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By Larry, June 18, 2017 10:37 am

The Impressions

Mr and Mrs Turner

Listen/Download – The Impressions – You Must Believe Me MP3

Listen/Download – Ike and Tina Turner Revue – You Must Believe Me MP3

Greetings all.

Before we get rolling….

My weekly radio show for WFMU’s Give the Drummer Radio, Testify! is on the air live, every Wednesday night from 10-12. If you dig Funky16Corners and/or Iron Leg I think you’ll dig it. So tune in when you get a chance!
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I will go ahead and assume that is you are regular visit to these environs that you are already acquainted with the sounds of the mighty Impressions.

Though the group were much more than just a vehicle for the genius of Curtis Mayfield, there is also no doubt that without him they would never have reached the heights they did.

Today’s selection was a Top 20 hit for the group in 1964, and is a perfect example of the group’s deep, gospel-inflected soul.

The arrangement is pure Chicago class (courtesy of Johnny Pate) but also opens with a taste of Mayfield’s Pop Staples-influenced guitar, sitting there all by itself, laying a foundation of Mississippi Delta soil on which the rest of the song rests (and weaving itself in and out of the arrangement all the way through).

One of Mayfield’s finest ‘begging for forgiveness’ tunes, it treads a fine line between pleading and confidence, with Sam Gooden and Fred Cash’s harmonies riding up in the front seat with Curtis’s voice so closely that it almost sounds like he’s doubling (tripling?) himself.

The way the muted horns rise up and recede again behind the verse is a thing of beauty, making it my favorite Impressions record by a longshot.

I’m also including a very groovy cover of the tune by the Ike and Tina Turner Revue.

Their version appeared on the 1965 LP ‘The Ike and Tina Turner Show Vol2’ on Loma. This, along with the previous year’s ‘Live – The Ike and Tina Turner Show’ is an essential volume and a fantastic snapshot of a live soul revue of the classic era.

If someone were smart, they’d reissue the two discs together.

Though it was recorded not long after the original by the Impressions fell off the charts, Tina introduces the song by saying they were going “way back”.

Ike’s guitar plays pretty close to the original, while the Ikettes and Tina trade lines expertly, giving the tune a fuller, more open harmony workout.

It’s a highlight of the album, which also includes a cover of the Impressions ‘Keep On Pushin’ (coincidentally the Impressions release that immediately preceded ‘You Must Believe Me’) as well as a weird ‘fake live’ version of the Turner’s Northern Soul classic ‘Somebody (Somewhere) Needs You’.

I hope you dig the tunes.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too. <

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By Larry, June 11, 2017 9:12 am

Listen/Download – James Duncan – I Got It Made (In the Shade) MP3

Greetings all.

Before we get rolling….

The Funky16Corners blogging experience has begun its transition into the (grandiosely named, but with tongue in cheek) Funky16Corners Radio Network!

The changes are as thus – The concentration of the operation will continue its shift to podcasting/radio, with the Funky16Corners Radio Show originating every week as a live broadcast, Thursday nights at 9PM Eastern on MIXLR, and will continue to be posted as a downloadable podcast every Friday, and broadcast in the UK on Cruising Radio.

The Iron Leg Radio Show will also move to a monthly live broadcast (day to be determined) also on MIXLR and will continue to be broadcast on Cruising Radio in the UK.

Actual written blogging will continue, but will likely be limited to one new post a week.

This year’s Funky16Corners Allnighter/Pledge Drive will evolve into a Summer of Soul, with a new guest mix posted here (starting at the end of June) once a week, every week for the duration of the summer.

So dig in, join me on Thursday nights, and keep watching this space for further details.
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Today’s selection is something I picked up a couple of years ago after being tipped off to the fact that it shared a backing track with another record already residing in my crates.

James Duncan recorded a grip of 45s on his own and with the Duncan Trio for the King/Federal from 1964 on into the eary 70s.

His earlier stuff is features some amazing, raw vocals in a New Breed R&B style.

Today’s selection ‘I Got It Made (in the Shade)’ was released in 1970, and sees Mr Duncan inside a much funkier bag.

The tune opens with some wild, bow-legged, twangy guitar and tight drums, with Duncan singing over the top.

In and of itself, it is a fine funk 45 indeed.

That said, a year or two later, Hugh Boynton made his way up to Macon, GA (where the Duncan track has been recorded) and availed himself of the backing track for ‘I Got It Made (In the Shade)’, writing new lyrics and adding a new vocal (and giving himself writing credit)  rechristening the song as ‘The Funky Grasshopper’.

Neither record is particularly expensive, both hovering in the 25-30 dollar range. You can dig the Hugh Boynton side on Youtube.

I hope you dig the sounds.
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Don’t forget, my weekly radio show for WFMU’s Give the Drummer Radio, Testify! is on the air live, every Wednesday night from 10-12. If you dig Funky16Corners and/or Iron Leg I think you’ll dig it. So tune in when you get a chance!
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Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

____________________________________________________________________________

Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too. <

Comments (0)

By Larry, June 4, 2017 10:52 am

Homer Banks

Listen/Download – Homer Banks – Round the Clock Lover Man MP3

Greetings all.

Changes are afoot!

