THE KOOBAS - FACE b/w SWEET MUSIC

Allow me to tell the tale of a geeky record collector.

One of the ways I seek out my records is through ebay, and I always have the maximum allowable saved searches (100) where they email me when items matching pop up. I've had the Koobas as a saved search for YEARS and this record recently popped up. Imagine my excitement in the last few seconds when I hit my maximum bid that was higher than I thought it would sell for. Alas, in the last second I was outbid by a few measly pennies.

Even though I told myself it's only a record, in my dismay, I checked GEMM.com (a great database of records for sale from dealers all around the world) once again to see if there may be a copy. I'd checked before, but never had any luck. Lo and behold, there it was; for sale in England for less than HALF of what I bid! Ahhh, a happy ending!

The Koobas were from Liverpool (their first single billed them as The Kubas- not the best connotations for a commie fearing sixties), and were managed by Brian Epstein. other than appearing in the film "Ferry Across The Mersey" they never had much success at all. The only LP they released in the late sixties sells easily for a thousand dollars!

Here they whipped up an ultimate mod stomping/ dance anthem in FACE (although "Sweet Music" is the actual a side and a fine track in its' own right, I have selected "Face" as the dominant track here.

Speaking of stomping...If any of you will be at the Ponderosa Stomp, I am pretty easy spot (I'm 6'4"). C'mon by and say hi or shoot me an email.

As I will be out of town, the next post will be on FRIDAY... See you then!

from 1966...

THE KOOBAS - FACE

WENDY RENE - GIVE YOU WHAT I GOT b/w REAP WHAT YOU SOW

It's really too bad that Wendy Rene's recorded out put is so tiny; in my opinion she was the greatest female singer who recorded for Stax (much respect to Carla Thomas) and her vocals oozed soul and emotion.

Both sides of this record are great; however, side "B" ("Reap What You Sow" which is basically a rewrite of William Bell's "You Don't Miss Your Water") has some strange sound problems (perhaps it's just my copy??? If anyone else reading has this 45 please let me know if yours has that weird distortion) but the performance is so great I had to feature it anyhow.

As superb as "After Laughter" and "Young And Foolish" are, I think "Give You What I Got" may well be my favorite of the Wendy Rene 45's. I love how the backing band (none other than Booker T And The MG's) play by the seat of their pants (especially Steve Cropper's outrageous guitar and Al Jackson's stop and go drumming which is the percussive sound of testifying)

from 1965...

WENDY RENE - GIVE YOU WHAT I GOT

HOWARD TATE - AIN'T NOBODY HOME

Born in Georgia, relocated to Philadelphia as a child, then eventually ending up recording in New York City with legendary producer Jerry Ragovoy, Howard Tate is one of the finest singers of the sixties.

Being as I have Ponderosa Stomp on my mind, it's only natural to feature an artist on this site that will be performing, which Howard IS. I can't wait!

from 1966...

HOWARD TATE - AIN'T NOBODY HOME

GENE CHANDLER - IN MY BODY'S HOUSE

In this incredible track, Chicago icon Gene Chandler embraced the harder, funkier sounds in a big way. Written by Curtis Mayfield, the song is incredible and Gene's performance (along with the top notch band) drive this one into a fury.

from 1969...

GENE CHANDLER - IN MY BODY'S HOUSE

ART NEVILLE - SKEET SKAT

Before he went on to be a founding member of the Meters, Art Neville cut a series of rollicking NOLA tunes that led up to his work not only with the Meters, but later on with New Orleans funkiest family (The Neville Brothers).

I've got New Orleans on my mind, as the Ponderosa Stomp is next week! If any other folks who read this are gonna be there, shoot me a message; it would be fun to say hello!

from 1963...

ART NEVILLE - SKEET SKAT

SANDI SHELDON - YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ME LOVE YOU

Before he did the Hustle, Van McCoy released some absolute dynamite singles in the mid 60's that are among my favorites (I've featured quite a few of them here) as well as other soul aficionados from around the world.

A few weeks ago i featured "Touch My Heart" by the Vonnettes, which also features singer Kendra Spotswood. Here she is again, under another name; Sandi Sheldon!

