(EXTRA)ORDINARY: JOE BATAAN written by O.W.

First off, for my Angelinos, Joe Bataan is playing at the Crazy Horse in West Covina on Sunday. See you there!

I recently finished up a set of liner notes for an upcoming anthology on Joe's rich recording catalog for the Fania label. As folks probably know, I'm a huge fan of Joe and it's been a genuine honor to be able to interview him over the years and bring attention to his remarkable career.

This post is part of the boogaloo series (and I'll do some more closer to the date the comp drops) but was really inspired by what is Joe's best-known song, "Ordinary Guy." It's not just a fan favorite - he's recorded it five times (and released it six) - but it's also a song integral to his own sense of self; he may be a star but in his own mind, he's still just a regular Joe (you saw that coming, right?) From the man himself: "While in prison, we did a lot of experimenting with songs. I had first heard the title “Ordinary Guy” in prison in Coxsackie, so I eventually rewrote the words, came back home, put ‘em to music. The song makes me cry sometimes when I see the reaction of people. In New York, it is so popular. People just love that song, and I guess the words mean a lot. “Hey, I’m just an ordinary guy, don’t expect anything else. That’s me” and I’ve always been that way. Having sung the song and how I have endeared a lot of people, how they felt about it, only influenced me more [to] give more of my heart than almost any other song. It describes me."

CONTINUE READING...


Joe Bataan: Ordinary Guy
From Gypsy Woman (Fania, 1967)

The original version of "Ordinary Guy" was recorded for Gypsy Woman, Joe's debut album for Fania. He and his band, the Latin Swingers, recorded the album in one single studio session, a relatively unusual practice. By the end of the day, Joe had this - his last song - left to record but his voice was starting to give out. Session engineer (and Fania co-founder) Johnny Pacheco asked, "'Don’t you want to come back tomorrow?’ and I said no," said Joe. "Actually, my fear was that they were going to change their mind and not use it." So, even with his voice at the point of breaking, they recorded this and completed the entire album that day.

Ordinary Guy
From 7" (Fania, 1967)

For reasons not entirely clear, Fania decided to re-record the song to release on single. For the most part, this 7" version isn't wildly different from the LP except that Fania brought in pianist Richard Tee. Tee changes the opening to the song, giving it a stronger presence, especially with a striking arrangement that sounds very much like the beginning of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "Precious Love." This is probably my favorite version of the song, precisely for that intro which gives the tune such a rich, soulful feel to it. (Thanks to Reynaldo for digitizing).

Interestingly, at the Crazy Horse show, when Joe sang "Ordinary Guy", he opened it with that same Tee melody.
Ordinary Guy
From Riot! (Fania, 1968)

By Joe's third album, the gold-selling Riot!, Fania convinced him to record the song again, but this time with a dramatic makeover as the song was given a new arrangement by Broadway's Harold Wheeler. Joe admits, "I didn't particularly like it...I love it now but at the time, I just thought he was altering my music because he gave it this jazzy feel. It had to grow on me because I thought it was too fast." This new version, in my opinion, is lovely and a great change-up from the original. Wheeler adds in some vibes, speeds up the tempo a bit, and has Joe open with some soaring vocals and well-timed drum hits.

It's worth noting, Fania put this same recording - albeit longer by a few seconds - onto Joe's Singin' Some Soul album. I'm guessing it's because they thought it'd fit well with the concept of that album. That would be the last time Joe recorded "Ordinary Guy" for Fania.

Muchacho Ordinario
From Salsoul (Mericana, 1973)

The next incarnation of the song is perhaps the most unique: a Spanish-language version that appeared on Joe's first post-Fania album, Salsoul. The arrangement is completely different too - here, the song isn't really in the R&B vein, it's much more like a son montuno. Bueno!

Ordinary Guy
From Afrofilipino (Salsoul, 1975)

The final version of the song came on the next album, Afrofilipino. This is a version I know a lot of Soul Sides folks are familiar with - I comped it for Soul Sides Vol. 1. I like to think of it as a bridge version between the Latin-fied flavor of "Muchacho Ordinario" and the more R&B stylings of the earlier versions. The song is more in a soul vein in the beginning but at the end, he yells, "salsa!" and the ballad then transforms into a whirling dance tune.

WEDDING TUNES REVISITED written by O.W.

Two bits of personal trivia. 1) I have never, in the 15 years I've been a DJ, DJed a wedding. The reasons are partly logistical (I don't own speakers, lights or an amp), mostly personal (I've heard enough groom/bride-zilla stories to want to steer clear). In fact, at my own wedding, we didn't even have music, something that surprised many of my friends but seriously, it never occurred to me (note: our wedding was a potluck in a friend's backyard so "low-key" would be an understatement).

This all changed last Saturday night when I agreed to DJ a friend-of-a-friend's wedding in Los Angeles. It was a very, very nice affair, held at the Skirball Center, not too far up the 405 from where I live. In some ways, it was a little conventional: the requested playlist included such wedding favorites as "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night and Young MC's "Bust a Move" and I even had some ABBA ready to go (though never did around to playing it). I also got to drop in a few songs of my own choosing though I tried not to wild out too far - this wasn't a Boogaloo gig after all.

It did get me to thinking about wedding songs and brought me back to this older post. People should definitely check out the comments for dozens of great wedding song suggestions.

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Pamoja: Ooh Baby
From 7" (Keiper, 1970)

Bettye Swann: Make Me Yours
From 7" (Money, 1967). Also on S/T.

For me, I was reminded by how great "Ooh Baby" by Pamoja is (so I re-upped it) and I also thought about this special, wedding 7" that my friend and former DJ partner Vinnie Esparza created for his wedding a couple years back: "Make Me Yours" by Bettye Swann, one of the absolute gems from this Louisana soulstress (and a #1 R&B hit back in '67). I love the idea of a custom 45...makes me wish I had thought of that for my own wedding but oh well, maybe for the 10th anniversary.

John Coltrane: Body and Soul
From Body and Soul (Atlantic, 1960). Also on Coltrane's Sound.

From Saturday's wedding, I'm including one of the songs I played during dinner (yes, O-Dub does dinner jazz), "Body and Soul" by John Coltrane, featuring the majestic McCoy Tyner on piano, dropping an opening riff for the ages. I didn't realize this, but when "Body and Soul" originally appeared as a song in the musical Three's a Crowd in 1930, it was treated as too suggestive and banned from radio for a year. This is a beautiful rendition, like most of Coltrane's ballads from his Atlantic and Impulse years. The song just moves you.

Alton Ellis: I'm Still In Love With You
From Sings Rock and Soul (Coxsone, 1967). Also on I'm Still In Love With You.

