Novella Nelson – Cold Water Flat
Novella Nelson – Mean World
Novella Nelson – Long Road Home

Picked this up at Groove Merchant a little while ago. I’m pretty sure I’d run into it there a few years ago but had decided to pass on it. This time around I thankfully came to my senses, cause this is a really fantastic mellow jazzy soul album. Novella Nelson is actually better known as an actress, having appeared in more than a few films including personal fave 1984′s  The Cotton Club. She certainly had some serious friends at the time this was recorded, since the backing band would have been the envy of just about everyone recording around this period of time. Richard Davis on bass, Freddie Waits on drums, a string section led by Kermit Moore and Phil Moore playing piano and directing it all. Though this appears to have been recorded in a studio, there’s a small but vocal audience in attendance, but the mastering clearly had future DJs in mind cause virtually all the songs begin clean and only have applause at the very end.

Novella has a deep, stately Nina Simone quality to her voice. It blends perfectly with the acoustic soul-jazz sound that Moore puts together. “Cold Water Flat” and “Long Road Home” both have a real solid mid-tempo soul sound to them, while “Mean World” has a bit more of a righteous church feel to it. The subject matter of the songs is pretty bleak, if you just think of the lyrics on paper, but the playing gives these songs of struggle and strife and uplifting tone. Of the many records I’ve picked up this year, this is the one I’ve come back to more often just because of the sound and feel of the album. It’s a perfect afternoon LP for the fall, with such deep soulful feeling from Nelson and the players. I hope you dig on it as much as I have.

Cheers,

Michael

Archie Shepp – Attica Blues/Steam
Archie Shepp – Blues For Brother George Jackson

When earlier this week Troy Davis was executed in Georgia, despite some serious doubts in his case, I knew that I would be starting off this week’s show with a comment about it and some songs in honor of Troy and others who remain on Death Row despite the distinct possibility of their innocence.  Without even having to go through my records, this one immediately came to mind (in fact, this record was unshelved in a pile of records by my shelfs, and the record in front of it had fallen down, as if the record itself wanted to draw my attention to it).  Archie Shepp recorded Attica Blues in 1972 in the wake of one of the darkest periods in the history of the American penal system, the Attica Prison Riots of 1971.  The song remains an indictment of not simply the prison system, but more particularly the injustices that arise from inequality in the larger society, something that is most reflected in the people we incarcerate and execute, who are disproportionately poor and men of color. Musically, “Attica Blues” is perhaps the closest thing to a “riot” in sound that’s ever been recorded, the heavy rhythm churns out from the start, strings add this almost spine-tingling tension, and then when the voices, horns and percussion join together, it sounds literally like an explosion. Thrilling, enthralling and almost frightening all at the same time, the song sounds like nothing else I can think of, truly unique.

In addition to the music and the beyond passionate vocals from Henry Hull, Joshie Armstead and Albetine Robinson, there is a short recitation that follows the chorus from much revered lawyer William Kunstler, perhaps best known as one of the lawyers from the Chicago 8.

Only when Nature doesn’t take it’s natural toll, am I worried with the Human Soul,
Some people think that they are in their rights, when on command they take a black man’s life,
Well, let me give a rundown on how I feel, if it ain’t natural, then it ain’t real,
I wish I were better…

Something about that “I wish I were better” line has always haunted to me, in light of Troy Davis’ execution it makes me think of the legal system and the zeal with which so many Americans still seem to suport the death penalty, even though, as appears to be the case here, we have undoubtedly put to death innocent people…for them and for Mr. Davis, I wish we were better…

“Attica Blues” is mixed on the album to flow directly into “Steam” a song that, lyrically, perplexed me for a long time, until I found out that Archie Shepp’s brother’s nickname was “Steam”.  The song is dedicated to him, a victim of violence, and I’d rank it as one of the most beautiful compositions of Shepp’s career as well as one of the most touching tributes I’ve ever heard.

Also included is a tribute to “Soledad Brother” George Jackson (born 70 years ago today), who’s killing in August of 1971 sparked the riots at Attica a month later.  “Blues for Brother Jackson” is a 20+ strong big band instrumental with a fiercely funky backdrop provided by Beaver Harris (drums), Walter Davis (piano) and Roland Wilson (bass).  Along with the other material on the album, much of it written by Cal Massey along with Shepp & Harris, it serves as a reminder of the work that still needs to be done in order to make sure that “every man [can] walk this earth on equal conditions, [and] every child could do more than just dream of the stars.”

