Little Things Radio ep8 June 2011

Tracklist...

Cannonball Adderley - Mercy, Mercy, Mercy (Capitol)

Soul Survivors - Explosion In Your Soul (Crimson)

Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Band - I've Got Love (Warner Brothers)

Eddie Floyd - Bring It On Home To Me (Stax)

Senor Soul - It's Your Thing (Whiz)

Rimshots - Save That Thing (A1)

Wisdom - Nefertiti (Adelia)

The Esquires - Girls In The City (Lamarr)

The Incredibles - Crying Heart (Audio Arts)

The Fantastic Four - Ain't Love Wonderful (Ric-Tic)

Bettye Swann - Lonely Love (Money)

The Dells - There Is (Cadet)

Marvin Gaye - Gonna Give Her All The Love I've Got (Tamala)

Betty Wright - I Love The Way You Love (Alston)

The Fuzz - I Love You For All Seasons (Calla)

The Continental 4 - Day By Day (Jay-Walking)

Brothers Of Soul - Guess That Don't Make Me A Loser (Boo)

Johnny and the Expressions - Now That You're Mine (Josie)

Kim Weston - Nobody (MGM)

Bobby Bland - Rockin' In The Same Old Boat (Duke)

Kendra Lou and the Miracles - Be Kind To Your Mind (Red Astaire Remix) (Wah Wah 45's)

Tour Eiffel vs Wu Tang Clan - Le Hipe Hope (Tour Eiffel)

Sonny J - Disastro (EMI)

Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes - The Love I Lost pt1 (Philadelphia International)

The Intruders - I'll Always Love My Mama (Gamble) 

Skyy - Here's To You (Salsoul)

 

Download Link...

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5D5A35SL

The Incredibles - Crying Heart

   Writer, producer and singer Cal Wayman got his start in music singing folk songs in the legendary Grenwich Village coffee houses of the 1960's. He returned to his native Los Angeles in 1966 and formed the soul vocal group The Incredibles with Carl Gilbert and Jean Smith. Alda Denise Erwin later joined the group but didn't appear on this single. Don Rae Simpson was another later member.

  "I'll Make It Easy (if you'll come on home)" was a moderate success (no.39 in the R&B charts) they followed this up with another ballad "Heart and Soul" which also sold fairly well. They released several other singles like "Miss Treatment" and "There's Nothing Left To Say" which didn't do as well commercially but are now sought after collectors items.

Brothers Of Soul - Guess That Don't Make Me A Loser

   I knew nothing about the Brothers Of Soul before I started researching them for the blog. I was shocked to find out how many of my favorite soul records were written, produced, or featured vocals by this legendary trio. Fred Bridges, Richard Knight and Robert Eaton began working together in 1967. Over a four year period they would collaborate on over 50 tracks. They wrote songs for many legends of soul such as Ruby Andrews, The Chairmen Of The Board, Darrell Banks, Sandra Phillips, Little Carl Carlton, J.J. Barnes, Johnny Taylor etc.  Labels they worked for include Stax, Zodiac, La Beat, Groovesville, Epic, Volt, Invictus, Aquarious, Back Beat, Duo, Mutt, Drew, Okeh, and many more. 

   Brothers of Soul was the name they chose to release their own material under. They came up with the name during the 67 riots in Detroit. Many local business owners wrote "soul brother" on their shop fronts in the hope that looters wouldn't rob or vandalise their premises. Fred Bridges played with the words and came up with the Brothers Of Soul.

   They released several 45's on the Boo imprint, a label that was set up by Ricardo Williams (owner of the Zodiac label) specifically to showcase the groups work. "I Guess That Don't Make Me A Loser" was the groups best selling record hitting no.32 in the R&B charts. 

    Bridges, Knight, and Eaton's song writing talent left a huge stamp on the soul of the late 60's. It's a shame they don't get the recognition they deserve.

Johnny and the Expressions - Now That You're Mine   

    Not a lot of info about these guys online, and the info that is there seems dodgy and unconfirmed. Some websites claim lead singer Johnny Mathews was actually Johnny Wyatt of Rochell and the Candles, while others say this is unlikely. 

    What we do know is the group released three very decent 45's for the Josie label over a 2 year period in the mid 60's before fading into obscurity. 

   "Now That You're Mine" is a moody ballad that I'm almost positive has been sampled in Hip Hop but I'm drawing a blank on the artist. If any of you have any idea leave a comment below, it's driving me nuts! The b-side "Shy Girl" is a nice mid-tempo tune that wouldn't sound out of place in a Northern set.

