November 2007

Thursday, November 29, 2007

The Jimmy Castor Bunch - 1976 - E-Man Groovin'

A super funky Jimmy Castor album from 1976 featuring the quirky and fun "Dracula" and of course, "E-Man Boogie". We have posted his best album 1972's "It Just Begun" even if AMG consider this one his best.

Another timeless classic in the Castor catalogue. The beautifully up-tempo love song “Everything is Beautiful to Me”, the hip and sexy “Dracula” and the funk drenched title track keep Castor’s groove continuous from track to track. The futuristic “Space Age” is just another example of Castor being decades ahead of his time. “I Don’t Want to Lose You” is a gem.

This is a nice @320 vinyl rip from my original lp.

Label: Atlantic
Catalog#: SD 18186
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: US
Released: 1976
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Funk
Credits: Arranged By - Gerry Thomas (tracks: A1 to A3, B1 to B3) , Jimmy Castor (tracks: A1, A3 to B4)
Producer - Jimmy Castor , John Pruitt

Tracklisting
A1 E-Man Groovin' (5:02)
A2 Space Age (3:21)
A3 I Love A Mellow Groove (3:22)
A4 Dracula Pt. I (5:17)
B1 Everything Is Beautiful To Me (4:25)
B2 Super Love (3:18)
B3 I Don't Want To Lose You (5:54)
B4 Dracula Pt. II (4:42)

The Jimmy Castor Bunch scored with a few novelty hits and sought to continue the trend with this well-rounded LP, but the trend had passed and this good production failed to reach its projected sales. The novelty special on this one, "Dracula," isn't up to the standards of past nonsensical efforts like "Leroy! Your Mama's Calling." This is unfortunate because the other jams, particularly the ballads and midtempo numbers, are marvelous executions of funk/jazz. A remake of the Spinners' "I Don't Want to Lose You" features a crying sax and emotive vocals; the midtempo numbers — "Space Age," "Mellow Groove," and "Everything Is Beautiful" — are creditable and instantly likable. Groovy stuff.

bio

A master of novelty/disco funk, saxophonist Jimmy Castor started as a doo wop singer in New York. He wrote and recorded "I Promise to Remember" for Wing With the Juniors in 1956, a group whose roster included Al Casey, Jr., Orton Graves, and Johnny Williams. Castor replaced Frankie Lymon in the Teenagers in 1957 before switching to sax in 1960. He appeared on several soul-jazz and Afro-Latin sessions and had a solo hit with "Hey Leroy, Your Mama's Callin' You" on Smash in 1966. Castor also played sax on Dave "Baby" Cortez's hit "Rinky Dink." He formed the Jimmy Castor Bunch in 1972 and signed with RCA. Their first release, It's Just Begun(one of the most sampled records), launched Castor's next phase with the song "Troglodyte (Cave Man)." It was a Top Ten R&B and pop smash. Castor continued the trend in 1975 with "The Bertha Butt Boogie" and later recorded "E-Man Boogie," "King Kong," "Bom Bom," and "Amazon." The Castor band included keyboardist/trumpeter Gerry Thomas, bassist Doug Gibson, guitarist Harry Jensen, conga player Lenny Fridle, Jr., and drummer Bobby Manigault. Thomas left to join the Fatback band. Castor recorded as a solo performer from 1976 until 1988. He had one of his bigger hits in many years with a 1988 revival of "Love Makes a Woman," which paired him with disco diva Joyce Sims. Castor had his own label, Long Distance, in the '80s.

Get it here

The_Jimmy_Castor_Bunch_-_1976_-_E-Man_Groovin_.rar

I wonder what is your opinion groovy people.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Darrell Banks - 1969 - Here To Stay

Some superb deep soul from Darrell Banks, one of the better late-'60s stylists, especially on ballads. This was one of two tremendous albums issued featuring Banks' dramatic, gospel-tinged wailing.

This is @320 rip from my original volt lp. Extremely rare, never issued on cd.

Just seven singles and two LP's made Darrell Banks a revered figure among Northern and deep soul fans alike. "Open the door to your heart" of course was his claim to fame on the mainstream of soul music - a #2 R&B hit. But his first four Revilot and Atco singles, contained in his Atco LP, were all (A or B sides) - Northern Soul timeless gems: "Our love is in the pocket", "Somebody somewhere needs you", "I've got that feelin' and Angel baby (don't you ever leave me)". The Volt stuff on the other hand contains some of the deepest soul ever recorded, a winning combination of Detroit and Memphis styles, supervised by Don Davis. "Forgive me", "Just because your love is gone", "Don't know what to do", "Beautiful feeling" , "I could never hate her" - what an album.

Here To Stay - Volt 6002 * 1969

Tracks

A1. Just because your love is gone
A2. Forgive me
A3. Only the strong survive
A4. Don't know what to do
A5. When a man loves a woman
A6. We'll get over
B1. Beautiful feeling
B2. I could never hate her
B3. Never alone
B4. No one blinder (than a man who won't see)
B5. My love is reserved

Don Davis had been working with Memphis based Stax records for eighteen months when he met up again with Darrell. Don produced the "Here to stay" album in United Sound. It was arranged by Rudy Robinson and Bert Keyes and engineered by Ed Wolfrum, Ron Capone and Don himself. Amongst the songwriters on display were the famous "We Three" from Memphis; Raymond Jackson, Bettye Crutcher and Homer Banks. Detroiters also featured and several songs were included from both Steve Mancha and Brothers of Soul members Fred Bridges and Richard Knight. So the stage was set for a great album and it certainly was, gaining release on Stax subsidiary Volt. Sadly, despite the quality of the material, chart action was non-existent. Tragically Darrell Banks was shot to death in 1970. As with Sam Cooke and Otis, there's that big question of what would he have done had he lived, and what wonderful music we were robbed of.

According to Peter Guralnick’s definitive volume, Sweet Soul Music, Davis had been hired by Memphis’ legendary Stax label to produce Detroit-sounding records. Davis produced the Banks album Here to Stay.
Released in 1969, the record blended Stax horns and Detroit groove beautifully, topped with Banks’ C.L. Franklin-meets-Don Covay vocals.
The LP was done at United Sound Studios and the musicians were largely Detroiters. The songs “I Could Never Hate Her,” “Don’t Know What to Do” and “Just Because Your Love Is Gone” evoke the precarious hazy-eyed beauty of a Sunday morning. Despite no radio hits, the disc was masterful, a stunning window into the genre-defining work that Banks was beginning to produce. Sadly, the man’s upward trajectory ended in a flash.

Grap this rare gem here

Darrell_Banks_-_1969_-_Here_To_Stay.rar

Your feedback is appreciated.We need to feel that we’re not doing it for nothing.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Claudia Lennear - 1973 - Phew

What can we say about the personality of this woman, when two of the greatest artits of all time (Mick Jigger and David Bowie) wrote two of their best songs for her?

She made Jagger weak at the knees "Brown Sugar" she hitched up with David Bowie and that "Lady Grinning Soul" was in honour of her allure the foxy funky diva that she was "PHEW"!!