This record is notoriously expensive and in the highest of demand, so when one of the early 70's UK reissues became available, I gladly scooped it up.

from 1967...

SANDI SHELDON - YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ME LOVE YOU

FRED HUGHES - BABY BOY

Although the biographical information is pure fantasy (Fred Hughes was born in Oakland, CA) I love the novel-like lyrics of this song!

Epic!

from 1970...

FRED HUGHES - BABY BOY

THE SENSATIONS - TOO SHY

The easy shuffling groove on this track has long been a favorite; it has such a relaxed feel but still GROOVES!

The Sensations were a group from Albion, MI who recorded for the WAY OUT label in Cleveland, OH. One of the very first 45's I featured on this blog was their track "Two Can Make It"

from 1966...

THE SENSATIONS - TOO SHY

THE DEBONAIRES - HEADACHE IN MY HEART

Releasing very few records (two members also went on to sing with Tony Orlando as "Dawn" in the early 70's which makes me shudder!), this Detroit girl group started off while still in high school with 2 records that were more novelty based. However, for this release we find the group under George Clinton's production and writing talent for one that they completely hit it, in all areas except making a chart hit.

No matter, as this is one hot slab of wax (notice my copy is a 1970 British issue, released at the dawn of the Northern Soul era. A shame that they listed the author as "unknown")

Yes, this same song was later recut as an acid blues number for Funkadelic's "Free Your Mind" LP.

from 1967...

THE DEBONAIRES - HEADACHE IN MY HEART

(I will be out of town for the weekend, so the next posting will be on Monday.)

ETTA JAMES & SUGARPIE DESANTO - IN THE BASEMENT

I've been wanting to feature this one for SO long but for whatever reason I feel as though I've been keeping it "in my back pocket"; it's a real favorite for sure!

A description can't do any justice to the fire in the grooves on this track.

from 1966...
ETTA JAMES & SUGARPIE DESANTO - IN THE BASEMENT

IN THE BASEMENT PART 2

...and here's my band's take on "In The Basement", with lead vocals by my wife Angeline!

The Bang Girl Group Revue

Amazing!

I must say; I am completely amazed having installed the location tracker on this blog.

I am constantly inspired to keep going, as I get many friendly and encouraging emails from all around the world, but I had no idea the extent of traffic that this lil' ol' blog receives.

So, thanks to all for stopping by!

Your comments indeed DO keep me going and help keep up the stamina to lay down songs every day (combined with my out and out love for these records and an insatiable drive to want to share them with the world).

So, I would love it if you take a moment to comment here with your thoughts or simply say hello, salut, guten tag, hola, konnichiwa...

Thanks a million and for helping me keep this blog going for a year and a half. I have no intentions of ever stopping.

THE PRECISIONS - WHY GIRL

First off, I'd love to know what instrument is providing the sound during the chorus in this song...Is it accordion???? Harmonica????

Yet another incredible, unsung, Detroit record.

from 1967...

THE PRECISIONS - WHY GIRL

THE SOUL ROCKERS - IF THE SHOE FITS YA BABY

Another mystery record! Searches reveal nothing about this one, but the grooves reveal incredible funkiness. Dig the name of the singer as listed on the label:" Allegro Woolfolk". Simply great.

from 1970...

THE SOUL ROCKERS - IF THE SHOE FITS YA BABY

CURTIS KNIGHT - HOW WOULD YOU FEEL?

Basically taking "Like A Rolling Stone" and changing the lyrics to reflect civil rights protest, this would be a great record in it's own right. However, even more interesting is the small credit on the label; "arranged by Jimmy Hendrix". Yep, Hendrix himself before fame, and before swapping the extra "m" and "y" in his name to become Jimi.

Hendrix lays out some killer fuzz tone and plays some of the other great licks that he played on his own famous version of "Like A Rolling Stone" recorded a year and a half later at the Monterey Pop Festival.

Curtis Knight was the bandleader that Hendrix worked with quite a bit, and there are many recordings of him with Jimi which would be too complex for me to get into in this entry. I love Curtis' powerful lyrics and delivery on this track.

