Posts Tagged ‘Billboard’
Tuesday, October 25th, 2011
Listen: Mamma Gave Birth To The Soul Children / Queen Latifah & De La Soul
Mamma
I was fortunate enough to meet Jon Baker, owner of Gee Street Records, through the Island UK office. Actually, Julian Palmer from 4th & Broadway in London had signed Stereo MC’s to a singles deal, and Jon, the ever ambitious yet courteous entrepreneur, bugged me incessantly to come over and see a rehearsal, guaranteeing their greatness.
I recall Jon having a picture perfect office setup, basically heaving with records and always jumping. I loved Gee Street. They had released some US hip hop and house independently prior to ultimately signing the deal with Island. On a previous trip, this guy fed my 7″ addiction with serious handfuls of each release. Generous wasn’t near a strong enough term. And his pressings were beauties, thick vinyl, top notch UK picture covers. Jon Baker always did these things classy.
Well last night, ‘Mamma Gave Birth To The Soul Children’ got stuck on repeat as I moved some big boxes around the house, a lucky break. It recalled the time he and Ziggy drove Corinne and I around Chelsea, blasting late night London pirate stations. Some of the stuff played would still rock up any world, and in the mix, on comes Jon’s Queen Latifah / De La Soul record. Kid in a candy shop, it couldn’t have been a better moment for him.
Back to that Stereo MC’s rehearsal. They were red hot, yeah, undeniable. Mission accomplished. We scheduled ‘Elevate My Mind’ as a US Island single immediately. It eventually climbed into the BILLBOARD Top 40, paving the way for a proper Stereo MC’s career run and a full Gee Street/Island label deal.
Tags: 4th & Broadway, Billboard, Gee Street, Island, Jon Baker, Julian Palmer, Queen Latifah & De La Soul, Stereo MC's
Posted in 4th & Broadway, Billboard, De La Soul, Gee Street, Island, Jon Baker, Julian Palmer, Queen Latifah & De La Soul, Stereo MC's | Comments Off
Sunday, October 23rd, 2011
Listen: Just A Friend / Biz Markie
Just
A solid ten years before the turn of the century, Biz Markie’s ‘Just A Friend’ was a hit. A mainstream, BILLBOARD Top 100 hit, #9 to be exact.
This was 1989 into 1990, when Young MC’s ‘Bust A Move’ and Kool Moe Dee’s ‘Wild, Wild West’ were sharing slots on the US Pop charts with De La Soul’s ‘My Myself & I’ and A Tribe Called Quest’s ‘I Left My Wallet In El Segundo’. Biz Markie, with most of the Cold Chillin’ roster, fit right in.
Looking back nowadays, they collectively made up the sound of an era gone by, before most hip hop became major label controlled, processed and manufactured. And way before Biz Markie’s beat boxing went out of style.
Tags: A Tribe Called Quest, Billboard, Biz Markie, Cold Chillin', De La Soul, Kool Moe Dee, Young MC
Posted in A Tribe Called Quest, Billboard, Biz Markie, Cold Chillin', De La Soul, Kool Moe Dee, Young MC | Comments Off
Tuesday, October 18th, 2011
Listen: Live / The Merry-Go-Round
Live
I think summer ’67 was the sunniest ever. I remember it like yesterday, and can still feel the angst of wanting every last record that was being released. I was insatiable, riding my bike daily, many times twenty miles each way on the back country roads either between Canastota and Oneida, or into Syracuse. Every night as I lay in bed with the transistor under my pillow, listening to AM broadcasts from far away places in the Midwest or way up into the Northeast via Boston or Maine, I’d be scheming out tomorrow’s plan of where to go, looking for, asking for records.
Back then, at dusk, AM stations were required to switch from broad, local signals, to limited radius and directional. This meant those directional beams would make local broadcasts from hundreds and hundreds of miles away sound down the street. And with many of the looser US Top 40′s playing the latest underground and psychedelic releases overnight, new discoveries became a daily occurrence. Whether it be Country Joe & The Fish, The Pink Floyd, Moby Grape, The Move, The Magic Mushrooms, Tim Hardin, The Lewis & Clark Expedition, The Flowerpot Men or The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, I was hearing it all and my want list was endless.