Starting today, the Funky16Corners blogging experience begins its transition into the (grandiosely named, but with tongue in cheek) Funky16Corners Radio Network!

The changes are as thus – The concentration of the operation will continue its shift to podcasting/radio, with the Funky16Corners Radio Show originating every week as a live broadcast, Thursday nights at 9PM Eastern on MIXLR, and will continue to be posted as a downloadable podcast every Friday, and broadcast in the UK on Cruising Radio.

The Iron Leg Radio Show will also move to a monthly live broadcast (day to be determined) also on MIXLR and will continue to be broadcast on Cruising Radio in the UK.

Actual written blogging will continue, but will likely be limited to one new post a week.

This year’s Funky16Corners Allnighter/Pledge Drive will evolve into a Summer of Soul, with a new guest mix posted here (starting at the end of June) once a week, every week for the duration of the summer.

So dig in, join me on Thursday nights, and keep watching this space for further details.

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Over the last five years or so, Homer Banks has become one of my all time favorite artists.

As both a performer and songwriter, Banks made some of the finest Memphis soul 45s of the 1960s.

He was a fine singer in the Southern soul tradition, and wrote some killer tunes, for himself as well as artists like the Mad Lads, Wilson Pickett, Johnnie Taylor, Sam and Dave and Jeanne and the Darlings.

Today’s selection was released in 1968 and has an interesting pedigree indeed.

‘Round the Clock Lover Man’ was written by Banks and Allen Jones, produced by Johnny Keyes and Packy Axton of the Packers/Pac-Keys and arranged by Keyes as well.

‘Round the Clock Lover Man’ finds Banks harmonizing with himself (I think) with an interesting melody, mid-tempo pace and carefully applied horns and piano.

It exists in a kind of odd gray area half a step up from ballads but not quite aggressive enough to be a dancer.

This doesn’t suggest that the quality isn’t first rate, but rather that the song is not easily pigeonholed.

It was the second-to-last of the singles in his 66-68 run with Minit.

As far as I know Banks work as a performer has yet to be gathered in one place and reissued, which is a damn shame as it’s all good.

I hope you dig the tune.

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My weekly radio show for WFMU’s Give the Drummer Radio, Testify! is on the air live, every Wednesday night from 10-12. If you dig Funky16Corners and/or Iron Leg I think you’ll dig it. So tune in when you get a chance!
_______________________________________________

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

____________________________________________________________________________

Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too. <

Comments (2)

By Larry, June 1, 2017 11:33 am

Funky16Corners Radio v.90 – Soul In Harmony

Playlist

Thanksgiving week is here (at least in the US), and this year I have lots to be thankful for, as well as lots to do.

I’ve decided to drop this mix today, and pretty much take the rest of the week off.

Funky16Corners Radio v.90 – Soul In Harmony is one of those mixes that has been cooking (in my head, anyway) for a long time.

I’m not sure how much it has been visible here on the blog (anyone have time lapse footage of the last five years?), but my tastes – often spurred on by a periodic excavation in my record room – are always evolving.

Back in the day, when I first started to collect soul 45s, it was all about the rough and ready Southern sound, fast moving and loud.

It would be years before I really started to examine soul ballads, and then I started to dig into funk, and then Northern Soul, then to disco and on and on, hopefully ad infinitum.

The latest spike on the evolutionary time-line popped up sometime in the last year, spurred on by the sounds of sweet soul.

The AM radio of my youth was filled with bands like the Chi-Lites, the Stylistics, Blue Magic and others, and to be honest, it all struck me as a little mushy, but then again I was 10 years old.

As I got older, and started to listen and dig, ever deeper into the sounds of soul, I discovered a fair amount of sweeter, soul harmony stuff, often on the B-sides of more upbeat, aggressive records, and as is often the case, despite the comparative ‘lightness’ of some of these records, I was drawn in by what always grabs me, that being good songs.

The first record in this style that really knocked me out was the Intruder’s ‘A Love That’s Real’ still one of my favorite records.

Thanks to both geographic proximity and the quality of the music, I’ve collected Philly soul for a long time, and one thing the cats in Philly knew how to create was solid harmony soul. Almost a third of the records I put into this mix are by Philly groups, another third from Detroit or Chicago, and the rest spread over the map (including one by my Jersey Shore homeboys the Broadways).

The importance of tight harmony singing has been a hallmark of black music, from the Mills Brothers and the Ink Spots in the 30s and 40s, countless groups in the 50s and of course everything in this mix, from the classic soul era.

There’s really something special about harmony singing. Done well, it’s not just an accidental meshing of random voices, but rather an aural tapestry woven from perfectly complementary elements.

The ‘classic’ soulful blend, with a tenor, or sometimes baritone lead, a bass and often someone capable of singing in falsetto provides a basic sound, but when some (or all) of these roles are filled by extraordinary singers the end result is something magical.

All of the songs in this mix hail from between 1966 and 1970, a period when a certain maturity and creative growth was on the rise in soul music, when the finest groups intersected with great writers and producers to make music of increasing sophistication and depth.

Though there is a general stylistic thread running through this mix, the tempos vary between pure balladry, upbeat, danceable soul and slightly rougher edged sounds.

There are a few songs that have appeared here before, but when I started assembling the playlist, I knew that they had to be included.