Lastly, one song I didn't play but would love to at someone's wedding (apparently, I'm now for hire; holler): "I'm Still In Love With You," by Alton Ellis. This is NOT a cover of the Al Green song but rather, an original (I believe) by the prolific Jamaican innovator of rocksteady. Beautiful, beautiful tune and a classic riddim once Althea and Donna got their hands on it.

BOSCOE, FOUR MINTS AND DEEP CITY: DEEPER AND D**PER written by O.W.

The Four Mints: Too Far Gone (alt. take)
From Gently Down Your Stream (Capsoul, 1973/Asterisk, 2007)

Boscoe: If I Had My Way
From S/T (Kingdom of Chad, 1973/Asterisk, 2007)

The Rollers: Knockin' At The Wrong Door
Previously unreleased (Deep City, 1970)

Lynn Williams: Don't Be Surprise [sic]
From 7" (Suncut, 1969)

Both from The Outskirts of Deep City (Numero Group, 2008)

I never fail to be blown away by both the consistency and quantity of material that Ken Shipley and Rob Sevier, aka the duo behind Numero Group - and now, they're new subsidiary reissue label, Asterisk. Seriously - it's not enough that they're now the finest soul reissue/compilation label in the game but it's like they have to rub it in by creating new labels, putting out albums as appendixes and composing liner notes that put most to shame.

To start with, Asterisk is a new venture that's basically a way for NG to reissue whole albums, package it slightly more austerely, but still offer excellent liners and more importantly, the opportunity to listen to albums that, previously, had been rare as hen's teeth or rooster dentures. Whatever.

The Boscoe, for example, has become a running joke over at Soulstrut - it's like a default holy grail. You don't need to have heard the album...or even like the album...you just want your Boscoe. A product of the same Chicago Black cultural movements that inspired Sun Ra and Phil Cochran, Boscoe has the same kind of liberation/spiritual vibe as those other albums, only filtered through some viscous funk that leaves you feeling dirty and uplifted in the same moment. Note: Numero Group has also released the album on vinyl.

The Four Mints' project dates back to Numero's very first anthology on the Capsoul label. The Four Mints were some of the more prolific artists on that Columbus, OH imprint and their LP was the only album Capsoul ever released before folding. As the liners warn you: the original wasn't an "album" in the Sgt. Pepper meaning of the term; it really just puts together all the group's 45s onto a single disc plus a bonus song (the studio version of "Too Far Gone"). Beautiful stuff all around - their output was gorgeous (peep "Do You Really Love Me"). I was especially taken with this "alternative take" of "Too Far Gone," which, in my opinion, is better than the official take - it's more sparse, has stronger drums but still has the great harmonies.

Their new Outskirts of Deep City CD follows up on their previous Deep City anthology which highlighted this powerfully influential Miami label where folks like Betty Wright got their starts and Clarence Reid made a home for himself for a spell. Keep in mind - the Outskirts album contains tracks left off the first comp (plus many songs that turned up after, including a slew of never-before-released songs) and despite being the follow-up, the album is smoking. "Deep" indeed.

The Rollers' "Knockin' At the Wrong Door" is one of the songs NG discovered on reel to reel and this is the first time the song has ever seen a release. If it sounds kind of familiar, that's probably because it's clearly "borrowing" from the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" but despite being derivative on the rhythm track, the group's hook is a fine creation on their own and really sells the song.

The Lynn Williams is something I put on SS about 3 years ago but when I saw it show up here, I figured it was time for a re-up. What I said about it last time still holds: "That's not a typo with the Lynn Williams' song. For some reason, the label for the 45 says "Don't Be Surprise" not "Don't Be Surprised". Go figure. Whatever the mistake, the song isn't: it's a fantastically moody and sulty soul cut out of Miami. Reminds me a little of Isaac Hayes' "Walk On By" - not nearly as well-produced, but just the feel of it: dark and dramatic. (And yes, before anyone says it, Jurassic 5 sampled it. Ok?)"

I should also add that this song is more than just dark - Williams sounds fatalistic at times. The one line that stands out to me: "don't be surprised/if you see me/laying on the railroads tracks/don't be surprised/if I let a train run/up and down my back." Damn girl, he's just a man - it's not worth it!

SLIP THE DRUMMER ONE written by O.W.

Specks Williams: We Gave the Drummer Some
From 7" (Jax, 196?)

Little Hooks w/ Ray Nato and the Kings: Give the Drummer Some More
From 7" (United Artists, 1972)


Nothing too elaborate here - I picked up this Specks Williams 45 recently and automatically thought of the Little Hooks song; thought the two made sense to pair together. As it turns out, there's an interesting coincidence b/t the two, insofar as Baltimore's Little Hooks w/ Ray Nato and the Kings were first signed, back in the 1950s, to the Jax imprint, same label as Newark's Specks Williams put his single out on. The Little Hooks song, however, came out on the Hollywood label, Enjay before getting picked up for wider distro by United Artists.

Of the two, I'm actually more partial to the Williams single, 1) it has the better drum break and 2) I like how it opens loud but then slides into a slick little guitar jazz number; not what you'd quite expect from it. "Give the Drummer Some More" wins for the better intro though, no question.

THREE KINGS written by O.W.

Charles Bradley: The World (Is Going Up In Flames)
From 7" (Dunham, 2007)

Anthony Hamilton: Do You Feel Me
From American Gangster Soundtrack (Def Jam, 2007)

Jay-Z: 99 Problems (Royal Edit)
From Armed Snobbery (2007)

Look...I know that it already seems like I'm on Daptone's payroll or something but frankly they're just in an amazingly productive period right now and alas, most of it is great so the more good sh-- they put out, the more likely I will be to write about it. And look at it this way: this post is Crackhouse free!

The Charles Bradley is one of the new 45s on the Dunham subsidiary (you'll recall that excellent Menahan Street Band single was another one) and this copy of the 45 was given to me at the Sharon Jones show in L.A. by the guy who wrote it. Maybe that biases my opinion but *whistle* this single is easily one the best things I've heard from the Daptone's camp yet. Just a beautiful, powerful song and personally, I like Bradley better on his ballads than doing the uptempo funk swang.

A Soul Sides reader put me up on the Anthony Hamilton - the Dap-Kings are backing him here on this cut off the American Gangster soundtrack (the Jay-Z free version, dig me?). Definitely a Memphis vibe on this one, especially infusing the song with a Hi Records flavor. I like that slow thump and Sunday organ sermonizing. (It's also a better tune than the more JB-esque Hamilton song off the soundtrack).

Ok - Jay-Z IS back on this last cut; it's a remix by the "Prince of Ballard" who runs the Armed Snobbery blog. After hearing the 50 Cent meets Sharon Jones mash-up, he sent me a few tracks in a similar fashion. You can peep the whole spread of his "Royal Edits" here. Out of the batch, I dug this and the Eazy E the best but his "99 Problems" edit is the better produced between the two: he fits Jay's verses with the Dap-Kings instrumental track impressively well. Peep how those horns drop in when Jay-Z asks for the "hit".

