MAGIC SAM - I'LL PAY YOU BACK

Magic Sam. Two words that send a chill up my spine...

Sam Maghett was a master of the electric guitar, born in Mississippi and transplanted to Chicago at a young age). As Sam was born in 1937 and a bit younger than the others on the electrified Chicago scene of the fifties and sixties, he took the blues into a whole new bag by incorporating not only the influence of soul but some rockabilly as well (check out his genius track '21 Days In Jail' from 1958). Sam's 1967 LP on Delmark, West Side Soul, is easily among the top ten blues LP's ever cut to wax, and in many ways may be my personal favorite.

On this side, fellow new breed Chicago bluesman Bobby Rush is credited as songwriter and producer. I'm not gonna lie; 'I'll Pay You Back' is essentially a plagiarized rewrite of The Isley Brothers' 'It's Your Thing'. However, the record is bad ass and infectious, and elevated Sam into a whole new thing that matched his always powerful vocals and guitar work into a very contemporary, hard hitting funk bag. 

Tragically, this 45 was Sam's final release, as he died of a heart attack on December 1, 1969 at the age of 32 years old. I can only imagine how many more raw, from the gut records he would have given us had he lived.

from 1969...

MAGIC SAM - I'LL PAY YOU BACK


As a bonus, here's an incredible clip of Magic Sam performing live in Europe, probably from 1969 as well. Not only is he demonstrating his earthy, straight from the soul guitar playing, but the opening interview show the man to be a soft spoken gentleman as well.

THE SHOWMEN - IN PARADISE b/w TAKE IT BABY

Phew, what an EXCELLENT double sider, oozing with vibe and Northern Soul goodness.

'In Paradise' has a mysterious, dramatic intro that leads way to an easy tempo stomper full of hooks, great vocals and hypnotic strings. Flip it over, and 'Take It Baby' is sure to amaze with a strong Motown-like groove and those always fantastic lead vocals, courtesy of the late, great General Johnson.

While the Swan Record label was releasing a slew of fantastic singles during '65-'66, they were having great difficulty getting their records distributed, and were verging on the brink of bankruptcy which turned out to be their fate in '66.

Led by the incredibly powerful vocals of Atlanta native General Johnson, The Showmen scored one national hit with their debut single (the anthemic "It will Stand", which hit the charts twice- once in '61 then again in '64). The music of the Showmen played a very important role in the "beach music" craze of the Carolina coast.

from 1965...

THE SHOWMEN - IN PARADISE

b/w TAKE IT BABY

JOHNNY COLON - MOMBO SUZIE

Bizarrely, this righteous boogaloo track was buried on the flip side of a Dickie Goodman (of 'Flying Saucer' "break-in" fame) novelty record.

Johnny Colon (a New Yorker of Puerto Rican heritage) was an important figure on the development of the boogaloo sound, although he isn't as well known today as some of his contemporaries.

from 1969...

JOHNNY COLON - MOMBO SUZIE

THE FI-DELS - TRY A LITTLE HARDER b/w YOU NEVER DO RIGHT (MY BABY)

Here's one of those amazing one-off records that, when listening today, one wonders why it wasn't a massive hit in its time. Producer and co-writer Bob Relf was one half of Bob & Earl ('Harlem Shuffle' fame) and 'Try A Little Harder' is a great example of Los Angeles aping Motown with glorious results.

The flip side is an excellent deep soul track in its own right. Nothing else seems to be known about who The Fi-Dels were, but it wouldn't surprise me if Mr. Relf himself is singing on the record; the only release from The Fi-Dels.

from 1967...

THE FI-DELS - TRY A LITTLE HARDER
 
b/w YOU NEVER DO RIGHT (MY BABY)

A BAND OF ANGELS - INVITATION

I know, I know... it's been a LONG time since my last post. I promise that things are gonna be more frequent, as I have lots of new discovery, killer 45's  that I'm ready to share.

'Invitation' is the final single from this oddly named group of British fellows, and shortly after its release vocalist Mike D'Abo went on to far greater success as lead singer with Manfred Mann (that's Mike singing lead vocals on Mann's huge hit 'The Mighty Quinn').