Sadly, the contract that begat this record also became a thorn in Hendrix side; he was still legally bound to producer Ed Chalpin (manager Chas Chandler bought up all of Hendrix previous contracts except this one, which slipped thru the cracks), causing great stress and legal litigation in Jimi's life, the end result of which was Hendrix having to hand over the Band Of Gypsys album to Chalpin for release on capitol records. This was after two shoddy albums were also released by Chalpin of the Knight/ Hendrix recordings to cash in on Jimi's name.

from 1966...

CURTIS KNIGHT - HOW WOULD YOU FEEL?

GENE CHANDLER & BARBARA ACKLIN - ANYWHERE BUT NOWHERE

oooh....Almost too good to be true! Two of the finest Chicago based vocalists paired up together for far too few records in the late sixties and this is probably my favorite of those. This is the b side of "From The teacher To The Preacher" which is far more famous but in my humble opinion this is the MUCH stronger song.

Being the record geek that I am, I am also fascinated with the fact that the overall bass and drum sound is strikingly similar (especially check out the snare drum cracks) to the track that was used for both "Am I The Same Girl" by Barbara Acklin and "Soulful Strut" (credited to Young Holt Unlimited, but actually the Brunswick house band that later went on to be called Pieces Of Peace). Not a coincidence, as it's the same musicians and the same time period.

from 1968...

GENE CHANDLER & BARBARA ACKLIN - ANYWHERE BUT NOWHERE

PAUL KELLY - CHILLS AND FEVER

Though this one isn't really much more than an infectious chorus with no real "song" behind it, it sure is catchy and hey, if that isn't what a 45 is all about...

Funnily enough, this song clocks in at well under 2 minutes, but the label lists the time as 2:50; perhaps they were worried radio wouldn't want to play it because it was TOO short? 2:50 was typically the LONGEST record that would get played on AM radio in the 60's!

Paul Kelly was a Florida based soulster, and this was his second release on his own.

from 1965...

PAUL KELLY - CHILLS AND FEVER

THE CAPITOLS - WE'VE GOT A THING THAT'S IN THE GROOVE

After "Cool Jerk" The Capitols continued releasing 45's that were in that raw vein with very similar grooves to that massive hit. This later track from them is my personal fave, although it still has strong shades of that earlier hit.

from 1966..

THE CAPITOLS - WE'VE GOT A THING THAT'S IN THE GROOVE

Somethin' for the weekend

Hey all-

I DJ'd some sets at a party last week, and I recorded them on my trusty little Zoom recorder and have them available for download! Set one is LONG and may take a little while to download but be patient. As usual, no post production, editing or tricks.

Yes, the custom cake features my girlfriend, Angeline, and her friend Rebecca dancing on top.

SET 1

tracks:
Run For Cover- The Dells
Soul Time- Shirley Ellis
Friday Night- Steve Mancha
You Just Don't Know- Chubby Checker
Baby Reconsider- Leon Haywood
Do The Skin- Kennard Gardner
Going To A Go Go- The Miracles
Puppet On A String- Gino Washington
Seven Day Fool- Etta James
Push Push- The Empires
Never Let Your Love Run Cold- The Vontastics
Ramblin Gamblin Man- Bob Seger
Lookin' At You- MC5
My Baby Likes To Boogaloo- Don Gardner
Landslide- Tony Clarke
C'mon Sock It To Me- Syl Johnson
A Lover And A Friend- Eddie Bo & Inez Cheatham
Midnight To Six Man- The Pretty Things
I'm A Good Woman- Barbara Lynn
Blowing Up My Mind- The Exciters
Honest To Goodness- The Diplomats
Bernadette- The Four Tops
Mellow Feeling- Barbara Lynn
Touch My Heart- The Vonettes
I Can Do It- The Autographs
I Got The Feelin'- James Brown
You Can't Go- Lonnie Lester
Heartbeat- Gloria Jones
I Spy For The FBI- Jamo Thomas
I Got A Stomach Ache- Junior Wells

SET 2:

Pickin' Up Sticks- Kasnat Katz Fighter Squadron
Hold On- The O'Jays
Needle In A Haystack- The Velvelettes
Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)- Chris Clark
Competition Ain't Nothin'- Little Carl Carlton
I Can't Stop You- The Performers
Shhhhhh (For A Little While)- James Brown
Don't Play- Joe Tex
I'm Shakin'- Little Willie John
There Was A Time- Gene Chandler

THE JIVES- LOVE b/w I WANT YOU

I had a hard time finding info about this Latino soul group until I found their myspace page, of which the bio I have quoted below is borrowed from, verbatim.