Things get started with the truly amazing ‘I Don’t Know How To Say I Love You (Don’t Walk Away)’ by the mighty Superlatives. I have sung the praises of this record before, but it certainly can’t hurt to hear it again. The combination of sweet vocals, heavy drums and that stellar arrangement are truly amazing.

The Broadways, without any question the greatest soul group to come out of the Jersey Shore recorded two solid 45s for MGM. Their ‘You Just Don’t Know’ is a staple of my Northern Soul sets, and while ‘Sweet and Heavenly Melody’ also packs a driving beat, it has a lushness to it (how about those strings) that sets it apart.

I don’t know much about the Hesitations. I’ve seen their records – often packed with covers – for years, but only bought on for the first time a few months ago. ‘Stay In My Corner’ is a marvel, with the singers alternating leads over dynamic backing vocals.

The Ethics recorded a series of excellent 45s for Philadelphia’s Vent label in the late 60s, including the Northern classic ‘Look at Me Now’. ‘Think About Tomorrow’ is a much slower, much sweeter, falsetto-led ballad that was clearly tailored to reflect the sounds that Gamble and Huff were creating at the same time.

One of the rougher sounding, yet oddly pretty songs in this mix is ‘I’ll Be Loving You’ by the Soul Brothers Six. The flipside of the classic ‘Some Kind of Wonderful’, ‘I’ll Be Loving You’ features what is, in comparison to most of the records in this mix, remarkably spare instrumentation, with rhythm guitar, thumping bass, drums and tambourine, all sounding like it was recorded in one take. The real star here, aside from John Ellison’s wonderful lead vocal, is the second guitar, which has a kind of chiming overtone to it that from a distance sounds like vibraphone accents. The more I listen to this one the more I love it.

The next cut is by the Blue Notes (as in Harold Melvin and…). Right before they began their run of hits with Philadelphia International, the group recorded two 45s for the Uni label. ‘Never Gonna Leave You’ (from 1969) was the B-side of the funky ‘Hot Thrills and Cold Chills’. The 45 was reissued a few years later, no doubt to capitalize on the success of their PI hits.

‘I’ll Make It Up To You’ by the Magictones is the bottom half of one of the truly great Detroit soul 45s (the A-side being their epic cover of the Parliaments’ ‘Good Ole Music’). Much like the Superlatives record (also released on Westbound), the Magictones juxtapose their harmonies with a heavy background, including some tasty electric sitar.

Though they’re best known for their early, doowop sides, Little Anthony and the Imperials recorded well into the classic soul era, including and excellent run of 45s for the Veep label between 1966 and 1969. ‘It’s Not the Same’ which features Anthony Gourdine’s unmistakable falsetto, and a classy arrangement (in which the Imperials are often doubled by female backing singers), bears a slight (but not overpowering) similarity to ‘Goin’ Out of My Head’ (also from 1966).

Speaking of Philadephia soul, there are few groups who were as successful – artistically and on the charts – as the mighty Intruders. ‘Everyday Is a Holiday’ (from 1969) is a great showcase for their unique harmonies and a muscular production and arrangement by Gamble and Huff. Listen closely to the bass and drums (almost funky), as well as the horns and staccato piano accents in the verse.

Chicago’s Artistics were reliable hitmakers for the Brunswick label in the late 60s. ‘What Happened’ is another record that seems to run on the outskirts of funk, as well as displaying the influence of the Temptations.

Another group with solid roots in the doowop era, that also made some great soul records was the Platters. Though they had few (if any) original members by the time they recorded ‘Sweet Sweet Lovin’ in 1967.
Featuring a great lead vocal by Sonny Turner, ‘Sweet Sweet Lovin’ is typical of the kind of upbeat, danceable soul the group was making in this period.

We head back to the City of Brotherly Love with the Ambassadors. One of the truly great Philly bands of the late 60s and early 70s, the Ambassadors recorded some excellent 45s for Atlantic before moving on to Arctic records where they would record several outstanding 45s and an LP. They were adept a certain brand of funky soul, best displayed on 1969s ‘A.W.O.L.’.

When I wrote about the Precisions ‘You’ll Soon Be Gone’ back in 2008, I compare the sound of the record with a lot of the later period stuff that the Parliaments recorded for Revilot (it probably featured a lot of the same musicians. It has a much harder sound than their other Drew 45s.

Chicago’s Radiants recorded some of my favorite soul 45s of the 60s. By the time they recorded ‘I’m Glad I’m the Loser’, their lead vocalist Maurice McAlister had departed. I’m not sure who’s singing lead on this one, but he tears it up.

The Originals recorded a string of great records for Motown in the late 60s, their biggest hit being 1969s ‘Baby, I’m For Real’. ‘Love Is a Wonder’ is a brilliant bit of late 60s Motown, mixing tight, tight harmonies and a powerful arrangement. The lead vocalist sounds like someone Daryl Hall probably spent a lot of time listening to.

Another great tune that bears a passing resemblance to a previous success is the Intrigues ‘I’m Gonna Love You’. The Philadelphia group hit the charts in the summer of 1969 with ‘In A Moment’, a song with a similar vibe and arrangement to the tune in this mix. They recorded a number of cool 45s for the Yew label and hit the R&B (and occasionally Pop) charts a few times between 1969 and 1971.

