Arthur Conley - Funky Street - ATCO
Lee Dorsey - Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley - Polydor
Dyke and The Blazers - Funky Broadway Part 1 - Original Sound
The Bar-Kays - Copy Kat - Volt
Bobby Byrd - Never Get Enough - Brownstone
Joe Tex - Cat's Got Her Tongue - Dial
The Da-Kars - Shot In The Dark - Josie
The Dapps featuring Alfred Ellis - There Was A Time - King
Milton Marlon - Here I Yam - Soul-Po-Tion Records
Lonnie Youngblood - African Twist Part 1 - Loma
Wilson Pickett - Funky Factory - Atlantic
The Maskman & The Agents - One Eye Open - Dynamo
Lou Courtney - Rubber Neckin' (Chick Check'N) - Verve
Alright so I've missed posts the past couple days but only because I've been occupied with work and gearin' up for my trip to New Orleans. I've also been working on this mix or at least compiling in my head songs I want to put together as well as a loosely defined concept, "Filthy Funky Broadway" which is basically just some low-down dirty raw funk tunes. I also recently received an invitation to guest DJ at the weekly Lost and Found Soul/Funk night @ Savalas in Brooklyn so this mix is kind of an exercise for that even though that isn't happening until August 17th. If you're in the NY area and don't have anything to do on a tuesday night y'all should come.
Arthur Conley was Otis Redding's protege of sorts, Otis wrote and produced a handful of his material and even started a label (Jotis) where he released a couple of Arthur's 45s. This has got to be the funkiest of all his songs.
Next up is an amazing Lee Dorsey track with a KILLER drum break intro. The song is written and produced by Allen Toussaint and there's no way in hell the backing band is anyone but The Meters. That's a recipe for some tasty New Orleans funk.
The following track is a lowdown funk tune by Dyke and The Blazers which according to wikipedia maybe the first funk single with the actual word "Funky" in the title, an accolade well deserved. The concept for the mix comes from a lyric in this track.
"Soul Finger"? Nah, "Copy Kat". I much prefer this tune to The Bar-Kays more known hit. Both songs feature little kids yelling and screaming, a concept that I think works well especially with "Copy Kat" which has a more aggressive sound.
Bobby Byrd will probably always be known as James Brown's right hand man for the majority of his career but he certainly was no second fiddle. This track is a perfect example of a killer exercise in JamesBrownian funk. Byrd kills it on this one.
I honestly laugh on occasion at Joe Tex's infusion of ridiculous theatrics in his songs, this one cracks me up the most, right next to the song "Looking For My Pig." Don't get it wrong though, even though the little kitten noises he makes are hilarious and the lyrics are hysterical the song is killer with some SERIOUS drum breaks.
I don't know much about this band, The Da-Kars. I bought the record because it was on Josie and the A-side is a cover of "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay." I was seriously happy when I heard the B-Side, a tight-knit funk track with amazing horn lines.
"There Was a Time" is without a doubt one of my favorite JB related tunes. The energy of this track is basically unmatched by any other JB tracks. That first drum count of each measure with the bass drum slammin' so hard is one of the heaviest things ever and Pee Wee Ellis playing his ass off the entire song knocks you right down. Who plays drums on this one? Anyone know?
I didn't know who Milton Marlin was when I bought this one and I still don't. I do know that the song is called "Here I Yam" and its credit goes to Bobby Marchan and it was released in 1972, all three of those clues informed me that this is probably going to be something funky. I was correct.
I'll pretty much buy any 45 when the A-side is "Something blah blah Part 1" and the B-side is "Something blah blah Part 2." It's almost always a sure bet and 99.9% of the time you'll get something killer. This one is no exception to that rule. I have a couple of Lonnie Youngblood records but none are as funky as this one. "Swahili," I love it.
I don't think there's any era of Wilson Pickett's career that I don't actively celebrate. Just when I think I've found ever single he's released I uncover one I don't have. I found this one recently and it instantly became one of my favorites. The fuzz guitar track on the song works so well and the gospel-esque backup singers add a nice little touch.
Love the drum break intro for this track. The Maskman's brand of silly storytelling funk is always enjoyable. The Maskman, Harmon Bethea, wore a Lone Ranger mask when he performed, can't really mess with that.
First of all, I can't hear this song and not be reminded by the bass intro of "The Warning" by Black Sabbath. It's the same bass line and the tone is surprisingly similar. The song rules on that fact alone, that I can make a comparison between Lou Courtney and Sabbath. Lou's career isn't as extensive as his contemporaries but every single track I've ever heard of his is superior to almost all other's doing the same the as him at the same time. The man knew how to create a seriously dirty sounding groove.
Hope ya'll enjoy this mix. PLEASE leave feedback and comments and love or hate and suggestions.
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