Backing Vocals – Brenda Liverman, Jackie Myrick, Jamie Cannata, Lisa Demmings, Mary Diggs, Otis Jones
Bass – Carton Brown, Kenny James
Drums – Eric Roberts, Lemanel Harper
Handclaps – Barry Ashley, Beverly Hathcock
Keyboards – Julius Faulkner
Lead Guitar – Sam "Johnson Swanson" Diggs
Percussion – Clarence Vincent
Rhythm Guitar – Harold "Sundance Kid" Bonds
Strings – Doris Bagget, Lillian Zaret, Peter Zaret, Raymond Pancarowicz
Trumpet – Greg Galishaw
Here's one very rare early 80's soul and boogie LP, as clean original copies now fetch well over $500, if you can find it...
The story of Van Jones, as with all great singers, starts off in the church. Till this day, singing alongside his brothers as ‘The King David’s Harp’, the family gospel group would see Silvanis, ‘Van’ for short, join them at a young age. Needless to say, growing up in Norfolk in the late 50s & 60s and being surrounded by producers & artists such as Lenis Guess, Danny Gold, Lee Fields to name a few, it’s only natural that Van would start an R&B group and begin touring the East Coast.
In the mid-70s, on the way to New York City to audition for The Temptations, Van would stop off to see his brother Otis in New Jersey. Their cousin was dating George Kerr at the time, so Kerr & Linda Jones were natural fixtures at Otis’ place. In knowing that, Van’s first time meeting Kerr would be on this trip, he brought up some demo tracks he had been working on which would soon after lead on to recording ‘I Want To Groove You’ at the Guess studio back in Norfolk, with his backing vocal group ’The Jays’ whom consisted of Otis & his sisters.
Whilst visiting Detroit to work on his forthcoming album ‘Time Has Made Me New’, Van went to see a performance by Norfolk native, Wilson Williams. The two had previously worked on music together, however this would be the first time he met Mary Diggs, William’s backing vocalist. Diggs, another Norfolk native, would then perform with Van as well as feature on his album.
As mentioned earlier, Van is still singing alongside his brothers, and there are future projects on the horizon, however for now, there’s only one question….well, do ya?
Van Jones is one hip dude -- stepping out here in a wonderful self-produced set from the Virgina scene of the early 80s -- but one that crackles with the best sort of sound of the New York scene of the time! The record's really well done -- a great mix of funky steppers and mellower numbers that reminds us of some of our favorite indie soul sides in the post-disco years -- with a really lean feel overall, but one that's the result of focus, more than just a rough production on Van's part. The upbeat tracks mix in wicked keyboards and bass bits -- and often have two or more female voices stepping along with the grooves -- and the few mellower tracks slide in nicely too, with a sound that's smooth but never too slick. One of those rare indie sides that really sounds like it should have been more pro at the time.
Recorded and mixed in January of 1978 in Columbia Studio II, Columbia complex, Rizoupoli, Athens.
Rare folk-disco project coming from Lebanon.The producer Ziad Rahbani released only one disco project for the Zida label and was pressed in a very limited run in 1978 of about 500 copies only (due to some difficulties coming from the political situation that occurred in Lebanon), so today it's not easy to find original copies in nice conditions and you have to consider that the original pressing quality wasn't at the highest levels. Ziad Rahbani (born January 1st, 1956) is a Lebanese composer, pianist, performer, playwright, and political commentator. He is the eldest son of Fairuz and Assi Rahbani. His compositions are well known throughout the Arab world, especially because he is responsible for Fairuz's musical works from 1980s onwards. Many of his musicals satirize Lebanese politics both during and after the civil war, and are often strongly critical of the traditional political establishment.
Close your eyes and think back to your Record Store Day 2019 for a moment. What did you do? What did you buy? What was your favorite discovery of the day? I hate to be the one to tell you this, but if the answer to at least one of these questions wasn’t Lebanese disco, you didn’t do Record Store Day 2019 as well as you could have.
For Record Store Day this year, Wewantsounds did a deep dive and came up with gold – in the form of ultra-rare 1978 Ziad Rahbani 12-inch single “Abu Ali”, the original of which is up for sale on Discogs for $650 at the very lowest. Fortunately, the curators over at Wewantsounds saw fit to remaster the album and reissue it for the first time, original artwork and all. The track clocks in at a whopping 13 minutes, plenty of time to seamlessly integrate all the hallmarks of a perfect disco track: strings, horns, and drama.
“Abu Ali” begins with a few seconds of delicate cinematic embellishment – and then the bass slaps down, soulful and driven by a simmering beat. The mix gradually grows more and more symphonic, a bold regiment of brass alternating with sinuous violin lines and electronics: guitar, bass, and keys. The percussion moves steadily, with subtle changes throughout the piece. Jazz keys add glitter. A ney flute and hand drums, along with melismatic calls from Joseph Saqr, lend more clearly Levantine influences that emerge organically from the more traditional disco soundscape.
From start to finish, “Abu Ali” is a voluptuous, exciting piece with a wordless story arc to tell. Passion, action, and intrigue are all present, somehow, in the only disco single to be found in the repertoire of legendary composer Rahbani.
No less beguiling is the more laid-back b-side, “Prelude (Theme from Mais El Rim)”. Mais El Rim, a play by Ziad’s father and uncle that originally starred Ziad’s mother, renowned Lebanese singer Fairuz, is based on classic premises: love, family, and trouble. All play a role in inspiring this overture, simpler than “Abu Ali” but no less careful in its arrangement. Here, Rahbani crosses from the cinematic into the theatrical but refrains from losing control over his composition at any time. Never is it bombastic; instead, it sounds like the beginning of a production worth sitting through, neither too light to be engaging nor too far into melodrama to entertain.