The Fuzz - I Love You For All Seasons

   The Fuzz were an all girl trio out of Washington D.C. Originally called The Passionettes, the group released two singles under that name before they signed with the New York based Calla label in 1971 and changed the name to The Fuzz. "I Love You For All Seasons" was their first single on the label and sold quite well. Another 7" and an album followed. 

  The group split ways in 1972 which is a shame as I'm sure they had plenty of great music left in them. Everything they released as The Fuzz or as The Passionettes was of a very high quality. The group wrote all their own material (Sheila Young being the main songwriter) and they weren't bad to look at either! They ticked all the boxes but for whatever reason things just didn't work out. 

Kim Weston - Nobody

   While Kim Weston is mostly known for her work on Motown, she also released some excellent material on labels such as MGM and Volt after she and her producer husband left Motown in a dispute over royalties. She never reached the same levels of success that she enjoyed with Berry Gordy and co but she did have a couple hits including "Lift Every Voice And Sing" which was adopted as the black national anthem. Profits from the single were donated to the United Negro College Fund. 

  These days she works as a DJ for a Michigan radio station and continues to tour occasionally (usually with former Motown labelmates like Brenda Holloway and Martha Reeves).

   Another fun Kim Weston fact... In 1964 she was offered the song "Dancing In The Streets" but she turned it down.. Oops.

Bettye Swann - Lonely Love

   Following the old cliche of country girl moves to L.A. in search of fame and fortune, Bettye Swann left for California from Louisiana in 1963 while she was still a teenager to pursue a career in music. Within a year of arriving she had managed to secure a deal with the Hollywood based Money label where she released a string of great 45's and an LP over a four year period. Her years on Money were her most successful commercially (and arguably artistically). "Make Me Yours" was her first big hit (no.1 in the R&B charts) but it's the b-side "I Will Not Cry" that gets all the plays around here.  

   In 1968 she moved to Georgia where she signed with Capitol records. Two albums followed. Honest Jon's put out a great compilation a few years back which focussed on her Capitol years. 

   Bettye then signed with Atlantic in 1972 where she finished out the rest of her career. She's been retired from the music industry since 1980.  

   

The Fantastic Four - Ain't Love Wonderful

   Although the Ric-Tic label was home to artists such as Edwin Starr, J.J. Barnes and the Detroit Emeralds, It was the Fantastic Four who were actually the labels best selling artists. They released their first single "Girl Have Pity"/"Live Up To What She Thinks" in 1966. "Girls Have Pity" was a pleasant enough soul ballad but its "Live Up.." that does it for me. The record didn't do well commercially but their subsequent releases sold quite well (Apart from "Can't Stop Looking For My Baby" which is pretty rare and commands a hefty price tag among northern soul collectors). 

   "The Whole World Is A Stage" was the groups biggest hit (no.6 on the R&B charts), but once again, the b-side wins. "Ain't Love Wonderful" is a classic piece of northern soul that absolutely kills on the dance floor.    

    In 1968 Berry Gordy bought out the Ric-Tic imprint, which was how the Fantastic Four ended up on the Motown subsidiary label Soul where they released a few new 45's and an LP (which was basically a collection of their older Ric-Tic singles). They left the label in 1970. 

   Things were quiet for the group until 1975 when they signed a deal with Westbound and found a new following with the disco crowd through songs like "Alvin Stone(Birth and Death of a Gangster)" and "B.Y.O.F. (Bring Your Own Funk)".

Tour Eiffel vs Wu Tang Clan - Le Hipe Hope

   French producer Minimatic dropped this nice little mash up back in 2008. A Wu Tang accapella over uptempo boogaloo beats may seem like a strange fit but this works really well. Great party record. Bonus points for the 70's boobage on the cover too.

   If you didn't know Wu Tang are coming to Cork on the 30th of this month. The big question is how many of them will actually show up. Rza isn't involved in this tour and videos of recent shows are missing Raekwon and Inspektah Deck too. While it would be nice to have a full line up, realistically, that was never going to happen. I'm happy enough to see Ghostface, Meth, Gza and crew, anything more is a bonus.

The Rimshots - Save That Thing 

   The Rimshots worked as a house band for Joe and Sylvia Robinson's All Platinum label as well as related labels like Stang and Vibration. The group provided tracks for artists like Hank Ballard, Chuck Jackson and the Moments, while also recording their own material such as this funky interpretation of the Isley Brother's classic, "It's Your Thing". They also released some great disco in the late 70's. 

   

Senor Soul - It's Your Thing

   This is another version of the Isley Brothers classic with a heavy latin touch. 

   Senor Soul was basically War before they were called War. They released several singles and a couple albums under that name before hooking up with Eric Burden and becoming one of the most successful and influential funk bands of the 70's. 