HAPPY NEW YEAR! written by O.W.

First, thanks to everyone who came out to the Redwood Bar gig last Saturday. Me and Hua had a blast, the bar was very happy with things, and it was great to meet everyone who rolled through (except for the drunk Beckies[1] who accused me of ruining their birthday party because I wouldn't play "something ghetto...y'know, booty-shaking that we can get grimy to."[1])

Here's two tracks from that evening - both of which I had been meaning to write about but never got around to:

Diana Ross and the Supremes: He's My Sunny Boy
From Love Child (Motown, 1968)

Don (Soul Train) Campbell: Campbell Lock
From 7" (Stanson, 1971)

The Ross is something Hua put me up on years ago...in his words, "the best b-side of a $2 45, ever." He was referring to it being on the flipside of "Someday, We'll Be Together," the last Supremes single that Ross appeared on before going solo. That was a huge hit for the group and thus, "He's My Sunny Boy" ended up circulating on the strength of it...there's probably a good post to be done about killer b-sides on hit 45s (see Eric and the Vikings' "Get Off the Street" for another prime example). In any case: "He's My Sunny Boy" is awesome - one of the best things off of Motown I've ever heard.

"Campbell Lock" is something I picked up at the old Funky Riddims store (RIP) in Berkeley a while back - a really great, L.A. 45 by the father of the locking (that's right: it wasn't Rerun), Don Campbell. Our good friends at Funky 16 Corners raises a point I had noticed in passing: this song sounds a lot like the Vibrettes' "Humpty Dump" and given that both are L.A. records, they were wondering if the same sessioners might have played on both records or if there was a little, "creative borrowing" going on. Either way, a great funk single. In hindsight, I should have paired this with Ronnie Hudson's "West Coast Pop Lock." Ah, oh well.


Thanks to all my readers who've followed Soul Sides through yet another year - looking forward to 2008. I got a massive, year-end post though, um, it won't happen before the new year rolls through. Enjoy the rest of the holidays though (while they still last!)

[1] An (almost) verbatim quote.

EIGHT IS ENOUGH written by O.W.

Ben Westbeech: So Good Today
From Welcome to the Best Days Of Your Life (Brownswood, 2007)

Candi Staton: I'm Just a Prisoner
From I'm Just a Prisoner (Fame, 1970). Also on Candi Staton: The Early Years.

Timmy NcNealy: I Am So Glad You're Mine (snippet)
From 7" (Shawn/Truth and Soul, 1972/2007)

Hank Ballard: With Your Sweet, Lovin' Self
From 7" (King, 1969)

Bronx River Parkway and Candela All-Stars: Aqua Con Sal (snippet)
From 7" (From Truth and Soul, 2007)

The Three Souls: Herby's Tune
From 7" (All-Indy, 196?)

Donny Hathaway: Lord Help Me
From 7" (ATCO, 1972) Also on Extension of a Man.

UGK: One Day
From Ridin' Dirty (Jive, 199)
Here's an irony for you: I switched to audioblogging after doing 10 years of radio because, frankly, I found radio a bit exhausting. But nowadays, with teaching and family, blogging (at times mind you, only at times) feels like the burden. So instead of doing a few mini-posts, I'm back to cooking up mini-sets. I'd appreciate any feedback people have, namely over whether or not these 20+ minute mixes are more to their liking than single-song files. Personally, I like it better since I think music should be listened to in a sequence rather than bits of free-floating atomic units (I'm old school like that).

Anyway - here's the latest mega-post.

I have to thank Soul Sides reader, Ronnie Reese, who put me up on my current heavy-rotation player - "So Good Today" by the UK's Ben Westbeech. I'm a little surprised I didn't catch wind of this sooner, only because Westbeech is signed to Gilles Peterson's Brownswood label and I tend to follow Peterson's music. In any case, Reese was trying to put me up on the Dap-Kings mix of the song but I have to say: I rather prefer the original version. Sure, it's sugary sweet and probably only a touch less hippy-happy than, say, "Young Folks ," but to me, this is the perfect "start-your-day" song. Much better than waking up to that "ENH! ENH! ENH! ENH!" of the typical clock-radio. Dig the video too.

The Candi Staton is very, very overdue. I should have blogged about this a couple years ago, when Astralwerks put out that amazing Candi Staton: The Early Years anthology, featuring some of her best songs with Rick Hall's famous Fame studio in Muscle Shoals. I was reminded of this, pulling out songs for that recent Sharon Jones gig, and reminded about how insanely awesome "I'm Just a Prisoner" is. Seriously, it's G.O.A.T. status and I don't mean Capra aegagrus hircus. You gotta love how the song builds in intensity; it's not far past 3 minutes yet it sounds absolutely epic.

I follow that with one of the best reissues I've heard in a while; a cover of Al Green's "I'm So Glad You're Mine" done by the great Timothy McNealy, and re-released by our valued colleagues over at Truth and South in Brooklyn. This one is mega-mega rare, originally appearing on Shawn and what I appreciate about it is how McNealy strips down an already stripped-down song...it's lo-fi but in this affecting, acoustic, intimate way. I only hooked up a snippet: cop the entire thing (hopefully, T&S will get a digital sales system set up soon).

The Hank Ballard side comes from a stack of 45s my man Justin Torres broke me off with a few years back but I had misfiled a bunch of them and only recently rediscovered them. This was part of a batch of James Brown-produced singles and the deeper I get with that catalog, the more impressed you get at just how many songs from the '60s, including a song like this Ballard cut, managed to carry that signature JB sound without having to smash you ever the head with it, ala "Think" or "More Peas" (so we're clear: I like being smashed in the head by JB-production). Sweet funk like this makes my day.

Back to Truth and Soul, just wanted to hit ya'll with a quick blast of Latin funk from their Bronx River Parkway recordings (I believe a full-length is imminent). As usual, a solid dancefloor cooker that's a good transition song for the Latin newcomers but doesn't dumb it down for the real heads either.

The Three Souls jazz tune is off another 45 I re-discovered from Torres' batch. This is an interesting single out of Indianapolis, given that the A-side, recorded with a vocalist named Aretta is a soul cut whereas this, the flipside, is obviously a straight-ahead jazz track and my, my, my...what a nice one at that. Much as I appreciate the soul jazz era of the late '60s/early '70s, it's "soulful" straight-ahead jazz like this which I never get tired of listening to. If anyone else has recommendations for albums in a similar sounding vein, let me know.

The Donny Hathaway is something I originally posted back in February and I was under the mistaken impression that it had been a previously unreleased cut, put onto the Extension of a Man CD. As it turns out, it had come out...but only on 45. Given that I just reacquired the single, I wanted to put it up again especially since it is, hands-down, one of my favorite Hathaway songs (which is saying a lot). So sublime and socially conscious to boot.