Peace be with you all,

Michael

John Klemmer – Free Soul
John Klemmer – My Heart Sings
John Klemmer – Children Of The Earth Flames

I’m not sure exactly why, but it took me what seemed like FOREVER to track down another copy of this LP. I’d originally come across a copy at Groove Merchant in 1999 and parted ways with that copy during my big sell-off in 2004. Pretty much that entire time I’d been digging for another copy, only finding the cheapo budget reissue, but never this version. Eventually I just had to stalk Ebay to try and find a decently priced copy which I recently did. I don’t think this is a particularly rare record, but over the last 6+ years I never saw another copy. While it may not be super rare, and lord knows I’ve seen seemingly every other record Klemmer record in bins across the country, it is a super good LP, and that might be part of the reason you don’t see it around too often.

Like a lot of LPs on the Cadet Concept record label from this period of time, Blowin’ Gold straddles a number of scenes with an eye on hippie-fied consumers. It features a couple of well-known covers (“Hey Jude” and Hendrix’s “Third Stone From The Sun”) and a rather lovely sign of things to come in the ballad “My Love Has Butterfly Wings”, but it’s the psychedelic tracks that kept me on the lookout for this LP for so long. In addition to Klemmer on Saxophone, this record features a crack rhythm section with Phil Upchurch on bass and Morris Jennings on drums, Richard Thompson on some very game piano and organ throughout and a true under-rated master, Pete Cosey on electric guitar. Cosey just about takes over on the über-heavy “My Heart Sings” even with his guitar pushed down in the mix. With the drums and organ pounding away, Klemmer skwaking out his notes, Cosey’s guitar still screams out of the right side of the speakers in all kinds of fuzzy distorion, at times not even sounding like a guitar, but more like an additional skronking saxophone. Soooooooooooo very heavy, I can almost forgive him for the truly silly 1960s spoken introduction.

Speaking of heavy, “Free Soul” is such a bad ass jam. It seems like a pretty conventional soul-jazz number for about 10 seconds, then Klemmer lets loose with those epic trilling notes that just sound like a great Hip-Hop break while at the same time sounding like no one would put that passage in a break (well, maybe the ending more so than the horn part). Without a doubt one of my all-time favorite left-field funk jazz tracks, especially at the end when everything falls away and we’re left with those ominous keyboard tones from Thompson. Klemmer’s playing is probably at it’s best here, another track that reminds me a bit more of Rahsaan Roland Kirk, as Klemmer lays out layers of notes, occassionally mumbling, shouting or screaming around and through his sax.

Now that I think of it, it’s funny, but when I hear “Children Of The Earth Flames” I don’t see Klemmer at all, instead in my mind I literally see Rahsaan playing this tune. I know that Klemmer’s playing gets compared to ‘Trane’s all the time, but here he seems more inspired by Rahsaan and Eddie Harris, especially with the electric effects on his horn. The playing at the start of this song sounds almost like two separate horns playing in tandem, which is likely while it immediately reminds me of Rahsaan, along with it’s off the wall funkiness.

I’ve never been able to get into Klemmer’s other work, after the aural freakouts of this LP they all just seem too pedestrian. This is one of those records that is so good, you wish there was more of this sound. Knowing what I know about recording techniques around this time, it’s actually very likely that there’s a reel-to-reel full of alt-takes and unreleased tracks just sweating away in some Chicago basement. Until someone discorvers them, I’m just thankful that I was able to get reunited with this album.

Cheers,

Michael

The Racket Squad – You Turn Me On
The Racket Squad – Suburban Life
The Racket Squad – Sweet Little Smoke

