ARE WE EARLY? OR LATE?

Well this certainly adds to the late sixties psychedelic soul clusterfuck. Fuji, whose real name was Ellington Jordan, was the guy who wrote "I'd Rather Go Blind", a hit for Etta James (right after being released from jail, so the story goes). He was pals with the Temptations' Eddie Kendricks, who introduced him to a band called Black Merda. Together, Fuji and Black Merda recorded an album that wasn't heavily promoted, and went nowhere. Everyone who writes about it online seems to revere like it's some sort of psychedelic soul godhead. I've only heard a portion of it, and a handful of Black Merda's things without Fugi, so I'm not going to sit here and tell you that it's overrated, or that a lack of promotion didn't sink it. But, I'll tell you what, it made me want to lose myself in some psychedelic soul stuff from the A-listers. The Temptations cuts below were produced by Norman Whitfield, with guitar by Dennis Coffey. That's a killer combination right there. Hard to beat. Chess/Cadet, the label that released the Fugi LP, were probably throwing up there hands. "Aw fuck. We can't compete with that."

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Listen:
Fugi - Mary, Don’t You Take Me On No Bad Trip mp3 at Brobots
Black Merda - Ashamed mp3 at ATumblr (?)
Black Merda - Long Burn the Fire mp3 at Hard Raw Deep Funk
The Tempations - Ball of Confusion mp3 at LZ Center
The Temptations - Papa Was a Rolling Stone mp3 at Radio George
Dennis Coffey - Scorpio mp3 at EricMGrant.EJFlavors 
Full LPs:
Black Merda - Three full albums (via Diveshare) at Hard Raw Deep Funk
The Temptations - Cloud Nine (streaming) at YouTube Put this one on, turn it up, and go about your business for 35 minutes. It's perfect for that.

SSSSSS!!!

The Mystery Suggester posted this on Facebook about a week ago, and I've listened to it about eighty times since. And it'll probably be another eighty listens before anything close to a normal attention span returns. I keep going back to it. Listen to it. If the intro doesn't grab your you know what, if the horns don't do it, or the "sssss" enunciation, or the building of the song in its entirety; if none of that moves you, just go on and git. Get on out of here. At least for the next eighty spins or so.

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Listen:
Al Wilson - The Snake mp3 at Margauxville
Al Wilson - Show and Tell mp3 at Margauxville For Lady Spinsta

ALWAYS CHECK THE B SIDE

A week ago I mentioned how a search for a photo of an apeshit drummer led to an unrelated photo that turned into a post about cajun music. Totally sidetracked, which is the norm, I made a mental note to return to this mystery drummer. Days later, I was still unable to find out who the drummer is, which isn't surprising, because there's little online even about his boss, band leader Ray Hudson (picture above), The reason why the drummer intrigued me wasn't because he possessed any sort of extraordinary talent. It was because he was beating the living shit out of his kit. Listen to the first song below, "Jackhammer". Loud. He's really going to town. Like the infamous Steve "This Drummer Is at the Wrong Gig" Moore, he is making the most of his opportunity to shine. If there's any doubt about said opportunity, listen to the flip, "Here I Am - Drunk Again", a fine song by any measure, but I think you'd agree that he was given the apeshit green light on "Jackhammer". Unbelievable, that these two songs were done by the same band, let alone released on the same 45.

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Listen: 
Ray Hudson and the Western Rhythmaires - Jackhammer mp3 at Julebox Mafia
Ray Hudson and the Western Rhythmaires - Here I Am - Drunk Again mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban

STILL FAT TUESDAY SOMEWHERE

Okay, I have to give it up to a site I love to hate. Aquarium Drunkard. They post some really good music from time to time, but their taste isn't what bugs, And here's the kicker: what does bug me about them shouldn't. At the end of the day, I'm a scavenger. Make that an opportunistic scavenger who could be seen as a dick. I know that. I link to other peoples song links, and don't upload anything myself. As bad as that sounds, most people recognize that there isn't enough traffic here that it really represents anything taxing on their bandwidth bill. Most blogs I link to are pretty cool about it, and it's almost always the guys who are clearly not in it for the money. They may have an ad or two, but they aren't overtly sucking up. They just dig music. But that's not why I don't upload my own stuff. A big part of the reason I don't upload anything myself is that there is something I kind of like about scavenging from limited choices. Because, while there's an ample supply of music floating around online, the vast majority of is crap (visit the Hype Machine to see what I mean). Let me give you an example. Suppose you're on a road trip, and you stop at a truck stop (or a convenience store, bodega, drug store, whatever). In said joint, you come across a small rack of CDs and remember that you've heard everything you brought with you a million times, so you flip through the CDs, and decide to gamble $4.99. Hell, it might be a six song Coasters cheapo comp, but it's something different. Guess what happens? You get in the car and as you start to drive away, "Little Egypt" comes on, and it has never sounded so good. Where was I? Oh yeah, back to Aquarium Drunkard. They block direct linking to songs. Wah, wah, wah. It's no big deal, it's more like "Drat. Foiled again," as if a cartoon. That's the kind of hate I have for Aquarium Drunkard. A light hearted cartoonish hate.

Like I said, they post good music. There is the random suckage, and a lot of ads; clearly some commerce going on. Hence their link blocking. Hate that. But, music is music, and they just posted five great New Orleans 45s, courtesy of Derek See of Derek's Daily 45, one of the good guys. What's he doing there?

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 Listen:
Wax Wonders: The Soul Of NOLA, Part 1 at Aquarium Drunkard Five New Orleans sides, Irma Thomas, Bobby Parker, Little Bob and two by Willie Tee. Worth the click.
Allen Toussaint -: Poor Boy Got To Move / Go Back Home at Aquarium Drunkard Two songs
Irma Thomas - Ruler of My Heart at Aquarium Drunkard A Toussaint work

SHOW US YOUR 78S

Tuesday, March 4 is Fat Tuesday. You do know what that means right? It's the day you get it all out of your system, one last blow out, traditionally the day before Ash Wednesday, a day in which practicing Christians straighten up and fly right, for forty days anyway, in observance of Lent. For a particular breed though, it's just about beads and breasts and party 'til you puke. You know them. Then there's that other group, the group that digs the rich cultural history of the carnival season, including the music. There is a subgroup of that, a group I really admire, and feel a kind of absentee kinship with. They're the locals, the ones who get more into it. They know where the backstreet Indian showdowns are, when Ernie K. Doe is on the air, what tiny bar Professor Longhair's cousin is playing in, and where to get 78s. Everyone I know that has lived, or currently lives, in New Orleans, has been in that last group. Some weird sort of pride about that. West Coast representin'.

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 Listen: 
Al Tousan (Allen Toussaint) - Cow Cow Blues mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban
Dave Bartholomew - Carnival Time mp3 at Home of the Groove
Eddie Bo - Check Mr. Popeye mp3 at Probe Is Turning-On the People
Jessie Hill - Ooh Poo Pah Doo, Pt 1 mp3 (via DivShare) at Junk Shop Juke Box
Jessie Hill - Ooh Poo Pah Doo, Pt 2 mp3 (via DivShare) at Junk Shop Juke Box
The Showmen - It Will Stand mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Huey ‘Piano’ Smith & The Clowns – Don’t You Just Know It mp3 at Augasm
Al Tousan (Allen Toussaint) - Moo Moo mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban
Bobby Marchan - Get Down With It mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Shirley and Lee - Let the Good Times Roll mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Lee Dorsey - Yes We Can, Pt 1 mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Lee Dorsey - Yes We Can, Pt 2 mp3 at Videogotz  
Huey "Piano" Smith - Would You Believe It mp3 at Modern Kicks
Jessie Hill - Oogsey Moo mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban
Jessie Hill - Whip It On Me mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban
Shirley and Lee - Feel So Good mp3 at Rocky 52 
Lee Dorsey - Holy Cow mp3 at Probe Is Turning-On the People
Al Tousan (Allen Toussaint) - Pelican Parade mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban  
Huey "Piano" Smith - Popeye mp3 at Probe Is Turning-On the People 
Vintage ranting
Ernie-K Doe on WWOZ, New Orleans (1980s) mp3 at Beware of the Blog An hour and ten minutes of K Doe going off, DJing, ranting and actually playing some records.
Listen live:
WWOZ "Guardians of the Groove" streaming here

THE GODMOTHER

Whenever you hear about some early rock 'n' roll artist being influenced by gospel music, and wonder where the tangible connection is, you don't have to look any further than Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Holy shit, was she ever the package: a gospel singer who ignored the traditional boundaries, and a red hot guitarist, good enough that Chuck Berry was taking notes. Having hit her stride a decade or two earlier, she was already in her forties when rock 'n' roll hit, but when your fans include Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Elvis, it's pretty evident there's something going on. You already know the blues connection with rock 'n' roll, and the rhythm and blues connection. If you don't know the gospel connection, here's lesson one.

