Eddy Jacobs Exchange: Pull My Coat
From 7″ (Columbia, 196?)
Maceo and All The King’s Men: Shake It Baby
From Doing Their Own Thing (House of Fox, 1970)
Marvin Holmes and the Uptights: Ride Your Mule
From 7″ (Revue, 196?) and Ooh Ooh the Dragon and Other Monsters (UNI, 1969)
Albert Collins: Do the Sissy
From 7″ (Imperial, 1968) and Love Can Be Found Anywhere (Imperial, 1969)
Yeah, it’s true that most funkateers post-James Brown were just trying to cop the style of The Man Himself, but occassionally, they nail the vibe down so well, you have to tip your hat. “Pull My Coat” by the Eddy Jacbos Exchange couldn’t be more on fire if you dipped it in paraffin and crammed a wick in it. Totally post-JBs sound but the rhythm section is finger lickin’ kickin’, especially the brass on the opening and choruses. Of course, Maceo and All the King’s Men don’t have to make excuses for sounding like James Brown since they made his sound the funky standard it became. This is from the group’s “we’re fed up with Brown so we’re ditching him and doing our own thing” album which JB basically shut down before it really had a chance to shine (great album tho’). “Shake It Baby” is classic JBs’ flavor – sounds like something you would have heard Bobby Byrd screaming over.
Marvin Holmes‘ “Ride Your Mule,” (which eventually would give birth to “The Funky Mule,” a song covered by Holmes again, as well as Ike Turner) is more lo-fi in its engineering but no less cookin’. The guitarist is getting his best licks in on the song but don’t ignore the drummer who’s chattering off underneath. Closing up is blues guitarist Albert Collins with his slick hit, “Do the Sissy.” I’m a big funky blues fan and Collins’ track is simple but effective in its tightly wound rhythms. The opening, with the horns is killer too.
chatter