School started again this week, which means all my free time has been sucked away. But I still wanted to

throw something up here for this week’s Dig Deep and here it is. Picked up this LP at Records LA a couple of weeks ago just before my birthday. The Racket Squad released a couple of LPs in the late 1960s, with this one being the 2nd, I’m pretty sure they were originally from the Pittsburgh area. Corners Of Your Mind is a solid psych LP, most of the songs are originals, with a couple of covers, a decent take on Hendrix’s “Little Wing” and a super solid cover of “Get Out My Life Woman.” There’s a totally silly Popeye influenced reprise of “Woman” but other than that everything on here is solid, nice production on the drums, which tend to be hanging out in the left channel, as well as good sound on the organ and guitars. “You Turn Me On” and “Sweet Little Smoke” are suitably psychedelic with slower tempos and distinctly 60s lyrics like “Sweet Little Smoke please set me free, let me sail out on a marshmellow sea…” I especially dig the way the last two minutes of “Smoke” flows with the bass, tambourine and drums along with the wordless “La La La” singing. “Suburban Life” is a bit harder, with a beat that sounds a bit like “Jungle Fever” from the Chakachas and some nice fuzzy guitar.

This is also a good time to mention that Scott of Records LA is opening up a second location, Records @ the Last Bookstore, September 8th!!!  Go on and franchise that Funky, baby!!!

Wanderlea – Que Besteira
Wanderlea – Verdes Varandas
Wanderlea – Ginga Mandiga

Here’s another record picked up during my recent trip to the Bay Area, in this case from Groove Merchant. I don’t know much about Wanderlea except she hosted a TV show with Roberto & Erasmo Carlos in the 1960s called Jovem Guarda. I’ve heard a couple of songs from her, both of which were pretty fantastic mid-1970s productions, so when I ran across this LP, recorded live in 1975, I had enough smarts to check it out on the turntable.

As soon as the opening notes of “Que Besteria” started to play I knew I had a winner and would be sharing it here soon enough. I love how the funk just rolls out of that opening, with the punchy drums, rumbling bass and organ. There’s almost too much funk going on as the song moves past the opening verses, but I do dig that sound. “Verdes Varandas” is one of two bluesy tracks on this LP, this one with a more epic bring down the house kind of feel as it moves along. “Ginga Mandiga” has a more Brazilian percussive feel to the funk. For a live LP the album is mastered in a way where the audience almost doesn’t get in the way, which for us DJ types is always a most welcome thing.

Cheers,

Michael

The Counts – What’s Up Front That Counts
The Counts – Thinking Single
The Counts – Why Not Start All Over Again

The wife & I spent time up in the Bay Area for our 7th wedding anniversary. We met in the Bay area while at Berkeley and the area holds a special charm for us both. For me, above all the other major charms of the Bay Area are the great records and record stores. There’s a new addition that y’all should know about, tucked away on a quiet street out by Lake Merritt in Oakland, Vamp Records. One of the minds behind this spot is Sean Sullivan aka Sean Boogie. Me and Sean go back some ten years. I remember the first time I saw him DJ, at Kitty’s Soulvation Wednesdays at the Ruby Room. I remember thinking, “who is this dude, and why does he keep stepping out from behind the booth to dance to all the songs???” I’ve had the pleasure of spinning with him on some of those Wednesdays and at his former weekly Sound Boutique, now the name of his very fine blog, he’s got great taste and it’s great to see him involved with a fine upstart of a record store in Vamp.  That’s where I recently got reaquainted with one of my all-time favorite funky records, this LP from Detroit’s The Counts.

It’s actually taken me quite some time to track this down again, after parting ways with it during my great sell-off of 2004. I’d found my first copy at the Atlanta Record Show WAAAY back in the day, probably on one of my first trips. It was a prized possession when I hosted the monthly “Soul Kitchen” on Album 88. I’d been looking for another copy for some time but strangely it’s not a record I run across too often. The Counts were basically the third tier group at Westbound behind Funkadelic and the Ohio Players. They have a stellar sound, but it also is stylistically very similar to the players so you can perhaps understand why post-”Funky Worm” the label would have invested more in that group.

Thankfully they did release this album, the finest I’ve heard from the group (which also recorded as “The Fabulous Counts,” later moved to my hometown of Atlanta and released a couple more LPs). The introduction to “What’s Up Front,” is an all-time fave with the proto-beatbox opening blending into the drums & percussion before the full rhythm comes in. The descendning and ascending organ lines in that track also stand out as a great left-field sample worthy break. I’d forgotten how solid this record is until tracking it down last week, virtually every track is a winner, even though they all have rhythmic similarities. Big thanks again to Sean Boogie for the hook-up! Y’all make sure to check out Vamp if you’re ever in the Bay Area.

