Cinnamon Suns: Party Time & Reggay Express
From Getting It All Together (Ida, 197?)
A little island funk this time around. I can’t profess to know much about the Cinnamon Suns, except that they were a group out of the Caribbean (presumably, though their album was recorded in NYC) and released a few 45s. As far as I can tell, this is their only LP. Oh, and their rhythm guitar/organist was named “Franklin Blaize” which, all things considered, is a kick ass name for a rhythm guitarist/organist. “Party Time” was one of the songs that previously appeared on 45 and it’s definitely the funk bomb on the album. The liner notes to the LP have this to say about it:
- “I remember spinning Party Time for ac ompany of three, one afternoon, and I cannot forgt the warm reaction from the calypsoul arrangement that assailed the ears. Two of the group got up and gyrated on their own version of Soul Train.”
“Calypsoul” = I’m feeling that.
As for “Reggay Express,” the notes continue to say,
- “…if you – record buff, partygoer, musictheist, or whatever – can fathom the sounds of Reggay Express which is Number One throughout the English-speaking Caribbean at the time of writing…then you’re experiencing just the dawn of the Cinnamon Suns, because they promise to be back with another sunny LP to blow your mind/tap yourfeet/do your thing.”
(You gotta miss liner notes)
That should do it for this week at S.S. Next week, I have some post-riot gangsta rap ready to go, a pair of spooky rock ballads, and hopefully, the long-awaited part 3 of the Boogaloo podcasts.
Lastly, I’m looking for a hip-hop savvy transcriber (i.e. someone who knows enough about hip-hop to get most names, places, things, phrases, etc. correct. I have a few hours of interviews that I’m going to need transcribes of.
Especially if you’re in the Bay Area and looking to pick up some extra $ on the side, let me know
chatter