THE TROPICS - THIS MUST BE THE PLACE

Hailing from the tropics of southwest Florida, legend has it that the group traveled to Chicago in 1966 to compete at the International Battle Of The Bands in which they took first place- a contract with Columbia Records.

The group released a handful of singles (showing a strong British Invasion/ folk rock influence) on Columbia that never broke nationally. The group was fantastic, boasting strong vocals and musicianship, as well as excellent production work from Teo Macero, known mostly as a jazz producer who is immortalized by his groundbreaking work with Miles Davis, among others.

On this track, the group blows the roof off with two minutes of fuzzed out stomp that is, in my opinion, their greatest side.

from 1967...

THE TROPICS - THIS MUST BE THE PLACE

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THE RIGHT KIND - I'VE BEEN CHANGED

Here's a STORMING sermon from Oakland, CA's The Right Kind; a group which featured Merl Saunders on the Hammond B-3 organ (although I don't hear it very clearly in this track). Saunders went on to success as a frequent collaborator with Jerry Garcia beginning in the early '70's.

The group and (especially) the vocalists ride this groove into a whole other level for less than 2 and a half minutes.

from 1967...

THE RIGHT KIND - I'VE BEEN CHANGED

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HARRY CALDWELL - PLEASE COME BACK

Carnival Records released some fabulous soul records in the 60's, and are known most for being the label that began the career of The Manhattans, under the direction of label head and producer Joe Evans (born 1916). Evans' story is remarkable; he performed with a virtual who's who of jazz music, and also became involved in r&b in the early 60's.

Harry Caldwell released 2 singles on Carnival; this was his debut followed by another several years later. Caldwell certainly had the talent- his smooth delivery recalls Sam Cooke. I'm afraid that I have no biographical info on the singer, and as Carnival was based in Newark, NJ, I assume he was from the NJ/NYC area.

Despite the quality of the record, Carnival simply did not have the means to push their releases into national hit making territory.

from 1966...

HARRY CALDWELL - PLEASE COME BACK


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DAMNATION OF ADAM BLESSING - COOKBOOK

While the lyrics may be dated and silly, vocalist Adam Blessing delivers them so well and with such conviction that it simply doesn't matter.

This band from Cleveland, OH sound like some sort of cross between the Stax rhythm section and the Jimi Hendrix Experience on this excellent cut that hit big in their home town but never broke nationally. Turns out that singer Blessing was leading a group called The Society when he saw a group called Dust (not to be confused with the band of the same name that released some LP's in the early 70's) perform. Blessing took the core of Dust (Bob Kalamasz- lead guitar, Bill Schwark- drums), and Ray Benich- bass) to create The Damnation. The group released four albums until their end in 1973.

from 1968...

DAMNATION OF ADAM BLESSING - COOKBOOK


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JAN BRADLEY - NIGHTS IN NEW YORK CITY

With a sweet voice that conveys conveys innocence, happiness and heartbreak in equal measures, Jan Bradley is one of my favorite Chicago (by way of Mississippi) ladies of soul. In addition to being an incredibly emotive singer, Jan also had a hand in writing a number of her songs, including today's entry, whose lyrics brilliantly convey the feeling of loneliness in a densely populated city.

Jan Bradley was discovered singing while still in high school, and shortly after graduating recorded the incredible "Mama Didn't Lie" with Curtis Mayfield behind the boards (it was a huge r&b hit which also crossed over to the pop charts). She continued releasing records til the early seventies (including this writers' personal favorite, "It's Just Your Way") when she left the biz. She became a social worker on the Chicago south side, but still continues singing in her church choir.

from 1968...

JAN BRADLEY - NIGHTS IN NEW YORK CITY


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THE KNICKERBOCKERS - ONE TRACK MIND

Not content with cutting the greatest Beatles sound-alike EVER (the brilliant "Lies", 1965), this New Jersey group followed it up with a single that was nearly as great; the energy level was just as high, and the sound was more their own (while still maintaining a strong British beat influence).

Allegedly, this song was well on its way to becoming a follow-up smash (it peaked at #45 on the charts), but Challenge Records could not adequately distribute the record. A pity, as this is one of the most exciting rock n roll records of 1966; a year that I hold as THE GREATEST year for rock n roll.

from 1966...

