vinyl show & tell vol. 13 - Eric Donaldson "More Love / The Price" (1976)

I really buy the general sincerity of most Jamaican reggae singers. It's probably a combination of things (love of Jah, copious amounts of ganja, etc) but I just get really happy hearing guys like Eric sing away. The A-side "More Love" is a pretty standard dubwise song about Jah's love and the need for it to "rain down on the human race". It's really sweet and has one of those Mittoo organ lines that the Clash went gaga over. The B-side "The Price" shifts down into a moodier groove with similar vocal style being put forth by Donaldson in his romantic plea. Both songs are clean pop productions with little of the drugged-out effects of heavy instrumental dub, but you can bet that these tunes were reworked into one at some point.

The label at work is Jaguar, one of many from the legendary "Randy" Chin, a dude responsible for making tons of records, careers, and legends in the world of Jamaican music over the decades. Rest in Peace.


this gets a 7 out of 10 on the good collie herb scale...

vinyl show & tell vol. 12 - the PACKERS "Go Head On / Hole in the Wall" (1965)

("Go Head On" plays first...)



You better believe shit was really poppin off in 1965. Soul and rock were on an inevitable crash course fueled by a blues-obsessed teenage pop market, giving opportunity to amazing combos from nearly everywhere in the world. Ray Charles was one of the first, but Stax really did it better than anybody at that time by creating a back catalog of r&b/soul that deserves to be in the Smithsonian (and probably is). We all know Booker T. and the MG's were the mighty house band for all those great records but we often don't know how many bands took their style as gospel...Like this affable bunch of West coast musicians.

"Hole in the Wall" shows credit to the B-boys although one name is suspiciously (or erroneously) listed as "Crooper" not "Cropper". The sound is heavier than Stax here, more like a late 60's Joel Dorn Atlantic side or something, doubling piano and organ, Telecaster, congas, handclaps, and some well-placed shouts. Wish it went on longer. "Go Head On" seems to be an original tune that heats up a bit more than the cover. The Hammond organ on this cut just screams out in a special way, the way that provokes women to shout "Ooh Lord!". Drums couldn't sound any better, but those breakdowns should be longer. This type of song never really goes anywhere except the one riff, but honestly, why should it?

Just like the label says, "PURE SOUL MUSIC".


awarded a 7 out of 10 on the "C'mon Now, Let's Go!" scale...

vinyl show & tell vol. 11 - the WANTED "Here to Stay / In the Midnight Hour"

I went a little crazy with mid 60's garage compilations after reading the excellent history of Greg Shaw and Bomp Records, spending more than should've been alotted at the Bomp website. One fortunate purchase was a few volumes of the series Highs in the Mid Sixties, an anthology of all the best local garage/psychobilly/acid/psych/surf/punk rock bands you've never heard of. Pretty much every suburban region that was fertile with Stones and Animals rip-offs are given their own album or albums, the best being Wisconsin/Minnesota, Texas, and our fair state of Michigan. I made sure to show my mom this record when it first came in the mail, hoping she might recognize at least one band name or venue title with little sucess, leaving me saddened not only that I had missed such a great local scene but that she had as well.

The Wanted were not featured on these records but certainly would have been in good company. "Here to Stay" is a moody tune about lost teenage love and the regret this young man feels for being duped by some metro-Detroit Jezebel. I'm hard pressed to think of any other adjective than "cool" to describe the overall sound here, easily distinguishing itself from the excess of garage rock blues rave-ups a la The Yardbirds. Much more surf than soul. Hazy organ leads, melancholy vocal delivery, haunting chorus, and a perfectly placed fuzz guitar bridge add up to one helluva Detroit rock gem. On the B-side, the guys do a bang-up cover job on one of the biggest songs in the garage repetoire, "In the Midnight Hour" by Wilson Pickett. Both were originally recorded at Detroit Sound, 12730 E. Warren in Detroit, date unknown.

9 out of 10 on the "Rep Ya' City" scale...

vinyl show & tell vol. 10 - the EMPERORS "Karate" (1966)

Sometimes a small stuffy room is the best way to record loud music. If you only have two/four tracks to capture the performance of a six piece band, they're gonna have to be close to one another anyway. Pack em in, flip the tape, and let em jam...No edits.

"Karate" is among the rowdiest 1960's soul that almost thinks it's funk, defying an origin of Pennslyvania with a New Orleans beat, running it down in a most respectable manner. The drums tumble back & forth on themselves while the bass just keeps thumpin, all of which is made cohesive with some Hammond organ and shout-sing. The same ingredients grace the B side ("I've Got to Have Her") with a slower pace and romantic intentions.

Mala was a short-lived branch of Bell Records whose roster included an assortment of garage rock, northern soul, and pop. After this minor 1966 hit, The Emporers signed to Brunswick to release a small string of singles that never rivaled the success of "Karate". Bell and Mala were eventually absorbed by Columbia in the late sixties and this fantastic little combo was soon forgotten.

8 out of 10 on the "Can't Stop Movin" scale...

Totally rad reissue over @ Dusty Groove dude...

HARD TIMES MEANS SMALLER RECORDS...VINYL DIGGING REPORT...

Spending too much on everything lately...Does this stop me from record shopping? Not at all. The beauty of vinyl is that it comes in all sizes, hence the '45 Sunday Hunt'. Assuming that it's not something super rare (that the dealer knows about at least), a 45rpm is usually at least half the price of a good 12-inch album. Boo yah, more bang for your music buck.