Classical composer, playwright, and political commentator, Ziad Rahbani is known much more for opera, jazz, and political and romantic aspects of his personal life than for this single disco gem. Its rich remastering and fortuitous rerelease, though, make this deviance from Rahbani’s usual style accessible again at last. This is the kind of material that should be every Record Store Day participant’s goal: unearthing the all-but-lost, taking great music from vintage obscurity into the contemporary spotlight it deserves. “Abu Ali” is a fantastic piece to rediscover some 40 years after its original release, and the orange vinyl is a must for vintage collectors of all kinds.
02. Mande Moin On Lajan, Pa Mande Moin Za Fe An Moin (My Business)
03. Turn Your Face On Me
04. Steel Ka Dance
05. Moin Epi Vou
06. Nsi Ho (Dédié À Notre Père)
Edouard Decimus - (accordion)
Francoise Lancreot - (alto flute)
Georges Decimus _ (bass, synthesizer, guitar, chorus)
Serge Bourgeois - (drums, percussion)
Charles Gassette, Gustave-Marie Catin - (saxopone)
Pirmée Ramon - (synthesizer)
Nerva Gervais, Victorius Masse - (trumpet)
Malachi Thompson (trumept)
Jocelyn Moka - (vocals)
ULTRA RARE album from Guadeloupe. Fantastic proto-zouk from Georges and Pierre-Edouard Decimus, NSI (New Sound from the Islands) was a concept launched by the Decimus family.
The album was released at the end of 1981, at the same time as Kassav's album 'N'4' with the singer Jocelyn Moka. Georges Decimus has been the bassist of Kassav' since the beginnings of the group.
NSI stands for "new sounds from the islands" – and that's definitely what you'll get here from this combo who serve up a fantastic blend of Antilles rhythms and contemporary club funk – all very much in the best spirit of the early zouk movement at the time! There's lots of great bass on the record – often used as the key core element of the tunes, with keyboards, guitar lines, and vocals layered alongside – almost with a quality that seems to echo the way that American groups were borrowing bits from the Caribbean and using it to inflect funk and soul up in the New York scene of the early 80s. The music is plenty playful, and very groovy
Lee Moses was a huge talent and if he’d had the big hit album he richly deserved, Time And Place would’ve been it. A self-taught multi-instrumentalist, Moses cut his teeth in the clubs of Atlanta, the ‘Motown of the South’, where he frequently performed alongside his contemporary Gladys Knight (who reportedly wanted him for the Pips, but couldn’t pin him down).
It was, however, in New York in the ‘60s that Moses made his greatest bid to find the solo fame he desired. Moses began working there as a session player, even playing frequently with a pre-fame Jimi Hendrix, but his close relationship with producer and Atlanta native Johnny Brantley eventually saw him getting his own break via a series of 45s in 1967 – most notably with covers of Joe Simon’s “My Adorable One”, The Four Tops’ “Reach Out, I’ll Be There” and The Beatles’ “Day Tripper”.
It was 1971 before Moses’ dream of being at stage front was realized, when he released his Brantley-produced LP Time And Place for Maple Records. Recorded with a band including members of The Ohio Players and Moses’ own backing group The Deciples, it was, nonetheless, Moses himself whose star quality shone through, via his scratchy guitar riffs, his throat-ripping vocals and the stirring mood that permeates the LP’s heady mix of funk, soul and R&B.
The LP did no business, and Moses’ dream quickly crumbled. Though details on his life are scarce, it’s believed he fled New York disenchanted with the music industry, feeling he’d been double-crossed by Brantley both in credit and remuneration for the countless records he’d played on. Back in Atlanta, Moses returned to playing the clubs, married twice, and fell into depression and drug dependency. He died in 1997 at the age of 56.
Time And Place soon became a much-sought-after item for collectors, and its cult has continued to grow over the years. Here, we re-present it on deluxe vinyl, with brand new liner notes from Sarah Sweeney including interviews with Moses’ sister and his closest collaborator, the singer and guitarist Hermon Hitson. Through them, Moses becomes a little – but just a little – less of an enigma.
Lee Moses was a huge talent and if he’d had the big hit album he richly deserved, Time And Place would’ve been it. A self-taught multi-instrumentalist, Moses cut his teeth in the clubs of Atlanta, the ‘Motown of the South’, where he frequently performed alongside his contemporary Gladys Knight (who reportedly wanted him for the Pips, but couldn’t pin him down).
It was, however, in New York in the ‘60s that Moses made his greatest bid to find the solo fame he desired. Moses began working there as a session player, even playing frequently with a pre-fame Jimi Hendrix, but his close relationship with producer and Atlanta native Johnny Brantley eventually saw him getting his own break via a series of 45s in 1967 – most notably with covers of Joe Simon’s “My Adorable One”, The Four Tops’ “Reach Out, I’ll Be There” and The Beatles’ “Day Tripper”.
It was 1971 before Moses’ dream of being at stage front was realized, when he released his Brantley-produced LP Time And Place for Maple Records. Recorded with a band including members of The Ohio Players and Moses’ own backing group The Deciples, it was, nonetheless, Moses himself whose star quality shone through, via his scratchy guitar riffs, his throat-ripping vocals and the stirring mood that permeates the LP’s heady mix of funk, soul and R&B.
The LP did no business, and Moses’ dream quickly crumbled. Though details on his life are scarce, it’s believed he fled New York disenchanted with the music industry, feeling he’d been double-crossed by Brantley both in credit and remuneration for the countless records he’d played on. Back in Atlanta, Moses returned to playing the clubs, married twice, and fell into depression and drug dependency. He died in 1997 at the age of 56.
Time And Place soon became a much-sought-after item for collectors, and its cult has continued to grow over the years. Here, we re-present it on deluxe vinyl, with brand new liner notes from Sarah Sweeney including interviews with Moses’ sister and his closest collaborator, the singer and guitarist Hermon Hitson. Through them, Moses becomes a little – but just a little – less of an enigma.