Lastly, I end with a song that was suggested to me by Soul Sides reader Laughlin Siceloff as part as a two-song, Pimp C dedication. I thought it'd actually work nicely as a coda here, in the memory of a rapper who passed far, far before his time. R.I.P.

CUT CHEMIST VS. CUT CHEMIST: WHICH FLIP IS BETTER? written by O.W.

Pleasure Web: Music Man Pts. 1 and 2
From 7" (Eastbound, 1973). Also on Super Breaks 3

Jurassic 5: Jayou
From Jurassic 5 EP (Interscope, 1997)

Jurassic 5: Concrete and Clay
From Quality Control (Interscope, 2000)

Similar to the last "Which flip is better?" post, this one features a single producer who has used the same sample source twice for two different songs.

The source here is one of the more obscure 45s on Eastbound: "Music Man Pt. 1 and 2" by Pleasure Web. Personally, I couldn't find much on the artist at all; if anyone knows some details, illuminate the rest of us.

Cut first used "Part 2" of the song for "Jayou," arguably the most distinctive cut off the first Jurassic 5 EP from '97. Then, he revisited the same 7" and flipped "Part 1" for "Concrete and Clay" which first appeared on the "Improvise" EP of 1999 (and was later released on the full-length Quality Control album). Personally, I was always more partial to "Concrete and Clay" myself though "Jayou" had more buzz going. It's hard to choose b/t the different parts of "Music Man" though given that they're practically two different songs. My inclination is to go with Part 1 simply b/c I like it with lyrics better but it's hard to front on the flute flavor of its sibling.

DOG PILE! written by O.W.

Jim James and Calexico: Goin' To Acapulco
From I'm Not There (Sony, 2007)

The Flying Burrito Bros: Wild Horses
From Burrito Deluxe (A&M, 1970)

Cam'ron: Just Us
From Public Enemy #1 (2007)

Cyril Neville: Tell Me What's On Your Mind
From 7" (B-side of "Gossip") (Josie, 1970). Also on New Orleans Funk.

Freeway: When They Remember
From Free At Last (Roc-A-Fella, 2007)

Kanye West + Jay-Z: Never Let Me Down (9th Wonder Remix)
From The Graduate (2007)

Phoebe Snow: Poetry Man
From S/T (Shelter, 1974)

This isn't the most elegant way to go about things but with the end-of-the-semester crunch in full e.f.f.e.c.t., a mondo-posting, written while I'm vegging to college football, is about as good as things are going to get right now. Besides, these days, a playlist like what you see above is par for the course. Genres? Bah, where we're going, we don't need genres.

To start with...

I went to go see the new Todd Haynes film, "inspired" by Bob Dylan, I'm Not There and one of the musical moments that lingered most with me came during the Richard Gere/Billy the Kid thread, where Jim James and Calexico eerily performed Dylan's "Goin' To Acapulco" (from the Basement Tapes originally) as part of a funeral. Covering Dylan is not an easy task; in most cases, it's really not worth trying (see the rest of the I'm Not There soundtrack for other examples) but I thought James does a fine job here putting his own spin on a tune most folks (save hardcore Dylan-ites) probably don't even associate with Dylan. Think of it as a more erudite "Margaritaville."

Speaking of covers...my friend Hua recently hit me with this cover of the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses," sung by the late Gram Parsons when he was with the Flying Burrito Bros (one of the worst names in rock, evah). Parsons, to me, just nails this. It's a cover but it sounds like it should be the original given that Parsons' heroined-out voice and affect makes the song even more melancholy. I wonder if Mick heard this and thought, "damn, I just got sonned."

Just to switch up gears really abruptly, now we get to Cam'ron. His new double-CD mixtape is a bounty for any Cam fan, especially since it's been a minute since he's had an album out. His signature rhyme scheme has become even more playful and intricate of late though I picked this song more b/c I'm down to listen to any rap song that loops Journey (Steve Perry, represent). I wonder if anyone could actually get this cleared in real life...

The Cyril Neville is a song I've been playing out more of late. Neville's backed by The Meters (he was a member, of course) and this appears on the B-side of his first solo single, "Gossip." Personally, I'd put it up there with the best of any Meters-related song I've ever heard. The band is on fire in backing Cyril and along with Neville's vocals, they lend the song a marvelous energy.

No less energetic is Freeway. I admit...I wasn't always into him given his voice but with time, I've really appreciated the intensity he brings. The new album, Free At Last is incredibly good. It's definitely one of the best rap albums I've heard in a long time; Free may complain that Just Blaze didn't "chirp back" but you'd hardly miss the Megatron Don here given that much of the production is already indebted to his style. It's hard to pick any one song off this album; the whole thing is so good and I was tempted to go with "Roc-A-Fella Billionaires) but in the end, "When They Remember" comes out ahead for sheer power. The song is so loud and grand, it's cinematic.

The Kanye remix comes off The Graduate mix-CD, put together by Mick Boogie and Terry Urban. The original was on College Dropout and I was never that crazy about the O.G., production-wise, but I really like what 9th Wonder does here (I'm sure it has something to do with its nod to Primo's remix of Show and AG's "Next Level"Das Efx's "Real Hip Hop"); it strips the sound down and gives the verses an added poignancy by being so sparse.

Laslty, I recently went to go see Queen Latifah in concert at Royce Hall and she has her own version of Snow's classic "Poetry Man" on her new Trav'lin' Light CD. Much as I'd like to back Latifah here...her voice just can't quite cut it and ultimately, though a loyal cover, it's not as satisfying as enjoying Snow's original (Zap Mama has a decent cover of it too). "Poetry Man" has a distinct Joni Mitchell quality to it (which might be why I like it so much) and it's one of those songs that go down so easy on a weekend afternoon.

SHARON JONES ON FRESH AIR written by O.W.

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings were on Fresh Air the other day. About time!

The show at the El Rey is sold out so I hope L.A. folks got their tickets. I'll be spinning from 8 to 10pm that evening, all soul (maybe a little Latin too). Should be fun.

In honor, here's one cut from Sharon Jones' "distant" past. It was originally released on the Desco label, back in the late '90s (when Desco disbanded, Daptones rose to fill its place, featuring many of the same, key personnel). It's a testament to the quality of these retro-soul singles that, these day, they sell as much as vintage 45s!

Sharon Jones: Hook and Sling Meets the Funky Superfly (Part 1)
From 7" (Desco, 199?). Also available on Spike's Choice.

Jay-Z: Gray Hova Rides Again written by O.W.

