Funky Fridays: Edd Henry - "Two Heads Are Better Than One" b/w "Soul Socking Time Baby

Hello to all my friends out there. On this lovely August Friday I'm bringing you a seriously cool funk two-sider to punctuate your week with. It's not often you find a 45 with two equally hot sides so instead of making the choice to showcase one I'm doing both!

Edd Henry is a somewhat mysterious character to me. I know that he was/is from Detroit and was working outside the Motown circle. He's got a handful of singles popular in the Northern Soul scene, particularly the monstrous tune "Crooked Woman." Other than those facts I can't really find much biographical information about him.

The A-Side, "Two Heads Are Better Than One," is super groove heavy track with some killer horn arrangements. If you notice on the label the track features a "taste of Memphis funk." That, my friends, is referring to Jo Bridges who shares songwriting credits on the tune. Jo Bridges was a late-era Stax writer who was responsible for co-penning some of Rufus Thomas' funkiest tracks. Also more recently Bridges wrote a hit song, "Teenage Love Affair," for Alicia Keys. That taste of Memphis funk makes this tune a truly killer funk tune.

The B-Side features a track titled "Soul Socking Time Baby (SSTB)," which is noticeably different from the A-side. That's probably due to the fact that Jo Bridges is not featured on this side. It's slightly more gritty, the guitar tone and riff in particular. Also the use of bongos makes the song just that much more killer. I'm not sure but I might be leaning more towards this track for my favorite but make no mistake both are exceptional lessons in groovy funk. What I actually like the most about this song is the inspirational message in the lyrics. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing I love more than a silly dance craze or lyrics with comedic value but I also enjoy a thought-provoking set of lyrics. My favorite line is "Soul is love and faith within yourself that you got for your fellow man," I think that is such a poignant definition of what Soul can represent.

Y'all enjoy your weekends, much love.

"Two Heads Are Better Than One"



"Soul Socking Time Baby (SSTB)"