Van Jones - Not About That (Show Me Some Respect)

Van Jones - Take To The Light And Wind

From the album Time Has Made Me New (1981)

"Chuck Wright has been stepping to his own music since he was a kid with his piano and organ playing, besides driving his mother crazy with his drums. By his own admission he has done everything he's wanted to do in life ever since: be a professional organist and play with a gospel group. And look at him... in his early twenties, Chuck is a popular staff organist and product specialist for Conn Organ Company in Oklahoma City. His fresh creative approach to music and rare combination of talent, delightful personality, good looks and naturalness make him a standout in the organ business."

Chuck Wright - The Last Time I Saw Him

Chuck Wright - That's Where The Music Takes Me

Chuck Wright - At Seventeen

From the album Steppin' Out With Chuck Wright (1974)

The Sound Of Feeling - Hurdy Gurdy Man (Spleen, 1968)

The lovely Andrece twins were former showgirls at the Sands Hotel and had bit parts on Star Trek and Bonanza before they met up with Gary David to create a unique and other-worldly form of music, assisted by renowned players such as Oliver Nelson and Emil Richards.

 

Dan Melchior und Das Menace - Madame Nhu (7", 2007)

The latest single from Shepperton's notorious garage slut.

 

Linda Van Dyck - Unlock My Door (7", 1969)

The Dutch Dyke made only four singles before she quit the music business and became a successful actress. This Fever Tree cover was her very last recording.

 

El Chicles - La La La (7", 1974)

El Chicles were a latin funk band from Belgium who backed Nico Gomez in the 60s and recorded under many disguises, including The Sumos and Chicken Curry & His Pop Percussion Orchestra. See our earlier post on the Sumos.
 

Elis Regina - Madalena (Live At The Montreux Jazz Festival, 1979)

Forget 'Live Evil' and 'Massey Hall', this is the greatest ever live jazz recording, certainly in terms of risk-taking and sheer bravura. Her vocal cords may have been ravaged by years of cocaine and heroin abuse (she would be dead within 3 years) but Elis could transport an audience so much further than all those tiresome technical virtuosos.

 

Kathy Diamond & The Gang - All Woman Instrumental (12", 2006)

Featuring Maurice Fulton, my burping brother, and cantorial singer Samuel Malavsky (from his 1935 recording "V'shomru")

 

Reuben Wilson - We're In Love (Set Us Free, 1971)

Reuben Wilson plays the organ. However this track is so very lovely that I am determined not to give in to my pitiful urge to make organ-related sexual innuedo. Is this just an English thing, or do I have Tourette's?

 

The Sundowners - Always You (Captain Nemo, 1968)

Minstrel and songsmith Roger Nichols did hail from Americah, Montana I am told, where the sky be wider and longer than in any other land. Too much gaz'd at, his mind did melteth, or like spring's white-plum'd lily it hath burst open. (Apologies to John Keats)

 

Ann Peebles - Trouble, Heartache And Sadness (Straight From The Heart, 1972)

This luxury liner of a groove could not fail with Willie Mitchell at the helm and Dionysus Felch stoking the snares in the engine room. A sobering footnote to this nautical metaphor is that Ms. Peebles actually died of a broken heart right after recording the song.

 

Hap Palmer - Shake Something

From the album Getting To Know Myself  from 1972.  A must for every early childhood and special education class.

Pilooski - Love Is Wet (10" EP, 2007)

Pilooski est un poilu, et nous s'adorons. Vive St Valentin.

 

Les Maledictus Sound - Jim Clark Was Driving Recklessly (Attention, 1968)

Recorded by Jean-Pierre Massiera and his massive instrumental ensemble de "200 violons, 18 batteries, 5 guitares seches, 92 pianos queue, 1 piano droit a solo, 150 choristes, 58 cuivres, 3 bois, et 4 contrebassistes qui arbitres d'un pipo". (I don't know what a pipo is but if I found one in my pants I'd drive recklessly too)

 

Ramsey Lewis - Kufanya Mapenzi (Funky Serenity, 1973)

 

Kimiko Kasai - Tell Me A Bedtime Story (Butterfly, 1979)

With keyboards from Herbie Hancock and Webster Lewis.

 

"It's 6 o'clock, are you ready to rock?" That was the opening tagline of The Scene, a dance show that ran daily from 1975-1987 on Detroit's WGPR channel 62, the world's first and (at the time) only black-owned tv station. The show had higher ratings than the 6:00 news on other channels and was so widely seen that its dancers became local celebrities overnight. (the song above is Kano's "I'm Ready")



The Funkateers dancing to Tom Tom Club's "Wordy Rappinghood" on The Scene in Detroit. The group hailed from Inkster, Michigan and were worshipped in Detroit for the unique dance they created called "The Funkateer", a unique combination of jitting and popping.




Slingshot were Detroit natives whose one and only chart entry was a medley of Steely Dan's "Do It Again" and Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," which hit #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1983.

David Ackles - Down River (The Road To Cairo, 1968)

As a young man, David Ackles spent some time behind bars and this story, of the girl who got left behind, certainly rings true.