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By O-Dub 
It’s been a while since our last podcast (I have another one in the clip – Lee Fields and hopefully, Leon Michels, to be shared after they come to town in a few weeks). This one was recorded live in Los Angeles a couple of weeks back with Pat Thomas, author of the new Listen Whitey: The Sounds of Black Power 1965-75, as well as the companion CD of the same name.
Pat and I talked about how he got interested in looking at the music of the Black Power Movement, how Berry Gordy funded one of the [...]
Continue reading THE SIDEBAR #27: PAT THOMAS
By Dave Ma 
(Editor’s note: Over the next few weeks, you’ll see some new voices joining us here at Soul Sides. Today is the debut of Dave Ma, who runs his own outstanding music blog, Nerdtorious, and he’s offering his take on the new 2-CD anthology chronicling the best of the Perception/Today catalog. –O.W.)
Dizzy Gillespie: Matrix
From The Best of Perception & Today Records (BBE, 2012)
The new anthology, The Best of Perception & Today Records, opens with Dizzie Gillespie’s “Matrix”, a song penned by Gillespie’s pianist, Mike Longo. Gillespie’s rendering is harder, funkier than Longo’s original and [...]
Continue reading NATURALLY GOOD: PERCEPTION AND TODAY RECORDS
By O-Dub
Whether it’s deliberate or not, this totally reminds me of something Dionne Farris or Adriana Evans might have recorded about 15 years ago. And therefore, I lurv it.
By O-Dub 
Head Warmers (1997). This was actually the sixth in a series of ’90s/indie hip-hop-driven mixtapes and it’s become the one I have gotten the most props for; DJ Shadow even has it as one of the mixtapes shown in the liner notes for Private Press.
Polyrhythmatic (1998). Another indie hip-hop heavy mix and personally, my favorite mix from this era, both in terms of the song selection and the segues I played with.
 Double Flip (1999/2000). This was a [...]
Continue reading FREE MIXES
By O-Dub 
Gabor Szabo and the California Dreamers: San Franciscan Nights
From WInd, SKy and Diamonds (Impulse, 1967)
“The above song is dedicated to the city and people of San Francisco” (decked out in red and gold…and not just for the Year of the Dragon).
Just a random observation/thought but music and sports are, of course, intensely personal but they’re also appreciated even better when others around you are just as passionate about it. So this past few weeks have been fun as hell, with almost everyone I know in the [...]
Continue reading DON’T GIVE US NO BAMMER WEED
By O-Dub 
Sarah Vaughn: Bye Bye
From 7″ (Mercury, 1964)
James Royal: House of Jack
From 7″ (CBS Germany, 1969)
Mark Martin: In the Good Old Topless Time
From 7″ (TWR, 1968)
I previously wrote about “instrumentals-made-into-vocal” covers in 2010, and now have three more to add into the mix.
Sarah Vaughn’s “Bye Bye” obviously riffs on Mancini’s hugely famous “Peter Gunn Theme”. I’m on the fence with this one…you don’t really need to throw vocals on one of the best frickin’ t.v. themes of all time but then again: [...]
Continue reading VOCALIZED COVERS
By O-Dub 
Bobbi Humphrey: Blacks and Blues
From Blacks and Blues (Blue Note, 1974)
KMD: Plumskinzz
From 12″ (B-side of “Nitty Gritty”) (Elektra, 1991)1
Eric B. and Rakim: Keep the Beat
From Don’t Sweat the Technique (MCA, 1992)
(This was originally posted four years ago but because of how my commenting system has changed since then, I lost all the original comments about it and that seemed like a shame. As it was, I was listening to “Plumskinz” again – I never can get enough of this song – and I figured, “hell, why [...]
Continue reading KMD vs. Eric. B and Rakim: Who Flipped It Better?
By O-Dub 
Ralph MacDonald just passed away. He wasn’t always as well known as a solo artist since the most prolific part of his career came as a percussionist for hire, but in that regard, he was world-class and one of the most important percussionists for countless 1970s and early ’80s jazz and R&B artists. He was also a highly undersung songwriter, having penned several absolutely classics alongside his writing partner William Salter.
I wanted to whip together a personal list of favorites that MacDonald helped craft. If you’re like me, you might very well [...]
Continue reading RALPH MACDONALD: UNIVERSAL RHYTHMS (RIP)
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