In the 70's as a session and back up singer for Ike & Tina Turner where she met M Jagger on the Infamous Stones tour of 1969 she also sang with Joe Cocker, Leon Russell, Al Kooper and can be seen in The Concert For Bangla Desh Film. Over in Wolfgangs Vault there is a Leon Russell Gig where she and Kathi McDonald (Another Great Voice) are singing back up vocals in his band worth checking out. There is also footage of her shaking her funky stuff with Tina Turner on Playboy After Dark in 1971.

Claudia Lennear’s 1973 album, Phew, produced by Ian Samwell, had an interesting collection of songs and players, using a different set of musicians on each side.

Side one with Ry Cooder on guitar and several members of the Dixie Flyers rhythm section (Jim Dickinson and Tommy McClure). Side two under the supervision of Allen Toussaint who wrote all the compositions, plays the piano and doing the horn arrangements. Together with some of the best musicians, like Chuck Rainey on bass, Jim Keltner on drums, Spooner Oldham on electric piano.

This is a @320 vinyl rip

Warners Bros LP BS2654

Side one
A1. It Ain't Easy (Ry Cooder : electric guitar)
A2. Sing With The Children (Ry Cooder : electric bottleneck guitar)
A3. Sister Angela
A4. Not At All (Ry Cooder : electric bottleneck guitar)
A5. Casey Jones

Side two
B1. Going Down
B2. From A Whisper To A Scream
B3. Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky
B4. What'd I Do Wrong
B5. Going Down (reprise)

Produced by : Ian Samwell (tracks 1-5), Allen Toussaint (tracks 6-10)

Musicians (tracks 1-5)
Ry Cooder - electric bottleneck guitar, electric guitar (where shown), John Craviotto - drums
Jim Dickinson - piano, guitar, Charles Grimes - guitar, Milt Holland - percussion
Tommy McClure - bass guitar, Mike Utley - hammond organ

Musicians (tracks 6-10)
Arthur Adams - guitar, Harold Battiste, Jr. - alto sax, Tessie Calderon - congas
Gene Cipriano - baritone sax, Marlin Greene - guitar, Paul Hubinon - trumpet
Dick Hyde - trombone , Jim Keltner - drums, Rick Littlefield - guitar
Warren Luening, Jr. - trumpet, Lew McReary - trombone, Don Menza - tenor sax, flute
Spooner Oldham - electric piano, Chuck Rainey - bass guitar, William Smith - hammond organ,
Allen Toussaint - piano

1

Claudia Lennear should have been huge! She had a great pedigree that was a publicists dream ( Ikette, One of Leon Russell's Shelter People and Jagger wrote Brown Sugar about her). Warner Brothers threw lots of money at this album, top session players, gate fold sleeve, very sexy photo inside. The album is split into two halves. The first side is the 'Rock' side with definite Stones vibe with Ry Cooder, Mike Utley, Milt Holland and Jim Dickinson all putting their talents into the mix; the second side is a suite of four (minor) Allain Toussaint songs with the great man in charge of musical direction and on piano, and another set of top sessioner's at work. They all work their up a fine funky sound, but unfortunately CL bottled it. This is most peculiar singing style, she can start a line as if she is going to go all out for it only to pull out. If Chaka Khan or Tina Turner had had the vocal duties then this could have been huge, unfortunately, it is just average. I was fortunate to get a press release in my copy. In it Claudia tell the world that "It's a whole different feeling being in the spotlight instead of hidden in a chorus of nine people. I like it, but I'm just beginning to discover who the real Claudia Lennear is, myself" It would seem that she wasn't comfortable in front, as this is the only album she ever got the chance to make.
2

It was only a couple of weeks ago that while saying Thanx for a cool Grant Green album in comments that I made my humble request through a Merlot haze for this long lost solo effort from 1973.I remember always seeing and drooling over this gorgeous album cover in the cut out bins at Virgin Records, but as Prog and Kraut was my main tastes back in the day the funk had yet to creep into my soul. It was only recently while listening to a rare funk soul comp that had the track "Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky" on it did I put 2 & 2 together Doh!!!!
That in turn started the quest to track it down and ended up where we are today. The danger has always been that you start to crave hearing the album so much that you build it into a masterpiece of proportions so high that by the time you actually track it down and get to play it you are left disappointed!!! After playing it twice here's what I think. The first thing I noticed was Ry Cooder's guitar is pure Keef riffage on the opening track, now that has to be good right? shame that Claudia seems a bit uninvolved and that her vocal could be stronger cause I know she can belt it out anytime she needs to, Also the song seemed very familiar then it clicked this is the Ron Davies track that David Bowie covered and made his own on ZIGGY STARDUST, She sang back up on Davies 2nd Album U.F.O. from 1971.
Track two is also a Ron Davies song and from where I stand the rest of side 1 is just going through the motions soul by numbers vocally and the songs aren’t that memorable, Jimmy Miller could have done wonders with these musicians me thinks. Not a bad first side but just not that great and I agree with Nikos when he said average.
Side two is a different story altogether, Now we're talking the funk. Allen Toussaint's production has a nice open live feel and Miss Lennear seems more at home dressed in the squelchy wah wah guitar funky bass and brass he envelopes her in. This is more like it, in fact I would suggest renumber Nikos tracks and put the 2nd side long track first followed by side one tracks and you will enjoy the album a lot more, in the days of vinyl I would have had side 2 on first every time. Not the funk masterpiece I had always hoped it would be but a fine album for the Funk Blog Downloads Folder on the PC. Anyone wanting to hear more should check out in no particular order......Ike & Tina Turner
Humble Pie - Rock on , Leon Russell - Leon Russell (Claudia and Kathi McDonald)
Joe Cocker - Mad Dogs & Englishmen, Ron Davies - U.F.O.
The Dependables - Klatu Berrada Niktu 1971, Gene Clarke - No Other
and countless other sessions too many to mention(Kundalini69)

Note
Side two is a suite with no gap among the songs. So i give two opportunities. The whole album with the songs split (the best way i could) and side two as one song (suite) as Allen Toussaint probably wanted.

Get it here
Claudia_Lennear_-_1973_-_Phew.rar

Claudia_Lennear_-_Side2_-_Phew.rar

Let's see your replies brothers.

Friday, November 23, 2007

Terry Callier - 1998 - Time Peace (Verve Rec.)

Where has Terry Callier been all of our lives? Outside of the lucky few collectors fortunate enough to possess copies of his 1968 debut The New Folk Sound of Terry Callier and the series of brilliant records he cut for the Cadet label during the mid-1970s, the Chicago singer/songwriter has otherwise slipped through the cracks of contemporary music; his resurrection has been a long time in coming, and Timepeace is indeed well worth the wait. Long ago tagged with the label "folk-jazz," Callier's music eludes easy description; cosmic and spiritual, it also bears the influence of gospel and soul, yet synthesizes its disparate elements in unprecedented and breathtaking ways. Sparked by Callier's spiralling guitar leads, highlights like "Lazarus Man" and "Java Sparrow" seem to tap a higher consciousness, his yearning vocals channeling unfathomable power; the stark opener "Ride Suite Ride" matches the grace of Curtis Mayfield with the poignancy of Nick Drake, while "Coyote Moon" captures an ethereal yet pastoral beauty best likened to extraterrestrial country music. It's wonderful to have Callier back again — we need him now more than ever.