THE KNICKERBOCKERS - ONE TRACK MIND


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THE ACCENTS - WHO YOU GONNA LOVE? b/w YOU BETTER THINK AGAIN

While there are at least three groups from the '60's that used the name The Accents, this particular group was from Chicago's south side and cut only two singles, of which this is the second (their first, "New Girl" was a minor r&b hit).

Yet another example of excellent ingredients that didn't hit at the time, but simply sounds amazing today.

from 1965...

THE ACCENTS - WHO YOU GONNA LOVE?

b/w YOU BETTER THINK AGAIN

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SUMMITS - SOPHISTICATED LADY (BREAK DOWN AND LOVE ME)

Today's entry is one of those records that is a mystery, more or less. A few names on the label are familiar; Billy McGregor was brother of George McGregor, who, with The Bronzettes, cut the extraordinary "Temptation Is Hard To Fight". Jump Jackson was a New Orleans born-transplanted-to-Chicago bandleader/music entrepreneur who worked mostly in the blues scene.

By the time this record was released (I'm taking a guess at 1966), the sound of Chicago had become far more sophisticated than this RAW record which is made all the more interesting by its use of "Sophisticated" in the title.

Whatever the story, this record, driven by its infectious bongo beat and outstanding falsetto vocals, sounds like a transmission from an alternate universe.

There are other records by group(s) with the same name, but I am unclear if they are related.

from c1966...

SUMMITS - SOPHISTICATED LADY (BREAK DOWN AND LOVE ME)


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LEE CHARLES - WRONG NUMBER

With names such as Eugene Record, Carl Davis, and Gerald Sims on the label, a record is almost guaranteed to be a winner. This one is no exception.

I still don't know any more about Lee Charles since the last time I posted one of his tracks. here's what I wrote previously:
Even though he released a handful of 45's and worked with one of Chicago's heaviest hitters and a name that pops up around here quite often (Gerald Sims), little is known about Lee Charles.

Lee's vocals strike me as having a strong southern grit; perhaps he was a southerner transplanted to Chicago, or perhaps it was another case of the ubiquitous gospel background?

from 1969...

LEE CHARLES - WRONG NUMBER


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THE CREATION - IF I STAY TOO LONG b/w NIGHTMARES

With their first two single releases ("Making Time" and "Painterman b/w Biff! Bang! Pow!"), London's The Creation established themselves as one of THE greatest mod groups on the scene, albeit a group that was appreciated far more in the years after they broke up. The group found their biggest success in Germany during their time together (as evidenced by a scorching live performance on the German show "Beat Beat Beat").

In June of 1967, original Creation singer Kenny Pickett left the group, to be replaced on lead vocals by former Creation bassist Bob Garner who was replaced on bass by Kim GarDner.

In his debut role as lead singer, Garner co-wrote "If I Stay Too Long" with genius guitarist Eddie Phillips, and made for the Creation's greatest pure British soul track; I for one wish that Otis Redding would have cut a version, as I can just imagine how great THAT would have been.

The other side, "Nightmares", (co-written by the absent Kenny Pickett) is possibly The Creation's most overtly psychedelic record, and it's spooky sound went straight past the summer of love into the autumn of the acid-drenched afterglow.

from 1967...

THE CREATION - IF I STAY TOO LONG

b/w NIGHTMARES


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TEMPO AND THE JET SETS - SWEETEST THING TO ME

I'm not an expert on Jamaican music (far from it, in fact); frankly, I'm a bit intimidated by the sheer number of records produced on the island during the 60's and 70's. I've got quite a bit in my collection, though, and I love the sounds deeply. While most of what I have is on compilations/ box sets and the like, occasionally I'll come across some nice original 45's such as this one.

The first thing that strikes me about this record is the downright top shelf vocalists; this duo just NAILS the performance and sends shivers up my spine! The song itself is amazing as well.

In prepping to do this post, I looked to see if there was any info about the group in my copy of "Reggae- The Rough Guide" and while that book has a massive amount of info, there is none on Tempo And The Jet Sets. The web wasn't much of a help either, but I think the release date is correct. This is a US pressing; by the mid-70's many Jamaican releases were seeing small print runs on labels based in New York City (in addition to many titles being imported from both Jamaica and the UK) accounting for nearly endless label and pressing variations of these records.

from 1974...

TEMPO AND THE JET SETS - SWEETEST THING TO ME

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