LiveStyles Hip Hop Festival Cork 3rd - 5th of June

  I was going to do a whole feature about the festival and the artist performing but I won't be abel to find the time before it all goes ahead. So for now I'll just give props to Ross, Adam and everyone else involved in the organising of the festival, as well as those performing at the various events around the city this weekend, particularly those who are making the effort to come from over seas.
 Get out there and support this shit..

Little Things Radio ep7 Daptone Records Special

Tracklist...

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - How Long Do I Have To Wait For You (inst) (Daptone)

The Dap-Kings - Casella Walk (Daptone)

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - I'm Not Gonna Cry (Daptone)

Lee Fields and Sugarman and Co. - Stand Up (Daptone)

Menahan Street Band - Bushwick Lullaby (Dunham)

Sharon Jones - I Just Dropped In To See What Condition My Condition Was In (Daptone)

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Make It Good To Me (Daptone)

Binky Griptite - One Time You're Mine (Daptone)

El Michels Affair - Spread Your Soul (Truth and Soul)

El Michels Affair - Glaciers Of Ice (Truth and Soul)

Binky Griptite - You're Gonna Cry (Daptone)

El Michels Affair - C.R.E.A.M. (Truth and Soul)

Rare Earth - Born To Wander (Rare Earth)

The Flaming Ember - Mind, Body and Soul (Hot Wax)

The Rascals - My World (Atlantic)

Brian Hyland - Gypsy Woman (UNI)

Bob Dylan - Lay Lady Lay (Columbia)

Ocean - Put Your Hand In The Hand (Kama Sutra)

Rhetta Hughes - Light My Fire (Tetragrammaton)

The Honey Cone - Want Ads (Hot Wax)

Esther Phillips - Home Is Where The Hatred Is (Kudu)

The Brothers Johnson - Strawberry Letter 23 (A+M)

Marvin Gaye - Sexual Healing (inst) (Columbia)

Rappers Rapp Group - Rappers Rapp Theme (Rappers Rapp Disco Co.)

Madlib - Track Two (Stones Throw)

Manipulate and Thresh - Heavy Karma (Nause Corps)

Download Link... 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=MX8ETT3J

  Without a doubt one of my favorite labels of the last ten years, Daptone are living proof that you can have success in the music industry on your own terms. They make the music they want to hear, totally disregarding any current musical trends, and yet somehow have the majors knocking on their door rather than having to chase after them. 

  Founded by producer/musician Gabriel Roth and sax player/songwriter Neal Sugarman, Daptone was born out of the demise of Desco Records in the late 90's. Its home to artists like Sharon Jones, Charles Bradley, The Sugarman Three, Lee Fields, The Budos Band, The Poets Of Rhythm, Binky Griptite, and many more.

  Both Roth and Sugarman have had more than their fair share of set backs in the making of Daptone. In the early days of the label, Daptone had a distribution deal with Caroline Distribution. The Label was too small for a direct deal, so they had to go through a broker. Daptone's first two albums were selling fairly well and they were owed quite a bit of money. Figuring their check was on the way they signed a lease on a run down building in Bushwick Brooklyn and began work on what would become their studio.

  Of course the money wasn't on the way. The distribution company had paid the broker but the broker went under leaving Daptone with a half built studio and no money to finish the job. Unable to afford plumbers, electricians, etc they did the work themselves with help from the label's artists, family and friends. This shabby building in Bushwick is the same place where most of the music for  Amy Winehouse's Back To Black album was later recorded.

  

   Daptone's authentic soul sound can be credited to several things. First and foremost is the musicians themselves. While all of them can really, really play, alot of what gives them that classic sound is knowing when to play less. Gabriel Roth once wrote in an article for Big Daddy magazine that "If you can't get into the idea of playing one chord for a whole song, put down this magazine immediately and go and find yourself a nice Beatles song book." Real Talk.

  It was through this way of thinking that Roth began playing bass. Originally a drummer, He decided to try his hand at bass when he couldn't find anyone who wanted to play in the simple way he felt the music required. He continues to play bass with the Dap-Kings to this day. 

  Then of course, there's the Studio. Believe it or not, there is no computer in their Brooklyn studio. It's completely analogue. Everything is recorded on to tape machines, and the music is often mixed on an 8 track desk. Why would anyone want to record this way in 2011? Roth says its all about creating an environment that will bring the most out of the musicians. When you're working with computers you can record again and again until you're happy with what you've done, or alternatively you can just edit a flawed take, but it's not as easy as that when you're dealing with tape. Each take is costing you money and any editing needs to be done with a razor blade. Roth claims this pressure brings out the best in the players. "The sound you want really is coming from the musicians, and when guys have played together for a while its not a strain to get a good a good sound."