Terry Callier (Guitar Vocals), Mark Edwards (Organ, Piano), Alfredo Alias (Drums),Dave Barnard (Guitar Bass)Larry Bowen (Trumpet), Eric Hochberg (Violin,Guitar Bass) Morris Jennings (Drums),Howard Levy (Harmonica), Jim Mullen (Guitar), David Onderdonk (Guitar), Pharoah Sanders (Saxophone), Paul Wertico (Drums), Pennington McGee (Percussion vocals), John McLean (Guitar), John Moulder (Guitar), Suzanne Palmer (Vocal)Bosco d'Olivera (Percussion)

Brian Bacchus (Producer),James Nichols (Mastering), James Nichols (Mixing),

Craig Williams (Engineer), Michael J. Ade (Engineer), Patricia Lie (Art Direction),

Natalie Heath (Assistant Engineer), Patricia Lie (Design),
Mo Morgen (Illustrations), Sam Harris (Photography), Tom Terrell (Liner Notes),

Biography ~by Jason Ankeny
For far too long, folk-jazz mystic Terry Callier was the exclusive province of a fierce but small cult following; a singer/songwriter whose cathartic, deeply spiritual music defied simple genre categorization, he went all but unknown for decades, finally beginning to earn the recognition long due him after his rediscovery during the early '90s.

Born in Chicago's North Side May 24, 1945 —
signed on with his boyhood friend also home to Curtis Mayfield, Jerry Butler, and Ramsey Lewis — and raised in the area of the notorious Cabrini Green housing projects, Callier began studying the piano at the age of three, writing his first songs at the age of 11, and regularly singing in doo wop groups throughout his formative years. While attending college, he learned to play guitar, eventually setting up residency at a Chicago coffeehouse dubbed the Fickle Pickle and in time coming to the attention of Chess Records arranger Charles Stepney, who produced Callier's debut single "Look at Me Now" in 1962. In 1964, Callier met Prestige label producer Samuel Charters, and a year later they entered the studio to record his full-length bow The New Folk Sound of Terry Callier; upon completion of the session, however, Charters traveled to Mexico with the master tapes in tow, and the album went unreleased before finally appearing to little fanfare in 1968. Undaunted, Callier remained a fixture of the Windy City club scene, and in 1970 he and partner Larry WadeJerry Butler's Chicago Songwriters Workshop. There they composed material for local labels including Chess and Cadet, most notably authoring the Dells' 1972 smash "The Love We Had Stays on My Mind." The song's success again teamed Callier with Stepney, now a producer at Cadet, and yielded 1973's Occasional Rain, a beautiful fusion of folk and jazz textures which laid the groundwork for the sound further explored on the following year's What Color Is Love? Despite earning strong critical notices and building up a devoted fan base throughout much of urban America, Callier failed to break through commercially, and after 1975's I Just Can't Help Myself he was dropped by Cadet; in 1976, he also suffered another setback when Butler closed the Songwriters Workshop. Upon signing to Elektra's Jazz Fusion imprint at the behest of label head Don Mizell, Callier resurfaced in 1978 with the lushly orchestrated Fire on Ice; with the follow-up, 1979's Turn You to Love, he finally cracked the pop charts with the single "Sign of the Times," best known as the longtime theme for legendary WBLS-FM disc jockey Frankie Crocker. He even appeared at the Montreux Jazz Festival. However, when Mizell exited Elektra, Callier was quickly dropped from his contract; after a few more years of diligent touring, he largely disappeared from music around during the early '80s; a single parent, he instead accepted a job as a computer programmer, returning to college during the evenings to pursue a degree in sociology. Despite essentially retiring from performing, Callier continued composing songs, and in 1991 he received a surprise telephone call from fan Eddie Pillar, the head of the U.K. label Acid Jazz. Pillar sought permission to re-release Callier's little-known, self-funded single from 1983, "I Don't Want to See Myself (Without You)"; seemingly overnight, the record became a massive success on the British club circuit, and the singer was soon flown to Britain for a pair of enormously well-received club dates. In the coming months, more gigs followed on both sides of the Atlantic, and in 1996, Callier even recorded a live LP, TC in DC. In 1997, he teamed with British singer Beth Orton, another of his most vocal supporters, to record a pair of tracks for her superb EP Best Bit; the following year, Callier also released his Verve Forecast debut Timepeace, his first major-label effort in close to two decades. Lifetime followed in 1999, and two years later came Alive, recorded live at London's Jazz Cafe. Callier returned in 2002 with Speak Your PeaceLookin' Out.

Get It Here

Posted by BlackCatBone (standinatthecrossroads-blackcatbone.blogspot.com)

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

David Matthews - 1977 - Dune

David Matthews - 1977 - Dune

CTI 7-5005

Funky spaciness from one of the 70's best arrangers! The set's a largeish orchestral work dedicated to Dune and other sci-fi books and films. Sounds goofy, but it's pretty darn great -- and Dave Matthews takes his work with James Brown and makes the whole thing come out pretty darn funky. Includes the massive "Sandworms".

Tracks :
A1 Dune Part I: Arrakis (6:03)
A2 Dune Part II: Sandworms (5:03)
A3 Dune Part III: Song Of The Bene Gesserit (2:50)
A4 Dune Part IV: Muad'Dib (6:36)
B1 Space Oddity (6:05)
B2 Silent Running (3:16)
B3 Pricess Leia's Theme (From Star Wars) (2:55)
B4 Main Theme From Star Wars (3:22)

Musicians:
Andy Newmark-Drums, Burt Collins-Trumpet, Horn, Cliff Carter-Synthesizer, Keyboards, David Matthews-Keyboards, David Sanborn-Saxophone, Sax(Alto), David Taylor-Trombone, Trombone(Bass), David Tofani-Flute, Piccolo, Wind, Eric Gale-Guitar, Gary King-Bass, Gerry Chamberlain-Trombone, Googie Coppola- Vocals, Gordon Gottlieb-Percussion, Grover Washington Jr.-Saxophone, Sax(Tenor), Sax(Soprano), Hiram Bullock-Guitar, James Bossy-Horn, Jim Bosby-Horn, Joe Shepley-Flugelhorn, John Gatchell-Horn, Jon Faddis-Trumpet, -Horn, Joseph J. Shepley-Trumpet, Lew DelGatto-Clarinet, Oboe, Wind, Lew Soloff-Horn, Mark Egan-Bass, Randy Brecker-Trumpet, Sam Burtis-Trombone, Sanford Allen-Strings, Steve Gadd-Drums, Sue Evans-Percussion, Tom "Bones" Malone-Trombone, Wayne Andre-Trombone, Will Lee-Bass

Reviews :
1
from www.blaxploitation.com
This is not the soundtrack to the movie Dune (that was was a snoozer by AOR favorites Toto). This one sneaks on to our list courtesy of the B-side, comprising disco-style covers of parts of John Williams' Star Wars suite. So what else is on the album? Is it funky? You're damn right it is. Any self-respecting jazz funk fan would start to quiver when faced with the session musician lineup on this concept LP - Andy Newmark and Steve Gadd on drums, Randy Brecker and Jon Faddis in the horns, Grover Washington and David Sanborn on sax. This obscure CTI album is the source of the killer sample cut 'Sandworms', as used on several major-league hip-hop tracks. Forget the rest of the (mainly disco-esque) cuts and head for Sandworms. It's funkier than a mosquito's tweeter (as Nina Simone once sang) and will blow the roof off your bass bins!

