LOUIS CURRY - CAPTIVATED

An absolutely lovely Detroit track with a most excellent intro guitar hook. INCREDIBLE propulsive drumming on this track! Yet another great record that was lost in the pool of Detroit's talent overflow.

from 1968...

LOUIS CURRY - CAPTIVATED

CHARLIE RICH - DANCE OF LOVE

EDDIE BO - THE RUBBER BAND (part one)

One of the trickier 'Bo 45's to find (I also don't think this has ever been reissued but I may be wrong) this wild track certainly deserves to be heard!

For some reason (a favor?) the writing credit was given to Knight Records/ studio owner Traci Borges, although there is no doubt that it was written by Eddie.

Between this and Popcorn Wylie's "Funky Rubber Band" (sure to be a future 45 of the day), I really wanna know what this rubber band dance was.

If you wanna hear part two, drop me a line!

from 1970...

EDDIE BO - THE RUBBER BAND (part one)

FAQ's

Lotsa people write and ask about technical things relating to how I present the songs for this blog, typically complimenting how good the records sound (even the ones that looked thrashed).

Here's the process.

1) Start with a clean record: The first thing I do before I listen to any record is deep clean it. Most of these things have years of dust and filth caked in the grooves so a deep cleaning will bring out MORE sound that is, well, cleaner. Sure, there are fancy machines on the market that cost hundreds of dollars but I do it the old fashioned way (as demonstrated by Joe Bussard in "Desperate Man Blues"). I use the kitchen sink, mild dish soap and a sponge. First wet the record, then scrub it groove-ways with a soapy sponge then rinse. I then place it on a dish drying rag as seen in the picture. If a label is porous paper, you may suffer label damage. As for me, I'd rather have a clean record and I don't worry so much about possible water damage to a label.

2) Playback: Grado makes an EXCELLENT mono stylus; the mono stylus is wider which covers more of the groove and brings out more sound, as well as removing lots of surface noise.

3) Preamp: Hi fi receivers from the 60's and 70's tend to have excellent quality phono preamps, the likes of which would cost well over a thousand bucks for a modern equivalent! These vintage receivers (mine is circa 1966 and tube powered) tend to be found for CHEAP and they will help make your records sound better. 60's tube gear is more for maniacs like myself who don't mind maintenance; 70's solid state amps are very reliable and cheaper yet. I have a backup 70's Scott that i bought for $25 that sounds almost as good as the tube unit.

4) digitizing: I've used a bunch of different methods, but for the last 2 years I've stuck with a Zoom H2 digital recorder. The analog to digital converters have improved drastically and these units have surprisingly good sound.
Hopefully this will help make YOUR records sound better!

THE STOOGES - I WANNA BE YOUR DOG

Being as this is Thanksgiving, I am very thankful that at one time people had the chutzpah to perform music like this, and VERY thankful that this gem is in my collection.

from 1969...

THE STOOGES - I WANNA BE YOUR DOG

BILLY HARNER - SALLY SAYIN' SOMETHIN'

Here's another great track from Philadelphia's "Percolator"; one of the finest blue eyed soul singers of the sixties!

Look at the writers credit, however; POLTERGEIST??? Really?

from 1967...

BILLY HARNER - SALLY SAYIN' SOMETHIN'

NICK ALLEN - HARD WAY TO GO

A very nice Southern Soul record from North Carolina. A very interesting song full of twists and turns which also contains a very sweet tribute to the recently killed Otis Redding in the lyrics.

from 1968...

NICK ALLEN - HARD WAY TO GO

THE BELLES - DON'T PRETEND

The sexy, sultry lead vocal on this track is none other than one of the all time greats...BRENDA HOLLOWAY! Her sister Patrice is also heard on backing vocals, along with Sherlie Matthews (a songwriter of great reknown) . They were signed to the Mirwood contract under fake names, since Brenda was a Motown artist. Oh how I love Brenda Holloway!

from 1966...

THE BELLES - DON'T PRETEND

BIG STAR - WHEN MY BABY'S BESIDE ME

Alex Chilton, RIP.

Not only have I been a massive fan of his work with the Box Tops, Big Star and on his own, Alex introduced me to so much great r&b (Willie Tee, Eddie Floyd, etc) and I am very thankful for that.

The voice of Alex Chilton was a national treasure; taking elements of his hometown (Memphis) and absorbing that city's soul, blues and rockabilly and distilling it through British invasion splendor this was a man that saw no color boundaries in music; the true spirit of this blog, actually. The last time I saw him perform was at the Ponderosa Stomp (was it last year or the year before- can't remember) where he was playing guitar (he was an unsung, incredible guitarist as well) in one of the backing groups, seemingly happy as can be in the shadows. You will be sorely missed, Mr Chilton.


Now this has been a band that has been on almost constant rotation since I was working at a great independent record store back when I was 16 or so and my boss introduced me to more great music that has been a constant inspiration.

With the exception of some wise critics, at the time of their existence Big Star were all but ignored. However, their Memphis bred power pop (with a whole lot of homegrown hometown grit and soul- notice Ardent records was part of the crumbling Stax records empire) has been slow burning over the years which has culminated in Rhino Records' recently issued box set which is a real work of art and one of the best all time archival releases (and remember, that's coming from someone who really can't stand CD's).

Big Star's albums are superb, but this track is just such a perfect match for the 45 RPM format and the fact that it wasn't massive just kills me. Also, I look at the failure of this record as being a metaphor of the end of the glory years of rock and roll. From this point on, with rare exceptions, the days of music such as this succeeding was over, thanks to big business taking over, segregating radio and effectively killing the single. How interesting that with the download/ itunes revolution, we are now back to the single revolution...

Oh yeah; the other side of this 45 is "In The Street"; used years later (in an inferior version) as the theme song to "That 70's Show". Finally, Alex Chilton got the pay day he deserved.

from 1972...

BIG STAR - WHEN MY BABY'S BESIDE ME

MARY LOVE - LAY THIS BURDEN DOWN

"Storming" is a word that gets thrown around quite a bit when describing soul records and that certainly sprang to mind while I was listening to this track to write the description. To me, the best 'stormers' are tracks that have the stomping Motown beat but add the musical tension as is heard on this track.

Mary Love, still active in the gospel bag, is a Sacramento, California native who began recording in the mid-60's in Los Angeles. She released a handful of records through the 70's which included a few songs used in Rudy Ray Moore movies. This record is the peak, in my opinion and simply an incredible song and performance. The type of which makes me devote so much of my time towards collecting records!

from 1966...

MARY LOVE - LAY THIS BURDEN DOWN

DIANE & ANNITA - ALL CRIED OUT

With its' epic, sweeping production (I especially love the fuzz guitar and massive drums) one would think there would be more known info about this duo. Leads me to believe (and I may be very wrong) that this is either a new York or L.A studio concoction.

Anyone know any more about them?

from 1965...

DIANE & ANNITA - ALL CRIED OUT