   The 8 track desk means a lot of the mixing needs to be done before any recording begins. They've used 16 and 24 track desks in the studio before but Roth continually goes back to the 8 track. Its a strange method but its what he's comfortable with and more importantly, It's working. The raw music created this way has major labels calling for a piece of Daptone's authentically retro sound.

   The label continues to grow with every release. Its common these days to hear music by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings in major Hollywood films or in television ads. Hip Hop artists such as Jay Z and Rhymefest are also sampling from the label's catalogue. 

  As commercial music becomes increasingly electronic its good to know there's still a place for Daptone's gritty soul in popular culture. I believe there always will be.

  Esther Phillips began her career at just 14 years of age when she was discovered at a talent competition by Johnny Otis in 1949. Recording under the name "Little" Esther Phillips, the young singer released a string of hits throughout the early 50's before her drug problems got the better of her and she disappeared from the spotlight. 

   Rediscovered in 1962 by Kenny Rogers, Esther dropped the "Little" from her name and released some very successful country records for the Lenox label before eventually signing with Atlantic.

   Despite her success in the 60's she continued to struggle with her heroine addiction. Gil Scott Heron's classic song of addiction "Home Is Where The Hatred Is" obviously meant quite a bit to her personally, and her cover comes from a very real place. This shows in the recording. The "From A Whisper To A Scream" album which this song featured on was nominated for a Grammy in 1972. Aretha Franklin won the award but later gave it to Phillips claiming she deserved to have won. 

  Esther continued to record throughout the 70's and early 80's for the Kudu and Mercury labels before passing away in 1984 of kidney and liver failure, no doubt caused by her years of drug abuse. The funeral service was conducted by her old friend and mentor Johnny Otis.

 

   

  "Light My Fire" is one of those songs that seems to have been covered by just about everyone in the late 60's. Of all the versions I've heard over the years Rhetta Hughes' soulful cover remains my favorite. The album this 7" was taken from isn't an easy find. You can expect to pay at least 50 euro for any copy you're lucky enough to come across. 

  This is a pretty corny Christian record thats only really worth talking about for the opening drum break which has been sampled by People Under The Stairs, DJ Shadow and more. Its not at all rare, in fact it sold over a million copies and turns up in bargain bins everywhere. Still.. worth a couple quid for the drums.

  Bit strange to see a Christian record on a label called Kama Sutra though..

  The Brothers Johnson are in fact brothers. George and Louis Johnson formed the band while the were still in school. Originally called The Johnson Three Plus One, the group then included their older brother Tommy and cousin Alex Wier (who would later go on to work with the Talking Heads and the Tom Tom Club).

   The Brothers backed many legendary artists on stage including the Supremes, Bobby Womack and Billy Preston, but their career really took off when George and Louis were asked to play on Quincy Jones' "Mellow Madness" album. Quincy remained a close collaborator throughout their career producing album after album for the group. On their debut "Look Out For No.1" the group is even listed as "Quincy Jones presents.. The Brothers Johnson"

    "Strawberry Letter 23" was written by Shuggie Otis for his 1972 album "Freedom Flight". Years later George Johnson was dating a cousin of Shuggie's when he discovered the album, which eventually led to the cover. The Brothers Johnson's version ended up selling much better than Shuggie's original. The song continues to find new and younger audiences through it's use in film, television, and sampling. Quincy Jones recorded the song again last year with Akon on vocal duties. It sucked. 

   Madlib is an artist that often seems to be at the center of heated debates. He has a large die-hard fan base that seem to think everything he cobbles together is genius, while others wish he'd employ a bit of quality control to the hoards of releases he spits out continually. It's true he's had his fair share of duds, but there's no question he's made some incredible music over the years and I'd imagine he will be regarded as one hip hop's best producers by future generations. 

   This E.P. is a collection of songs recorded between 1997 and 1999. I'm not too fond of the idea of trying to put 6 songs on one 7" but there are some nice moments on here. 

   Rappers Rapp Group is quite possibly the worst name in the history of music. Thankfully they realised this and renamed the group Dark Star in 1983. The labels name is similar but even worse if you can believe it, Rappers Rapp Disco Co. Discoco? Jesus... Despite the unfortunate titles they released some excellent music and have an interesting place in hip hop history. The label's first release "The Gigolo Rapp" by Disco Daddy and Capt. Rapp, was the very first West Coast hip hop release. DJ Flash of the Rappers Rapp Group was the first white hip hop artist to be signed to a major label, and "Sexy Baby" by Dark Star was the West Coast's first full length hip hop LP. Everyone from Dr. Dre to Jurassic 5 owes a debt to these pioneers. 

