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Man with a large cult following only released 3 stunning albums and here we have his debut.Albert was born in georgia in 1935 & passed in ohio 1998. To me a man that typified the fusion of soul and blues and a little funk, a real southern performer. Had a few requests for this so finally found it. It comes as little surprise to hear that Albert Washington's 1973 album, "Sad and Lonely" originally on Eastbound, combines blues and soul, much as his slightly earlier sides for Fraternity did. The only difference is that the music sounded a little bit more polished, in an early '70s sort of way. It was perhaps also tweaked a bit by being recorded in Memphis, some of the arrangements including backing by the Memphis Horns and backup vocals by the woman singers the Girls. "You're Messing Up My Mind" bears the heavy influence of James Brown's funk, and there are echoes of the Memphis soul of the likes of Otis Redding here and there. But for the most part it's a more relaxed endeavor, "My Mother's Prayer" making the artist's gospel leanings most explicit. Indeed, the album probably came along a few years too early for Washington to fully benefit from it, his somewhat laid back blues/soul fusion wasn't terribly widespread at the time, but would become more commonplace in blues music in the final decades of the 20th century and so in demand from collectors and followers of his music. The 2004 CD reissue on Westbound adds a previously unreleased outtake from the sessions, a cover of Jimmy Hughes' classic "Steal Away." done his way and IMHO better than Jimmys. Such a totally underated artist with a fantastic voice, overlook this at your peril! The tasters say it all a must for all true fans of black music! Again another lost gem of an album i totally forgot about till requested.
After much rooting around i have finally found the elusive Vol 1 to go with vol 2 i reviewed a while back. I still think these would fetch a bit of money if i ever sold them as i have,nt seen them anywhere for over 40 years!.So all these tracks were massive dancers back in the day with many rare Detroit gems and some still are, as rare as they come with hics and bumps included! so take them as they come no frills.
Hayley records was started up by Detroit enthusiast Rob Moss from coventry in the west midlands of England. He specialises in obtaining anything mainly from Detroit but some other ares also if material is available. He released 4 CD,s between 2000 and 2020 + a best of album. Lots of known and unknown artists are featured over the entire range. So until i find my copy,s a very generous person has stepped up with his who doesnt wish to be named ,so many thanks for these. This was the initial CD release that is now deleted even hayley dont have any more stock. Most tracks are extrememly rare on the entire catalogue.
One of the The most talented singers within London's 1960s Live Club Soul scene & beyond, Jimmy James was also a prolific recording artist. Sock It To 'Em J.J. boasts his entire output with backing band The Vagabonds for the Pye/Piccadilly labels from 1966-1970, with the bonus of the Trojan Northern Soul hit 'Help Yourself' and the mid-70s Northern floater 'Hey Girl' plus many more of his popular northern dancers in total 49 great tracks!. Jimmy James was born Michael James in 1940, and grew up in Jamaica. He started performing American soul music in the late '50s. As a solo artist, he notched two number one records in Jamaica as Jimmy James on Tip Top Records: "Bewildered and Blue" and "Come to Me Softly" (the latter reached number 70 in the States). After the two solo smashes, one of Jamaica's most popular bands, the Vagabonds, approached him, they needed a lead singer and Jimmy was hot. James agreed to work with the band, and Jimmy James & the Vagabonds formed in 1960. They found steady work at the Marquee Club in London, where the British clamored to hear their bag of American soul music. The Northern soul boom was still seeding, and American soul singers rarely came to England, so Jimmy James & the Vagabonds filled a void covering many of the classics and their own material. The Vagabonds were Rupert Balgobin (drums), Phillip Chen (rhythm guitar), Coleson Chen (bass), Wallace Wilson (lead guitar), Carl Noel (organ), Carl Griffiths & Fred Fredericks (sax), and the focal point, next to Jimmy, Count Prince Miller, a crowd pleaser who got the audience involved in the show. Ive lost count how many times ive seen him over the years as i think most UK fans have,never