So off I’d go, to the various shops, blagging promo records, last week’s copies of BILLBOARD, CASHBOX and RECORD WORLD, music surveys from the local Top 40′s, inventory check lists the distributors would leave with the store buyers, I hoarded them all.
Wednesdays were when the national record label reps would hit the Syracuse stations promoting their wares. None of my friends dared join me, so I’d wait alone on my bike in the parking lots for them to pull up, and got good at talking singles out of these guys, handing my high school newspaper record reviews to them in exchange for a dig through their latest releases. I’ll tell you truthfully, I’ve tried just about every drug out there, but never have I found a high near the one a free for all through a promotion man’s trunk full of 1967 promo 45′s could provide.
What became known as sunshine pop surfaced amongst the sub genres and regional music scenes during that summer. God, I hated the term and generally cringe when having to admit liking music tagged as such. Along with The Third Rail, Sagittarius, Eternity’s Children, Colours and The Sunshine Company, I guess The Merry-Go-Round’s ‘Live’ inhabited a slot. Their obvious British looking haircuts caught my eye, and when ‘Live’ started to pick up a lot of daytime play quickly, I was hooked. Critics claim a similarity to The Beatles, I don’t hear it. I preferred to associate them closer to The Hollies or The Tremeloes, they certainly looked the part.
‘Live’ almost made it nationally, but stalled just short of Top 50, which was ultimately a real shame.
You know those songs that take you right back? This is one for me.
Tags: Billboard, Cashbox, Colours, Country Joe & The Fish, Eternity's Children, Moby Grape, Record World, Sagittarius, The Beatles, The Flowerpot Men, The Hollies, The Lewis & Clark Expedition, The Magic Mushrooms, The Merry-Go-Round, The Move, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, The Pink Floyd, The Sunshine Company, The Third Rail, The Tremeloes, Tim Hardin
Posted in A&M, Billboard, Cashbox, Colours, Country Joe & The Fish, Eternity's Children, Moby Grape, Record World, Sagittarius, The Beatles, The Flowerpot Men, The Hollies, The Lewis & Clark Expedition, The Magic Mushrooms, The Merry-Go-Round, The Move, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, The Pink Floyd, The Sunshine Company, The Third Rail, The Tremeloes, Tim Hardin | Comments Off
Monday, October 10th, 2011
Listen: Deep In The Heart Of Harlem / Walter Jackson
Deep
Never reaching above #88 in the BILLBOARD Top 100, his mid chart RnB successes kept him very much out of the mainstream eye. With his thunderous, powerful baritone voice, it was hard not to notice the occasional bland, safe choices of singles from time to time.
Originally signed to Columbia in ’62, but being moved to their newly formed Okeh imprint by ’64 meant an out of jail free card was granted to him, given that label’s groovy personality.
In short, never pass up an Okeh single.
His version of ‘My Ship Is Comin’ In’ personally rivals The Walker Brothers’, which is saying a lot. Yet it’s his non-chart 7″, ‘Deep In The Heart Of Harlem’ a thematically updated version of Sam Cooke’s ‘Chain Gang’ in the message department, that stakes claim as my favorite of the Walter Jackson Okeh singles.
Despite a seemingly RnB track polished up in hopes of reaching the safe, white American adult stations, there’s no diguising the lyrical reality of the underlying message. It’s become a real period piece of 60′s struggle amongst the underprivileged.
Tags: Billboard, Okeh, Sam Cooke, The Walker Brothers, Walter Jackson
Posted in Billboard, Okeh, Sam Cooke, The Walker Brothers, Walter Jackson | Comments Off
Monday, October 3rd, 2011
Listen: Chittlins / Gus Jenkins
Chittlins
Damn, I wish I knew more about Gus Jenkins. I know he recorded as early as ’56, under the name Gus Jinkins, and he’s up there as one of the most mysterious raw blues obscurities around.
Someone at Capitol decided to release ‘Chittlins’ via their newly formed subsidiary, Tower, in late ’64.
