THE CURTIS COUNCE QUINTET-EXPLORING THE FUTURE.
THE CURTIS COUNCE QUINTET-EXPLORING THE FUTURE.
One of jazz’s best kept secrets is hard bop, double bassist Curtis Counce. He may not have enjoyed the longevity of many of his contemporaries, but was one of the leading lights of West Coast jazz. Curtis played alongside Teddy Charles, Shelly Manne, Lyle Murphy and Clifford Brown. Then in 1956, Curtis moved from sideman to centre-stage, forming The Curtis Counce Quintet. They released just four albums between 1957 and 1958. The Curtis Counce Quintet’s final album was the inventive and innovative, Exploring The Future, which was recently rereleased by Boplicity, an imprint of Ace Records. Five years after the release of Exploring The Future, Curtis Counce died aged just thirty-six. West Coast jazz had lost one of its stalwarts. Fifty years after his death, his music is being introduced to a new audience. However, what about the man behind the music? That’s who I’ll tell you about, before I tell you about Exploring The Future.
Curtis Counce was born In Kansas City, in the Midwest. From an early age, it was apparent that Curtis would end up being a musician. He was a gifted musician, who played violin and tuba before he first clapped eyes on a double bass. Straight away, Curtis knew this was the instrument for him. Indeed, it was the double bass Curtis played when he headed out on the road aged just sixteen.
Aged sixteen, Curtis was playing with the Nat Towles Band in Ohama. That was a tantalizing taste of what life was like as a professional musician. Curtis was hooked. From their he became a session music. He picked up session work wherever he could. While he enjoyed that, Ohama was hardly jazz central. So he headed to Los Angeles.
Now living and working in Los Angeles, Curtis become a member of Johnny Otis’ band. Johnny was a legendary bandleader, one who had exacting standards. That gave Curtis a good grounding when he made recording debut in 1946. Curtis was unfazed about shared a studio with jazz greats Charlie Parker and Lester Young. People started to take notice of Curtis, and soon, he was the go-to-guy for anyone looking for a double bass player.
Among the artists he accompanied, were the Stan Kenton Orchestra, Max Roach, Teddy Charles and the Clifford Brown Group. All these legendary musicians wanted Curtis’ bluesy sound. Unique, it was evocative and emotive, painting pictures. With just a few notes, Curtis could change your mood. All was going well for Curtis until 1949, when Miles Davis released one of his landmark albums.
Never has an album had a better title than Birth Of The Cool. It gave birth to the cool jazz sound. Jazz was at a crossroads. Musicians were either members of the cool school or disciples of bebop. Curtis, wisely, kept his options open. Rather than throw in his lot with either group, he kept a foot in both camps. He was a talented and versatile player, so whether it was cool jazz or bebop, Curtis could play it. That worked in his favor. Right up until 1956, Curtis was busy as a sideman. Then he decided to take centre-stage.
In 1956 Curtis formed The Curtis Counce Quintet. The initial lineup featured drummer Frank Butler, pianist Carl Perkins, trumpeter Jack Sheldon, saxophonist Harold Land. With such a multitalented lineup, surprisingly, their 1957 debut album received rave reviews. You Get More Bounce With Curtis Counce was released on the Contemporary label, but sales proved disappointing. It was the age old problem, sales didn’t match the record company’s expectations. After such good reviews, they thought the album would’ve fared better. It didn’t. A blistering set of hard bop, at least, You Get More Bounce With Curtis Counce got the Quintet noticed. Things would surely get better?
Later in 1957, Curtis released his sophomore album Landslide. It was also released on Contemporary. Curtis it seemed had chosen his band well. They all pitched in with ideas and songs. Sadly, success still eluded the Quintet. Record sales were disappointing and sales didn’t reflect their undoubted talent.
Given record sales were disappointing, they toured the West Coast and they toured hard, honing their sound. Soon, they were a tight unit. Even Harold Land, the least experienced member of the band shawn like a star in waiting. The only problem was, the East Coast, West Coast rivalry. This resulted in bands not heading out on the road. West Coast groups like the Quintet didn’t set foot on the East Coast. It was territorial and proprietorial. ironically, jazz lovers lost out. For the rest of 1957, concentrated on playing live. The in 1958, just like 1957, the Quintet released two albums.
History repeated itself in 1958. The Curtis Counce Quintet released two album within the year. The first was Sonority. It was their last release on Contemporary. Just like their two previous albums, sales proved disappointing. Again, the sales didn’t reflect the quality of music. For Curtis and the rest of the Quintet, it must have been both disappointing and frustration. Here they were, releasing some inventive music, yet people were neither buying nor hearing it. Following Sonority, the Quintet and Contemporary parted company. Next stop for The Curtis Counce Quintet was the Dooto label, where they’d release their final album Exploring The Future.
As recording of Exploring The Future began, the Quintet had lost two members. Pianist Carl Perkins had tragically died of a drug overdose and trumpeter Jack Sheldon left the Quintet. Their replacements were pianist Elmo Hope and trumpeter Rolf Ericson. They were more than capable replacements. Elmo is seen as one of the greatest bebop players, while Rolf Ericson’s playing is fast, fluid and accurate. Both players added something new to what was essentially The Curtis Counce Quintet Mk. II.
Exploring The Future saw Elmo Hope play an important part in the album. He wrote four of the eight songs on Exploring The Future, So Nice, Into Orbit, Race For Space and The Countdown. Dootsie Williams who founded Dooto, had been a trumpeter, songwriter and bandleader. His contribution was Exploring The Future. Along with Denzil Best’s Move, Earl Brent and Matt Dennis’ Angel Eyes plus Ira and George Gershwin’s Someone To Watch Over Me, these eight tracks became Exploring The Future, a somewhat ironic title.
Rather than moving forward and releasing an album of innovative, progressive music, Exploring The Future saw the Quintet revisit their familiar hard bop sound. They’d perfected this during their first three albums and were among the finest practitioners of the hard bop sound. However, Exploring The Future saw The Curtis Counce Quintet with two new members. Would this affect the quality of music on , Exploring The Future? That’s what I’ll now tell you.
So Nice opens The Curtis Counce Quintet’s fourth album Exploring The Future. Bursting into life, the horns join the piano while the drums are played with brushes. Curtis’ bass provides the heartbeat, powering the arrangement along. Soon, it’s time for Rolf Ericson to deliver his first solo. He doesn’t disappoint, producing a breathtaking display of power, speed and accuracy. The rest of the band play behind him, before saxophonist Harold Land steps up. As if inspired he unleashes a blistering, rasping solo. From there, Elmo Hope takes centre-stage unleashing a fluid piano solo. He’s then joined by Curtis. They feed off each other. From there, the rest of the Quintet enjoy their moment in the sun, as they enjoy Exploring The Future.
Angel Eyes is very different from the previous track. A truly beautiful track, it has a late night, wistful sound. Rolf’s piano sets the scene, for the heartbreaking sound of the horns. Ralph’s trumpet gives way to Harold Land’s saxophone. Emotion and sadness are omnipresent. They take centre-stage, where they quite rightly belong. Each take turns at tugging at your heartstrings, before the song reaches its heartbreaking, melancholy high.
Into The Orbit sees Rolf piano join forces with the horns. Punchy, sharp bursts of horns grab your attention, before a virtuoso performance from Rolf. This seems to result in the Quintet upping their game. It’s like a game daring do. Anything you can do, I can do better. Horns are blown with more power and passion. There’s an urgency in Harold and Ralph’s playing. Rasping and growling their way through the track, they throw down the gauntlet. Meanwhile, Curtis bass provides the heartbeat. Although he enjoys his moment in the sun, he seems quite content to allow the rest of his band to take turns in outdoing each other. After all, the harder they try, the better they play. Proof of this is Into The Orbit.
Rather than Move, this track should be called explode. That’s what happens. Move explodes into life. Drums and horns take charge. What follows is a mesmeric performance. The star of the show is drummer Frank Butler. He produces a breathtaking performance. A mixture of power and speed, it’s as if he feels left out and wants to shine. This he does and never misses a beat. With thirty-seconds to go, the horns come charging in, but good as they are, Frank Butler’s better.
Race For Space has a jaunty introduction. Piano and drums briefly, take the track in the direction of free jazz. They leave space within the arrangement, which is akin to a dramatic pause. Then it’s all change. The tempo increases and another blistering slice of hard bop explodes into life. Horns to the fore, they’re punchy and dramatic. Behind them, drummer Frank Butler and pianist Elmo Hope dramatically fills in the gaps. Curtis bass powers the arrangement. His finger flying up and down the fretboard. Things hot up when the solos are unleashed. Again, everyone seems to be trying to outdo each other. In doing so, they play their part a storming, dramatic and blistering example of hard bop.
Someone To Watch Over Me was written by George and Ira Gershwin. It allows us another opportunity to hear another side of the Quintet. Horns bray, producing a needy cry. Having set the scene, Frank plays the drums with brushes and Curtis tenderly plucks thoughtfully at his bass. Elmo’s deliberate and pensive piano playing is a like a paean or plaintive cry for Someone To Watch Over Me.
Elmo’s piano and drums rolls asks a series of question as Exploring The Future unfolds. It’s another mid-tempo track, one that sees the Quintet play to their strengths. Featuring a series of poignant chord changes, the Quintet quickly shift through the gears. They’re equally at home playing together, or when they embark on solo. As for the solos, Ralph’s trumpet solo is a show stealer. The rest of the group play around him, exploring the subtleties and nuances of the track. Not to be outdone, the other newcomer, Elmo produces another of his trademark solos, where he more than proves his worth.
Closing Exploring The Future is The Countdown. It’s the perfect track to close the album. There’s something about the track, that if this closed a set, you wouldn’t be disappointed. The arrangement meanders along, managing somehow, to sound both melancholy and hopeful. Elmo on piano takes centre-stage while Frank on drums and Curtis on bass provide the heartbeat. Soon, he’s stretching his legs, deciding its time to indulge in some showboating. For that you’re thankful, as what is his finest piano solo on Exploring The Future brings the album to a delicious close. Quite simply, The Countdown is a tantalizing reminder of what jazz music once was. When will we see your likes again?
Exploring The Future proved to be farewell from The Curtis Counce Quintet. It was their final album. While Exploring The Future didn’t exactly offer anything new and innovative from the Quintet, it did find them at their very best. They’d been honing their sound since 1956, and had been playing live constantly. That was the only way to hone their sound and build a following. Sadly, they were restricted in where they could play. The jazz wars were raging. There was a fierce rivalry between the West Coast and East Coast. This meant the East Coast was off-limits for the Quintet. Audiences in the East Coast weren’t fans of the West Coast sound. That meant New York never heard the Quintet live. They might, just have appreciated their sound and transformed The Curtis Counce Quintet’s career. That wasn’t to be.
The Curtis Counce Quintet released just four albums released between 1957 and 1958. That isn’t a fair reflection on their combined talents. None of the albums sold well. Not even Exploring The Future, with its delicious mixture of blistering hard bop and beautiful ballads. Even the delights of Exploring The Future went undiscovered and unloved. Fifty-five years after its release Exploring The Future has been rereleased by Boplicity, an imprint of Ace Records. Maybe now, a new generation of music lovers will realize what jazz fans missed first time round. Sadly, Curtis Counce never found the fame and fortune he deserved.
Five years after the release of Exploring The Future, Curtis Counce died on 31st July 1963. He was just thirty-seven. Jazz lost one of the stalwarts of West Coast jazz and one of the best practitioners of hard bop. At least the final album The Curtis Counce Quintet released, Exploring The Future was their best. A delicious fusion of blistering hard bop and beautiful ballads, Exploring The Future was The Curtis Counce Quintet’s finest moment. Standout Tracks: So Nice, Angel Eyes, Someone To Watch Over Me and The Countdown.
THE CURTIS COUNCE QUINTET-EXPLORING THE FUTURE.
DONSO-DEFILA.
DONSO-DEFILA.
The story of how Donso’s sophomore album Defila, which was recently released by Comet Records, begins back in 2008. That was when French electro producer and owner of Ed Banger Records, Pierre Antoine Grison met Thomas Guillaume. Pierre was sitting in his Paris flat when he heard his neighbor playing a musical instrument he’d never heard before. Intrigued and more that a little curious, he decided to find out what this instrument was?
When Pierre met Thomas, he discovered he’d been hearing a donso n’goni. It was the sacred instrument of The Hunters, a West African brotherhood. They’re famed for their mystical abilities and their powerful, spiritual music, donso trance. Thomas had been traveling between France and Southern Mali, learning not just to play the donso n’goni, but to master it. The donso n’goti was an instrument you didn’t just learn but mastered. For Thomas, it was akin to learning a craft. That’s what he been doing before he met Pierre. Soon, Thomas introduced Pierre to donso trance, which was the start of a friendship that resulted in them forming Donso.
Pierre was fascinated by donso trance. Here was ancient music played by the Malian Hunters before a battle. This wasn’t just a ritual. No. Instead, it was part of spiritual awakening. Only having heard donso trance music, were the Hunters ready to do battle. According to legend, donso trance made the warriors invisible. Having been introduced to donso trance by Thomas, Pierre became enthralled by its hypnotic, mesmeric sound. Soon, he realized that their was the potential to marry this ancient, sacred music with modern, electronic music.
As Krazy Baldhead, Pierre was an electro producer and hip hop DJ, who was signed to Ed Banger Records. Everything fell into place. Thomas had introduced him to this ancient, sacred music and Pierre was a producer of electronic music. Together, they could create a fusion of the old and the new. However, before that would happen, three new members would join what was an early version of Donso.
The first new member of Donso, was Gedeon Papa Diarra is a Malian singer and dancer. Gedeon was asked to join in 2009. Next was Moh Kouyate, a Guinean guitarist. Fluid and psychedelic, Moh’s guitar playing is crucial to Donso’s success. Ceyba Sissoko was the next musician to join Donso. A multi-instrumentalist, Ceyba played tama, drums and D’jeli n’gon. This was the lineup that recorded the first versions of Defila. However, Donso were still lacking in several areas. There was a solution, Pierre would head to Mali to recruit some new members.
After conferring, the rest of Donso decided Pierre should head to Mali. He’d been to Africa before, but never to record parts of an album. With him, he took a portable studio, tape recorded and several microphones. Once in Mali, he headed to all the places musicians hung out. Rue 235, Parc Des Princes, Class A and Diplomate were used to for impromptu auditions. Accompanying Pierre was a true legend of Malian music, violinist Zoumana Tereta. Musicians came and went, yet Pierre couldn’t find the right musicians. Things weren’t looking good. Then Pierre’s luck changed.
Eventually, having invited musicians to join Pierre and Zoumana at the French Cultural Centre, the musicians started to jam. Different ideas were tried. It was a musical exchange of ideas. Some worked, some didn’t. Essentially, it was a matter of trial and error. Eventually, they were into the type of groove Pierre was looking for. Things were at last, looking good. Three new faces would play an important role in what are referred to as the Bamoka sessions.
Bassist Moussa Bah was the first of the musicians that Pierre discovered. Previously, he’d been a member of Ngoni Ba. He’s a hugely talented bass player who plays on two tracks, Jugu and Easy Easy. Both tracks benefit from Moussa’s bubbling bass. Next to join the Bamoka sessions was Mantiaba. She made a huge impression on the session. Full of energy and enthusiasm, Mantiaba made such an impression, that a song was named after her. Guitarist Sambala Kouyate was the last musician to join the session. His contribution was somewhat rushed. In a mere ten minutes, he laid down the guitar parts on Sibi Hours and Rock Le Kalaban. Recording took place in Pierre’s hotel room. Ten minutes later, Sambala was gone. Whilst the Bamoka sessions were taking place, Zoumana Tereta was the de facto artistic director.
Zoumana was more than an artistic director. He inspired several tracks on Defila. Two of these are Dali and Heading To Gao. Although the genesis of both tracks was Zoumana, Donso reworked the tracks back in Paris. In the Paris studios, seeds planted in Mali, grew in France. Eventually, the fifteen tracks that became Defila were finished.
Released on 2nd September 2013, on Comet Records France, Defila is a more that musical collaboration between two continents. It’s more than a meeting of French and Malian music. Instead, it’s a fusion of the old and new. Religious and secular music sit side-by-side. Defila sees Donso fuse the ancient, sacred donso music fused with contemporary, modern music. Atmospheric and evocative, it’s music that’s hypnotic and mesmeric. Lysergic and dreamy, it’s music that’s an innovative and imaginative. A genre-sprawling musical journey, Defila which I’ll pick the highlights of, is music to cherish and experience.
Opening Donso’s debut album is Duruni Part 1. It’s thirty evocative seconds of music where, instantly, you’re transported to Mali. You’re introduced to its sounds, sights and delights on the first part of this four part movement.
DJamilla’s Secret picks up where the previous track left off. Atmospheric and dramatic, it bristles with energy. A fusion of musical genres, everything from rock, electro, funk and donso is thrown into this multicultural mixing bowl. The result is a mesmeric track. Drums provide a pulsating heartbeat while keyboards and percussion join the djeli n’goni. It’s played by Abousy, whose performance is stunning, truly Hendrix-esque.
Slow, pensive stabs of keyboards open Mantiaba. Percussion signals the entrance of the Mantiaba’s vocal. It’s heartfelt, ethereal and sultry. Meanwhile, a multilayered arrangement unfolds. So much is unfolding. Two continents meet head on. The old and sacred meets the new and contemporary. Pierre plays keyboards while pounding drums, percussion and buzzing bass provide the backdrop for the ethereal beauty of Mantiaba’s vocal.
Crystalline guitars open Jugu, which features bassist Moussa Bah. This is one of two tracks he plays on. His bass n’goni anchors the arrangement. Joining him are percussion, keyboards, dundrum and crystalline guitars. Their role is to set the scene for Gedeon’s impassioned, pleading vocal. This they do. So do harmonies. They add to the emotion of this deeply moving and powerful paean.
One of the greatest discoveries that Pierre made while recording Defila, was guitarist Sambala Kouyate. On Rock Le Kalaban, he unleashes some searing, mesmeric guitar licks. This he did in just ten minutes. A man in a hurry, he never misses a beat. Here we hear a tantalizing taste of the Malian guitar great. We also hear another urgent, emotive vocal from Gedeon. As harmonies add to the emotion and ethereal beauty, rocky guitar riffs, a pounding bass and percussion provide the urgent, frenzied backdrop for his vocal.
Awakening is a showcase for multi-instrumentalist Seyba Cissoko. Here, he gives a dramatic drum masterclass. Powerful, booming drums drive the arrangement along. Bells and bubbling synths escape from the arrangement as seamlessly and peerlessly, Seyba fuses techno dub and dub step. A majestic, hypnotic track, here the ancient meets the innovative.
Duruni, Part 4 is another brief snapshot of Malian life. Singing call and response with rejoicing harmonies, distant drums encourage this joyous thanksgiving.
As Easy Easy unfolds, it’s a moderne track with a contemporary sound. That’s until sing-song harmonies set the scene for Gedeon’s impassioned, almost spiritual vocal. Quickly, they take on a hypnotic sound. Now the old and new are one. Especially when searing guitars join Moussa on bass n’goni. They join forces with the dundun and violin. However, producing the donso trance sound are the vocals, which are best described as majestically mesmeric and trancelike.
Dankala Koule closes Denfila. A broody, eerie arrangement quickly becomes ethereal. That’s when the synths are joined by Gedeon’s vocal. Heartfelt and spiritual, his vocal is full of feeling. It’s as if he’s giving thanks. As for the synths, they’re moody and dark, while the ethereal beauty of Gedeon’s vocal offers hope for Mali’s future.
Although I’ve only mentioned nine of the fifteen tracks on Donso’s sophomore album Defila, I could just as easily have mentioned any of the other tracks. It’s quality all the way. From the opening bars of Duruni Part 1, right through to the closing notes of Dankala Koule, there’s no let up in the quality. The five members of Donso see to that. Helping them, were some of Mali’s finest musicians.
This includes vocalist Mantiaba, bassist Moussa Bah and the Pierre’s best find, guitarist Sambala Kouyate. Sounding like the ghost of Jimi Hendrix, he arrived at Pierre’s hotel room, laid down some searing, sizzling guitar riffs, then ten minutes later, was gone. What he left behind, are some of the best guitar riffs on Defila. Just like Moussa Bah, Sambala Kouyate is one of Malian music’s best kept secrets. They played their part in a compelling and hypnotic album, Defila, which was recently released by Comet Records France.
An emotional musical journey, Donso are musical pioneers. On Defila, they fuse the ancient, sacred sounds of donso trance with 21st Century electronic music. Here, religious and secular sit happily side by side. The sacred sound of donso trance is fused with electro, rock, psychedelia, dub, techno and dubstep. This proves to be compelling combination of musical genres and influences. Best described as joyous, spiritual, uplifting, hypnotic and mesmeric, Defila’s eclectic music veers between moody and broody, to lysergic and dreamy, to ethereal and beautiful. Defila is all this and more. It’s also an introduction to the multitalented Donso and their equally talented friends, who are responsible for Defila, a truly genre-melting album. Standout Tracks: DJamilla’s Secret, Mantiaba, Rock Le Kalaban and Easy Easy.
DONSO-DEFILA.
T-CONNECTION-T-CONNECTION.
T-CONNECTION-T-CONNECTION.
By December 1978, disco was at the peak of its popularity. So should T-Connection. They should’ve been riding the crest of the disco wave. They weren’t. That age old problem, the difficult second album had tripped them up. Their had career started so well. Magic released in April 1977 reached number 109 in the US Billboard 200 and number thirty-two in the US R&B Charts. It featured two hit singles, including Do What You Wanna, which reached number one in the US Disco Charts. Then came the difficult second album On Fire.
On Fire proved to be a somewhat ironic title for T-Connection’s sophomore album. T-Connection weren’t On Fire. Released in 1978, On Fire stalled at number 139 in the US Billboard 200 and number forty in the US R&B Charts. They’d failed to build on the Momentum of Magic. Instead, they’d changed direction musically. Whereas Magic was a delicious fusion of disco, funk and soul, full of social comment and love songs, T-Connection was a much more lightweight, commercial album. Here, was another case of second album syndrome. T-Connection’s career was at a crossroads. Their third album T-Connection, which was recently released by BBR Records, could make or break the band. Which was it?
For T-Connection, the band’s founder Theophilus T. Oakley wrote four songs and cowrote three songs. He penned Coming Back For More, Funky Lady, Saturday Night and Love Supreme. Guitarist David Mackey and Theophilus cowrote At Midnight and Midnight Train, while Theophilus and Montgomery Kemp wrote Funkannection. Kurt Oakley contributed Don’t The Stop The Music, the other track on T-Connection. These eight tracks were recorded at Studio Sound Center Recordings in Miami, Florida.
At Studio Sound Center Recordings T-Connection were joined by producer Cory Wade. Theophilus T. Oakley sang lead vocals and played keyboards. He was joined by the rest of T-Connection. This included the rhythm section of bassist Kurt Oakley, drummer Berkeley Van Byrd and guitarists Monty Brown and David Mackey. Tony Flowers the other member of T-Connection added percussion. Strings and horns were arranged by Bert Dovo. Once the eight songs were recorded, T-Connection was released in December 1978. Would T-Connection revive the group’s ailing fortunes?
When T-Connection was released in December 1978, it reached number fifty-one in the US Billboard 200 and number twenty in the US R&B Charts. Chosen as the lead single was At Midnight. Released in December 1978, it reached number fifty-six in the US Billboard 100, number thirty-two in the US R&B Charts and number three in the US Disco Charts. In the UK, At Midnight reached just number fifty-three. Saturday Night was then released as a single in February 1979. It reached number twenty-eight in the US R&B Charts and number forty-one in the UK. T-Connection had transformed the group’s career. Not only was it their most successful album, but featured two hit singles in the US and UK. What made T-Connection such a successful album? That’s what I’ll now tell you.
Opening T-Connection is the mid-tempo, uber funky Funkannection. It’s similar to a couple of tracks on Magic. There’s P-Funk and proto-rap influences to the track. Here, T-Connection’s rhythm section get busy. Along with chiming guitars, they produce the funkiest of licks. Theophilus’ vocal veers between proto-rap and a sultry vamp. Urgent bursts of harmonies and handclaps accompany him. As searing guitars, slap bass and keyboards provide the backdrop, to this slice of good time funky music.
Coming Back For More is the first of four tracks Theophilus T. Oakley wrote. Driven along by a bounding, bubbling bass line, funk and soul meet head on. This is what T-Connection do so well. Their rhythm section, keyboards and percussion provide a funky backdrop for Theophilus’ sultry, soulful vamp. He sings call and response. Soaring, soulful harmonies accompany him. As he struts his way through this tale of love gone wrong, you’d think he hadn’t a care in the world.
Funky Lady sees T-Connection up the ante. This track surpasses everything that’s gone before. Tough and funk, T-Connection showcase their inconsiderable skills. Referencing Parliament, Funkadelic, The Temptations and Isley Brothers a vintage slice of funk unfolds. As usual, the rhythm section are at the heart of the action. They up the funk factor to eleven. Joining them are chiming guitars, clavinet and bursts of blazing horns which punctuate the arrangement. As for Theophilus, he struts his way through the track. His vocal is feisty and sassy, as soulful, sweeping and sometimes sassy harmonies respond to his call. When all this is combined, it’s one of the funkiest ladies you’ll met.
Don’t Stop The Music picks up where Funky Lady left off. Driven along by the bass, stabs of growling horns, chiming guitars and piano provide the backdrop to Theophilus’ vocal. This is his best vocal so far. He seems to sings within himself. His vocal is heartfelt and soulful. So too are the harmonies, which are reminiscent of The Temptations. They’re smooth and soar above the arrangement. Stabs of horns, piano and the funky rhythm section join forces, bringing back memories of The Commodores, Isley Brothers and Earth Wind and Fire at their best.
Saturday Night sees Kirkwood Oakley unleash a peerless slap bass solo before Chic style guitars and the lushes of disco strings sweep in. They too, have a Chic “sound.” At last, T-Connection are revisiting the disco of Magic. As Theophilus delivers a vocal that’s full of sass and bravado, a bubbling bass provides the heartbeat. Stabs of braying horns, quivering strings and bursts of harmonies accompany him. Later, cooing, oohing harmonies add an unforgettable reminder of the heady, hedonistic days of disco.
At Midnight is another slice of Disco Magic from T-Connection. It literally bursts into life. Disco strings and urgent bursts of rasping horns are joined by a pulsating, funky heartbeat. Add to that a sprinkling of percussion and Theophilus’ emotive vocal. Mixing power and passion, he vamps his way through the track. Providing a perfect foil are sweeping, soaring harmonies. They rise like a phoenix from the ashes. During a breakdown the arrangement is pared back to just the percussion and rhythm section. From there, the arrangement rebuilds. Later, the arrangement is stripped bare again. Just the rhythm section and piano deliver a funk masterclass, before this opus heads to its dramatic crescendo.
Midnight Train is a fusion of musical genres. Everything from funk, pop, soul and disco combine. It’s a track that’s more in common with On Fire than Magic. Having said that, it’s not short of poppy hooks. Driven along by Kirkwood Oakley’s bass, drums pound and swathes of lush strings sweep and swirl. Theophilus’ vocal is tender and pensive, referencing soul and pop. As for the arrangement, it’s a fusion of disco and funk. Dance-floor friendly, poppy and soulful, hooks certainly aren’t in short-supply.