If you’re a regular visitor to Funky16Corners, you’ll already know that the mighty Volcanos are one of my all time favorite soul groups. Led by singer Gene Faith (born Eugene Jones), the Volcanos recorded some of the finest soul singles to come out of Philadephia in the 1960s for the Arctic and Harthon labels. They had the instrumental backing of the core of the famed Philly rhythm section and material from some of the best songwriters around. ‘You’re Number One’ is a bright, fast moving dancer with lots of sweet background harmony lifting Faith’s lead. Many of the Volcanos went on to form the core of the Trammps who went on to much success in the 70s.

The Vontastics (who took their name from Chicago’s black radio powerhouse WVON) recorded a couple of truly amazing 45s for a variety of Chitown labels (mostly St. Lawrence) between 1965 and 1969. ‘You Can Work It Out’ sports a stylish arrangement (dig those horns!) and some razor sharp vocals in a song that sounds like a tip of the hat to the Miracles ‘Shop Around’.

I first heard the Unifics a few years back when I scored a copy of their monumental 45 ‘It’s a Groovy World. A product of Washington, D.C.’s Howard University (like Roberta Flack and the Blackbyrds) the Unifics hit the charts a few times in 1968 and 1969, their biggest hit being ‘Court of Love’. They recorded some 45s and an excellent LP for the Kapp label under the guidance of songwriter and producer Guy Draper. The amazing ‘Which One Should I Choose’ was co-written by Draper, lead singer Al Johnson and yet another Howard alumni, the mighty Donny Hathaway (who also plays piano on the track).

The Formations were another Philadelphia group with a Northern Soul classic – ‘At the Top of the Stairs’ – to their credit. ‘Love’s Not Only For The Heart’ shows a harder edged side of the group that went on to perform and record as the Corner Boys (for Neptune), the Silent Majority (for Hot Wax) and Hot Ice (for Atlantic).

The next track is a personal favorite of mine. One of my earliest ‘cool’ Philly 45 scores, the Producers 45 (on Gamble and Huff’s short lived Huff Puff label) is a very solid two sider. ‘Love Is Amazing’ (the only tune in this mix with a female lead, provided by Mikki Farrow) is one of those records that should have been a substantial hit, yet never really (as far as I can tell) made a dent anywhere, even in Philly). It does have it’s partisans in the UK, but remains (unjustly) obscure.

The Parliaments, led by George Clinton are best known as the group that started the Parliament/Funkadelic empire, but recorded some of the finest soul 45s to come out of Detroit in the 60s. ‘Time’ (from 1968) was the upbeat flipside of the psyched out breakbeats of ‘Good Ole Music’.

The Four Sonics – another Detroit group – had connections to Nolan Strong and the Diablos. The unusual, bass-heavy vocals of ‘It Takes Two’ (not the Marvin Gaye song) appeared on the B-side of their epic version of Dusty Springfield’s ‘You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me’.

I recounted the tale of the Masqueraders in this space not too long ago, but I couldn’t very well do a mix dedicated to soul harmony without including their incredible ‘I Don’t Want Nobody To Lead Me On’. A group of Texans, who relocated first to Detroit, and then ended up recording their best stuff in Memphis, the Masqueraders ought to be much better known. This song was also covered by the Dynamics.

This edition of Funky16Corners Radio closes out with the only white group in the mix, Pennsylvania’s Magnificent Men. ‘Peace Of Mind’, written by lead singer Dave Bupp and trumpeter Buddy King, which hit the R&B charts in 1966 is an outstanding example of the influence of Curtis Mayfield specifically, and Chicago soul in general. Bupp has been quoted as saying that the song was written with Walter Jackson in mind, and it’s not hard to imagine the master balladeer doing a fine version of the song. The Magnificent Men were one of the few white soul harmony groups to have success with black audiences in the 60s, though there must have been something in the water in Pennsylvania, with folks like Len Barry, Billy Harner and the Temptones (featuring a young Daryl Hall).

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, May 30, 2017 10:40 am

Howard Tate – Get It While You Can (Verve)
Diamond Joe – Fair Play (Minit)
Irma Thomas – I Wish Someone Would Care (Imperial)
Jackie Shane – Any Other Way (Cookin’)
Lee Dorsey and Betty Harris – Please Take Care of Our Love (Sansu)
Van Dykes – No Man Is An Island (Mala)
Otis Redding – Cigarettes and Coffee (Volt/Atco)
Little Buster – I’m So Lonely (Jubilee)
Mable John – Your Good Thing (Is About To End) (Stax)
Sweet Linda Divine – Same Time Same Place (Columbia)
OV Wright – I Want Everyone To Know I Love You (Backbeat)
Rubaiyats – Tomorrow (Sansu)
Eddie Holman – I’ll Cry 1,000 Tears (Bell)
Eldridge Holmes – If I Were a Carpenter (Deesu)
James Carr – The Dark End of the Street (Goldwax)
John Williams and the Tick Tocks – Blues Tears and Sorrows (Sansu)
Laura Lee – Hang It Up (Chess)
Otis Redding – I’ve Been Loving You Too Long To Stop Now (Volt)
Toussaint McCall – Nothing Takes the Place of You (Ronn)
Bobby Womack – Take Me (Minit)

Listen/Download Funky16Corners 10th Anniversary Pt3 – Ballads

Greetings all

“Best Of” week continues.