It’s damn near impossible to quantify soul with regard to male vocalists, but consensus has built over the decades. Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, James Brown, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Bobby Caldwell generally top the lists of singers who can make you break down and cry with a few syllables. Rarely, if ever, though, do you hear Lee Moses’ name among the elites. But if you learn one thing from this review, it’s that Moses—who died in 1997 at age 56—ranks as one of the best excavators of deep emotions in music history. The pain and grain of his pipes were just profoundly wrenching. That he died relatively young and unheralded only adds to the pathos when you listen to his records.
A major figure in Atlanta’s soul scene in the ’60s, Moses played guitar for some live gigs with Gladys Knight & The Pips; they wanted him to become a full-time member, but Moses yearned to make it on his own. He had high hopes for his sole album, Time And Place, but it stiffed in the marketplace upon its 1971 release. Nevertheless, true heads knew it was loaded with specialness. There’s a reason that Light In The Attic subsidiary Future Days Recordings has reissued Time And Place on vinyl four times since 2016, including this year. Once you hear Lee Moses sing, it’s like crack for your soul-starved ears. Plus, the originals and the covers that Moses selected cut you deep. You shall be moved.
The opening 1-2 gut punch of “Time And Place” and “Got That Will” should swiftly convince you that Moses was emoting on a level that few could equal. The former lopes into the frame with some horn-laden, laid-back funk as Moses testifies his obsessive love to an inamorata; it also possesses the greatest “mmm hmmm” ever to kick off a song. The latter finds Lee reeling off names of his fellow musicians who made it, and then proclaims that he’s eventually going to join them in the pantheon. Alas, that didn’t come to pass, but the song sure is soul-funk gold. “Every Boy And Girl” is a doom-laden, church soul belter that exudes “House Of The Rising Sun” vibes while “Would You Give Up Everything” is a momentous funk/soul ballad with a complex, corkscrewing bass line—a pretty rare thing. The buoyant, open-hearted melody of “Free At Last” totally embodies the title. And if you dig heart-shredding ballads, Moses sings the shit out of the staggering “Adorable One.”
The album’s best covers are among the most frequently attempted in pop/rock history. Moses puts his indelible stamp on them and makes you wonder why more people don’t consider them definitive. He slows down “California Dreaming” and alters the arrangement into stormy soul, and gruffs it up on the vocal tip. Moses doesn’t so much blow away the Mamas & The Papas’ original as he does transform it into his own joint. Then there’s one of the greatest “Hey Joe”s I’ve ever heard, and I’ve heard over a dozen. In the intro, Moses explains how he was trying to dissuade Joe from going down to shoot his old lady, who was messin’ around with another man. “This is a song about a soul brother named Joe. Joe was a good friend of mine.” Etc. When Moses gets around to singing, he outshines even Tim Rose’s bruised and blustery delivery on this classic. The backing is greasy, Southern blues funk of the highest order.
Time And Place should’ve made Moses a star, with his guitar playing as gritty and expressive as his voice. Plus, he got that will to learn. But all of this somehow wasn’t enough. That the LP’s still in print a quarter century of Moses’ death, though, is a testament of sorts.
02. Why Must Our Eyes Always Be Turned Backwards 4:48
03. To The Establishment 11:14
04. Let Me Into Your Life 6:28
05. That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be 6:56
06. Come On Snob 8:03
Bass – William Murphy
Drums – Steve Holt, Willie Hall
Guitar – Al McKay
Horns – The Horns Of South Memphis
Organ – Sidney Kirk
Piano – Lester Snell
Strings – The Memphis Symphony Orchestra
Vocals – Lou Bond
I read a rave review of this CD reissue in Mojo Magazine a few months ago and was intrigued enough to order it from Amazon. Hearing the first track, a cover of a Jimmy Webb tune called "Lucky Me," I wasn't that impressed. I thought it sounded like slick, mainstream soul with syrupy strings and a singer that didn't quite cut it. But by the end of that song something struck me in Bond's plaintive vocals and I kept listening. And with each song on this CD, I became more and more entranced, caught up in the feeling in these songs, in the political slant to some of the lyrics, and I became more and more impressed.
Very hard to describe this sound, really. Lou Bond has a very earthy, soulful vocal style, straying into pop and jazz and blues territory at times, before planting himself back firmly in southern soul terrain. I'm still not crazy about some of the string arrangements on these songs. I think if the sound had been more stripped down and funky it would have been even more awesome, but this was recorded back in 1974 and it is what it is. And that's still a mighty fine, honestly moving album that soul fans NEED to hear. Another cover on here, Carly Simon's "That's the Way I Always Heard It Should Be" is positively mind-blowing, and the song following that, "Come On Snob," is possibly the highlight of the album. A brilliant, passionate vocal performance by Lou Bond on that track. Chilling stuff.
This reissue was put out by the Light in the Attic label, the ones who helped to put Rodriquez back on the musical map a few years back. Too bad they couldn't have worked the same magic for Lou Bond while he was alive; sadly, he passed away early in 2013. But this CD counts as his legacy, and it's a mighty good one. Listen up, soak it up, and enjoy!
This incredible artist passed on in 2013 and although he may yet remain unknown to most hopefully his music will be brought to the forefront because the only record he has ever released is a poignant masterpiece. Lou Bond is the epitome of an engaged artist, his self-titled release on Stax subsidiary We Produce touches upon many social causes in a very original way with unique and creative lyrics and vocals.
He brings the earnst hard hitting memphis soul approach with folk sensibilities while trying to reach ”What’s going on ” levels of artistery, relevance and orchestration. The result is a soul opus that will leave no one indifferent. This BBC review really details the context in which the record was created and allows you to hear what Bond was aiming to accomplish.
For me personally, the song To the establishement is the crowning achievement, a timeless song that transcends genres and is sure to touch any listener to the core.