disappoints and the shows are 100% as you will hear on the live tracks. Back to the story in London, they got their first contract with Pye Records, but released only a series of unpopular singles. Sales didn't start moving until they recorded a live album at the Marquee Club that did well and another entitled The New Religion. Of the singles, only their 1968 cover of Neil Diamond's "Red Red Wine" resembled a hit. The Vagabonds called it quits in 1970, gave up the name, and disbanded. Jimmy owned the name and recruited new Vagabonds: a four-piece all white band consisting of Chris Garfield (guitar), Alan Wood (bass), Russell Courtney (drums), and Alan Kirk (keyboards). They were good, but nowhere near as exciting live as the originals, and they didn't have anyone as charismatic as Count Prince Miller, who scored a solo reggae hit in 1971 with "Mule Train." Jimmy James and his new Vagabonds scored a minor hit with "A Man Like Me," produced by Biddu on Lanita Records and a huge hit on the northern scene. A few recordings for Trojan Records resulted before they reunited with Pye and Biddu. After scoring with the Biddu-produced "Help Yourself," the band spent the '70s gigging. A handful of singles during the '80s did little, and in the '90s, James reunited for a few gigs with Curtis Winston and Count Prince Miller. He recorded 8 studio albums and 55 45,s. I was at a gig years ago where jimmy shared the billing with Bob & Earl, in conversation with Earl Nelson (Jackie Lee) he said to me "Why isnt this guy a big star ?"..blew him away, i told him he was massive on the northern scene and he said "i get that but he should be a houshold name over here?" praise indeed from one legend to another,say no more!
In the heyday of funk music, some regions of America were more active than others. California, Ohio, and most of the south produced the lion's share of recorded output. The Lone Star state in particular seems to have been an extremely fertile plot of raw funky earth, especially when one considers the relatively sparse population. Although the black communities of Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio were well established, none of them could contest the renowned reputations of larger municipalities like Chicago, Harlem, and Detroit when it came to African American music and heritage. And yet those moderate sized Texas cities managed to unleash more bona-fide funk classics than all of those esteemed metropolises combined. A mighty funky state for sure. But enough of me harping on, it's time to bask in the glory of a music that is very much alive, pulsing to the unique rhythms of the Black American experience the way only funk can and with a Texas twist that will make your ears smile.All the info is in the superb booklet! Not for the faint hearted or purists, this is pure raw funk in all its glory without apologies!
The English soul label Hit & Run was initially created by Garry J. Cape (who released the SOULSCAPE & GRAPEVINE Albums collection previously reviewed on here) in 1978 and reactivated 2009 to 2011. After a period of hibernation, Paul Mooney took the label over and started to release new 45,s from 2020. To my surprise i only had a few dozen 45,s but here is the near complete collecion of 45,s all genres of soul are catered for and a great collection it is!
AMM
Review Courtesy Of Bill, OSR, & ELtel and Thanks Guys!
From 1958 to 1993, Thomas and Louise Boddie’s industrious Boddie Recording Company issued nearly 300 albums and 45s, recorded 10,000 hours of tape, and remained in operation longer than any other studio, pressing plant, or label group in the history of Cleveland. Long forgotten even by the standards of the chronically overlooked northeastern Ohio music scene, Boddie was a fusion of its owner’s engineering genius and his limited economic means, its DIY recording studio housed in a humble barn, churning night and day to capture the sounds emanating from Cleveland’s east side neighborhoods. The 79 tracks on these Four CDs represent the best of the Boddies’ in-house Soul Kitchen, Luau, and Bounty labels, with a bonus disc thrown in! which released an unspoiled treasure trove of kitchen sink eccentric soul, northern dancers, fuzzbox funk, shoestring doo-wop, Gospel,and haunted, eerily hook-laden spirituals. A fantastic collection from boddie and sub labels. Only criticism is the poor labeling and booklet (not all here unfortunatley) looks like it was done on the cheap type written but a great collection nevertheless!...all genres catered for many ultra rare tracks!
