Spyder TurnerStand Be Me - 1967

It's no secret that I like old soul music. So here is Spyder Turner's debut LP Stand By Me. The title track has a really cool gimick to it. He starts singing the song like other soul singers; Jackie Wilson, James Brown, Eddie Kendricks, Otis Redding, etc. I heard him doing this live on WFMU about a year or so ago and it worked so much better live. His Al Green impression was spot-the-fuck-on.

The rest of the record is very good as well. Nothing too amazing, honestly, but an all around solid soul record. Usually these things were based around one hot single with the rest just being kinda filler stuff. This one really isn't. Yeah, 'Stand By Me' is obviously the single but the rest of it really holds up, too. Turner's got a good voice and some fire in his bones.

He's still going at it, too. He put out a record in '09 to benefit a Haiti Relief Fund.

I've tacked on the live version of Stand By Me from Fool's Paradise on WFMU 'cause it's awesome. Click here to listen to it.

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Track listing:

Side A:
1. Stand By Me
2. Hold On, I'm Coming
3. I Can't Make It Anymore
4. Moon River
5. I'm Alive With A Lovin' Feeling

Side B:
1. I Can't Wait To See My Baby's Face
2. Dream Lover
3. Morning, Morning
4. Don't Hold Back
5. I Don't Want To Cry
6. Your Precious Love

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The TemptationsWings Of Love - 1976

THANK GOD IT'S SLY-DAY!!!!!!

Sly?!!?! What'dya mean? This is a Temps record. Sly ain't anywhere on it?

WRONG!!!! maybe..... There is some discrepancy around this record. I'm going to present the case for Sly being a part of this record because I want him to be.

1976 Sly Stone was in trouble, but then again when wasn't he in trouble? The Family Stone was done and so was Sly's commercial success. The Temptations were in the same boat. Sales had been slumping for a while and with Norman Whitfield out the picture Motown was looking for someone to replace him as producer. Sly was trying to get his sister, Rose, a record deal with Motown so he made a trade; Motown would put out Rose Banks' record and he'd assemble The Family Stone for a Temps record. It seems he only really worked on the first side of the record though.

I've heard that he used the name Truman Thomas to avoid paying taxes on any money made from record sales. It's just crazy enough to be something Sly would do.

But Truman Thomas could also be Jackie Wilson's organist.....

This is one of those records whose first side is funky and the other is sweet. Side one is great. It's probably one of the last consistently amazing things Sly has done. The other side is, well....hmmm. I like it. It's good. It's got this epic 'prog' kind of feel to it, but is it the Temptations?

judge for yourself...

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Track listing:

Side A:
1. Sweet Gypsy jane
2. Sweetness In The Dark
3. Shakey Ground
4. Up The Creek (Without A Paddle)
5. China Doll

Side B:
1. Mary Ann
2. Dream World (Wings Of Love)
3. Paradise

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Sly & The Family StoneBack On The Right Track - 1979

THANK GOD IT'S SLY-DAY!!!!!!

So this was supposed to be a comeback album, right? Wasn't the last one, too? I don't know what this was trying to get back to, but it's not the classic Family Stone sound. Not that this a bad record by any means, it's just tough to consider it a comeback. It's not even a Family Stone album, even though it does have some 'family' members. Warner Brothers just labeled it as such in hopes of selling more albums

This later Sly stuff is good, but lacks the 'sheer energy' of the early albums or the laid back, dark grooves of the middle period records. It sounds like he still has that dark fear, paranoia and disillusionment that came up with Riot, but knows that sounding more upbeat will be better for his career. For some reason I think High On You works much better than this record. Maybe it's because he was revitalized a little bit by not being billed as The Family Stone.

All that aside, there are some tight funk tracks on this one. Actually, pretty much all of it is fun and grooves pretty hard. The problem is we know what masterpieces came before it.

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Track listing:

Side A:
1. Remember Who You Are
2. Back On The Right Track
3. If It's Not Addin' Up...
4. The Same Thing (Makes You Laugh, Makes You Cry)

Side B:
1. Shine It On
2. It Takes All Kinds
3. Who's To Say?
4. Sheer Energy

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Download Back On The Right Track from DivShare (23.71 MB)

Bill CosbyDisco Bill - 1977

There is a reason this was The Coz's last "singing" album (until the '90s, anyway). I'm pretty sure this one is supposed to be funny, but I could be wrong.

Aside from long-time-Cosby-collaborator Stu Gardner and Wah Wah Watson, there really aren't any names of note on this. Even the writing credits are all Cosby-Gardner, except "One, Two, Three", which might be a Holland-Dozier-Holland song or might be a Len Barry song. None of that matters because Bill really does a very loose cover and ends up making the song all his own.

Yeah, this is a novelty record, but I really find myself listening to it quite often. It makes me laugh and makes me wanna groove. Tell me "Section #9" isn't a little bit funky. "Boogie On Your Face", "What Ya Think 'Bout Lickin' My Chicken" and the Barry White style talk down of "A Simple Love Affair" all make me laugh out loud.

If anyone out there is getting rid of (or selling) a copy of Badfoot Brown & the Bunions Bradford Funeral Marching Band LP please let me know. I should like to purchase it, maybe?

Let's Boogie.

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Track listing:

Side A:
1. A Simple Love Affair
2. What Ya Think 'Bout Lickin' My Chicken
3. Rudy
4. Boogie on Your Face
5. Happy Birthday Momma

Side B:
1. That's How I Met Your Mother
2. One, Two, Three
3. Section #9
4. A Nasty Birthday
5. What's in a Slang

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Download Disco Bill from DivShare (34.52 MB)

Albert KingBreaking' Up Somebody's Home - 1972

This week is WFMU's 'Singles Going Steady' week to get ready for the record fair October 22nd though 24th so I'll be putting up a different 7" every day.