As I referenced in Monday’s post, big things are afoot, and thanks to some free time and research on my part they seem to be happening at a slightly faster pace that previously thought.

I can’t divulge all yet, but the streamlining/improvements in the operation continue apace.

This year’s Allnighter/fundraiser will likely begin with a grip of new guest mixes toward the end of June. The roster in past years has always been outstanding, and I can assure we have some more heat for you this year.

So dig this mix, and I’ll see you all on Friday.

KTF

Larry

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Welcome to day three of the 10th Anniversary thing.

While I know that you all dig your soul upbeat and danceable, I couldn’t very well put together collections of my favorite stuff without stopping to consider the ballads.

In fact, to try to illustrate the greatness of soul music without touching on the deep side of things would be a fool’s errand.

To many people, these are the kind of records that make for great soul music; big, dramatic performances, expressing love – sought out, or lost – tragedy, tribute and longing.

What I found interesting after putting this mix together, is how many of the performers included were truly versatile, able to deliver a deep ballad, yet also capable (as is illustrated by their appearances in other mixes in this week’s line-up) of working the upbeat (even funky) side of things as well.

There are a lot of heavy, heavy records in this mix, so turn the lights down low, cuddle up with someone you love (or the memory of someone you’ve lost) and feel the soul.

See you on Friday

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, May 28, 2017 10:19 am

Miss Mable John

Funky16Corners Presents: Same Time, Same Place

Eddie Jones – Let’s Stop Fooling Ourselves (Fairmount)
Andy Butler – Take Me (TRC)
Mable John – Same Time Same Place (Stax)
Steve Colt and the 45s – So far Away (RCA)
Vanguards – Somebody Please (Whiz)
Invincibles – Heart Full of Love(WB)
Tyrone Davis – Knock On Wood (Dakar)
Barbara Perry – Unlovable (Goldwax)
Ike and Tina Turner – Too Many Ties That Bind (Minit)
Carl Hall – You Don’t Know Nothing About Love (Loma)
Gloria Jones – When He Touches Me (Minit)
Soul Brothers Six – Somebody Else Is Loving My Baby (Atlantic)
Jackie Verdell – I’m Your Girl (Decca)
Grover Mitchell with St John and the Cardinals – Sweeter As the Days Go By (Josie)
Homer Banks – Lady of Stone (Minit)
Johnny and the Expressions – Something I Want To Tell You (Josie)
McKinley Travis – Baby Is There Something On Your Mind (Soultown)
Soul Clan – That’s How I Feel (Atlantic)
Walter Scott and the Kapers – I Want To Thank You (Ivanhoe)
William Bell – You Don’t Miss Your Water (Stax)

Listen/Download – Funky16Corners Presents: Same Time Same Place 110MB/Mixed MP3

Greetings all.

This begins a “best of” week here at Funky16Corners, devoted to classic ballad mixes from the past.

I am in the process of organizing this year’s Funky16Corners Allnighter/Pledge Drive, as well as working on some crucial reorganization here and at Iron Leg.

Funky16Corners had been a going concern, from 2000 as a webzine, and then from 2004 on as a blog.

I started doing the Funky16Corners Radio Show back more than 8 years ago on Viva Radio, and when that stopped being viable, went independent as a podcast in 2010 (almost exactly seven years ago), and starting the Iron Leg Radio Show in May of 2011.

If you have been following the goings on hereabouts, you will have noticed that as of two weeks ago, I have commenced a live, weekly show called Testify! for WFMU”s Give the Drummer Radio.

The weeks spent assembling/configuring the home studio, and the freedom (literal and figurative) associated with doing live radio have moved me in the direction of some changes.

The first change, still conceptual but very likely to take form soon, will be to originate all of the podcasts as ‘live’ shows and then archiving them as podcasts to be downloaded/streamed at your leisure in the usual places, i.e. iTunes, TuneIn, Stitcher etc.

The second change will be to limit the amount of actual ‘blogging’ published at Funky16Corners and Iron Leg, commencing the evolution from old-school blogs to a full scale podcasting/broadcasting outlet.

I have been giving a change of this nature quite a lot of thought over the years, especially because of the drastic reduction in blog traffic since the early days of the boom.

This is not to say that I don’t enjoy the written aspect of the blog, but that in my own heart, and seeming in the hearts of the audience, the audio end of things seems to have supplanted it.

I still have a lot of work to do, and will be applying myself to that work in earnest over the coming weeks.

I’m aiming for the launch of the 2017 Allnighter near the end of June, and will likely spread the launch of the mixes over a longer period of time, as well as reworking the fundraising aspect of the event.

As these things come into a finer focus I will communicate them to you here and on the various and sundry radio shows.

So, dig the mixes this week, keep your ears pointed toward all of the broadcasts, and I will keep you all in the loop.

KTF

Larry

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Speaking of original vinyl, the flow of it into the Funky16Corners Blogcasting Nerve Center and Record Vault has continued unabated, and inside that tidal wave of wax has been a goodly amount of those classic soul ballads.