Closing T-Connection is Love Supreme, the only ballad on the album. This is a shame, as T-Connection do ballads really well. Just melancholy keyboards are joined by lush strings, crystalline guitars and the rhythm section. They set the scene for Theophilus’ tender, impassioned vocal. Accompanied by tight, heartfelt harmonies, T-Connection sounding not unlike Earth, Wind and Fire, close T-Connection on a soulful high. Indeed, so good is this track, that I’d say it’s the highlight of the album.
Having started their career on a high with Magic, T-Connection’s career stalled with their second album. Sophomore albums are notoriously hard. The temptation is to try something new. That’s what T-Connection did. It didn’t work. Whereas Magic was a delicious fusion of disco, funk and soul On Fire was a much more commercial sounding album. A collection of pop, rock, disco and soul, On Fire smoldered its way to number 139 in the US Billboard 200 and number forty in the US R&B Charts. For T-Connection, this was a disaster. They were left looking like another one trick pony. Their career was at the crossroads. If their third album flopped, it was game over for T-Connection.
Luckily for T-Connection, they returned to what they did so well. They fused disco, funk and soul. Of the eight tracks, there’s three funk and three disco tracks. Midnight Train is a fusion of musical genres. Love Supreme which closes T-Connection, is a beautiful ballad, one of the best the group recorded. Drawing inspiration from Chic, Funkadelic, Parliament, The Temptations and Earth Wind and Fire T-Connection released the most successful album of their career so far. Then there was the small matter of two hit singles in the US and UK. T-Connection’s comeback was complete. They weren’t out of the woods yet.
Just seven months later, the disco bubble burst. Suddenly, disco was as welcome as rattlesnake in a lucky dip. For a group who part of their success was down to disco, things weren’t looking good for T-Connection. However, T-Connection didn’t crash and burn. Instead, they adapted and released four further albums. Sadly, they never scaled the heights that T-Connection which was recently rereleased by BBR Music reached. T-Connection was T-Connection’s most successful album. Along with their debut album Magic, T-Connection finds T-Connection On Fire. Standout Tracks: Don’t Stop The Music, Saturday Night, At Midnight and Love Supreme.
T-CONNECTION-T-CONNECTION.
HUNTSVILLE-PAST INCREASING, FUTURE RECEDING.
HUNTSVILLE-PAST INCREASING, FUTURE RECEDING.
A mausoleum sounds an unlikely place to record an album. Even unlikelier is a mausoleum whose walls are covered with frescos painted by one of the greatest Norwegian artists of the nineteenth century. However unlikely this sounds, Emanuel Vigeland’s Mausoleum In Oslo is proving a popular, but unlikely place both for Norwegian musicians. Over the past few years, the Mausoleum has been transformed into both a concert hall and recording studio. Why? The reason to this simple, its acoustics.
A truly atmospheric, double-barreled room, daylight never finds its way into the Mausoleum. In many ways, its the antithesis of the modern recording studio. Nowadays, recording studios are light, airy places, full of the latest recording equipment. That doesn’t necessary make them a good place to record an album. That requires good acoustics, and the Mausoleum has that. Proof of this are the albums recorded in the Mausoleum.
Among them are two albums by Huntsville, one of Norway’s most innovative, inventive and imaginative bands. They recorded their critically acclaimed third album For Flowers, Cars and Merry Wars in the Mausoleum. Released in 2011 on Hubro Music, For Flowers, Cars and Merry Wars was a coming of age album from Huntsville. Critics hailed the album as Huntsville’s most innovative offering. Surpassing this wasn’t going to be easy. So Huntsville returned to the Mausoleum and recorded their fourth album Past Increasing, Future Receding which will be released on 7th October 2013 on Hubro Music. Will Past Increasing, Future Receding replicate the critical acclaim of its predecessor? That’s what I’ll tell you.
It was back in 2006 that the Norwegian trio Huntsville recorded their debut album For The Middle Class. A genre-sprawling album, critics realized that Ivar Grydeland, Tonny Kluften and Ingar Zach weren’t just talented, but truly innovative musicians and producers.
Two years after the release of For The Middle Class came their sophomore album Echo, Arches and Eras. This was no ordinary album. Quite the opposite. It was an ambitious double album where musical genres melted into one. One track, Eras, was a fifty-four minute opus, where Huntsville were joined by Glen Kotche and Nels Cline. If critics weren’t taking notice of Huntsville, they were after Echo, Arches and Eras. However, their next album would surpass everything that’s gone before.
Released in 2011, Music For Flowers, Cars and Merry Wars was the album that launched Huntsville. They’d switched labels, joining Hubro Music, a progressive label with a reputation for releasing innovative music. That was the perfect way to describe For Flowers, Cars and Merry Wars. Innovative, mesmeric and blessed with an ethereal beauty, critics and connoisseurs of good music awaited the followup to For Flowers, Cars and Merry Wars.
Since the release of For Flowers, Cars and Merry Wars, Huntsville have been busy. They released a collaboration with Splashgirl. Entitled Splashgirl/Huntsville, it showcased two of Norway’s most forward thinking groups. After that, work began on Huntsville’s forthcoming album, Past Increasing, Future Receding.
Recording of Past Increasing, Future Receding took place in Emanuel Vigeland’s Mausoleum. For Huntsville, that was the only place the album could be recorded. After all, so important are the Mausoleum’s famed acoustics, that they refer to it as the fourth member of the group. Its dark, some would say bleak and gloomy surroundings are full of ghosts of the past. Atmospheric and evocative, full of history and darkness, the surroundings could either prove inspirational, or stifle creativity? Which is the case with Huntsville’s fourth album Past Increasing, Future Receding? That’s what I’ll tell you.
Presence in Absence, a seventeen-minute opus opens Past Increasing, Future Receding. It’s best described as an understated, but moody soundscape. You’re drawn in by the washes of synths, before Huntsville spring a surprise. Suddenly, a drum crashes. It adds drama, before feedback shrieks and white noise buzzes. You await Huntsville’s next curve ball. A drum pounds, cymbals crash and reverb gives way to subtle cymbals. By now, it’s a truly enthralling adventure. A bass threatens to break free, while guitars chime and hi-hats hiss. Gradually, the drama builds and the track reveals its secrets. Cymbals crash, crystalline guitars chime and drums pound as musical genres and influences meet head on. Everything from ambient, free jazz, folk, psychedelia and rock combine on a track that somehow manages to be ethereal and beautiful, while being dramatic, overpowering and moody.
A bass synth is like a siren as The Flow of Sand unfolds. Sinister noises join forces, playing their part in the track’s dark, minimalist, cinematic sound. Sounds assail you, surround you, threaten you. Deliberate stabs of piano to provide relief, from the cyborg sound. Robotic, machinelike it’s as if the Spiders From Mars have arrived somewhat belatedly. The music paints pictures and scenarios. These scenarios are futuristic, full of eerie, sci-fi sounds. Flourishes of piano and supernatural strings join galloping drums. They seem keen to recreate the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Best described as bold, brave music, it’s music that’s intelligent, challenging and innovative. It’s music for a film that’s yet to be made. That’s up to you. You let the music wash over you, painting pictures in your mind’s eye.
In An Hourglass closes Past increasing, Future Receding. Minimalist and moody, space is used effectively. Huntsville are mindful of Miles Davis’ quote that sometimes, the space between two notes is important as the notes themselves. Synths beep and squeak, cymbals crash and drums boom. Space adds to the drama. Cymbals crash, resonating into the distance. Slow, spacious and sinister, a myriad of noises threaten to interrupt this 21st Century soundscape. It draws influence from Brian Eno, Pink Floyd, free jazz and Buddhistic meditation music. Adding an ethereal contrast is an acoustic guitar. It veers between Flamenco and folk as the track heads to an enigmatic, ethereal and poignant crescendo.
Just three songs and thirty-five minutes long, Huntsville’s fourth album Past increasing, Future Receding picks up where they left off with Flowers, Cars and Merry Wars. A trio of atmospheric and evocative soundscapes, it’s minimalist music that paints pictures. Bold, brave and inventive, it’s innovative and imaginative music. I’d also describe Past increasing, Future Receding as cerebral cinematic soundscapes. Sometimes, it’s full of futuristic, sci-fi sounds, that pique your imagination. That’s why it’s articulate and intelligent music. Other times, it’s moody and broody, but can just as easily become crystalline and ethereal, as influences and genres melt into one.
Past increasing, Future Receding is an eclectic melting pot of influences and genres. Listen carefully and you’ll hear Brian Eno, Can, Neu, the Cocteau Twins, Robin Guthrie, Harold Budd and Mind Over Midi. Everything from ambient music, electronica, free jazz, Flamenco, folk and Krautrock melt magically in Huntsville’s musical melting pot. These influences and genres play their part in what’s the best album of Huntsville’s career, Past increasing, Future Receding.
Huntsville’s decision to record Past increasing, Future Receding at Emanuel Vigeland’s Mausoleum proved inspirational. Past increasing, Future Receding which will be released on 7th October 2013, on Hubro Music, is Huntsville’s fourth and best album. It surpasses even the critically acclaimed For Flowers, Cars and Merry Wars. That was Huntsville’s Magnus Opus. Not any more. It’s been surpassed by Past increasing, Future Receding, an innovative, inventive and atmospheric genre-melting album.
HUNTSVILLE-PAST INCREASING, FUTURE RECEDING.
MARLENA SHAW-JUST A MATTER OF TIME.
MARLENA SHAW-JUST A MATTER OF TIME.
For the first Lady of Blue Note, Marlena Shaw, 1975 saw her release the most successful album of her career, Who Is This Bitch Anyway? An innovative fusion of soul and jazz, Marlena explored feminist, sexual politics and social issues. This represented Marlena Shaw at the height of her creative powers. Who Is This Bitch Anyway had surpassed everything that Marlena had released previously. The decision to team up with producer Bernard Ighner had paid off. Bernard had brought in some of the best musicians. Everything fell into place. It seemed Marlena was about to enjoy the commercial success and critical her talent deserved. Sadly, that wasn’t case when Marlena released Just A Matter Of Time, which was recently released by SoulMusic Records.
For the followup to Who Is This Bitch Anyway, Just A Matter Of Time, there was a change of producer. This seems strange. After all, Marlena had just released the best album of her career. Commercially successful and critically acclaimed, Who Is This Bitch Anyway showed what Marlena was capable of. However, like any artist, this required the right team behind her.
Replacing Bernard Ighner, was Bert DeCoteaux, who’d established a successful track record. The veteran producer had just worked with Carol Douglas on The Carol Douglas Album and with Zulema’s eponymous albums. Bert had established a reputation for producing genre straddling albums. On these albums, soul and disco sat side-by-side. Albums like this, were the musical flavor of the month. Disco especially, was at the height of its success. Everyone was jumping on the disco bandwagon. Would Marlena Shaw, who was signed to jazz music’s premier label Blue Note, become a disco diva?
For Just A Matter Of Time ten songs were chosen. Marlena, a talented songwriter, only wrote one song for Just A Matter Of Time, No Hiding Place. The other tracks came from various songwriters. Charles Simmons and Joe Jefferson cowrote love Has Gone Away, which featured on The Spinners’ Mighty Love album. Gwen Grant and Patrick Grant penned This Time I’ll Be Sweeter and Think About Me. Bernard Ingher contributed Sing To Me, Bettye Crutcher Take My Body, Fredrick Knight Be For Real and Carson Whitsett wrote You and I. Along with It’s Better Than Walking Out and Brass Band, these ten tracks became Just A Matter Of Time, which were recorded at Mediasound Studios, New York.
Joining Marlena Shaw and producer Bert DeCoteaux at Mediasound Studios, New York for the recording of Just A Matter Of Time were some of the best session musicians of the time. This included a rhythm section of drummer Jimmy Young, bassist Bob Babbit and guitarists Lance Quinn, Jerry Friedman, Hugh McCrakin and Jeff Mironov. Producer Bert DeCoteaux, played keyboards while Ted Sommers and Dave Garey added percussion and Carlos Martin played congas. Nobody who’d played on the Who Is This Bitch Anyway, featured on Just A Matter Of Time, which was released in 1976.
The gamble to bring in a new producer and personnel didn’t pay off. Apart from reaching a lowly number twenty-five in the US Billboard Jazz charts, Just A Matter Of Time failed to chart. This was a long way from Who Is This Bitch Anyway. The lead single, It’s Better Than Walking Out stalled at number seventy-four in the US R&B Charts. A small crumb of comfort was, it reached number nine Dance Music/Club Play Charts and number seven in the Disco Charts.. Then when Love Has Gone Away was released as single, it failed to chart. From the high of Who Is This Bitch Anyway, Marlena came back to earth with a bang with Just A Matter Of Time, which I’ll tell you about.
It’s Better Than Walking Out which opens Just A Matter Of Time, sounds like a Norman Harris production. This is the case from the opening bars. From just the drums, chiming guitars, bass and dancing, disco strings join and soaring harmonies are added. Then Marlena’s sassy, feisty vocal struts centre-stage. At that moment, Blue Note’s disco diva was born. Amidst a myriad of blazing horns, gospel-tinged harmonies and swirling strings, Marlena’s scats, whoops and hollers her way through this timeless dance track.
Brass Band is very different from the previous track. Here, the tempo drops as the rhythm section, rocky guitars and congas join sweeping strings. They provide the backdrop to Marlena’s vocal. It’s tender, thoughtful and full of emotion. The arrangement is a fusion of influences. Caribbean, disco, soul, pop and jazz combine. Horns bray, strings dance and harmonies sweep in, as Marlena’s delivers a joyous, lovestruck vocal on this lightweight slice of poppy soul.
From it’s dramatic introduction, This Time I’ll Be Sweeter. Quivering, shivering strings, pounding drums and rasping horns signal the entrance of Marlena’s melancholy vocal. Flourishes of harpsichord, chiming guitars and lush strings provide the backdrop to her soul baring vocal. Harmonies soar dramatically, reflecting the hurt in Marlena’s vocal. Drums pound, adding to the drama of this heartbreaking opus.
Funky. That describes Think About Me. With its wah-wah guitars and stabs of brassy horns accompanying an uber funky rhythm section. This track could easily be from a Blaxploitation soundtrack. As for Marlena’s vocal, she sneers her way through the track, pitying her ex who married another to spite her. Full of bravado, she let’s him know it’s his loss. She tells him I know that you “Think About Me, I was the one you needed, I should’ve been then one.” Feeding off her backing vocalists, bravado and bluster meet sass and sensuality, as Marlena, playing the roll of a woman scorned to a t, delivers one of her finest vocals on Just A Matter Of Time.
Vibes, harpsichord and wah-wah guitars provide the backdrop to Marlena’s vocal on You and Me. It’s needy and laden with emotion. Quickly it grows in power. So to does the arrangement. Horns bray and blaze and drums pound. Strings sweep, reflecting the emotion in Marlena’s vocal. Heartfelt, it’s needy, insecure and tinged with sadness. She’s scared to lose the one she loves. They’re stronger together, rather than apart. Her dramatic, emotive paean is proof of this.
Love Has Gone Away featured on The Spinners’ album Mighty Love, which was produced by Thom Bell. Literally, the song bursts into life. Strings sweep and swirl, horns growl and the rhythm section drives the arrangement along. Marlena grabs the song, making it work. She delivers a vocal that’s equal parts sadness, hurt and regret. Combining power and passion, brings the lyrics to life. Accompanied by soaring, dramatic harmonies as Marlena vamps her way to through the track. Later, her band fuse funk, jazz and disco, transforming the track as it heads towards its dramatic crescendo.
Bernard Ighner who produced Who Is This Bitch Anyway, wrote Sing To Me especially for Marlena. Straight away, you realize something special is unfolding. Percussion, keyboards and the rhythm section combine as gradually, the meandering arrangement shares its secrets. This is the perfect backdrop to Marlena’s tender, sensual vocal. Cooing harmonies and swathes of strings prove the perfect accompaniment to Marlena’s heartfelt, seductive vocal.
Although Bettye Crutcher recorded one album at Stax, As Long As You Love Me she’s better known as a songwriter. She penned Take My Body, which has a real Stax sound. That’s ironic, as bassist Bob Babbit was a member of Motown’s studio band the Funk Brothers. Here, he and the rest of the band provide a Stax style backdrop for Marlena. Blazing horns and a pounding rhythm section accompany Marlena’s sassy, strutting vocal. Punchy harmonies sweep in and horns growl and rasp. Marlena and her backing vocalists drive each other to greater heights, as a delicious fusion of rock, blues and soul unfolds.
Gospel-tinged harmonies set the scene for the Fredrick Knight penned Be For Real. It’s a track whose roots are in the church. A wailing organ, stabs of piano and guitar provide the backdrop for Marlena. She sings call and response with her backing vocalists, while strings sweep above her. Just like on other tracks, they prove a potent partnership. Heartfelt, sincere and inspired by gospel music, it’s a truly beautiful song, that’s one of the highlights of Just A Matter Of Time.
Closing Just A Matter Of Time, is No Hiding Place, which Marlena wrote. Again, it’s a track whose roots are in the church. With just a piano accompanying her, Marlena delivers a vocal that’s a potent mixture of power and passion. Although she makes the song swing, what’s a good track could’ve been made a much better with some gospel-tinged harmonies and handclaps. That would’ve even more authenticity to the song.
Having released the critically acclaimed Who Is This Bitch Anyway, which was the most successful album of Marlena Shaw’s career in 1975, she came down to earth with a bump with 1976s Just A Matter Of Time. Who Is This Bitch Anyway had reached number 159 in the US Billboard 200, number forty-seven in the US R&B Charts and number eight in the US Billboard Jazz charts. A year later, Just A Matter Of Time reached a lowly number twenty-five in the US Billboard Jazz charts. For Marlena this must have been a huge blow. She’d spent the last four years establishing her reputation as the first Lady of Blue Note.
Ever since she’d signed to Blue Note in 1972, Marlena been making steady progress. Her first two albums, 1972s, Marlena and 1973s From the Depths of My Soul, were produced by Dr. George Butler. Then for Who Is This Bitch Anyway, Bernard Ighner was hired to produce the album. This was a minor masterstroke. He brought together the right material and musicians. This allowed Marlena to shine on Who Is This Bitch Anyway. So it’s no surprise that it was her most successful album. That he was replaced for Just A Matter Of Time seems strange? At least Bernard’s replacement was a producer with a pedigree.
Bert DeCoteaux had established a reputation as a successful producer. He’d been riding the crest of the disco wave before he worked with Marlena. Maybe Blue Note felt that Bert could make Marlena Shaw’s music appeal to more people? There’s everything from disco, soul, gospel, funk, blues and jazz on Just A Matter Of Time. Indeed, the best way to describe Just A Matter Of Time is a musical adventure. You never know which direction Just A Matter Of Time is heading. Incredibly, Marlena copes with the constant changes in style. Her versatility meant she’s just as comfortable being a strutting disco diva on It’s Better Than Walking Out or vamping her way through the uber funky Think About Me. Then there’s the gospel-tinged Be For Real and Take My Body, where blues, rock and soul meet head on. These are just four examples of why Just A Matter Of Time is one of the most eclectic albums Marlena Shaw released. Maybe that was why Just A Matter Of Time wasn’t a commercial success?
Given Just A Matter Of Time was such an eclectic album, how would Blue Note market the album? It didn’t fit neatly into one musical genre. No. It straddled genres. The same goes for radio stations. As Just A Matter Of Time wasn’t purely a jazz, soul, funk or disco album. It was a mixture of each of these genres. So stations playing soul or disco wouldn’t put Just A Matter Of Time on their playlist. The same goes for record buyers. No longer was Marlena just a jazz singer. Now she was trying to be appeal to everyone. This maybe alienated people, especially those who’d followed her career since her debut album. For Blue Note, this proved the final straw.
Following the failure of Just A Matter Of Time, Blue Note dropped Marlena Shaw. In the space of a year, she’d released the most successful album of her career, been crowned Blue Note’s first Lady and was then unceremoniously dropped. Ironically, Just A Matter Of Time, Marlena Shaw’s Blue Note swan-song, where she switches seamlessly between musical genres, is one of the most underrated albums of her long and distinguished career. Standout Tracks: It’s Better Than Walking Out, Think About Me, Take My Body and Be For Real.
MARLENA SHAW-JUST A MATTER OF TIME.
DOM LA NENA-ELA.
DOM LA NENA-ELA.
Not many people are willing to devote their life to music. No. It takes a very special person to make the sacrifices that are needed to master an instrument. Most people are unwilling to make the commitment that’s required. This wasn’t the case for Dom La Nena. From the moment the Brazilian born chanteuse first discovered the cello, it was literally love at first sight. Since then, the Brazilian born cellist and vocalist’s life has revolved around music. That was the first step in a musical journey that lead to the release Dom La Nena’s debut album Ela. It’ll be released on 7th October 2013, on the Six Degrees Records. Before I tell you about Ela, I’ll tell you about Dom La Nena’s life and career.
Dom La Nena was born in 1989, inPorto Alegre, Southern Brazil. Aged five, curiosity got the better of Dom. She discovered something she’d seen every day of her young life, the family piano. Curiosity became a voyage of discover. Her discovery of the piano lead to the cello. Straight away, Dom La Nena realized that the cello was her way of expressing herself. So, she decided to devote her life to music and specifically, the cello.
By the time Dom was eight, her family moved to France. Her father was studying for a doctorate. During this period, Dom musical education began. She received a classical training during the five years her family lived in France. Once her father’s doctorate was completed, the family returned to Brazil. In Dom’s case, this wasn’t for long.
Already, Dom was an admired of American cellist Christine Walevska, who in 1997, was living in Buenos Aries, Argentina. Dom wrote to Christine and not long after this, she moved to Buenos Aries. Her parents realized this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Never again, would Dom get the chance to be a student of a legendary musician. So, Dom’s parents allowed her to move to Argentina.
Aged just thirteen, Dom moved to Buenos Aries. Dom spent five years studying with Christine Walevska and some of the country’s most influential classical musicians. It was during her time in Argentina that Dom adopted the name La Nena. This was affectionate name which means “the girl,” was bestowed on her by Christine and her grandparents, who Dom would visit in Uruguay. Little did they realize that it would stick. After five years, Dom, aged eighteen, had finished what was the another stage in her musical eduction. Next stop for her, was Paris, where her musical career would begin.
It was 2007 when Dom moved to Paris. Soon, she was working with some of the biggest names in French music. Dom accompanied Jeanne Moreau, Etienne Daho and Camille. Then in 2009, Dom worked with Anglo-French singer and actress Jane Birkin on her worldwide tour. It was during Jane Birkin’s tour that Dom decided she’d begin work on her debut album.
On her return from touring with Jane Birkin, Piers Faccini offered Dom the chance to use his home studio. The rural location was perfect. It was high in Cevennes Mountains in France. Isolated, and miles away from anywhere, it gave Dom the chance to concentrate purely on her music. Within a week, Dom had recorded all the cello, piano and vocal parts. Dom decided to send the songs to Piers. He’d not planned to work on the album. Then he heard the songs.
After one listen, Piers wanted to work with Dom. He threw himself into the project. They proved a potent partnership. Dom and Piers were like ying and yang. Soon, an understanding arose. Quickly, Piers knew what was needed to improve a song. They fed off each other, inspired each other. Eventually, thirteen songs were finished. These thirteen songs became Ela, Dom La Nena’s debut album, which I’ll tell you about.
Anjo Gabriel is the perfect track to open Ela. This is case from the opening bar to the closing notes. Atmospheric describes the introduction. When a creaky door gives way to an accordion you’re interest in piqued. They provides a wistful and understated backdrop to the pizzicato strings and piano. They accompany Dom’s fragile, ethereal vocal. Accompanied by a subtle sprinkling of percussion and harmonies, the song heads towards its beautiful, crescendo.
No Meu Pais has a minimalist, understated arrangement. Just piano and cello set the scene for Dom’s vocal. There’s a sadness in her vocal. She’s grownup without roots, traveling between Brazil, France, Argentina and Brazil, never putting roots down. She’s missed out on so much. It’s as if she’s realizing what she’s sacrificed for her first love, music. A poignant coming of age song, is it a case of no regrets?”
From the opening bars of O Vento, the tension builds. Quivering strings and meandering guitars accompany Dom’s vocal. It’s sung in Portuguese. There’s a sense of melancholia in her vocal. Tinged with sadness and regret, Dom’s vocal is a window into the soul of the weary adventurer.
There’s a vibrancy to Dom’s vocal on Batuque. Multi-tracked backing vocals accompany her. Just like her vocal, they’re ethereal and crystalline. The drums are the polar opposite. They’e bold and dramatic, while the percussion is subtle. Later, when they join with Eastern percussion and Dom’s scatted vocal, they prove a mesmeric combination.
Dom’s cello provides a wistful, heartbreaking backdrop to Dessa Vez, which sees Piers Faccini join Dom. When her vocal enters, it veers between hurt-filled and hopeful. Longing and loneliness are omnipresent. She wonders and hopes, but dare not think that this time she might find love. She’s been hurt before is scared of being hurt again. Piers assures her this time it’s different, this time, it could be for real.
Conto de Fadas, which translates as Fairytale, is one of the highlights of Ela. Just a piano, then cello accompany Dom’s vocal. It’s tender, emotive and soothing. Despite being sung in Portuguese, its inherent beauty will transcends any barrier,
Ela the title-track has a sense of suspense. That’s thanks to the cello. It provides a dramatic backdrop for Dom’s despondent vocal. Soon, it quicken, becoming breathy. It’s as if she’s overcome with sadness and sorrow at the situation she finds herself in.
Buenos Aries features another guest artist, Argentinian singer Thiago Pethit. The song is a celebration of the time Dom spent in Buenos Aries. There’s a classical influence to this piano lead song. Dom delivers a a tender, wistful and ethereal vocal. Then an accordion tugs at her heartstrings. It provides a reminder of her old life in Argentina. When it drops out, Thiago delivers an impassioned, pleading vocal. Later, as Thiago and Dom’s vocals are swept along by the accordion and harmonies, memories come flooding back. For Dom, they’re good and bad. Instead of a celebration, it proves to be a bittersweet journey.
Breathtakingly beautiful and heartbreaking describes Menina Dos Olhos Azuis. With just harmonies and later, a piano for company, Dom lays bare her feelings. What follows is an outpouring of emotion, with a cello solo proving the final straw.
Sambinha is a very different track. It’s a much more upbeat song, that’s like a call to dance. You can’t help but submit to this songs irresistible charms. An acoustic guitar and percussion join Dom’s lilting, sensual vocal. Cooing harmonies, handclaps and accordion combine to create a backdrop to Dom’s sultry vocal.
When I first heard Canção Boba it reminded me of another song. Having racked my brains and played the songs numerous times, I realized what it was, U2’s One Love. Although there’s similarities, it’s also very different. Just a pensive piano provides an understated backdrop for Dom’s vocal. Her vocal oozes emotion, sincerity and joy. Gradually, the arrangement builds and reveals its beauty and secrets. As bass and cello combine with harmonies, the song takes on an anthemic quality. Thankfully, Dom doesn’t resort to posturing, relying on the ethereal, crystalline beauty of her vocal to shine through.
Vocé sees Dom joined by Camille, a French singer who she’s previously worked with. Inspiration for this song came from a childhood game she played. Memories come flooding back. That was when she was carefree, and started her globetrotting life as a musician. As the song ends, Dom’s vocal has become melancholy, at what she lost and the sacrifices she made. Was it worth it?
