With a K

Effortlessly moving through the genres here I present to you....

Paul McCartney's long lost dub album.

Ah! No, my mistake, it's Macka with a K.

A recent interwebby purchase for me, this is a great dub album. The back cover gives the line up as:

Piano/Organ: Glenn Adams & Mr Wire
Guitar:              Rick Trater, Bobby Chung
Drums:              Carlton Barrett, Tad Dawkins, Sparrow Martin
Bass:                   Maurice, Family Man Barrett

Special Effects, Production, Arrangement, Mixing:  Brad Osbourne, Phillip Smart, Michael Scudder     

Again, the back cover tells me this is a reissue (early 80s I believe) from Canada, with worldwide distribution arranged from California, USA. The power of dub!

Macka Dub - Ista Episode  197?

Macka Dub - side 1 track 6 (untitled) 197?

Jazz business

As promised two more from my recent car boot haul. The focus this time is on Jazz. 

Rita Reys hailed from The Netherlands and in 1960 was crowned Europe's First Lady Of Jazz. On this album - a rare UK 10" release offering a slimmed down version of her 1956 album The Cool Voice Of Rita Reys - she was backed by a combo led by her then husband Wes Ilcken on one side, and on the other she was joined by the Jazz Messengers who at that time featured Art Blakey, Donald Byrd, Hank Mobley, Horace Silver, and Doug Watkins. What a line up!

Chris Connor recorded this seemingly lesser known album "Witchcraft" in 1959. It was released on Atlantic in the US and on London a year later in the UK. Chris Connor first came to prominence in 1953 as a singer in Stan Kenton's band. She would soon turn solo, and became the first white female jazz singer to be signed to the Atlantic label, in 1956. 

Rita Reys - You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To 1956
(With The Jazz Messengers)

Buy "The Cool Voice Of Rita Reys"

Chris Connor - Baltimore Oriole 1959
(This one is for Ravel)

Buy "I Miss You So"/"Witchcraft"
       

Weighty business

I was going to tell you how the charity shops have fed my vinyl habit pretty well through the winter semi-hibernation of car boot sales. But hold the press! – yes, sharing some of my charity shop scores with you will have to wait for another time because the boot sale season proper is once again upon us - the sun shone at the weekend lifting the temperature a few degrees  and  encouraged the boot sale sellers out, sprinkled across the fields of England like early apple blossom. I’m waxing lyrical because last Sunday I had probably, no definitely, my most successful day ever looking for vinyl at a boot sale.

Mrs Darce is on her annual sojourn to Turkey with her “bestest” friend to visit her friend’s mum. This always happens at roughly this time of year. While the cat’s away… three years ago while Mrs Darce was away I acquired a job lot of second hand hi-fi, including a pair of vintage B&W speakers that weighed the proverbial ton (a tale I told here). Last Sunday I was at it again, once again bringing home a weighty consignment, but this time it was a big pile of vinyl!

After a late one the night before I didn’t wake up early enough to go to my planned boot sale venue on Sunday morning, so at the last minute I decided to visit one I hadn’t been to before that starts later. An excellent decision as it turned out. 

I was stumbling around the sellers and showing some vague interest in some Dylan albums when another digger came along. “You ought to go down in the corner” he said “a guy down there has got a lot of vinyl, I’ve bought a few but run out of money”.  So, leaving the Dylan albums – I’m not really a fan, they weren’t in good nick and turned out to be £5 a pop – I made it double quick down to “the corner”.  Sure enough there were plenty of records to look through, they possibly had some connection to a closed record shop I think from some comments made by the seller, and lucky for me the entire time I was there no other diggers came along. I came away with 30 big ones at a £1 each around 40 little ones 25p each (at one point I was worried about running out of money too). There are a few pretty desirable records in this lot – no Beatles or Hendrix first presses or anything like that, but a few bits that are worth something with at least one nought on the end I would think, and one ace in the hole – see below. (The other digger mentioned above said he had a Coltrane album in his haul so he may have had more cream).  

There were quite a few jazz albums in my haul. I will feature a couple next time but the focus here is on the singles, which were an interesting mix. Mostly late 70s and 80s UK pop, post-punk, and indie but every now and then I would randomly come across a US 60s era soul/jazz tinged release. Or in this case one out of Panama!

This was the only record in the pile that wasn’t sleeved. My first thoughts were, based on the group name, it was going to be some sort of 60s garage-freak-psych out thing but nothing could be further from the truth. One side is deep sweet soul gem with really atmospheric backing and a great drum sound, and the other is a guajira jazz up groove (“Gua-Jazz”, was comped a couple of years ago on a Soundway CD (& vinyl) featuring Panamanian music). It transpires that this 45 is extremely rare: a completely trashed (and cracked) copy sold on ebay last year for $70, and copies in better condition (as is my newly acquired copy) sell for… ahem... much more than that it seems! 