2
By A.Thomas
David Matthews gathers an incredible collection of artists to collaborate on interpreting the sci-fi masterpiece, Dune. Some of the greatest in the field add their flavor to Matthews' vision. Jazz fans will be delighted to hear Grover Washington Jr., David Sanborn, Eric Gale, Hiram Bullock, Randy Brecker, Andy Newmark, Steve Gadd, Mark Egan, even a young Will Lee riffing. The music style is dated, but true fans will enjoy!

Bio :
The keyboardist David Matthews has been, among other things, a steady source of funk, whether drinking it in from the sweat of the rhythmically innovative soul godfather James Brown or attempting to pour it over the head of the somewhat wimpier Paul Simon. Trends for better or worse that Matthews has been associated with since the '70s also include the CTI sound, an exhausting list of television soundtracks and commercial advertisements, and a series of critically praised releases by the Manhattan Jazz Orchestra. He should not be confused with the Dave Matthews of jam band fame, nor the earlier arranger and reed player from the big-band heyday, although both of them appear to have worked for Frank Sinatra at one time.

A graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor's degree in composition,

Matthews began his performing career as the leader of a dance band in the late '60s. This group toured extensively in several parts of Europe and Matthews also began establishing a presence on the Cincinnati jazz scene. The next move was a big one; in l970 he began working as both an arranger and bandleader for James Brown, making it possible for him to relocate to New York City and utilize the Brown connection in order to garner steady freelance assignments. His clients included demanding performers such as drummer and bandleader Buddy Rich, singers Mark Murphy and Bonnie Raitt, and the Starland Vocal Band, among many others. In the mid-'70s he became staff arranger for the CTI label, resulting in a series of smooth productions that were loved by some jazz buffs and loathed by others. Matthews formed his own groups from this period on, including the David Matthews & the Manhattan Jazz Quintet. He scored many films for Hollywood such as The Parallax View, the first version of The Stepford Wives and Night Moves. He also has had quite a high profile for his activities in Japan.
~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide


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Monday, November 19, 2007

24 Carat Black - 1973 - Ghetto : Misfortune's Wealth

This is a hidden cult classic on Stax.

How this title managed to get buried so deep inside of the Stax catalog of classic material I don't know. What I do know that is Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth easily holds company with some of the better know heavyweights of Stax Records lore (Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes etc).

Soulful grooves and thought provoking consciencous lyrics are blended together beautifully. Your bound to have heard (although without really having much of an idea that it was from this project) a lot of material on this sampled by some of hip hop giants including Rakim,Dr. Dre & KRS-One.

This album is a must have for true fans of 70's R&B music.

Very tight, a masterpiece. One of the most sampled albums ever.

My personal best are the jazzy groover "24 Carat Black Theme" – a killer funky number, with a wonderfully spacey groove and 12.40 minutes “Poverty’s Paradise”.

Don't Sleep.

Tracklisting:
A1 Synopsis One: In The Ghetto / God Save The World (8:34)
A2 Poverty's Paradise (12:40)
A3 Brown-Baggin' (6:45)
B1 Synopsis Two: Mother's Day (2:04)
B2 Mother's Day (9:46)
B3 Foodstamps (6:26)
B4 Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth (3:41)
B5 24-Carat Black (Theme) (7:17)

Classically trained Detroit arranger Dale Warren got his start with the famed Motown label and, from the late '60s throughout the early '70s, composed the majority of string scores for soul artists on Stax Records (arranging for such artists as Billy Eckstine, Eddie Floyd, Isaac Hayes, Albert King, and the Staple Singers, among others). During this time, Warren befriended an up-and-coming Cincinnati soul outfit called the Ditalians. After he convinced them to change their name to 24-Carat Black, he took them under his wing -- both composing and producing their lone album, 1973's Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth, a conceptual work that focused on life in the inner city. The album went unnoticed and fell through the cracks shortly thereafter, as 24-Carat Black never issued any other recordings. But over the years, Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth became a sort of cult classic among hip-hop artists, as such acts as Heal, Young Disciples, and Digable Planets used samples from the album for their own tracks. Long out of print, Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth was finally issued on CD in 1995. The members of 24-Carat Black would later turn up in the group Shotgun.

Reviews

1

Rare soul album, arranged by Dale Warren who worked a long time for the tamla motown from 1969 till 1974. This only album of 24-Carat Black was a tribute about life in the inner city, with a lot of emotions, great soul gospel vocals, and funky instrumentals. A masterpiece sampled by so many hip hop artists.

2

This album is quite hard to track down, but well worth it.It isn't the most upbeat of records, detailing the harshness of ghetto life in America during the seventies, but the sheer quality of the music makes it an album you'll find listening to time and again.The (numerous) musicians never worked together again, which makes this album a brief example of what might have been.Standout tracks are 'Brown-Baggin' and 'Foodstamps' but the whole album is a stunning example of more chilled and darker funk.

3

A one-off concept album that's a big fat soul-RnB gem. There's 25 people on the personnel list, of which over 1/3 form a string section, so it has that wonderfully full sound. The album's concept is inner city struggle which gives it a political and serious feel, the whole thing feels quite dark.
Fans of the early-70s socio-concious works by Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye, fans of the musical waves of Herbie Hancock or Isaac Hayes, or fans of funk-based hip hop should each be able to latch onto Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth with keen interest.

4

One of the lat great classics fron the Stax vaults, a tragedy on & off the disc. This was the brain child of in-house producer Dale Warren- who did orchestration for Isaac Hayes- and the music is very much in the same style of Hayes, but lyrically with the theme of 70's social strife & deprivation running through the album (kind of a soul concept album), the mood of the album is sometimes almost hard to listen to given the subject, even more so when you find out about about the fate of Dale Warren & his young protege singers (they would never again appear on vinyl), but the beauty of the music lifts it above melancholy nearly to the heights of 'masterpiece'.

Get it here

24_carat_black_-__1973_-_Ghetto_Misfortune_s_Wealth.rar

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Linton Kwesi Johnson - 1979 - Forces Of Victory

