never better than in his own version of ‘Stay With Me Baby’ (which you can hear over at Iron Leg) which is in its own way, every bit the epic that Ellison’s better known recording.
Opening with a spare drum and bass combo, followed by a crashing wave of Hammond organ, Reid opens the verse with his voice playing against the sparest of accompaniment, hi-hat and drum stick rapping against snare rim, bass and a barely audible, almost funereal organ in the background. He sings in a delicate, near-falsetto, only introducing the rasp into his voice as he escalates the volume going into the chorus. There are those who might see what I’m about to say as sacrilegious, but I’d be willing to say that Reid’s version of ‘Stay With Me Baby’ is every bit the emotional, dare I say soulful tour de force of Lorraine Ellison’s, and in some ways, thanks to the rough backing (stripped of the orchestral embellishment) exceeds it in some ways.
As much as I love Ellison (her ‘Call Me Any Time You Need Some Loving’ and ‘Try Just a Little Bit Harder’ are big faves of mine), I find myself returning to Reid’s version much more often. That said, both versions are worth hearing, and I hope you dig them.
If I can get my act together I may roll back in here on Monday with a new edition of the Funky16Corners Radio Podcast. Until then, have a most excellent weekend, and I’ll see you all then.

Peace

Larry

NOTE: Don’t forget to fall by Viva Internet Radio Tonight at 9PMEST for the latest edition of the Funky16Corners Radio Show. You can always check out the show (and many pastshows) in the archive.

 

PS Don’t forget to head over to Iron Leg to hear the version by Terry Reid.

PSS Check out Paperback Rider too.

PSSS Don’t forget to hit up Funky16Corners on Facebook

Grant Green – James Brown Medley

Grant Green

“Listen – Grant Green – James Brown Medley- MP3″

Greetings all.

How’s by you?
I’d like to get things started by wishing my man DJ Prestige a happy birthday as he rolls over the odometer to the big 40!
The wife and I spent Monday evening at the party, which was held at the Silverball Museum in Asbury Park, NJ. If you’re in the area you need to fall by the Museum, which houses an amazing collection of vintage pinball machines, almost all of which are active, i.e., you pay to get in and you can play the machine to your heart’s content, over and over again without ever having to pass a single coin through the slot. It was a mind boggling feast of classic pop culture and absolutely must be seen.
In other news it looks like I’ll be spinning a few different nights down in our nation’s capitol at the end of July, laying down a set as part of the Jazz Corner 5th anniversary party an the 29th (I’m going to have to break out some of my fave jazz funk LPs) and then again doing the main set on the 31st. If you’re in the area write this one on the calendar. The Jazz Corner’s crew (DJ Birdman and DC Digga) bring the serious heat. More details to follow as they become available.
The tune(s) I bring you today come to you courtesy of one of the true greats of the soul jazz guitar, Mr. Grant Green. I won’t belabor the biographical details, since a simple Google will bring you all the info you need. Suffice to say that through the 60s and 70s Green laid down his masterful playing on a grip of solo sessions, running the gamut from serious hard bop to funky grooves, as well as performing as one of the more prominent sidemen in the Blue Note stable.
Today’s selection hails from the 1971 Blue Note ‘Shades of Green’ session, which saw the master covering a fair amount of contemporary material including covers of Stevie Wonder and the Jackson 5, as well as three James Brown tunes (two of which are included in today’s medley).
The tunes in question ‘I Don’t Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing (Open Up the Door I’ll Get It Myself)’ and ‘Cold Sweat’ clock in at just under six minutes of tasty, head nodding funk. The interesting thing – aside from the obvious quality – is that Green was covering ‘I Don’t Want…’ for the second time in two years, having laid it down on 1969s blindingly good ‘Carryin’ On’, also for Blue Note (which can be heard in Funky16Corners Radio v.53).
The 1971 take on the tune is a little less aggressive, with the added benefit of some clavinet. The incredibly funky bass and drums come from a couple of moonlighting Crusaders, Wilton Felder and Stix Hooper respectively, and Green (of course) is in fine form. Things are pretty stripped down until a brief burst of horns in the transition to ‘Cold Sweat’, and then again toward the end of the medley.
If you get a chance to pick up the album, there is yet another JB cover on the other side, with a nice take on ‘In the Middle’.
As always, I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll be back on Friday with something groovy.

Peace

Larry

NOTE: Check out another Grant Green JB cover over at La Colmena de Huma (en Espanol)

PS Don’t forget to head over to Iron Leg .

PSS Check out Paperback Rider too.

PSSS Don’t forget to hit up Funky16Corners on Facebook

ST-4 – Funky b/w Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys

“Listen – ST-4 – Funky – MP3″

“Listen – ST-4 – Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys – MP3″

Greetings all.