Ralph Weeks & The Telecasters – Something Deep Inside  19??

And here’s Johnny Otis with a funky “Jaws” from, presumably, 1975.

Johnny Otis – Jaws  1975

Misty Eyed - Part 4

..... The Tracks of My Tears concludes. 

As 1976 was coming to an end Parliament released “The Clones Of Dr. Funkenstein”. It was the follow up to “Mothership Connection” and has somehow always remained under that album’s shadow. For my money though “Clones” is at least its equal. The funk is looser, the feel is more laid back, horn arrangements to die for abound, and there are some great vocal performances (for example just check Gary Shider on the track featured here)*. To my mind the more stripped down feel reveals a melanlcholic undercurrent to many of the tracks. Cut through the invented on-the-one-cosmic-science-thang world of Clinton and his cohorts and what you have is a really soulful album. The soulfulness struck me on first hearing, just after its release. Back then I wasn’t aware of the group’s history and previous incarnation as The Parliaments. Now of course it all makes sense.        

*(I have featured  “Getten’ To Know You” on Feel It before so instead here is another track (with, this time, Glen Goins on vocals) which has a similar effect on me.)

Parliament - Getten’ To Know You (1976)         

Parliament– Funkin’ For Fun (1976)*

Buy "The Clones Of Dr. Funkenstein

I used the term “marriage made in heaven” earlier in these outpourings. Here’s another one – Country and Soul music. So many Country songs tell a story, simple but powerful tales about human relationships and feelings – hearts swollen, torn, broken, mended. What makes someone a Soul singer is the extra level of emotive power they seem able to impart in their delivery, a feeling that they are singing from the heart. Put these together and you have a have a potent brew.

In the mid 70s Dorothy Moore had a string of ballad hits on the Malaco label at a time when the whole world was turning disco. Love songs - new love – “Misty Blue”, “I Believe You” – old flames -  “Funny How Times Slips Away”, “For Old Time's Sake”, written by, or for, Country artists. Actually “For Old Time's Sake” was written by Frederick Knight so my premise falls down somewhat – but it sure has a Country feel to it. I have never been in the situation that “For Old Time's Sake” recounts, but the way Dot sings it she makes me feel like I want to be the partner, even with the pain that would obviously come with the territory.            

Dorothy Moore – For Old Time's Sake (1976)

Buy "Dorothy Moore's Greatest Hits"

I have just noticed that many of these tracks come from the same period of the 70s, a period that coincided with my late teens. We seem uniquely impressionable at that stage of life and perhaps this explains why I have such a special relationship with these songs. Looking back I appeared particularly shy at that time of my life, especially where girls were concerned. Maybe in immersing myself in these songs I was acting out an otherwise fairly non existent love life! Then again, maybe these songs move me so much simply because as I said back at the beginning - they are so damn good.        

Misty Eyed - Part 3

......The Tracks Of My Tears continues.

The next track appeared on Lucinda Williams’ 2001 album “Essence”. A dead slow Country waltz is not something you will likely find very often at Souled On, or Feel It for that matter. But I defy you not to be moved by Lucinda’s memories of her Grandmother’s house brought into sharp focus by a final visit. Lucinda may have her roots firmly planted in Country music but she is as soulful as they come. 

Lucinda Williams - Bus To Baton Rouge (2001)

Disco may seem like an odd genre of music to make you cry, but I find no shortage of Disco numbers that do it for me. Some examples – Candi Staton “When You Wake Up Tomorrow” (The uniquely ‘hurt’ quality of Candi’s voice seems to be highlighted even more by the backdrop of a disco track); Tata Vega “Get It Up For Love” (just a fantastic arrangement); Chantal Curtis “Get Another Love” (so melancholic and wistful); Patrice Rushen “Haven’t You Heard” (can’t explain). All those are pretty long tracks on 12” so I’ve chosen a 7” from Marlena Shaw. I love Marlena’s delivery as she sings her tale of loneliness and lost love. Dance your troubles away. Perhaps there was a situation or event in my life associated with this record that causes me to fill up still, but if there was then it is now buried deep in my sub-conscious. I don’t know why, but I have always kept this single in its original cardboard mailer, maybe that is part of its enduring charm.  

      

 MarlenaShaw – Love Has Gone Away (1976)            

I can recommend this Marlena Shaw Anthology CD as I have a copy.

To be continued…..and concluded.....