Jay-Z: Roc Boys + Success
From American Gangster (Def Jam, 2007)

Menahan Street Band: Make the Road by Walking (snippet)
From 7" (Dunham, 2007)

Larry Ellis and the Black Hammer: Funky Thing Pt. 1
From 7" (Al King, 1968). Also on Quantic Presents: World's Rarest Funk 45s

I can't say I love the new Jay-Z album but whatever my reservations of American Gangster, I still think Jay's one of the greatest rappers out there (yeah, he'd make my "fave 5"). At the very least, AG is an improvement over Kingdom Come but that's not really saying much. I suspect that many of the songs on AG will age well but foresight's never been my strong point (my hindsight is exceptional however).

A few songs did strike me right off the bat however, namely the two above. "Roc Boys" is the closest thing on this album to a bonafide anthem - great hook, great horns - and it's one the least self-serious songs on the album, which I think is a plus. I admit - I'm surprised Diddy has his name on this as the producer (though it might very well be that Sean C or LV had more to do with it). Regardless, props on finding and using the Menahan Street Band's excellent new 7", "Make the Road By Walking" on this one (read: I hope the MSB folks get paid off this), which is one of my favorite Daptones-related songs, well, ever. I know people without turntables are rather s.o.l. but the 7" is otherwise worth copping (the b-side is equally nice). (And really, if Soul-Sides.com readers don't have a turntable yet, get thee one.

Back to Jay: "Success" is a touch more ponderous but I still love the verses I quoted for my LA Times review - super-swaggery but still clever - which is how I like Jay best. I didn't think this was Nas' finest moment but I still get a kick out of hearing those two on the same track. I'm old school like that.

No ID comes back from the milkbox to absolutely kill this track, flipping the opening organ screams from Larry Ellis' ridiculously scarce "Funky Thing." Personally, I don't necessarily like the rest of the song but Ellis' opening is a monster, especially with the reverbed drums.

Twee Funk Revisited written by O.W.

Patrizia and Jimmy: Trust Your Child
From 7" (Ala, 1974)

Jack and the Mods: One Is Enough For One
From 7" (?, 197?)

Both from Home Schooled: The ABCs of Kid Soul (Numero Group, 2007)

Bonus: Ponderosa Twins Plus One: Bound
From 7" (Astroscope, 1971)

This is long overdue (what isn't these days?) but I first reported on Matthew Africa's excellent twee funk mix, almost a year ago. Numero Group seemed to be thinking along similar lines since they dropped their Home Schooled comp over the summer (and which I recently reviewed for NPR).

I won't repeat the review at length (though I do encourage people to take a listen when they have a chance) but what I think stands out about kiddie soul is that fine line between youthful innocence and adult knowledge that is, far from being a contradiction, the core appeal of many of these songs. We like hearing kids sound old beyond their years...so long as they still sound like kids, if that makes any sense.

For that reason, I enjoy these two picks above even though they're very different songs. I like the kind of moxy exhibited in the Patrizia and Jimmy - it's the the kind of manifesto that young people always wish they could throw down at adults (but rarely do). In contrast, the Jack and the Mods, feat. nine year old Jake Townsend, isn't about Jake speaking to adults so much as it him exhibiting a preciousness...a romantic wisdom beyond his pre-pubescent years.

The bonus cut by the Ponderosa Twins Plus One is timely; I realize that a rap song I posted not-that-long ago uses it as its sample base, coincidentally enough. I'm loving this song, especially the bridge at the end. Our friend HHH hit us with the digital copy (and then I promptly went out to track down a copy of the 7" for self) and he's got the flipside of this single available at his site, so peep. I didn't know much about the group but apparently, they were considered bigger (relative to most of the groups on Home Schooled) though nowhere close to the fame of, say, the Jackson 5 or Sylvers. I dig their sound and will probably use this 7" as the jump-off point to checking out their larger catalog.

People Under the Stairs vs. Marco Polo: Who Flipped It Better? written by O.W.

Duralcha: Ghet-to Funk
From 7" (Microtronics, 1974). Also on Funk Spectrum 2.

People Under the Stairs: The Dig
From O.S.T. (Om, 2002)

Marco Polo feat. Large Professor: The Radar Remix
From 12" (Fat Beats, 2007)

I've avoided using drum breaks as a point of comparison but I thought, given the distinctiveness of the Duralcha break and its prominence in both these songs (one being brand spankin' new), it'd be worth throwing them up for public chatter. I'm fairly certain Thes One was the first dude to put the "Ghet-to Funk" drums on a record and this was in the last 5 years so it's cool to see that the art of break diggin' (which, of course, is what "The Dig" is all about) isn't a lost one, especially with Marco Polo coming with that same distinctive breakdown in 2007. All I know is that b/t the two songs, I'm fiending for that Duralcha 45 (North Carolina funk at its finest).

Eugene Blacknell: Bay Area Boogie written by O.W.

Eugene Blacknell: The Trip + Gettin' Down
From We Can't Take It For Granted (Luv N' Haight, 2007)

Of all the talents bubbling inside the Bay Area's extensivefunkcommunity, few have commanded as much attention or respect as the late Eugene Blacknell. This new anthology, from Luv N' Haight, is one of the first to pull together his various singles on such famed indie labels such as Boola Boola, Seaside and Celeste. There's literally at least $500+ worth of R&B/funk on here, much of it raw, gritty and psychedelic (just the way Blacknell liked it). "The Trip" and "Gettin' Down" are two of my favorite Blacknell sides..."The Trip" for its slick, funk ensemble sound and "Gettin' Down" has one of the greatest drum breaks out of the Bay Area, ever. Simply monster.

Random Tunes written by O.W.

Bobby Byrd: I'm Not To Blame
From 7", B-side of "It's I Who Love You" (King, 1970)

Billy Preston: The Same Thing Again
From Encouraging Words (Apple, 1970)

It's always been a personal philosophy that the risk in getting paid to do the things you would otherwise do for free out of love isn't as win-win as it sounds. Turning a labor of love into work is a good way to lose that love.

I don't make money off of Soul-Sides.com directly (but it is nice when ya'll buy my mixtapes) yet, the last few weeks, I've felt like blogging has been more like "work" insofar as I'm trying to keep up with covering reissues and comps that are out. And on some level, that makes good sense - it's always nice to have something to write about that's timely and given my professional alter ego life as a music writer, it's also nice to write about things you want to help support.

But it can make posting feel more like "work" than I want it to and it's an odd feeling when I feel compelled to apologize for writing - gasp - a personal post that's not necessarily tied to a new release (though, doubt not, there's an avalanche of those too). Note: I'm not writing any of this to fish for sympathy or be validated. I just like to kvetch once in a while and what better space to be so navel-gazingly self-indulgent than a blog? But yeah, here's some random stuff I'm listening to and want to write about.