As a collector/appreciator, I came to the world of ballads fairly late in the game, but I have been making up for lost time.

So prodigious has been the accumulation, that I felt the time was right for a new ballad mix, so here it is.

There is a lot of southern soul in here, but also a couple of stylish west coast items, with stops in Chicago and Philadelphia as well.

As they say on the streets, ‘It’s all good’, but there are some highlights that bear mentioning.

You have to check out Andy Butler’s very groovy take on Bobby Womack’s ‘Take Me’, hardcore honky Steve Colt’s old-school JB-isms in ‘So Far Away’, the lo-fi, gospel-inflected perfection of the Invincibles’ ‘Heart Full of Love’, Ike and Tina bringing it on the b-side with ‘Too Many Ties That Bind’, Carl Hall’s epic ‘You Don’t Know Nothing About Love’, Gloria Jones covering Rodge Martin’s ‘When He Touches Me’, the mighty Soul Clan and ‘That’s How I Feel’ and reliably genius contributions from Mable John, Homer Banks, the Soul Brothers Six, Grover Mitchell, William Bell and many more.

What you get here is ‘Funky16Corners Presents: Same Time, Same Place’, an hour of the finest soulful pleading, shouting and wailing, reaching back into the amen corner, and out into heartbreak alley.

I’ve been spinning this one non-stop since putting it together, so you know it’ll be good.

I hope you dig it (spread the word), and I’ll see you all on Monday.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (1)

By Larry, May 25, 2017 12:45 pm

Pervis Staples and Carla Thomas

Listen/Download – Pervis Staples and Carla Thomas – It’s Unbelievable (How You Control My Soul) MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the week is here, and so then is the Funky16Corners Radio Show, which drops each and every Friday with finest in soul, funk, jazz and rare groove, all on original vinyl. You can subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, listen on your mobile device via the Stitcher and TuneIn apps. Check it out on Mixcloud, or gran yourselves an MP3 right here at Funky16Corners.com

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I am in the process of gearing up for this year’s fundraiser, as well as a reassessment of blogging/podcasting workload.

All podcasts, Funky16Corners Radio Show, Iron Leg Radio Show and my weekly live bag, Testify! on WFMU’s Give the Drummer Radio will continue going forward.

The actual written end of the blogs may undergo some truncation to accommodate the increased production schedule.

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We close out the week with the groovy version of song first recorded by Jeanne and the Darlings (on Volt) in 1968.

This version of the song ‘It’s Unbelievable (How You Control My Soul)’ was recorded by the duet of Pervis Staples and Carla Thomas as part of the massive (and quite good) Stax project ‘Boy Meets Girl’, issued as a 2-LP set in 1969 and featuring the cream of the Stax/Volt stable.

Most of the duet pairings were new, i.e. no long standing pairings were included, but the results were always interesting.

Both Pervis and Carla were second-generation singers, Pervis as part of the Staple Singers (along side his father Roebuck, aka Pops, and his sisters Mavis, Cleotha and Yvonne) and Carla the daughter of Stax legend Rufus Thomas.

It’s interesting to hear Pervis outside of the framework of the Staples sound, and to realize how mush his voice sounds like his father.

Carla, of course, had had solo hits prior to this session, and had duetted with both her father and the mighty Otis Redding.

Their version of ‘It’s Unbelievable…’ is very cool. The song was co-written by Homer Banks (a big fave hereabouts) and Don Davis, and the session was co-produced by Davis and Al Bell.

The sound is a little more restrained than the Jeanne and the Darlings version (also produced by Davis), but I attribute that to the difference in the vocals, which are much harder-edged in the latter.

The pair duet on one other song (‘I’m Crying’) and participate in the group opening of ‘Soul-a-Lujah’.

That said, it is an excellent number, and I recommend the ‘Boy Meets Girl’ LP very highly. The original vinyl isn’t terribly expensive or hard to find, and some of the CD reissues truncate the track list significantly.

I hope you dig it, and I’ll see you all on Monday.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, May 23, 2017 12:22 pm

Clyde McPhatter

Listen/Download – Clyde McPhatter – A Shot of Rhythm and Blues MP3

Greetings all.

Before we get rolling….

My new weekly radio show for WFMU’s Give the Drummer Radio, Testify! had it’s inaugural episode last Wednesday and is archived over there. If you dig Funky16Corners and/or Iron Leg I think you’ll dig it. I’ll be on the air every Wednesday night (tomorrow!) from 10-12, live, so tune in when you get a chance!
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I am endlessly fascinated with artists who are associated with the earlier days of R&B who continued to make music (often overlooked or forgotten) well into the classic soul era.

Today’s performer is a great example thereof.

Clyde McPhatter sang with Billy Ward and the Dominoes, was a founding member of the Drifters and had a string of solo hits stretching from 1955 to 1965 (though most of those fell between 55 and 61).

Though he dropped off the charts for good in 1965, he continued to record well into the 70s for a variety of labels (his great cover of ‘In My Tenement’ appeared her a while back).

Today’s selection hails from a brief run (1966-1967) that McPhatter had with the Amy label.