Cheers,

Michael

Irma Thomas – Here I Am, Take Me
Irma Thomas – Yours Until Tomorrow
Irma Thomas – Don’t Make Me Stop Now

I’ve never been able to understand why Irma Thomas was not one of the premier top selling soul singers of the 1960s. It’s a complete mystery to me. She cut one of the most amazing soul songs ever, “Ruler Of My Heart” in 1963, which later served as the template for Otis Redding’s first major hit, “Pain In My Heart.” The Rolling Stones had a gigantic hit with a song Irma Thomas recorded in 1964 “Time Is On My Side.” But somehow fame deserving of her talent escaped Irma Thomas throughout the 1960s and 1970s. She recorded several singles and two LPs up until 1964, then more or less faded into obscurity. Thankfully she did record during this period of time, including a very rare album for Swamp Dogg’s label in 1973 called In Between Tears. In the 1980s the full sessions for her recordings at Muscle Shoals were finally released on this LP. As I’ve mentioned before on my “Desert Island Discs” Melting Pot Radio Hour, I think these sides are some of the deepest soul that’s ever been recorded.

The music is really exceptional. There’s a reason why the sounds that came out of the FAME studios in Muscle Shoals are considered legendary. For perhaps good reason “Soul” music is thought of as a distinctly African-American musical form, but it’s impossible to deny the contributions of white musicians, such as those at the fabled Alabama studio. But the star of the show is the voice of Irma Thomas, with that distinctive NOLA phrasing and feeling so deep you could swear you can hear the teardrops falling on the microphone through the speakers. When she lets loose on “Yours Until Tomorrow” I’m not sure there’s a more thrilling or more desperate sound. On “Here I Am” and “Don’t Make Me Stop Now” it’s mixed with deep longing and just as effective. Just fantastic music and as I said, some of my favorite deep soul that has EVER been recorded.

Cheers,

Michael

Toots & the Maytals – Rastaman
Toots & the Maytals – Premature
Toots & the Maytals – Everybody Needs Lovin’

This Sunday, August 7th, I’m hosting both Melting Pot and Reggae Central, Chuck Foster’s excellent show that runs just before mine on KPFK from 2-4pm. As much as I love being on KPFK and doing Melting Pot, Chuck’s show is so good and so diverse in it’s approach to ”reggae” that I rarely, if ever, play Jamaican music. This week I get to play 2 hours of Jamaican Ska, Rock Steady, Reggae and more and I’m really looking forward to it.

Given that, I thought I’d dig deep with one of my favorite Jamaican artists and LPs.  Reggae Got Soul is often obscured by the various versions of Funky Kingston and perhaps understandably so since the latter (which in the US included tracks from the UK album In The Dark) features some all-time classics in “Time Tough,” “Funky Kingston,” and a personal fave “Got To Be There.” But much like John Coltrane’s Crescent (an album often overlooked and obscured under the giant shadow cast by A Love Supreme), Reggae Got Soul is a fantastic LP that deserves to be heard (despite it’s rather crappy cover art) and heard often.

The album begins with “Rastaman,” which is basically a mash-up of two prior big songs for Toots & the Maytals, “Bam-Bam” and “She Will Never Let Me Down,” updated to fit the righteous Rastafarian sentiments of the mid-1970s. What always stood out to me was the way the song begins, with the stately piano notes, the vocals and cymbals, to an ever so funky “blink and it’s gone” break between bass, drums and the seemingly ever present trombone of Rico Rodriguez. It seems so sample worthy, but it’s such a subtle break I doubt anyone will ever do anything with it…

Virtually all the songs are winners, showcasing Toots Hibbert’s soul drenched vocals and great vocal arrangements with the Maytals. The backing band is indeed one of the most soulful reggae outfits, with some very clear influences from Stax and Muscle Shoals, particularly in the guitar lines from “Hux” Brown. I’ve just chosen a couple of my faves, but any of the tracks would more than do. “Premature” is also in some ways a rework of a prior song, kind of a different telling of “Sweet & Dandy,” much more of a cautionary tale, with a super sweet and soulful style (and another nice soul-styled opening break). “Everbody Needs Lovin’” slows the tempo down but that only increases the inherent soul in the overall sound. Top notch material from one of the few groups, particularly at this time, that could have rivaled Bob Marley & the Wailers.

