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This Ohio based group (who later became one of the bastions of the
Philly Soul scene) released many great 45's in the 60's, and this one is
my favorite by far. From the gorgeous vocals to the uplifting groove, this sound is the epitome of '60's soul, and in my opinion it simply does not get any better than this.
A typical formula for soul 45's in the 60's
seemed to have been a ballad on one side (usually the a side) with the b
side being a dancer...It's a rare treat when both sides are uptempo as
we have here. Both sides are absolutely gloriously uptempo soul.
Oakland, CA's Eugene Blacknell released a handful of cool 45's over the years, but his guitar mastery and band leadership skills were sadly confined within the bay area.
This record would be legendary if only for the intro drum break, and by the time the band comes in with a super funky bed of percussion, organ stabs, and bubbling bass, we're already in funky heaven. It all sets the stage for Eugene himself to come in with a fried out fuzz and wah-wah drenched guitar part that is simply unbelievable.
One of the bands I play in is the LA based Wyldewood Green - this record is essentially the template of what we're cookin' up.
This is a record that I had wanted to feature during the original run of this blog, but it wasn't until after I had ended things here that I managed to score a copy.
The intimidating dude on the picture sleeve is Freddie 'Fingers' Lee, most known in the UK as a rockabilly revival artist throughout the 70's. However, on this record, there's absolutely no 'billy' but a downright overdose of 'rock'. Freddie spent the early 60s as both guitarist and pianist with UK legend Screaming Lord Sutch before striking out on his own around 1965.
In just under two and a half minutes, Freddie and his killer band, The Upper Hand, lay out one of THEE most unhinged freakbeat tracks ever cut to wax. If the fuzzed out riff don't get ya, Freddie's wild vocal leaps most definitely WILL. Musically and lyrically this track is flat out incredible.
While I drive a Honda Hybrid that's nowhere near as cool and certainly doesn't have 'high compression cylinder heads' that Freddie's driving here, I've found myself accidentally speeding over 90 MPH when this song comes on during my regular drives up and down California's I-5.
Freddie recorded only two 45's with the Upper Hand before he went completely in the rockabilly bag. His intensity didn't slow down; there's clips of him destroying pianos with axes and chainsaws on unhinged UK TV appearances.
This record is so beautiful, I could sit and listen to it 20 times in a row...
The Vandals began their singing career as a teenage Temptations tribute
act called The Young Tempts around 1967, while the singers were still in
high school. A court order from THE Temptations saw the group change
their name to The Young Vandals, then, by the time of this final
release, The Vandals. Lead singer Otis Harris nails Eddie Kendricks'
falsetto lead vocal style. After this release, Harris broke up the group
because he wanted to go to college. Fate had other plans, and in a
bizarre twist of life imitating art, Harris BECAME the lead singer for The Temptations in 1971, as a friend urged him to audition for
Kendricks' vacated slot. After changing his first name to Damon, Harris
held the position which he until 1975. His falsetto, which we hear
here, is all over the massive hit and stone classic "Papa Was A Rolling
Stone".
Of course the one recurring theme in music is that of love; for me, the two are one in the same! While I believe in practicing and sharing love every day of the year, I suppose that 2/14 is a fine day to share two soul tracks that epitomize those 'butterfly in the tummy' feelings of love.May all of our days be filled with pure, unfiltered, organic, and genuine love.
(originally posted 10/16/11)
This beautiful song has a rather strange story, and one that is unique
to this record (to my knowledge); namely, the same track was released
three times, in a span of 4 years, by three separate labels, and under
two different group names!
Originally released in 1965 by the Joytones, apparently the producers of
the record felt strongly enough about the record to re-release it,
hoping for the success that it deserved. Unfortunately, it did not hit
the charts on any of its releases.
I believe that it is a Detroit recording, but I may be wrong.
from 1965/1969...
THE LOVE POTION - THIS LOVE
(originally posted 10/27/08)
There's no good way to describe my love affair with the Chicago soul sound of the '60s and early '70s better than whats contained in the grooves. The propulsive motion and swing that's heard in so many Windy City cuts is not only an inspiration, but it's a downright life affirming sound, and it's heard on hundreds and hundreds of superb 45's.
The Dynamic Tints were an extraordinary vocal group that was discovered by musician/ producer/ and Twinight Records A&R talent scout Syl Johnson. While the group penned several of their own sides, this one was written by the incredible session bass player Bernard Reed, whose bubbling style is heard on hundreds of records - some hits (Tyrone Davis - 'Turn Back The Hands Of Time'), but far too many such as this that should have been hits.
There is an underlying sweetness to this record that just hits me straight in the heart; it sounds as though it's beaming down straight from the stars...
I was sad to see that Denise La Salle has passed away; she spent her entire life in music, and was a staple on the blues festival scene until the end. Her debut 45 is one of THE greatest Chicago soul singles, and made such a splash on the Chicago scene that Chess Records licensed it for national release.
(originally posted 9/28/09) here's what I wrote then:
Born in Mississippi and relocated to Chicago, this is the debut 45 from
Denise who later went on to score big with the excellent 1971 track
'Trapped By A Thing Called Love". This number, however, is one of those
tracks that epitomizes the mid 60's Chicago sound and in my opinion is
one of the greatest debut singles ever made. The exact same backing track was used for Nolan Chance's 'Just Like The Weather'; IMO, though, THIS is the version.
Rick Hall was one of the most important 'behind the scenes' folks in the history of soul music. His Fame Studios (and record label), based in the sticks of Muscle Shoals, AL, had a SOUND. During the most intense years of the struggle for racial equality and in the middle of some of the nastiest racial segregation, Hall and the 'Fame Gang' encouraged integration and sent it straight out to wax. Here was a studio in rural Alabama, run by a white man, where (mostly) white musicians laid down some incredibly soulful sounds for some of the greatest black singers of all time.