Saudade closes Ela. That’s the perfect way to describe not just Dom’s vocal on this track, but much of the album. Melancholia or wistfulness is a way of describing it. It’s more than that. There’s a sense of longing, as if desperate to recapture something that’s long-gone. That’s apparent from her vocal, which is accompanied by the cello. It reflects the regret in Dom’s vocal. What caused the regret? Maybe it’s the childhood and youth Dom never got the chance to enjoy. After all, she was living away from home and devoting her life to music?
Thirteen songs and just thirty-six minutes long, Dom La Nena’s debut album Ela, is a beautiful, but melancholy album. It’s a poignant and powerful window into the world of Dom La Nena. The thirteen songs feature mostly understated, acoustic arrangements. This allows Dom’s vocal to take centre-stage. You’re spellbound by each of her vocals. She’s a natural storyteller, whose worldweary, wistful voice brings the lyrics to life. Despite being sung in Portuguese and Spanish, you can feel, share and empathize with her pain and anguish. Dom sounds a complex character, whose music is a reflection of her childhood.
First of all, Dom and her family moved from Brazil to Paris. Aged just eight, she left behind her friends and had to travel across the world. She had meet new friends and make a new life. Then there was the language barrier. This couldn’t have been easy. Then five years later, she moved from France back to Brazil. Then came the biggest decision of her life. Aged just thirteen, Dom left home and headed to Buenos Aries. Leaving behind friends and family, she followed her dream of becoming a professional musician. In doing this, she sacrificed so much, maybe too much? Some would say she sacrificed her childhood? Traveling to Argentina she spent five years there. From her songs, they weren’t always happy times. Bittersweet times they were. From Argentina, Dom headed back to France. Living a nomadic existence, she never puts roots down. That’s what makes No Meu Pais autobiographical.
Indeed, many of the songs on Ela which be released on 7th October 2013, on the Six Degrees Records, are autobiographical. Featuring articulate, intelligent lyrics, Ela is an emotional roller coaster journey that many people can relate to. After all, many people have made sacrifices that later, they wonder whether were worthwhile? In Dom’s case, it’s a journey full of highs and lows. Sadly, it seems the emotional lows outnumber the highs. That’s why one song epitomizes Dom La Nena’s music. That song is Saudade. It’s a Brazilian word that describes a deep-rooted sense of loss or longing. To me, that describes much of Dom’s music. That’s also why Dom’s music is so moving, poignant and powerful.
As an outsider looking in, Ela was an opportunity for Dom La Nena to reflect on her unorthodox life so far. I wonder whether she thinks that the sacrifices she made were worthwhile? Listening to the songs on Ela, melancholia is almost a constant companion for Dom. So often, her voice sounds melancholy, wistful and distant. It’s as if the songs bring back memories, some she’d rather forget. Maybe, Ela will prove cathartic for Dom La Nena, and this outpouring of emotion and memories will help her to move on and enjoy the next chapters in what I’m sure will be a long and successful musical journey? Standout Tracks: No Meu Pais, Dessa Vez, Conto de Fadas and Saudade.
DOM LA NENA-ELA.
DARROW FLETCHER-THE PAIN GOES DEEPER-THE COMPLETE EARLY YEARS 1965-1971.
DARROW FLETCHER-THE PAIN GOES DEEPER-THE COMPLETE EARLY YEARS 1965-1971.
Once tasted, fame is something every singer wants more of. It’s like a drug, totally addictive. The more success a singer enjoys, the more they crave. Soon, they assume a sense self importance that dwarves their success. Suddenly they’re a parody of their former self. Bombastic and egotistical, they’ll sell your soul for further fame. The music becomes was but a means to an end. What they really wanted to experience was fame. They want people to hang on their every word. Having people hang on your every word boosts their already growing ego. People want to meet them, know them and spend time with them. They hope that some of their success rubs off. All the time, their ego grows. As we know, “ego has a hungry appetite, the more you feed it, the hungrier it gets.” However, nothing lasts forever. Certainly not fame.
Fame can be fleeting, a seductive temptress. All it takes is a couple of hit singles, and a singer’s life is transformed. Having grown to love, need and crave fame, sometimes, it slips through their hands. The hits dry up, their record company drops them and suddenly, concerts are harder to come by. Comebacks fail, the money dries up and all of sudden, they’re back pumping gas. After that, life is never the same. Still they crave fame and recognition. They want people to hang on their every word. Like an addict, the forgotten singer is still hooked on fame. Fame was the worst thing that happened to them. It really was “the best of times, the worst of times.” Dickens words are prophetic and could apply to any number singers. Luckily, they don’t apply to Darrow Fletcher, who not only enjoyed fame, but revisited it later in his career. Darrow’s first brush with fame came between 1965 and 1971, and is documented on Darrow Fletcher-The Pain Goes Deeper-The Complete Early Years 1965-1971. It was recently released by Kent Soul, an imprint of Ace Records, and I’ll tell you about it.
Darrow Fletcher was born in January 1951, in Inkster, Michigan. Aged three, his family moved to Chicago, where his mother married Johnny Haygood. He adopted Darrow and would help Johnny when he made his recording debut, aged just fourteen.
Having been singing since the age of six, Darrow made his recording debut aged just fourteen. He was still at high school, so a minor. This meant he needed someone to chaperone him when he attended recording sessions. Johnny Haygood, his stepfather, was happy to do this. However, when Darrow confided in him that he wanted to make music his career, Johnny decided to help his stepson make his dream a reality
Previously, Johnny was a car salesman, but to help his stepson, decided to enter the music business. He setup a series of companies. This included an independent companies. It would lease its productions to record labels. Johnny also founded a publishing company. With the production and publishing companies in place, Johnny’s company was open for business. He hired songwriter Maurice Simpkins, arranger Burgess Gardner and producer Ted Daniel. This carefully chosen team would guide Darrow Fletcher’s nascent career.
Aged just fourteen, Darrow recorded The Pain Gets A Little Deeper. It was a song written by Darrow and Ted Daniel. The Pain Goes Deeper was leased to New York label, The Groovy Label, which was run by three veterans of the music business. Sam and George Goldner and Kal Rudman had a long and successful track record. Among their success stories were Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, The Chantels and The Shangri-Las. Groovy was their latest venture. It had been launched earlier in 1965. Unfortunately, it would only released ten singles. One of these was The Pain Gets A Little Deeper.
Released in December 1965, The Pain Gets A Little Deeper gradually climbed the charts. Eventually, it reached number eighty-nine in the US Billboard 100 and number twenty-three in the US R&B Charts. That’s no surprise. From the opening bars, it’s a song that swings. Handclaps, burst of blazing horns and rolls of drums accompany the youthful strains of Darrow Fletcher. His vocal is needy, as it grows in power and passion. Accompanied by an arrangement that grows in drama, the result is a hook-laden track features a vocal oozing in emotion.
My Judgement Day was the B-side to The Pain Gets A Little Deeper. Some DJs preferred Judgement Day. They flipped the single over and played it on radio. This gave Darrow a top twenty hit in Chicago. Written by Maurice Simpkins, It’s a song that paints disturbing picture. It’s a tale of life on the streets of Chi Town, seen through the eyes of a teenager. Emotion fills Darrow’s vocal as he sings of having to avoid gangs, who high of bravado and testosterone, egg each other on. Darrow’s vocal rises, as memories come flooding back, at having to dodge gangs, never knowing when he might be jumped, stabbed or worse. An evocative and poignant song, that sometimes, closely resembles The In Crowd.
Buoyed by the success of his debut single, Darrow headed out on tour. As a fifteen year old, he played the Harlem Apollo. During July 1966, he shared the stage with Stevie Wonder, B.B. King and David Ruffin in Philly. While the tour proved a success, his sophomore single wasn’t.
Darrow’s sophomore single was My Young Misery, which he wrote with Kal Rudman. On its release in 1966, it failed to replicate the success of The Pain Gets A Little Deeper. It explodes into life and is best described as a Northern Soul track full of teenage angst. This suits Darrow, who was still only fifteen. The B-side I’ve Gotta Know Why is quite different. It has a real Motown influence. That’s no surprise, as Darrow was accompanied by some of Motown’s studio band. Having watched his sophomore single flop, Darrow must have feared his career was going to be over before it began.
Gotta Draw The Line was chosen as Darrow’s third single. It was written by Richard Barrett, who managed The Three Degrees. They’d recorded the original. Then when Darrow covered the song, they rereleased the song and enjoyed a minor hit. Sadly, Darrow’s version didn’t chart. That seems strange. His version has a jaunty, breezy arrangement. He’s accompanied by cooing harmonies and stabs of braying horns, as he lays bare his soul. Maurice Simpkins’ I’ve Gotta Know Why was chosen as the B-side. This seems a waste. Here, Darrow delivers one of his best vocals of his nascent career. It’s a much more mature and expressive vocal. Hurt, heartache and bravado meet head on, as a confused Darrow wants and needs to know why his relationship is over. With his third single going the same way as its predecessor, Darrow, Johnny and everyone at Groovy must have wondered if success was just a friend who’d payed a fleeting visit.
That was and wasn’t the case. That Certain Little Something, which was penned by Karl Tarleton, was chosen as Darrow’s fourth single for Groovy. For the B-side, a decision was made to reuse My Judgement Day. It was as if Groovy weren’t willing to spend more money that was necessary on Darrow. Maybe they foresaw what was going to happen on its release in February 1967? Nationally, the single flopped. Regionally, it gave Darrow a minor regional hit. Again, the single deserved to fare better. Darrow’s vocal is sassy and feisty, while the trademark horns punctuate the arrangement. A welcome addition is the B.B. King style guitar riffs. They’re omnipresent on what is, one of Darrow’s finest cuts for Groovy. Sadly, this proved to be Darrow’s final release on Groovy.
Johnny Haygood wasn’t happy with the royalties Darrow was being paid. He’d tried getting a royalty statement from Groovy. When he got it, he wasn’t sure of their accuracy. After all, Darrow’s debut had been a number one song in certain states. With their relationship at breaking point, Johnny decided Darrow deserved better.
Deciding that the best forward was to form his own record company, Johnny founded Jacklyn. He ran the newly formed label out of a record shop he owned on the Windy City’s south side. Using the same arranger, producer and songwriter, it was business as usual. The only difference was, Johnny would know how many copies of a record had been sold.
For his Jacklyn debut, Darrow cut Sitting There That Night. It was a collaboration between Darrow and Johnny. Burgess Gardner and produced by Ted Daniel, it launched the new label. In Chicago alone, Johnny claimed 25,000 copies were sold. Unfortunately, distribution problems meant the nascent label didn’t have a huge hit. It could’ve and should’ve been a massive hit. It’s a song with made in Chi Town written all over it. Think Terry Callier and Curtis Mayfield and you’re not far away. Tender and heartfelt, with chinking guitars accompanying rasping horns and piano, it’s a musical coming of age for Darrow, who produces a career defining performance. Even the B-side, the Maurice Simpkins penned What Have I Got Now is something of a hidden gem. A fusion of influences and genres, it’s exotic, soulful and dramatic. Having rejuvenated his career at Jacklyn, Darrow needed to build on the momentum.
Infatuation was chosen as the followup to Sitting There That Night. Written by Darrow and Maurice Simpkins, the single wasn’t a success. Blamed on poor promotion, it’s a familiar story in the career of Darrow Fletcher, a song should’ve fared better. It didn’t, despite the driving, dramatic arrangement that reflects the Infatuation Darrow’s suffering from. Little Girl which Darrow and Johnny cowrote shows another side to Darrow. A slower, tender and needy vocal, horns envelop Darrow’s pleas, it’s a side of Johnny we should’ve heard more of. However, that wasn’t what Johnny and the Jacklyn team thought was best for Darrow.
What Good Am I Without You proved to be Darrow’s final release for Jackyn. Harry and Mary McNeil cowrote the song with Don Mancha. He was a musical entrepreneur. DJ, producer, manager, label owner and now songwriter, Don had tried everything. However, it was like most of the songs Darrow cut for Jacklyn and before that, Groovy. It was another uptempo track, driven along by a pounding beat. On top of that, sat Darrow’s impassioned vocal, while strings danced above him. Even bringing Mike Terry in to arrange the track didn’t work. It sank without trace. Jacklyn weren’t the record company Darrow needed. What he needed was a major.
There was no disputing Darrow’s talent. The problem was, he’d signed to labels who didn’t have the sales and distribution staff. To get Darrow’s career off the ground required a bigger budget than Groovy or Jacklyn. This is where MCA come in. They entered the market when they bought Decca in 1962. Since then, they’d embarked on an aggressive expansion plan. New labels were formed and new artists signed. Quickly, MCA were a player in soul and R&B. One of their new signings was Darrow Fletcher.
The Way Of A Man marked Darrow’s debut for MCA. It was released on their Revue imprint. Written by Maurice Simpkins and produced by Darrow, it didn’t chart nationally. Back home, it gave Darrow a minor hit in Chicago, showing promise. An outpouring of emotion, Darren’s soulful, heartfelt vocal is accompanied by bluesy horns. The B-side features a lovestruck Darrow on I Like The Way I Feel. Penned by Maurice Simpkins, it surpasses the quality of The Way Of A Man. Why it wasn’t chosen as the single seems strange. At least, Darrow seemed to be maturing with every release. Surely it was only a matter of time before he hit the jackpot?
For his second single for Revue, Those Hanging Heartaches, another Maurice Simpkins’ composition was chosen. On its release this beautiful ballad, where harmonies answered Darrow’s call, it failed to chart. A small crumb of comfort was it gave Darrow a hit in the Chicago charts. This was the last single Darrow released on Revue. Next stop was MCA’s Congress imprint.
Determined to make an impact on the New York based Congress, the Don Mancha composition I Think I’m Gonna Write A Song didn’t disappoint. Released in February 1970, it reached number forty-seven in the US R&B Charts, and gave Darrow a regional hit. A sultry, seductive coming of age from Darrow, it’s a song very much in the same vein as Al Green. As Darrow delivers a breathy vamp, it looks like his luck has changed.
That was the case. When Love Calls was released in July 1970. Written by John Moore and Jack Daniels, who’d established a reputation as successful songwriters, the song was a huge hit in Chicago. Johnny Haygood claimed it sold 65,000 in Chi Town alone. Despite this, this sultry bedroom ballad reached just number fifty-six in the US R&B Charts. What stopped the single being a huge hit was the age old problem, lack of promotion. History was repeating itself in more that one way.
Flip over to the B-side of When Love Calls, and you’ll find the jaunty Changing By The Minute. Like Darrow’s debut single, The Pain Gets A Little Deeper, some DJs preferred the B-side to When Love Calls. This helped sales of the single. With both sides of the single garnering radio play, it’s no surprise it gave Darrow one of the biggest singles of his career. An uptempo song, Darrow struts his way through the songs, soaring harmonies and sweeping strings accompanying him. Ironically, just as Darrow had released what was the most successful single of his spell at MCA, his career there was nearly over.
Dolly Baby was Darrow’s MCA farewell. It’s another song written by Don Mancha. Don supplied the song, while Darrow delivered a vocal that’s almost defiant. Whether he knew his days were numbered at MCA, it’s as if he’s saying: “look at what you’re losing.” Needy, pleading and dripping in emotion, Darrow is accompanied by equally heartfelt and soulful cooing harmonies. This proves a soulful and emotive way to says goodbye to MCA.
Following Darrow’s departure from MCA, Johnny Haygood decided to setup another label. It followed a now familiar pattern. Johnny named Genna after one of his daughters. For Darrow’s label debut, Now Is The Time For Love Pt 1 was chosen. Written by Johnny Moore and Bernard Reed, it was a much more innovative and contemporary song. Laden in drama, it’s a song that straddles the sixties and seventies. Everything from psychedelia, soul, jazz, gospel and funk is thrown into the mix. Add to that lyrics full of biting social comment delivered passionately and sincerely by Darrow and this should’ve marked a new chapter in his career. Sadly, that wasn’t case.
Now Is The Time For Love Pt 1 could’ve and should’ve marked the next chapter in Darrow Fletcher’s career. It innovative song that featured lyrics that were full of social comment. This was the way soul music was heading. Marvin Gaye and Gamble and Huff would be responsible for soul with a social comment. Even Motown had changed. Both Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye were given artistic freedom. This resulted in the best music of their career. Even The Temptations had gone psychedelic, producing music with an important social message. Darrow Fletcher could’ve followed in their footsteps.
All it needed was the right label behind him. With good songwriters supplying him with material, Darrow could make the music come alive. Blessed with a voice that can inject emotion, meaning, and energy into a song, lyrics come alive. It only takes one listen to Darrow Fletcher-The Pain Goes Deeper-The Complete Early Years 1965-1971, which was recently released by Kent Soul, an imprint of Ace Records and you’ll realize this. Whether its sadness or joy, hurt, heartbreak and happiness Darrow Fletcher can deliver this and more. Love songs, breakup songs and makeup songs Darrow delivers them with feeling. However, there’s more to his music than that. He can deliver a Northern Soul stomper. Grabbing the song by the scruff of its neck, he can make a good song a great, and an average song good. Not every singer can do this. Darrow Fletcher could, and did. Sadly, Darrow never enjoyed the success his talent deserved.
Just like many singers, Darrow never matched the success of his debut single The Pain Gets A Little Deeper. He enjoyed just two more US R&B hit single, I Think I’m Gonna Write A Song and When Love Calls. These three songs are the sum and total of the commercial success Darrow Fletcher enjoyed between 1965 and 1971. This is documented on Darrow Fletcher-The Pain Goes Deeper-The Complete Early Years 1965-1971.Granted there were a few regional hits, but nothing that matched the success of his debut single. Darrow was unfortunate. Fame visited him early in his career. He was just fourteen, and too young to enjoy it properly. After that, it made two fleeting visits. He briefly met that seductive temptress that is fame. Like many other singers, he enjoyed a tantalising taste of what fame had to offer. Although he never experienced its delights to the fullest, four years later, Darrow Fletcher glimpsed and tasted fame’s delights once more. Ray Charles rejuvenated his career and Darrow Fletcher did what very few singers do, and rekindled his acquaintance with fame once more. Standout Tracks: The Pain Gets A Little Deeper, The Way Of A Man, I Think I’m Gonna Write A Song and Now Is The Time For Love Pt 1.
DARROW FLETCHER-THE PAIN GOES DEEPER-THE COMPLETE EARLY YEARS 1965-1971.
CARLA THOMAS-SWEET SWEETHEART-THE AMERICAN STUDIO SESSIONS AND MORE.
CARLA THOMAS-SWEET SWEETHEART-THE AMERICAN STUDIO SESSIONS AND MORE.
Musical history is littered with tales of great lost albums. Among them are Johnny Thunders’ Hurt Me, John Cale’s Music For A Lost Society and Neu’s Neu 4. Then there’s Kratwerk and The Undisputed Truth’s eponymous albums. Some of the best known lost albums include Prince’s Black Album and The Beach Boys’ Smile. Each of these albums are spoken about in hushed and reverential tones. They’re a fleeting glimpse of some of the most important, influential and innovative artists at work. Sadly, most of these lost albums will never see the light of day. That was the case with an album Carla Thomas, the Queen of Memphis Soul recorded. It features on Ace Records’ recently released Carla Thomas-Sweet Sweetheart-The American Studio Sessions and More.
Carla’s “lost album” was recorded during the summer of 1970, at Chips Moman’s American Studios in Memphis. During June 1970, eleven songs were recorded. Chips brought together a band that featured some of Memphis’ best session players. They accompanied Carla, who was now twenty-eight. The Queen of Memphis Soul had musically, come of age during the last few years. Quickly, it became apparent that Carla had brought her A-game to the sessions. A carefully chosen selection of cover versions brought out the best in Carla’s voice. Soon, the eleven tracks were recorded. They were then delivered to Stax.
Considering the quality of music, everyone thought that Stax would rush out a new Carla Thomas album. That wasn’t the case. The twelve songs sat in Stax’s vaults right through to 1975, when Stax was declared insolvent. Since then, what’s been referred to by soul connoisseurs as Carla Thomas’ “lost album” has lain unloved and unreleased. Until now. Recently, Ace Records have released Carla Thomas-Sweet Sweetheart-The American Studio Sessions and More. As well as Carla’s lost album, twelve other tracks feature on the twenty-three track compilation. This includes demos and alternate takes. Truly, Carla Thomas-Sweet Sweetheart-The American Studio Sessions and More is a compelling collection of songs from the Queen of Memphis Soul, which I’ll pick the highlights of. Before that, I’ll tell you about Carla’s career until 1970.
Memphis has been home for Carla Thomas since the day she was born. Born in the Foote Homes Housing Project, the Thomas household was a musical one. Each of the three children were musical, while her father Rufus, was a well known singer. Carla’s interest in music started in school, when aged ten, she joined the Teen Town Singers. Members were meant to be in high school. Somehow, Carla managed to juggle school work, rehearsals and concerts. Right through to her final year in high school, Carla was a member of the Teen Town Singers. After leaving school and Teen Town Singers, Carla headed to university in Tennessee and released her debut single.
At the same time, Carla cut her debut solo singe Gee Whiz (Look At His Eyes) , a song that’s become synonymous with her. This was a song that Carla wrote when she was just fifteen. On its release on Stax, it wasn’t a commercial success. A year later, Atlantic released Gee Whiz (Look At His Eyes). It reached number ten in the US Billboard 100 and number five in the US R&B Charts. Gee Whiz (Look At His Eyes) was a game-changer, launching Carla’s career.
Given the success of Gee Whiz (Look At His Eyes), Atlantic recorded Carla’s debut album. Gee Whiz was released later in 1961, and was meant to build on the success of her sophomore single A Love Of My Own. It reached number fifty-six in the US Billboard 100 and number twenty in the US R&B Charts. Gee Whiz didn’t replicate the success of Carla’s first two single, failing to chart. This was a huge disappointment and it would be four years before she released the followup album to Gee Whiz.
By the time Carla released Comfort Me, her 1965 sophomore album, she’d released about ten solo singles plus three singles with her father Rufus. The most successful single was 1963s I’ll Bring It Home To You, which reached number forty-one in the US Billboard 100 and number nine in the US R&B Charts. Carla couldn’t seem to better Gee Whiz. Mind you, it was a career defining single. This could be said of Comfort Me, which was released on Stax, reaching number 134 in the US Billboard 200 and number eleven in the US R&B Charts. For Carla, this was the start of the most successful period of her career.
1966s Carla proved Carla’s most successful album. It reached number 130 in the US Billboard 200 and number seven in the US R&B Charts. Now aged twenty-four, Carla was establishing her reputation as Stax’s leading Lady. She was on her way to being crowned the Queen of Memphis Soul. Before being crowned, Carla had to work with the King of Memphis Soul..Otis Redding.
At Stax, Carla had already recorded singles with her father Rufus. Now she was about to work with Otis Redding. There could only be one title for the album, King and Queen. Released in March 1967, King and Queen reached number thirty-six in the US Billboard 200 and number five in the US R&B Charts. Ironically, King and Queen’s success was never bettered. Now Carla had officially been crowned the Queen of Memphis Soul.
Later in 1967, Carla released Queen Alone. Given Otis Redding died in December 1967, the title Queen Alone is either poignant or prophetic. Queen Alone reached number 151 in the US Billboard 200 and number twenty-six in the US R&B Charts. It seemed that Carla’s solo career wasn’t progressing. It was stalling. However, music was changing, and changing fast. Ever since the British explosion in 1964, American music fans musical tastes had been changing. Music had then become psychedelic. Labels like Stax, Atlantic and Motown that had inspired a new generation of British musicians and British music lovers in the early sixties, weren’t as popular.This affected Carla. The commercial success she’d enjoyed seemed a long time ago.
1969 saw Carla release two albums. Memphis Queen reached number 151 in the US Billboard 200 and number twenty-six in the US R&B Charts. Carla decided that it was time to released a career retrospective. The Best Of Carla Thomas stalled at a disappointing 190 in the US Billboard 200 charts. It seemed Carla’s career was at a crossroads. So, she headed to Chips Moman’s American Studios in Memphis in June 1970, hoping he could work his magic.
Chips Moman had established a reputation as one of the hottest producers of that time. Previously, he’d worked with everyone from Bobby Womack, Solomon Burke, Esther Phillips, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, Dionne Warwick and Neil Diamond. He was an old school producer who could transform careers. What Jim Stewart and Al Bell at Stax hoped Chips could do, was broaden Carla’s appeal. This was something he’d done before, and would do again. Sadly, that wasn’t the case here.
Most of the twelve tracks were cover versions. This includes James Taylor’s Country Road, Ray Stevens’ Everything Is Beautiful, Barry and Robin Gibb’s To Love Somebody. The prolific Goffin and King contributed Sweet Sweetheart and Hi De Ho (That Old Sweet Roll). Along with track from Chips Moman’s wife Toni Wine and Stax songwriters, it looked like Carla’s career might be rejuvenated.
Toni WIne, Chips’ wife cowrote three tracks. Larry Brown and Toni penned I’m Getting Closer To You, while Toni and Carole Bayer wrote Heaven Help The Non-Believer. Irwin Levine and Toni contributed I Think I Love You Again.
Stax personnel chipped in with a few songs. Isaac Hayes and David Porter wrote Love Sure Is Hard Sometimes and B-A-B-Y. Steve Cropper and Booker T. Jones contributed Crying All By Myself.
Recording started in June 1970. Chips brought his band into the studio and they started laying down tracks. Work continued through July and into August, with Carla recorded her vocals. When the band and Carla took a break, Stax decided to release a single. This was their way of testing the water. I Loved You Like I Love My Very Life sank without trace. Despite this, the sessions continued. Hopes were high that Chips could transform Carla into a superstar. Sadly, that wasn’t to be.
Once the yet untitled album was completed, it was quietly shelved. This eclectic collection of cover versions and new songs from familiar songwriters would never see the light of day. Stax decided to cut their losses, and started work on Carla’s Love Means album. That this untitled album was never released poses all sorts of questions. The biggest is, what would’ve happened? Chips Moman was on a roll. He was one of the hottest producers, blessed with the Midas touch. He’d brought onboard some of the best session players in Memphis to accompany Carla. Even The Emotions had been drafted in to sing backing vocals. Then just because one single flopped, the whole project seems to have been shelved. That seems the only explanation, considering the quality of music on Carla Thomas-Sweet Sweetheart-The American Studio Sessions and More, which I’ll pick the highlights of.
Opening Carla Thomas-Sweet Sweetheart-The American Studio Sessions and More is James Taylor’s Country Roads. It’s given a Memphis makeover. A wailing Hammond organ, crashing cymbals and pounding drums accompany Carla’s feisty vocal. Growling horns and searing guitars join cooing harmonies as Carla delivers a strident, soulful vocal that sees the Queen of Memphis Soul coming of age musically.
A pensive piano open I Loved You Like I Love My Very Life, before Carla’s heartbroken vocal enters. Full of emotion and hurt, there’s a fragility to her tender vocal. Swathes of string accompany her. Their raison d’etre is to tug at your heartstrings. This they do successfully, before drums and piano add drama to this heartbreaking opus.
There are two versions of I’m Getting Closer To You on the compilation. Often, the first take is the best take. That’s the case here. Blazing horns, pounding drums, keyboards and sweeping strings reflect the urgency in Carla’s vocal. As her vocal grows in power, it becomes needy. Desperate to see her lover again, a needy, seductive Carla sings “I’m Getting Closer To You.”
To Love Somebody was written by Barry and Robin Gibb. It’s transformed by Carla. The tempo is slow and the arrangement understated at the start. Just an organ, whose roots are in the church accompany Carla’s soul baring-vocal. Gradually, piano, strings and rasping horns are added just at the right time. Guitars chime and harmonies coo as Carla lays bare her soul for all to see. A fusion of soul and gospel, this is one of the highlights of Carla Thomas-Sweet Sweetheart-The American Studio Sessions and More.