Cheers,

Michael

Ernie K. Doe – Fly Away With Me
Ernie K. Doe – Back Street Lover
Ernie K. Doe – Lawdy Mama

I’m a busy busy little beaver right now, so here’s a quick no-brainer. This is one I don’t come across too often. Ernie K. Doe (real last name = Kador), had a #1 pop hit with his 1961 classic “Mother-In-Law,” but was never able to capture those heights again. This LP didn’t deliver in 1970, though it’s lead track/single “Here Come The Girls” has become one of the most recognizable NOLA Soul songs in recent years.

As big a song as “Here Come The Girls” seems to be today (it’s use in a commercial in 2007 actually took it to the top of the UK charts), it didn’t seem to make that much of a dent in the national charts back in 1970. That’s quite a shame because this is a pretty solid LP of NOLA soul & funk. Produced by Allen Toussaint and featuring what seems to me to be about 3/5′s of the Mighty Meters (Seems like George Porter’s bass and Zig Modeliste’s drums throughout, sometimes the guitar sounds a lot like Leo Nocentelli, but the Neville’s don’t seem to be involved, Toussaint seems to be on the keys here) the album features Ernie K. Doe and the gang in fine funky form on tracks like “Lawdy Mama,” and “Back Street Lover,” and seriously layin’ in the cut on my personal fave, “Fly Away With Me.” Though those are the funkiest, the whole album has a great sound and is the kind of thing most everybody should dig on.

Cheers,

Michael

…and only because it’s one of my all-time favorite NOLA Soul songs, here’s “Here Come The Girls” too!

James Brown – You Mother You
James Brown – Can Mind
James Brown – Sho Is Funky Down Here

How have I not featured this record before??? It’s only my favorite mysterious funky record of all-time. I first heard about it through a mix-tape from the Bay Area’s Funky Riddms where he linked up classic tracks from Hip-Hop’s golden era with the samples. He’d mixed this massive acid rock break with the closing of Main Source’s epic anti-police brutality song “Just A Friendly Game of Baseball” and I just had to know what the original was. Luckily I’d been in the Bay Area long enough to have met Riddm a few times and I was able to track him down and figure out the original. To my shock and dismay he said it was a James Brown break from this LP.

What remains sorta shocking is just how hard this album rocks. It sho is funky, but it’s almost a straight acid rock/blues LP. Not the kind of thing you’d expect in the James Brown catalog. The reason for that is mysterious enough. A number of people who dig this record are convinced that James isn’t really involved with the session at all (aside from a few minor vocals and bit more of a rap on “Sho Is Funky”) and that this is the second “secret” album from the Grodeck Whipperjenny, a psychedelic group out of Cincy that was headed up by David Matthews (and not that OTHER Dave Matthews, no relation at all). I can vaguely remember Matthew Africa intimating as much during a conversation at KALX, that the album was really all David Matthews. While it’s clear from comparing the Grodeck’s only LP to this that it’s the same backing group, I still think there’s a chance that some of the keyboard playing on the LP is from James Brown, sometimes matched up with David Matthews. Some of the lines have that sorta stunted punchy phrasing that James had on the keys, but until someone finally spills the beans about this session we’ll likely never know.

Ultimately I don’t even care, all I care is that the album smokes because of Kenny Poole’s fuzz guitar and the massive drums from Jimmy Madison. The best representation of the sonic fury on this LP is “You Mother You,” I’ve talked about this song before here, and I still haven’t heard many tracks that are heavier than this one, especially when it comes to the break that got flipped by Main Source and even on the first example of sampling JB’s music, by James Brown himself for the rock version of “Talkin’ Loud And Sayin’ Nothing.” Massive Massive Massive! With only 6 tracks, it’s just a shame there weren’t more sides from this session, but who knows, somewhere there might be a few instrumental tracks related to this LP and this band.

One other thing that really surprises me about this album, is how Grand Pupa pulled the sample for “One For All” from “Can Mind” off this record.

Even after I knew “Can Mind” was the break I couldn’t seemingly never find it in the song. Eventually I realized that he pulled it by taking the final note from the organ and the few seconds of clean drums that follow to make that loop. It’s almost like a secret break, which is fitting given the “secret” nature of the LP. Fantastic anyway you cut it.