Misty Eyed - Part 2 : Happy Birthday Chaka

......The Tracks Of My Tears continues. I have taken the liberty of playing around with the sequence of my original article (and posting two Rufus tracks so close together) because today a certain lady is 60 years old. 

Happy Birthday Chaka Khan.   

I was struggling to pick just one Rufus track here. Their albums are littered with tracks that readily induce my tears, but especially those from the album “Ask Rufus”. What an album this is. I’m sorry, but they just don’t make them like this anymore. Chaka was in a more restrained mood on this album, and the better for it in my opinion. But though her voice is of course a sweet and wondrous instrument, it wasn’t all about Chaka. All the members of Rufus deserve the plaudits, their musicianship was superb, and their arrangements were lush and complex, and by this album they appeared to be operating on a higher plane, music as art. Sweetly complemented by Chaka Khan they made a unique contribution to the world of soul music. “Better Days” from “Ask Rufus” contains the line ”I don’t know why, but I want to cry…” so in the end it picks itself really. (NOTE: the sound dynamics on this may not be too good, I really must get another copy of the album – or were all the pressings like this?)*

Rufus featuring Chaka Khan – Better Days (1977)

To be continued…..

* I had a comment or two on the original post that seems to suggest all the vinyl pressings may have been a bit "muddy".   

If you don't own it already you really must buy "Ask Rufus".  

   

Misty Eyed - Part 1

Feel It’s birthday last week has made me I little nostalgic, after all seven years is a long time in the blogging game.  The nostalgia is also tinged with a little sadness as another one of our longstanding (or I should say hopping) family pets – Buttons the rabbit – passed away yesterday. We estimate he was nearly 11 which is a great age for a rabbit. He died of glorious old age, which is no bad thing.

To suit my mood I have decided to repost (with some minor editing) something I put together a few years ago for another blog – Scholar’s sorely missed SouledOn… 

I was honoured to be invited by Scholar to write something for his blog back in 2007. The theme I chose was, simply, songs that make me cry.

So here on Feel It for the first time , split up into a little mini-series over the next few days is:

The Tracks Of My Tears.

I often find the tears welling up. It can be embarrassing, I can be simply talking fondly about something, anything - with someone, anyone - and I can feel my eyes getting misty. I think I have taken after my father because I have noticed the same thing in him. My wife (Mrs Darce!)  is pretty adept at it too. Our children have learned to don sou’westers and wellies if, as a family, we are all watching a film that is anything approaching moving! There we are, both brushing away the tears.

I am sure all of us will find that certain songs make us fill up. Some songs by simple dint of their sentiment will have an almost universal effect – for example I’m betting Louis Armstrong’s “What A Wonderful World” gets many people reaching for a tissue whenever it’s played. But equally, songs can be very personal, evoking very special and private memories.          

Listening to music is one of my favourite pastimes so it’s not surprising that I find many songs exercising the tear ducts. What is it about a piece of music that gets the tears flowing? As touched on above: the sentiment of the song; triggered memories – fond or painful; simple nostalgia. There again it could be the fact that the track is just so damn good. Or it could be simply inexplicable. Forgetting lyrics for the moment, the way that the music is structured or nuanced can also be crucial I think. I’m no expert on musical structure but elements such as chord patterns, cadence, particular tones - the profoundly sad sound that most stringed instruments make for example, can all play a part in moving someone to tears, and I am sure there will be some science behind this that can prove it.

But let’s not overanalyse. The danger then is the evocative power of a song will evaporate, and with it the tears. And I don’t know about you, but I enjoy a good cry.

Here, for your delectation, are some tracks that have the desired effect with me. As Millie Jackson once put it: “I Feel Like Walking In The Rain”!

Kicking things off are two tracks that are segued by seagulls! I think Kool & The Gang were at the peak of their powers in 1974 when they released “Light Of Worlds”. “Whiting H. & G.”, an instrumental, was track 1 on side 1 of this album. Who says you need lyrics to bring on the tears, these guys could funk it up with the best of them but they also really knew how to drag emotion out of their synthesizers  and the long fade is irresistible. Cue long shot of a couple, or a lone person if you prefer, in the distance, at dusk, walking along an otherwise deserted beach (er, except for the seagulls). And they walk around the point and right into Jean Carn’s “You Are All I Need”. The scene’s gone all misty now – that will be the tears! Dexter Wansel consistently came up with sublime arrangements and this is one of them. Put that together with Jean’s beautiful jazz tinged vocals and the sentiment of the lyrics and you have a marriage made in heaven.

Kool & The Gang – Whiting H & G ~~~ Jean Carn – You Are All I Need (1974/1976)

Treat yourself:

Buy Kool & The Gang - Light Of Worlds 

Buy Jean Carn s/t

To be continued…..