Hi De Ho (That Old Sweet Roll) is a track where musical genres meet head on. Listen carefully and you’ll hear everything from Southern Soul, gospel, blues and M.O.R. Carla delivers another mesmerically, soulful vocal. Accompanied by braying horns, keyboards and the rhythm section provide the backdrop for her vocal. Handclaps accompany Carla, while harmonies answer her call. Together, they inject new life and meaning into this Goffin and King song.
Just a piano opens Heavy Load, which was penned by Andy Fraser and Paul Rodgers of Free. Soon, it’s all change. Searing rocky guitar licks add a sense of drama. This is perfect for Carla’s vocal. It’s dramatic and full of frustration and anger. Her anger and frustration is the state of the world. Riffing guitars, pounding drums and flourishes of keyboards provide the backdrop for Carla. Disappointed and frustrated, she angry that the next generation are going to carry the “Heavy Load” that this generation created. Forty years later, these words ring true.
Sweet Sweetheart is another Goffin King song. From the opening bars, you realize something special is unfolding. Soon, the track is starting to swing. Southern Soul meets country, albeit with the lushest of strings added. Carla delivers a vocal that’s needy, soulful and sometimes, vampish. With the blazing horns and country tinged harmonies for company, hook-laden track swings.
One way to transform a song, is slow it down and leave spaces. This is what happens with this gospel-tinged version of Everything Is Beautiful. The song is stripped back. Carla accompanied by an understated piano and backing vocal delivers an impassioned and spiritual reading of the lyrics. Then when the harmonies drop out, Carla ensures the song swings. Chips’ band go into overdrive. Horns rasp and growl. Keyboards are omnipresent. Sweeping strings drift in and out. As for the rhythm section, they provide the heartbeat. Meanwhile, Carla and her backing vocalists drive each other to greater heights, as they deliver the definitive version of this track.
Of the other tracks on Carla Thomas-Sweet Sweetheart-The American Studio Sessions and More, they’re a compelling and eclectic collection of songs from the Queen of Memphis Soul. B-A-B-Y features a sassy Carla, aided and abetted by backing vocalists. Crying All By Myself features an outpouring of hurt and betrayal from Carla. He’s “ not coming home” and Carla is breaking her heart, wondering what she’s done wrong? On Just Kiss Your Pillow Carla is needy. She long to share his pillow, That she knows is wishful thinking. He’s taken, and belongs to another. Songs about love and love lost are plentiful on the compilation. However, Carla delivers them so well.
Proof of this is Try My, which references Phil Spector and Shadow Morton. Carla and her backing vocalists become The Shangri-Las. Cooing harmonies accompany her pleading vocal, as “she promises to always be true.” Then as she pleadingly sings “I need you, got to have you,” longing, desperation and insecurity fills what is one of her best vocals on Carla Thomas-Sweet Sweetheart-The American Studio Sessions and More.
He Picked Me is one of two tracks that I must mention. Although it’s something of a stomper, Carla’s vocal oozing sadness and emotion. She knows that although he picked her, they’ll never be together. As the reality, strikes home, she’s heartbroken. Problems features a much more mature Carla. Her vocal is worldweary, she sounds as if she’s experienced the lyrics and hurt she sings about. Fusing Southern Soul and gospel, she’s resigned to the cards she’s been dealt. Delivering a vocal that’s worldweary and tinged with resignation and regret.
Forty-three years after Carla Thomas entered the studio with Chips Mohan, at long last, her lost album has been released. We should thank Ace Records for including it on Carla Thomas-Sweet Sweetheart-The American Studio Sessions and More. Of the tracks recorded in Memphis with Chips Mohan, I’ve told you about what I consider the highlights. Having said that, there’s no filler. The songs were chosen carefully. They were an eclectic selection of cover versions and new material. This was perfect for Chips and his crack team of musicians.
Their job tried to rejuvenate Carla’s ailing career. Like so many soul singers, it had been a while since she’d enjoyed commercial success. Sending her to work with Chips must have seemed the way to revive her career. It was and it could’ve worked. Sadly, Stax decided to shelve the album. Instead, they decided to start again. Love Means reached a disappointing 213 in the US Billboard 200 and forty-two in the US R&B Charts. I’m sure that Carla’s lost album would’ve fared better.
This lost album could’ve transformed Carla Thomas’ career. Whether it would, we’ll never know. Jim Stewart and Al Bell never gave the album a chance. They never even gave this lost album a title. Instead, it lay unloved and unwanted for forty-three long years. Thankfully, it’s at last seen the light of day. What I can say is, that it would’ve had every chance of rejuvenating Carla Thomas’ career. It’s an album that straddles the sixties and seventies. Not only does it reference Stax’s trademark Southern Soul sound, but takes detours via country, R&B, gospel, blues and rock. That’s the case for the other tracks on Carla Thomas-Sweet Sweetheart-The American Studio Sessions and More.
In total, there are another eleven tracks on Carla Thomas-Sweet Sweetheart-The American Studio Sessions and More. While many of these are alternate takes, plus the odd demo, that doesn’t mean the quality is lacking. No. Far from it. Carla’s vocal bristles with emotion, veering between sass to sadness, needy and insecure to feisty and confident. Regret sits side-by-side with worldweary and joyous. On each track, Carla brings something new to the song.
Throughout Carla Thomas-Sweet Sweetheart-The American Studio Sessions and More, Carla transforms well known songs. Country Road, To Love Somebody, Hi De Ho (That Old Sweet Roll) and Everything Is Beautiful are proof of that. They’re also four of many reasons on Carla Thomas-Sweet Sweetheart-The American Studio Sessions and More that Carla Thomas is still known as the Queen of Memphis Soul. Standout Tracks: Country Road, To Love Somebody, Hi De Ho (That Old Sweet Roll) and Everything Is Beautiful.
CARLA THOMAS-SWEET SWEETHEART-THE AMERICAN STUDIO SESSIONS AND MORE.
LIPSTICK, POWDER AND PAINT! THE NEW YORK DOLLS HEARD THEM HERE FIRST.
LIPSTICK, POWDER AND PAINT! THE NEW YORK DOLLS HEARD THEM HERE FIRST.
It’s no exaggeration to say, that the New York Dolls have been one of the most influential and innovative bands in music history. What people don’t realize, is that the original and classic lineup, only released two albums. They were a tantalizing glimpse of a group whose music had a huge and long-lasting effect on music. Forty-two years later, the New York Dolls are still cited by new bands as an inspiration. None of these bands have the same effect as the New York Dolls did. That’s why Ace Records have released a compilation of music that inspired the New York Dolls. Lipstick, Powder and Paint! The New York Dolls Heard Them Here First which I’ll tell you about was released by Ace Records recently.
Founded in 1971, the original lineup of the New York Dolls included vocalist David Johansen, guitarist Johnny Thunders and Rick Rivets, bassist Arthur Kane and drummer Billy Murcia. A year later, came the first of countless changes in the New York Dolls’ lineup. Out went Rick Rivets and Billy Murcia. Their replacements were drummer Jerry Nolan and Sylvain Sylvain a pianist and guitarist. This would be the lineup the played on their debut album.
Released in 1973 on Mercury, New York Dolls divided opinion. Some critics hailed New York Dolls as a stonewall classic, others deemed it a parody of a rock album. It certainly took the world by storm, spawning a million imitators. Strangely, on its release, sales of New York Dolls were disappointing. It only reached numbeer 167 in the US Billboard 200. Mercury had hoped that the album would be one of their big sellers of 1973. It certainly captured the attention of critics and music lovers, it was voted both the best and worst album of 1973. It seems that New York Dolls was an enigmatic album. Forty years later, history has been rewritten.
Nowadays, New York Dolls is now perceived as a classic album. The New York Dolls fusion of glam rock, proto-punk and hard rock is perceived as Innovative and ahead of the musical curve. The New York Dolls are credited as one of the founding fathers of punk rock. Since then, many groups have imitated the New York Dolls swaggering brand of good time music. Nobody comes close. No ifs, no buts. Having released a career defining album, the New York Dolls never bettered. If ever there’s a case of a band peaking to soon, this was it.
A year after the release of New York Dolls, the band headed back into the studio. Todd Rungren was replaced as producer by Shadow Morton. Unlike their debut album, Too Much Too Soon comprised mostly cover versions. On its release critics hailed the addition of Shadow Morton. He they thought, had harnessed the raw power and energy of the Dolls and added a sheen of refinement. With backing vocals and a myriad of sound effects featuring on Too Much Too Soon, it wasn’t a commercial success. It stalled at number 167 in the US Billboard 200. Worse was to come.
The New York Dolls headed out on a tour. It was an unmitigated disaster. By now, the band were constantly arguing. Drug and alcohol use was rife on the tour. Performances varied. One night the Dolls were on their game, the next the concert descended into a chaotic shambles. That was part of the charm of the band. It was like a rock ‘n’ circus, with the band unravelling before the audience’s eyes. Mercury watched all this unfold. They felt the band had no future, and dropped them. Then in 1975, the band split. This was only temporary.
Soon, the band were back together and playing some of the best shows of their career. Then later in 1975, Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan left the band. Their replacements were drummer Tony Machine and keyboardist Chris Robinson. This was just the latest change in lineup. It proved to be one of the most successful lineups of the band. They played some of their best concerts and were hailed as one of the hottest bands of the mid-seventies. Nothing lasted long as far as the New York Dolls were concerned. Later, replacement keyboardist Chris Robinson was replaced by Bobbie Blaine, who was a member of the band when they split-up in 1977.
Although the New York Dolls would reform, and even release three studio albums between 2008 and 2011, the lineup that featured on their first two albums never ever recorded again. That’s why they’ve taken on a mythical status within music. The lineup of vocalist David Johansen, guitarist Johnny Thunders, bassist Arthur Kane, drummer Jerry Nolan and Sylvain Sylvain a pianist and guitarist only ever recorded two albums, New York Dolls and the prophetically titled Too Much Too Soon. They’ll forever be remember as the swaggering gunslingers who released two groundbreaking albums. Some of the music that inspired the New York Dolls features on Lipstick, Powder and Paint! The New York Dolls Heard Them Here First.
Lipstick, Powder and Paint! The New York Dolls Heard Them Here First is a twenty-four track compilation that’s best described as eclectic. There’s everything from rock ‘n’ roll, blues, doo wop, soul and pop. Among the artists on Lipstick, Powder and Paint! The New York Dolls Heard Them First are Bo Diddley, Otis Redding, Muddy Waters, Eddie Cochran, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Wilson Pickett, The Kinks, Erma Franklin and Big Joe Turner. Each of these twenty-four tracks, which I’ll pick the highlights of, were recorded by the New York Dolls.
My first choice from Lipstick, Powder and Paint! The New York Dolls Heard Them Here First is Bo Diddley’s Pills. This is fitting, as both Bo Diddley and the New York Dolls are musical innovators. Pills which featured on the New York Dolls eponymous debut album, was recorded by Bo in May 1961. One of the founding fathers of rock ‘n’ roll, Bo’s vocal veers between sassy, to surly and heartbroken.
From the opening bars of Otis Redding’s Don’t Mess With Cupid, Otis’ vocal oozes emotion. This was the B-side to his 1966 single My Lovers Prayer, and featured on The Otis Redding Dictionary Of Soul-Complete and Unbelievable. It was a favorite o fthe New York Dolls and can be found on New York Dolls’ Evil Dolls (New York Tapes 72-73). The arrangement to Otis’ version has made in Memphis written all over it. From the growling horns to Al Jackson Jr’s drums, you’re transported back nearly fifty years, to when Otis Redding was King of soul.
Classic is an overused word. Not in the case of Muddy Waters’ I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man. From Muddy’s earliest days, this was a staple of his sets. It featured on his 1960 album Live At Newport, which inspired a generation of British musicians. The Rolling Stones, The Animals and Eric Clapton all cite Muddy Waters as one of their inspirations. He also inspired the New York Dolls. I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man became a staple of their sets, and can be heard on various live albums, including Paris Is Burning. Good as their version is, Muddy’s is the definitive version.
Eddie Cochran is one of the most influential musicians in musical history. That’s remarkable, considering he died when he was just twenty-two. One of the songs that he’s synonymous with is Something Else. It’s been covered by numerous artists. Among them are The Sex Pistols and the New York Dolls who covered Something Else on 1084s Red Patent Leather. No-one comes close to Eddie. Released in 1959 on Liberty, it’s two minutes of pop perfection. Two minutes of rebellious, reactionary music, it’s a song that spawned a thousand sneers.
Choosing my favorite Four Tops song isn’t easy. Reach Out I’ll Be There is one of them. Released in 1966, on Motown, it was the title-track to their 1967 album. Laden with emotion, their needy pleas are breathtakingly beautiful and deeply soulful. Later, the New York Dolls and then David Johansen released covers of what is, one of The Four Top’s finest and most soulful moments.
Chuck Berry’s Too Much Monkey Business is delicious reminder of one of a legend of rock ‘n’ roll in his prime. Released as a single in 1958, it features on Chuck’s debut album After School Session. Searing guitar licks accompany his languid, sometimes surly vocal. Here R&B and rock ‘n’ roll meet head on. An explosion of energy, music like this was a game-changer. It shocked a generation and dared another generation to rebel. With that, the teenager was invented. Fifty-five years later, Too Much Monkey Business is truly, a timeless classic.
By 1970, commercial success and Wilson Pickett weren’t on speaking terms. The last few years hadn’t been kind to Wilson. So, as a new decade dawned, Atlantic sent him to Philly, where Gamble and Huff would try to rejuvenate his career. Wilson Pickett In Philadelphia rejuvenated Wilson’s ailing career. A huge improvement on his previous albums, the album featured International Playboy. With M.F.S.B. in the tightest of grooves, a poppy slice of soul which reached number thirty in the US R&B Charts unfolds.
Shadow Morton who produced the New York Dolls sophomore album Too Much Too Soon, produced The Shangri-Las. Out In The Streets. Released in 1976 on Red Bird, it featured on their sophomore album Shangri-Las-65? With haunting lyrics, like he don’t hang around with the gang no more, he don’t smile like he used to…he’s changed…something’s missing” it’s a poignant song that poses questions, but doesn’t answer them. Instead, you supply an ending to this kitchen sink drama.
Quite simply, Erma Franklin’s version of Piece Of My Heart is bristling with emotion and sensuality. It was written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns. Released in 1967 on Shout, this is a true hidden soulful gem. Incredibly, it only reached number sixty-two in the US Billboard 100 and the top ten in the US R&B Charts. Often covered, Erma’s version of this soul classic has never been bettered.
Closing Lipstick, Powder and Paint! The New York Dolls Heard Them Here First is Joe Turner’s Closing Lipstick, Powder and Paint. Released on Atlantic in 1966, it was the B-side to Rock A While. Why Lipstick, Powder and Paint wasn’t the single, beggars belief. A hook-laden fusion of jump blues tinged with R&B and rock ‘n’ roll, it’s a song guaranteed to get any party started.
So, how would I describe Lipstick, Powder and Paint! The New York Dolls Heard Them Here First? It’s best described as a compellingly eclectic compilation. I’d go as far as say that Lipstick, Powder and Paint! The New York Dolls Heard Them Here First is refreshingly eclectic compilation of tracks that inspired the New York Dolls. Classics and hidden gems sit side-by-side. There’s contributions from musical legends, including some leftfield choices. After all, would you have chosen Elvis’ Crawfish or Wilson Pickett’s International Playboy? Or how about Bo Diddley’s Pills or The Kinks’ Alcohol? Compilers Ian Johnston and Mick Patrick do, and it works. Too often compilers are scared to take a chance. Ian and Mick do, and pull it off, producing Lipstick, Powder and Paint! The New York Dolls Heard Them Here First, a compilation you’ll never tire of.
Then there’s familiar favorites from Otis Redding, Eddie Cochran, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry and Erma Franklin. Although they’re tracks we’ve heard before, you never tire of music this good. Sometimes, compilers overlook tracks like The Four Tops’ Reach Out I’ll be There and Eddie Cochran’s Something Else. The reason they do this is to be contrary. Not here. Ian and Mick realize that all that matters is the quality of the music. If it’s good, it’s included on Lipstick, Powder and Paint! The New York Dolls Heard Them Here First. From the opening bars of Gary US Bonds’ Seven Day Weekend, right through to Big Joe Turner’s Lipstick, Powder and Paint, one great track follows another. Not once do you reach for your remote control. No. Every track on Lipstick, Powder and Paint! The New York Dolls Heard Them Here First is a winner and influenced the New York Dolls.
Forty years after the release of their debut album, the New York Dolls are still seen as one of the most innovative and influential bands of the seventies. They released two classic albums in the space of two years. Then the New York Dolls split for the first time in 1975. By 1977, the New York Dolls were history. The original and greatest lineup of the New York Dolls recorded just two albums in two years. Rather than fade away like the Rolling Stones or The Who, the New York Dolls burnt out. They split up amidst acrimonious circumstances. Arguments, alcohol and drug abuse saw the New York Dolls scattered to the wind. That’s why when anyone mentions the New York Dolls, they’ll forever be remembered as the five swaggering gunslingers that feature on the cover of their debut album New York Dolls and Lipstick, Powder and Paint! The New York Dolls Heard Them Here First. Standout Tracks: Muddy Waters I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man, Eddie Cochran Something Else, The Shangri-Las Out In The Streets and Joe Turner’s Closing Lipstick, Powder and Paint.
LIPSTICK, POWDER AND PAINT! THE NEW YORK DOLLS HEARD THEM HERE FIRST.
LOUISIANA SATURDAY NIGHT REVISITED.
LOUISIANA SATURDAY NIGHT REVISITED.
Often, I rail against the greed and avarice of major record companies. They seem to forget that there’s a recession and employ every type of ninja mind trick to sell what they coldly call “product.” It seems, nothing is sacred. Even true classic albums. Van Morrison’s Moondance, Sly and The Family Stone’s There’s A Riot Goin’ On and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours are now referred to as product and units. They’ve been reduced to another way of making music lovers part with large sums of money. The way they do that, is with the luxury, multi-format, remastered rerelease. We’re tempted by alternate takes and bonus tracks. Maybe even a live version of a previously unreleased song. By then, we’re putty in the hands of the marketeers. That’s despite the fact that we’ve several versions of the same album. It doesn’t matter. Just like an addict, we must have the latest edition of Dark Side Of The Moon, Sgt. Peppers or Are You Experienced. Then there’s compilations.
Don’t get me started about compilations. Nowadays, there’s compilations for every occasion. Not only are there compilations of Christmas music, but music for St. Valentines Day and Mothers Day. Then there’s music for driving and the latest and most surreal, music for truckers. That’s apt, given every week a truckload of compilations are released. A small number of these compilations are successful. This means a followup. All to often, they’re rushed out, purely to cash in on the release of volume one. This then becomes an annual occurrence. Before we know it, we’re at volume ten. By then, the quality has diminished, and the memory of the original compilation has been tarnished. I’ve seen this time and time again. Thankfully, not all record companies have the same approach
No. A good example is Ace Records. They’ve waited an amazing twenty-three years to release the followup Another Saturday Night, which was released back in 1990. Released to critical acclaim and an appreciative audience, Another Saturday Night was one of the compilations of 1990. Everyone expected a followup to be released in 1991. That wasn’t the case. 1992 then 1993 came and went. As the years went by, it looked like there wouldn’t be a followup to Another Saturday Night. So much time passed, a new millennia dawned. Into the second decade of the new millennia, hopes of a followup to Another Saturday Night were long gone. Then just a week ago, Ace Records released Louisiana Saturday Night Revisited a twenty-four track compilation which I’ll tell you about.
Louisiana Saturday Night Revisited is an eclectic compilation of the music that’ll provide the soundtrack to a night in what’s been dubbed America’s “party capital,” Louisiana. What a night it would be. We hear from some of the biggest names in today’s Louisiana music scene. Among them are Travis Matte and The Kingpins, Ken Marvel, Jivin’ Gene, Warren Storm and Cypress, Michael Hurtt and His Haunted Hearts, Steve Grisaffe and Jamie Bergeron & The Kickin’ Cajuns. Swamp pop, Cajun, zydecajun or rockabilly, it’s all on Louisiana Saturday Night Revisited, which I’ll pick the highlights of.
The first of the eight artists on Louisiana Saturday Night Revisited is Travis Matte And The Kingpins. They contribute four tracks, including a cover of two Chuck Berry songs Maybellene and Rock And Roll Music. Their other contributions are the irresistibly, toe-tapping Crawfish Boogie and the driving Yuh Baby Look So Fine. Good as Maybellene which opens the compilation is, Rock And Roll Music is even better. It’s totally transformed and played in the zydecajun style. This means a fusion of Cajun music and zydeco rhythms. Coming a close second is Crawfish Boogie, which Travis Matte penned. One listen to these four tracks, and you’ll realize why Travis Matte And The Kingpins are one of Louisiana’s hottest bands.
Straight away, when you hear Ken Marvel’s Whatcha Doin’ you realize this is more than a little special. A glorious slice of swamp pop, it was written by Ken and released in 2008. So was Ain’t Gonna Take It. The two tracks provide a showcase for multitalented, multi-instrumentalist. Guitar, piano, organ and bass Ken can play them all. Then there’s his vocal. It’s lived in, feisty and charismatic. As for which is the best track, it’s a close run thing. Ain’t Gonna Take It sneaks it, just.
Jivin’ Gene, or to give him is full name, Gene Bourgeois, is a veteran of the Louisiana music scene. Gene contributes four tracks to Louisiana Saturday Night Revisited. He wrote I’d Like To Hear It From You, Ain’t No Way and Love Medicine. His other contribution was You’re Jealous, which Gene and Huey Meaux cowrote. These tracks featured on his 2009 album It’s Never Too Late. It was released six decades after he released his hit single Breaking Up Is Hard To Do. One of the founding fathers of swamp pop, it’s quality all the way. His vocal is full of emotion on the needy I’d Like To Hear It From You and heartbreaking You’re Jealous. Both have a glorious vintage sound thanks to the grizzled horns. They’re a reminder of the music of the fifties. Ain’t No Way features some blistering guitar playing and Love Medicine is punctuated by blazing horns. Choosing the best track isn’t easy, but I’d Like To Hear It From You is my favorite track from Jivin’ Gene. So good are these four tracks, that I’ll be looking out for a copy of It’s Never Too Late.
Warren Storm and Cypress are responsible for one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful songs on Louisiana Saturday Night Revisited. That’s Something On Your Mind, one of three songs they contribute. The other two are uptempo Fannie Mae and Irene, another track oozing emotion and hurt. Given how good these three tracks are, we should be grateful the group reformed in 2004, after twenty years apart.
Cypress aren’t just Warren Storm’s regular backing band. No. They were founded by Warren Storm and Willie Tee, who they accompany on Chicken On The Run. This proves a potent partnership. Willie’s lived-in vocal and blistering saxophone are at the heart of the song’s success.
James Bergeron and The Kickin’ Cajuns are one of the most sought after bands on the Louisiana music scene. So it’s no surprise that they contribute a quartet of tracks. What’s surprising is are only part-time musicians. During the day, James drives an ambulance. At night, he’s transformed into a star of Cajun music. Proof of this are You’re Driving Me Crazy, R.C.A, Whole Lotta Woman and 10 To A 2 all feature on their sophomore album, The New CD. Again, it’s quality all the way. Of the four tracks, You’re Driving Me Crazy and Whole Lotta Woman standout. An explosion of energy, emotion and enthusiasm, they’re sure to get any party started.
Briefly, Michael Hurtt and His Haunted Hearts’ Come Back To Louisiana is reminiscent of Johnny Cash. It’s the guitars and Michael’s drawling delivery that leads to this comparison. He’s a charismatic vocalist whose delivery is a mixture of irony, emotion and humor. Behind him, his band fuse country, rockabilly and western swing. Come Back To Louisiana, which is the title-track to his 2006 album, is one of four tracks Michael Hurtt and His Haunted Hearts. It’s also the best. The storming Hey Little Tornado comes a close second, while She Won’t Turn Over For Me and Me is also full of irony, emotion and humor. As for Mean Moon, it’s tinged with bravado, and shows yet another side to the band.
Steve Grisaffe one of the most sought after bass players, is the last contributor to Louisiana Saturday Night Revisited. He contributes two tracks A Little Bit Of You and Tammy Lou. They’re two very different songs. A Little Bit Of You is a much more uptempo track which Steve delivers with a swing. It features some delicious boogie woogie piano and sizzling guitar playing. Truly, it’s one of the highlights of the compilation. Tammy Lou is a tender, ballad with a bluesy backdrop. Midway through the track, Steve’s half-spoken, Elvis-esque vocal oozes emotion and sadness.
Featuring twenty-four tracks, Louisiana Saturday Night Revisited has been well worth the twenty-three year wait. Compiler Ian Saddler has made sure of that. As the old saying goes, everyone is a winner. That’s no exaggeration. There’s strictly no musical mistakes, just quality music all the way on Louisiana Saturday Night Revisited. A musical journey through Louisiana music circa 2013, you’ll hear everything from swamp pop, Cajun, zydecajun or rockabilly. Many of the artists you hear, will be new to you. I’m sure it won’t be the last you’ll want hear of them.
I certainly want to hear more from Ken Marvel, Jivin’ Gene, Warren Storm and Cypress, James Bergeron and The Kickin’ Cajuns and Steve Grisaffe. They’re talented artists whose music deserves a much wider audience. I’ll be looking into the music these artists have released, with a view to reviewing it. Sadly, tracking down the albums I’ve mentioned in my review isn’t easy. Like a good crate-digger, I’ll have a good go. In the meantime, hopefully, Ace Records, who released Louisiana Saturday Night Revisited, will consider a followup? Let’s just hope the followup to Louisiana Saturday Night Revisited won’t be another twenty-three years in the making. Standout Tracks: Ken Marvel Ain’t Gonna Take It, Jivin’ Gene I’d Like To Hear It From You, Warren Storm and Cypress Something On Your Mind and Steve Grisaffe A Little Bit Of You.
LOUISIANA SATURDAY NIGHT REVISITED.
ANERAH YASOLE-IDENTIFICATION E.P.
ANERAH YASOLE-IDENTIFICATION E.P.
It’s been a while since we last heard from Offering Recordings. At last, the wait is over. They return with one of their best releases so far, Anerah Yasole’s debut E.P. Identification which will be released soon. Identification is a seven-track E.P. This includes six versions of Fazer Amor, which features the sultry sound of Gomolemo. First up is the Radio Edit of Fazer Amor. Quite simply, it’s four mesmeric and magical minutes where you’re introduced to the sensual, seductive voice of Gomolemo. After that, there’s another five remixes of Fazer Amor to enjoy.
The first remix of Fazer Amor is the Main Mix. Next up is the Broken Dub and Musicapella. Then Lars Behrenroth works his magic on Fazer Amor, producing two very different and totally unique remixes. Closing the Identification E.P. is Vigor Souls Of Mombasa. That’s the seventh and final track on Anerah Yasole’s Identification E.P. which I’ll tell you about.
Opening Anerah Yasole’s Identification E.P. is the Radio Edit of Fazer Amo, which means making love in Portuguese. It features the sultry, seductive, smooth and soulful sound of Gomolemo. Her vocal is needy and ethereal, veering between Nu Soul and a jazzy scat. Harmonies are graceful and elegant, prove the perfect foil. So do short, sharp bursts of rasping horns, urgent drums and percussion. Later, Gomolemo’s vocal becomes a sassy, strident and sensual proto-rap. Breathy and needy, Gomolemo veers between jazz and soul on this sultry Magnus Opus.