Cheers,

Michael

Excerpt from Max Parker’s Al Tocar Diana: Songs From A Franco Prison

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the Spanish Civil War. On the radio show I’m currently doing a two special on the music of the spanish civil war, chief amongst the many things that I was able to track down was this album. Max Parker fought in Spain as a member of the Abraham Lincoln brigade, the US contingent of the International Brigades, some 40,000 men and women from over 50 countries who left their own countries to fight in Spain against the rising tide of Fascism. Parker’s LP is one of the most hearfelt things I’ve ever heard, a first person account of a truly “Good” fight. Many thanks to Henry Slucki to letting me borrow his copy of this album in order to play it during my special and consequently to be able to share it with you here on Melting Pot.

{Update 8-22-2011: I’d originally planned on having these be temporary, but I’ve changed my mind…I’ll leave these up as long as the blog keeps truckin’ along}

As promised, here are our anniversary mixes, with my Top 20 tracks from each of the first two years of Melting Pot…Dig on it!!!

Melting Pot’s Deepest Digs Volume 1

Tracklisting:

1. Boris Gardiner – Melting Pot – Is What’s Happening (Dynamic)
2. Sugar Billy – Too Much Too Soon – Super Duper Love (Fast Track)
3. Ken Boothe – Time Passage – Everything I Own (Trojan)
4. Yuzo Kayama – Violet Sky – All About Yuzo Kayama (Toshiba)
5. The Corporation – India (excerpt) – The Corporation (Capitol)
6. Rotary Connection – Life Could – Aladdin (Cadet Concept)
7. Toni Tornado – Me Libertei – Toni Tornado (Odeon)
8. The Inner Drive – Party Man – 7″ (Zodiac)
9. The Soul Runners – Green Thump – 7″ (Patches)
10. The Purpose – Dustcracks, Bugs & Roaches – The Purpose Is… (ABC)
11. Roberto Carlos – Nao Vou Ficar – Roberto Carlos (CBS)
12. The U.S. Apple Corps – Don’t Do Me Nothing – Let The Music Take Your Mind (Plantation)
13. Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation – Memory Of Pain – Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation (Blue Thumb)
14. Gal Costa – Hotel Das Estrellas – Le Gal (Phillips)
15. Barry Goldberg – Sittin’ In Circles – Reunion (Buddah)
16. Eva Pilarová – Vážky – Eva (Supraphon)
17. U.S. 69 – I’m On My Way (Patch Of Blue) – Yesterday’s Folks (Buddah)
18. Philip Cohran & the Artistic Heritage Ensemble – Unity – Philip Cohran & the Artistic Heritage Ensemble (Zulu)
19. Leigh Stephens – Another Dose Of Life – Red Weather (Phillips)
20. Cactus – You Can’t Judge A Book By The Cover – Cactus (Atco)

Melting Pot’s Deepest Digs Volume 2

Tracklisting:

1. Gil Scott Heron & Brian Jackson – Offering – First Minute Of A New Day (Arista)
2. Antonio Carlos e Jocafi – Hipnose – Voce Abusou (RCA)
3. The Battered Ornaments – Crosswords and the Safety Pins – Mantle-Piece (Harvest)
4. The Pretty Things – Cries From The Midnight Circus – Parachute (Rare Earth)
5. Jeffrey Simmons – Naked Angels Theme – Naked Angels: Original Soundtrack (Straight)
6. Marilia Pera – Shirley Sexy – O Cafona: Original Soundtrack (Som Livre)
7. Juan Pablo Torres y Algo Nuevo – Pastel En Descarga – Super Son (Arieto)
8. Sound Foundation – Soul Foundation – Sound Foundation (Smobro)
9. Jun Mayuzumi – Black Room – 7″ (Capitol)
10. Clarence Reid – Masterpiece – 7″ (Alston)
11. Freddie Robinson – Off The Cuff – Off The Cuff (Enterprise)
12. Franciene Thomas – Too Beautiful To Be Good – 7″ (Tragar)
13. Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra – Returning To The Stars – Chariots Of The Gods: Original Soundtrack (Polydor)
14. Andrew Hill – Illusion – One For One (Blue Note)
15. Elis Regina – Andança – Elis, Como E Porque (Phillips)
16. Asha Bhonsle & Suresh Wadkar – Yeh Hewa Yey Fiza – Sadma: Original Soundtrack (CBS)
17. Ray Camacho Group – Si Se Puede – Salsa Chicana (Californio/Luna)
18. Rastus – Sailin’ Easy – Rastus (GRT)
19. Arnold Bean – I Can See Through You – Cosmic Bean (SSS International)
20. Rahsaan Roland Kirk – Bright Moments – Bright Moments (Atlantic)