Just the one post today as the mrs has had me running ragged!.....Established in 1964 by legendary producer Chips Moman, American Sound Studios was an unlikely hit factory. Housed in a strip mall at the corner of Danny Thomas Street and Chelsea Avenue in North Memphis, the studio was inconspicuous, if not a little ramshackle. As producer Dan Penn recalled,the studio’s interior reflected its façade “Two Ampex mixers for a board,a mono machine,maybe two mono machines,and that was about it.” However,the key to the studio’s success was never about the building or the equipment within,but with the outstanding musicians who would call it home.Foremost amongst this set were American’s session musicians,a group handpicked by Moman for their top-notch musicianship and their chameleon like ability to play with virtually any musician within any genre. Before providing the backbone for what would eventually become one of the most successful studios in America,the musicians that would comprise the Memphis Boys had already made an impact on the city’s musical DNA. Several of the men cut their teeth at Hi Records as members of bands like the Bill Black Combo,while others got their start in the bands of former Sun musicians such as Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash. One thing that united them was their shared love of Southern music,from blues to R&B to rockabilly. “We were all from Memphis,everybody’s come up on Dewey Phillips. We knew a lot of different kinds of music,” said guitarist Reggie Young. Originally known as the 827 Thomas Street Band (American Studio’s address),the group coalesced in the mid-1960s,originally playing together on popular songs from local acts like the Gentrys and the Box Tops .These early successes formed a natural bond among the members,also catching the eye of industry leaders near and far. Unlike other local studios like Stax and Royal,American Sound did not have a label attached to it,meaning that they were not married to particular musicians or a specific sound. Before long,record labels like RCA,Warner Brothers,and Decca began sending their artists south to record,hoping to capture some of that signature Memphis magic. Atlantic Records became a particularly important pipeline to the studio,especially after their relationship with Stax began to wane. By 1967,Atlantic was sending most of their top soul stars to American. As producer Tom Dowd recalled,“Jerry Wexler,Arif Mardin,myself,we might show up one day with a Lulu or a Dusty Springfield and a week later come in with Herbie Mann or Wilson Pickett it didn’t matter what artist we came in with.We knew we had an accumulation of musicians who were masters of their instruments,who were gracious and took our bizarre directions easily,who didn’t rebel,and we enjoyed their company.” Songs like Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man,” Joe Tex’s “Skinny Legs and All,” and Wilson Pickett’s “I’m in Love” are just a few of the smash hits that emerged from the partnerships. During its heyday,American produced 15 Top 10 hits on the Billboard “Hot 100” chart,and by the time it closed,had produced more hit records than any other Memphis studio. In the early weeks of 1969,the Memphis Boys faced one of their most exciting (and ultimately consequential) sessions to date.The group had been told that they would be recording with Neil Diamond,who they had worked with before on hit songs like “Sweet Caroline.” However,it was not Diamond who entered the studio that day, but rather Memphis’ most famous son Elvis Presley.Although Presley was still basking in the glow of his successful ’68 comeback special,it had been years since he had scored a top ten single and nearly 15 years since his last recording session in Memphis. In contrast to his recent work,the sessions were largely devoid of shiny pop tunes,instead focusing on a more Memphis centric sound incorporating soul,county, and blues.The result was some of the finest music of Presley’s career,including the iconic songs “In the Ghetto” and “Suspicious Minds,” the singer’s final chart-topper of his career. While the crew at American Sound continued to churn out hits at a breakneck pace, the studio’s financial situation soon became untenable,forcing it to close in 1972. Moman and many of the musicians who had struck musical gold in the preceding decade wound up in Nashville and kicked off the second chapter of their storied careers. “We didn’t realize until we got to Nashville what had happened until some people started digging out the accomplishments and the charts and the hit records that we had,” said Bobby Wood.The Memphis transplants differentiated themselves from their Nashville counterparts,providing a sound that was more soulful and raucous by bringing horns,hard-driving drums,and raging guitars into the fold. Making a name around town as “the Memphis Boys,” the group proved to be instrumental in the burgeoning outlaw country scene,backing artists such as Waylon Jennings,Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson. There was blues and jazz on Beale Street in the ‘20s and ‘30s, in the ‘50s you had blues and rock and roll over at Sun, in the ‘60s and ‘70s you had soul and R&B at Stax and Hi…and at American,you had all of the above.”..All true legends as this CD will testify.