With five other versions of Fazer Amor to investigate there’s something for everyone here. The Main Mix with its prolonged introduction heightens the tension and drama. There’s a darker, moodier, almost minimalistic sound. It’s over a minute before a horn growls and two minutes before Gomolemo’s scatted vocal enters. This works, anticipation and tension are heightened on this quite understated, musical journey. The Broken Dub Mix sees broken beat and dub influence the remixer. Again, there’s an almost understated, cinematic sound with the arrangement pared back.
On the Musicapella Mix of Fazer Amor, a different approach is taken. It’s a case of sticking the original version much more closely, and lengthening parts. Here, the vocal is central to the mix, where it deserves to be. It carries the melody, while the horns take charge of the counter melody. Veering between sassy and sultry, right through to moody, broody and atmospheric, this to me is the best mix of the five.
Lars Behrenroth has two remixes on the Identification E.P. His first remix, simply called the Lars Behrenroth Remix is a pulsating dance-floor friendly remix. The drums are beefier, while washes of synths and hissing hi-hats are added. Gomolemo’s vocal sits above the arrangement, as she becomes a dance-floor diva. Later, synths beep and squeak as Gomolemo delivers her sensual, steamy rap. By the end of the track, you realize that Lars has reinvented the track and ensured it’ll be a favorite of DJs everywhere.
As for Lars Behrenroth’s other remix, it’s the 4:20am Dub mix. Again, he adds a pulsating backdrop of drums, hissing hi-hats and keyboards before the melancholy horns are dropped in. While drums pound, synths squeak and beep adding to the tension. Gone is the vocal. In its place, the horns are placed at the heart of the arrangement. Although this works really well, resulting in an atmospheric track, it seems strange not to make use of a stunning vocal. Having said that, I love this remix’s broody, cinematic sound.
Closing Anerah Yasole’s debut E.P. Identification is Vigor Souls of Mombasa. There’s an atmospheric African roots sound to the track. Just drums and percussion join forces on a track written, arranged and produced by Anerah. Gradually, the tension rises. Instruments are added at the right time. A shaker adds drama, as the track meanders along. By now, it has a gloriously repetitive, with a hypnotic groove having unfolded. As the song progresses, the arrangement builds. So does the tension. Bursts of vocal and keyboards are part of this mesmeric, groove driven track.
So that’s the story of Anerah Yasole’s debut E.P. Identification. This is his first release for Offering Recordings. Let’s hope it’s not his last. Anerah Yasole is a producer with a big future in front of him. Inventive and innovative, Fazer Amor and Vigor Souls of Mombasa show two sides of Anerah Yasole. Fazer Amor was a fusion of Nu Soul and jazz, which showcased the seductive sound of Gomolemo. Her vocal made the song. Mind you, her vocal couldn’t exist with Anerah Yasole’s arrangement. The best way to describe Fazer Amor is a heaven sent collaboration. As for Vigor Souls of Mombasa, it has a hypnotic, African roots sound. It shows another side to Anerah Yasole, a versatile and talented producer. In many ways, Identification is just a tantalizing taste of what Anerah Yasole is capable of. I for one look forward to hearing Anerah Yasole’s debut album. In the meantime, his debut debut E.P. Identification is a delicious taste of what Offering Recordings’ latest signing Anerah Yasole is capable of.
ANERAH YASOLE-IDENTIFICATION E.P.
GOOD VIBRATIONS: A RECORD SHOP, A LABEL, A SOUNDTRACK.
GOOD VIBRATIONS: A RECORD SHOP, A LABEL, A SOUNDTRACK.
Late last year, a British independent film had a huge impact upon its release. That’s the critically acclaimed Good Vibrations, which was directed by Lisa Bassos D’sa and Glenn Leyburn. Good Vibrations tells the story of the life and times of Terri Hooley, a stalwart and legend of the Belfast music scene. Terri founded Good Vibrations Records in Belfast and went on to become a promoter and DJ. Later, Terri Hooley formed his own record label. When it comes to music, Terri’s been there, done and bought the t-shirt. Not only that, but this all occurred during the most turbulent period in Irish history.
When Terri founded Good Vibrations, it was the height of the troubles. Religion and politics divided a city. Bombs and beatings were everyday occurrences during the troubles. Terri who describes himself as an old hippie, watched as many of his friends became involved with conflict. That wasn’t for Terri. No. A life long record collector, Terri decided to open a record shop, Good Vibrations Records. This just happened to coincide with the onslaught of punk. Terri was an unlikely convert to the D.I.Y. sound of punk. Punk however, changed Terri’s life. Similarly, Good Vibrations changed many people’s lives. It was an oasis of calm in the middle of what was ostensibly, a war zone. Their musical education took place within the four walls of Good Vibrations. That was the case for another of Belfast’s famous sons, David Holmes.
David Holmes love of music was born in Terri Dooley’s Good Vibrations’ record shop. He’s come a long way since then, becoming a top DJ and producer. His DJ-ing career started in 1984, when he was just fifteen. Then in 1992, as the Disco Evangelists, he enjoyed his first hit De Niro. By then, he was running two club nights in his native Belfast. Three years later, in 1995, David released his debut album This Film’s Crap, Let’s Slash The Seats. Six further solo albums followed between 1997 and 2010. That’s not forgetting three mix albums, plus seventeen film soundtracks. That number has recently risen to eighteen, when David Holmes compiled Good Vibrations: A Record Shop, A Label and Soundtrack.
Good Vibrations: A Record Shop, A Label and Soundtrack was recently released by Big Beat Records, an imprint of Ace Records. It’s a twenty-four track compilation that tells the story of the life and time of Terri Hooley. A truly eclectic compilation, country, reggae, garage, rock, folk, pop and punk. Hank Williams sits comfortably beside Niney The Observer, The Shangri-Las, Bert Jansch, David Bowie and Michael Yonkers. There’s also contributions from artists who recorded for Terri’s Good Vibrations Records’ label. The Undertones, The Outcasts, Rudi and The Outcasts. A suitably eclectic musical journey, Good Vibrations: A Record Shop, A Label and Soundtrack seems a fitting soundtrack to the life and times of Terri Hooley. I’ll now pick the ten highlights of Good Vibrations: A Record Shop, A Label and Soundtrack.
Opening Good Vibrations: A Record Shop, A Label and Soundtrack is one of the legends of country music, Hank Williams. He wrote I Saw The Light, which was released as a single on MGM Records in 1959. It then was the title-track of Hank’s 1954 album. This was his sixth album in two years. Slightly maudlin with a sense of melancholia, Hank’s vocal oozes emotion and joy at having found “the light.”
Niney The Observer wrote and produced Blood and Fire, which was released in 1971. This was Niney’s debut single, which was released on Observers. A true legend of reggae, his production career started in the mid-sixties, and for a while, Niney worked with Joe Gibbs, where he replaced Lee Scratch Perry. Later, he discovered Dennis Brown. As for Blood and Fire, it has a slow, almost spiritual sound. Quite simply, it’s a perfect introduction to the music of Niney The Observer.
Most people will remember The Animals for their biggest single, 1964s The House Of The Rising Sun. That’s doing The Animals a huge disservice. There’s much more to their music. Proof of this is Outcast, which featured on their 1966 album Animalism. Released on MGM Records, it’s driving, dramatic fusion of R&B and rock, with Eric Burdon’s sneering, rebellious vocal crucial to the track’s success and sound.
Bert Jansch is another underrated artist. Born in Glasgow, Bert established a reputation as a guitarist’s guitarist. Ostensibly a folk musician, there’s a bluesy sound to Bert’s playing. This is apparent on Angie, which featured on his 1965 album Bert Jansch. Technically, he’s a brilliant guitarist, whose mesmeric guitar playing sees Bert fuse folk, jazz and blues seamlessly.
The Saints were an Australian rock group who were formed in Brisbane in 1974. By 1977, they’d jumped on the punk bandwagon and released This Perfect Day. Written and produced by Ed Kuepper and lead singer Chris Bailey, it’s a blistering slice of punk. Full of frustration, anger and angst, this was the start of The Saints’ career, which is still going strong.
From the opening bars The Undertones’ Teenage Kicks, all of a sudden it’s 1978 all over again. Teenage Kicks featured on The Undertones’ debut E.P. It had been recorded on a budget of just £200. It was released on Terri Hooley’s Good Vibrations Records. With Fergal Sharkey’s vocal full of teenage angst, while the rhythm section and guitars drive the arrangement along. Two-and-a-half minutes of raw energy that’s a fusion of punk, new wave, garage and rock, it’s a stonewall classic.
Listen to Suicide’s Dream Baby Dream and Alan Vega’s vocal sounds not unlike Bruce Springsteen. That’s quite a coincidence, as Bruce sang this song during his 2005 tour. Released as a single in 1979 on Island Records, it’s real hidden gem. A lo-fi arrangement provided the backdrop to Alan’s vocal. It’s elegiac and melancholy, while the song is ethereal and beautiful.
The Shangri-Las have two tracks on Good Vibrations: A Record Shop, A Label and Soundtrack. Their 1966 single Past, Present and Future, which was released on Red Bird is the first. I Can Never Go Home Anymore, which was written by George Morton is the other. It oozes emotion, heartache and hurt and is an angst-ridden opus.
Just like The Undertones, Stiff Little Fingers were another Irish punk band. They too released a classic track, Alternative Ulster. It was written by Stiff Little Fingers with Irish journalist Gordon Ogilvie, who later became the band’s manager. Released by Rough Trade in 1979, it’s the title-track to their sophomore album. Best described as an outpouring of years of frustration and anger, that eventually rises to the surface and explodes, Jake Burns proves to be the voice of a generation.
My final choice from Good Vibrations: A Record Shop, A Label and Soundtrack is the track that closes the compilation, The Outcasts’ Self Conscious Over You. This is the second contribution from The Outcasts. Their first was Just Another Teenage Rebel, their debut single, which fittingly, was released on Terri Hooley’s Good Vibrations Records. Self Conscious Over You was the title-track to their 1979 album, which was the Belfast punk’s debut album. A fusion of pub rock, garage, punk and new wave, it’s a three-minute kitchen sink drama.
David Holmes has chosen an eclectic selection of twenty-four tracks to pay tribute to Terri Hooley, one of the legends of the Belfast music scene. Good Vibrations: A Record Shop, A Label and Soundtrack is one of these compilations where you never know where it’s heading. Country, reggae, punk, electronica, folk, pop and R&B you’re spellbound. You’re enthralled, wondering what David has in store next? Will it be a hidden gem that transforms your life? Maybe it’ll be an old favorite? Given David’s musical roots and his career so far, you neither rule nothing in, nor nothing out. You try not to look at Good Vibrations: A Record Shop, A Label and Soundtrack’s album cover. Instead, you want this be a musical journey full of surprises. It is.
Chilled out reggae, the fusion of jazz, folk and blues that’s Bert Jansch’s Angie. Then there’s tracks that tug at your heartstrings. Among them are The Shangri-Las’ I Can Never Go Home Anymore. There’s the ethereal beauty of Suicide’s Dream Baby Dream. Then there’s The Undertones’ Teenage Kicks and Stiff Little Fingers’ Alternative Ulster, which will have old punks pogoing around the room. All of a sudden the years roll away. Mind you, they’ll suffer in the morning. Our youth might be long gone, another country, but Good Vibrations: A Record Shop, A Label and Soundtrack brings back all these memories. Good Vibrations: A Record Shop, A Label and Soundtrack will certainly bring back good memories to anyone who frequented Terri Hooley’s record shop Good Vibrations.
Back in the seventies, at the height of the troubles, Good Vibrations was an oasis of calm where neither religion nor politics mattered. Instead, all that mattered was music. New music was discovered and friendships were made. Both the love of music and friendships lasted a lifetime. They began back in Belfast record shop Good Vibrations. However, there was more to Terri Hooley’s life than Good Vibrations.
Terri Hooley, it seems, lives and breathes music. He’s run a record shop and record label, been a promoter and DJ. He’s also been a lifelong record collector whose musical tastes are reflected on Good Vibrations: A Record Shop, A Label and Soundtrack, which was recently released by Big Beat Records, an imprint of Ace Records. Compiled by DJ and producer David Holmes, with sleeve-notes by Terri, Good Vibrations: A Record Shop, A Label and Soundtrack is an eclectic musical journey that tells the story of the life and times of the charismatic and ebullient Terri Hooley, a true legend of the Belfast musical scene. Standout Tracks: The Animals Outcast, Bert Jansch Angie, Suicide Dream Baby Dream and The Shangri-Las’ I Can Never Go Home Anymore.
GOOD VIBRATIONS: A RECORD SHOP, A LABEL, A SOUNDTRACK.
AURRA-A LITTLE LOVE.
AURRA-A LITTLE LOVE.
It was in 1975, that Steve Washington formed his first band with his school friends Mark Hicks and Tim Dozier. Born in Newark, Steve was brought up in East Orange, New Jersey. Steve was from a musical family. His uncle was The Ohio Players’ Ralph “Pee Wee” Midlebrooks. During his holidays, Steve either stayed with his uncle in Ohio, or headed out on tour with The Ohio Players. This would give Steve a taste of what life was like as a musician.
Having left high school, Steve’s band hooked up with another band. They initially named themselves Congress, but soon, changed their name to Slave. Their 1977 eponymous debut album, which featured the funk classic Slide, which reached number one in the US R&B Charts. Released on Cotillion, a subsidiary of Atlantic, Slave reached number twenty-two in the US Billboard 200 and number six in the US R&B Charts. Certified gold, Slave’s debut album had proved a huge success. Buoyed by the success of Slave, Slave soon began working on their sophomore album Hardness Of The World.
Later in 1977, Slave released their sophomore album The Hardness Of The World. While it didn’t replicate the commercial success of Slave, it did reach number sixty-seven in the US Billboard 200 and number thirty-one in the US R&B Charts. By the time Slave released their third album, The Concept, Slave had two new members.
Slave’s two new members were drummer and vocalist Steve Arrington and Starleena Young. Starleana’s musical career had started when she joined a gospel choir. After that, she joined Symphonic Express. That was where Steve Washington came across Starleana. Realizing that Starleana Young was a talented vocalist, Steve brought her onboard for the recording of Slave’s third album, The Concept. On its release in 1978, The Concept reached number seventy-eight in the US Billboard 200 and number eleven in the US R&B Charts. This was an improvement on The Concept. The addition of Starleena Young, a former member of Symphonic Express had helped Slave. So would the addition of another member of Symphonic Express help Slave reach the heights of Slave?
For what became Slave’s fourth album, Just A Touch Of Love another of Symphonic Express’ vocalists joined Slave. This was Curt Jones, who’d proved an important member of Slave. After all, Curt cowrote three of the eight tracks on Just A Touch Of Love. When Just A Touch Of Love was released in 1979, it reached number ninety-two in the US Billboard 200 and number eleven in the US R&B Charts. While When Just A Touch Of Love didn’t replicate the success of Slave, it featured Slave’s most successful single since Slide. The title-track reached number nine in the US R&B Charts. Just as Slave on their way to becoming one of America’s most successful funk bands, Steve Washington, inspired by George Clinton of Funkadelic and Parliament, decided to give Slave’s two vocalists their own musical vehicle, Aurra.
It was 1980 when Aurra released their eponymous debut album. Aurra had signed to Dream Records, a subsidiary of Salsoul Records. Featuring the twin vocals of Starleena Young and Curt Jones, the rest of Slave accompanied them. On its release in 1980, the six-track Aurra, failed to chart. The single, In The Mood (To Groove) reached number eighty-six in the US R&B Charts and number fifty in the US Dance Charts. While Aurra failed to chart, Slave’s fifth album Stone Jam replicated the commercial success of their debut album. Certified gold, it reached number fifty in the US Billboard 200 and number five in the US R&B Charts. However, it wouldn’t be long before Aurra were enjoying commercial success.
For Steve Washington, 1981 was one of the most successful years of his musical career. Aurra’s sophomore album Send Your Love, was released on Salsoul and reached number 103 in the US Billboard 200 and number twenty-two in the US R&B Charts. Things got even better for Slave when Slave reached their sixth album, Show Time. It reached number forty-six in the US Billboard 200 and number six in the US R&B Charts. Steve Washington, it seemed had the Midas. He was replicating George Clinton, who successfully ran two bands. Would this success continue in 1982, when Slave released their seventh album and Aurra released their third album A Little Love? That’s what I’ll tell you. Then I’ll tell you about the music on A Little Love, which was rereleased by Octave Japan.
When work began on Aurra’s third album A Little Love, Steve Washington and Curt Jones cowrote It’s You. They also cowrote six of the other seven tracks, with various songwriting partners. The exception was Thinking Of You which closes A Little Love. These eight tracks which were recorded at House of Music became A Little Love.
At House of Music, Aurra started work on their third album A Little Love. Starleana Young and Curt Jones took charge of the lead vocals. Accompanying them, were a rhythm section of drummers Kevin Moore and Thomas Lockett Jr, bassist Ray Jackson and guitarists Curt Jones and A.C. Drummer. Phillip Fields and Kevin Grady played keyboards, while Steve Washington played bass, drums Prophet 5 and Omni II. When the eight tracks were recorded A Little Love was released in January 1982.
Before A Little Love was released on Salsoul Records, Make Up Your Mind was released as the lead single. Released in November 1981, it reached number seventy-one in the US Billboard 100, number six in the US R&B Charts and number thirty-five in the US Disco Charts. A Little Love was released in January 1982, reached number thirty-eight in the US Billboard 200 and number twelve in the US R&B Charts. The title-track, A Little Love, released in March 1982, reached number thirty-six in the US R&B Charts. When Checking You Out was released in June 1982, it reached number sixty-four in the US Billboard 200 and number forty-seven in the R&B Charts. A Little Love was Aurra’s most successful album. However, Slave’s seventh album Visions Of Time, reached just number 177 in the US Billboard 200 and number forty-six in the US R&B Charts. Ironically, Aurra, which had started off as an offshoot of Slave, was now surpassing the commercial success of Slave. Why was A Little Love so successful? That’s what I’ll now tell you.
Tough and funky describes Make Up Your Mind, which opens A Little Love. This was the lead single from A Little Love. The funkiest of slap basses, synths, hypnotic drums and harmonies combine, before Curt’s vampish vocal struts centre-stage. His vocal is full of emotion and confusion. When Starleana Young’s vocal enters, it’s tender, heartfelt and determined to soothe Curt’s troubled soul. As their vocal drops out, the arrangement fuses elements of funk and boogie. Add to that the soul supplied by Curt and Starleana and it’s a potent combination.
Patience sees Aurra’s rhythm section, keyboards and Starleana’s sensual, vampish vocal combine. What follows is like a lost Madonna track. That’s thanks to Starleana’s needy vocal. Harmonies sweep in, proving the perfect foil to her vocal. When Curt’s vocal enters, you realize it isn’t really necessary. The track works perfectly with Starleana accompanied by harmonies. However, Curt, like the harmonies, plays his part in the success of a track that’s full of poppy hooks and dance-floor friendly.
It’s You is very different to the previous tracks. Dramatic and melancholy describes the track’s opening bars. When Curt’s vocal enters, a beautiful ballad begins to unfold. His vocal is delivered with power and passion. A subtle, tender vocal from Starleana adds the finishing touch to this sensual, dramatic and emotive hidden gem. Why this slice of smooth groove wasn’t released as a single seems a missed opportunity.
Checking You Out has a really eighties sound. Fusing funk, soul, R&B and pop it’s a swaggering, slice of sensual music. While the rhythm section, chiming guitars and keyboards add a funky backdrop, Curt and Starleana strut across the arrangement. Sassy and confident, their vocals add the electricity to what made Aurra such a special group. Referencing everything from disco, seventies funk, boogie, Chic-style guitars, Madonna, Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall and classic pop, it’s a slick, classy and irresistibly catchy song, where musical genres and influences unite.
For just under a minute, Aurra’s rhythm section, keyboards and searing guitars jam. They’re setting the scene for Curt and Starleana’s vocal on A Little Love. When they arrive, their vocals are powerful, needy and dramatic. This matches the arrangement, which fuses funk, rock and jazz. Spurred on by the dramatic arrangement, Curt and Starleana combine power, emotion and insecurity, with their needy, dramatic vocals which bring the lyrics to life.
A Little Love, the title-track sees the tempo drop. It’s a much more “Aurra-like song.” Featuring a bass masterclass from Ray Jackson, who cowrote the song, it’s a mid-tempo dancer. Chiming guitars, Ray’s uber funky bass and stabs or keyboards produce an arrangement that reminds me of Chic. As for Curt and Starleana’s vocal, they’re heartfelt, hopeful and soulful, on this melancholy fusion of funk and soul.
In My Arms is another slow, sultry song. A sensual, pleading vocal combines with a meandering, but funky rhythm section. Augmented by keyboards and harmonies, Starleana delivers one of her best vocals. Only her vocal features and is needed. She makes the song her own, delivering a slow, sensual vocal with emotion. Accompanied by harmonies, her vocal veers between a scat and a vamp. Meanwhile, the rhythm section, chiming guitars and keyboards combine jazz, funk, soul and R&B, providing the perfect accompaniment to Starleana’s vocal Magnus Opus.
Closing A Little Love is Thinking Of You. It’s an uptempo dance track, driven along by a funky, slithery groove from Ray Jackson’s bass. Punchy harmonies accompany Curt’s vocal. Combining drama, power and emotion his vocal, plus a plentiful supply of hooks, this joyful, melodic, mixture of soul, funk and disco is the perfect way to close A Little Love.
With its fusion of soul, R&B and funk, tinged with elements of boogie, disco and sometimes, jazz, it’s no wonder Aurra’s third album A Little Love was their most successful. Crucial to the success of A Little Love, was the twin vocals of Starleena Young and Curt Jones. They were the perfect foil for each other. Of the two, Starleana was the real star of Aurra.
Her vocal on In My Arms is the best on the album. Accompanied by just harmonies it demonstrated just how talented she was. By then, we already knew this. On Patience, Starleana delivered a sensual, vampish vocal. The track could’ve and would’ve worked on its own. The addition of Curt’s vocal wasn’t really necessary. Having said that, Aurra’s success wasn’t just a result of Starleana. Instead, its success was as a sum of the parts. Curt played his part, delivering some powerful, emotive and effective vocals. Just like Starleana’s vocals, they helped bring the songs to life, breathing life and meaning into the lyrics. However, there was more to Aurra’s success that Starleana and Curt.
Crucial to the success of A Little Love, was the personnel involved in the album. This includes some talented musicians, including bassist Ray Jackson, who several times, gave bass masterclasses. Then there was the eight songs. Steve Washington cowrote them, produced and played A Little Love. He was the man who masterminded the rise and rise of Aurra, and before that Slave.
Ironically, as Aurra enjoyed success with A Little Love, Slave’s seventh album was the least successful of his career. Reaching just number 177 in the US Billboard 200 and number forty-six in the US R&B Charts, Visions Of Time proved to be a sign of what was to come for Slave. They’d enjoyed the most successful period of their career. Now Aurra, which had started off as an offshoot of Slave had become more successful than Slave. Aurra’s most successful album was A Little Love, was recently released by Octave Japan. Fusing musical genres and influences, A Little Love was the most soulful, funky and dance-floor friendly album Aurra would release. Sadly, neither 1983s Live and Let Live and 1985s Like I Like it replicated the success of Aurra’s most successful album A Little Love, the best album of Aurra’s career. Standout Tracks: Patience, It’s You, Checking You Out and In My Arms.
AURRA-A LITTLE LOVE.
THE GET DOWN BOOGIE SOUND.
THE GET DOWN BOOGIE SOUND.
Disco which had provided the musical backdrop to the second half of the seventies, went from hero to zero in the space of a year. Suddenly, disco sucked. Disco’s downfall started on Christmas Eve 1978, That’s when Steve Dahl was fired by Chicago radio station WDAI. It had previously been a rock station, but switched to disco. Steve wasn’t out of work long. He was hired by WLUP, a rival station. WLUP played rock, which suited Steve Dahl. He’d an inkling that disco wasn’t long for this world.
Steve wasn’t a fan of disco, and took to mocking disco on-air. Openly, he mocked WDAI’s “disco DAI.” It became “disco die” to to Steve. Soon, Steve had created the Insane Coho Lips, his very own anti-disco army. Along with cohost Gary Meier, they coined the now infamous slogan “Disco Sucks.” The backlash had begun.
From there, the Disco Sucks movement gathered momentum. Events were held all over America. This came to a head at Disco Demolition Derby, which was Steve Dahl’s latest anti-disco event. Each one was becoming bigger, rowdier and attracting even more publicity. Disco Demolition Derby, which was held at Comiskey Park, Chicago on 12th July 1979 surpassed everything that went before. WFUL were sponsoring a Chicago White Sox game at Comiskey Park. if fans brought with them a disco record, they’d get in for ninety-eight cents. These records would be blown up by Steve Dahl. An estimated crowd between 20-50,000 people attended. Quickly the event descended into chaos. Vinyl was thrown from the stands like frisbees. Then when Steve blew up the vinyl, fans stormed the pitch and rioted. Things got so bad, that the riot police were called. After the Disco Demolition Derby, disco nearly died.
Following Disco Derby Night, disco’s popularity plunged. Disco artists were dropped from labels, disco labels folded and no further disco albums were released. Disco was on the critical list, and suffered a near death experience. It took a long time to recover. After disco’s demise, dance music changed.
No longer were record labels willing to throw money at dance music. Budgets were suddenly much smaller. Gone were the lavish productions of the disco orchestras of the seventies. This is epitomised by The Salsoul Orchestra and John Davis and The Monster Orchestra. Strings and horns were now a luxury. Music would have to go back to basics. Replacing them would be sequencers, synths and drum machines, which were much cheaper. Previously, they were only found in studios or were used by wealthy and famous musicians. Now they were within the budget of many musicians. This would prove crucial in the rise and rise of the boogie, the musical genre that replaced disco as the favored choice of music for discerning dancers and DJs.
Boogie was different from disco on several ways. The tempo was slower, usually between 90 and 110 beats per minutes. Lavish arrangements were a thing of the past.Strings and horns were no more. Synths and drum machines took their place. Sometimes producers like Leroy Burgess played an important role within a band. Often, bands were essentially studio bands, made up of session musicians. This includes Inner Life and Logg, who enjoyed some success at Salsoul. Both groups were at the forefront of this new musical genre, boogie. So were groups like The Mynks, Shock, Convertion, The Ritz and Shock. These groups feature of BGP’s latest boogie compilation The Get Down Boogie Sound, which I’ll tell you about.
The Get Down Boogie Sound is a thirteen track compilation, which features tracks from the back-catalogues of Vanguard, Fantasy and Posse. Among the artists that feature on The Get Down Boogie Sound are Carol Williams, Sylvester, The Mynks, Convertion, Marlon McClain and Shock. Released between 1981 and 1983, the thirteen tracks on The Get Down Boogie Sound, are a perfect primer for newcomers to boogie. You’ll realize that when I tell you about the highlights of The Get Down Boogie Sound.
I always think that the track that opens an album or compilation is the most important. It’s a case of first impressions matter. Compiler Julian Jonah realizes that, and chose Mynks’ Can’t Get Away (From Your Love). Mynk featured Bill Curtis and Gerry Thomas of the Fatback Back. Bill and Gerry produced this track. It has a joyous, good time party sound, where soul, disco and funk combines. Released in 1981 on Posse Records, this was Mynk’s only single. That’s a great shame, as this is a tantalizing taste of what Mynk were capable of.