The Tower label went on until ’68, amassing a small, but fairly collectable bunch of releases, the most famous of course being all the very early US singles by The Pink Floyd. But there were more, Joe Meek masters by Heinz and Tom Jones, Ian Whitcomb & Bluesville, The Chocolate Watch Band, The Standells…pull up a Tower discography sometime. Nice stuff.
Even on first listen, you’ll agree, a wonderfully noticeable amount of Gus Jenkins’ swagger may have influenced The Cramps just a bit, and even more, The Rolling Stones, sounding not unlike any number of tracks from their first few albums.
According to BILLBOARD’s November 14, 1964 RnB DJ Roundup below, along with Jimmy Reed’s ‘I’m Going Upside Your Head’, Ed Wright at WABO Cleveland was spinning it, Ed Hardy over at KDIA in San Francisco chose ‘Chittlins’ as well as Little Jerry Williams’ ‘I’m The Lover Man’, a filthy sleaze fest of a single, a no fucking around must for every collection. And let’s not forget WYLD’s Ed ‘Screaming’ Teamer in New Orleans, who was not only jamming Gus Jenkins and Little Jerry Williams, but was playing the mad great ‘My Country Sugar Mama’ by Howlin’ Wolf.
Tags: Billboard, Billboard's RnB DJ Roundup, Chess, Ed Hardy, Ed Screaming Teamer, Ed Wright, Gus Jenkins, Gus Jinkins, Heinz, Howlin' Wolf, Ian Whitcomb & Bluesville, Jimmy Reed, Joe Meek, KDIA, Little Jerry Williams, The Chocolate Watch Band, The Cramps, The Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, The Standells, Tom Jones, Tower, WABO, WYLD
Posted in Billboard's RnB DJ Roundup, Chess, Ed Hardy, Ed Screaming Teamer, Ed Wright, Gus Jenkins, Gus Jinkins, Heinz, Howlin' Wolf, Ian Whitcomb & Bluesville, Jimmy Reed, Joe Meek, KDIA, Little Jerry Williams, The Cramps, The Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, The Standells, Tom Jones, Tower, WABO, WYLD | Comments Off
Sunday, October 2nd, 2011
Listen: Go Away From My World / Marianne Faithfull
Go
If you watch early Marianne Faithfull clips on SHINDIG or HULLABALOO, there’s often a sole, seated acoustic guitarist accompanying her. That’s Jon Mark, or Jon-Mark as the name appeared on his solo single, later of The Mark – Almond Band, one of the highest calibre musicianship outfits of their day.
Despite the label misspelling, ‘Go Away From My World’ was his composition, and indeed seems tailor written for her, it’s doom ridden mood unknowingly predicating a fifteen year marketing treadmill for both her personal and musical direction. It couldn’t have been more perfect.
This US only single, in it’s seldom seen picture sleeve above, was her last to ever chart on the BILLBOARD Top 100 in late ’65 at #89.
With thankfully another birthday a few days away, I’m always reminded of my 37th, when Marianne organized an Indian dinner for Corinne and I and some friends, then while cutting the cake, sang me a bit of ‘The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan’, adapting the “at the age of thirty seven….” lyrical line to the occasion. How’s that for a birthday present?
Tags: Billboard, Hullabaloo, Jon-Mark, London Records, Marianne Faithfull, Mark - Almond, Shindig
Posted in Billboard, Hullabaloo, Jon Mark, Jon-Mark, London Records, Marianne Faithfull, Mark - Almond, Shindig | Comments Off
Thursday, September 29th, 2011
Listen: Smashed! Blocked! / John’s Children
Smashed!
True story: In the early 80′s, I had a weekly two hour radio show called Import/Export for WCMF, the then mainstream rock station in Rochester, NY. It was tucked away at midnight on Tuesdays, and in today’s market it’d be deemed a specialty show, where all the bands and records that were left of center, or both hip and on the way up, got a weekly spin. It was loads of fun.
When the station decided to leave the building they’d been housed in since the 60′s to a much smaller location, their massive record library needed to be eliminated due to space restrictions. Oddly, instead of inviting the staff to help thin it out (take whatever you want – we’re about to toss it anyways), give it away to a library or charity, or God forbid super serve their listeners with a free for all, they instead chose to rent a dumpster and fill it daily until the massive library was eliminated. Still gives me the shivers.