This a great two sided record; the 'a" side, "Love", is a gorgeous ballad, while side "b" is a funky monster, borrowing liberally from the great Motown track "You Need Love Like i Do".

I am GUESSING at the year...

from c1969...

THE JIVES- LOVE



"The Jives story began in 1964 with a simple jam session in the living room. Lead singer Charlie Miller was just 11 years old! Brothers Donnie and Albert Miller accompanied him on guitar and saxophone, while neighborhood buddies and brothers Rudy and Barney Magana filled the drum and trumpet duties. The elder of the group Tony Gomez, thier uncle who played bass, assembled and managed the band into a viable act. From rock classics to Mexican corridos and everything in between, The Jives versatility was a reflection on their bi-cultural influence in El Paso, Texas. Clearly they were the West Texas counterparts of Sunny Ozuna's Sunliners and Little Joe Hernendez's Latinaries, who enjoyedthe bigger Texas notoriety in what would later be dubbed the Tejano music scene. Between 1967 and 1970 The Jives recorded for albums for San Antonio's Legendary Teardrop records. An additional LP recored late in their career, unfortunately was lost. The intrest and demand for their recordings is a testament to their legacy and justifies their place in Texas recording history. Credit has been long overdue. George Reynoso- All That Music-El Paso"

MARY WELLS - CAN'T YOU SEE (YOU'RE LOSING ME)

This record finds Mary going back to the Motown sound, well after she left the label. Interestingly enough, it was produced by the Chicago production team of Carl Davis and Gerald Sims. What a stomper!

from 1965...

MARY WELLS - CAN'T YOU SEE (YOU'RE LOSING ME)

BARBARA LYNN - YOU CAN'T BUY MY LOVE

In my ongoing series of featuring practically every record recorded by Ms Barbara Lynn, here's yet another great one! If that's not the Sir Douglas Quintet backing her on this track, I would be VERY surprised!

from 1965...

BARBARA LYNN - YOU CAN'T BUY MY LOVE

JOE BARRY - I'M A FOOL TO CARE

Louisiana native and Cajun singer Joe Barry cut this record, a national hit, which was one of the earliest examples of what was later called "swamp pop"; a gumbo-like concoction mixing rock n roll, rhythm n blues and cajun styles.

Producer Huey P Meaux cut this record (he went on to produce hundreds of amazing records with the likes of Barbara Lynn and Sir Douglas Quintet among many others). Too bad he's a truly deplorable human being who will spend the rest of his life in jail.

This is one of those songs that just screams "hit" no matter what era it would have been recorded in.

from 1961...

JOE BARRY - I'M A FOOL TO CARE

DEON JACKSON - THAT'S WHAT YOU DO TO ME

Simply a great feel good song we have here. I read recently that Deon is a high school principal in suburban Illinois. I wonder if the kids have any idea!

from 1966...

DEON JACKSON - THAT'S WHAT YOU DO TO ME

THE PERFORMERS - I CAN'T STOP YOU

There doesn't seem to be any info out there about this group, sadly! This track is MASSIVE and Mirwood records was located in Los Angeles, so I am assuming this is southern California group (but that could be completely wrong). Dig the amazing drum and vocal breakdown; hot stuff indeed!

from 1968...

THE PERFORMERS - I CAN'T STOP YOU

VALERIE & NICK - I'LL FIND YOU

Shortly before they wrote such classics as "I Don't Need No Doctor", "California Soul" (one of my all time faves) and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (among others), Valerie (Simpson) and Nick (Ashford) released this incredible debut record as a duo for a tiny label. Can't say that I'm a fan of latter day Ashford & Simpson joints, but their writing throughout the sixties was at that level that very few ever achieve.

What a start they had on this great record!

from 1964...

VALERIE & NICK - I'LL FIND YOU