Although he has only released one album of new material in the last ten years, and has virtually retired from the live stage after his 1985 tour, Linton Kwesi Johnson remains a towering figure in reggae music. Born in Kingston, Jamaica and raised in the Brixton section of London, Johnson invented dub poetry, a type of toasting descended from the DJ stylings of U-Roy and I-Roy. But whereas toasting tended to be hyperkinetic and given to fits of braggadocio, Johnson's poetry (which is what it was -- he was a published poet and journalist before he performed with a band) was more scripted and delivered in a more languid, slangy, streetwise style. Johnson's grim realism and tales of racism in an England governed by Tories was scathingly critical. The Afro-Brits in Johnson's poems are neglected by the government and persecuted by the police. Johnson was also instrumental (with his friend Darcus Howe) in the publication of a socialist-oriented London-based newspaper, Race Today, that offered him and other like-minded Britons both black and white an outlet to discuss the racial issues that, under Margaret Thatcher's reign, seemed to be tearing the country apart. For one so outspoken in his politics, Johnson's recorded work, while politically explicit, is not simply a series of slogans or tuneful/danceable jeremiads. In fact, is was his second release, Forces of Victory, where his mix of politics and music united to stunning effect. Dennis Bovell and the Dub Band could swing (as in jazzy) more than many reggae bands, and guitarist John Kpiaye, the group's secret weapon, offered deftly played, dazzlingly melodic solos. But it was Johnson's moving poetry, galvanizing moments such as "Sonny's Lettah" and "Fite Dem Back" that made it obvious that this was a major talent. Although he never intended to, Johnson became a star, in England anyway; in America he had a small yet devoted group of fans. But political activism was as important, perhaps more important, than churning out records and touring, and after the release of his third album, Bass Culture, in 1980, Johnson took time off from the music scene, turning his back on a lucrative contract from Island. He continued to perform, but it was poetry readings at universities, at festivals in the Caribbean, and for trade union workers in Trinidad. His organizing activities included the setting up the First International Book Fair of Radical Black and Third World Books, and greater involvement with the political organizations with which he had been long identified, namely the Race Today Collective and the Alliance of the Black Parents Movement. In 1982, the BBC commissioned Johnson to create a series of radio programs on Jamaican popular music, a subject he'd been researching for years. The programs, entitled From Mento to Lovers Rock, were more than just musical history; Johnson contextualized Jamaican music socially and politically and offered a more nuanced and thorough examination of the popular music of his native and adopted countries. Johnson returned to the pop music scene in 1984 with perhaps his best record, Making History. Again working with Dennis Bovell, Johnson's seething political anger suffuses this recording, but it is never undone by simple vituperation. Johnson is, if anything, a thoughtful radical, more analytical than simplistic, and that adds to the power of these seven songs. Unfortunately, this would be the last new music from Johnson until 1991's Tings an' Times, which proved yet again that regardless of how much time he takes off from music, when LKJ returns it's as if he's never missed a beat. His most recent period of recording silence has been broken by the release of a music-less poetry album.

If Dread Beat An' Blood brought Johnson and initial flush of notoriety, then Forces of Victory was the record that cemented his growing reputation as a major talent. Bovell and the Dub Band swing hard on this set, especially on the album's opening track "Want Fi Goh Rave." This contains some of Johnson's most memorable songs/poems, such as the heartfelt prison saga "Sonny's Lettah" and the confrontational "Fite Dem Back," which he delivers in his trademark sing-song Jamaican patois. Dramatic and intense to the point of claustrophobia,

Forces of Victory is not simply one of the most important reggae records of its time, it's one of the most important reggae records ever recorded.

source : all music guide

Download It Here :
http://rapidshare.com/files/70548093/linton_kwesi_johnson-_forces_of_victory.rar

Friday, November 16, 2007

Tower Of Power - 1973 - Tower Of Power

This album is overflowing with pure UNCUT Soul & Funk!!!
With THAT MONSTER HORN SECTION!!!!

This is the third album release for the Oakland-based band and is their most successful album to date, which was released in the Spring of 1973. The album peaked at #15 on the Billboard Pop Album chart in 1973 and received a gold record award. The Album also spawned their most-successful single "So Very Hard To Go". Although the single only peaked at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100, landed in the Top 10 on the surveys of many West Coast Top 40 radio stations; hitting #1 on most of them. The Album also charted two other singles on the Billboard Hot 100, "This Time It's Real" and "What Is Hip?".

Track listing
1. What Is Hip? – 5:08
2. Get Yo' Feet Back On The Ground – 4:52
3. So Very Hard To Go – 3:41
4. Soul Vaccination – 5:13
5. Clean Slate – 3:22
6. Clever Girl – 2:56
7. This Time It's Real – 2:54
8. Will I Ever Find A Love? – 3:51
9. Both Sorry Over Nothin' – 3:25
10. Just Another Day – 4:34

Personnel
Greg Adams – Strings, Trumpet, Arranger, Conductor, Flugelhorn, Horn, Vocals, String Arrangements
Brent Byars – Bongos, Conga
Emilio Castillo – Saxophone, Sax (Tenor), Vocals, Production Supervisor
Bruce Conte – Guitar, Vocals
David Garibaldi – Drums
Mic Gillette – Trombone, Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Horn, Horn (Baritone), Vocals
Stephen "Doc" Kupka – Oboe, Saxophone, Sax (Baritone), Vocals
Lenny Pickett – Clarinet, Flute, Saxophone, Sax (Tenor), Vocals
Francis "Rocco" Prestia – Bass
Jay Spell – Piano
Bruce Steinberg – Harmonica, Art Direction, Design, Photography, Illustrations, Cover Design
Chester Thompson – Organ, Keyboards, Vocals
Lenny Williams – Vocals
Tower of Power has always been difficult to define or describe. It has been, and continues to be, a fascinating amalgam of talent. The most prolific period, while signed with Warner Brothers records, showcased a rare and formidable combination of talents under the leadership of Emilio Castillo.With the principle songwriting of Doc Kupka and Emilio, and horn arrangements of Greg Adams as the foundation, the musicianship of the entire ensemble percolated with the precision of a Swiss watch. Doc, Emilio and Greg were complemented by powerful trumpet and trombone of Mic Gillette and the soulful ease of Lenny Pickett on lead tenor. The unique rhythmic synergy of David Garibaldi on drums and Rocco Prestia on bass, gave Tower its sophisticated syncopation. The distinctive guitar solos of Bruce Conte and the world class B-3 work of Chester Thompson, complete the rhythm section in full effect.. The unique silky vocals of Lenny Williams stood out, brilliantly, against the force of the band. It is indeed, amazing, that five of the ten members, from that period, are members, today.Through the years, before and since, there have been a plethora of fine musicians and vocalists that have 'held a chair' within Tower of Power. It is not a position one owns, but one is a caretaker of. Tower's sound has had an evolutionary ebb and flow as different musicians lent their talents to the band.

Reviews

1

This is the recording that takes ToP out of Oakland and places them permanently on the national stage. Local's were still trying to figuring out Kool & Gang riff's while ToP had moved on to a different level using Latin & soul rhythms and a quality group of horn players that could sit in with the JB's anytime. If you haven't heard this group (which is very hard to believe) this is the recording to get to hear the full range of material this group is capable of performing.

2

Oh yeah ! This sounds so hot to me.In this album you can hear the mellowness, cool funkiness inspired by JAMES BROWN. This album is too hot to handle. Handle with care so that you will not be carried away so far. These soul music searchers are so eager to tighten up the band sound. Sit back and loosen up yourself in the OAKLAND WHITE FUNK WAY. Well-structured brass section will hit you in the face. This album won't get you wrong.

3

This is truly one of the best albums of the early 70's. I am a big fan of CHICAGO but this collection and "Bump City" should have blown them right off the charts. The fabulous horn section played on many other artist's records, but listen to "What is Hip?" and hear them in their own element knock it out of the park! These guys are the real deal.