So in rememberance to Lou’s music do yourself a favor and purchase the light in the attic reissue i guarantee the record will occupy a special place in your collection. At the very least listen to this song and spare a thought for a humble artist who left all of his soul on an sublime forgotten treasure of an album.
Piano, Electric Piano, Vibraphone, Vocals – Kathleen Warren
Producer – Karl Bornstein, Michael Goldberg
Vocals – Billy Pierce
A key moment in the west coast years of Motown -- and one of the most unique albums the label recorded during the early 70s! The group's got a mixture of soul, funk, and rock -- served up by a hip lineup of younger longhairs who make for a real change from the class and poise of Detroit in the decade before! There's a freewheeling vibe here that takes inspiration from Sly & The Family Stone, but which is handled with some more acoustic elements and jazzier phrasing at times too -- a really great Free Soul quality that's kept the album an under-discovered treasure for years. The whole thing feels more like a lost A&M gem from the Laurel Canyon scene -- but with a definitely soul bent, too --
As the ‘70s began Tamla Motown, flushed with cash from its ’60s successes, was about to relocate from its Detroit home to California, before this wholesale relocation took place the label got one foot in the door via the launch of a West Coast label named….yup you guessed it Mo-West. The label was quickly forgotten once the parent company set up shop in sunnier climbs, although not before they’d scored a handful of hits (Franki Valli’s ‘The Night’ being one of them), a lot of flops and the occasional record that sunk without trace at the time, before its eventual rediscovery – hello Odyssey!
Not to be confused with the late ‘70s pop/disco-ers, who scored big with ‘Native New Yorker’ and ‘Going Back To My Roots’. This Odyssey were an altogether stranger affair; counting an ex-original-member of Chicago Donnie Dacus amongst their line-up and with a musical style that might best be described as a strange amalgam of soul/funk mixed with a dash of sunshine-pop and even a light sprinkling of country – YIKES! But wait come back, check ‘Broken Road’, all super-loose afro/jazz vibes with a liberal dose of West Coast Hippie thrown in for good measure.
If the album has appeared on your radar chances are it’s down to two songs, firstly, the mysteriously titled ‘Battened Ships’ (not that mysterious actually, it’s a long thin strip of wood that helps keep the sail in place), ‘Battened Ships’ is a feet-shuffling, Latin-infused, floor-filler that’s been at the top of the more discerning DJ’s wants lists ever since the album was first deleted – rumours have it that the record was changing hands for as much as $100 in the mid-‘70s!
If ‘Battened Ships’ floats your musical boat then check out ‘Our Lives Are Shaped By What We Love’, big things must have been expected of this as it was chosen as the albums lead single, it’s a bit of a no-brainer, being a super-sophisticated slice of laid-back soul with a stunning vocal from future Steely Dan and Ambrosia vocalist Royce Jones – still a sought after cut (big in Japan apparently), with a stock copy sold on the Bay recently for $125 – needless to say, the band never recorded again and the album soon hit the bargain bins and deletion cut outs section.
As a footnote top US reissue label Light In The Attic recently cribbed the ‘Our Lives Are Shaped By What We Love’ title for their Mowest compilation LP/CD…..as for the band, just the one LP and one promo ’45, Royce Jones went on to tour with Steely Dan and Ambrosia, but other than that the trail goes cold.
Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Vocals – Martin Dumas, Jr.
Reeds – James Whitfield
Recorded at Criteria Studios, Miami, Florida
Chicago soul brothers Rasputin's Stash didn't hit the big time, but their quality funk deserves to be resurrected and enjoyed by future generations. What the band lacks in imaginative vocal styling, they more than make up for with instrumental prowess. Rasputin's Stash plays with a perfect combination of street-smart grit, professional level chops, and drug-savvy freakiness, rocking a funk that has proven popular with latter-day beat samplers. "Your Love Is Certified" leads off the debut, and it's the strongest cut, undeniable dancefloor bait with countrified slide guitar and a bracing horn arrangement. Keyboardist Vincent Willis wrote the tune and takes lead vocals, delivering silly lyrics like "Hey baby, when you come to me/I don't worry, 'cause it's C.O.D." with conviction, and it should have been a hit. The rest of the LP gets more progressive, surveying territory similar to what fellow travelers Funkadelic were exploring at the time (though without the sheer abandon of that amazing combo). "What's on Your Mind," "You Better Think," and "I Want to Say You're Welcome" are energetic pieces with great ensemble playing, but while quieter numbers like "Take Me Back" and "You Are My Flower" are well built, the lyrics and vocal performances are a bit banal. The tracks with the most personality are a pair of hamhock-funky character studies that drip with greasy charm. After a brief spoken introduction from two jive cats sucking noisily on a joint, "Mr. Cool" slides in slow like the baddest pimp in the pool hall. Our hero brags about making it with "the president's old lady," displays his dark shades and white car, then claims to have been the first man on the moon. The chorus is marked with the declaration, "No jive/Gimme five," followed by an audible slap (later borrowed for the Beck song "High Five"). "Dookey Shoe" is more of the same, except this time the singer is preoccupied with his irresistible appeal to the women, being as he is a "nasty, nasty man" with a "dirty, funky plan in my hand." The camp factor of these tunes has grown over the years, but Rasputin's Stash was clearly out for laughs in the first place. There's a lot for serious funk mavens to play with in these grooves, and afro fetishists will probably want to buy a frame for the cover..
What about a funk group from Chicago paying homage to the famous Russian prophet/mystical? The band, founded in the early '70s by session musician Martin Dumas Jr, debuted with a killer album on Cotillion (a subsidiary label of Atlantic, operating from 1968 to 1986) in 1971 showing their intense power and a full-on blaxploitation aesthetic. Their sound was mainly a mix of fuzzy guitars and tight horns arrangements, with lots of cool percussion thrown in. At times, you can tell there's almost a Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band vibe to their approach, but mixed with some lysergic influences -- think about early Funkadelic -- verging on their more rock side of things.