The Bobby Byrd song is something that I had forgotten about until I was reading Just Blaze's tribute to the late star and was reminded, "oh yeah, Blaze looped this track up lovely for 'U Don't Know.'" And so I took a few minutes to really listen to Byrd here rather than sample-spotting and I was struck by how great a ballad it is - so dramatic and passionate. (I didn't want to hotlink it back to Just's site so I'm essentially reposting it from his site).

The Billy Preston...I thought I posted this song a year ago when Mark Anthony Neal wrote a memorial for Preston after he passed last June. As it turns out, I had forgotten: I've never posted this song and in fact, made mention of that very fact in my year end post. Funny too since this song has stayed on constant rotation in that intervening year, all the while I was trying to track down a copy of the original album (thank you Record Surplus).

Did I mention "The Same Thing Again" is one of the best things ever? Yup, I took it there.

Bobby Byrd: We Knew He Had Soul written by O.W.

Bobby Byrd: I Know You Got Soul (Long Version)
From James Brown's Funky People Pt. 2 (Polydor, 1970s)

Bobby Byrd: I Found Out
From 7" (King, 1967). Also on King New Breed.

Vicki Anderson and Bobby Byrd: You're Welcome, Stop On By
From 7" (Identify, 1975). Also on James Brown's Original Funky Divas.


I take no pleasure in what seems like is a constant stream of in memoriam posts but truly, we're reaching a time when a lot of the musical giants from the last 30-40 years are passing away. Yesterday, it was Joe Zawinul, today, it's Bobby Byrd - James Brown's constant vocal stalwart and a striking soul/funk singer in his own right. I'm not going to write anything too extensive - I'm sure there will be far more eloquent and informed folks out there breaking down Byrd's legacy but I did want to at least share some music. "I Know You Got Soul" is Byrd's best known solo work (though one could argue that "Sex Machine" wouldn't be half the song it is without his exhortations), and one of the truly great, great James Brown productions of all time (and of course, given a new lease on life thanks to Eric B. and Rakim). "I Found Out" is taken from Byrd's early years with King, showcasing some of his vocal skills as a crooner and not just the illest hype man in funk history. Last, but not least, is a cover of "You're Welcome, Stop On By" sung by Byrd and his wife (who he met when she was one of Brown's key divas), Vicki Anderson.

Rest in peace Bobby. Word to the Byrd!

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And speaking of funk greats, RIP to NOLA's Willie Tee.

Art of the Comp written by O.W.

Rita Wright: Touch Me, Take Me
From 7" (Jet, 1976)

Soul Survivors: City of Brotherly Love
From S/T (TSOP, 1975)

Both from The Wants List.

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Masterplan: Clinton Park
From 7" (De-Lite, 1974)

Sly, Slick and Wicked: Sho' Nuff
From 7" (People, 1973)

Both from Soulful Thangs Vol. 1.

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San Francisco TKOs: Ooh Baby Baby
From 7" (Golden Soul, 1971)

Emulations: These Are the Things (snippet)
From 7" (Emulate, 1970s)

Both from Big Bad Bay Area Vol. 1.

It's not easy to put together a good compilation (believe me!) since song selection can both be a blessing and a curse. On one hand, a hardliner could claim that a comp is only as good as its weakest song but I also find that, personally, I'm willing to forgive more mediocre inclusions if there's some stunning material on there to help balance things out. But the most important factor for me is whether or not a comp has songs that are so good, it makes me want to go out and hunt down the original (of course, some folks would just be content with having a mastered version on the song off the comp...alas, my vinyl affliction does not allow for such easy satiation).

Keep in mind: it's not always about rarity/obscurity. Case in point, The Wants List is something I originally picked up because I was looking for a copy of Rita Wright's "Touch Me, Take Me." It's a mid-70s female funk groover whose intro drums sound a great deal like Barry White's "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little Bit More" (note: this is a good thing) and is rare as hen's teeth. Not that I actually know how rare hen's teeth actually are. But the original single is not easy to come by.

In getting the comp though, I realized that many of the other songs on there weren't, per se, rare...but they were very good and in some cases, turned me onto songs that I hadn't known about or had slept on. For example, there's a Carl Carlton song, produced by Leon Haywood, called "This Feeling's X-tra Rated" which is off the same LP as "She's a Bad Mama Jama" - you can find this LP in dollar bins - but I had never bothered to peep it before. However, to me, what I really enjoyed discovering was the Soul Survivors' "City of Brotherly Love." It's not a heavy soul piece by any means but it's also an obvious album that modern soul folks look for (unlike, say, Collins and Collins). The whole LP (which I promptly sought out) is excellent - classic Philly soul sound production (much of the album is produced by Holland-Dozier). This song, in particular, lays down a sweet groove for the waning days of summer.

Soulful Thangs is part of a large series (at least 7 volumes) that focuses on sweet, harmony soul - think AM radio in the droptop, after sunset songs. The consistency in the series is very, very good overall - you may not love everything, but there's much more that's likely to appeal to folks who are into sweet soul (and really - who isn't into it?) This comp is how I first heard the Masterplan's "Clinton Park," a song about a girl who lives in the Clinton Park housing projects in Oakland, CA. I like songs with geographic identities attached to them - gives you a better sense of time and place and besides, I just like how Masterplan sings (they did "Only You" which I posted back in January).

Soulful Thangs Vol. 1 also features "Sho' Nuff," a James Brown-produced sweet soul tune by the Sly, Slick and Wicked though it should be noted, this is not the same Sly, Slick and Wicked as these guys (who bill themselves as the "Original Sly Slick and Wicked" these days), nor should people get confused with the song, "Sly, Slick and Wicked" by the Lost Generation.This group is from Cleveland, Ohio (thus explaining their connection to James Brown's People imprint). Great little number and one of those People releases that I've probably let pass under the radar for too long.

Big Bad Bay Area is from the same label (Latin Soul Recordings) and is, as you might guess, a Bay Area-centric compilation of similar sweet/harmony soul recordings. They get even more deep on here though, with a few songs that are truly tough to find, like the Emulations' sublime "These Are the Things." I got hepped to this through a friend earlier in the year and apparently, it's one of those 45s that were pressed so poorly on styrene that playing it even once effectively destroys it (even on the CD, which was clearly mastered from the vinyl and not original tapes, you can hear a touch of cue burn).

This comp also has a great version of "Ooh Baby Baby," done by the San Francisco T.K.O.s, one of those local groups who never made a huge splash yet have become legendary on the collector's circuit. This is actually the b-side of "Herm," a slick little funk number previous comped on the Bay Area Funk album from a few years back. Not often you find a 2-sider 45 of this quality (read: I need this.)

Lee Fields + Bronx River Parkway: Truth, Soul and Love written by O.W.

Lee Fields & The Expressions: Love Comes and Goes (snippet)
From 7" single, B-side to "My World" (Truth & Soul, 2007). Forthcoming from Many Moods of Lee Fields.