Carol Williams released one of the best albums released on Salsoul Records, ‘Lectric Lady, which featured More and Love Is You. Sadly, that was the only album she released on Salsoul. Her sophomore album of Reflections Of Carol Williams followed in 1979. It was released on the Quality label. After that, Carol released singles for Atco, Roy B. Records and Steyrer Disco. By 1981, she’d signed to Vanguard Records and released Tell The World. Can’t Get Away (From Your Love) was her second single for Vanguard. Producer Darryl Payne builds the drama before Carol’s vocal enters. Her vocal is sensual and needy, while punchy harmonies accompany her. She goes on to deliver a vocal that’s not just soulful, but oozes emotion and sensuality.
Dance So Fine features a storming, vampish vocal from Nijel. Released in 1982 on Fantasy Records, it also features a vocoder. This is an instrument that divides opinion. Thankfully, here it’s used sparingly and effectively, during an arrangement where soul, funk and disco are combined by producer Lemel Humes.
So good are Shock, that they’ve two tracks on The Get Down Boogie Sound. These are That’s A Lady and Electrophonic Phunk. Both tracks are from their third album Waves, which was released on Fantasy Records in 1982. The best of the two tracks is the deeply soulful, but dance-floor friendly That’s A Lady. It was produced by Roger Sause and Marlon McLain, formerly of Pleasure. As for the production, there’s no expense been spared. Lavish and “big” describes it. Horns augment the rhythm section, percussion and synths, while the lead vocal and harmonies drive each other to greater heights of soulfulness on this gem of a dance-track.
Leroy Burgess’ name is synonymous with boogie. He’s perceived as one of the founding fathers of boogie. Convertion were one of Leroy’s studio bands. Although they only released a handful of singles, they’re music is fondly remembered and revered by connoisseurs of boogie. Sweet Thing was Convertion’s second single. Released in 1982, on Vanguard and produced by Greg Carmichael, it’s a genre-melting track. Soul, funk, boogie, proto-rap and disco combine with drama, sass and vampish vocal. No wonder this Sweet Thing is so fondly remembered by boogie fans.
If you’re only going to release one single, make it a good one. That’s what J.T. or as he’s better known, Joseph Tooney III did. He released I Love Music in 1983 on Vanguard Records. Sadly, it seems to have sunk without trace. Given the quality of the track that’s surprising. Driven along by the bass synth, squeaks and beeps escape from upbeat, funky arrangement. J.T’s vocal is both swaggering and soulful, full of energy and enthusiasm. Following the failure of this single, J.T. called time on his musical career. That day, music lost a talented singer.
Talking of talented singers, that’s almost an understatement. A charismatic and ebullient showman, Give It Up (Don’t Make Me Wait) is the perfect showcase for Sylvester’s inconsiderable skills. The version chosen is the Extended UK 12″ Mix. Taken from his 1981 album Too Hot To Sleep, which was produced by Harvey Fuqua, this is a delicious fusion of disco, jazz, funk and soul. Blazing jazzy horns are the perfect foil for Sylvester. It’s like throwing down a gauntlet. While more mellow than tracks like You Make Me Feel Sylvester vamps his way through the track, with gospel-tinged harmonies for company. The result is one of the highlights of The Get Down Boogie Sound.
Having left Pleasure, Marlon McClain signed to Fantasy Records, releasing his only solo album Changes in 1981. It didn’t replicate the success that Pleasure enjoyed. However, it did feature the mellow, languid sound of Pastel. Jazz-tinged, the track meanders along dreamy harmonies giving way to chiming guitars, hissing hi-hats and jazzy piano. Reminiscent of The Crusaders’ Street Life in parts, it’s proof that boogie was a broad musical church.
From the funky introduction and sinister laugh, Steptoe has your attention. You wonder where the track is heading? Before long, you know where the destination is… boogie. Written and produced by Greg Watson and Pam Sawyer. Released by Fantasy Records in 1982, there’s a space-age, experimental and leftfield sound to this enigmatic track.
Arthur Baker produced I Wanna Get With You which was released by Ritz’s in 1981. Released on Arthur Baker’s Posse label, this was his new label’s first release. He chose well. Ritz weren’t just the house band, but a band oozing talent. Seamlessly they could switch between soul, funk, boogie and Latin music. A myriad of blazing horns, a driving, uber funky rhythm section and soaring harmonies accompany a heartfelt, needy vocal that’s influenced by seventies Philly Soul. A truly innovative, genre-sprawling track, it’s what I’d expect from a group Arthur Baker deemed good enough to be his house band.
Project Funk’s only single as Eazy, released on Vanguard Records in 1981. Written by Darryl Payne, who produced the track with Danny Weiss. The track has a tough, P-Funk sound, as it bursts into life. An explosion of energy, a chiming Niles Rodgers’ guitar, braying horns and funky rhythm section join bubbling synths.They provide the backdrop to P-Funk harmonies and a vampish vocal. Together, they plays an important part in a track that’s worms its way into your consciousness.
Rare Essence’s Body Move is the final track from The Get Down Boogie Sound I want to tell you about. Straight away, I noticed the track was produced by Chuck Brown the founding father of Go-Go. A fusion of Go-Go and boogie, Body Move was originally released on Washington’s Groove Records in 1981. Later in 1981, it was picked up by Fantasy Records who released the single to a wider audience. Oozing in quality, it has a tougher, edgier sound as boogie and Go Go meet head-on.
So, that’s the story of The Get Down Boogie Sound, BGP’s latest boogie compilation. From the opening bars of Mynks’ Can’t Get Away (From Your Love) right through to Shock’s Electrophonic Phunk, it’s quality all the way. I’d describe The Get Down Boogie Sound as, all killer, no filler. That’s unusual. Usually, there’s the odd musical faux pas along the way. Not here. Compiler Julian Johan has chosen well. He’s chosen a mixture of old friends and new faces.
Along the way we hear from some familiar faces, including Carol Williams, Sylvester, Convertion, Shock and Marlon McClain. There’s also hidden gems from Mynks, Ritz and Rare Essence. The Get Down Boogie Sound is a thirteen song musical journey. It’s a journey where we hear references to disco, funk, Go-Go, jazz, Latin and soul music. All these genres can be heard on the thirteen slices of boogie that feature on The Get Down Boogie Sound. These songs are quite different from disco, which preceded boogie.
As you’ll realize listening to The Get Down Boogie Sound, boogie is very different from disco. The tempo was slower, usually between 90 and 110 beats per minutes. Gone were lavish arrangements. They were a thing of the past. Strings and horns were no more. Synths and drum machines took their place. Despite all theses changes, boogie quickly found favor amongst discerning dancers and DJs. Just like disco, there’s no let up in our love affair with boogie. Thirty years later, and boogie is just as popular. That’s why there’s so many boogie compilations released. Very few are as good as The Get Down Boogie Sound, which is one of the best boogie compilations I’ve heard not just this year, but in recent years. That’s why I’d recommend that you get down with The Get Down Boogie Sound. Standout Tracks: Carol Williams Can’t Get Away (From Your Love), Shock That’s A Lady, Sylvester (Don’t Make Me Wait) and Ritz I Wanna Get With You.
THE GET DOWN BOOGIE SOUND.
SIMBA AND MILTON GULLI-THE HEROES A TRIBUTE TO A TRIBE CALLED QUEST.
SIMBA AND MILTON GULLI-THE HEROES A TRIBUTE TO A TRIBE CALLED QUEST.
In the history of hip hop, A Tribe Called Quest are one of the most innovative and influential bands ever. No ifs and no buts. The five albums they released between 1990 and 1998, featured a genre melting fusion of genres and influences. Musical genres melted into one. Hip hop, jazz, funk and soul were all thrown into the mix. Not only did this prove innovative and influential, but captured the imagination of a generation. Two gold albums and three platinum albums in the space of eight years are proof of this. Since then, another generation of music lovers have discovered and been influenced by A Tribe Called Quest. So too, have another generation of producers and musicians. Among them are Simba and Miton Gulli who will release The Heroes A Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest on BBE Music on 9th September 2013.
Simba and Milton Gulli decided to pay homage to one of hip hop’s most influential groups. A Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest aren’t just any hip hop group. No. They’re an old school hip hip group whose music inspired and influenced a generation. It’s innovative music with a message and a social conscience. The message was always joyous, bristling with positivity, and determined to enable and inspire a generation. That it did. It’s also music that’s stood the test of time. Dig out an old A Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest album, put it on, and it’s truly timeless. Memories come flooding back and suddenly, you’re reminded why you fell in love with music. That’s what A Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest mean to people, including Simba and Milton Gulli. Before I tell you about The Heroes A Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest, I’ll tell you about the music they’re paying tribute to.
Like so many people, I can remember exactly when A Tribe Called Quest released their debut album. It was 17th April 1990, my birthday. That was when I first heard People’s Instinctive Travels and The Paths Of Rhythms. Released on Jive, it reached number ninety-one in the US Billboard 200 and twenty-three in the US R&B Charts. Innovative, inventive, literate, witty and full of biting social comment, People’s Instinctive Travels and The Paths Of Rhythms was certified gold. This was the start of an eight year musical journey, where critical acclaim and commercial success were omnipresent.
A year later, The Low End Theory was released in September 1991. A truly groundbreaking album, hip hop met jazz on a genre-sprawling album. Laid back, with a mellow, chilled out, jazz-tinged vibe, The Low End Theory reached number forty-five in the US Billboard 200 and thirteen in the US R&B Charts. Certified platinum, Low End Theory is referred to as a classic. That’s no exaggeration. However, The Low End Theory wasn’t A Tribe Called Quest’s only classic.
Midnight Marauders was released to critical acclaim in November 1993. It surpassed the commercial success of their two previous albums, reaching number eight in the US Billboard 200 and thirteen in the US R&B Charts. Following in the footsteps of The Low End Theory, this fusion of hip hop and jazz was certified platinum. A Tribe Called Quest were now hip hop’s biggest group. Innovative, influential and inventive, no-one else came close to A Tribe Called Quest.
That was proved by Beats, Rhymes and Life, which was released in July 1996. Reaching number one on the US Billboard 200 and US R&B Charts, it was A Tribe Called Quest’s biggest album. Certified platinum, Beats, Rhymes and Life, was unlike previous albums. Gone was the positivity and upbeat sound of their first three albums. It was replaced by a darker, moodier and broodier sound. Despite this, it was a huge success. Looking back, maybe we should’ve realized that A Tribe Called Quest’s career was nearly over. The dark, moody sound should’ve been a clue.
September 1998 saw the release of The Love Movement, which reached number three in the US Billboard 200 and US R&B Charts. It picked up where Beats, Rhymes and Life left off. The music was dark and moody. Full of frustration, anger and humor, The Love Movement was full of messages and A Tribe Called Quest’s acerbic wit. Certified gold, The Love Movement meant that A Tribe Called Quest’s career ended on a high. They weren’t going to fade away. That’s why A Tribe Called Quest’s music is perceived as innovative, inventive and influential. Among the people it’s influenced are Simba and Miton Gulli, who pay homage to A Tribe Called Quest with The Heroes A Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest .
Nelson Angelo Sitoi, whose better known as rapper Simba, was born in Mopatu, Mozambique. He grew up speaking Portuguese, but when he decided to make a career in music, realized that he’d have to rap in English. On his debut album was Run and Tell Your Mother, Simba raps in English. When the album was released in Mozambique this was problematic. After all, very few people could speak English. Run and Tell Your Mother established Simba’s reputation both at home, and further afield. A fusion of hip hop, jazz, funk and Afrobeat, it was a groundbreaking album. This lead to an appearance at the prestigious Mozambique Jazz Festival. It also lead to collaborations in South Africa.
Simba’s collaboration with Lizha James, Lovely Day entered the South African charts and was nominated for the Channel O awards. This then led to a collaboration with award winning, South African producer Moreira Chonguica. After this, Simba opened for Mos Def in Johannesburg. Having established a reputation further afield, Simba headed home, to start the next chapter of his career.
Back home, Simba formed his own hip hop band Simba and The Rocats, who are a dub group. Sometimes, Simba hooks up with another band, The Brown Band. It seems music is Simba’s life. Maybe that’s why he formed his own record label, Brown Records. His latest project is a collaboration with Mota, a Madagascan pianist who fuses musical genres. So do A Tribe Called Quest and Miton Gulli, who he collaborates with on The Heroes A Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest.
Milton Gulli collaborated with Simba on The Heroes A Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest. He was born in 1978 and spent his childhood in Portugal and Saudi Arabia. This was where his father worked. The family went where work took his father. By the time he was a teenager, and starting to become interested in music, he was living in Madeira. Blues, jazz, Afrobeat, rock and hip hop had captured Milton’s imagination. This lead to Milton learning to play guitar. Soon, he formed his own band Philharmonic Weed with Ricardo Bicho and his sister Marisa. Later, Milton returned to the mainland to Lisbon, where he studied law.
Studying law didn’t mean the end of Philharmonic Weed. The only problem was the lead singer. They couldn’t find the right person. Eventually, Milton decided he’d become the lead singer. At last, the band gelled. Soon, they were winning competitions and amassed a large fan-base. Their fusion of soul, funk, reggae and Afrobeat was popular as far afield as Panama City, where they played in 2001. Two years later, in 2003, Philharmonic Weed released their debut E.P. Capital Som. Then in 2007, they released their debut album The Primeiro Mundo. Philharmonic Weed even took part in a workshop with The Jamaican Allstars, in Lisbon. That wasn’t the last time Milton was asked to be work with other artists.
Soon, Milton was being asked to play with a variety of groups. XEG, Sam The Kid, Sagaz, plus reggae band Mercado Negro. He was like a guitarist for hire. There was even an appearance playing guitar at the Mercelo D2 show at the Festival Sudoeste in 2006. Later that year, Philharmonic Weed played their last gig. After that, Milton played in a variety of groups.
For a while, Milton was one of the lead singers of Cool Hipnoise. Their fusion of acid jazz, funk and soul was popular not just in Portugal, but further afield. He sang on their single Brother Joe and then headed out on tour. They played throughout Europe and were firm festival favorites. So too, were Cacique ’97.
Cacique ’97, an Afrobeat collective Milton formed with musician and producer Goncalo Oliveira in 2005. They were joined by members of Philharmonic Weed and Cool Hipnoise, The twelve members of Cacique ’97 soon won over audiences at festivals. Then in 2009, they released their debut album. Since then, Cacique ’97’s popularity has continued to grow. Later in 2013, they’ll release their sophomore album. By then, Milton was living in Mozambique.
During 2011, Milton decided to return to his roots. So, he headed to Mopatu, Mozambique. This proved to a case of serendipity. In Mopatu, Milton met Simba. Soon, Milton and rapper Simba on a The Heroes A Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest. An eleven-track album, Simba and Milton Gulli pay homage to one of hip hop’s greatest groups, A Tribe Called Quest. The result was Simba and Milton Gulli’s The Heroes A Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest, which I’ll now tell you about.
Opening The Heroes A Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest is the jazz-tinged and pensive Intro. Just a meandering piano and wistful vocal combine. Waves of piano accompany a vocal that grows in emotion. Soon, the piano signals it’s all change. A shuffling arrangement unfolds. Drums, percussion and guitar accompany a vocal that’s bristles with energy as It delivers lyrics that are literate and intelligent. Providing the perfect accompaniment, is the jazz-tinged arrangement.
A rabble rousing introduction that’s worthy of James Brown in his pomp opens Excursions, the opening track to The Low End Theory. Powered along by the bass and hi-hats, Simba delivers a blistering rap. It’s full of energy and emotion. Meanwhile, deliberate stabs of piano and quivering strings provide a dramatic backdrop. Combine the emotion of the vocal and the drama of the arrangement, and the result is a potent homage to A Tribe Called Quest.
Old school. That describes African Tour. It literally bursts into life. Simba lays down a rap that’s full of anger, frustration and emotion. He struts his way through the lyrics. Bravado is omnipresent. Beneath his vocal, are crispy drums, harmonies, percussion and scratches. Melodic, full of hooks and a reminder of hip hop’s glory days, it’s like a trip back to the nineties.
Can I Kick It (Chuta) featured on A Tribe Called Quest’s debut album People’s Instinctive Travels and The Paths Of Rhythms. Straight away, Simba get’s busy laying down a defiant rap in Portuguese and later, English. Bursts of blazing horn, cinematic strings, percussion, la-la harmonies and keyboards join a moody bass. They’re almost incidental, as Simba steals the show. He delivers a swaggering vocal, that’s defiant and full of bravado.
Breathy, gasping vocals open Electric Relaxation, a track from Midnight Marauders. It feature a mellow, understated jazzy arrangement. Keyboards, wistful flute, percussion and finger clicks provide a backdrop while Simba and Milton trade vocals. Sassy and needy, drums, keyboards and percussion combine to create an arrangement where jazz, hip hop and Afrobeat combine.
Bonita Intro might be less than two minutes long, but it’s a quite beautiful, innovative track. It features an animated conversation between a mother and her daughter. They’re accompanied by just jazz-tinged guitars and piano. The result is a wistful, emotive and beautiful track that sets the scene for Bonita Applebum.
Bonita Applebum is another track from 1990s People’s Instinctive Travels and The Paths Of Rhythms. From the animated conversation, Simba delivers an impassioned, powerful and need vocal. Bursts of sassy vocal answer his call. Meanwhile, the jazzy guitar and deliberate piano join washes of keyboards and the thoughtful, wandering bass. As Simba’s vocal grows in power and emotion, so does the arrangement. Drums provide the heartbeat, a piano provides melancholia and the guitar meanders across the arrangement. They provide the backdrop for a female vocal bristling with emotion and tenderness.
Scenario featured on The Low End Theory, a true hip hop classic. For me, this is easily A Tribe Called Quest’s best album. Here, Simba and Milton Gulli rekindle the spirit of 1991. From the jazzy intro, with its blazing horns, it’s an explosion of energy and emotion. Simba gets busy, delivering a swaggering vocal. Like Milton, he oozes confidence and bravado. Behind them, the music is a fusion of jazz, hip hop and drama. Washes of keyboards, percussion and drums provide a moody, broody and dramatic backdrop for this authentic slice of old school hip hop.
God Lives Through (I Love My God), which is one of my favorite tracks on The Heroes A Tribute To A Tribe. Originally, it featured on Midnight Marauders. It’s one of these tracks it gradually reveals its secrets and subtleties. Jazz chords played on a guitar join pounding drums, synths and a strident rap. When it drops out, it’s replaced by beautiful, gospel influenced harmonies. They truly, are a thing of beauty. This seems to spur Simba on. His vocal bristles with emotion. Later, the sultriest of saxophone is joined by shakers, before the gospel tinged harmonies sweep in. So powerful and beautiful are they, that they’ll make a believer out of even the most hardened atheist.
We’ve Got The Jazz is another track from the The Low End Theory. It’s a paean to jazz. Witness the lyric: “I was the man chosen to carry Charlie Parker’s spirit through these rhymes.” Understated and heavily influenced by jazz, pounding drums grab your attention. They force you to listen to some of the best lyrics on The Heroes A Tribute To A Tribe. You’re glad they did. Accompanying them, are some of the sweetest jazz licks, rasping horns and a meandering bass lines. Together, they’re the accompaniment to Simba’s impassioned, earnest rap on this paean to the music of Bird, Trane et al.
Closing The Heroes A Tribute To A Tribe, is Outro, less than two genre-melting minutes of music. Here, African and Western music unite, resulting in a spellbinding and beautiful track. Key to that are the percussion, flute and most importantly, a heartfelt vocal bristling with emotion and beauty.
Ever since I received Simba and Milton Gulli’s The Heroes A Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest, I’ve been playing it nonstop. Quickly, it became one of my favorite albums of 2013. That’s no surprise. The Heroes A Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest is an album oozing in quality and class. There’s no filler on The Heroes A Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest, just quality music. That’s thanks to one of the greatest groups in hip hop, A Tribe Called Quest who provided the material for this album. They were innovators, imaginative and inventive, a group who influenced a generation of musicians and producers. Among them, were Simba and Milton Gulli.
Just two years ago, Simba and Milton Gulli met in Mopatu, Mozambique. Drawn together by a shared love of music, they decided to pay homage to one of their musical heroes, A Tribe Called Quest. Now this isn’t easy. Albums like The Heroes A Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest, which will be released by BBE Music on 2nd September 2013, are notoriously difficult to pull off. After all, the four men responsible for the music of A Tribe Called Quest were some of the most progressive and forward thinking men in the history of hip hop. Despite this, Simba and Milton managed to pay a fitting and worthy tribute to A Tribe Called Quest.
Eleven songs and forty-eight minutes long, The Heroes A Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest sees Simba and Milton Gulli fuse musical genres and influences. Best described as a genre-melting album, hip hop meets jazz, gospel harmonies, funk, Afrobeat and soul. A mesmeric musical melting pot, Simba and Milton Gulli pay a fitting tribute to one of hip hop’s greatest bands. The Heroes A Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest is suitably innovative and progressive paean to A Tribe Called Quest. Simba and Milton Gulli’s The Heroes A Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest is an album that will influence and inspire new generation of music lovers. Maybe then they’ll discover the music of A Tribe Called Quest, plus the jazz and Afrobeat that inspired not just A Tribe Called Quest, but Simba and Milton Gulli?
Hopefully, The Heroes A Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest, is the first of many collaborations between Simba and Milton Gulli. Listening to The Heroes A Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest, this should be the start of a musical journey for Simba and Milton Gulli. It’s obvious they work well together. As collaborators go, they’re equally inventive, innovative and imaginative. Maybe they’re the future of hip hop? After all, hip hop seems to have forgotten its roots. Hip hop is a shadow of its former self. It’s all glitz, glamor and gangstas. Simba and Milton Gulli are the polar opposite of this. They’re old school and talented, with plenty to say that’s worth hearing. That includes The Heroes A Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest, a fitting and innovative homage to one of hip hop’s greatest groups… A Tribe Called Quest. Standout Tracks: Intro, Excursions, Electric Relaxation and God Lives Through (I Love My God).
SIMBA AND MILTON GULLI-THE HEROES A TRIBUTE TO A TRIBE CALLED QUEST.
THE INNOCENTS-CLASSIC INNOCENTS-THE REPRISE, DECCA, WARNER BROS AND A&M RECORDINGS…PLUS MORE.
THE INNOCENTS-CLASSIC INNOCENTS-THE REPRISE, DECCA, WARNER BROS AND A&M RECORDINGS…PLUS MORE.
Just like so many groups, the story of The Innocents began in high school. In their case, it was Sun Valley Junior High School, Los Angeles. This was the first step in a story documented on The Innocents-Classic Innocents-The Reprise, Decca, Warner Bros and A&M Recordings…Plus More, which was recently released by Ace Records. It features twenty-eight tracks, including eleven previously unreleased tracks, plus demos and rarities. As I tell you about The Innocents career, I’ll tell you about the music on The Innocents-Classic Innocents-The Reprise, Decca, Warner Bros and A&M Recordings…Plus More.
It was 1958 Darron Stankey formed his first band The Emeralds. Darren was a member of a car club called The Innocents. This was really a front for fun and carousing. Drinks were consumed, guitars produced and songs were sung. A willing participants to the carousing was Darron, Wayne Edwards, Frank Zworkin and Larry Tamblyn. Realizing they had potential, they formed The Emeralds. It was a short-lived band. Work, college and conscription resulted in the band splitting up. Undeterred, Darren decided to form another band.
For Darren’s new band, members were recruited from the car club. Al Candelaria and Larry New joined the band, who were now called The Echoes. Each of the three members were childhood friends. They’d been friends since they first started school. After a while, they decided to invite Jim West along. That was a smart move. Jim was he a talented singer. This was apparent from the first time they heard him sing.
Jim’s Echoes debut was in 1959 at an event organized by The Innocents car club. It was literally a show-stopper. People stopped and listened. They were smitten by Jim’s voice. No wonder. He’d been singing since he was a child, and was a natural. The final place in The Echoes jigsaw was in place. Now a quartet, The Echoes were about to encounter a legendary producer.
After a concert in 1959, The Echoes were approached by a promoter. A female vocalist was recording a single and needed a backing group. The Echoes fitted the bill. There was only one problem, they wouldn’t get paid. Deciding it was worthwhile for the experience, they headed to the. Their job was to accompany Lorin “Speed” Kopp. Co-producing the session was Herb Albert. He liked The Echoes and offered to help them record a demo and then their debut single.
Rehearsals with Herb Albert went on for a while. He was helping The Echoes hone their sound. Then one day, Jimmy Hiliard of Keen Records approached The Echoes about signing to Keen. They agreed and were signed to the Andex Records imprint. Now signed to Andex, The Innocents released Time, which was essentially a cover of The Dells Time Makes You Change. Released in September 1959, Time was credited to Jim West. Unfortunately for The Echoes, at the same time as Time was released, Keen’s biggest signing Sam Cooke, released There I’ve Said It Again. All the label’s efforts went into Sam Cooke’s single. Sadly, Time wasn’t promoted sufficiently, and the single wasn’t a success. For Larry New who was already unsettled, this was the final straw, he left the band.
The new lineup was James the first tenor and lead vocalist, Darren was second tenor and Al baritone. This was just the first change for The Echoes. They changed their name to The Innocents, paying homage to their car club. Another change was The Innocents were writing their own songs. They hoped this would lead to Herb Albert mentoring the group. That wasn’t to be. Herb was no longer interested in The Innocents, but Kim Fowley was.
Without a label, The Innocents decided to knock on a few doors. Luckily, the chose the right door to knock. It was one with Kim Fowley behind it. He’d enjoyed success with Gary Paxton as Skip and Flip, then as The Hollywood Argyles. Kim decided to give The Innocents a chance. They ran through some of their songs. When they got to Honest I Do, which became The Innocents’ best known song, although it was only partly written, Kim liked what he heard. He called Gary Paxton. When he heard it, Kim, Gary and The Innocents got to work on finishing the song. Once it was finished, a contract was signed and the song signed to a small independent label, Indigo Records.
Honest I Do was one of several tracks The Innocents recorded with Kim Fowley and Gary Paxton producing. Tick Tock, Gee Whiz, My Baby and Hully Gullys were all recorded during this session. On the release of Honest I Do, which opens The Innocents-Classic Innocents-The Reprise, Decca, Warner Bros and A&M Recordings…Plus More, it reached number twenty-eight in the US Billboard 100 Charts in 1960. No wonder. A tender, impassioned paean, with an understated arrangement, it was the perfect start to The Innocents career. For The Innocents, their lives were transformed. Suddenly, they were huge stars. There was even an appearance on American Bandstand. While all this was happening, things went sour for producers Kim and Gary. They were replaced by Jim Lee.
Unknown to Indigo, Kim and Gary had kept a track from when they produced The Innocents. Maybe this was their insurance, in case they were replaced. This track was Tick Tock. They shopped it too Transworld, who released it was as a single. Tick Tock, plus the extended under-dubbed version feature on The Innocents-Classic Innocents-The Reprise, Decca, Warner Bros and A&M Recordings…Plus More. Indigo weren’t happy. Their response was to release Gee Whiz as a single. It was always meant to be The Innocents sophomore single. It reached number twenty-eight in the US Billboard 100 Charts in 1960. By then, The Innocents had become one of the biggest groups of that time. They even had their own fan-club, which is how The Innocents met Kathy Young.