After the release of the Funk box set collection "What It Is" many rare Funk groups were revealed to a new generation of grooveseekers. Rasputin's Stash was one such group. This debut record from this 8 piece outfit was recorded in Miami,Fl in 1971 for Cotillion Records a subsidiary of Atlantic Records. The 12 cuts represent a sound blended with Jazz,R&B and Funk instrumentals. "Your Love is Certified" begins as a drum introduction before the band joins in for a seasoned jam. "Take me on Back" a soulful ballad arranged with strings and horns reflect the Gospel influences of early 70's Soul."You Better Think" rings with sound effects and horns alongside voices before erupting into a Funky calibrated effort. The liner notes for this release are in Japanese with the exception of the song lyrics,thus not offering much information on the groups history. Rasputin's Stash produced only one other album during there run ,their sound was likened to early Earth,Wind&Fire and Mandrill.This release captures a Funky ensemble on the move circa 1971.
Heavenly harmony soul! This is the 3rd album by this famous east coast vocal group and it’s completely impossible to find in the original. The record has a great mix of heavy soul tracks like “Only People Can Save The World” and “Why Can’t People Be Colors Too?” plus some great mellow ballads, like “You Forget Too Easy”, “Blues Fly Away”, and “I’m So Glad I Found You”. The full original cover has the band sitting on some rocks (real ones), superimposed in a champagne glass! And as with their other records, the production and a fair bit of the songwriting was handled by George Kerr, the master of the east coast harmony sound so the sound is amazingly soulful!
An American soul group from Baltimore Maryland founded in 1969, The Whatnauts had several hits that hit the US charts in the early 1970's and released a trio of fine soul albums. Their music has been sampled by numerous artists including Kanye West, a Tribe Called Quest and Busta Rhymes. Featured here is their classic 1972 album "On the Rocks,"
Those were glory days for the east coast soul scene, when indie labels such as Stang were firing on all cylinders and released some of the best music at the time. A sound not that distinguished as Philly or Detroit or Memphis perhaps, but by all means sweetened with loads of strings, sophisticated arrangements and some warm harmony vocals. A sound way too good to be ignored! So let us all give full credit to the great George Kerr who was also responsible among others for the fine sound of Skull Snaps and behind another Baltimorean harmony group, The Optimistics… Trying times as The Whatnauts sing.
02. When The Bed Breaks Down, I'll Meet You In The Spring 2:29
03. Sing, Sing, Sing 4:09
04. Pipeline 3:45
05. Wipeout 4:25
06. Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley, Your Tie's Caught In Your Zippe 2:39
07. Topsy Part I
08. Topsy Part II
09. Topsy Part III 6:04
10. Sharp Nine 3:11
11. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction 3:56
12. Got The Sun In The Morning And The Daughter At Night 1:56
13. Ohkey Dokey 2:45
Bongos, Congas – King Errisson
Drums – Jim Gordon
Horns – Steve Douglas
Large Contribution – Mike Deasy
Producer – Michael Viner, Perry Botkin, Jr.
This is the sequel to the classic 1973 ‘Bongo Rock’, which became a foundation of rap and popular music, up to the present day. This LP has been sampled by Bentley Rhythm Ace, Fatboy Slim, Macy Gray, Group Home and Koushik.
The Incredible Bongo Band is a blend of many multi-talented people. Jim Gordon is one of the featured musicians. Ringo Starr has said "Jim is one of the finest drummers in the world". Gordon composed 'Layla' in association with Eric Clapton.
King Errisson is one of the best percussionists in the world, having contributed to the Jackson Five and most other Motown hits as well as touring with Diana Ross.
Perry Botkin Jr. is a writer, musician and producer of the highest order who received an Academy Award nomination for "Bless the Beasts and the Children" and produced groups such as as The Letterman, Vanity Fair and Ed Ames.
Micheal Viner formed The Incredible Bongo Band to be a musical forum for himself and his friends. The Bongo Band has picked up ideas from a multitude of greats ranging from Harry Nilsson to Rongo Starr and Mike Deasy, who played with Elvis Presley for many years, made a large contribution to this album.
I was all prepared to say that the lesser-known follow up to "Bongo Rock" isn't as good and certainly it's less coherent but my god it's got it's moments. Less covers, more furious bongoing. I'm actually really fond of this. The last track is extraordinary.
Formed by MGM A&R man Michael Viner in 1972 to supplement the soundtrack to the virtually anonymous B-Movie film The Thing With Two Heads, "The IBB" went from a loose studio collective to an instrumental pop covers consortium, interpreting classics of the day in their own inimitable percussive fashion.
B-Movie soundtracks, The Beatles, drummers gone bad, Frank Zappa, Kool Herc... These albums have a remarkable story behind them which is detailed in the extensive sleeve notes found on this re-issue and written by Angus Batey.
The IBB's cover of the track Apache - originally made famous by The Shadows - has become simply legendary in the worlds of hip hop and dance music. The track was a staple of Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash in the 70s as they invented the art of DJing at Bronx block parties, leading to its logical status as one of the most sampled tracks of all time and a hip hop and breakers anthem that has stood the test of time. It is still revered as THE break of all original breaks, with the rhythms of the LP it was first found on helping to coin the term 'breakbeat'.
Apache has been sampled by Missy Elliot, Coldcut, Will Smith, Goldie, Jurassic 5, Moby, Run DMC, Sugarhill Gang, Beastie Boys and Massive Attack among many, many others.