Mirtha y Raul – Ya No Habran Raices
Mirtha y Raul – Rosas De Algodon
Mirtha y Raul – El Gran Sol Como Testigo Se Quedo

For our first Dig Deep of year #3 I wanted to REALLY dig deep and present one of my favorite gems, Mirtha y Raul’s self-titled record on the Cuban label Arieto. I first heard this on volume 2 of Waxing Deep’s excellent series, Si, Para Usted which has shined a light on the far too obscured, though really quite fabulous, Cuban music scene of the 1970s. The Waxing Deep folks had the great sense to include “El Sueno De Andria” on that compilation, a swirling bit of tasty psychedelica that features a fantastic breakdown that reminds me quite a bit of the break on McDonald & Giles “Tomorrow’s People” (Which given the fact I’m pretty sure this record came out 2 years prior to that one, I wonder if M & G sampled M & R…). Because of the really very silly, at this point particularly, embargo of Cuba, records like these are very very very difficult to run across in the States (though I’ve never been to Miami, perhaps they turn up there in the center of all things Cuban-American). I tracked this one down by sheer luck from a dealer in Japan.

Mirtha Y Raul were in some ways kind of like Sonny & Cher, with the heights reversed and a much funkier backing group. They even hosted a youth program called “Buenas Tardes” and seem to have been very instrumental in spreading this brand of rock/pop in Cuba. On this album the duo is backed up primarily by a Cuban rock group, Los Bucaneros. I really hope that group was able to record an album by themselves, cause they are really fantastic, rocking when they need to be with shades of psych, soul, tropicalia and that unique style that is Cuba. For me, there are times where the poppy nature of the vocals gets in the way of really taut 1960s rock & soul music, but at the same time, part of the appeal of songs like “Rosas De Algodon” and “El Gran Sol” is the way the vocals interplay with the music. Some of that may also be that they’re singing in Spanish, I can imagine that if they’d been a standard bubblegum pop group from the US in that same period I wouldn’t even bother. Then again, when you’ve got such great punchy drums and layers of rhythm from bass, piano and psychedelic sitar-like guitars, as you do on “Ya No Habran Raices” it’s hard not just to go with it all and nod your head. When the horns are added, as they are on the other two tracks I’ve posted here, it’s late 1960s rhythmic heaven for me and likely you too.

Cheers,

Michael

Here’s a clip from the Cuban TV show “Buenas Tardes” that uses the break from “Sueno” as intro music and gives a better sense of the duo’s style. Plus, there’s a really swanky “performance” of “Rosas De Algodon”…Way Groovy:

And just because I do seriously love this song, here’s “El Sueno De Andria” which is on this record and Si, Para Usted Vol. 2:

Most DJs I know won’t buy a record unless it’s in at least VG condition. There’s nothing more deflating than digging through crates and crates of 45s, finding a super rare gem and then putting the needle to record and hearing nothing but massive surface noise, distorted vocals and groove disrupting pops, clicks and scratches. Sometimes though I have to admit I appreciate a record that will play straight through but has a lot of snap, crackle and pop as it goes. It’s part of what gives vinyl it’s distinctive sound and part of what continues to make it the most endearing of the various means of recorded music. Crackly vinyl tells a story, you might not know the full story, what exactly happened to the record, but you know SOMETHING happened to give that record it’s extra crispy catfish frying sound. In my mind I like to think the original owners simply played the 45 so much it wore out, that was certainly the case with some 45s in the Barnes Family…For this 45 edition I thought I’d focus on some of my dustier tracks, in my opinion all top shelf material even if none of them are super super rare. It’s also worth noting that the total price for all four of these 45s was $5 and when I bought these records they sounded considerably worse that this, but a little cleaning makes them listenable while retaining all the “character” of the 45.