Here we have the second volume of the "Japanese Jazz Spectacle" series. Following the first compilation which focused on recordings from the Nippon Columbia catalog, this time we are digging into the King Records archives. It is almost impossible to capture the whole picture of Wa-Jazz in a couple of compilation albums since it is such a broad and deep genre, however, by extracting tracks from the Nippon Columbia and King Records collections, both labels having an extensive archive of jazz music - we may be able to glimpse a part of its allure and essence. This time again, The music in this compilation was recorded between 1962 and 1985 and is a brief history of Japanese jazz on King Records. Listening is believing, so I hope these tracks will capture your heart and that you will enjoy the charms of Japanese jazz. Yusuke Ogawa has been running the Universounds store in Tokyo since 2001, specializing in jazz and second-hand, rare, and collector records. He is also a reissue supervisor, label manager, DJ, and music writer. Known for his vast musical knowledge, eye for detail, and archival skills, Ogawa san has worked on more than 250 reissues and compilations, including the highly praised Deep Jazz Reality and Project Re:Vinyl series. He is the co-author of the Wa-Jazz Disc Guide and the Independent Black Jazz of America books. The guy is a genius for hiwtastes and knowledge!
AMM
The Tasters!
Tracks
01. Toshiaki Yokota & The Beat Generation - Clair Deluge (7:08) 02. Tadao Sawai, Toshiyuki Miyama & New Herd Orchestra - Constant Rain (4:44) 03. Akira Miyazawa - Yamame (5:50) 04. Various - Ma M?è?re L'Oye (3:20) 05. Masao Yagi - Blossom In The Water (5:25) 06. Masahiko Togashi, Isao Suzuki - A Day Of The Sun (8:01) 07. Yasuko Nagamine, Yasuaki Shimizu - Summer Wind (6:40) 08. Hideo Shiraki - Sayonara Blues (6:42) 09. Masahiko Togashi & His Improvisation Jazz Orchestra - Desireless (13:25) 10. Takeru Muraoka & His New Group - Lady Boogie (3:05) 11. Yoshio Ikeda - Down To The Sea (10:23) 12. George Otsuka Quintet - Loving You (6:56)
While Japan's interest in jazz is well documented, it's taken decades for the country's homegrown jazz to achieve interest from outside the rare groove scene. In the 2000s, Japan began to reevaluate its jazz history, referring to the music as "WaJazz" and establishing it as its own specific genre - connected to US jazz traditions but also existing on its own. Yusuke Ogawa is perhaps the country's foremost expert on WeJazz, he's been running Tokyo's collector centric Universounds store since 2001, and he's also supervised dozens of reissues and compilations, as well as lending his expertise to the WaJazz Disc Guide and the Independent Black Jazz of America books. Ogawa notes that on this selection of tracks, there's "something uniquely Japanese flowing through that creates a kind of synergy." On the surface, the modern jazz flow of Takeo Moriyama's 'Watarase' might sound familiar, but look a little closer - those flutes! - and its Japanese qualities rise high above. Elsewhere, Tadaaki Misago & Tokyo Cuban Boys' 'Sakura Sakura' is a cinematic Blaxploitation-style groover, but hits in the most unexpected places, while Soul Media's 'Breeze' augments loose, lite funk with Japanese percussion in the most subtle way. From beginning to end, this is sublimely high quality material that shines a bright light on a scene that's well deserving of closer attention.. Incredible fusion for the open minded music lover..No bounderies! Yusuke Ogawa selects a diverse set of Japanese jazz deep cuts from the Nippon Columbia vaults, with WaJazz classics from Jiro Inagaki, Minoru Muraoka, Hiroshi Suzuki and others. All Giants in Japanese Fusion..Incredible! Ripped to Hi-Res for the very best possible audio quality of a wonderful album!