Guest Mix and Special Feature on Manchester's Beatn'Rhythm Records from The Boy Jazz

   For those that don't know, Jazz was half of the team that brought us the pheonominal "Africa Brazil" night in the Pavillion, which focused on music from (you guessed it) Africa and Brazil. He ran it successfully with his digging partner Jeremy Murphy for over 6 months, bringing some amazing DJs to Cork along the way including legendary afro-beat collector and dealer, Frank Gossner. 

   Open minded music fans all over the city were disappointed when the boys announced they were putting the night on hold while they went traveling. Jeremy ended up (fittingly enough) in Brazil while Jazz stuck a little closer to home, by going to Manchester. 

   He's been good enough to do a whole feature for the blog based around Beatin'Rhythm Records, a local Manchester shop that specialises in the little things that this blog is all about. Plenty of excellent photos, a few words and a great mix made completely from 45's he's picked up in the shop. 

   Big thanks to you Sir! Hope to see you back around these parts soon... 

   

Tucked in a back street of Manchester's scruffy but vibrant Northern Quarter lies every diggers Aladdin's Cave.

The walls are stacked floor to ceiling with thousands of original 45's of funk, soul, gospel, doo wop, jazz, breaks, psych and more.

The store has been going in one form or another since 1990 and has been in its current location since October.

The owners Carl and Derek are seriously knowledgeable and the customers are mostly made up of an older crowd. This being the North of England there is a fairly heavy Northern Soul connection here with some 45's going for up to £500. You don't need to rob the bank to shop here though as the prices are really spread around. As well as the usual genres there are a couple of great sections for diggers. Wonderful One Offs, Breakbeats and Future Samples are where I tend to rummage through every Saturday morning. Carl reviews lots of the tunes and his write ups are just a blast (Check photo below).

As we are all aware record shops nowadays are struggling, so to come to a city and find a shop only selling 98% OG 45 stock  - and surviving is a joy.

The mix here is of tunes bought in Beatn'Rhythm  - all OG's except where you see this (R)

Enjoy and if any of you find yourselves this way give me a shout because there are other vinyl gems around this city..

1 Peter Sellers - A drop of the Hard Stuff  (Parlophone)

2 Les McCann - Spanish Onions  ( Audition)

3 Cal Tjader - The Fakir (Verve)

4 Gabor Szabo - Spellbinder (Impulse)

5 Latimore - Stormy Monday (Glades)

6 Nina Simone - Central Park Blues - (Bethlem)

7 Benny Goldson - Killer Joe (AM)

8 Wayne Bennett - Casanova ( Giant

9 Booker T - Melting Pot (Stax)

10 African Music Machine - Black Water Gold ( Soul Power)

11 Joe Cuba - El Pito (Vampi) R

12 Har-You - Welcome to the Party (Jazzman) R

13 The LA Power and Light - Lets Spend Some Time Together (Shake)

14 Jimmy Randolph - Let's Work Together (Rama)

15 Glass Family - Smoke Your Troubles Away (Ear Hole)

16 Hollywood Persuaders - Drums a go go (Origin)

17 Bob and Earl - Harlem Shuffle (Allied)

18 Mel Torne - Comin home baby ( London Atlantic)

http://soundcloud.com/theboyjazz/beat-n-rhythm

Sunday Times...

   While most regular nights in Cork would be doing well to last 6 months, John Hennessy and Barry Walsh's monthly "Sunday Times" isn't far off it's second birthday. Their ability to draw consistently good crowds and create a fun atmosphere without compromising their music policy has people wondering how exactly they pull this off. Any success they've had has to be put down to the hard work the lads have put into the night from day one (I say "night" but that's not really a fair description considering they kick things off around 4 in the afternoon). 

  Every month John and Barry go to the trouble of decorating the entire pub with random posters, vintage record players, reel to reel tape machines, bowls made of melted vinyl, decorated wine bottles, etc, etc.. Knowing how annoying it can be to just bring two decks, a mixer, and some records into a bar, I have the upmost respect for the lads for continually making the effort to bring the little extras that make their night unique. 

   They do a lot more than just decorate though. An Realt Dearg got nice new sound system earlier in the year, but before they did, John and Barry went into their own pockets to rent quality amp and speakers each month. Clear sound has always been a top priority for both of them. They also provide great food (I'm not talking about sausages and chicken nuggets). Think bbq, sushi, pizza, freshly baked cakes, etc.. and it's often free of charge. 

    The lads are equally hard working when it comes to promotion. They maintain a great website/blog (www.sundaytimessoundsystem.com) with regular mixes and other random writings, photos, etc related to the night, as well as the usual social network/forum/flyer work. 