I hope everyone had a great weekend, especially those of you – like myself – that got to celebrate Father’s Day. I always enjoyed Father’s Day because I have a great father, but there’s nothing quite like experiencing it from the other side of the coin, i.e. as a father.
In other news, it’s still raining, so I’m thinking of rounding up tow of every record and pulling up the anchor, working the “ark” thing for all it’s worth, so send your doubles to Funky16Corners and I promise to take good care of them and to remember you once the waters have receded.
The record I bring to you today is a cover of one of the first seriously funky records I ever owned, ‘Funky’ by the Chambers Brothers. Known mostly for their greatest hit, the psychedelic epic ‘Time Has Come Today’, the Chambers Brothers (who got their start as a gospel group) laid down some soulful and funky stuff as well, with the self-explanatory (and wholly deserved) title of ‘Funky’ will attest.
Back in the early spring, when DJ Prestige and I were spinning down in DC and Virginia, we were out digging and I happened upon today’s selection, which – after a brief and satisfying preview on the store turntable – went directly into the ‘keeper’ pile.
Unfortunately, despite my best efforts since then, I haven’t been able to turn up any information about ST-4. Normally I’d write this off as the fault of the name, which thanks to its brevity, and interruption by a hyphen (and the fact that the song on the A-side has a common, one-word title) renders it all but un-Google-able. However, the flip side is a cover of the Equals’ ‘Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys’, so I figured that might turn up some info.

Snake-eyes once again…
This is of course a drag, since both sides of this record are, in the vernacular of the skreets, slamming. The cover of ‘Funky’ is, how do you say, funky. It lacks a little of the grit of the Chambers Brothers’ OG, but it has the added attraction of some brighter elements (a great repeated piano figure). The Equals cover is also quite good, with some fuzzed out guitar and hard hitting drums.
If I had to render an educated guess, based only on the facts and figure rattling around in my skull, applied against the sonic evidence in the grooves, I’d figure that ST-4 were some kind of Rare Earth-esque conglomeration, i.e. (mostly) white, rock oriented guys with a serious taste for the soulful. Unfortunately, aside from the fact that they released one more 45 in 1973 (with a version of the oft-covered Gerry Goffin song ‘It’s Not the Spotlight’) I can find no trace of ST-4.
If anyone out there has any info on the group, i.e. where they were from etc, please drop me a line and let me know.
I hope you dig the tunes, and I’ll be back on Wednesday with something nice.

Peace

Larry

PS Don’t forget to head over to Iron Leg .

PSS Check out Paperback Rider too.

PSSS Don’t forget to hit up Funky16Corners on Facebook

Mieko Hirota – On a Sorrowful Day

Miss Mieko Hirota

“Listen – Mieko Hirota – On a Sorrowful Day – MP3″

Greetings all.

The end of the week is nigh, and I’m trying to decide if I’m too tired to enjoy the weekend. The forecast being what it is, that may be a moot point, i.e. the enjoyment may be restricted to the indoors, perhaps perched upon the settee, cool drink in hand, catching up on a backlog of movies (nothing wrong with that).
Today I bring you something unusual that I happened upon completely at random some time ago. Following the second to last Asbury Park 45 Sessions the mighty DJ Bluewater laid down Marva Whitney’s slamming (and oft sampled) ‘Unwind Yourself’, and I was driven (once again) to see if I could find myself a copy to add to the crates. Though I was unable to track down a copy of Marva’s 45, I did happen upon a cover of the song by a Japanese singer named Mieko Hirota.
What I found surprising about this record was not that it was Japanese funk, since our friends in the East have demonstrated a taste for American funk and soul, but rather that it was a contemporary cover, i.e. released in 1969.
While this version of the song doesn’t (remotely) have the JB engineered kick of the OG, it is pretty groovy in a soulful go go internationale stylee. I set out to track down some info on Ms. Hirota, known as Mico in her home country where she was a major singing star.
The most interesting thing I discovered is that Hirota apparently recorded the first version of ‘Sunny’ in 1966, one of about a half dozen versions (including one by vibist Dave Pike) that preceded the huge hit by the song’s composer Bobby Hebb. Hebb had recorded a demo version of the song, which made an impression on a number of artists, including Mieko Hirota who recorded and released her version (a hit in Japan) prior to Hebb’s version being released on Philips in the US.
Hirota’s version of ‘Unwind Yourself’ – for some reason retitled ‘On a Sorrowful Day’ rolls along at a brisk pace with a nice horn chart (with just a hint of the baritone sax figure from Marva Whitney’s OG) and some cool guitar. As I said before, it can’t really compare to the power of the original, but it is an interesting window into the international reach of the James Brown sound.
I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll be back on Monday.

Peace

Larry

NOTE:  This probably won’t mean anything to anyone more than a few years younger than I am, but Hirota also sang the theme to the cartoon ‘Kimba the White Lion’, a major part of the Japanimation of my childhood (along with Gigantor and Astro Boy)

PS Don’t forget to head over to Iron Leg for something by Arthur Lee and Love.

PSS Check out Paperback Rider too.

PSSS Don’t forget to hit up Funky16Corners on Facebook