His smoking cover of Arthur Alexander’s classic ‘A Shot of Rhythm and Blues’ (a landmark of early soul which became something of a Beat group standard in the UK) was recorded in Muscle Shoals with Rick Hall at the board, and it shows.

Opening with rock solid drums and horns, McPhatter drops in followed by guitar and bass and a groovy combo organ and he is joined in the chorus by female backing singers.

It’s a great update of the tune, and packs plenty of soul power, which is why it’s so disappointing to see that it doesn’t appeared to have gained an audience anywhere, even regionally.

Perhaps audiences associated McPhatter with an earlier style/sound, but someone missed the boat by not promoting the 45, since it sits right up there with pretty much anything else coming out of the Southern soul sound at the time.

An object lesson is keeping your ears (and mind) open.

I hope you dig it, and I’ll see you all on Friday.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, May 21, 2017 10:38 am

Harvey Scales and the Seven Sounds

Listen/Download – Harvey Scales and the Seven Sounds – The Yolk MP3

Listen/Download – Harvey Scales and the Seven Sounds – The Funky Yolk MP3

Greetings all.

Before we get rolling….

My new weekly radio show for WFMU’s Give the Drummer Radio, Testify! had it’s inaugural episode last Wednesday and is archived over there. If you dig Funky16Corners and/or Iron Leg I think you’ll dig it. I’ll be on the air every Wednesday night from 10-12, live, so tune in when you get a chance!
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Hows about we start the week with the musical defibrillation of Harvey Scales and the Seven Sounds?

I forget where I picked up on this particular 45, but Harvey and his Sounds have popped up in this spot on numerous occasions, in posts, mixes and on the radio show.

The group, based out of Milwaukee, WI released a number of smoking 45s during the 60s (mostly on the local Magic Touch label) and Harvey himself doing 45s and LPs for labels like Casablanca through the disco era.

Today’s selection comes from a two single run for Chess in 1970. Both of the 45s originated with their local operation in Milwaukee, having been produced (and cowritten) by Magic Touch owner Lennie LaCour.

What you get here are variations on a theme, that being the Yolk, which appears (an assumption based solely on anecdotal, record collector information) to have been a dance of some kind.

‘The Yolk’ and its continuation ‘The Funky Yolk’ are both fine examples of prime, late 60s/early 70s kick-ass funk, and are among the finest things Harvey and the Sounds ever laid down. They are both packed from end to end with blazing horns, Harvey’s fine singing and some pounding drums. ‘The Yolk’ is your basic statement, with ‘The Funky Yolk’ following as a more heavily instrumental continuation.

I don’t recall dropping a lot of dough on this smoker, but Popsike seems to indicate that it has been changing hands for north of 50 bucks, often close to (or over) 100, and considering the heat contained in the grooves, it’s worth every penny.

I hope you dig it, and I’ll see you all on Wednesday.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

____________________________________________________________________________

Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, May 18, 2017 10:33 am

Nolan Porter

Listen/Download – Nolan Porter – If I Could Only Be Sure MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the week is here, and so I will remind you once again to dig into the weekly celebration of all things soulful that is the Funky16Corners Radio Show. You ccan subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, follow it in Stitcher and TuneIn, check it out on Mixcloud, or grab yourself an MP3 right here at Funky16Corners.com
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In related news, my new weekly radio show for WFMU’s Give the Drummer Radio, Testify! had it’s inaugural episode last night and is archived over there. If you dig Funky16Corners and/or Iron Leg I think you’ll dig it. I’ll be on the air every Wednesday night from 10-12, live, so tune in when you get a chance!
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The track I bring you today is one of those examples of how if you wait long enough, the record gods will smile on you, even if it’s only for a moment.

‘If I Could Only Be Sure’ by Nolan Porter is a fairly costly 45, thanks to its rarity, as well as its embrace by the Northern Soulies and other collector cadres. It has been known (in its promo form) to pull in several hundred dollars, and in its stock version well over a hundred dollars.

A while back I was on one of my periodic, online vinyl safaris, checking out the usual nooks and crannies/dealers etc, when what should I see in the ‘New Arrivals’ section but the copy of the record you see above, listed in VG condition, for twenty measly dollars.

I gave the matter about ten seconds of consideration before pulling the trigger, always in fear that someone else had spotted the record and was at the same time, attempting to purchase the very same copy.

As luck would have it, I was there first, and in a few short days the record slid through the mail slot and onto my turntable.

I have made a fairly regular practice of picking up harder to find things that are listed in slightly poorer condition (especially is the dealer is trustworthy and a good grader, as he was in this case) because more often than not, the record plays better than grade, and the savings are considerable. I’ve been exceptionally lucky in this regard, only having been burned a few times, and at five or ten dollars, it’s not taking much of a chance, all things considered.

The song itself is exceptionally haunting and unusual record, and in many ways atypical of a Northern Soul favorite, but so then is his other number that rings the bell with the soulies, the heavy ‘Keep On Keeping On’, which is as weird a “Northern” side (in a good way, as opposed to countless inexplicable novelties that have entered the canon) as you’ll find. It’s an interesting example of a transitional period on the UK dance floor and collector scene, moving away from the usual, classic 60s sound and indicating a broadening of the palate.