    All these extra touches are nice, but what "Sunday Times" is really all about is the music. John and Barry both fall into the category of obsessive collectors when it comes to vinyl. All the decorations, food, websites, etc are provided in the hope that they can share these records with you, and maybe make you dance. 

   

While "Sunday Times" would have to be considered one of the most successful monthly nights in Cork, this wasn't always the case. I played with the lads at two of their early nights, I think I was their first guest actually.. (correct me if I'm wrong boys). The first time I joined them we pulled a crowd of about 8 people. I don't remember any of us being too disappointed, we play obscure music (most of which is over 30 years old) in Cork... this obviously wasn't the first time any of us had played to an empty room. So we just saw it as an opportunity to have a few drinks and listen to some great music with a couple friends. The numbers may be more these days but the attitude towards the night remains the same. 

   The lads invited me to play with them again the following month. There was a much better crowd this time around. It was far from packed, but there have been few times I've enjoyed DJing as much. It was quickly becoming clear that the lads had something special.

   Almost 2 years later it's amazing to see how far the night has come. Most of the best DJ's in the city, and many from around the country, have played up there at some point. John Daly, Greg Dowling, Stevie G, Lunar Disco DJ's, and Colm K, are just a few of the names who have played over the last couple years. The success of the monthly night has also got John and Barry gigs around the country and last year they were even invited to play in Berlin. 

    As I'm sure it does to many, the night means quite a bit to me personally. I've had some of my favorite nights DJing in there. My brother has been a regular fixture of the night as well, either as a DJ, running his Hobo Records stall, or as a drunken spectator. My parents have made it several times and are fans of the atmosphere, even my son has made a few daytime appearances!  For us "Sunday Times" is indeed a family affair. 

   So I'm delighted to be playing with the boys once again on Easter Sunday. It will be a Little Things Radio special, meaning of course that I'll be playing nothing but 45's. It's a bank holiday weekend too so there will be an extra hours drinking time and no worries about work the following morning! This could get messy...

    

Little Things Radio ep6 April 2011

Tracklist...

Marvin Holmes and the Uptights - Ooh Ooh The Dragon pt1 (uni)

Earl Van Dyke and the Soul Brothers - I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Hunny Bunch) (soul)

Shorty Long - Night Fo' Last (soul)

Kool and the Gang - Funky Man (blue elephant)

Sly and the Family Stone - Sing A Simple Song (epic)

Jean Knight - Mr. Big Stuff (stax)

Don Julian and the Larks - Shorty The Pimp pt1 (money)

Sugar Billy - Super Duper Love pt1 (fast track)

Booker T. and the M.G.'s - Soul Clap '69 (stax)

Rufus Thomas - The Breakdown pt1 (stax)

The Family - Family Affair (north bay)

Ripple - A Funky Song (grc)

Betty Davis - If I'm In Luck, I Might Get Picked Up (just sunshine)

The Kinks - Such A Shame (reprise)

Donovan - Sunshine Superman (epic)

Supergrass - St. Petersburg (parlophone)

Jane's Addiction - Been Caught Stealing (warner brothers)

Dot.Matic - The City (record breakin')

Deviant - Shoes Not Not / Vain (Glorious) (alphabet set)

Dirk Thornton - Catwalk (all city)

Edan - Sagittarius Rapp (now-again)

Anita Ward - Ring My Bell (juana)

Carl Carlton - She's A Bad Mama Jama (20th century fox)

Tony Troutman - Do It Right (t main) 

Download Link...

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5E34A48P

  First things first.. Let me give an ol' tip of the cap to the good people at Plugd records who have just re-opened their shop at the Triskel Arts Centre on Tobin Street, fittingly enough on Record Store Day, April 16th. The new shop looks amazing. There's a music venue and cafe on the premises, which will please my wife who spent plenty of time at the old location patiently waiting while I listened to whatever was new in that week. 

  At a time when record shops all over world are closing their doors, it's a beautiful thing to see one re-open. This year alone has seen Dublin lose two landmark shops, City Discs and Comet. Thankfully the lads at Plugd seem confident that they can make the shop work, and they're excited about giving it another shot.

  I won't go on a rant about Plugd's importance to Cork's music scene, This has been done many times by people much better equipped for the job than myself, I'll just say welcome back.. you were missed.

   So pop in to check out the new location and give them some of your money. They really, really deserve it.

  The Community Skratch Games is pretty much the highlight of the year on Ireland's Hip Hop calendar. This month will mark the 5th year of the mini scratch festival which takes place over 4 days in Galway. Turntablism in general may be dying a slow death, but a group of talented DJ's, producers, musicians, and artists in the west of Ireland are keeping the best parts of the scene alive and interesting. 