The first Incredible Bongo Band album is the kind of thing that could only have been made in 1973. It is mainly a collection of cover songs highlighting the bongo playing of King Erisson and Bobbye Hall and the drumming of Jim Gordon (that drummer's drummer, the Jim Keltner kind, the session guy who's the perfect timekeeper you never really notice until you do, and then you're like DAMN -- he's also the guy that wrote the GoodFellas portion of "Layla" and, oh, later murdered his mother). The crack band(s) assembled to supplement this slapped-together, kitschy, infectious, funky, and groovy collection of songs sounds like they were pulled from any of the Hollywood Vampires and innumerable Wrecking Crew sessions going on at the time. If anything, it's akin to the best library music album you've ever heard. While Bongo Rock is far from qualifying as "art," it does provide an entirely satisfying listen. The opener, "Let There Be Drums," sets the basic template for the tracks on the album with its infectious bongo rhythms, solid and flashy backbeats, and rudimentary songwriting anchored with huge arrangements loaded with horn charts. The next track is where legends are made. Their cover of "Apache" would, a few years later, be used by DJ Kool Herc when he was establishing the main breaks that built early hip-hop. The track would be sampled hundreds of times in subsequent years, most notably by Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, and Nas ("Made You Look"). The extended break is the subject of the informative documentary Sample This. A few songs later, we get an extended, big budget jam titled "Last Bongo in Belgium," which is probably recognizable these days for providing the core sample to the Beastie Boys' classic "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun." Side Two is not nearly as explosive or propulsive, but it is still lots of fun (see their cover of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"). The closer, the lone hit single the band produced, still manages to be one of the decade's most infectious slices of kitsch. Again, if you're looking for art, bust out your boring King Crimson records. If you want to have a great time, pull out a copy of Bongo Rock!
There is something beautiful about the whole record. The softness of both Dolores Smith and Irene Datcher’s voices mixed with the various tones and emotions of the band’s playing deliver the perfect balance of vibrations. The sound feeling like the comfort of Sundays spent with loved ones. Personal favorites are “Dreamflower”, which Erykah Badu’s “Didn’t Cha Know” beautifully sampled, and “Truth Is The Key”. Once the needle hits the first notes of the album you are safe from winter. If only in your mind.
Led by New York session player Phil Clendeninn, Tarika Blue was a lyrical, highly melodic fusion/jazz-funk outfit that had a small following (mostly on the East Coast) in the '70s. Clendeninn's combo wasn't as well known as Lonnie Liston Smith & the Cosmic Echoes, but there are definite parallels between those two East Coast bands. Like the Cosmic Echoes, Tarika Blue favored a very spiritual, mystical approach that owed something to acoustic post-bop as well as soul, funk, pop, and rock. Tarika Blue shared the Cosmic Echoes' appreciation of modal post-bop heavyweights like John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Pharoah Sanders, Charles Lloyd, and Yusef Lateef -- in fact, Smith and Clendeninn are both pianist/keyboardists who were influenced by Tyner's playing. But Clendeninn wasn't a jazz purist any more than Smith and his Cosmic Echoes were; both of them used electric instruments and were well aware of what was going on in the R&B and rock worlds. Tarika Blue and the Cosmic Echoes both provided accessible instrumentals as well as vocal offerings, but while Smith often featured his brother Donald Smith, Clendeninn preferred to use female vocalists.
Clendeninn, a native New Yorker, formed Tarika Blue around 1973, when he was a student at Syracuse University in Upstate New York and was doing a lot of commuting to and from the Big Apple. Clendeninn, bassist Barry Coleman, and drummer Kevin Atkins were the core of the group, and other musicians who played with Tarika Blue included Marvin Blackman (tenor sax), Justo Almario (soprano sax), James Mason (electric guitar), and Japanese immigrant Ryo Kawasaki (electric guitar). The band's various female singers included Tequila (who had worked with drummer Tony Williams' Lifetime), Lisa Fisher, Irene Datcher, and Dolores Smith. It was in 1974 that Clendeninn met Hank O'Neal, president of the independent, New York-based Chiaroscuro Records. O'Neal's company is best known for hard bop and swing, but he made an exception in Tarika Blue's case and ended up co-producing their self-titled debut album in 1976 and their second album, The Blue Path, in 1977. While Tarika Blue's first LP was totally instrumental, The Blue Path featured Irene Datcher and Dolores Smith on vocals. It should be noted that around 1974 and 1975, Clendeninn was also a member of a disco/soul/funk outfit called the Big Apple Band, whose other members included guitarist Nile Rodgers and the late bassist Bernard Edwards -- a few years later, Rodgers and Edwards founded the seminal disco-funk powerhouse Chic and became superstar producer/songwriters.
Tarika Blue never recorded a third album, but their recordings continued to interest people long after their breakup. In 2001, urban contemporary/neo-soul star Erykah Badu sampled Tarika Blue's "Dreamflower" on her smash hit "Didn't Cha Know." "Dreamflower" has also been sampled by the Underwolves, a British jungle/drum'n'bass/electronica act. In 2002, Chiaroscuro reissued both of Tarika Blue's '70s LPs on a self-titled CD, which came out on the company's Downtown Sound label.
‘The Blue Path’ is regarded as one of the best jazz funk albums and it’s not hard to hear why. The bravura and muscular dexterity found in the best jazz artists, balanced with the groove and funk of the finest gritty bands from across the tracks, this album is a stone cold killer from the opening note to the closing fade out.
A New York based fusion band that recorded during the '70s, Tarika Blue came to the attention of a more contemporary audience when singer Erykah Badu sampled them on "Didn't Cha Know." In 1974 Tarika Blue were signed to New York jazz label, Chiaroscuro Records, founded by producer Hank O'Neal. Their first album, The Blue Path, was all instrumental of soaring jazz funk, a finely crafted weapon in the armory of any self-respecting DJ or collector of jazz and funk. This album brings back 5 of the 6 tracks from The Blue Path, plus an additional 8 including "Dreamflower" which was sampled by Badu. Tarika Blue showcases bravura and muscular dexterity found in the best jazz artists, balanced with the groove and funk of the finest gritty bands from across the tracks.