AMM
The Tasters!
Tracks
01. Tadaaki Misago & Tokyo Cuban Boys - Sakura Sakura (7:36) 02. Minoru Muraoka with New Jazz Players - Muraiki (3:56) 03. Count Buffalo & The Jazz Rock Band - Mago-Uta (3:45) 04. Kiyoshi Sugimoto Quartet - D-51 (6:09) 05. Toshiyuki Miyama & The New Herd - Adult's Day (9:30) 06. Soul Media - Breeze (4:35) 07. George Otsuka - Sea View (5:07) 08. Hozan Yamamoto, Masahiko Togashi, Yosuke Yamashita - Breath Prologue (5:13) 09. Jiro Inagaki & Soul Media - Do It! (7:30) 10. Hiroshi Suzuki - Romance (5:57) 11. Masahiko Sato - Tochi Mo Kurumi Mo Fukiotose (3:05) 12. Masahiko Togashi - Fourth Expression (6:43) 13. Takeshi Inomata & Sound Ltd. - Mustache (Live) (9:09) 14. Takeo Moriyama - Watarase (6:40)
I,ll be posting these up on a sunday from now on as it is an acquired taste and some of you guys are not interested. Those that are, request the review in the appropiate comment box and the usual will happen.
Most of these superb artists need no introduction from me. New Orleans.... home of jazz, birthplace of the funk and, some would say, of rock'n'roll a truly magical city of music. But The Big Easy's role in the history of soul music has been less well documented. Part of the 'History of Soul' series, this compilation of tracks illustrates the depth and breadth of music produced in the city between 1958 and 1962. Music that went way beyond R&B, taking into soul the joyous rhythms of funky second line parade bands, the gospel-based piano triplets of barrelhouse wizards and the tight horn sections of Allen Toussaint and Dave Bartholomew, whose arrangements from would later inform the classic Stax sound. The familiar names are all here: Irma Thomas, Aaron Neville, Eddie Bo, Bobby Marchan but so are the lesser known but fabulous Ray Washington, Berna Dean, Martha Carter and Chuck Carbo. So prepare to be blown away by some of the most exciting, deep and affecting sounds that ever came from Louisiana and made their way into soul as we know it. I,m hooked and so will you!...My booklet was destroyed so would appreciate it back anyone ?
I got this sent by the record company in germany years ago and recently stumbled upon it. East Bay Rhythm's name may be a bit obscure to those not from the Bay area, but its key members -- James Levy, Paul Jackson, and Bill Summers were members of Herbie Hancock's legendary Headhunters band. The other main member, Butch Haynes, was a member of the fabled Afro-Jazz Quintet. These tracks were cut live and edited minimally. They feature Jackson on bass, Levy on trap kit, with Haynes and Summers on percussion along with a bevy of guests that include Jorge Santana (of Malo) and Carl Lockett, on guitar, Robert Washington and Fall on vocals, and bassist Freddie Washington on bass among others. Recorded between 1976 and 1980 at the Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, none of the eleven cuts collected here has been released in any form before. What is remarkable about East Bay Rhythm's sound is how rooted it is in various idioms: The deep funk of the middle 1970s, gospel a la James Cleveland, the roots of disco, and of course the wild yet precise, Afro-Cuban son rhythms that propel virtually everything here. What is also remarkable is to hear hand percussion in such overdriven funk numbers as "Accept Me," with its hypnotic guitar lines and slipping bass groove, the hand drums run amok on the inside of the mix. As the vocals fade form the center channel, Levy's syncopation careens under the beat as the hand percussionists ride hard over it. That this track is followed by the glorious instrumental, pre-disco anthem "Party Down," is such a plus here: Afro-Caribbean percussion drives not only the beats but the melody into turning on itself no less than three times before the bridge! The groove feels easy but is complex and stretchable with the cross-cross of rhythmic lines trading space in the center of the tune. Of course, this is just a sampling of what is available here over nearly an hours worth of music. This is the place where Tower of Power, Sly Stone, Roy Ayers funky material, and gospel music meet in a deep soul potboiler. Just the one album recorded great hard driven funk!
