You know it hurts to lose

I picked this up during a recent trip to Richmond along with a massive amount of quality quality stuff, which I've only gone through about a quarter of at this point. This is my favorite out of what I have gone through already and I felt the need to digitize and put up on the interwebs.

Sterling Harrison is actually a Richmond native who moved to NYC at some point. Although never gaining any major commercial success he released a handful of 45s and an LP that fetches some serious digits. This being the only piece of his output I have/have heard I'm definitely a fan based on it. It's a seriously smooth funk track with some delicious Hammond B3 that carries the rhythm quite well. The backup singers are solid. The guitar is twangy and raucous. Finally, Harrison's voice tops it all off with his blend of soulful, and at times raspy, vocals. It's a solid tune. The song is credited to Joe Richardson who played guitar in The Shirelles, if it's the same Joe Richardson. Pretty sweet. Hope you enjoy.

My papa says I look like a fool!

An epic event is occurring next week: I'm graduating from college. Now I won't say exactly how long I've been working on obtaining a bachelors but I graduated from high school seven years ago so that may give you a rough idea. What are my plans following graduation? To continue working on this blog, work full time and in one years time I will attend graduate school to get an MFA in creative writing. Do I feel any different knowing that I'm receiving an official document stating that I'm a learn-ed man? No. But according to Solomon Burke that's ok!

Today I give you a rippin' little number from Big Sol that starts with a nice Gospel call and response and then breaks into a energetic blast that last less than two minutes. Come on everyone, do the stupidity with me!

Brother, come here quick-quick-bring that funky lickin' stick.

James Baldwin once said in his essay "Many Thousands Gone" from Notes of a Native Son, "It is only in his music, which Americans are able to admire because a protective sentimentality limits their understanding of it, that the Negro in America has been able to tell his story. It is a story which has yet to be told and which no American is prepared to hear."
Well sometimes music has the incredible power to pervade our "protective sentimentality" and sometimes music is the best and most universally understood way of telling a story: stories of love, heartbreak, violence, hate, and despair. All music is a story in one way or another: the most obvious is storytelling through lyrics. Sometimes lyrics are unnecessary and the best way to tell a story is via pure visceral expression through an instrument.

Today's post I bring you a song from Maceo Parker's LP on People titled "Us!!" First some quick biographical information. Maceo was James Brown's go to sax player and played on nearly every major hit he released through the mid to late 60's. He has also played with Parliament and Prince: quite a resume. The song I bring you today is from his second solo record released in '74 on People. I'm just going to let this one speak for yourself and hope that it affects you as deeply as it does to me.

Record Karma

A little while ago I was digging through a few boxes of 45s at a local flea market. I was pulling quality stuff out of every box. While on my second or third box I noticed two notoriously shameless characters hovering over me: the grandpa and grandson, as I call them. I've seen the two of them before at some local record fairs, the grandfather makes the kid dig through tons and tons of records while "teaching" him about labels and artists although he's not really teaching him anything because the kid is obviously disinterested in a stack of dusty old pieces of plastics. I'm all for teaching the young ones about quality music but forcing them to slave in boxes of records for you is a different story but I digress, proper parenting (or grandparenting) is not in my interests today. Although they've never done anything to me personally, other than hog up rows and rows of 45s without letting anyone else get in, I still found them annoying. This all changed the day I I was digging at the flea market when the kid reached into the box I was digging in and pulled out a stack to flip through and in the process pulled out a couple Bobby Byrd 45s on Brownstone, ones I've been looking for. Him being a kid and probably not understanding record etiquette I didn't say anything. I was pretty annoyed and frustrated but I just moved onto the next box and pulled this out in the first stack I picked up:



I think that's a pretty safe example of record karma. Practice fair digging techniques and the vinyl gods will be kind to you.

Anyway, this song has been covered by tons of blogs already (Funky16Corners being the biggest advocate of the record) so I don't really have much to say about the song that hasn't been said already. Regardless it's still the most rippin'-out-of-fucking-control funk tunes there is.

For all the mamas!

I'll seize any chance for a topical post and with today being Mothers Day I'm bring two jams for all the madres. Patriarchal society? Nah, lets celebrate all the matriarchs because it's from them we learn to be loving, strong, good people.



John as a boy with his mummy Julia.

First up is the gut wrenchingly regretful "Mother" by John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. It's no secret that John struggled with the loss of his mother and often channeled his inner conflict through his music: this song being the most confrontational and honest. The elegiac nature of this song is enough to make anyone want to go give their mother, and/or father, a big hug.






Next up is a tune written by Curtis Mayfield that applies the old adage "Mother knows best" to a slow and smooooth pop number. Jan Bradley had a slew of releases on Chess, although I think due to contractual restrictions was only able to work with Curtis for a handful of singles. She now resides in Chicago and is a mother and grandmother. Much respect to strong women like Jan.

Ayúdame! Cash McCall - "S.O.S."

Yo necisito trabajo. I need help finding a job since my job search has produced not one single call back. Anyone in the New York City area know of some jobs, any job, please get in touch!

The song I bring you today is another man's (Cash McCall) desperation in the form of a powerful Soul/Gospel ballad. The music and composition is exemplary, featuring a rolling guitar riff, some sweet organ, and horns that build gradually until punctuating the song with an amazing horn line. The highlight is Cash's vocals which are mostly a Gosepl-esque spoken word style with a few soulful screams interspersed. You can taste the despair in his voice when he souls out words and phrases. Amazing stuff.

I can't find too much info on Cash other than he lived in Chicago and did some time in the Gospel Soulbirds, which apparently featured Otis Clay as well, and had a single on One-derful called "Earth Worm." Eventually he became a session guitarist at Chess, which is when this single came out. He had an LP on Paula in '73 called "Omega." That's an oversimplified version of this man's life and it's best to just let the song do the talking...

Dave "Baby" Cortez - (Do It) The Funky Dance

Found this digging around and bought it expecting a tune similar to "Baby's" other body of work, "The Happy Organ Song" and "Rinky Dink," which were both pretty big hits when they dropped. This track is a whole different ball game compared to his earlier tunes, it possesses a deeeeeeep groove and funky rhythm that is very different from the other tunes. Dave is known mostly for his organ abilities and this song is no different in that regard but that's where the similarities end. The song is so laid back and so chill, I can't help but picture some Cholo dudes rolling through chicago in a '65 Impala. Enjoy the song and nice weather (if you're in NY).