Albert Kings' 'Breaking Up Somebody's Home' has got to be one of my favorite Stax tracks. Play it on a hot rainy night and you'll see what I mean. It just feels good.

The B side to this is not nearly as good but still worth posting.

Download and Enjoy!

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Track listing:

Side A:
1. Breakin' Up Somebody's Home

Side B:
1. Little Brother (Make A Way)

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Download Breaking Up Somebody's Home STA-0147 from DivShare (5.08 MB)

Maceo & The MacksParrty - 1973

This week is WFMU's 'Singles Going Steady' week to get ready for the record fair October 22nd though 24th so I'll be putting up a different 7" every day.

The title says it all. PARRTY! This is a fun little funk groove produced and written by The Hit Man, The Godfather Of Soul himself, Mr. James Brown and features his (and sometimes George Clinton's) Saxophonist, Maceo Parker. This was released on most commercially successful of James Brown's labels, the People label.

Download and Enjoy!

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Track listing:

Side A:
1. Parrty - Part I

Side B:
1. Parrty - Part II

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Download Parrty PE-624 from DivShare (6.09 MB)

Jean KnightYou Think You're Hot Stuff - 1971

This week is WFMU's 'Singles Going Steady' week to get ready for the record fair October 22nd though 24th so I'll be putting up a different 7" every day.

No, It's not "Mr. Big Stuff" but it might as well be. It's the same artist, it's got similar groove with similar lyrical content, hell it's even on the same album, but it's not the same song.

The B side is yet another song about someone named Jody. I just love Jean Knight's voice and shes sounds so angry on this one. She's yelling at her man for taking shit about her lover, 'Jody'. Ooohhhh-wheeeeee!

Download and Enjoy!

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Track listing:

Side A:
1. You Think You're Hot Stuff

Side B:
1. Don't Talk About Jody

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Download You Think You're Big Stuff STA-0105 from DivShare (4.58 MB)

Sharon Jones & The Dap-KingsI Just Dropped In To See What Condition My Condition Is In - 2006

This week is WFMU's 'Singles Going Steady' week to get ready for the record fair October 22nd though 24th so I'll be putting up a different 7" every day.

Once again the good folks at Daptone give us a rare slice of good ole' funk. This label is great. Buy lots of stuff from them and go see their artists when they tour. Sharon Jones has new record out so go order it. Or ask for it at your local record store.

Here is a cover of a tune originally done by The First Edition (featuring Kenny Rogers). I remember hearing somewhere that this was originally recorded for a KFC commercial but was scrapped. That might be completely made-up, though.

Download and Enjoy!

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Track listing:

Side A:
1. I Just Dropped In To See What Condition My Condition Is In (Vocal)

Side B:
1. I Just Dropped In To See What Condition My Condition Is In (Instrumental)

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Download I Just Dropped In DAP-1022 from DivShare (5.32 MB)

Wilson PickettFunky Broadway - 1967

This week is WFMU's 'Singles Going Steady' week to get ready for the record fair October 22nd though 24th so I'll be putting up a different 7" every day.

Here we have Wilson Pickett's Version of Funky Broadway. I highly recommend checking out Bill Cosby's version of this song.

The thing that really gets me on this record is the B side. Wilson doing a Bobby Womack tune 'I'm Sorry About That'.

Download and Enjoy!

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Track listing:

Side A:
1. Funky Broadway

Side B:
1. I'm Sorry About That

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Download Funky Broadway 45-2430 from DivShare (5.08 MB)

Sam CookeSam Cooke Interprets Billie Holiday - 1975

Man, I never understood why people like Frank Sinatra (he should have made it onto Public Enemy's short list of people to 'mother fuck'). It's crusty old boring music with no life. He's sounds to me like he's asleep half the time. Now, Sam Cooke's big band themed stuff is all soul. Sometimes the arrangements and backing vocals are too standard for me but Sam's voice cuts through all that.

This record is pretty beat up so if you are looking for archival quality versions of these songs go look somewhere else. I think the hiss and pops add to the feeling of sitting on a porch during a hot summer's night; with a drink and a certain special lady-friend....

I picked this record up at the same time I picked up the subject of my previous post, Blowfly's Disco Party, at Chicago's Reckless Records. Needless to say, I recommend stopping in to one of their 3 locations anytime one is in Chicago.

Download this and you'll feel good about feelin' bad.

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Track listing:

Side A:
1. Good Morning Heartache
2. Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be?)
3. Solitude
4. Crazy She Calls Me
5. Blue Moon

Side B:
1. Lover Come Back To Me
2. They Can't Take That Away From Me
3.I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues
4. Tain't Nobody's Business If I Do
5. Let's Call The Whole Thing Off

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Download Sam Cooke Interprets Billie Holiday from DivShare (22.63 MB)

Charles BradleyThe World (Is Going Up In Flames) w/ Heartaches And Pain - ????

Ugh. With all the crap going on in the Gulf Of Mexico I feel like the world truly is going up in flames and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Nobody wanna take the blame. Here are two scorchers from Charles Bradley with The Menhahan St Band backing him up. They really need to do a full length together.

The first cut is a deep groove about the way things are today. I think. The Gospel Queens singing back up push this one right over the edge.

The second song is a sad, mournful number about the murder of Charles' brother. Heavy stuff...

If you like this please go buy it and lots of other stuff from Daptone. They truly "keep puttin' soul up".

note: photo from brooklynvegan.com

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Track listing:

Side A:
1. The World (Is Going Up In Flames)

Side B:
1. Heartaches & Pain

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Download The World (Is Going Up In Flames) from DivShare (5.5 MB)