Bronx River Parkway: La Valla (Soul Sides Edit)
From 7" single (Truth & Soul, 2006).

This (and the next) post are a long, long time coming. Truth & Soul Records, run out of NYC, have become one of the few retro-soul labels which, in my opinion, challenge the quality and consistency of what Daptone Records has been putting out. That should be no surprise since Truth & Soul has roots going back to the days when Soul Fire Records (remember them?) was around and Leon Michels (of the El Michels Affair) was helping lead the Mighty Imperials. (I should be clear in noting: Daptone and Truth & Soul may be competitors but they're also allies and several of their releases share the same personnel).

The label first really came to my attention last summer, when I had both Lee Fields & The Expressions' "Honey Dove" on constant rotation and was stamping my late pass for how excellent the El Michael Affairs' Sounding Out the City was. And of course, there was the El Michels/Wu-Tang "Shaolin Series" 45s, plus the "PJs From Afar" 12" with Raekwon. (Somehow, I managed to miss writing about these...um...oops?)

Later this week, I'm going to write about the new Truth & Soul release, Tyrone Ashley's Funky Music Machine (plus giveaways!) but wanted to play catch-up a bit first:

"Love Comes and Goes" is from the new Lee Fields 45 which came out earlier in the summer and it's the lead single for the upcoming Many Moods of Lee Fields album which T&S is putting out. It's no secret that "Honey Dove" is one of my all-time favorite retro-soul songs - an absolutely sublime track - but this new 7" comes close to duplicating the same excellence. "Love Comes and Goes" is a beautiful ballad, especially with the vocal harmony on the chorus but both sides are killer. It's a great two-sider 45 (not a common occurrence by any means). However, only those with turntables can appreciate that now - for the rest of you, you'll have to wait for the CD to drop.

The Bronx River Parkway cut is something I slept on for a minute before Jared at Big City Records in NY hepped me to it by handing me a copy of "La Valla" and basically nodding, "try this. You'll like it." And indeed, I did: it's a hard-knuckled Afro-Cuban tune that reminds me of the kind of ferocious groove that something like Antibalas' "Che Che Cole" laid down. I gave this a slight edit - the opening piano is actually from one of the bridges in the middle and I brought it back to the beginning. By the way, the actual song is longer than this but I made it a snippet edit before realizing the 45 is currently out of stock (hopefully, this won't be a permanent condition). The Bronx River Parkway album is also supposed to be due out before the end of the year and expect us to write about that when the time comes.

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Oh yeah: winners of the Budos Band contest: T. Booth, A. Garde, and B. Nate. Congrats!

Jackson 5 + Inell Young: Olde Soul written by O.W.

Jackson 5: Big Boy
From 7" (Steeltown, 1968). Also available on First Recordings.

Inell Young: What Do You See In Her
From 7" (Libra, 196?).

The gig at the Casanova Lounge (aka the Bay Area SSV2 party) was proper. Thanks to my old friends Vinnie Esparza and Josh Bea for the invite.

Turnout was solid and I met quite a few cool Soul Siders, including a DJ from Dalva who walked down the block - during his own gig - to say hi and buy an LP. I'm seriously appreciative of that kind of love and support.

During the course of the evening - during which I dropped all covers, including a few pieces from what I hope to be the Deep Covers sequel, one of the other DJs, Geoff, threw on a few 45s at the end of the evening that had me rapt. Enough so that I compulsively rushed out the next day to track 'em down (not the actual vinyl...not yet anyways).

The Jackson 5's "Big Boy" was their very first single (I think), for a small, local label called Steeltown. This was before they signed to Motown and I don't want to even think about how old MJ was at this time, especially in listening to him croon about how "I'm a big boy." When one thinks about Michael Jackson BITD...and the MJ of today...it's hard to believe we're talking about the same person, you know? That moment of intellectual perturbation aside though, it's definitely a cool little sweet soul single.

The Inell Young is on some whole 'nother level though. I had "heard" this before, meaning that I had given it a passing ear lean and that was about the extent of it, but that night, I really sat there and listened to it, especially as Geoff was breaking down the backstory. (Some of this might be apocryphal but even so it's still a good story).

Apparently, Young was involved with famed NOLA producer Eddie Bo - he produced her first two singles - but for this third recording, which was to be Young's last, she worked with another producer (Gus Lewis). The tale is that the person she's talking about in the song was actually Eddie as she was being two-timed by him for some other woman ("nothing but a playgirl...all the boys know her name").Ok, so Geoff actually wrote in to clear some stuff up:

"From what people say, Inell, Mary Jane Hooper & ??? were the Explosions, backup singers of Gold Cup fame. Some say they were in high school chorus and Eddie told someone to go down to the school & get some girls for backup on Hip Drop. Anyway, Eddie worked with Inell for a few tracks on Big 9 and Busy B, and sometime around then she fell heavily into drug use (heroin). Her and Eddie weren't lovers (at least to my knowledge, I believe he was still married to Dolores Johnson around that time), but had a working relationship. Inell and Mary were supposedly best friends, but after Inell hit the junk hard, Eddie refused to work with her until she cleaned up her act and continued working with Mary Jane Hooper. From what the people say, "what do you see in her" was her response to this, and reportedly about Eddie and Mary."

Young supposedly died of an overdose soon thereafter, though it's not clear if this was accidental or purposeful.

Again - this might all be mythology but as far as back stories go, it certainly gives what would otherwise be a likable - but not extraordinary - bittersweet love song much added resonance.

Beyond that though, there's a few things, musically, that really stand out here, beginning with how Young introduces herself on the song with that unexpected, four-note whateveryoucallit (I really need to get some basic musicological training at some point); it's almost like bird call and it's definitely attention-getting. From there, I like how the arrangement holds back the guitar accompaniment until after the first A portion of Young's verses (after "I'm lost in misery"). Suddenly, what was a minimalist funk tune stretches into something much more dynamic. And lastly, you have to love how Young sings the chorus, "what do you seeeeeeee, in herrrrrr." It's a good melodic progression, not what you'd necessarily anticipate, and from that point forward, anyone listening will find themselves singing along.

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By the way, I'd say "Happy July 4th" or some nonsense like that if there were actually anything to celebrate but not this week. Not this year. (Read: not this president). The real independence day is whenever the long reign of King George ends. You know the anthem:

Cut Chemist + DJ Shadow: Hard Sell @ Hollywood Bowl, 6/24/07 written by O.W.

It's been a long, strange journey.

I've been following the 7" trail left by DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist for over seven years now[1]. Brainfreeze was enough of a phenomenon to begin with but it's hard to imagine that some 8 years after that first show at Club 550 in S.F., Cut and Shadow would bring the same concept to the Hollywood Bowl, only this time, in front of a crowd of at least 12,000, under a perfect Los Angeles June night sky. When they first took stage, it was staggering to think about that evolution. It's not like the two haven't played big venues before but if you've never been to the Bowl, the sheer size of it is humbling and again, we're talking about a performance centered around playing 45s.