This one is probably in the best shape of this bunch, though the condition is not great it doesn’t get in the way of what is a truly dynamite song. Jurassic 5 fans surely recognize this (or the instrumental version at least) as the bedrock sample for “Quality Control”. As much as I love the instrumental, I love this vocal version even more. It adds some extra horns and Reid’s lyrics and performance just knock it out of the park, especially the way he exclaims, “Masterpiece!” throughout the song. This one is a legit $50-100 record, but I scored it for $3 at Records LA.

If “Masterpiece” sounds the best of these four, “Campbell Lock” is probably in the worst condition, especially on the vocal version. I thought about posting the instrumental version, but I love the vocal version so much I had to run with it, even with the mild distortion in addition to the scratchiness. I was super stoked to come across this one at Bagatelle, super deflated when I actually got it out of its sleeve and on a turntable, but for $1 I couldn’t pass on this one. Don “Soul Train” Campbell is so named because he was on Soul Train in the early 1970s, and he is indeed one of the original Poppers/Lockers from out her in Los Angeles. Classic tune from a legendary dancer.

I’m really fond of mid-1960s soul instrumentals, “Twine Time” being one of the best of those post “Green Onions” tracks to hit the soul charts before things got real funky in 1967/1968. Aside from the “Ooh-Aah’s” of the opening, it’s that slinky rhythm with just a bit of “Tramp” in it and those boss horns that make this one such a winner. A real late night strutter of a track for sure. This one was in such sorry shape I actually got it for free from Bagatelle. I stay on the lookout for a clean copy of this one, if nothing more so I can hear the handclaps and finger snaps a bit clearer, but at the same time I like how this copy sounds almost as gritty as the actual song.

James Brown penned and Hank Ballard performed, “Blackenized” is a serious call (though delivered mostly tongue-in-cheek) for Black people to get their self-respecting act together over a seriously mellow groove. Despite the condition there was no way I could pass this one up, especially since it ended up costing me only $1. By far my favorite line is one of the closers, “you don’t have to be like an Oreo cookie brother, black on the outside and white on the inside,” if only cause I had no idea “Oreo” went all the way back to the 1960s. I figured it had to have come out of the post-Cosby show 1980s. Thinking about these lyrics, I wish someone had the guts to record a track like this for the current generation who thinks “Blackness” is all about being a hyper-masculine “thug,” mainly since that’s largely the only images of Black masculinity we get in mainstream media…I could go on and on and on, on that front, but that would require me startin’ a whole ‘nuther blog folks.

Eddie Palmieri – Condiciones Que Existen
Eddie Palmieri – Puerto Rico
Eddie Palmieri – Cosas Del Alma

I run into this album from Eddie Palmieri a fair amount, I think both copies I’ve owned have come from Amoeba, first at Berkeley, more recently in Hollywood. It’s a bridge album in some ways for Palmieri, with his sound moving away from the more experimental and visionary work he’d been laying down with Harlem River Drive and his bands at the beginning of the 1970s and into a more refined salsa-jazz style. As such it features a bit of everything, but everything here is really quite fantastic.

“Condiciones Que Existen” sounds just like a outtake from the Harlem River Drive sessions, especially with its easy funky vibe. I know most DJs who pick up this album wish the whole album was full of latin-funk like this, but the fact that its not just make this track more expectional. Besides, if the album had been an all latin-funk jam, we wouldn’t have maybe the single best salsa anthem for Puerto Rico, “Puerto Rico.” I know there are other salsa tracks from this period of time that are more well known, but I’m not sure there’s one that’s more anthemic than this one. When those horns hit and start to swing I get chills every time. The song is so good I feel proud for Puerto Ricans even though I’m not even remotely Puerto Rican! No matter your ethnic affinity, it’s hard not to feel it once that chorus “Isla Linda y Preciosa, Fabulosa, Para Mi Casa” comes in. Fabulosa indeed.

I could have chosen the truly epic salsa-jazz number “Adoracion” but instead I’ve gone with what is probably more in the bolero style, “Cosas Del Alma.” Normally when bolero latin slow-jam tracks like this turn up on a record I can’t pick the needle up quick enough. “Alma” however has this really lovely opening, almost like something you’d expect on a Bud Shank/Laurindo Almeida record from 1960, just gorgeous stuff. The use of electric guitar in particular throughout the track keeps that feel going and elevates it above other similarly romantically styled songs. Great sound and great playing throughout from truly one of the greatest.

Cheers,

Michael