Dig the solo at 1:24

Rather than rehash other stuff online, let me just direct you to the documentary linked below, Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The Godmother Of Rock and Roll. If you don't have time for it, it's making the rounds on PBS stations so check your listings. At the very least visit YouTube and Wikipedia. There's tons of stuff out there, so you have no excuse for missing this chapter...wait, this essential chapter.

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Listen:
Sister Rosetta Tharpe -  Didn't It Rain mp3 at Keep the Coffee Coming
Sister Rosetta Tharpe -  Up Above My Head mp3 at More Things
Sister Rosetta Tharpe -  Strange Things Happen Every Day mp3 at More Things
Sister Rosetta Tharpe -  Rock Daniel mp3 at Internet Archive
Watch:
Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The Godmother Of Rock and Roll at PBS
Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The Godmother Of Rock and Roll at YouTube
Visit:
Sister Rosetta Tharpe at Wikipedia
Sister Rosetta Tharpe at PBS

FOUR KINDS OF CRAZY

Every time it seems like things are kind of slowing down, in terms of hearing anything that knocks me on my ass, I seem to run into a blog or two that nail it. Good text, wild music, and just the right amount of flippancy. In the right proportions that combination can eat up several nights, and that's probably what's going to happen, so I'll hep you to a handful of cuts at my newest instant favorite, and send you on your way.

On the Record is an unassuming looking blog, until you start poking around. Most of the links, even on the earliest posts are still good, and like I said, there's good text. Historical info, pretty detailed at that, along with snarky asides. Fucking awesome: a record fiend with attitude, and great records. Turn your attention now to first song linked below. That's right, you know him, you love him, you can't live without him, the Great One, Mr. Link Wray. Much fuss has been made here and elsewhere about his sinister licks. This, of course, is what put him on the map. As you may know he's dabbled in singing with mixed results. I honestly never thought one of his vocal songs would become a favorite, but then, I hadn't heard the one I just heard. Feast your ears on "Hidden Charms" by Wray and his Wraymen, circa 1966. That's right, smack dab in the middle of the garage rock explosion, our main man shows those bowl cuts a thing or two. Put it away teenagers, he means business. (Note: The outro is some seriously twisted licks.)

Also at the same site, the gold standard of nuts,"The Girl Can't Dance", which, of course, features the legendary larynx shredding of Bunker Hill. Did you know that it's Wray and his homies backing Hill? Now you do. Speaking of larynx schedding, remember ol' Joyce Harris' version of "Got My Mojo Working"? Of course you do. I was hyperventilating all over it on a post just...shit, it was six years ago. On the Record posted another a cut of hers, "No Way Out", that's as crazy as that earlier one. The last selection below is Dean Carter's cover of "Jailhouse Rock, which answers the question, if you were going to cover that song in 1967, how do you make it relevant? You go batshit crazy, that's how. Dig the guitar solo.

About DivShare, where On the Record hosts their stuff: From the site, click on the "share" button on the embedded DivShare player. A download link will appear (it might say "Link to mp3"). Click on that, it'll take you to DivShare. Once there, click on the green "Download" button. A bit of a hassle, but it will pay dividends.

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Listen:
Link Wray and the Raymen - Hidden Charms mp3 (via DivShare) at On the Record
Bunker Hill - The Girl Can't Dance mp3 (via DivShare) at On the Record
Joyce Harris - No Way Out mp3 (via DivShare) at On The Record
Dean Carter - Jailhouse Rock mp3 (via DivShare) at On the Record
Visit:
On the Record

THE OTHER SOUTHERN MUSIC

How does a search for a band with an apeshit drummer end up falling into a motherlode of vintage cajun? I knew you were going to ask that. I was just looking for a photo of a band, with said apeshit drummer, that must have been invisible, because I wasn't able to come up with anything, but I ran into the photo above (less the text) and thought,...I don't know, I wasn't really thinking anything. Just that it was a cool old timey photo. I honestly don't know what I thought I'd come across if I clicked on it. You do this shit long enough and you develop the instincts of a scavenger, I guess. The photo led me to a page called "Cajun Music Mp3", with the subtitle "Hadacol it something". Okay, right off the bat that reference to Hadacol told me that whoever was behind the page had knowledge of old school cheap highs. (Hadacol was a tonic, 12% alcohol, that sold well in dry states back in the day.)