Kathy Young was only fourteen when she met The Innocents. She was a singer and songwriter in waiting. After a chance meeting with Jim Lee, he recommended Indigo audition Kathy. They did. This resulted in Kathy landing a record deal. She then recorded A Thousand Stars, a song which The Innocents were meant to cover. Instead, they sang harmonies. This worked well. The single reached number three in the US Billboard 100 Charts and number six in the US R& Charts. For Kathy Young, this kickstarted her career. Sadly, The Innocents career started to stall.
The Innocents then released as a followup Kathy, which was their third single for Indigo. It wasn’t a commercial success. By now, The Innocents were beginning to wonder if Jim Lee was running out of ideas? Considering The Innocents were about to release their debut album Innocently Yours in January 1961, this couldn’t have happened at a worse time. Innocently Yours featured twelve tracks. This included singles Honest I Do, Gee Whiz and Donna, plus tracks like Walking Along and Hog For You. The album sold well. Things it seemed, were looking well for The innocents?
Then later in 1961, Jim Lee left Indigo. The owners seemed to lose confidence in him and he was sidelined. Later in 1961, The Innocents received their first royalty cheque. Rather than being owed money, they owed Indigo money. Cars, clothes, plane tickets and numerous other things, The Innocents were charged for it. This was all down to The Innocents not knowing how the music industry worked. They were neither the first, nor will they be the last to be caught this way. Suddenly, The Innocents, weren’t so innocent. They’d learnt the hard way.
For a while, The innocents considered leaving Indigo. There was even talk of Capitol taking over Indigo just to sign The Innocents and Kathy Young. The owners scared they were selling themselves short, decided that Capitol might pay more. They wouldn’t. Their bid was turned down and Capitol walked away. Then things were about to get worse for The Innocents.
October 1961 saw The Innocents release what was meant to be their final single for Indigo, Pains In My Heart. They’d given notice of their intention to leave Indigo. Eight months later, Indigo Records was no more. One of their final releases was a rerelease of The Innocents’ Time. By then, The Innocents were still trying to find the right deal.
It took a year before without a record deal before The Innocents found the label that they felt suited them. This was Reprise Records, who were a new label. They were founded in 1961, so had no experience in the pop market that The Innocents operated in. Reprise sent them into the recording studio. Over two separate recording sessions, The Innocents recorded six songs. Oh How I Miss My Baby was released as a single in October 1962. Two different versions of the single were released. The first version features Be Mine as the B-side, while the second version features You’re Never Satisfied. These three tracks, plus unreleased tracks like Pledging My Love, Lovely Way To Spend An Evening and (If You Cry) True Love, True Love demonstrate how The Innocents had matured. They’d honed their sound. Their trademark harmonies were tighter, heartfelt and filled with emotion. Sadly, The Innocents time at Reprise wasn’t successful. When Nick Venet who signed them left Reprise, his replacement wanted The Innocents to become a country group. That wasn’t going to happen. So, The Innocents saddled up and left Reprise.
Ironically, after spurning Jimmy Bowen’s offer of becoming a country group, it was a former Nashville DJ that got The Innocents signed to Decca. Even better, Shane Wilder loved their music. He was the perfect man to try to rejuvenate their career. Shane fired The Innocents up. He got them writing some new songs. They headed into Radio Recorders with some of Los Angeles’ best session musicians. Come On Lover and Don’t Cry were released as singles and feature on The Innocents-Classic Innocents-The Reprise, Decca, Warner Bros and A&M Recordings…Plus More. Unfortunately, neither Come On Lover nor Don’t Cry replicated the success of their earlier singles. That these singles weren’t a success is a missed opportunity. Here, The Innocents’ talent shines through. Soulful, emotive, pleading and full of hurt, describes their vocals on the two songs. Following the failure of the two singles, The Innocents left Decca. For them, it was the end of the road at Decca. Little did the realize that after this, it literally was the end of the road for The Innocents.
Having left Decca, The Innocents were signed to Warner Bros, where they worked with Jim Lee and Lee Hazlewood. This was their fourth label in as many years. Still, there was no sign of The Innocents recapturing the form of their time at Indigo. With every year that went by, their career slid away. In the pop world, stars grew old quickly. There was always someone coming along to replace the “aging star.” Careers lasted only a few years. The Innocents had done well. They’d been together five years, since 1959. The window of opportunity for The innocents was about to slam shut.
Considering this was make or break for The Innocents, you’d have expected them all to be ready to record. Wrong. Darron wasn’t in the studio when My Heart Stood Still was recorded. He was there when Don’t Call Me Anymore was recorded. With the two tracks laid down, Lee and Jim were men with a vision. The Innocents were going to be “sold’ to an audience to like Lettermen. That seemed a good idea.
The first part in this plan was releasing My Heart Stood Still as a single. That’s where things went wrong. A few weeks earlier, somewhat belatedly, America “got” The Beatles. Cue the British invasion. Now groups like The Innocents were yesterday’s news.
Unwilling to throw in the towel, Lee and Jim decided The Innocents should record My Heart Stood Still. That was all that was salvageable from the recording session. The end it seemed, was neigh for The Innocents. It certainly was for Lee Hazelwood and Jim Lee. Lee decided to take an extended break. He thought the influx of British acts wouldn’t last. It did. Jim Lee decided to call time on his label. As for The Innocents, they too decided to call time on their five year career.
That wasn’t the last the music industry heard of Darron and Al. No. They decided to form another group, The Sugar Beats in 1966. The Sugar Beats had the chance to record for Herb Albert’s A&M Records. Looking for a third member, Jim Lee was approached. He was busy writing songs. Instead, they turned to their old car club and recruited Ken Mowery.
Ken became the third Sugar Beat. Signed to A&M two singles were released, First Love and Begin, Give In. Both singles feature on The Innocents-Classic Innocents-The Reprise, Decca, Warner Bros and A&M Recordings…Plus More. These two tracks show the difference two years made to the former Innocents. Music had changed. Their music had changed and matured. Of the two tracks, the wistful First Love is a real hidden gem of a track. It’s lain unloved for too long. A quite beautiful track, the only problem was it wasn’t fashionable. Sadly, neither of The Sugar Beats singles proved to be a commercial success. Far from it. Psychedelia was about to be born. Groups like The Sugar Beats were behind the musical curve. Regardless of the quality, The Sugar Beats weren’t perceived as innovative and progressive. It seemed that yet again, Darron and Al were subject to the vagaries of musical fashions.
That proved to be the end of Darron and Al’s involvement with music. They’d been enjoyed a six year musical journey as The Innocents, then a brief comeback as The Sugar Beats. All this is documented on Ace Records’ recent compilation The Innocents-Classic Innocents-The Reprise, Decca, Warner Bros and A&M Recordings…Plus More. It’s the most comprehensive compilation of The Innocents music. There’s music from every period of their carer. This includes their biggest hit single Honest I Do. Whether it’s from The Innocents time at Indigo, Reprise, Decaa or Warner Bros, there music from that period. There’s even two versions of Tick Tock, which were released on Trans-World. That’s no forgetting eleven previously unreleased tracks, plus demos and rarities. Among them are two cuts from The Sugar Beats and three songs by Jim West. In total, there are twenty-eight tracks on The Innocents-Classic Innocents-The Reprise, Decca, Warner Bros and A&M Recordings…Plus More. There’s only a couple of omission and they can be excused.
There could’ve been more songs from The Innocents time at Indigo Records. After all, that was their heyday. Having said that, it was good to hear such an eclectic selection of The Innocents music. It would’ve been good to hear The Innocents collaboration with Kathy Young, A Thousand Stars. Maybe this wasn’t possible, given ownership problems? That there are a few omissions doesn’t detract from the quality of The Innocents-Classic Innocents-The Reprise, Decca, Warner Bros and A&M Recordings…Plus More. Far from it. This lovingly compiled compilation, The Innocents-Classic Innocents-The Reprise, Decca, Warner Bros and A&M Recordings…Plus More is best described as everything you want to know about The Innocents but were afraid to ask. Standout Tracks: Honest I Do, First Love, Tick Tock and Be Mine.
THE INNOCENTS-CLASSIC INNOCENTS-THE REPRISE, DECCA, WARNER BROS AND A&M RECORDINGS…PLUS MORE.
ANGELA BOFILL-INTUITION.
ANGELA BOFILL-INTUITION.
When Angela Bofill signed to Clive Davis’Arista Records, he decided to mentor his latest signing. For five albums, Angela was one of the labels most successful artists. Sadly, things went sour for Angela after her fifth album Teaser. Her final two albums 1984s Let Me Be The One and 1985s Tell Me Tomorrow saw a drastic change in Angela’s fortunes. The commercial success she’d enjoyed was almost a distant memory. Angela’s relationship with Arista was no longer the same. No longer was she one of Arista’s chosen ones. Following the failure of Tell Me Tomorrow, Angela left Arista.
Three years later, Angela made a comeback. She signed to Capitol Records, and hooked up with producers Norman Connors and Vincent Brantley. He produced Angela’s comeback album Intuition, which was recently released by SoulMusic Records. Would Intuition see Angela Bofill recapture the commercial success she’d previously enjoyed? That’s what I’ll tell you, once I’ve told you about the rise and fall of Angela Bofill.
Having signed to Arista Records, Angela Bofill released her debut album Angie in 1978. It was produced by Dave Gruisin and Larry Rosen. Not only did Angie reach number forty-seven in the US Billboard 200 and number twenty in the US R&B Charts, but featured the single This Time I’ll Be Sweeter, reached number twenty-three in the US R&B Charts. Clive Davis it seemed, hadn’t lost his Midas touch.
A year later, Angela released her sophomore album, 1979s Angel Of The Night. Again, it was produced by Dave Gruisin and Larry Rosen. Reaching number thirty-four in the US Billboard 200 and number ten in the US R&B Charts, this would be Angela’s most successful album. Angel of The Night featured What I Wouldn’t Do (For The Love Of You). It reached number eighteen in the US R&B Charts. Things looked good for Angela. She looked like being one of the biggest names of the eighties.
Angela’s third album Something About You, released in 1981. Dave Gruisin and Larry Rosen were replaced as producer by Narada Michael Walden. He’d established a reputation as a successful producer. Something About You reached number sixty-one in the US Billboard 200 and number thirteen in the US R&B Charts. It featured two top thirty US R&B singles. Something About You reached twenty-one and Holdin’ Out For Your Love reached number twenty-six. After the success of Something About You there was a gap of two years before Angela’s next album, which featured her biggest single.
Narada Michael Walden produced Angela’s most successful album Too Tough. Released in 1983, it reached number forty in the US Billboard 200 and number six in the US R&B Charts. The title-track gave Angela her biggest single, reaching number five in the US R&B Charts. Then Tonight I Give In reached number twelve in the US R&B Charts. To build on the momentum, Angela headed back into the studio, releasing another album later in 1983.
Teaser, released later in 1983, shows how quickly an artist’s fortune can change. IT reached number eighty-one in the US Billboard 200 and number twenty in the US R&B Charts. It looked like Narada Michael Walden had lost his Midas touch. That was the case. Little did Angela know, this was as good as it got for her at Arista.
Following Teaser, the success Angela enjoyed almost dried up. 1984s Let Me Be The One stalled at number thirty-nine in the US R&B Charts. Produced by Mic and Frank Murphy, synths were very much de rigeur on Let Me Be The One. While this was popular at this time, Angela’s fans didn’t take to this new sound. So, to try and revive Angela’s career, George Duke was hired for what was her final album for Arista.
By 1985, when Tell Me Tomorrow was released, Angela’s relationship with Arista wasn’t what it had been. She was no longer one of the label’s stars. Even George Duke couldn’t revive her fortune. Tell Me Tomorrow reached a lowly fifty-three in the US R&B Charts. When the title-track was released as a single, it stalled at just number seventy-two in the US R&B Charts. This was a inauspicious end to Angela Bofill’s time at Arista.
On leaving Arista, Angela moved to California. She was newly married and had a young daughter. The last thing on her mind was returning to a recording studio. She did, after a couple of years spending time with her family. Rejuvenated, Angela was ready to restart her career.
Angela’s manager shopped her round various labels. Eventually, they signed on Capitol Records. She decided that she should reconnect with the fans she lost during her synth years. So work began on what became Intuition, an eleven track album. Intuition saw Angela work with producers Norman Connors, Vincent Brantley and Jeff Caruthers.
For Intuition Angela wrote just one song, Love Overtime. Producer Vincent Brantley cowrote Everlasting Love with Jeff Carruthers. The pair then penned Festival/Down The Line with Harvey Bruce. Jeff Carruthers cowrote Intuition with Juana Merceron and Mel Lewis. Other tracks included Ross Vannelli’s I Wanna Stop, Jacques Burvick’s In Your Lover’s Eyes and Special Lover, written by Jeff Hirsch and Phil Cody, Along with three other tracks, Love is In Your Eyes, Long Gone and For You and I, this collection of songs became Intuition.
Unlike previous albums Angela had recorded, Intuition was her only album working with multiple producers. Norman Connors produced four tracks while Vincent Brantley and Jeff Carruthers produced five tracks. The other track, Love Overtime, was produced by Angela. Working with two producers, meant working with different musicians and at different studios.
A total of eleven studios were used to record Intuition. Considering there are just ten tracks on intuition, that’s pretty good going. As for the session musicians and backing vocalists, it’s almost a cast of thousands. Among them are some of the top session musicians. This includes drummer Harvey Mason, guitarist Paul Jackson and David T. Walker and percussionist Paulinho Da Costa. Given the amount and quality of personnel working on Intuition, Capitol Records were determined to give Angela Bofill every opportunity to revive her career. However, were their efforts successful?
On the release of Intuition in 1988, it reached just number thirty-eight in the US R&B Charts. At least it was an improvement on 1985s Tell Me Tomorrow. The lead single from Intuition was I Just Wanna Stop. It reached number eleven in the US R&B Charts. This gave Angela her biggest single in five years. Love In Your Eyes was the followup to I Just Wanna Stop. Sadly, it failed to chart. However, Intuition had rejuvenated Angela Bofill’s career. Her return from a sabbatical had proved to be a relative success. Should Intuition have fared better? That’s what I’ll now tell you.
Love Is In Your Eyes opens Intuition. Slow, eighties drums give way to the keyboards and a meandering funky bass. There’s a jazzy twist to the track as Angela’s tender, heartfelt, but needy vocal enters. Straight away, she has your attention. As for style, comparisons can be drawn to Anita Baker. Guitars join a loose, languid rhythm section, while sweet harmonies sweep in. They’re the perfect foil to Angela’s needy, sensual vocal.
Again, there’s an eighties electronic sound to Intuition. Here, it’s as if Angela’s been influenced by Madonna. Her, breathy vocal and then her delivery lead to this comparison. A tougher, funkier arrangement with washes of synths and rhythm section accompanying a sassy, strident vocal from Angela. The result is a memorable slice of eighties dance music.
A wistful horn opens I Just Wanna Stop. It’s a laid-back slice of jazz, where Angela’s vocal is heartfelt and soulful. Keyboards, rhythm section and gospel-tinged backing harmonies accompany Angela. They’re the perfect accompaniment to her vocal. It soars elegantly above the arrangement. So too, does the melancholy horn, as Angela delivers a soulful, impassioned masterclass on the highlight of Intuition.
Long Gone was produced by Norman Connors. A mid-tempo track, that tells a story. The lyrics are about a woman who one morning, discovers her partner has left her. She discovers he’s “Long Gone.” Washes of synths and crisp drums combine as Angela discovers her inner diva. Her vocal is deeper, delivered with power and a sense of urgency. She’s unable to believe what’s happened. Her vocal is emotive, full of hurt and frustration, at being treated and cheated on, by a man whose “Long Gone.”
For You And I was a duet that Angela sang with Peabo Bryson, who’d established a reputation as a successful singer. Together, they create a track that has a eighties sound. Against an understated backdrop, Angela and Peabo scat, before Angela delivers a tender, emotive vocal. Peabo’s vocal is very different. It’s powerful, impassioned and sometimes showy. Keyboards, rhythm section and jazzy guitars join swooping, gospel-tinged harmonies combine. Spurred on, and not wanting to be outdone by Peabo, Angela unleashes a breathtaking vocal. Along with the harmonies it’s a show-stealer, on a track that’s emotive, dramatic and quite beautiful.
Fragile, Handle With Care was written by Angela. Just subtle keyboards accompany Angela’s wistful vocal. Soon, it grows in power. So does the arrangement. The rhythm section and keyboards combine with Angela’s needy vocal. It’s accompanied by sweeping harmonies. They’re the perfect foil for Angela as she lays bare her soul. Later, a blistering guitar solo adds to the drama. It seems out of place. Much better are the harmonies. They seem to encourage Angela to even greater heights of neediness, emotion and sheer soulfulness.
In Your Lover’s Eyes sees Angela dramatically scat. This she does against an eighties electronica arrangement. It’s slow, spacious and adds to the drama. Just drums and synths combine as Angela delivers an impassioned vocal. Tight, soaring and cooing harmonies accompany her. Just like other tracks, they provide the ying to Angela’s yang.
Love Overtime sees the tempo increase. Stabs of horns, wandering keyboards and a funky rhythm section get busy. Angela rediscovers her earlier inner diva. She struts her way across the arrangement. Sassy and feisty describes her delivery. Punchy harmonies, synths and synthetic horns provide a backdrop. Later, adding the finishing touch is a blazing saxophone solo. From there Angela and her backing vocalists trade licks on this hook-laden fusion of soul and funk.
Festival/Down The Line is something of an epic. Six minutes long, Festival’s Latin sound is a brief taste of what might have been. From there, Down The Line is another track with a Madonna influence. The synths, drum machines and Angela’s vocal lead to this comparison. So do the breathy harmonies. A rasping saxophone fills the gaps left by the vocal, while washes of synths and crispy drums give the track a dance-floor friendly sound.
Special Lover comes from the pen of the man Phil Cody and Ken Hirsch. Ken wrote Anita Baker’s Magnus Opus No One In The World. Straight away, Special Lover is a track that oozes quality. From the synths, chiming guitars and hissing hi-hats right through to the drums that provide the heartbeat, it’s a quality slice of soulful music. It’s as if Angela’s realizes this and raises her game. Her vocal is sassy, sensual and emotive. Cooing harmonies accompany her, while the loose, languid and funky arrangement unfolds. Everything drops into place perfectly. This includes the rasping saxophone, slap bass and harmonies. The result is one of the highlights of Intuition.
Closing Intuition is Everlasting Love. Angela scats. There’s a wistful sound in her vocal. No wonder. What she thought was “Everlasting Love” isn’t. She’s heartbroken. Sadness and regret fills her vocal. Harmonies reflect her hurt and heartache, as the understated arrangement allows Angela’s vocal to take centre-stage. Just a slow thoughtful drums, acoustic guitars, keyboards and sweeping harmonies combine as the song reaches a melancholy crescendo.
Capitol Records decision to sign Angela Bofill was vindicated by Intuition. Granted it was far from Angela’s most successful album. It was more successful that her last two albums for Arista. Intuition surpassed the success of 1984s Let Me Be The One and 1985s Tell Me Tomorrow. It also featured I Just Wanna Stop, which was the second most successful single of Angela’s career. Looking at all this, it’s easy to make a case for Angela to have been given more time. After all, her career couldn’t be rejuvenated with just one album. No. Her career had been in reverse since Teaser. So, Angela needed time to rebuild her career. Sadly, she didn’t get more time. There was nobody at Capitol who was willing to go in and fight Angela’s corner. What could’ve been the rebirth of Angela Bofill’s career, proved to be a missed opportunity.
After Intuition, Angela released two more albums. 1991s I Wanna Love Somebody reached number fifty-one in the US R&B Charts. Five years later, in 1996, Love In Slow Motion failed to chart. Angela Bofill never released any more albums. A singer who could’ve and should’ve been one of the biggest stars of her generation was lost to music.
The sad thing about this situation is that Angela Bofill was blessed with a great voice and an abundance of talent. Not only was she was a talented singer, but a gifted songwriter. However, having released ten albums in eighteen years, Angela Bofill called time on her recording career. While Intuition was far from the most successful album of Angela Bofill’s career, it’s an album that demonstrates what she was capable of.
Ballads, duets and dance tracks all feature on Intuition. One minute Angela is delivering a heartbreaking ballad, the next her vocal is jazz-tinged and the next she’s a sassy, strutting diva. Angela was a truly versatile vocalist, who when Intuition was recorded, was only thirty-one. When she released her final album, she was just forty-two. Her voice would only have gotten better with age. It would’ve matured with age. Sadly, we never got to hear Angela Bofill’s voice maturing. Instead, albums like Intuition, which was recently released by SoulMusic Records, is a tantalizing glimpse of Angela Bofill, who could’ve and should’ve been, one of the most successful singers of her generation. Standout Tracks: Love Is In Your Eyes, I Just Wanna Stop, Love Overtime and Special Lover.
ANGELA BOFILL-INTUITION.
BEATING THE PETRILLO BAN-THE LATE DECEMBER 1947 MODERN SESSIONS.
BEATING THE PETRILLO BAN-THE LATE DECEMBER 1947 MODERN SESSIONS.
It was in 1927 when the Automatic Music Instrument Company invented the first multi-selection jukebox. For owners of juke joints and bars, the jukebox was a boon. Not only did it attract customers, wanting to hear and dance to the latest music, but It was much cheaper than hiring a band. While this was good for bar owners and their patrons, it was a disaster for musicians.
Many musicians found themselves unemployed. The best they could hope for was occasional session work. No more would musicians provide the musical backdrop for Saturday nights at the juke joints. They’d been replaced by a jukebox. This was a taste of the way the entertainment industry was heading. After all the jukebox begat the DJ, who played records for people to dance to. Live musicians, by then, were nearly a thing of the past. That was in the future. Luckily, in 1942, James Caesar Petrillo saw the what was about to happen and ensured that American musicians received a fair deal.
James Caesar Petrillo was in charge of the American Federation of Musicians. By 1942, he realized that in the past fifteen years, jukeboxes were replacing live music. This meant his members were either unemployed, or earning considerably less than before. He’d watched as jukeboxes replaced some live musicians. This could snowball. He didn’t want that. The way to do that, was through a strike. So, James announced that a strike would take place from mid-July 1942.
Under the terms of the strike, no artists or group contracted to a record label, could record whilst the strike was on. Neither could session musicians play on recordings. This brought the music industry to its knees. Very few record companies had the foresight to have a back-catalogue consisting of unreleased music. So no music was released. The exception were crooners who sung unaccompanied. This didn’t prove particularly successful, unlike the strike. It lasted right through until November 1944. James Caesar Petrillo and the American Federation of Musicians were victors. Unfortunately, this victory proved short-lived and lead to another strike.
Under the terms of an agreement, American Federation of Musicians negotiated a fund for musicians whose livelihood had been affected by the arrival of the jukebox. A royalty was paid into the union fund. The more records sold, the more money was paid into the fund, which the union managed. Congress didn’t approve of this. They passed legislation banning unions managing their own funds, citing possible mismanagement of funds. When James Caesar Petrillo heard the news, he was livid and announced another strike, which would start on 1st January 1948. With just a few weeks until the ban began, session musicians were busier than ever.
With no idea how long the strike might last, every record company was determined to record as much music as they could. One of these companies was Modern Records. Jules Bihari, owner of Modern Records, was determined his company wasn’t going to run out of music. So, he had his artists recording round the clock. For the final few weeks of 1947, session musicians literally lived in the studio, accompanying Modern Records’ artists. The music they recorded is documented on Beating The Petrillo Ban-The Late December 1947 Modern Sessions, which was recently released by Ace Records. A double album, Beating The Petrillo Ban-The Late December 1947 Modern Sessions features forty-nine of the 130 tracks Modern Records held in reserve, in an attempt to beat the ban.
As the clock struck 00.01 on 1st January 1948, the second Petrillo ban came into force. Record companies were better prepared. Not only had they been recording music during the past few weeks, but since the last band. They were determined that never again, would they be help to ransom by a union. Jules Bihari of Modern Records, not knowing how long the strike would last, recorded 130 tracks, including eighty-nine during December. Ironically, fifty-nine of the tracks recorded during December were never released by Modern Records. Some of these tracks are included on Beating The Petrillo Ban-The Late December 1947 Modern Sessions, which I’ll tell you about.
Beating The Petrillo Ban-The Late December 1947 Modern Sessions features forty-nine tracks spread over two discs. These forty-nine tracks were recorded during an eight day period. The music on Disc One was recorded between the 19th and 23rd December 1947, while the music on Disc Two was recorded between the 27th and 31st December 1947. This frenzied period of recording, resulted in music from The Ebonaires, Hadda Brookes Trio, Al “Cake” Wichard Sextette and Duke Henderson, Gene Phillips & His Rhythm Aces, Art Shackelford Sextette, Little Willie Jackson, Butch Stone and His Orchestra and Madam Irma Mae Littejohn. With alternate takes and previously unreleased tracks, Beating The Petrillo Ban-The Late December 1947 Modern Sessions is a compelling snapshot of the music industry on the verge of a crisis.
DISC ONE.
Disc One of Beating The Petrillo Ban-The Late December 1947 Modern Sessions opens with a trio of tracks from The Ebonaires. Their music is best described as proto doo wop. The three tracks are thought to be among the earliest existing recordings of the innovative Ebonaires. Of the three tracks The Old Folks At Home and I’ll Never Do It Again are a tantalizing taste of what was to come from The Ebonaires. Strangely, The Ebonaires only made their recording debut in 1949.
Nine tracks from Hadda Brookes feature on Disc One. Hadda was one of Modern Records biggest stars. She was also Jules Bihari of Modern Records girlfriend. Ironically, two of the best tracks attributed to her are instrumentals. There’s the wistful Poor Butterfly, which features some jazz-tinged guitar. Then there’s the pensive Old Fashioned Love, which benefits from captivating piano playing. Hadda’s vocal on The Best Things In Life Are Free is seductive, but thoughtful. On Why Was I Born, Hadda’s vocal is bristling with emotion and sadness.
The Al “Cake” Wichard Sextette contribute three tracks to Disc One. Two of the tracks, Gravels In My Pillow and His Majesty’s Boogie feature Duke Henderson’s lead vocal. The other track is T.B. Blues, which features one of my favorite blues singers, Jimmy Witherspoon. Of these tracks, the driving His Majesty’s Boogie is the best. Duke whoops and hollers his way through the track, a blazing horn and piano for company.
Anyone who likes blues music, will thoroughly enjoy the three tracks from Gene Phillips and His Rhythm Aces. Snuff Dipping Mama is the best track. Sassy describes Gene’s vocal, as he delivers lyrics dripping in double entendres. Broke And Disgusted features some blistering and inventive guitar playing, while Royal Boogie features some glorious boogie woogie piano.
Four tracks from the Art Shackelford Sextette close Disc One of Beating The Petrillo Ban-The Late December 1947 Modern Sessions. The tracks were recorded on 23rd December 1947. Ironically, the tracks were never released. That’s a great shame, considering the quality of the music. The highlight are The Glory Of Love and The Jazz Me Blues. They provide a showcase for a hugely underrated guitarist Art Shackelford. Sadly, this session was the last he ever recorded. Whatever happened to him, is unclear.