A few years after the first studio opened, Hall scored his first hit as a producer with Arthur Alexander's beautiful country fried soul track 'You Better Move On'. The success of this single allowed for a new studio to be built, and the first session yielded the incredible 'Steal Away' by Jimmy Hughes (who sang and wrote this track). 'Steal Away' is easily in my 50 favorite songs of all time if I were to compile such a list; in my opinion, it is the epitome of the deep soul sound.
Fame found their biggest successes when Atlantic Records sent Wilson Pickett south to capture some of the Muscle Shoals sound, and Wilson was initially skeptical upon arrival. However, any cynicism was brushed aside when the Fame Gang cut 'Land Of A Thousand Dances' with the Wicked Pickett. Further triumphs were achieved in the studio with Aretha Franklin, and Etta James (both of whom, arguably, cut their greatest records at Fame).
While Rick Hall's greatest strength was as a technical whiz and a friendly presence who made his artists comfortable in the studio (evidenced by the other worldly performances), he also had a hand in some songwriting. Joined up with Dan Penn and the mysterious Oscar Frank, this trio penned the classic breakup cut, 'You Left The Water Running'. While it wasn't cut at Fame, Barbara Lynn's swinging version is a true gem.
Thank you, Rick Hall. You were an American treasure.
What happened when (Monkees producer and Turtles member) Chip Douglas, Linda Ronstadt, Gram Parsons, Gene Parsons, Howard Kaylan, Henry Diltz, Cyrus Faryar, and (probably) Micky Dolenz' Moog synthesizer got together in '67? This beautiful piece of folk-rock melancholy holiday sound was born.
Unjustly obscure, in a perfect world this is the type of record that would be heard everywhere during the holiday season.
Peace and love to all.
from 1967...
THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT - WILL YOU STILL BELIEVE IN ME
Christmas arrived early this year, in that I found a copy of this record (that I've been chasing for many years) back last July.
Issued both in 1976 (to the fan club in limited numbers) and again in
1986 (this copy), this single hardly ever turns up for sale because both
pressings were so limited, and most people tend to hang onto them. I
have no idea where the '86 release was even SOLD, as I was both a
Monkees fan and reading Goldmine magazine as a youngster during this era
and I never remember seeing it for sale, and certainly have never seen
it in any record stores. Perhaps producer Chip Douglas repressed it for
the fan club only, I'm simply not sure. I've had both sides of this 45
on a lo-fi bootleg LP for over 20 years, but nothing beats having this
copy with the uber-cool picture sleeve showing the fellas in the studio,
reunited.
Chip Douglas and (Turtle) Howard Kaylan wrote the song back in 1968, and
it was issued as a single by a group calling themselves The Christmas
Spirit, which was made up of several Turtles and Linda Ronstadt. While
the song was revisited for The Monkees version, it was completely
re-arranged in a far superior way for their track, which is pure magic.
The group was unable to use the name Monkees due to legal restrictions,
so the record was cleverly released as We Three Monkees. Michael Nesmith
chose not to participate, but the rumor mill claims that it's none
other than Nez playing pedal steel guitar on both sides. Micky and Davy
take turns on the lead vocal, which is heartfelt and lovely, and the
song itself is a wonderful thing. What's in the grooves makes it obvious
that everyone involved was having a ball when they made the record.
Davy takes the lead for a very moving, country flavored version of
"White Christmas" on the flip side, which shows how this man could croon
with the best of them and how missed he is.
The words written on the back of the picture sleeve, "An expression of
friendship and togetherness to make the holidays a little brighter for
all of us" couldn't be more spot on.
Whatever it is that you celebrate, I wish you peace, love, and happiness today, tomorrow and everyday.
from 1976...
THE MONKEES - CHRISTMAS IS MY TIME OF YEAR b/w WHITE CHRISTMAS
One of the prettiest, yet little known soul Christmas singles.
I'm not sure if this Betty Lloyd is the same singer who was a member of
the east coast girl group The Percells; Thomas Records was a Chicago label (an offshoot of Curtis Mayfields' Curtom label), and this track certainly has an indelible
Chicago stamp on it.
The lyrics brilliantly capture the feeling of being alone at Christmas,
but without self pity. Oozing with quality, this song should truly be a
holiday standard.
I'm not one to pick favorites of anything, but this 45, along with The Staple Singers staggeringly beautiful Twenty Fifth Day Of Decemberare my favorite holiday records.
I didn't say much about the a-side on my original post, but the real story is in the grooves. It's a wonderful song, played and sang with exceptional talent by this excellent group that deserved mass fame.
Here's what I wrote about it 7 years ago:
One area that wasn't explored very deeply by US garage bands was the
Christmas record; however, Chicago's Saturday's Children were way too
sophisticated to be called a garage band.
Here, the band (deeply
influenced by the Beatles) melds "Deck The Halls" with Dave Brubeck's
jazz standard "Take Five' and turns it into a jazzy, quasi-psychedelic
number that I almost guarantee will bring on some holiday cheer. This
group had an incredible knack for harmonies, and tackle the tricky 5/4
time signature with ease making for the most hypnotic Christmas record
I've ever heard. The other side is an exceptional holiday original
showcasing their excellent group harmonies and songwriting skill.
I
don't know what was in the water and air in Chicago & Detroit
during the 60s, but whatever it was it propelled soul and rock music
into the stratosphere, with massive amounts of high quality records
being released.