  The Community Skratch Crew have brought their unique take on Hip Hop culture to the UK and other cities around Europe over the last couple years. Their releases on the Nozl Recordings label (most of which are available for free download) have been getting a lot of attention lately and they've just started a great podcast that's already 3 episodes deep. Keep up with all their goings on at www.nozlrecordings.com

  

This year the games will begin on Thursday the 21st of April at the G126 gallery where there will be an exhibition of artwork, photography, and design as well as a turntablism showcase and the release of the new Deviant and Naive Ted 12 inch "Send In The Hounds". 

  

   Friday the 22nd will feature a special showing of the landmark turntablism film "Night At The Knitting Factory" also at the G126 gallery. The film documents a legendary night of live performances by the D Styles Sextet and Ned Hoddings. This show, and the D Styles album "Phantazmagorea" represent a crossroads in turntablism where competition takes a back seat to making coherent and beautiful scratch based music. 

   Don't miss this rare opportunity to see this important piece of turntablism history on a big screen with a nice sound system.

  The highlight of the weekend is always Saturday's Open Freestyle Battle Royal in the Bierhaus which attracts incredible turntablists from all over Europe. It's a different format to the average DJ competition. A loop is played, each DJ gets a minute show their skills, after each round the weakest competitor is voted off, the beat is changed, and it all starts again.

  What's most interesting about this competition is that despite high level of talent involved, there is no money for the winner. The only prize is a big bag of raw meat (seriously) which is traditionally cooked up the following morning and shared with the other contestants. This is the Community Skratch Games after all, prize money wouldn't really fit in with the spirit of the festival.  

   If all this sounds like way too much scratching for you, there will be relief in the form of an all 7" James Brown set from Stroller. His set with Jeremy Murphy at last years games was a highlight for me. He's a very entertaining DJ and a dedicated collector. 

  But the fun doesn't stop there.. Sunday at the Bierhaus will be a full day of DJ and producer showcases from some of the country's best beat makers, musicians and emcees. 

  This all might bring up images of alot of pasty, nerdy guys standing around staring at turntables, but there's always a surprisingly fun atmosphere at the games. Anyone with even a passing interest in DJ culture should find plenty to keep themselves entertained.

  

Saturday's Open Freestyle Battle Royal line up..

Chinch 33 (Germany) 

DJ Blood 1 (UK/Swe)

Deceptakut (UK)

Grandeurs Of Delusion (UK)

Fidel Cutstro (UK) 

Jimmy Penguin 

Mikey Fingers 

Tweek

Gondek

Ozz G

Cut Man Doo (POL)

Damien Chmielix (POL)

Moschops

Djackulate

Sunday's Producer Showcase line-up..

Melodica Deathship 

T-Wok

MyNameIsJohn

Mustapha Monde 

Rumbus Merrylegs

Rubble Digits

Dal Kas

Teknique

Deviant and Naive Ted

Chiwawa Studios

Noid The Droid

Laminator

Deviant - Shoes Not Not / Vain (Glorious) 

  And so with that our first featured record comes from the winner of last years CSG Open Freestyle Battle.. Deviant. He's a founding member of both the CSG collective and the turntablist band (if that's the right description) Vince McMahon. This limited red 7" from 2009 is turntable music in it's purest form. To quote the small print on the record itself.. "All music performed and produced by Deviant and Naive Ted using records, turntable, mixer, loop pedal, and software multi-tracker. No programming. No effects."

Sugar Billy - Super Duper Love pt1

  Most will recognise this song from the Joss Stone cover from 2003. She sold quite a few records by taking classic soul tracks like "Super Duper Love" and turning them into a kind of modern pop-soul fusion. Her music wasn't bad, it was all just a bit too.. safe, especially when compared with the source material.  

  This 7" was taken from (Sugar) Billy Garner's first and only album from 1974 (also titled Super Duper Love). His earlier singles for the New Day imprint are serious collectors items. The Gangstarr sampled, break beat classic "I Got Some" seems to be his most sought after 45, often selling for over $500. Guess I'll have to be satisfied with my re-press then...

Marvin Holmes and the Uptights - Ooh Ooh The Dragon pt1

   Singer, guitarist, and songwriter Marvin Holmes is a legend of the Oakland funk scene. In the mid to late 60's the Uptights were the guys to call if you were looking for a tight backing band for hire while in Oakland. They played with many of the greats of the time such as B.B. King, Etta James, Esther Phillips, Hugh Masakela and David Ruffin to name just a few. Holmes would also have his own songs covered and recorded by legends like Buddy Miles and Ike Turner. 

    In the 70's Holmes left the Uptights to form other bands Justice and The Funk Company . He released 2 albums with Justice for the Brown Door label that were modest successes, and in the late 80's and early 90's did some production work for another Bay Area legend.. Too Short!