‘If I Could Only Be Sure’ approaches a mournful vibe, thanks in large part to the repeated guitar line, and several points where Porter flies into a pleading falsetto.

Porter’s albums are also very interesting because of the backing band, which included several members of the Little Feat/Mothers of Invention axis, including Lowell George, Richie Hayward, Jimmy Carl Black and Roy Estrada.

Original copies of the LP on which the track appeared, 1972’s ‘Nolan’ also command high prices, though both of his early 70s albums have been reissued.

It’s a spectacular track, and one that I find myself putting on a loop whenever I call it up.

I hope you dig it too, and I’ll see you all next week.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, May 16, 2017 1:02 pm

Keith Mansfield (left) and Alan Hawkshaw

Listen/Download – Keith Mansfield and His Orchestra – Soul Confusion MP3

Greetings all.

Before we get started, just a reminder about some important news.

Starting this Wednesday, 5/17 from 10PM to 12, and every Wednesday going forward at that time I will be doing a new weekly show on the WFMU Give the Drummer Radio stream called Testify! This show (which had a couple of dry runs elsewhere, earlier on) will see yours truly in a more free-form bag, taking the worlds of Funky16Corners and Iron Leg and mashing them together, with soul, rock, funk, pop, garage, psyche, R&B, Now Sound, jazz and anything else I think sounds good. The show will originate live from the Funky16Corners Subterranean Blogcasting Nerve Center and Record Vault, and will be archived thereafter.

So if your ears are free Wednesday night, turn them toward WFMU.org, click on the Give The Drummer stream and dig what it is that I am putting down.
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The track I bring you today is an old favorite, the flipside of which (the amazing ‘Boogaloo’ appeared in the eareliest incarnation of the blog 12 years ago!).

I have no idea why I waited so long to serve up the flip, but here it is.

Keith Mansfield was one of the great library masters on the UK scene, recording a grip of stuff for the storied KPM label as well as a number of mainstream releases under his own name.

Today’s selection has kind of an odd history.

‘Soul Confusion’ is a 45-only track, and was only released in the for you see today here in the US on an Epic promo.

In the UK the (same) track was billed under the name ‘Sugar with the Keith Mansfield Orchestra (Sugar being the vocalist, Sugar Simone who does not appear on the track) under a different title altogether, ‘11AM Tuesday Morning Taxi’ on CBS/UK. I have no idea why.

The other side of the US 45, ‘Boogaloo’ had appeared the year before on the excellent ‘All You Need Is Keith Mansfield’ LP, alongside the very groovy, breakbeat version of Mansfield’s oft covered ‘Soul Thing’.

‘Soul Confusion’, featuring (naturally) Hammond master Alan Hakshaw, is a funky, brassy groover with great rhythm guitar trading lines with the organ and hard hitting drums. There is a small drum break as well.

The 45 has gone up in price considerably since I found my copy (in the field, and on the cheap, luckily). Decent copies pull in between 75 and 100 dollars.

You can still get the LP (but no ‘Soul Confusion’, though the RPM/Retrodisc reissue from 2008 includes the track) at a much more reasonable price.

I hope you dig the track, and I’ll see you all on Friday.

And, while you’re at it, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, May 14, 2017 9:45 am

Listen/Download – Dennis and the Supertones – Superman Lover MP3

Listen/Download – Dennis and the Supertones – Doin’ the Superman MP3

Greetings all.

Before we get started this week I have some important news.

Starting this Wednesday, 5/17 from 10PM to 12, and every Wednesday going forward at that time I will be doing a new weekly show on the WFMU Give the Drummer Radio stream called Testify! This show (which had a couple of dry runs elsewhere, earlier on) will see yours truly in a more free-form bag, taking the worlds of Funky16Corners and Iron Leg and mashing them together, with soul, rock, funk, pop, garage, psyche, R&B, Now Sound, jazz and anything else I think sounds good. The show will originate live from the Funky16Corners Subterranean Blogcasting Nerve Center and Record Vault, and will be archived thereafter.

So if your ears are free Wednesday night, turn them toward WFMU.org, click on the Give The Drummer stream and dig what it is that I am putting down.
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The tracks I bring you today are yet another small, but groovy chapter in the very interesting career of Ed Townsend.

Townsend got his start as a hit singer in his own right, with ‘For Your Love’ in 1958, went on to write songs for Theola Kilgore (For the Love of My Man), later co-wrote ‘Let’s Get It On’ with Marvin Gaye, and in between was part of Perry and the Harmonics, and the group I bring you today, Dennis and the Supertones.

The group recorded only one 45 – ‘Superman Lover’ b/w ‘Doin’ the Superman’ – in 1963, and that, as they say, was that.

Both tunes (which are separated by a hair’s breadth of originality) lean heavily in the direction of the mighty Rivingtons (the “ZOOM ZOOM ZOOMS” are right out of he Papa Oom Mow Mow playbook) and are a very cool slice of R&B-going into-soul.

Interestingly enough, ‘Superman Lover’ was covered later that same year by a group called Andy and the Marglows (brothers Andy, Jimmy and Terry Huff) on Liberty.

It’s the kind of party-starting stuff that I dig the most, and I hope you dig it, too.

See you all on Wednesday.

And, while you’re at it, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

____________________________________________________________________________

Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.