Then I scanned a little lower. Stop. Right there: "78s recorded from the collections of Joe Bussard, Ron Brown, and others...". That first name, Joe Bussard. You remember him don't you? A 78 collector who is a diehard, full blown fiend. When asked if there was any genre he avoids, he said "Rock 'n' roll. Period. Any of it. Hate it. Worse thing that happened to music. Hurt all types of music. They took blues and ruined it. It’s the cancer of music….ate into everything. Killed Country music, that’s for sure.". What we got here is a purist of the highest order. Good for him. I prefer not to be such a nazi, but I can appreciate someone that hard core. So I scroll down further and there's, holy shit, there's roughly a couple hundred cajun songs, from the twenties all the way through the sixties. You might not be all that into cajun stuff, and to be honest I'm just kind of a dabbler, but you'll probably want to bookmark it for the next time, I don't know, you're downing a bunch of Hadacol.

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Listen:
Hackberry Ramblers - C'est Pas La Peine mp3 at Cajon Music Mp3s
Nathan Abshire - Hoola Hoop Two Step mp3 at Cajon Music Mp3s
Robert Bertrand - Corrina Corrina mp3 at Cajon Music Mp3s
Visit:
Cajon Music Mp3s - 200 plus cajun tunes, spanning fifty years
Video:
J'ai Été Au Bal - A film by Les Blank, 1989 at YouTube
This drummer is at the right gig, at 12:36 
A related earlier post:
Joe Bussard Hates Rock 'n' Roll

THE NEW ORLEANS MACHINE

With Fat Tuesday just a week away, I thought I'd get jump on things and start tracking down some good ol' fashioned New Orleans R&B. I got as far as Home of the Groove and ka-bamm! Distraction hit. I don't even resist it anymore. I just go with it. Tonight it was Dave Bartholomew.

At Home of the Groove there's a half dozen songs there that'll get you in the mood for the last gasp of the this carnival season. The first cut is Dave Bartholomew's "Carnival Song", a completely, unequivocally, funky-ass top shelf old school New Orleans rump bumper, circa 1950. You mix that with volume, and a hot, crowded, and sweaty room, and you've got something volatile. After that, I made a beeline to "The Monkey Speaks His Mind" which isn't all that New Orleans sounding, but it's good, the lyrics thought provoking, and the way Bartholomew says "Yeeeaaahhh..."? I could keep going back for more of that all day.

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Listen:
Dave Bartholomew - Carnival Time mp3 at Home of the Groove It the link doesn't work, go there to get it.

Dave Bartholomew - The Monkey Speaks His Mind mp3 at Snuhthing Anything

Carnival Season 2014, Part 1 at Home of the Groove Five more songs and some really good reading.

Visit:

Dave Bartholomew at Wikipedia

 

HEY SUN RA, LET'S PARTY

You should be used to this by now. Again, tonight, just one chance click sent me off on another joyride, This time it's Moondog, If you know Moondog, you know what happened. One toe in that rabbit hole and you can kiss your ass goodbye. It started with "Bird's Lament". I'd heard it before, it still hit the spot, but it just made me want more.

If you don't know anything about Moondog, a thumbnail can't really do him justice. He was a jazz musician who lived and performed for a number of years on the street, in his oddball get ups that were, to him, full of symbolism. A lot of people just thought he was some kook. You owe it to yourself to read up on him. Check out Wikipedia to get started. See how far you fall in.

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Listen:
Moondog - Bird's Lament mp3 at Nevver
Moondog - Dog Trop mp3 at ATumblr (?)
Moondog - Stomping Ground mp3 at Le Biglemoi
Moondog - Surf Session (streaming) at YouTube 

FORGOT ABOUT THIS ONE

There are so many ways to look at Sonic Youth. In one corner you have the diehards. They like everything that Sonic Youth ever did. You need to discount them, for now. In the other corner, you have the haters, or at least non-likers, a coalition of those too square to fathom, those wholly unfamiliar with them, and then the Super Haters. That there is a force to be reckoned with, those Super Haters. And it is to them I suggest the following. Relax. You don't have to like the band, or the fact that they signed to a major way back when and you never quite got over it. Take their good stuff on it's own merit and shut up.

