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All posts for the month January, 2017

Earth Quake – I Get The Sweetest Feeling

Posted by funky16corners on January 29, 2017
Posted in: 45s, cover versions, Culture, Iron Leg, Music, pop, Power Pop, Rock, Uncategorized. 1 Comment

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Earth Quake

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Listen/Download – Earth Quake – I Get The Sweetest Feeling

Greetings all.

This is a kind of a crazy one.

I picked this up blind at a record show a while back on the strength of the song, a cover of one of my favorite Jackie Wilson records ‘I Get the Sweetest Feeling’ (which was co-written by one of the great soul songwriters, Van McCoy)on the assumption that it was a soul group.

When I got the record home and gave it a spin I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Earth Quake wasn’t a soul group, but in fact a rock/power pop band.

They formed in the mid-60s in San Francisco as Purple Earthquake, and recorded two albums for A&M in the early 70s before joining up with the nascent Beserkley label where they would record four albums between 1975 and 1979.

Their version of ‘I Get the Sweetest Feeling’ is a really cool fusion of pop/soul (something at which McCoy specialized) and Beatle-y rock.

They play the song fairly straight at the beginning, but the chorus puts a slightly modern twist on things, and then at around 1:42 drop in an instrumental break that sounds like it was lifted from a 1965 Beatles session.

I’m not really familiar with their later stuff, but on the strength of this single I will certainly pick it up when I find it.

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

Peace

Larry

 

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PS Head over to Funky16Corners for some soul.

Iron Leg for the Night Train: It Freaks Me Out!

Posted by funky16corners on January 22, 2017
Posted in: 45s, Beatles-esque Sounds, cover versions, Culture, East LA, folk rock, garage punk, Guest Mixes, Iron Leg, Mod, Music, pop, psychedelia, Rock, Sunset Strip. Leave a comment

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Iron Leg for the Night Train: It Freaks Me Out!

Playlist

Shannon Cannon – Right Back (Tou Sea)
Suzy Wallis Kisses On Paper (RCA)
Ernie and the Emperors – Got A Lot I Want To Say (Reprise)
The Bit-A-Sweet – Out of Sight Out of Mind (MGM)
Grady and Brady – Star of the Show (Planetary)
St John and the Crew – You Belong To Me (Turnette)
Webster’s New World – Henry Thachet (RCA)
The Moon – Got To Be On My Way (Minit)
Gordian Knot – If Only I Could Fly (Verve)
Show Stoppers – If You Want To, Why Don’t You (Columbia)
Maritza Fabiani – O Leilao (Polydor Brazil)
Rupert’s People – Hold On (Bell)

Listen/Download – Iron Leg for the Night Train – It Freaks Me Out! – 56MB/256kbps

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Greetings all.

 

The mix you see before you is the end result of an invitation from the folks at The Night Train Radio Show in the UK (it ran on their show this past Thursday).

I had done a guest mix in the Funky16Corners/soul stylee last year, and at the time they asked if I might return with something a little Iron Leg-gy.

That mix is ‘It Freaks Me Out!’, 30 minutes of hot garage and pop 45s (and a couple of album tracks).

There are lots of homegrown heaters, as well as a couple of very nice international treats.

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

 

Peace

Larry

 

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PS Head over to Funky16Corners

Peter Sarstedt – Frozen Orange Juice b/w Aretusa Loser

Posted by funky16corners on January 15, 2017
Posted in: Uncategorized. 1 Comment

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Peter Sarstedt

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Listen/Download – Peter Sarstedt – Frozen Orange Juice

Listen/Download – Peter Sarstedt – Aretusa Loser

Greetings all.

I hope the new week finds you well.

Last week saw one of the first musical losses of 2017, British singer/songwriter Peter Sarstedt.

Though not very well known here in the States, he had a huge hit in the UK (and internationally) with ‘Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)’ in 1969.

It was that song – which had the sound of early Leonard Cohen, with a very healthy dash of French chanson – that brought him some new level of fame when it was used by Wes Anderson for the soundtrack of ‘The Darjeeling Limited’ in 2007.

Sarstedt was born to a British family in India, and started in a skiffle group with his brother Clive (later known as Robin) Sarstedt, and their older brother Richard was a pop star in the UK under the name Eden Kane.

Today’s selection, ‘Frozen Orange Juice’ was Sarstedt’s follow-up hit in the UK, making it into the Top 10.

‘Frozen Orange Juice’ has the feel of some of the records by the Bee Gees or Tom Northcott from the same period. It has a wonderful arrangement – by Ian Green, who also arranged Sharon Tandy’s epic reading of ‘Our Day Will Come’ and Rosetta Hightower’s classic cover of Eddie Floyd’s ‘Big Bird’ – will all kinds of interesting touches.

