Monday Soul - Monkeys Be Damned

Every Monday I'm going to try and put some some Soul jams in the hopes that they maybe to make the shittiest day of the week a little more enjoyable. Today I have two singles;




The A side of the Sam & Dave jam is an Eddie Floyd/Steve Cropper collabo and it's a killer. The B side ("This Is Your World") is a soulful ballad about man's submission under the tender love of a woman.

Sam & Dave - "You Don't Know What You Mean To Me" b/w "This Is Your World"

The A side of the Joe Tex 45 is a horn-filled, upbeat advisory about importance of a solid foundation in all relationships. The B side is about monkeys... not really. It's about not letting one bad egg spoil the rest. Monkeys be damned.

Joe Tex - "Build Your Love (On A Solid Foundation)" b/w "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show"

Romance From Down Under.

This was at the request of Timothy Paul, and it's a good one. The Scientists are one of the best things to come out of Australia (see also; The Saints and Victims). The band has a rather extensive catalog of releases, but this one, their first single, is the gold cup winner.

Before I talk about the music I'd like to talk about the sleeve for this record as it is probably my favorite design for cover, and back cover, art. All I can really say is in the form of a question -- have you ever seen anything as fucking cool as this shit?


Onto the music...

A Side includes the song "Frantic Romantic" and there's not much I can really say about this one other than it maybe one of the most well written rock/pop songs in the history of rock. The riff that opens the song seamlessly carries the song to the end. It is honestly one of my favorite riffs ever, it's so simply but unbelievably infectious. The chorus is the perfect manifestation of raging teenage hormones, "I'm a frantic romantic in a romantic world" as Kim Salmon boldly testifies, is something everyone can relate to at some point. The solo in the song sings all on it's own, it fits so flawlessly into the song that it almost seems like another chorus. This song will leave you humming along for days, so good.

B Side is the jam "Shake (Together Tonight)". This song is undeniably punk, it's basically two chords the whole damn but it doesn't matter because the hooks are so damn good. Another primal rock anthem pleading for some hot shaking and if you possess any kind of human spark you'll find yourself tapping along to the song or possibly in an all out dance fest.

I love this record.

The Scientists - "Frantic Romantic" b/w "Shake (Together Tonight)"

Power poppin' pills.

I picked this record up on a whim during a trip to Double Decker recently. I knew nothing about the band, song or record but there were a few factors that drew me to making the purchase (which I paid I think close to $40 dollars for, although I just saw that this was reissued like a week ago or something oh well); 1. The bright dayglo decidedly 80's looking sleeve, they don't make 'em as obnoxious as this anymore 2. The incredibly cute girl on the cover sporting the microphone (I'm a dude, sue me) and finally 3. A songwriting credit to Paul Collins (The Nerves, The Beat, Paul Collins Beat, and ultimate purveyor of power pop). Luckily this purchase was not in vain as these two songs absolutely rip.

Side A is a teenage girl's lament about wanting a boy to come over because she has "itchy hot pants." Singer Marcy Marcs knows exactly what she wants and she is not afraid to go after it. The music sounds like a Paul Collins jam and like most of his other songs it blazes through in just under 2 minutes. The song has some massive hooks and an infectious vocal melody that'll leave you singing for days

Side B is yet another song where Marcy declares her desire and willingness to commit herself to obtaining what she wants. This jam comes in staccatoed bursts and has some basic punk hooks and riffs, it's not as memorable as the A side but it's definitely up to par and rips just as hard.




Mn'M's - "I'm Tired" b/w "Knock Knock Knock"

All you young lovers out there...

James Carr may not be as well known as his contemporaries, Solomon Burke and Otis Redding to name a few, his vocal talent has just as much soul as the aforementioned. His first full length record, "You Got My Mind Messed Up", is one of the most sweat filled, soul-packed records and a personal favorite of mine. Although I don't own a copy of the LP, copies go for around $100 dollars usually, I do have a 45 with two songs that are great examples of some of the best Soul music the south had to offer. I picked this up in Memphis and it's received multiple spins, perfect for a sunny spring day.




James Carr - "A Message to Young Lovers" b/w "Life Turned Her That Way" 45

Ladys Love Joe Tex!

This is the first post, hopefully of many more, so the vinyl rip may not be the best as it's the first time I've done it and I need to do some trial and error to get it right. I'm using the line out of my receiver and recording/cutting with garage band. If anyone has any good tips to get it sounding quality with garage band let me know. All mp3's are going to be 320 KBS with VBR to try and preserve the quality of the record (although we all know it can never match the true quality and sound of the vinyl).

OK, onto the tunes. This is a compilation I picked up for $5 dollars at Goner Records during my recent road trip to Memphis. It's called Murray the K Presents and all the songs are live. Side A of the record is not really worth noting, it contains songs from Vanilla Fudge, Bee Gees, Rascals, Janis Ian and The Blues Project and all are forgettable performances at best. The B Side of the record is another story and the reason I risked my 5 dollars on this investment. The artists on the B side are as follows; Joe Tex, The Shangri-LA's, The Royalettes, Deon Jackson.

The two Joe Tex songs are unreal, because of two factors; his performance, which is top notch, and the reaction from the teenage girls in the crowd. The girls absolutely lose their minds before, during and after his performance--it's awesome. The Shangri-LA's song "I Can Never Go Home Any More", which apparently live material from them is scarace, is another grade A performance. Lastly The Royalettes and Deon Jackson songs are pretty damn good, although I didn't know much about either artist going into the purchase.

I don't have a scanner that is big enough for LP covers so pictures from my digital camera will have to do.





and finally the link for the tunes; Murray the K Presents