On that particular Tuesday, I left the station somewhere around 4am, as I’d always stay awhile and visit with Roger McCall, who was my co-host and did the normal overnight shift that followed and a very close friend. I just couldn’t resist having a look into that dumpster. I must tell you, the area and parking lot were a touch daunting anyways. Being in a very quiet part of town, and not the nicest either, I always made a quick dash to the car.
In fact, I vividly remember getting in, starting the engine and just staring at the dumpster heaving with records. The junkie in me came out. But suddenly of equal concern was getting caught. Seriously. There was a security camera affixed to the entrance area allowing the on-air dj’s a look at who rang the bell before buzzing them in. Plus there had been a stern directive that no one was to pilfer through the discarded records.
Nonetheless, I got out of the car, approached the dumpster, opened the heavy lid, and the very top album, I swear on my family’s lives, was ORGASM by John’s Children.
Now if you’re a collector, you are well aware that this is a very, very, very valuable record. In ’67, it was pressed up promotionally, a result of their one and only US single ‘Smashed Blocked’ becoming a regional hit on the west coast, even a Top 10 at KHJ in Los Angeles. As well, on January 14 of that year, it peaked on BILLBOARD’s ‘Bubbling Under The Hot 100′ chart at #102, where it had already spent two weeks:
Needless to say, the album title caused more resistance than it was worth and as the single had stiffed just outside of The Top 100, I’m guessing the label, White Whale, cancelled it’s release. Commercial copies were never manufactured, thus it’s collectibility to this day.
At that moment though, I was purely convinced it was a set up, being as critical and lippy of the station’s shit playlist then as I am of some current US radio song choices now. But fuck it. I wasn’t leaving this one behind.
By the time I arrived home, I was comforted in realizing there wasn’t a person at the station, other than Roger, with a thread of knowledge about a record of this obscure, and hence they’d never have even known to place it top of the heap to frame me. I slept fine.
Tags: Billboard, Bubbling Under The Hot 100, John's Children, Roger McCall, WCMF, White Whale
Posted in Billboard, Bubbling Under The Hot 100, John's Children, Roger McCall, WCMF, White Whale | Comments Off
Friday, June 10th, 2011
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?
Tags: Atco, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Billboard, Bubbling Under The Hot 100, Jefferson Airplane, Julie Driscoll/Brian Auger & The Trinity, Lothar & The Hand People, Miles Davis, Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Cream, The Groupies, The Pink Floyd, The Spencer Davis Group, The Vagrants, The Who
Posted in Atco, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Billboard, Bubbling Under The Hot 100, Jefferson Airplane, Julie Driscoll/Brian Auger & The Trinity, Lothar & The Hand People, Miles Davis, Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Buffalo Springfield, The Cream, The Groupies, The Pink Floyd, The Spencer Davis Group, The Vagrants, The Who | Comments Off
Sunday, April 10th, 2011
Listen: Check Yourself / Debbie Taylor
Check Yourself / Debbie Taylor
Last seen or heard from on Arista in ’75, a final label stop having drifted from pillar to post when it came to record companies. Literally last seen or heard. There seems to have been no contact with her since and mystery surrounds Debbie Taylor’s whereabouts.
Her first two releases came in ’68 for US Decca. A vocalist with obvious deep south church training, the second of those, Isaac Hayes and David Porter’s ‘Check Yourself’ was a most sought after want for many years.
Did a good deed today and recycled two huge boxes of old phones, old computers and every imaginable, why do I own this, power chord/converter/charger at the local library’s Green Drive a few blocks away. Feeling great relief at handing off the load to an over happy volunteer, I thought I’d browse their book sale. Maybe an old Billboard or Cashbox lurked amongst the magazine section. Lo and behold, a box of records, 10¢ each/12 for $1….first one I pull out, ‘Check Yourself’ by Debbie Taylor, dressed perfectly in the original Decca company sleeve.
God beamed down on me once again. Thank you Lord.