The video for their song "Kool Thing" is Exhibit A. It's a good noisy song on its own, but the video is some kinda low-budge cool. I've no idea what the story behind it is, but I'm seeing the Exploding Plastic Inevitable Lite, Warhol Factory type stuff, with black and white segments that look like Robert Mapplethorpe shot it. The editing figures big too. It's just an excellent video. And I hate to say it, but it's sexy, real sexy. In a rock 'n' roll sexy sorta way. Haters may resume after viewing.

If you like the song, you presumably already have it. Regardless, you'll want to check the demo of it below. The guitars are more distorted, and the drums are just plain nuts. Quite a racket. Come to think of it, the haters may have been on to something. If this is what they sound like on an 8 track budget, maybe they should have never left.

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Listen:
Sonic Youth - Kool Thing (demo) mp3 at Muskrat Midldleberry (?)

WAH-WAHS DON'T SLEEP

Stone Coal White fits the bill tonight, perfectly. It's obscure, dirty, from left field (Dayton, Ohio to be exact), old, crusty and raw. It's overdone and under-polished stoner funk. Post-last call, home from the bar, let's drag this shit out type stuff, bass heavy, wah-wah abusing, sludge. It's fantastic.

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Listen:

Stone Coal White - Stone Coal White mp3 (via MediaFire) at Crotchbat 

NOTE: At MediaFire, click the green "Download" button on the top right. A pop-up will open, trying to fool you into downloading something else. Close it, it's not the download and may be harmful (your anti-pop up radar may automatically minimize it.). The download dialog box should be waiting behind it.

Stone Coal White - Stone Coal White (streaming) at Crotchbar

BETTER THAN BOSS?

The Rumblers' "Boss" is one of my favorite instrumentals of all time, by a band that named themselves after a song by the Great One, and recorded in the same studio, attached to a record store, that the Chantays recorded "Pipeline" in. Need I go further? Listen to it. It is most wicked. You will understand why I was elated to run across "I Don't Need You No More", a vocal number and the B-side of "Boss", at On the Flip-Side. After digging that one, I figured, what the hell, and finally decided to look for "Caterpillar Crawl" by the Strangers, the song that "Boss" is based on. It's even more wicked. It's more boss than "Boss". They don't even have a word for it; that's how baddass it is.

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Listen:
The Rumblers - Boss mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban
The Strangers - Caterpillar Crawl mp3 at Rockin' Dog

The Rumblers - I Don't Need You No More mp3 (via DivShare) at On The Flip-Side Note: Once you get to DivShare, click on the green "Download" button, and scratch your head for fifteen seconds while the timer counts down. When the button reappears, you're good to go.

CHECK THE BROWN PAPER BAG

Have you ever heard Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings' version of "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition Your Condition Is In)"? If you've heard both hers and the version by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, you know how cool the reinvented arrangement in Jones's version is. I'd always assumed it was the work of one of those Daptone soul eggheads. But tonight I was just kind of clicking around some old posts at Soul Garage, and ran into Bettye LaVette's cover, from 1968. That seems to be the source of the arrangement. It also happens to be the source of my new favorite version. The thing smokes.

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Listen:
Bettye LaVette - What Condition My Condition Is In mp3 at Soul Garage 1968
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - Just Dropped in (To See What Condition My Condition Is In) mp3 at Passion of the Weiss 2004
Kenny Rogers and the First Edition - Just Dropped in (To See What Condition My Condition Is In) mp3 at Safety Fun  and Learning 1967
Mickey Newberry - Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Is In) (streaming) at YouTube The original,