They say that if you’re a friend to everyone you’re a friend to no one. Well, in the case of Tarika Blue, here is an album that roundly disproves that maxim. A record that delivers to fusion, soul, jazz and disco aficionados alike, Tarika Blue’s ability to cover all these bases with equal skill is quite an achievement. The balance locked in its grooves are testament to the astonishing musical range found in the artists who perform with such aplomb.
Tarika Blue was formed in 1973 by Phil Clendenin, a keyboard session player and studio engineer from New York, while he was a student at Syracuse University. Centred around the core unit of Clendenin, drummer Kevin Atkins and bassist Barry Coleman, the group was augmented by various passing members that included sax players Marvin Blackman (also worked with Rashied Ali) and Justo Almario, a variety of vocalists including Irene Datcher and Dolores Smith as well as some stellar guitarists who would go on the assume cult status: James Mason and Ryo Kawasaki. It’s interesting to note that around 74-75, Clendenin was also a member of another group called the Big Apple Band, featuring a certain Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards… whatever happened to them?
In 1974 Tarika Blue were signed to New York jazz label, Chiaroscuro Records, founded by Hank O’Neal. Their first album, ‘The Blue Path’ was all instrumental but the eponymous follow-up featured some fine vocal performances from Irene Datcher and Dolores Smith on tracks like the jazz funk burner ‘Truth is the Key’ and the joyously uplifting ‘Love it’. The dance floor is well catered for on the album with ‘Charlie’, a solid disco workout and ‘Things Spring’ featuring a soaring soprano from Justo Almario.
Given it’s sublime musicality, the album gained cult status quickly among jazz and funk fusion fans, not least because of the guitar work from James Mason, a member of the Roy Ayers group. Mason would go on to record and release his own solo album in 1977, ‘Rhythm of Life’, that gained similar ‘Holy Grail’ status among jazz funk collectors as the Tarika Blue album.
The other featured guitarist on the album is Ryo Kawasaki. Born in Toyko, Japan, in 1943, Kawasaki settled in New York in 1973, soon becoming an in-demand player in the vibrant local jazz scene, playing with Gil Evans, Chico Hamilton, Elvin Jones, Dave Liebman and many others. Kawasaki also had a successful solo career recording several classic fusion albums including ‘Prism’ and ‘Eight Mile Road’ before taking an excursion into programming computer games in the 1980s.
The name Tarika Blue was back in circulation again around the millennium when producer J Dilla used a sample from the track ‘Dreamflower’ in Erykah Badu’s Grammy nominated ‘Didn't Cha Know’ - without the band’s permission! There was an out of court settlement but it just proved that Tarika Blue’s music still had currency with the most successful and respected artists and producers. And it’s easy to hear why. ‘Dreamflower’, a diaphanous pearl of a track, floats along like a wisp of perfume on the evening air and it’s easy to hear why Dilla zoned in on it to accompany Badu’s sensuous vocal lines.
After giving the album a listen you too will be entranced by the spell of Tarika Blue.
01. Gimme Some Lovin' 3:48 02. I Know You Want It 4:30 03. It's Amazing 4:36 04. Captain Of The Ship 4:24 05. If I Ever Do Wrong 4:32 06. Straight Groove 4:26 07. You Should Be Dancing 4:14 08. Come With Me 4:06
Bass, Vocals – Gregory Griffith Congas, Percussion, Vocals – Randolph Hall Drums, Vocals – Ricky Pringley Guitar – Randy Rush Guitar, Keyboards – Sax "Red" Kari Keyboards, Vocals – Isaac Guest Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Vocals – Andre Walker Lead Vocals – Donna Allen Saxophone, Vocals – Keith Austin Trombone, Lead Vocals – Lawrence Hires Trumpet – Michael Blitz Trumpet, Vocals – Charles Daniels III
To say Trama's sole LP is a rarity is an understatement! Released on TK offshoot CAT Records in 1977 it's tight funk driven grooves, blistering arrangements and stellar vocal performances from a young Donna Allen has left Soul, Boogie and Disco diggers hot under the collar for over 3 decades! Now is your chance to own a 100% legit, TK Disco sanctioned, vinyl copy of this killer Soul LP. Re-issued just the way it originally came out in 1977, no tricks. Check out the funky version of "You should be dancing" by the Bee Gees! Essential!
01. Thank You For My Life 6:39 02. Don't Get Tired Of Me 6:06 03. I Feel Like Crying 4:01 04. Party Times 5:42 05. Groove-On 7:45 06. Katie Pearl 7:24
Backing Vocals – Roman Twins Bass – George "Chocolate" Perry Drums – Robert Ferguson Guitar – Willie Hale Guitar, Backing Vocals – Bobby Caldwell Keyboards, Piano – Latimore, Mike Lewis
This is the fifth release from Miami's mellow groove soul guitarist/vocalist Little Beaver, who released his first album in 1980 under his real name, Willie Hale. The album features his signature high-pitched falsetto on "Don't Get Tired Of Me" and a groovy medium mellow song "Groove On" that Philly rapper Freeway used on "Street Music" (2014). Groove On", a groovy, medium-mellow song used by Philly rapper Freeway in "Street Music" ( 2014 ). (CAT 1980)
A weird find, a Korean heavy psych album from 1981 with wacky super fuzzy guitar sounds. It's kinda charming but in many ways an oddity like what the heck is heavy psych doing in Korea in the early 80s? It sounds more like what the Japanese were doing a bunch of years earlier but it sounds SO out of place and out of time. Even weirder is that it at least got two reissues and is valuable and hard to find on vinyl.
Apparently it's a legendary rock album in Korea by a frickin high school band who just recorded it to make a point for rock music and I kinda dig it, at the very least for its unique razorblade guitar sound and manic vocals.
Great fuzzzzz guitar with nice vocal.. true masterpiece in 80s psych rock.