Tags: Arista, Billboard, Cashbox, David Porter, Debbie Taylor, Decca, Isaac Hayes
Posted in Arista, Billboard, Cashbox, David Porter, Debbie Taylor, Decca, Isaac Hayes | Comments Off
Thursday, March 31st, 2011
Listen: Down In The Boondocks / Billy Joe Royal
Down In The Boondocks / Billy Joe Royal
Statistics: Billy Joe Royal had a dozen charting singles during the 60′s. Basically, every single he released either hit the Billboard Hot 100 or Bubbling Under chart. Three of them peaked at #117 even.
That Bubbling Under The Hot 100 chart is heaven. I do love those singles that lived their lives strictly between #101 and #135, ultimately became many of the greats in hindsight, too good for the mainstream.
‘Down In The Boondocks’ fit perfectly with the swimming in echo, British Invasion stuff from around ’65, when it peaked at #9.
Written and produced by Joe South, as was ‘Hush’, a #52 in ’67, who knew then that this guy was behind the curtain for a lot of country passing for pop hits, as Billy Joe Royal was officially categorized. Like Sandy Posey or Friend & Lover. The guy even played guitar on Aretha Franklin’s ‘Chain Of Fools’, something you definitely notice as a signature part of that song, as well on Bob Dylan’s BLONDE ON BLONDE. Now there’s a piece of trivia I don’t hear mentioned often.
Tags: Aretha Franklin, Billboard, Billy Joe Royal, Bob Dylan, Bubbling Under The Hot 100, Friend & Lover, Joe South, Sandy Posey
Posted in Aretha Franklin, Billboard, Billy Joe Royal, Bob Dylan, Bubbling Under The Hot 100, Friend & Lover, Joe South, Sandy Posey | Comments Off
Sunday, February 13th, 2011
Listen: Don’t Make Me Over / The Swinging Blue Jeans
Don't Make Me Over / The Swinging Blue Jeans
Who says if you get a song for free, you won’t buy a copy later anyways – for whatever the reason: loyalty to the artist, love of the song, wanting a particular configuration or maybe even just doing your part.
Even though I’d gotten ‘Don’t Make Me Over’ at no charge during one of my early Friday night “I’m here to collect records for the children’s hospital” scams instigated on our local MOR station, WMCR, at an alarmingly young age, I bought a copy anyways. I passed up the stock of ‘She Needs Company’ by Manfred Mann to expend that particular dollar, which in hindsight was a wrong gamble. Never seen one since, although this Swinging Blue Jeans non-charter (actually it did Bubble Under The Billboard Hot 100 at #116) is a bit more common.
It was the heat of the moment. I was overtaken with supporting the team. I really thought I could help it nudge up the chart. The naiveness of youth. I’d actually heard it on my local Top 40, WNDR in March – it was a one listen record. Although Dionne Warwick had a hit with it in ’62, to me it was an unknown track by ’66, when this arrived.
If you grew up in the Northeast, quite possibly songs are seasonal. This was a winter single, along with others at the time that left a life long impression like The Mindbenders ‘A Groovy Kind Of Love’ or The Walker Brothers ‘The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore)’.
By May it had struggled onto the local survey (below) with several other greats. And on this particular week – it was the featured record thereby affording the lyrics be printed on the survey’s reverse side.
Tags: Billboard, Bubbling Under The Hot 100, Imperial, Manfred Mann, The Mindbenders, The Swinging Blue Jeans, The Walker Brothers, WMCR, WNDR
Posted in Billboard, Bubbling Under The Hot 100, Imperial, Manfred Mann, The Mindbenders, The Swinging Blue Jeans, The Walker Brothers, WMCR, WNDR | No Comments »
Sunday, January 23rd, 2011
Listen: Dear Delilah / Grapefruit
Dear Delilah / Grapefruit
Formed from the remnants of Tony Rivers & The Castaways, and Harmony Grass by George Alexander, birth name: Alexander Young. Brother to George (founding member of The Easybeats) as well Malcolm and Angus (founders of AC/DC). For some reason, the family left him behind in England when the others moved off to Australia. Lucky guy.
Grapefruit issued their first single to much attention as The Beatles had acquired the publishing and hence posed in trade pictures with the band. As with their label, The Beatles tended to be quite good at A&R. Even Brian Jones was in those publicity shots, God knows why. Result, the press were interested.