LIEV TUK SUPERFAN NO 1

Roughly ten or fifteen years ago, a friend of mine sent me a mix, without a note or any explanation. She had written "Cambodia Rocks" on it, but there was no song listing. I had no clue why it was sent to me, and although I had more than a passing interest in international music, we were always so damn busy talking about rock 'n' roll and other Western music that I don't think we ever got there. So, having received this tape, I was intrigued. Then, I played it. Holy. Fucking. Shit. What a racket. I was not prepared to hear this wild exotic strain of music. I didn't even know it existed. My mind was sufficiently blown, and still is at the thought that my friend had me so pegged, with a music wholly unfamiliar to me. There are many similar compilations nowadays, but this one was the first I'd heard, and it came from left field. There was something mysterious about it too, the story behind it was nowhere to be found, not even a song listing. Even when it was circulating a second time there was squat in the way of details.It wouldn't be until 2007 that a song listing would appear over at Beware of the Blog. You will dig this: the post is still there with the song listings, the story behind it, mp3s of every song, and other links to further digging. It's fucking Candyland over there.

Tonights distraction began with this trailer for the documentary Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll. There's a link to an article about it below..

Dig that first one below, "Rom Sue Sue" ("Dance Soul Soul") by Liev Tuk, a totally whacked out vocal version of Booker T and the MGs'  "Hip Hug Her". You gotta hear it. Definitely stick around for the guitar solo, followed a drum solo, both of similar skill levels, that is to say, beyond good or bad; weird, particularly with all of the grunting and carrying on. That it ends with canned applause is just the icing on the cake.

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Listen:
Liev Tuk - Rom Sue Sue (Dance Soul Soul) mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Sinn Sisamouth - Srolanh Srey Touch (I Love Petite Girl) mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Ros Sereysothea - Penh Jet Thai Bong Mouy (I Like Only You) mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Visit:
Cambodia Rocks - 22 individual songs and background info at Beware of the Blog
Long-awaited film tells the tale of Cambodia’s musical ‘golden age’ at The Phnom Penh Post

THERE'S SHAME HERE SOMEWHERE

A friend posted Ann Cole's version of "Got My Mojo Working'" on his Facebook page today, and it hit me that I knew there were some hijinks involved in the credits to the song, but had never bothered to go any further. Probably because I didn't want to think that Muddy Waters would knowingly steal a song. Think about how deep my fat head was buried in the sand. It's the blues. Probably the most pilfered type of music there is. 

You ought to read one or both of the accounts below. It's an interesting story. Oh, and Mickey Baker pops up again. He backed Cole on most of her recordings on the Baton label. That guy was everywhere.

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Listen:
Ann Cole - Got My Mojo Working mp3 at Soul Garage
Visit:
Ann Cole at Black Cat Rockabilly
Got My Mojo Working at Wikipedia

GREAT MOMENTS IN WINGING IT

The story behind Tyrone Schmidling's "You're Gone, I'm Left" is almost as nuts as the song is, and the song is about as nuts as they come. Back in 1958, there was a talent competition that his high school buddies told Schmidling should enter. He did, and then the next day he got a call from a DJ asking him to play guitar on a recording session for a vocal group. He agreed. He'd never been in a recording studio before in his life. During the session, he was asked what song he was going to do. He didn't know he was going to sing anything, so he said the first song that came to mind, "Honey Don't". They recorded it, in one take. Wait, it gets better. They then suggested they try recording one of his own songs. He had never written a song in his life. So they suggested that he just make something up, on the spot. It was just him and his guitar and "these black guys just banging on whatever was around". The gloriously raw, spontaneous, crazy, ramshackle result was "You're Gone, I'm Left". After you check it out, just ponder all of the things that had to come together for this perfect moment to happen. Talent contest, era, absolute naive earnestness, a producer who saw no need for perfection, rhythm players who were winging it just as much as Schmidling was, and a record label small enough and crazy enough to put it out.

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Listen:
Tyrone Schmidling - You're Gone, I'm Left mp3 at Rocky 52
Tyrone Schmidling - Honey Don't (streaming) at YouTube
Read:
Tyrone Schmidling - The story in his words From a out of print Norton reissue.

MIC PASSING DIVERSION

Just ran into a post with ten good reggae DJ (toaster type) cuts, with some of my favorites. U Roy, Dillinger, Dennis Alcapone, Trinity, Big Youth and so on. You'll recognize the backing tracks (riddims), a few of them have been used a lot. Even so, it's always interesting to hear what someone else does with it. Maybe not always, but often. Check Trinity's "Three Piece Suit", the riddim of which is used in Althea and Donna's "Uptown Top Ranking". Both of those have been here before, but I don't remember if I ever posted Big Youth's "Cool Breeze" which uses the the same riddim as Scotty's "Draw Your Brakes". Always had a soft spot for that one, "Draw Your Brakes". It was the first reggae DJ song I ever heard. (Scotty pictured above.) So that was the reason I started down this road. But, man, were things about to turn weird.