Of the twenty-four tracks on Disc One of Beating The Petrillo Ban-The Late December 1947 Modern Sessions, only two were ever released. The rest lay unreleased. That meant nobody heard the music recorded by The Ebonaires, Hadda Brookes Trio, Al “Cake” Wichard Sextette and Duke Henderson between 19th-23rd December 1947. All their efforts were in vein. Four days of recording nonstop and most of the music was never released. It wasn’t because the music wasn’t good enough. Far from it. There’s nothing whatsoever wrong with the quality of the music. It’s of the highest quality. One listen to the music on Disc One of Beating The Petrillo Ban-The Late December 1947 Modern Sessions and you’ll agree. Will that be the case on Disc Two of Beating The Petrillo Ban-The Late December 1947 Modern Sessions?
DISC TWO.
While Disc One of Beating The Petrillo Ban-The Late December 1947 Modern Sessions featured twenty-four tracks, Disc Two goes one better. We hear more from some of the artists who featured on Disc One, including the Al “Cake” Wichard Sextette and Hadda Brooks. New faces include Little Willie Jackson, Butch Stone and His Orchestra and Madam Irma Mae Littejohn. These twenty-five tracks, which I’ll pick the highlights of, were recorded between 27th-31st December 1947.
Al “Cake” Wichard Sextette have eight tracks on Disc Two. Six are attributed to Al “Cake” Wichard Sextette and Jimmy Witherspoon. Jimmy was the perfect frontman for the band. Charismatic and a born showman, he breathed life, emotion, energy and sass into the tracks. Proof of this is the horn driven Big Fine Girl, That’s Your Red Wagon and Genva Blues. For anyone yet to discover Jimmy, this is the perfect opportunity, as he’s accompanied by a tight, talented band who fuse elements of jazz and blues.
Hadda Brooks makes a very welcome return on Disc Two. She contributes three tracks, including the hurt-filled I Can’t Get Started and the melancholy I’ll Get By. Her vocals take centre-stage, while the meandering, jazz-tinged guitar and drums played by brushes accompany her. This proves hugely effective and plays an important part in making these tracks two of Hadda’s best on Beating The Petrillo Ban-The Late December 1947 Modern Sessions.
A newcomer to Disc Two is Little Willie Jackson. He was the saxophonist in Joe Liggins’ band. It doesn’t take long to realize why he kept such illustrious company. Willie’s playing on Shasta is not only beautiful, but haunting. Baby is a much more uptempo track, that’s a reminder of what music was like during the late forties. As for Someday, Somehow, Somewhere, it’s literally bristling with sadness, emotion and melancholia.
Butch Stone & His Orchestra are another of the newcomers on Disc Two. Here, Butch steps out of the shadows Les Brown, whose band he was in. A trumpeter and singer, Butch contributes four tracks that’ll be familiar to most people. Here, Butch breaths new life into them. Fats Waller’s My Feet’s Too Big, it truly swings. From there, there’s no stopping Butch. The Nat King Cole Trio’s Little Girl and Put Your Brakes On, which Butch wrote, are given a similar treatment as you’re taken on a breathtaking four song, musical journey.
Madam Ira Mae Littlejohn is the last of the new faces on Disc Two of Beating The Petrillo Ban-The Late December 1947 Modern Sessions. A name most people won’t have heard of, that’s more the pity. What follows is six impassioned gospel songs. Ira’s delivery is soulful, bristling with emotion and sincerity. This is apparent from the opening bars of Lonesome Road Blues. Her delivery is spine-tingling. That’s the case through He’ll Make The Way, What More Can Jesus Do, Go, Devil, Go, See Jesus and My Record Will Be There. These six tracks represent Madam Ira Mae Littlejohn’s entire back-catalogue and are a tantalizing taste of one of a true gospel great.
The forty-nine tracks on Disc One of Beating The Petrillo Ban-The Late December 1947 Modern Sessions were recorded during a frenzied eight day period. Against the clock, Modern Records wanted as much music recorded before the strike started. All their artists were called in. Whether they were jazz, blues or gospel singers, they were laying down tracks. Accompanying them were session musicians who played around the clock. They were quite pleased to be doing so. After all, once the strike started, they’d no idea where their next pay cheque would be. It was a case of making hay while the sun shines. Despite the session musicians and artists not getting much sleep, the quality of music never drops. Given the circumstances, that could’ve been forgiven. That wasn’t the case.
No. The musicians were determined not to let their standards slip. They were proud and they were professionals. Making music was more than their job. It was about producing mini works of art. Remarkably, many of the same session musicians played on the forty-nine tracks, but never once, let their standards drop. In total, 130 tracks were recorded in an eight day period. This is just a snapshot of one record company, Modern Records. Across America, other record companies were recording as much music as possible. Maybe too much music.
Looking back with the benefit of hindsight, maybe many record companies, including Modern Records had played it too safe, and recorded to much music. After all, they’d been recording more music than they needed since the first strike ended in 1944. Then they recorded 130 tracks in eight days. Now music quickly goes out of fashion. Music recorded in 1947, might sound dated in 1949 or 1950? That’s how quickly fashions change. So maybe, Modern Records’ decision to stockpile music backfired? By the time they decided to release the music recorded during December 1947, it sounded dated. That’s why it was never released. Thankfully, Ace Records rectified this recently, releasing Beating The Petrillo Ban-The Late December 1947 Modern Sessions.
Beating The Petrillo Ban-The Late December 1947 Modern Sessions is a historical musical document that’s a snapshot in time. It also tells the story of a few frantic weeks, when record companies tried to ensure a second strike by American musicians wouldn’t bring the music industry to its knees. While the first strike lasted two years, the second strike lasted just over a year. It didn’t cause the same chaos, but in a way, James Caesar Petrillo of the American Federation of Musicians won a series of battles, but not the war. After all, James’ members spent a year not earning money through recording sessions. At least James won a series of battles.
With several weeks of recording round the clock, James Caesar Petrillo’s members made a lot of money quickly. That was the case at Modern Records. Proof of this is Beating The Petrillo Ban-The Late December 1947 Modern Sessions. When the musicians that played on the Modern sessions, weren’t recording due to the strike, they played live. Then to top it all, much of the music Modern Records stockpiled, was never released. Once the strike was over, new music was recorded. For musicians and James Caesar Petrillo of the American Federation of Musicians it was a win-win situation. Maybe the music industry should’ve realized they’d have a fierce adversary in a man called Caesar? Standout Tracks: The Al “Cake” Wichard Sextette and Duke Henderson His Majesty’s Boogie, Al “Cake” Wichard Sextette Big Fine Girl, Hadda Brooks I Can’t Get Started and Little Willie Jackson Shasta.
BEATING THE PETRILLO BAN-THE LATE DECEMBER 1947 MODERN SESSIONS.
MYELE MANZANZA-ONE.
MYELE MANZANZA-ONE.
Last year, Electric Wire Hustle’s eponymous debut album was released on BBE Music to critical acclaim and commercial success. Instantly, the album was hailed as one of the albums of 2012. This wasn’t just confined to their native New Zealand. No way. Britain, Europe, Australasia and North America were won over by Electric Wire Hustle. Soon, Electric Wire Hustle’s production skills were in-demand. Then there was the not so small matter of their sophomore album. Work would’ve have to begin on the followup to Electric Wire Hustle. To quote Booker T. and The MGs and The Clash, it was a case of Time Is Tight. Despite this, Electric Wire Hustle’s drummer Myele Manzanza managed to find time to record his debut album One. One which will be released by BBE Music on 2nd September 2013, sees Myele joined by a variety of guest artists. This includes Rachel Fraser, Ladi6, Amenta, Taay Ninh, plus Myele’s father Sam Manzanza, who played a huge role in his son’s choice of career.
Although Myele Manzanza was something of a late starter when it came to playing the drums, he had a head start. Myele might have been fourteen when he first started playing the drums, but had been able to hand drum traditional African rhythms before he went to school. His father Sam taught him about African rhythms. Sam was born in the Congo and is recognized as a master percussionist. When he moved to New Zealand, he was one of the first musicians to play traditional African and highlife music. He passed this on to Myele, influencing and inspiring Myele to become make music his career.
Having left school, Myele headed to New Zealand’s School of Music. He graduated in 2008 with a degree in jazz performance. After that, Myele figured that digital was the future for music production. “In the box” production looked like replacing analog production. So he immersed himself in digital music production. Not only was this the future of music, but allowed Myele to make music on the move. When he came to producing his debut album One, this would prove crucial. It would also prove useful now Myele had joined Electric Wire Hustle as drummer. His new band were heading out on the road.
It was 2008, just around the time Myele graduated, that he joined Electric Wire Hustle. The band headed straight out on the road. Myele was living a nomadic existence. He spent periods living in Berlin and New York. Everywhere he went, he took his laptop. This allowed him to make music on the move. Living in cities like Berlin and New York provided Myele with musical inspiration. So, whenever inspiration struck, his trusty laptop was nearby and Myele could make musical sketches. For two years, Myele’s life surrounded around traveling with Electric Wire Hustle. Then he caught a break that would help not just Electric Wire Hustle’s career, but later, his solo career.
In 2010, Myele was chosen to attend the Red Bull Music Academy in London. He was the only New Zealander chosen. So, he travelled halfway around the world, to learn his craft. Myele was able to hone his musical and production skills. The Academy was also a place where other students and lecturers shared their skills and knowledge. For a young musicians and producer, this was akin to a Swiss finishing school for debutants.
Following his graduation from the Academy, Electric Wire Hustle started work on their eponymous debut album. Electric Wire Hustle was released in New Zealand in 2011. A year later, it was released in Britain by BBE Music. Released to critical acclaim, Electric Wire Hustle was commercially successful. It went on to feature on many of the best of 2012 lists. Everyone awaited the followup, wondering the direction that Electric Wire Hustle’s music would head in? Little did they realize, that before Electric Wire Hustle would release their sophomore album, Myele Manzanza would release his debut album One.
The ten tracks that comprise One, Myele Manzanza’s debut album, were written recorded and produced by Myele on the road. This included Wellington, New York and Berlin. Balconies, bedrooms, kitchens, hotel rooms, parks and backstage at concert halls worldwide were converted into impromptu recording studios. Often, guest artists would join Myele for the recording of One. This includes Rachel Fraser, Charlie K, Ladi6, Mark de Clive-Lowe, Amenta, Taay Ninh and Mara TK from Electric Wire Hustle. The other guest artist is Myele’s father, Sam Manzanza, who features on One’s closing track Me I Know Him. Benny Tones, a fellow New Zealander and BBE Music recording artist mixed and mastered One, which I’ll now tell you about.
Neigbours Intro opens One. Not only does it feature Myele’s drumming, but puts a smile on your face. That is unless your Myele’s neighbor. A drum roll gives way to a telephone answering machine. It features a complaint from Myele’s neighbors about his late night drumming exploits. In between, he lets rips, demonstrating why he’s the go-to-drummer for The Jonathon Crayford Trio, Sheba Williams and The Recloose Live Band. As the track reaches a dramatic crescendo, it’s not applause that greets Myele. No. It’s another complaint on the answering machine from his neighbors. Seriously, have these people tried drumming quietly?
Thundering drums and space-age, sci-fi synths join vibes on Big Space. It’s a genre-melting track. Electronica, rock, drum ‘n’ bass and free jazz combine. Soon, the drums and synths go toe to toe. Stabs of piano add drama and urgency. As for the drums, they take flight, heading off at breakneck speed. Adding a contrast are ethereal harmonies. The result is a track that’s dramatic, experimental, melodic and sometimes, has a space-age sci-fi sound.
Pounding, pulsating and spacious describes the drums that provide the backdrop for Bella Kalolo’s vocal on Absent. It veers between wistful, heartfelt and sultry as a myriad of beeps, squeaks and drums float around and above her vocal. Sometimes it’s soulful, other times it’s jazz-tinged. Meandering and mellow keyboards provide an uderstated accompaniment to Bella’s needy, emotive vocal. This is perfect, as it allows her vocal to take centre-stage, where it quite rightly belongs.
Straight away, Delay has a dubby sound. Echo and delay are added to the drums. Effects are also added to the keyboards as free jazz, ambient, electronica and dub unite. Musical genres and influences melt into one, as a hypnotic, mesmeric track unfolds. Gradually, the track loses its looseness, taking on a much more robotic, machinelike sound. Filters are added, before the track heads briefly, in the direction of drum ‘n’ bass. Later, it takes on a 21st century, futuristic sound. Best described as an innovative and genre melting, it’s a track full of subtleties and nuances awaiting discovery.
Elvin’s Brew is one of the best tracks on One. Whether it’s Myele paying homage to post bop drummer Elvin Jones, who knows?What I can say, is that Myele’s drumming is suitably innovative and inventive. The same can be said of Mark de Clive-Lowe’s piano playing. Pensive, spacious and imaginative describes their creation, as free jazz, avant garde, jazz and electronica unite. Add in bubbling, beeps and squeaks courtesy of the synths, and this cornucopia of disparate and eclectic influences and genres is complete.
Understated and reminiscent of vintage Nightmares On Wax, City Of Atlantis teases you. For forty-seconds, flourishes of ethereal music swathed in filters threatens to reveal its delights. Soon, Charlie K lays down a rap while elegant, ethereal music envelops him. Classical, trip hop and hip combine during a track that languidly, meanders along. Adding the finishing touch is Ladi6’s tender, beautiful and probing vocal. As she poignantly delivers the lyric: “do you really listen” the arrangement gallops along leaving you wondering?
On The Move is the latest single to be released from One. It features Rachel Fraser’s sassy, strident and strutting vocal. Just like other tracks, including Absent and City Of Atlantis, the vocal is at the heart of the track’s success. Here, Myele finds a groove, locks into and explores it fully. His drums provide the heartbeat while a pulsating bass and percussion combine. Strutting across the arrangement is Rachel’s soulful, sometimes jazzy vocal. It’s the perfect foil for Myele’s drums.
Bursts of buzzing synths and drums add a mysterious backdrop to Everybody Isn’t. Washes of synths probe, while the rest of the arrangement is dark, dramatic and gothic. There’s an air of mystery, which sometimes, takes on a cinematic, sci-fi sound. Stabs of urgent keyboards provide a sense of urgency or desperation. This adds to the drama of a track which majestically, paints pictures before your eyes.
Immediately, there’s a space-age sound as 7 Bar Thing unfolds. Space is left, adding drama and mystery. It also reinforces the importance of Miles Davis theory about the space between two notes being as important as the notes. Without the space, there wouldn’t be the same drama. Neither would the track unfold the way it does. From the there, the drama and urgency builds. The track heads in the sense of Afro-beat, Afro house and techno. A pulsating pounding rhythm section, washes of synths that later buzz and beep join a myriad of percussion. Combined with Mara TK’s haunting, and later and joyous vocal, they create a track that’s dance-floor friendly and uplifting.
Me I Know Him closes One. Here, Myele is joined by his father Sam. Thunderous drums and hissing hi-hats join Sam’s languid, heartfelt vocal. Synths and wistful piano join pounding drums before Amenta’s ethereal, tender vocal enters. Sam and Amenta’s vocals prove perfect foils. While Sam’s vocal is deep and powerful, while Amentha’s is ethereal and breathy. Enveloping them, is a dramatic arrangement. As it builds to a crescendo, it highlights and reinforce Sam’s emotive delivery of some poignant and moving lyrics.
Probably the best way to describe Myele Manzanza’s debut album One, is genre-melting. From the opening track Neigbours Intro, right through to, Me I Know Him, One is a musical melting pot. Disparate and eclectic influences and genres become one. Everything from Afrobeat, Afro house, ambient, classical, drum n’n’ bass, dub, electronica, free jazz, hip hop, jazz, rock, soul, techno and trip hop is thrown into Myele’s musical melting pot by Myele. Add to this, a whole cast of guest artists, including his father Sam. All that’s left, is for Myele to mix it all together. The result is a delicious dish, one that’s best tasted often. That to me, describes the innovative and imaginative musical collage, that is One, which will be released by BBE Music on 2nd September 2013.
What I find remarkable about about One, is that it’s Myele’s debut album. This isn’t an album by a musical veteran. Far from it. Myele is just twenty-five and has just released one album with Electric Wire Hustle. However, he’s spent the last five years learning how to produce music digitally. He’s also spent eleven years playing the drums, and is the go-to-guy for a whole host of New Zealand bands looking for a drummer. So, Myele has plenty of experience behind him. The other remarkable thing about One, is the way it was recorded.
During the last couple of years, One was written recorded and produced by Myele on the road. This included Wellington, New York and Berlin. Balconies, bedrooms, kitchens, hotel rooms, parks and backstage at concert halls worldwide were converted into impromptu recording studios. A variety of guest artists joined Myele for the recording of One. This includes Rachel Fraser, Charlie K, Ladi6, Mark de Clive-Lowe, Amenta, Taay Ninh and Mara TK from Electric Wire Hustle. Each play their part in making One, an intriguing and innovative musical journey.
One is best described as a magical musical mystery tour, where a disparate and eclectic collection of musical genres and influences become one. They play their part in a series of soundscapes. Each soundscape is accomplished and intriguing. It’s also full of subtleties, surprises and nuances await your discovery. The music is made up of layers and textures. Sometimes, the music is experimental, challenging norms and pushing boundaries. That’s no bad thing. It’s also why Myele Manzanza’s debut album One, will follow in the footsteps of Electric Wire Hustle and be one of the albums of the year. Standout Tracks: Big Space, Absent, Elvin’s Brew and City Of Atlantis.
MYELE MANZANZA-ONE.
DOUBLE EXPOSURE-LOCKER ROOM.
DOUBLE EXPOSURE-LOCKER ROOM.
Following the trials and tribulations that surrounded Double Exposure’s sophomore album Fourplay, Locker Room their third and final album, which was recently released by Octave Records, proved to relatively plain sailing. Having released their debut album Ten Percent in 1976, there was a two year delay with the followup. This was due to alleged discrepancies regarding Double Exposure’s bookings and management expenses. Salsoul didn’t want to start recording another until album until the problems were resolved. So the momentum Double Exposure built up after the success of Ten Percent wasn’t built upon. Once the problems were resolved work began on their sophomore album Fourplay.
Then when Fourplay was released, neither the album, nor the singles charted. After the success of Ten Percent, and singles like Ten Percent, Everyman and My Love Is Free, Double Exposure looked like being Salsoul’s next big success. With Norman Harris at the peak of his creative powers, and Salsoul benefiting from the combined talents of some of the greatest musicians, songwriters, arrangers and producers, Salsoul circa 1976, was one of the most successful labels of the disco era. However, things started to change.
Vince Montana Jr. left Salsoul after a dispute with the Carey’s over royalties. Suddenly, The Salsoul Orchestra lost its founder and conductor. Then the Careys decided the future was DJs remixing not just singles, but whole albums. Some of these DJs weren’t musically trained. No. They’d sit with an engineer, who’d take charge of the technical side of things. This is how some of the remixes took shape. Then there was the controversy over Larry Levan’s remixes. Some people within the music industry alleged that Larry didn’t actually remix some of the remixes he’s credited with. With the arrival of the supposed superstar DJ-remixers, personnel changed. The all-star lineup that graced early Salsoul Orchestra albums dwindled. By 1979, when Double Exposure released Locker Room, Salsoul was a very different label.
By the time the quartet of James Williams, Joseph Harris, Charles Wittington and Leonard “Butch” Davis set about recording their third album Locker Room, they needed a successful album, or at least a hit single. To help them with this, were some of Salsoul’s A-Team. Ron Baker wrote two tracks, I Got the Hots (For Ya) and Where Have You Been All My Life. Bruce Hawkes and Pat Cooper wrote Can We Be In Love, while James and Bunny Sigler cowrote I Wish That I Could Make Love To You. The other two tracks were Ice Cold Love, penned by Buddy Turner, Jerry Atkins and Johnny Bellmon and Why Do We Have To Go Our Separate Ways written by Brian Evans and Cheryl Dickerson. These six tracks would be recorded at Sigma Sound Studios with The Salsoul Orchestra accompanying Double Exposure.
Accompanying Double Exposure at Sigma Sound Studios were The Salsoul Orchestra which featured a rhythm section of bassist Ron Baker, drummers Early Young, Keith Benson and Scotty Miller and guitarist Norman Harris, Bobby “Electronic” Eli and T.J. Tindall. Larry Washington and Bobby Conga played congas, while Ron “Have Mercy” Kersey, Bunny Sigler, Bruce Hawkes, Bruce Gray and Carlton “Cotton” Kent played keyboards. Don Renaldo took charge of the strings and horns while The Sweethearts of Sigma Evette Benton, Carla Benson and Barbara Ingram added backing vocals. Arranging and production was split between a number of arrangers and producers, while the DJs remixed the six tracks to give it a dance-floor friendly sound. Once Double Exposure’s third album Locker Room was completed, it was released in July 1979, just when disco nearly died.
July 1979 wasn’t the best month to release an album by a group whose music was synonymous with disco. On 12th July 1979, Disco Demolition Night took place at Comiskey Park, Chicago, when thousands of disco records were blown up by the zealots of the Disco Sucks movement. After that, disco was no longer as popular. Suddenly, record labels, record shops and record buyers were no longer interested in the delights disco had to offer. So it’s no surprise that neither Locker Room, nor the single I Got the Hots (For Ya) charted. It was a case of history repeating itself. Locker Room’s predecessor Fourplay had failed to chart. However, in the case of Locker Room, it was just a case of an album being released at the wrong time, as you’ll realize, when I tell you about the album.
Opening Locker Room is the Ron Baker arranged, penned and produced I Got The Hots (For You), which was the only single released from Locker Room. It has a very different sound to previous Double Exposure songs. The Philly Sound of previous albums is replaced by a tougher, funkier sound. Handclaps give way to Ron’s pounding bass, thunderous drums, a piano riff and then blazing horns. Percussion is added before Double Exposure add punchy harmonies, complete with whoops and hollers. Horns growl as the rhythm section add tougher funkier backdrop. Then when Jimmy’s vocal enters, it veers between tenderness and powerful. Harmonies sweep in, offering the same contrasting sound, and similarly, The Salsoul Orchestra veer from funky to soulful. For seven minutes, Double Exposure’s sound is transformed by Ron Baker. It’s a remarkable transformation and results in a funky, yet remarkably soulful and timeless sounding track, where thankfully, Double Exposure never quite shake off their Philly roots.
After one Ron Baker penned track, Ron follows this up with another, Where Have You Been All My Life. It’s more like what you’d expect from Double Exposure. Philly Soul, harmonies, lush strings, rasping horns and Baker, Harris, Young, what more can you ask for? The Baker, Harris, Young rhythm section, rasping horns and swathes of lush strings accompany Jimmy’s heartfelt, impassioned vocal. He grabs the song, injecting sheer soulfulness, while the rest of Double Exposure add flowing, sweeping harmonies. They drift in and out, as strings dance joyously and horns growl. Meanwhile, Baker, Harris, Young provide the arrangement’s heartbeat and Bobby “Electronic” Eli adds some of his magic. By the end of the track, it’s an example of what Salsoul did so well, a track whose hook-laden sound is guaranteed to lift your spirits and make your life feel a whole lot better.
Bruce Hawkes another Salsoul veteran takes charge of arranging and production duties on Can We Be In Love. Double Exposure drop the tempo, with swathes of shivering, quivering strings and wistful horns accompanying Jimmy’s lead vocal. He lays bare his soul, while Norman Harris’ jazz-tinged guitar, woodwind and rasping horns meander above the arrangement. Harmonies are tight, heartfelt, revealing their beauty and soulfulness while Earl Young’s drums add drama. From their the drama and emotion grows, heading into overdrive, guaranteed to toy and tease your emotions. Soul and jazz are combined by Bruce Hawkes as, The Salsoul Orchestra create an arrangement where drama, emotion and beauty is fused. For their part, Double Exposure combine heartfelt harmonies and a tour de force of a lead vocal from Jimmy Williams.
Ron “Have Mercy” Kersey arranged and produced Ice Cold Love another of the funkier tracks. From the get-go, a thunderous rhythm section, growling horns, and handclaps and searing, sizzling guitars combine to create an arrangement that races along like an express train heading between Philly and New York. Jimmy delivers the lyrics with emotion, as if believing every word. Punchy harmonies accompany his vocal, as his vocal becomes a vamp. During a breakdown, melodic keyboards, the funkiest of rhythm section, handclaps and percussion rebuild the arrangement as Jimmy and punchy harmonies unite to take the track to its dramatic, impassioned and uber funky crescendo.
Jimmy and Bunny Sigler cowrote I Wish That I Could Make Love To You, which Bunny produces and Jack Faith arranges. It doesn’t take long to realise this is a Jack Faith arrangement. His name is written all over it. Just lone pounding drums and then shakers enter before the arrangement builds. Keyboards, swathes of dancing strings and the rhythm section join forces. Jack builds the drama and sense of anticipation. After ninety-seconds, impassioned harmonies enter and Jimmy delivers a vocal that’s from his heart. It’s delivered with feeling and passion, cooing harmonies accompanying it. Soon, swathes of strings combine with Jimmy’s vocal and some of the best harmonies on Locker Room. The longer the arrangement progresses, the better it gets. By the end of the track, you realise that this is quite simply a glittering gem of a track whose soulful delights should’ve been released as a single.
Closing Locker Room is Why Do We Have To Go Our Separate Ways, arranged and produced by Ron “Have Mercy” Kersey. A real curveball is thrown, when a searing, riffing, rocky guitar weaves its way across the arrangement. For company, it has a slow moody rhythm section and Hammond organ. Then Jimmy’s vocal replaces the guitar. His vocal is full of sadness and regret, with harmonies that reflect the drama, emotion and heartache in Jimmy’s vocal. They combine with an arrangement that grows in power and drama. Soon, the song becomes an emotional roller coaster. Key to this is a vocal that’s so convincing you almost believe Jimmy’s reliving the hurt and pain he’s singing about. This is hugely soulful, heartfelt and dramatic and showcases Double Exposure’s soulful side. What you hear is a hugely talented, accomplished group, who by 1979, were in their prime, as this track proves. Sadly, that wasn’t to be the case.
Listening to Locker Room, and their two previous albums Ten Percent and Fourplay, you’d have though the best was still to come from Double Exposure. Locker Room featured six tracks where Double Exposure fused Philly Soul with a tougher, funkier sound that saw their music change. Despite changing sound on the opening track I Got The Hots (For You) and Ice Cold Love, Double Exposure stuck to their Philly Sound on the other four tracks. The result was an album that saw Double Exposure back at their best. While Locker Room failed to chart, it had the misfortune to be released the month disco almost died.
Even a classic album could’ve slipped by unnoticed during this time. Granted this made it two albums in a row from Double Exposure that had failed to chart. Despite this, they were releasing some of the best music of their career. Maybe if Double Exposure hadn’t lost a year to the legal dispute, they’d have been able to build on the momentum and success of Ten Percent. Then they could’ve released the followup Fourplay earlier and Locker Room wouldn’t have been released as the Disco Sucks campaign came to an ugly head. You’d have thought it was worthwhile rethinking Double Exposure’s future, and giving them another opportunity to replicate the success of Ten Percent. Tragically, that wasn’t the case. Indeed. Locker Room, just six soulful, sometimes funky tracks, was the Salsoul swan-song from the quartet of James Williams, Joseph Harris, Charles Wittington and Leonard “Butch” Davis. After Locker Room, Double Exposure left Salsoul and never revisited the heights and success of Ten Percent. Locker Room remains a glistening gem, hidden in the Salsoul Records’ back-catalogue, which is well worth discovering and hearing the Salsoul swan-song from four of its most-talented, soulful sons. Standout Tracks: I Got The Hots (For You), Where Have You Been All My Life, I Wish That I Could Make Love To You and Why Do We Have To Go Our Separate Ways.
DOUBLE EXPOSURE-LOCKER ROOM.
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 