'Invitation' is a superb example of the type of influence that American soul music was having upon MOD British youngsters, and it's such a success that I could easily hear someone such as James Carr singing this song in a deep southern soul recording. However, this great composition from Mike D'Abo seems to have only been cut this one time only and a splendid recording it is.

from 1966...

A BAND OF ANGELS - INVITATION

THE TROPICS - AS TIME'S GONE

Whoop! Whoop! In many cases, a song with a repeated chanted such as this would prove obnoxious, but in the hands of these cats, it's quite alright. Maybe it's the stomping beat, trippy drone-out guitars, and overall outrageous attitude that's in these grooves...

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.

from 1967...

THE TROPICS - AS TIME'S GONE

THE EPSILONS - THE ECHO

By the time this record was released in 1968, the sweet soul sound heard in these groups was becoming as prominent in soul music as the (James Brown influenced) hard hitting funk. The sweet soul sound (heard most prominently at the time in Chicago soul) took a cue from Doo Wop vocals and matched it to a slow grooving soul beat that is one of those magical combinations of styles that produced a whole lot of great records.

The Epsilons were a soul group based from Philadelphia (but based in Memphis at the time of this recording) that only released two records; however, (falsetto) vocalist Lloyd Parks was also heard on Arthur Conley's smash hit "Sweet Soul Music" and became an early '70's member of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes.

It's a beautiful track showcasing an incredible group vocal performance.

from 1968...

THE EPSILONS - THE ECHO

WILLIE BOBO - GOTTA HUSTLE ON

Willie Bobo is a legendary figure in the world of Latin/ Afro-Cuban jazz; not only did the man play percussion (with a focus on his timbale work) alongside Tito Puente, but Mr. Bobo also played on several Latin-influenced jazz records by the likes of George Shearing and Cal Tjader, as well as cutting several LP's on his own.

This track took his percussion work into the proto-disco era in a VERY appealing way. On top of a relentless groove, the percussion drives HARD on top of a very jazzy piano (which reminds me a whole lot of Willie Tee's playing), a spaced out guitar and electric piano, and superb horns.

from 1974...

WILLIE BOBO - GOTTA HUSTLE ON

ARCHIE BELL & THE DRELLS - SHE'S MY WOMAN, SHE'S MY GIRL

Behold, the sublime and gorgeous debut from Houston, TX's Archie Bell & The Drells. This record was cut a year before their massive smash 'Tighten Up', and finds the group exploring a deep soul vocal harmony sound. Archie's vocal here is so smooth and when he slides into falsetto it has the power to take you anywhere...

from 1966...

ARCHIE BELL & THE DRELLS - SHE'S MY WOMAN, SHE'S MY GIRL

RONNIE SPECTOR - PARADISE

Yes, I know; it's been a LONG time since I've posted anything here (it *is* the Occasional 45 these days after all). However, after seeing the fabulous Ronnie Spector live last night (for the second glorious time), I was reminded that I'd never featured this glorious single here and it was time to remedy that.

'Paradise', while released in 1976 (where it sadly sank without a trace), is a Ronettes master that was cut in 1965 but never released during the groups' lifetime (along with the majestic 'I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine'). A pity, as this glorious P. Spector/ Harry Nillsson penned track certainly is a little slice of what the title states, and then some. Ronnie's vocal is at its most majestic, and the Wall of Sound is at its epic best as well. The only sad thing about this record is thinking about the torture that the madman maestro inflicted upon this poor woman, which is well documented and harrowing. Ronnie, we love you.

Also, I have been posting lots of album tracks (and other goodness) to my other site - The Record Collector's Journal; check it out!

from 1965/1976...

RONNIE SPECTOR - PARADISE

LEE 'SHOT' WILLIAMS - IT AIN'T ME NO MORE

Lee Williams nickname 'Shot' came from his mother, who called him 'Big Shot' as young Lee liked to dress up in fancy clothes at any opportunity. 'Shot' was born and raised in Mississippi, and moved north (first to Detroit, then to Chicago) for a career as a blues musician.

This track, while not a blues number, showcases Lee's vocals in a raw, deep soul setting that works perfectly for the man's style.

from 1972...

LEE 'SHOT' WILLIAMS - IT AIN'T ME NO MORE


Also, check out my tribute to the recently departed Deon Jackson here.