"Soul Queen Of New Orleans" Irma Thomas enjoyed a run of national success in the U.S. in the mid-'60s with classics like "Wish Someone Would Care," "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)" along with the original vocal version of "Time Is on My Side" (later a massive hit for the Rolling Stones), recorded for Imperial Records. Following a short stint at Chess Records, Irma recorded for Canyon before being signed to Atlantic Records by the label's much renowned executive, Jerry Wexler. A first session in 1971 yielded one single, "Full Time Woman" (produced by noted New Orleans music legend Wardell Quezergue), which failed to chart but was singled out by Wexler in a 2007 interview as one of his all time favorite recordings. Undaunted, Atlantic arranged further sessions for Irma in Detroit, Miami and Philadelphia throughout 1972 – yet none of the material was ever issued. Noted soul music historian and SoulMusic Records founder David Nathan uncovered all the tapes of this treasure trove of previously unreleased material during vault research in 2005. In 2014 more than 40 years after they were originally recorded, Full Time Woman: The Lost Cotillion Album brings all of Irma's recordings for Atlantic (under its Cotillion imprint) to light for the first time! Irma puts her own distinctive, ever soulful stamp on such tunes as the standard "Time After Time," Bobbie Gentry's 1969 hit, "Fancy," and Billy Walker's country hit, "Tell Me Again," alongside the funky "She's Taken My Part" (the flipside of "Full Time Woman"), and R&B-flavored original material including the highlights "Waiting For Someone," "Our Love Don't Come Easy" and two early '70s Philly soul cuts, "No Name" and "Adam & Eve" with remastering by Alan Wilson at Western Star Studio in the U.K. and liner notes by David Nathan that recount his personal odyssey in search of these tapes, the album features a full 13 unreleased tracks and represents a major addition to the Irma Thomas discography. Irma had mixed feelings about the album as you can read in an interview with her just here. I for one have loved this album, i can see what the producers were trying to do steering her in a different direction with refreshing material. The lady has always delivered what ever she,s done in fine style as only irma can!
Donald Gardner was born in 1931 in Philadelphia and passed 2018. Don first went to school for cooking, baking and restaurant management first. He had plans to follow a culinary career but fortunately for us, he was destined to be followed by music throughout his life. Most proper soul fans will know Don via his wonderful duets with Dee Dee Ford & baby washington. With Dee Dee Ford "I Nedd Your Lovin" The pure mix of old school R&B and soul forced its way into the top 20 back in 1962 and though future success eluded the Philadelphian drummer and vocalist he continued to record right through the 60s. Don began singing in church but his first love was the drums and in the early 50s he formed his first band – The Three Bachelors, later renamed The Sonotones. Don played drums, Albert Cass played sax, Thornel Schwartz was guitarist and a young man called Jimmy Smith played organ! (Smith by the way was eventually replaced by Richard “Groove” Holmes). Signed to Bobby Robinson’s Fire label, he hit pay day as co-vocalist with Dee Dee Ford on the aforementioned ‘I Need You Lovin”. Two more years with the label were relatively barren so Gardner and band mates decamped to Sweden, cutting two live albums. On his return to the US he released numerous singles on a variety of labels and it’s the best of those singles and some of those live tracks that form the core of this album his only solo ever released. The sound is rough, raw and intoxicating. Several of the cuts are instrumentals and include versions of ‘Watermelon Man’ and ‘Take Five’ while some of the vocal cuts like a fabulous, live, in your-face version of ‘Heatwave’ featuring Beverly Glenn. The Gardner penned cuts are tremendous too and include ‘I Really Love You’ an unashamed attempt to recreate the magic of his big hit. Interestingly Don quit music in 1970 to become a builder, he helped remodel Curtis Mayfield’s house, but in the 80s he got back into music and till his death was President of the Philadelphia Clef Club Of Jazz. Its a shame he never released any solo albums but he liked singing with the girls! But those elusive dancers are all here.