Sarstedt had an engaging tenor, and a great way with lyrics.

The flip side, ‘Aretusa Loser’ has a looser, boogie feel to it that suggests a slightly later, pub rock feel (maybe even a little Stealers Wheel).

Sarstedt never had another big hit, but continued to record through the 70s and 80s, including a collaboration with his brother Clive.

He continued to perform until his retirement (due to illness) in 2010.

He will be missed.

See you next week.

Peace

Larry

 

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PS Head over to Funky16Corners for some soul.

Iron Leg Radio Show Episode #69

Posted by funky16corners on January 8, 2017
Posted in: Uncategorized. 2 Comments

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Why hello there!

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Diane Hildebrand Special

Playlist

ILRS#69

Jody Miller – He Walks Like a Man (Capitol)
Sally Field – Felicidad (Colgems)
Monkees – Auntie Grizelda (Colgems)
Monkees – Goin’ Down (Colgems)
Monkees – Early Morning Blues and Greens (Colgems)
Hondells – Yes To You (Columbia)
Lewis and Clarke Expedition – Memorial to the American Indian: Legend of the Creation, Send Me Rain, Red Cloud’s Farewell Address to His Tribe, Cherokee Indian Lament (Colgems)
Stone Country – Love Psalm (RCA)
Stone Country – Mantra (RCA)
Fountain of Youth – (Angie Love Me) Make the Hurt Go Away (Colgems)
Monkees – Merry Go Round (Orig unreleased)

Diane Hlidebrand – Jan’s Blues (Elektra)
Diane Hildebrand – From Rea Who Died Last Summer (Elektra)
Diane Hildebrand – There’s a Coming Together (Elektra)
Diane Hildebrand – And It Was Good (Elektra)
Diane Hildebrand – Early Morning Blues and Greens (Elektra)
Diane Hildebrand – Reincarnation of Emmalina Stearns (Elektra)
Diane Hildebrand – You Wonder Why You’re Lonely (Elektra)

Tiny Tim – The Coming Home Party (Reprise)
Ernestine Anderson and the Pree Sisters – He Says He Loves Me (UNI)
Mama Cass – Easy Come Easy Go (Dunhill)
Bobby Sherman – Easy Come Easy Go (Metromedia)
Partridge Family – Singing Our Song (Bell)
Mama Cass – All My Life (RCA)
Gary and Randy Scruggs – Oh Faith (Vanguard)

Listen/Download -Iron Leg Radio Show Episode #69 – 270MB/256kbps

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Greetings all.

Welcome to this month’s episode of the Iron Leg Radio Show.

We have a very groovy, unusual one for  you this month, all running back to my digging the great (and sadly, only) album by Diane Hildebrand, and my ensuing trip down the rabbit hole discovering her extensive songwriting catalog, much of it tied to the Colgems operation.

There are a lot of very cool things in here, including a bunch that might surprise you.

As always, I hope you dig it, and I’ll see you next week.

Make sure you subscribe to the podcast in iTunes!

Peace

Larry

 

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PS Head over to Funky16Corners

Happy Day – Everybody I Love You

Posted by funky16corners on January 1, 2017
Posted in: 45s, Culture, Iron Leg, Music, Rock, Uncategorized. 2 Comments

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Happy Day

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Listen/Download – Happy Day – Everybody I Love You

Greetings all.

The record I bring you today was a kind of a mystery to me for a while (still is, kind of).

I picked it up a while ago because it had a cover of my favorite Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young song – ‘Everybody I Love You’ – on it but ws unable to track down much information on the band.

That their name – Happy Day –  was a fairly common phrase made them largely un-Google-able, and the fact that their three 45s contained more covers than they did group originals made for a very faint trail indeed.

I was finally able (after a couple of false leads) to figure out that the band was based in the Chicago area.

They recorded three 45s for the UNI label (some of which may have been released locally first) in 1970 and 1971.

Their version of ‘Everybody I Love You’ is a pretty faithful cover of the original, with some nice lead guitar and harmonies.

The flipside, ‘Retribution’ is Chicago (the band and the region) style horn-rock.

Strangely enough, they appear to have recorded their 45s in Texas. I don’t know if UNI was dragging bands down there at the time, but they are listed in a Billboard directory as having recorded at Studio III in Dallas, and the producer of one of their 45s, Norm Miller produced Texas acts like the Southwest FOB and the Gasoline Powered Clock.

If anyone has any more info on the group, please drop me a line in the comments.

I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll see you all next week.

Peace

Larry

 

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PS Head over to Funky16Corners for some soul.