DEAD SOUL SINGER SAVES DAY.

I was prepared to make ten kinds of fun of Goddo. The were a band from Canada back in the seventies. I happened on a live video featuring a bassist that looks like one of the Buggles and guitarist whose solo (scorching, if his guitar face can be believed) would require the talent of a high school-age aspiring metal head. It's ridiculous, a medley of two songs, "Tough Times/Cock On"", the titles of which would have you expecting this band to have something to back it up with. But it's just rock, shitty contrived clichéd rock. That got me to thinking. This live video was from 1979. I wanted to compare it to U.S. bands at the time to see if I was giving Canada a fair shake, but I couldn't think of what bands were massively popular in the U.S. in '79, not because there weren't any. It's just that I was ignoring mainstream shit. I was, and still am, in a bubble. Punk rock, rockabilly, reggae, soul, blues, surf, and so on. Very little mainstream shit seeps in.

Then I remembered; one band I was listening to in 1979 was the Crawdaddys. The Crawdaddys were from a completely different planet than Goddo's. They were an r&b band, in the vein of an early Stones. So, that got me to check out some Crawdaddys videos, one from around 1979, a shitty quality video of them doing "Cadillac", then a more recent live video of them doing "36-22-36" which was great. It prompted me to revisit Bobby Blue Bland's version. And once you realize how quickly you went from Goddo to Bobby Blue Bland you just keep moving forward and don't look back.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
Bobby Blue Bland - Turn On Your Lovelight mp3 at Corey Barksdale (?)
Bobby Blue Bland - I Wouldn't Treat a Dog The Way You Treat Me mp3 at Crowell
Bobby Blue Bland - 36-22-36 (live) mp3 at LP Cover Lover
Video:
Goddo - Tough Times/Cock On! at YouTube
The Crawdaddys - Cadillac at YouTube 1979?
The Crawdaddys - 36-22-36 (live) at YouTube 2015

A SOLID TEN

Unrelated photo of two ladies with big hair. (Ed van der Elsken 1968 Amsterdam)

Wow, that went by fast. Diddy Wah, the blog by the London DJ of the same name, just passed the ten year mark. That doesn't sound like a big deal, but very few music blogs last that long. And very, very few that aren't hack jobs kowtowing to the flavor of the week, with all sorts of annoying banners and ads. And that's key. Adam Weatherhead, his real name, is very much a purist. His blog exists because  he loves music, he loves records and he loves turning people on to music. And good music. Rhythm and blues, soul, rockabilly, surf, blues, the timeless shit. About as far away from [insert this weeks indie crap band here] as is possible. He is a true believer. The text is informed, and the records are on the obscure side, stuff you wouldn't have unless you're a digger of the highest order.

I don't want to get all sappy, but let's just say that it was Diddy Wah, and Rev Tom Frost (Spread the Good Word), who sucked me into the rabbit hole of music blogs, first as a visitor, and later when I started this here shit hole. They reminded me that release dates don't mean anything. Good music is good music, and current music can't be considered better by virtue of its newness. That shit is for teenagers. I'm not a teenager and Adam, despite his youthful good looks (bastard), isn't either. I am his audience and, if you're here, you likely are too. I linked to Diddy Wah on my second post ever, and it was the first blog I linked to when I added a blog roll. When he added me to his blog roll, let me tell you, I was doing back flips out on the front lawn. I've recommended Diddy Wah to you slobs before, and if you didn't look then and don't now, it's your loss. Just don't hang around here. I don't want to be seen with you.

Here's four random samples. I had to stop there because if I went any further, there'd be no stopping me. Check out his mixes too. They aren't downloadable, but, hell, just blast your computer speakers. His records are usually a little scratchy and road worn anyways, not that that matters. That just adds to the sound. You should know by now that 180 gram vinyl isn't allowed in this hemisphere.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
Otis Rush - It Takes Time mp3 at Diddy Wah
Larry Williams - I Wanna Know mp3 at Diddy Wah
Bert and Ray - Slow Drag mp3 at Diddy Wah Link Wray (Bert) and Ray Searce totally aping Santo and Johnny
Bobby Blue Bland - Love You Baby mp3 at Diddy Wah
Bookmark it:
Diddy Wah

BLUE, PERIOD.

Bobby Blue Bland died yesterday. He didn't play an instrument, and was fortunate to have good musicians behind him, but he had that voice. The arrangements were always big sounding, with a lot of stuff going on, but he cut right through it. Man, was he smooth. Sample a few of the cuts below. This is a guy who had designs on converting everybody, not just the blues crowd. He was blues, soul, gospel, R & B, country and just straight crooner all rolled into one. Jeez, listen to "Lead Me On" and you'll hear why there are some who compare him to Sinatra. His shit was smooth. 

“I’d like to be remembered as just a good old country boy that did his best to give us something to listen to and help them through a lot of sad moments, happy moments, whatever," Whatever, okay. I know what you mean.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
Bobby Blue Bland - St. James Infirmary mp3 at 78s
Bobby Blue Bland - Lovin' Blues mp3 at Said the Gramophone
Bobby Blue Bland - Turn On Your Love Light mp3 at Corey Barksdale
Bobby Blue Bland - I Pity the Fool mp3 at Smiles Davis
Bobby Blue Bland - Lead Me On mp3 at Disclaimer Band
Bobby Blue Bland - Cry, Cry, Cry mp3 at AMPS
Bobby Blue Bland - Ain't No Love In the Heart of the City mp3 at Revenge of Rob Gordon
Video:
A Moment With Bobby Blue Bland at Vimeo
Visit:
Bobby Blue Bland at Wikipedia
Bobby Blue Bland - Obituary at the New York Times