THIS GUY SANG WITH ROBERT WARD

Here's a couple early Wilson Pickett cuts from his days with the Ohio Untouchables. Once you're done digging the original version of Pickett singing "I Found A Love", check "Let's Kiss and Make Up" for some seriously twisted licks. The guitar is by Robert Ward, the founder of the band and apparently king of the Magnatone amp. Three online souces cite his tone and choice of amp as being influential, and who am I to argue? I never heard of Magnatone amps until a couple hours ago. But the solo in "Let's Kiss and Make Up"? That's got me going to Robert Ward Town tonight.

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Listen:
The Ohio Untouchables - I Found A Love mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
The Ohio Untouchables - Let's Kiss and Make Up mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Visit:
Robert Ward RIP [2008] at Boogie Woogie Flu A couple more Ward cuts
The Untouchable Soul of Robert Ward at Rubber City Review Profile and several samples

DUDE, STICK TO SHARKSKIN

Here's a good reason to veer away from career spanning compilations and greatest hits collections. If you don't, you'll never run into the odd out of character gem. This particular one is Wilson Pickett, produced by Gamble & Huff with a heavy nod to Norman Whitfield. Six minutes of extended instrumental hijinks, fuzz, congas and, yes, plenty of cowbell. And Pickett, he's definitely picking up a little sumpin' sumpin' from the GFOS.

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Listen:
Wilson Pickett - Get Me Back On Time (Engine Number Nine) mp3 at The Melting Pot
Wilson Pickett - Two others from the same LP at The Melting Pot Go there to get them.

I BIT, YOU MIGHT AS WELL

I ran into a pre-baggy ass sweater Bill Cosby cut today, a version of Dyke and the Blazers' "Funky Broadway." It's not a straight cover, Cosby changes the lyrics to suit his fancy, which is laughs. It merited a chuckle over here. I couldn't find the original by Dyke and the Blazers, so here's the most awesome cover by Wilson Pickett, and three other songs by Dyke's mob. A couple others by Cosby are down there too, and they ain't half bad.

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Listen:
Bill Cosby - Funky North Philly mp3 (via DiveShare) at De Discos y Monstuos
Wilson Pickett - Funky Broadway mp3 at LZ Center
Dyke and the Blazers - Shotgun Slim mp3 at Alejandro Borrero.com
Dyke and the Blazers - We Got More Soul mp3 at  Funk Explosion
Dyke and the Blazers - Stuff mp3 at All Up In Your Earhole
Bill Cosby and Quincy Jones - Hikky-Burr mp3 at Archive.org 
Bill Cosby - Bunions mp3 at Aquarium Drunkard Direct linking disabled, go there to get it 

WTF WILSON?

Wilson Pickett was one of the great singers of the golden era of soul, that much cannot be debated. I know very little about his personal life, so let's give him the ultra-benefit of the doubt, and say, if you threw out the drunk driving arrest, he was a perfect human being. Well, if we're being objective that could be the scenario. But, if you allow one tiny bit of subjectiveness into the discussion, another flag is thrown. The dude was very uneven when it came to picking covers. Though he always did a good job of singing them, and quite a few were good choices, there were some that were really so bad, it's almost inconceivable that someone didn't sit him down and say, in a calm, reasonable voice, "Really, Wilson. Really? 'Sugar Sugar'?" Who let this happen?. Bring me the person who stood by and let that choice be made. And, while you're at it, I want to see the person, or persons, responsible for letting him move forward with "Mama Told Me Not To Come", "Love Will Keep Us Together", "Born to Be Wild", "Groovin'" and, yes, even "Hey Jude". Yeah, he had the voice, he could make a song about dog duty sound good. But, of all the songs...

A cursory look at song listings of Picket compilations reveals a sad truth. Invariably, if you get past a single CD set, the weird covers start creeping in. Here's a few, with a couple of the great songs he was known for as bookends. Think of it as a "weird cover" immunization.

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Wilson Pickett - Midnight Hour mp3 at the La Follette High Owls
Wilson Pickett - Born To Be Wild mp3 at Hellhound On My Trail
Wison Pickett - Sugar Sugar mp3 at Dust On The Stylus
Wilson Pickett - Hey Joe mp3 at Madcats.us
Wilson Picket - Cole Cooke and Redding mp3 at Dust On The Stylus
Wilson Picket - Ninety-Nine and a Half mp3 at Skyrock