Bio and Discography

http://www.bay-area-bands.com/bab00047.htm

Get it here

Tower_Of_Power_-_1973_-_Tower_Of_Power.rar

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Various - Action Speaks Louder Than Words - The Best Of SSS International Group Of Labels 1967 to 1970

Uptempo soul and funky southern grooves - a beautifully-chosen batch of tracks from the legendary SSS family of labels - and one that stands as a nice contrast to some of the other collections of work from the company's late 60s roster! SSS is probably most famously known as home to some great ballad and pop soul material from the south, but the company also had a great run of funky 45s during the same stretch - singles that kicked up the groove a few more notches, and came off with a rough edge and plenty of grit in the mix! There's a deep deep sound here all the way through - making the package a non-stop romp through some plenty great music pulled from labels that include SSS International, Silver Fox, Exit, and Honor Brigade.

CD features 24 tracks in all -- including "Lonely Man" by Johnny Soul, "Mama Ain't A Baby No More" by Marilyn Haywood, "Action Speaks Louder Than Words" by Reuben Bell, "Grounded (part 1)" by Gloria Taylor, "Nobody" by The Jerms, "Motor City Funk (part 1)" by Bright Lights, "Shake What You Got (part 1)" by Mr Jamo, "Fancy" by Rosalind Madison, "Having My Glory" by Jo Jo Benson, "You'd Better Quit It" by Jo Jo Benson, "Grab Your Partner & Do Your Own Thing" by Baby Al & The Capps, "Soul Butter" by Johnny Barfield & The Men Of Soul, "The Hiccup" by Robert Parker, and "Lonely For Your Baby" by Sam Dees.

Run by a former Mercury Records A&R man, Shelby Singleton's SSS International label was a label based out of Nashville that released a variety of recordings that weren't country, and is especially interesting to soul collectors for the more obscure southern soul records released between 1967 and 1970.

The SSS International soul records aren't as well remembered as the records released on more prolific high profile labels like Stax/Volt, so it's a great place to dig up more obscure soul recordings. Other labels that fit under the SSS International umbrella included here are the Silver Fox (another Shelby Singleton label co-run by Lelan Rogers, who had previously run the Texas-based International Artists label with releases from the 13th Floor Elevators, the Red Krayola, and the Bubble Puppy) Exit, and Honor Brigade labels.

Information and review
http://www.gullbuy.com/buy%5C2006%5C8_12/actionsspeaklouder.cfm

Thanks gyro1966 for this

Get is here

V.A._Action_The_very_best_of_SSS.rar

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Caetano Veloso - 1968 - Caetano Veloso

Caetano Veloso 1968

Solo debut by Brazilian genius. A member of the Brazilian arts movement known as Tropicalia, Caetano Veloso crafted a pioneering mix of bossa nova, American folk, and psychedelic pop. Comparable in sound and quality to Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, this album has been cited as a key influence by the likes of Beck and Devendra Banhart.

Tracks :
1. Tropicalia
2. Clarice
3. No Dia Em Que Eu Vim-me Embora
4. Algeria, Algeria
5. Onde Andaras
6. Anunciacao
7. Superbacana
8. Paisagem Util
9. Clara (with Gal Costa)
10. Soy Loco Por Ti, America
11. Ave Maria
12. Eles

Caetano Veloso is an album released in Brazil in 1968 by the artist of the same name, being one of the first Tropicália efforts. It has arrangements by Júlio Medaglia, Damiano Cozzella, and Sandino Hohagen, and it is very eclectic, showing the "Antropofagia" (artistic cannibalism) aspect of the Tropicália movement, varying from Psychedelia, rock, Pop, Indian Music, bossa nova, Bahian music and others. It has the hits "Alegria, Alegria", "Tropicália", and "Soy Loco Por Tí, América".

Caetano's first big, breakaway Tropicalia album, recorded in the wake of several notorious concert appearances which put the new sound on the map. The psychedelic cover art features Veloso's portrait inside an egg-shaped photo, held between a cartoon nymph and a cartoon dragon. Great songs, including the often-covered and often-anthologized "Superbacana" and the ridiculously poppy spanish-language roller-rink lovefest, "Soy Loco Por Ti, America". Backed up by the crazed rock band, Os Mutantes, as well as by the teenybopper rock'n'roll of Roberto Carlos' RC-7, Veloso sends off a powerful opening salvo for the tropicalia movement, and a magnificent solo debut.

Recommended


Download (wma) :
SendSpace : Caetano Veloso
or
RapidShare : Caetano Veloso

Download (mp3) :
RapidShare : Caetano Veloso
or
SendSpace : Caetano Veloso

posted by Gathering_of_the_Tribe (Anonymous user)

P.P. Arnold - The First Cut [1998]

A soul vocalist who came from a family of gospel singers, Pat (P.P.) Arnold began singing as a four-year-old. She got her start backing Bobby Day before being invited to join the Ikettes, backing Ike and Tina Turner. Arnold toured with them in the '60s, including one stint with the Rolling Stones. Mick Jagger persuaded her to remain in London, and she later recorded for the Immediate label (then run by the Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham). Loog Oldham, Jagger, and Mike Hurst produced Arnold's debut LP, The First Lady of Immediate, in 1967, which included the single "The First Cut Is the Deepest," which was written by Cat Stevens and later popularized by Rod Stewart. Arnold also had moderate success with the singles "The Time Has Come," "(If You Think) You're Groovy," and "Angel in the Morning" in the late '60s, though they were hits in England and Europe rather than America. Arnold was part of the cast for the play Catch My Soul in 1969, and subsequently acted in the television shows Fame and Knots Landing, plus Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express. Arnold re-entered the music world in the mid-'80s. She sang lead on a Boy George song for the film Electric Dreams in 1984 while on 10 Records. She worked with Dexter Wansel and Loose Ends on the single "A Little Pain," which she recorded as Pat Arnold. She then had another English hit with the single "Burn It Up" on the Rhythm King label. The Beatmasters later produced her song "Dynamite." [Allmusic.com]

A CD with a great collection of songs from P.P. Arnold…

Track list;
01 - (If You Think You're) Groovy
02 - Something Beautiful Happened
03 - Born To Be Together
04 - Am I Still Dreaming
05 - Though It Hurts Me Badly
06 - The First Cut Is The Deepest
07 - Everything Is Gonna Be Alright
08 - Treat Me Like A Lady
09 - Would You Believe
10 - Life Is But Nothing
11 - Speak To Me
12 - The Time Has Come
13 - Letter To Bill
14 - Kafunta One
15 - God Only Knows
16 - Eleanor Rigby
17 - Yesterday
18 - Angel Of The Morning
19 - It'll Never Happen Again
20 - As Tears Go By
21 - To Love Somebody
22 - Dreamin'
23 - Welcome Home

[192k]

Style; Soul, Uptown Soul

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Al Wilson - 1973 - Show and Tell

A classic bit of LA crossover soul, with the huge hit "Show & Tell" that broke Al Wilson from being a strange showy performer into a brief standard on 70s AM radio. Arrangements are by H.B. Barnum, so you can expect a nice bit of soul in with Al's more theatrical performance style -- and other cuts include "Queen Of The Ghetto", "What You See", "Moonlightin", and "For Cryin' Out Loud".

A classic soul tune, this is a 320@ rip of my original vinyl.

Although it was released in 1995 on cd, it can't be found. Probably is deleted.

Tracklisting
A1 Show And Tell (3:28)
A2 I'm Out To Get You (3:39)
A3 Queen Of The Ghetto (2:53)
A4 Touch And Go (3:09)
A5 My Song (3:43)
A6 Broken Home (3:43)
B1 What You See (3:46)
B2 Love Me Gentle, Love Me Blind (4:00)
B3 Moonlightn' (3:40)
B4 For Cryin' Out Loud (3:37)
B5 A Song For You (5:42)

Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: US
Released: 1973
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Soul
Arranged By - H.B. Barnum
Producer - Jerry Fuller

Best remembered for the soul classic "Show and Tell," singer Al Wilson was born June 19, 1939 in Meridian, Mississippi. From childhood forward he was singing professionally, and by the age of 12 was leading his own spiritual quartet and singing in the church choir, even performing covers of country and western hits as circumstances dictated. After a two-year military stint, Wilson settled in Los Angeles, touring the local nightclub circuit before joining the R&B vocal group the Jewels; from there he landed with the Rollers, followed by a stint with the instrumental combo the Souls. In 1966, Wilson signed with manager Marc Gordon, who quickly scored his client an a cappella audition for Johnny Rivers -- the "Secret Agent Man" singer not only signed Wilson to his Soul City imprint, but also agreed to produce the sessions that yielded the 1968 R&B smash "The Snake." The minor hit "Do What You Gotta Do" appeared that same year, but Wilson then largely disappeared from sight until 1973, when he issued the platinum-selling Weighing In -- the album's success was spurred by the shimmering "Show and Tell," a Johnny Mathis castoff that sold well over a million copies. 1974's "The La La Peace Song" proved another major hit, and two years later, "I've Got a Feeling We'll Be Seeing Each Other Again" cracked the R&B Top Three. With 1979's "Count the Days" Wilson scored his final chart hit, however, and he spent the next two decades touring clubs and lounges; in 2001 he re-recorded his classic hits for the album Spice of Life.

Get it here
Al_Wilson_-_1973_-_Show_And_Tell.rar

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

The Temptations - 1969 - Cloude Nine

A masterpiece in psychedelic soul from The Temptations -- perhaps the most perfectly realized album from their years working with Norman Whitfield! The set's awash in that bottom-heavy, rumbling funk mode that Whitfield brought to the group at the end of the 60s -- served up in bold tracks that push the group's vocals to a whole new level, and which bring in a more righteous sound than anyone might have expected previously from Motown! The centerpiece here is the amazing "Runaway Child" -- a really extended number that has all the political soul of a Curtis Mayfield tune -- and other titles include "Cloud Nine", "Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me", "Love Is A Hurtin Thing", "I Gotta Find A Way", "I Need Your Lovin", and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine".

An all time classic from the best black group ever!

Tracks

A1 Cloud Nine
A2 I Heard it Through the Grapevine
A3 Runaway Child, Running Wild
B1 Love Is a Hurtin' Thing
B2 Hey Girl (I Like Your Style)
B3 Why Did She Have to Leave Me (Why Did She Have to Go)
B4 I Need Your Lovin'
B5 Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me
B6 I Gotta Find a Way (To Get You Back)
B7 Gonna Keep on Tryin' Till I Win Your Love

The Reviews

1

In Febuary of 1969 the Temptations released Cloud Nine and many people thought what happened to the old Tempts. Well after seeing Sly Stone & the Family Stone having so much success Norman Whitfield in his third album at the helm of the producers chair fo the Tempts decided it was time for change. The first half on the original vinyl version consist of only 3 song which basically carries the whole album. The title track is one of the funkiest songs ever laid to wax with it's wah-wah guitars and the Tempts voices flowing through the sons, but the best song here is the 9 plus minute version of "Runaway Child Running Wild". The song will by far blow you away with new lead singer Dennis Edwards dynamic vocal performance. The rythm arrangement of this song is brilliant and Funk Brothers really get down and dirty on this one. Definitely the funkiest song of the 60's. Side two on the original vinyl is back to business as usual with the Tempts apparently not ready to completly give total control to Whitfields newly refined production style. Overall great album for the first 3 songs on the album which also consist of putting a different twist on a cover version of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" which was also done by Gladys Knight & the Pips and Marvin Gaye respectively. Although the second side is mostly ballads there's still stong vocal performances by Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams, with most of the leads going to Dennis. A must have for soul music lovers and Temptations fans alike.

2

Best known for their silky soul vocals and smooth-stepping routines, the Temptations were firmly entrenched as the undisputed kings of Barry Gordy's Motown stable when cutting-edge producer Norman Whitfield walked into the studio and announced that it was time to shake things up. The resulting freakout became the first half of the stellar Cloud Nine, an album that would become one of the defining early funk sets, with songs that not only took Motown in a new direction, but helped to shape a genre as well. On one side and across three jams, Whitfield and the Temptations would give '70s-era funk musicians a broad palette from which to draw inspiration. The title track, with its funky soul bordering on psychedelic frenzy, was an audacious album opener, and surely gave older fans a moment's pause. Only two more songs rounded out side one: an incredibly fresh take on "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," which jazzed up the vocals, brought compelling percussion to the fore, and relegated the piano well into the wings, and "Run Away Child, Running Wild," an extravagant nine-minute groove where the sonics easily surpassed the vocals. After shaking up the record-buying public with these three masterpieces, the Temptations brought things back to form for side two. Here, their gorgeous vocals dominated slick arrangements across seven tracks which included "Hey Girl" and the masterful "I Need Your Lovin'." Funk continued to percolate — albeit subtly — but compared to side one, it was Temptations business as usual. It was this return to the classic sound, however, which ultimately gave Cloud Nine its odd dynamic. The dichotomy of form between old and new between sides doesn't allow for a continuous gel. But the brash experimentation away from traditional Motown on the three seminal tracks which open the disc shattered the doorway between past and present as surely as the decade itself imploded and smooth soul gave way to blistering funk.

Q (10/99, p.161) - Included in Q Magazine's Best Motown Records Of All Time - "...socially concerned, aggressive and bordering on psychedelic. CLOUD NINE was deemed 'too progressive'....The result still sounds fresh and immediate 30-odd years on."

CLOUD NINE is a document of American soul music in transition.

