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From what I can gather, this is the only release from the mysterious C.C. Jones, and what an amazing record it is. With a moody backging track, C.C's voice is so loaded down with echo and reverb it sounds as though he's floating in from another track entirely!
Definitely not hit record material, but it's a great example of how psychedelia had infiltrated soul by the end of the '60's. This song could easily fit on one of Lee Fields recent albums as well.
This is the final 45 from The Ikettes on their own, and they went out SWINGIN' with this funky little double sider groover showcasing some powerhouse vocals. The Ikettes lineup was in flux over the years, but I think that twin sisters Alesia and Tiresia Butler are part of the trio here (it sure sounds like sisterly harmony on the tracks) and either Lynda Shuford Jones or Stonye Figueroa rounding out the trio.
The Natural Four were one of the finest harmony groups of the late '60's, and they hailed from Oakland, CA. The groups' debut single was "I Thought You Were Mine" on the local label Boola-Boola, which became a massive bay area smash and saw the group signed to ABC Records. ABC released two singles from the group in an attempt to break out nationally; while the records were excellent, they didn't catch on for whatever reason.
In line of the old saying "third time's a charmer", ABC went back to the beginning, and had the group re-cut "I Thought You Were Mine", no doubt in an attempt to recapture the song that caught on so strongly in the groups' home base. While the debut recording is fantastic, the remake is a notch stronger, in my opinion. The tempo is upped slightly, and the urgency of the vocals results in a magical recording. While this record has HIT written all over it, chart success was not forthcoming. A pity, as this record is ultra rare; it's known and loved by collectors, instead of being one that's heard everywhere and remembered as one of THE great soul hits of the late '60's.
By the time of Betty Everett's first hit in 1963 ("You're No Good"), Mississippi born Betty had been recording since 1957 (in Chicago, where she moved to pursue a singing career).
Gifted with a voice that possessed amazing pitch control (just MARVEL at how she slides in and around notes here) and power, Betty SHOULD have seen far more hit singles throughout her career. Perhaps this side was a bit too raw (even the slick string arrangement can't cover up the urgency and fire of the backing band), but it's a fantastic showcase for her fantastic voice. It was released twice; once on the tiny Renee label, then picked up for national distribution by One-Der-Ful.
These Commotions (the name has been used by several groups through the years) released two singles, one of which was on the Blue Rock label; this leads me to believe that they may have been a Chicago group. I can't find any other info about them, although producer/ co-writer Clarence Lawton was quite active on the soul/ disco scene in the '70's.
Whoever they were, they hit it HARD on this side, with some OUTTA SITE female vocals, and a groove that's so deep I guarantee you're gonna fall in. Bongos? Yes, please! A great record.
I've had this record sitting in my stack of potential 45's of the day for years, and I had forgotten how AMAZING it is; thankfully, it popped up on shuffle play on the ipod during a long road trip I took last week. Until this morning, I had no idea the story behind it and how HEAVY it actually is (a BIG thank you to Ayana @ darkjive.com and her research on the group).
I strongly recommend reading the whole story at the above link, but, in a nutshell, songwriter/ musician/ civil rights activist Oscar Brown Jr (composer of "Work Song" among other classics) contacted the notorious Chicago gang The Blackstone Rangers in 1967 about the possibilities of life beyond gangs. It turns out that the gang was full of talent, and Brown created a show call Opportunity, Please Knock that showcased the talents of these young people that didn't really have much of a chance in life. The show was a success and there was even a performance from the troupe on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.
As for the record, it's extremely powerful stuff even without knowing the back story. Learning what I did this morning makes it even more extraordinary.
from 1968...
THE OPPORTUNITY PLEASE KNOCK CHORUS - ALL THIS TALK ABOUT FREEDOM
A gorgeous record from the waning days of the vocal group revival that happened in the late '60's. This seems to be the only release from this group, and I'm afraid that I don't have any biographical info on who they were or where they were from.
Whatever the story, these dudes could SING, and with a glorious harmony blend. Too bad they didn't have more chances to do their thing.
Manhattan-born Lotti Golden has had a fascinating career; as a high school honors student, she was signed to a publishing deal with Bob Crewe's Saturday Music company. Songs written about her experiences in the New York City of the late '60's resulted in the Crewe-produced cult classic LP Motor-Cycle. This single is from the same era but was not included on the album.
Lotti went on to record another album (for GRT), got into the rock scribe bag for Creem and Crawdaddy, and, in a startling transformation became an early architect of the NYC electro-hip hop scene in the early '80's. Lotti wrote and produced numerous hits for many artists in the '80's and '90's urban music scene.
This single takes two classic hard-hitting soul jams, adds a strong touch of boogaloo, and showcases Lotti's incredibly powerful and punchy vocals at the forefront. She was all of 18 years old when this single was cut!
from 1969...
LOTTI GOLDEN - SOCK IT TO ME BABY / IT'S YOUR THING
There were several groups with the same name, this particular one was Chicago based. The only other thing I know about them is that their other single on Kellmac ("What'cha Gonna Do") sells for over $8000 when it turns up! "What'cha Gonna Do" is a cool uptempo track, but this beautiful mid-tempo number is highlighted by glorious vocals cutting through a very murky production, resulting in one of those other-worldly soul tracks that sounds as if it's being eamed in from somewhere far, far away.
This is the final single from this Memphis family group (lead vocalist Barbara, Roberta, Betty, and Maurice Brown). The group is perhaps best known for their mid '60's releases on Stax ("I Don't Want Trouble" was one of the very first 45's I featured here back in 2007). In lesser hands, this song could fall victim to a rather generic blues track, but between Barbara's powerhouse lead vocal, excellent harmony by her sisters and some DRIVING musicianship, this record COOKS.
Barbara recorded a few more singles as a solo artist, but her recording career ended in 1972.
If one were to judge this record simply by the intro, it may be a turn
off. While the girls sing the "yeah's" in cool harmony, it may lead the
listener to think the record may be a lesser effort than it is. As soon
as the verse kicks in, the lyrics transcend the simplicity of the intro
and chorus, not only with the words but also the somewhat gloomy melody
over the stomping beats. No surprise that George Clinton was involved;
the melody has his indelible stamp all over it!