CONTINUE READING...



This thought obviously crossed their minds too since the Hard Sell show opened with a short, humorous "instructional video" as to what people were about to witness during the evening, effectively, "yes, we're playing records" but why such an endeavor would be artistically and musically worthwhile of the Bowl's attention. For DJ-educated types, such an explanation was unnecessary but for those who think, "wait, they still press vinyl?" such an intro was likely quite useful in setting the stage for what was about to happen.

But here's the thing: even for those who cling tightly to their original copies of Brainfreeze and Product Placement, it was clear early on that this was NOT going to be a predictable part tres in that series. Unlike the previous two performances, built specifically around funk 45s, Hard Sell was far more ambitious and eclectic. Now the two DJs split eight turntables between them plus effects processors which allowed them new options in creating and sustaining tones and loops. It was an entirely different kind of performance, less oriented on playing dozens of obscure records in a row and more about building a series of conceptual sets - all made using records, but less about the actual records and more about what one could make with them.

That's why it's a little pointless to run down the playlist for you - it's hard to communicate the overall feel of the night by noting, "oh yeah, and at one point, they went from "Passin' Me By" to "Made U Look"" since that snippet can't represent the whole. Suffice to say though, there were a few sets that were built around records - i.e. identifiable pieces of music - but there were just as many that involved long passages of sound interspersed by drums or scratching, but were more like pieces of musical composition (John Cage meets David Axelrod meets Grandwizard Theodore...). In that respect, Hard Sell seemed closer to DJ Shadow's Private Press shows than what I've seen of Cut Chemist in the past but then again, Cut's recent works have become more compositional and conceptual as well.

So there were a variety of different moments (two of which I discuss in greater detail below), including a short segment of "world percussion" where African drums became blended in with a samba line or these long, almost prog rock-like passages of noise and tone. In the background, a VJ executed a compelling set of background videos and images in synch with the music's rhythms and themes (looks like the same team that worked on Shadow's shows), including a Transformer Jukebox that shoots 7"s (that I'm guessing is not in the upcoming Michael Bay adaptation).

But let's get to the point: Creative? Definitely. Experimental? No doubt. Entertaining? Well...ear of the beholder. Personally, I liked it. I thought the attempt to transcend the themes of Brainfreeze and Product Placement was interesting and daring, I liked the attempt at simply doing "more" with the concept of playing 7"s. But I also think it was fair to say that the overall performance was significantly less coherent and cohesive. It felt more like a scattered set of pieces that hinted at a larger picture but it wasn't clear what that image was meant to be. And maybe that was the whole point but no doubt, folks expecting another session full of funky 45s were left wondering, "wait, what was that?" And maybe that was part of the point too.

By the way, closing the evening was Kim Fowley. Crazy random. I met him at the afterparty and he's a trip. But more on that another time.

One last thing: there were moments where the sets had small glitches - drums doubling up, missed cues - and I actually liked seeing/hearing those, not only because it reminded you "this is live" but it's suggestive of how improvisational and challenging this new set is and frankly, I doubt most in the audience caught them anyways. I do know Shadow was chuckling about it during the afterparty and assuming him and Cut take this on the road (which I think they are), I imagine these will all get ironed out in due time.

Two personal highlights from the show:

The opening set was, from what I could tell, an attempt to speak to the event itself: a summer time concert at the Hollywood Bowl, and what spilled forth was what could be best described as an homage to the days of jukebox joints, East L.A. sweet soul and oldies AM radio. It had some strange moments, including some electro cover of Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock Tonight" as well as - I kid you not - another eccentric cover of "Eye of the Tiger" but then they dropped the Flamingos' great romantic ballad, "I Only Have Eyes For You", complete with spinning disco balls when the verse, "are the stars out tonight?" came on.

The next song was this:

Eddie Holman and the Larks: This Can't Be True
From 7" (Parkway, 1965). Also on This Can't Be True.

Sure, Holman wasn't from L.A. and didn't record his single there but this is some straight, East L.A., Impalaville sweet soul. I. Love. This. Song. And it really captured the moment of where everyone was - relaxing in the cool summer air of Hollywood.

However, it didn't give any clues as to what would happen next and that would be par for the course for the evening. The next set was more hip-hop focused, including drops of "Passin' Me By," "Made U Look," "Dwyck" and then...they went into a short mini-set of original De La Soul breaks from the 3 Ft. High and Rising era. My mind was blown for a few reasons, including, 1) this was such "my sh--" and 2) I would have been impressed if even 5% of the crowd had a clue what was going on. Seriously, when they were re-creating "Plug Tunin," who would have followed?

The moment I was waiting for - and which was delivered - was this song:

Maggie Thrett: Soupy
From 7" (Dyno Voice, 1965). Also on The Label That Had to Happen.

For those old enough to even remember "Jenifa," this is the 45 that powered the main loop. I could swear this is a variation on Jr. Walker and the All-Stars' "Shotgun" but regardless, it's a great mid-60s cooker that makes me hungry for more songs in this vein. (Thanks to Jared at Big City for putting me onto this).

As for whether Hard Sell will make it onto CD/DVD...my guess (and this is purely a guess) is "yes" though I'd be curious to hear how this plays as purely recorded performance. As for whether or not this is the last chapter in the Cut/Shadow 7" Saga? We'll have to see how that plays out later.

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Just for the sake of cataloging: I missed the very first show in San Francisco where Brainfreeze was introduced but I was on-hand to see the last show on the tour, at the El Rey in Los Angeles, having written a preview of it for the LA Weekly (this is still one of my favorite pieces I ever wrote). I also did coverage on Product Placement for the first issue of Waxpoetics and if that wasn't enough, I also interviewed the two DJs for the DVD version of Freeze.

The Kaldirons + Dynamic Tints: From Dawn to Twinight written by O.W.

The Kaldirons: To Love Someone
From 7" (Twinight, 1970)

Dynamic Tints: Be My Lady
From 7" (Twinight, 1970)

Both on Twinight's Lunar Rotation (Numero Group, 2007).

I admit - it's kind of wack for me to copy n' paste my own article from another source but I had been meaning to write about the Twinight's Lunar Rotation comp for a while and having just done it for NPR's Song of the Day, I thought it'd be more *cough cough* efficient to just repost what I wrote for them and then add on some additional thoughts (plus a song).

Let me say this much: this is one of the best anthologies of a single label that I have ever heard and that says a lot considering the other fine titles in Numero Group's Eccentric Soul series. However, as I note below, song for song...the Twinight catalog is amazing and perhaps that explains why Num