I ran into a track by one Dub Gabriel, with David J from Bauhaus on bass and U Roy on the mic. Boy oh boy, ain't no U Roy I know. You know what it sounds like? It sounds like a late night jam with Berlin/Low-era Bowie, Eno, U Roy, and..., hey look over there, there's Ralf and Florian smokin' a doobie. It's kind of unsettling if you're a purist, but it is interesting to hear. I guess. They kinda paved paradise there.

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Listen:
Scotty - Draw Your Breaks mp3 at La Grand Chose
Big Youth - Cool Breeze mp3 at For the Sake of the Song
Trinity - Three Piece Suit mp3 at For the Sake of the Song
Eight more prime DJ cuts at For the Sake of the Song
Althea and Donna - Uptown Top Ranking mp3 at Clumsy and Shy
Dub Gabriel with David J and U Roy - Luv n' Liv mp3 at Music to Die For

THAT TIME OF YEAR

Holy cow. Fat Tuesday is only a couple weeks away. I'm not one for all of the knucklehead amateurs' night shenanigans, but I dig this time of year because there's usually an good amount of New Orleans type music floating around. Being that I've got the damn flu, and not the boogie woogie type, I'm gonna bow out quick tonight with a heads up to check out "Home of the Groove" which is, in their words, "based on the premise that the true Home of the Groove, at least on the North American landmass, is the irreplaceable musical and cultural nexus, New Orleans." Right or wrong, they post some good stuff. (Hey, I just noticed, I cuss less when I'm sick.) A recent post is all Professor Longhair, James Booker and Ray Johnson. Here's a couple from the Professor not posted over there, to get you in the mood. (Hello bed. I've missed you so.)

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

Listen:
Professor Longhair - In the Night mp3 at DJ Perro
Professor Longhair - Tipitina (live) mp3 (via Box.net) at Carnival Saloon
Visit:
Tasty Holiday Leftovers: Fess, Ray and JCB3 at Home of the Groove
Home of the Groove - Home page
Home of the Groove radio Stream that funky stuff

FACE SUCKERS REJOICE

Let's just say that a couple days ago you picked up Spread the Good Word's Bloody Love Mix Part 3. You figured you'd have a leg up on your crush's other potential suitor, by giving her a well curated mix from a vast record collection that you don't have. Then you find out that the other suitor, whom by certain unwritten rules is now classified as a jerk no matter how good of friends you once were, decides he's gonna do the same goddamn thing. Time for heavy artillery. Spread the Good Word has two other mixes buried in their digs, curiously titled "A Bloody Love Mix" (the original, from 2008) and "A Bloody Love Mix Part 2" (posted in 2011). These just might tip the scales. You could always seal the deal with Link Wray, but then again you don't want someone to faint when you're trying to woo them. 

The mixes were made by a man of taste, Reverend Tom Frost, whom many of you may know. I've gone on about him many times. If you've never checked out his music, the mixes will give you a good indication of what he's about. The Phantom, Slim Whitman, Roy Hamilton, Marvin Rainwater, Wanda Jackson, Benny Joy, Eddie Cochran, Lord Creator,...that's just random names. The list goes on and on. Now that I think of it, the mixes could serve as a litmus test. If the object of your desires ain't having any of it, they lack taste. Move on. There's more fish in the sea.and all of that jazz. What your Mom said when you were twelve.

 

Note: Once you get to Rapidshare, look for the bar that says "to download", then on the next page select the box next to the mix and click on "download selection": You do not have to register. I repeat, you do not have to register. Ignore that window when it comes up (you may have to close it) and a few seconds later, the download will start. Got that?

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

The mixes:
A Bloody Love Mix at Spread the Good Word
A Bloody Love Mix Part 2 at Spread the Good Word
A Bloody Love Mix Part 3 at Spread the Good Word
Visit:
Reverend Tom Frost - Samples of his music at Rev. Tom Frost 
Reverend Tom Frost - Official site