Diggin in them cakes and pulled out:

Count Five 'Psychotic Reaction / They're Gonna Get You' - classic songs, drove Lester Bangs to write a lengthy essay that's a great read. classic mid 60's garage fuzztone blues, with heavy harmonica, doubletime freakout, and a big nod to the Yardbirds. Essential.

HB Barnum 'Hallelujah / Lost Love' - this guy used to play piano & organ and eventually started co-writing with David Axelrod during his best period at the end of the 60's. This one sounds earlier, it's instrumental soul dance music that's heavy on the Hammond and Spector percussion.

Donald Austin 'Crazy Legs / Nan-Zee' - Holy jeez, this one's a killer...Bought it based on the title and the private press-styled label and couldn't be more glad. Gutbucket hard funk with choppy horns and awesome drums. Sounds like something that should be reissued. Put out by Woody Records.

Cal Green 'Revolution Rap (parts 1 & 2)' - I don't know if this guy is related to Grant Green, the jazz guitar player, but he sounds a lot like him. Good funky, late 60's Blue Note sounding jazz. Two variations on the same tune.

Paul Humphrey 'Cool Aid / Detroit' - this one is another heavy bit of funk, except i can't say that it's an original find by me. saw this on the Brainfreeze dvd by Shadhow and Cut Chemist. 'Detroit' is the B side with amazing drum breakdowns. Got it at the bottom of grocery bag for a buck.

Laura Lee 'If I'm Good Enough to Love / If You Can Beat Me Rockin' - On the Hot Wax label, which was a branch of Buddha, the mega-pop machine of the late 60's that could produce some fairly boring shit. Their stuff often looks psychedelic or soulful and will sometimes disappoint, big time. This one is good though, female-fronted fuzz bass soul with clean production and heavy drums.

Latimore 'Ain't Nobody Gonna Make Me Change My Mind / Let's Straighten It Out' - slick Fender Rhodes jazz funk from Florida, probably from around 72-75. Amazing tunes, great label sticker (Glades Records), sounds like Roy Ayers.

Jimmy 'Bo' Horne 'Gimme Some (parts 1 & 2)' - like the best that James Brown ever recorded, with a dash of the J5...from the Alston label in 1975, 'Bo' put out this classic song complete with dance instrumental. The beat is straight four to the floor and could get a crowd to go nuts today i bet. Good, so good.

Betty Wright 'Clean Up Woman / I'll Love You Forever' - Also from Alston Records, this was written by Little Beaver so you know it's gots to be funky. This was a pretty big song in Miami apparently when it came out in 1972, for good reason.

The Flaming Ember '1200 Miles / Sunshine' - slight touches of the heavy make this band sound a little like Earth Wind and Fire on acid, but nowhere near somebody like P Funk, who goes all the way. Real well recorded, was probably a major label offshoot that never made it. Not bad, not bad.

Fabulous Counts 'Lunar Funk / Get Down People' - Super funk from the Moira label, which looks like an independent, but was distributed by Cotillion (a big guy)...weird. anyway, the music is dirty heavy funk with electric organ (sounds like a Vox). 'Lunar Funk' is my favorite due to them running the organ thru an echoplex to get a great spacey sound that oscillates to the beat. highly recommended!

James Brown 'The Payback I & II' - already have a copy, but you should always buy this record if you see one for less than $5...Trust me, you'll wear it out quickly. Don't know this one? Then you ain't down with Mr. Brown. A good place to start.

James Brown 'Funky President / Coldblooded' - Same as above...Both of these are heavily sampled tracks that have graced some classic hip hop records, so you won't find anything new here, but the songs are still amazing. 'Funky President' is one of my favorite JB songs period...Bassline is just ridiculous.

Rufus Thomas 'Do the Funky Penguin (parts 1 & 2)' - by now you've probably seen the pattern with good funk 45's...put the radio cut on the A side and the instrumental dance cut on the B side. Love it, not unlike hip hop 12's. Another classic, as far as sampling breaks go, but still just a great one to have for listening/mixing/gettin-the-fuck-down.

Eric Donaldson 'the Price / More Love' - who is this guy?! sounds like late 60's dub reggae from King Tubby's studio. Nope, it was recorded in 76 by Chin-Clive in New York City, Brooklyn acutally. Chin-Clive were the guys who ran the Impact! label in Jamaica in the late 60's, putting out classic Augustus Pablo sides. Refreshingly, there's no update on the sound quality or instrumentation compared to their older productions on this one...Classic dubwise riddims.

Vanity Fare 'Man Child / Hitchin a Ride' - eerie Hammond organ and Mellotron pads out this strange pop-psych single from the late 60's. the lyrics to 'Man Child' are all about things the singer used to do as a kid, that he of course has now lost the ability to do since he's old. sad and weird. 'Hitchin a Ride' is ok, but rips off Manfred Mann way too much with the Mellotron flute intro.

Billy Paul 'War of the Gods' - this was my only cheat on buying a 12-inch album. looks like psyched out soul-funk, but is actually pretty tame. however, the title track is a slickly produced 10 minute epic with crazy synths and electric piano. Plus, i'm almost positive that there's a DJ Shadow sample on here too ('The time has come...' vocal bit).



album of the day: