Listen: Black Woman / Don Covay & The Jefferson Lemon Blues Band
Black Woman / Don Covay & The Jefferson Lemon Blues Band

I don’t believe this story is uncommon amongst vinyl collectors.

Once an artist strikes that magic nerve in the system, you kind of need all of their records, or certainly the ones specific to the time period before they morphed into something way different.

This is exactly the case with Don Covay and me. I had many of those Atlantic singles, instinctively picking them up through the years based on an initial name introduction via early albums by The Rolling Stones. At any given moment, one of them hits you, all the rest get pulled out, examined and played. Then boom. The process begins. Regardless of day, time or convenience, a plot to complete the catalog materializes.

Ebay has made this so easy. A lot of my collector friends hate ebay, all cranky that it takes away from the back aching digs through boxes in record shops and rummage sales and things. I don’t get that, those moments will never go away. Ebay is like getting take-out food delivered. No different. Doesn’t mean you’ll never cook for yourself again. What’s the problem?

In an effort to complete the Don Covay Atlantic releases, I dig up a discography and think, the one that has forever eluded me is ‘Black Woman’ from ’69. It doesn’t sound familiar at all and I would’ve certainly remembered the Jefferson Lemon Blues Band bit. From the song title alone, it sounded very in tune with the times, black power fisted slants on records from Miles Davis to Jefferson Airplane being ever present then. ‘Black Woman’ had to be a great one.

So today I go digging through some .50¢ boxes at Academy Records in Williamsburg, and what do I find? Yep, the final component to having a complete Don Covay Atlantic singles library right here in the comfort of my own home.

I love that shop. Similar to most, the 45′s are second fiddle at best. Probably they don’t sell many, and great ones aren’t exactly walking through the door often. But the staff, as nice as they are, just don’t seem to have a consistent grasp on values or importance when it comes to Soul / Rnb / Northern / Jazz 7′s.

Perfect.

So now the follow-up punch line to my first sentence: I get home, clean the record up, give it a few plays and once totally satisfied, decide to file it away.

And what do I find? I already own a copy.

Well, one can always use a safety.

Listen: Black Byrd / Donald Byrd
Black

Apparently, purists howled with indignation when Donald Byrd released his BLACK BYRD album, a full-fledged foray into R&B that erupted into a popular phenomenon. He was branded a sellout and a traitor to his hard bop credentials, especially after it became the biggest selling album in Blue Note’s history. What the elitists missed, though, was that BLACK BYRD was the moment when his brand of fusion finally stepped out from under the shadow of his chief influence, Miles Davis, and found a distinctive voice of it’s own.

Never before had a jazz musician embraced the celebratory sound and style of contemporary funk as fully as Donald Byrd did here, not even Miles Davis, whose dark, chaotic jungle funk stood in sharp contrast to the bright, breezy, danceable music on BLACK BYRD. He gives free rein to producer/arranger/composer Larry Mizell, who crafts a series of tightly focused, melodic pieces often indebted to the lengthier orchestrations of Isaac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield. adding a funky sense of groove that’s near irresistible.

Hence Blue Note’s decision to edit the album’s title track into an abbreviated single, given the solos are mostly melodic and in the pocket, yet allow the funk to take center stage. Despite the fact that the electric piano, sound effects, and Roger Glenn’s ubiquitous flute date the music somewhat, it’s really part of the charm.

The album and single were state of the art for 1973, when Rich Fazekas at United Artists, who distributed Blue Note, sent me a copy. BLACK BYRD set a new standard for all future jazz/R&B/funk fusions, of which there were many.

Doanld Byrd would continue to redefine his sound on equally essential albums like STREET LADY and the fantastic PLACES AND SPACES, but BLACK BYRD stands as his groundbreaking signature statement.

Thank you Rich Fazekas, Aquarianrealm, Steve Huey and Donald Byrd.

Listen: I Can’t Turn You Loose / The Chambers Brothers
I

Right at their commercial peak, when ‘Time Has Come Today’ was pretty big even at Top 40, The Chambers Brothers swung through Syracuse for a concert. I had some of their early gospel singles, was already excited to be hearing them on the radio so frequently and therefore anticipated the live show for weeks. Damn if I can remember why, but I went along with my parents to the airport earlier that afternoon to collect a relative, I’m guessing.

In the 60′s, airports were not full fledged shopping malls with restaurants and bars that would compete for one’s plans on a Saturday evening out. Instead, and especially in the case of the Hancock Airport in Syracuse, it was a lonely, empty building with uncomfortable seating on a good day. But on this particular afternoon, The Chambers Brothers flew in. From afar, I spotted a flock of floppy hippie hats and put two plus two together fast. So I barreled down toward their gate, and walked along with them back toward the outdoor pickup area, enthralled to be talking to these guys who made such raw soul records. I had a ton of questions.

Well the looks on my parent’s faces were priceless. Here their young son had in one moment dashed off toward an arrival gate, and in the next was walking back toward them surrounded by half a dozen black guys twice his height, all dressed in loud prints and colors. My Dad pretty quickly lit up though, figuring it out. He being a longtime jazz fan was forever telling me stories of seeing Billie Holiday and Miles Davis during his Air Force years, and now was familiar with bands like The Chambers Brothers from the music overflow that poured nonstop out of my bedroom. Plus, he was dropping the gang and I off at the show later that night. He held a particularly great conversation with Willie Chambers, this I remember well.

Their version of Otis Redding’s ‘I Can’t Turn You Loose’ was the highly anticipated followup to ‘Time Has Come Today’. Appropriately housed in a full color sleeve, as all confident followup singles were over at Columbia, it’s shocking to accept the single’s soft landing at #37. The vocal performance so powerful it must have scared off pop programmers. In one way, I’m surprised Columbia didn’t insist on polishing it up for airplay, thereby possibly prolonging their ascent. In hindsight though, I’m glad it was left to rip, despite still being bitter about the band’s commercial profile gradually sagging thereafter.

Listen: Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing / The Buffalo Springfield
Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing / The Buffalo Springfield

West coast soft rock, not a fan. It was the anti-christ to British music. Even as some of the UK bands got fascinated by it, started copying it, I still wasn’t buying in. But initially, The Buffalo Springfield looked as though they may have had promise. I wanted badly to hear their first single ‘Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing’. The title made me curious, and I wasn’t sharp enough to be put off by the band’s name. There was Lothar & The Hand People, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother & The Holding Company, these guys seemed to fit into the nonsensical band name pocket just fine.

Digging through a massive bin of drilled, 39¢ closeout singles, I found a copy only a few months later. This was just before their third 45, ‘For What It’s Worth’, got traction and went Top 40. I got home and did not love this record later that night.

But I did like that a) it was a Bubbling Under The Hot 100 flop (#110), b) was on Atco and c) was an unlikely single.

a) There’s nothing like the endless gems that never reached the Top 100. In retrospect, countless seminal classics populated and peeked on BILLBOARD’s Bubbling Under The Hot 100 chart, within it’s #101 – 135 range. All struggling for airplay that never came. Where was the expertise programmers supposedly had in the 60′s and 70′s, we now wonder. Proof that some things never changed.

b) Atco was cool. The younger, but prettier step sister of Atlantic. Amongst it’s early roster of bands that never made it / looked like they weren’t going to: The Vagrants, The Who, The Groupies, The Spencer Davis Group, Julie Driscoll/Brian Auger & The Trinity and The Cream. Yes, this was in the day before groups like The Pink Floyd, The Cream and The Buffalo Springfield managed to drop ‘The’ from their official professional name.

c) There are few things more inviting than a single that made no sense being a single. Like just about any jazz 7″, certainly edited versions of tracks from Miles Davis’ BITCHES BREW album. Not that ‘Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing’ came close to such an extreme, but it was a real surprise on first spin.

The Buffalo Springfield have now reformed, sans ‘The’, with the remaining living original members, and I would bet the whole house of cards they are not playing this first single live. Just like the setlist for The Cream’s reunion (sans ‘The’) omitted ‘I Feel Free’.

So I won’t be attending, but all said and done, I ended up liking ‘Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing’ a lot.

Update (6/11/11): John Poole emailed to say they did play ‘Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing’ during their first reunion appearance at the Bridge Benefit Concert last year. How awesome is that?

Listen: Little Boy / The Crystals CrystalsLittleBoy.mp3

How is it possible that ‘Little Boy’ was not a hit. It will always be one of the unexplained wonders of the world. No surprise Phil Spector flipped his lid. This (#92), ‘River Deep – Mountain High’ (#88), The Ramones ‘Baby I Love You (never charted at all). How appalling. What an embarrassment.

I do recall hearing the record a lot in my hometown though. All the Phillies singles seemed to get played upstate. And when ‘Little Boy’ was current, I neglected to get me a copy. It wasn’t until summer ’73 when I finally bought one for 35p at Graham Stapleton’s stall outside Cheapo Cheapo Records on Rupert Street in London’s Soho. What a bargain. As always, the label copy name checks included Larry Levine and Jack Nitzsche.

Fast forward to the late 80′s. I’m working at Island, A&Ring Marianne Faithfull. The company was searching for something a bit more current on the upcoming album. She’d done STRANGE WEATHER prior, and it’s old Europe Prague winebar angle was getting tired. I’d suggested New Order produce. Chris wasn’t feeling that. It was apparently too young a look. Somewhere in the mix, Jack Nitzsche became the possible candidate, so off to LA went Marianne to try writing with him, see if some result could develop.

He had just produced the soundtrack to THE HOT SPOT, a truly terrific album with John Lee Hooker, Miles Davis and Taj Mahal. There was even a single released, and that’s posted elsewhere on this blog.

Jack actually called me one day with an update, basically saying nothing much was getting done. Not the best news, but getting a call from Jack Nitzsche with any news at all was huge in my book.

No sooner did he ring than Marianne was on the phone.

“I need to get out of here. All he wants to do is fuck me”

“So do it”

“Kev!!!”

She was back in NY days later. So much for that collaboration.

Above: Jukebox Tab signed by LaLa Brooks

Listen: Miles Runs The Voodoo Down (Single Edit) / Miles Davis MilesVoodoo.mp3

I can only thank late night FM disc jockeys from 60′s underground radio for artifacts such as these. It had to be the reason the majors pressed up 7′s for songs like ‘Miles Runs The Voodoo Down’. There could be no other reason.

A lot of worship is poured on BITCHES BREW, the album from which this edit was pulled. I have enjoyed it on occasion, but must admit, I like the edits just as much.

This was a very nice garage sale find on an early September morning. 25¢.

Listen: Talkin’ Trash / Betty Davis BettyDavisTalkin.mp3

It wasn’t exactly her voice that attracted me – a mixture of Genya Ravan, Lydia Pence from Cold Blood and any one of The Slits. But some of the tracks were amongst the best of the day. Her NASTY GAL album didn’t seem to fit in anywhere, didn’t sell and for years became expensively sought after. The singles were even more obscure and they are must-haves.

Listen: He Was A Big Freak / Betty Davis BettyDavisFreak.mp3

Most surprising of all her work with Island, ‘He Was A Big Freak’, the non-LP 7″ b side, somehow didn’t make the album. Other than ‘Talkin’ Trash’ and the title track ‘Nasty Gal’, it’s probably her best song. Being the wife of Miles Davis conjures up many a potential person as to who this one may have been based on.

Listen: Saturday Miles (Edit) / Miles Davis
Saturday Miles / Miles Davis

Isn’t it a riot that this was released as a single? Who on earth was ever going to play it? The edits are classic.

Listen: But Not Really / Les Mc Cann, Ltd. LesMcCannButNotReally.mp3

Listen: Jack V. Schwartz / Les Mc Cann, Ltd. LesMcCannJack.mp3

Fill a 1958 Seeburg 222 with mid 60′s jazz singles and you can literally transport yourself back in time. To a jazz affectionado, this might be sacrilegious. Most jazz fans double as audiophiles, collecting deep groove Blue Note pressings at premium prices. This is great news actually. They’ve all ignored the disposable 7″ format for that genre, thereby making the acquisition of thousands of jazz singles a very easy accomplishment, and usually never at a price above a dollar or two. Thus it has been an ongoing process for me during the past twenty years. I love ‘em all, especially the small combo, brass free ones. Actually, I hate brass, but still happily own many Miles Davis, John Coltrane, etc. etc. 7′s nonetheless.

Les Mc Cann released loads of jukebox friendly singles. I particularly love his, well any, releases on Mercury’s jazz imprint Limelight. A mid 60′s subsidiary, the label and sleeve design perfectly captured the feel and color of the era, with real verve (no pun intended).

Listen: Bank Robbery / John Lee Hooker, Miles Davis & Taj Mahal HotSpot.mp3

This couldn’t have a more politically correct cast of characters. In addition to the players, there’s Jack Nitzsche and Dennis Hopper. One could confuse this as a tasty, well hip selection to post. But let me tell you, not only is this a great single regardless who’s on it – it’s amazing that it’s a single at all. Not many labels in the 90′s would’ve pressed this onto a 7″. I cherish my copy, and with a picture sleeve to boot.

From the soundtrack to THE HOT SPOT, Chris Blackwell picked it up for release when the cult film was doing the Sundance circuit. I remember him asking me if I thought he’d overpaid for it. Not one person in the office could stop listening to it for weeks. Overpaid? No way.