Get it here

Temptations__1969_-_cloud_nine.rar

Sunday, November 4, 2007

V.A. - Studio One Ska

One of the best ska comps around, "...full of the ragged, loose joy that is part and parcel of early ska"

V.A. - Studio One Ska
(Soul Jazz Records SJRCD 085)

Tracks :
1 Jackie Mittoo - El Bang Bang
2 Ken Boothe & Stranger Cole - Arte Bella
3 The Wailers - Put It On
4 The Skatalites - Addis Ababa
5 Roland Alphonso - President Kennedy
6 Joe Higgs - Song My Enemies Sing
7 The Skatalites - Beardsman Ska
8 Delroy Wilson - I Want Justice
9 Tommy McCook's Orchestra - Sampson
10 The Ethiopians - I'm Gonna Take Over Now
11 Tommy McCook - Freedom Sounds
12 The Maytals - Marching On
13 The Skatalites - Exodus
14 Roland Alphonso - Look Away Ska
15 Don Drummond - Don Cosmic
16 Roland Alphonso - Scambalena
17 Andy & Joey - You're Wondering Now

Review by Steve Leggett (AMG)
Jamaica earned its independence in 1962, and in many ways ska was the joyous and energetic expression of that event, a music that burst past its lineage of American jazz and R&B into a kinetic area all its own, and until around 1965, when the hangover began to wear off and the slower, moodier rhythms of rocksteady began to take over, ska presented the fingerprint of Jamaica to the world. Front and center in the ska explosion was Clement Dodd's immortal Studio One, which opened its doors in 1963, and that studio's house band, the Skatalites, who are featured in one way or another on every track on this fine sampler of Studio One's ska years. Every side collected here is a classic, but Jackie Mittoo's "El Bang Bang," Tommy McCook's "Sampson" and Don Drummond's "Don Cosmic" (all three musicians were big parts of the Skatalites collective) are particular standouts, full of the ragged, loose joy that is part and parcel of early ska.

review from DustyGroove
Another chapter in the Studio One story, as told by the top notch selectors at Soul Jazz, and as with the earlier editions in their Studio One series, this one's another mighty batch of Jamaican rhythm and blues. Like so many other Coxsone Dodd productions, you can hear the foundations of many future generations of Jamaican music running through these titles, 17 jaunty ska numbers laced with jazz inflected solos laid down by Tommy McCook, Roland Alphonso, Jackie Mittoo and the Skatalites, or harmonized vocals courtesy the Ethiopians, Maytals and others. As you've come to expect, this is an ace package with excellent notes and archival photos, loaded down with classic performances and hard to get nuggets, too!

Download Links :
in Ogg format (VBR 320-500kbps) + full artwork
rapidshare.com/StOnSk.part1.rar
rapidshare.com/StOnSk.part2.rar

Thanks Stratos (?) for this one !!!

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Grant Green - 1971 - Visions

It was requested and here it is on 320@.

A severely underrated player during his lifetime, Grant Green is one of the great unsung heroes of jazz guitar. Like Stanley Turrentine, he tends to be left out of the books. Although he mentions Charlie Christian and Jimmy Raney as influences, Green always claimed he listened to horn players (Charlie Parker and Miles Davis) and not other guitar players, and it shows. No other player has this kind of single-note linearity (he avoids chordal playing). There is very little of the intellectual element in Green's playing, and his technique is always at the service of his music. And it is music, plain and simple, that makes Green unique.

Green's playing is immediately recognizable — perhaps more than any other guitarist. Green has been almost systematically ignored by jazz buffs with a bent to the cool side, and he has only recently begun to be appreciated for his incredible musicality. Perhaps no guitarist has ever handled standards and ballads with the brilliance of Grant Green.

Label: Blue Note
Catalog#: BST 84373
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: US
Released: 21 May 1971
Genre: Jazz -Soul

Credits:
Bass [Electric] - Chuck Rainey
Congas - Ray Armando
Drums - Idris Muhammad
Drums, Percussion - Harold Cardwell
Electric Piano - Emanuel Riggins
Engineer - Rudy Van Gelder
Guitar - Grant Green
Vibraphone - Billy Wooten

Tracklisting:
A1 Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? (5:10)
A2 Maybe Tomorrow (4:54)
A3 Mozart Symphony #40 In G Minor, K550, 1st Movement (4:06)
A4 Love On A Two Way Street (4:43)
B1 Cantaloupe Woman (5:29)
B2 We've Only Just Begun (5:09)
B3 Never Can Say Goodbye (5:04)
B4 Blues For Abraham (2:31)

Grant Green's early-'70s recordings for Blue Note are continually attacked by jazz critics for being slick, overly commercial sessions that leaned closer to contemporary pop and R&B than hard bop or soul jazz. There's no denying that Green, like many of his Blue Note contemporaries, did choose a commercial path in the early '70s, but there were some virtues to these records, and Visions in particular. Often, these albums were distinguished by hot, funky workouts in the vein of Sly Stone or James Brown, but that's not the case here. On Visions, the guitarist crafted a set of appealingly melodic, lightly funky pop-jazz, concentrating on pop hits like "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is," "Love On a Two Way Street," "We've Only Just Begun," and "Never Can Say Goodbye." Supported by minor-league players, Green nevertheless turns in an elegant and dignified performance — after stating the melody on each song, he contributes typically graceful, memorable solos. Simply put, he sounds fresh, and his playing here is the best it has been since 1965's His Majesty, King Funk. Ultimately, Visions is a bit laid-back, and the electric piano-heavy arrangements are a little dated, but Grant Green never made a commercial pop-jazz album as appealing and satisfying as Visions.

Get It Here :

RapidShare Link : rapidshare.com/files/Grant_Green_Visions.rar
or
SendSpace Link : www.sendspace.com/file/onisa6

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Moses Dillard & The Tex-Town Display - 1969 - Now

Searching for records on ebay i noticed that this one was sold for 1.225,00 Usd!!!

I tried hard and found it on mp3 (320@) and i copied the original covers from the above one on ebay.

Dillard was a guitarist out of South Carolina who worked both studio time at Muscle Shoals as well as lead his own bands, beginning in the mid 1960s.

It is impossible to find a review for the only record released by the group.

Except for its rarity, it is also an amazing piece of work.

I had no idea of it. I ask you to grab it and tell me your opinion.

Any Review is welcome.

Moses Dillard had a dual career in music for more than 20 years, leading his own bands, and as a guitarist working out of Muscle Shoals. Born in Greenville, SC, he put together a touring band of his own, the Dynamic Showmen, before he was 20 and saw some local success. Dillard later teamed up with James Moore in a duo called Moses & Joshua, recording for Don Schroeder's Papa Don Productions out of Pensacola, FL; scoring hits with "My Elusive Dreams" and "Get Out of My Heart" on the Mala label in 1966-1967, and "Soul Symphony" for Coral in 1968. While working for Schroeder, Dillard's guitar virtuosity came to the fore, and he played sessions with most of the company's acts, including James and Bobby Purify during the tail end of their history, and Oscar Toney, Jr. and Mighty Sam. His playing can be heard throughout their respective late-'60s outputs, and recording and touring with these and other acts kept Dillard busy until the close of the decade.

Dillard returned to Greenville in 1970 to resume his own career and put together the group Tex-Town Display, with a lineup that included Peabo Bryson. Their 1970 recording of "I've Got to Find a Way" got serious local airplay, enough to get it (and their contract) picked up by Curtom Records for national distribution, selling 250,000 copies. Tex-Town Display earned a follow-up shot with "Our Love Is True," which didn't sell nearly as well, and by 1971 the group was recording for the much smaller Shout label of Atlanta, before it broke up after Bryson exited.

Dillard continued to be based in Atlanta with his next group, the Lovejoy Orchestra, who had an instrumental hit with a self-titled theme in 1975. The 1970s saw Dillard get an increasing number of opportunities with major labels; he kept busy recording under a multitude of names, including Moses, and Dillard & Johnson in partnership with Lorraine Johnson, the latter act signed to Epic Records. Dillard had success during the disco era with the Constellation Orchestra, and he later reunited with his one-time Dynamic Showmen bassist/singer Jesse Boyce as Dillard & Boyce, on the Mercury label in the early '80s.

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