An aura of mystery hangs over Jacky Giordano, a studio musician who has mostly worked for library music.He is the one behind the amazing label Freesound (Schifter, Philopsis, Challenger), but as well on Montparnasse 2000 with Pop in Devil’s Train (reissued on Le Tres Groove Club), on Timing (Timing Nº1 and Timing Nº5, under the nickname Jacky Nodaro), on Musax with Boucles Rythmiques (under the nickname Joachim Sherylee, reissued as well on Le Tres Groove Club) or Black Devil Disco Club whose paternity for this record is still disputed between him and Bernard Fevre.
Jacky Giordano wasn’t an altar boy, far from it, and will have sadly been more known for his troubles with justice than for his music.This is his work for the label l’Illustration Musicale (IM) which can now be rediscovered thanks to this new reissue on Le Tres Groove Club.Organ Plus (IM26) is the sequel to Organ (IM 24), also reissued by Le Tres Groove Club. The title is misleading here, an organ not being preponderant part of the record which honours the Fender Rhodes, string machine, bass synth and clavinet. ‘Be Careful’, ‘Riffologic’, ‘Twillight’ : Jacky Giordano offers slow tempo jazz-funk, without losing his melancholy and low-fi groove that make his tracks immediately recognisable regardless the record label or nickname.
At the age of 17, Jacky was already doing sessions for the greatest. In the 70's, he was composer for the Crazy Horse Saloon and manager of a musical company. In 1977, he directs the orchestra for "Turbulences" by Eddie Warner & Lalo Shiffrin. In the 80's, two of the albums he has worked on are certified gold in the USA : Géraldine Hunt and Fantasy. Jacky has also composed musics for the Alcazar cabaret and produced more than 300 albums. "Pop in…devil's train" released in 1976 for Montparnasse 2000 is a tribute to funk & soul music...
One of the funkiest records of the French scene of the 70s – a now-legendary sound library album from Jacky Giordano – and one that's filled with amazing keyboards throughout! Jacky stars with grooves that are like some of the best Lalo Schfrin crime/cop modes of the early 70s – then adds in all these excellent keyboard lines, plus a bit of jazz – with some cuts that have warm Rhodes-like lines, others with a spacier moogier groove – all instrumental, and all wonderfully funky! There's a developed depth to the record that goes way beyond just riffing on a groove – a richness that almost puts some of the best cuts at the level of longer CTI keyboard jazz.
Visitors of the blog should by now be familiar with Mukai's music, perfect for a summer afternoon at the beach, pink/orange cocktail with umbrella and surfboard under my arm waving at the scantly clad ladies. This album certainly brings back memories of my early twenties and days without end spent on Caribbean beaches with my tribe of beloved long haired brigands. I had an Italian friend who lived close to the beach and had this album back in the 80's and we played the shit out of it while surfing and diving for some fish to eat at night.
This was a special request of a long time visitor, who i want to thank for bringing back those memories.
Regarded as one of the most sought-after yet elusive albums from a pivotal era in Japanese jazz, Earth Mother was originally issued in 1978 on ALM, a private label home to some of the most innovative jazz, contemporary classical and free improvisational music released in Japan during the late 70s and early 80s. It was here that Earth Mother found a natural home among the experimental and transgressive, destined to remain in obscurity for decades until the album’s muscular, bass-driven title track was included as the opening cut on BBE’s acclaimed compilation J Jazz: Deep Modern Jazz From Japan 1969-1984. It was a fitting way to start such a landmark collection and the track quickly became a favourite among DJs and jazz fans.
Earth Mother sees saxophonist Matsukaze team up once again with legendary drummer and band leader Furusawa Ryojiro; joined by Tamio Kawabata on bass to form the core trio which is augmented by Daitoku Toshiyuki on acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes.
This is a mythic album, seen and heard by very few; often among the top wants for even the most hard-core jazz collectors. The album ranges from heavyweight spiritual jazz and post-bop burners, to Dolphy-esque experimentation (Don’t Worry About Tenor Saxophone) and a singular take on the classic, Round Midnight.
Live recorded at Chuo University Hakumonsai, 21 November 1975.
Koichi Matsukaze Trio Featuring Ryojiro Furusawa, a rarely heard exemplar of post-modal power bop and free jazz.
Delivered by a trio playing with an intensity and energy that draws on classic Eric Dolphy and mid-era Coltrane but definitely with its own particular vibe, At the Room 427 is an exemplar of febrile improvised jazz that could only come from Japan.
This deluxe reissue sees a welcome return to the J Jazz Masterclass series for saxophonist Koichi Matsukaze. Originally issued in 1976 on the cult ALM label, At the Room 427 is the debut album from one of the most exciting and forward-thinking instrumentalists to emerge in the mid 1970s. Matsukaze's distinctively angular, deconstructive style adds an unpredictable quality to the session that is balanced by the muscular bass of Koichi Yamazaki and the kinetic drumming of Ryojiro Furusawa, who provides a sound footing for Matuskaze’s fiery solos and free-form chemistry.
The album opens with the epic Acoustic Chicken, a 20-minute tour de force of dynamic and explosive interplay. Featured on J Jazz: Deep Modern Jazz From Japan volume 3 and written by Furusawa, Acoustic Chicken's strong melody lines and scorching sax finely mesh with the driving rhythm section. Furusawa’s Elvin Jones-like rolls and batteries of percussion are underpinned by Yamazaki’s driving and rounded bass.
At the Room 427 also includes a radical deconstruction of the Billie Holiday classic Lover Man and three more original compositions by Matsukaze. The album was recorded live in November 1975 before a small audience in – as the title states – Room 427, a classroom in Chuo University, the alma mater of both Matsukaze and Furusawa. However, despite the rudimentary surroundings, the recording by Yukio Kojima, founder of ALM, manages to give the listener the feeling of being in the room itself, up close to the band, bristling with an intense energy.