Betty Davis - If I'm In Luck, I Might Get Picked Up

   Betty Davis has plenty of what the kids would call Swag! Its a mixture of confidence, style, sex appeal, and a bad ass, take no shit attitude, thats both attractive and intimidating. She was Miles Davis' second wife for a brief time, but its said that the year she spent with him was incredibly influential on the trumpet legend. She introduced him to music by artists like Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, which would take his own music in a completely new direction. This influence can be heard clearly on Miles groundbreaking 1969 album Bitches Brew. Miles may have invented jazz fusion, but this probably wouldn't have been possible without Betty. 

   Her own music is mixture funk and rock with a heavy dose of the above mentioned swag. She didn't have the most dynamic vocal range but made up for it with sheer attitude and energy. She released three albums in the early 70's (a fourth was recorded but wasn't released until 2009)

Don Julian and the Larks - Shorty The Pimp

   Don Julian formed the Larks (originally the Meadowlarks) way back in 1952 while they were still in high school. Don was only 14 years of age when the group had their first hit "Heaven And Paradise" The line up of the meadowlarks changed often, only Don Julian would remain a constant member. The group released a string of singles for the Dootone label in the 50's which sold well in southern California. They are also credited as being the first integrated doo wop group.

   During the early 70's the Larks recorded several singles and a very sought after album for the Money label. "Shorty the Pimp" was recorded for the soundtrack to a blaxploitation film of the same name, but the movie never saw a release and the soundtrack was shelved (it eventually got released in the 90's). 

Jane's Addiction - Been Caught Stealing 

  This was a favorite of mine as a kid. It's not the type of thing I usually play so it's fun to drop it in sets every now and again and trip off people's reactions to it. I've always been of the opinion that a really good DJ set requires a couple curve-ball moments!       Jane's Addiction were one of the first success stories of the early 90's "alternative" rock scene. The band formed in 1985. They went through several line up changes before recording their first album in 1988. "Been Caught Stealing" was the big hit from their second album "Ritual De Lo Habitual!" The band broke up shortly after its release. 

   They reformed several times for tours and went through more line up changes before eventually recording a third album "Strays", in 2003. They are currently working on new material for an album that's due a release this year.

Edan - Sagittarius Rapp

  Picked this one up at an Edan show a couple years back. If you haven't seen the man live before I highly recommend you do so. He's quite possibly the best live act in Hip Hop. He's back in Ireland this month playing shows in Belfast, Dublin, and Galway. Hit up www.choicecuts.ie for info.

  "Sagittarius Rapp" is a non album track that, as far as I know, is only available on this 7". The B side includes the sample source, Timothy McNealy's "Sagittarius Black", which is pretty rare in its original format.

The Family - Family Affair

  This energetic cover of the Sly and the Family Stone classic later appeared on the MFSB's 1973 self titled album. MFSB was a loose collection of Philadelphia session musicians that usually included Ronnie Baker (bass), Earl Young (drums), Norman Harris (guitar) Bobby Eli (guitar), and of course, the production team Gamble and Huff (although production on this song is credited to Broadway Eddie). Its pretty safe to say that at least a couple of these musicians were involved in the making of this record. This collection of artists would mold the up-tempo soul sound that would eventually be known as the Philly sound. They played on hundreds of songs by artists such as the O'Jays, the Spinners, Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes, Jerry Buttler, Teddy Pendergrass, and the Intruders. Later they became important in the evolution of Disco, bringing their unique touch to many classics of the genre. 

   In the late 70's many members left the group over money issues. Some went to Salsoul Records, where they formed the Salsoul Orchestra, others went on to become The Ritchie Family.   

Shorty Long - Night Fo' Last

  Shorty Long is a name that isn't often thrown around during discussions about the great artists of  Tamala/Motown. He may not have had as many hits as some of his peers, but he definitely wasn't lacking in talent. The singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist played piano, organ, drums, trumpet and harmonica. He was also one of the only Motown artists that was allowed to produce his own music.

   He released several singles for the Motown subsidiary label Soul in the 60's scoring a couple minor hits before finally releasing his debut album in 1968. For whatever reason, Motown didn't seem to put as much time or money into Shorty's music as it's quality deserved. This seemed to frustrate label mate Marvin Gaye who once asked  songwriting/production team Holland Dozier and Holland "Why are you going to produce me? Why don't you produce Shorty Long?"

   Only a year after the release of his debut album, just as his music was beginning to get some much deserved attention, Shorty tragically died in a boating accident on the Detroit River. Stevie Wonder played harmonica at his burial. 

   Motown released a second album "The Prime Of Shorty Long" a couple months after his death.