In the US, the debut single ‘Dear Delilah’ was released via Terry Melcher’s new imprint, Equinox, and hence got a decent push. Mom Doris Day wasn’t about to let son and Beach Boys’ friend Terry flop. But despite being recorded in “new orthophonic high fidelity” and getting some decent airplay, the imaginative psychedelic taint (not my words) of ‘Dear Delilah’ only reached #98 in the Billboard Top 100, and #21 in The UK. A shame.
Listen: Elevator / Grapefruit
Elevator / Grapefruit
The album AROUND GRAPEFRUIT, from which it came, was chocked full of gems including the followup ‘Elevator’. I remember it and The Small Faces ‘Lazy Sunday’ shockingly being played on my hometown Top 40 one Saturday afternoon that spring. Getting picked up for some daytime airplay so quickly upon release via the generally tight WNDR seemed quite optimistic. I was temporarily content.
It was over before it started though, as both peaked and stalled during the same week (5/11/68) on Billboard’s Bubbling Under The Hot 100 chart (above, click to enlarge). Nearly failed my finals as a result, the depression was so bad.
Listen: Lady Godiva (Come Home) / Grapefruit
Lady Godiva (Come Home) / Grapefruit
Things took an even sharper left turn for Grapefruit a year or so later in ’70 when the band got a touch too progressive, recording DEEP WATER for new, in US that is, label RCA. It’s one of those blues soul prog rock calamities that sells for a nice price nowadays, but grinds by at snail’s pace once you get it onto the turntable. Second single, ‘Lady Godiva (Come Home)’ wants to be hooky, but some cringing lyrics and slightly Foghat leaning vocals prove punishing. Having said that, I do like a nice clean aural snapshot of a bad single, and this is one. They’re totally fascinating artifacts.
Listen: Universal Party / Grapefruit
Universal Party / Grapefruit
An unexpected, and more than low key reprieve occurred without explanation or commitment by Deram in ’73, when the label issued ‘Universal Party’. First listen will most likely result in a shrug at best, but the faint hint of glam gets a bit more addictive with a few more spins. Given it was Grapefruit and on Deram meant extra rope.
In hindsight, I guess nothing compared to the optimistic sound of those first few releases, which I’m reminded of daily as I eat my grapefruit each and every morning.
Tags: AC/DC, Billboard, Brian Jones, Bubbling Under The Hot 100, Deram, Doris Day, Equinox, Grapefruit, Harmony Grass, RCA, Terry Melcher, The Beatles, The Easybeats, The Small Faces, Tony Rivers & The Castaways, WNDR
Posted in AC/DC, Billboard, Brian Jones, Bubbling Under The Hot 100, Deram, Doris Day, Equinox, Grapefruit, Harmony Grass, RCA, Terry Melcher, The Beatles, The Easybeats, The Small Faces, Tony Rivers & The Castaways, WNDR | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 19th, 2011
Listen: Down On Me / Big Brother & The Holding Company
Down On Me / Big Brother & The Holding Company
There are two things about Janis Joplin that annoy me. Neither are her fault.
Firstly, there is so little footage that really captures her power and that the media uses. The clips on a short lived US pop music show, MUSIC SCENE, are the best ones. That was with her Kozmic Blues Band lineup. Then to be fair, the Ed Sullivan and Dick Cavett shows were great as well. But the media always use that shit footage from the Monterey Pop Festival, when she hadn’t yet exploded vocally or visually. By the time she left the Bay area and was playing nationally, her voice was rasp and tortured; and she was visually a ball of color and fire. So heads up: seek out some of the aforementioned performances.
The second is Clive Davis. Why people line up to credit him with her success sickens me. Yes, he signed Big Brother & The Holding Company. And yes, he’s done a lot of things. His resume looks way better than mine. For instance, he let Ray Davies make two awesome Kinks albums, SLEEPWALKER and MISFITS, when most felt he and the band were washed up, signed The Patti Smith Group and let her make two great ones initially as well, plus gave both Lou Reed and Iggy Pop shots on Arista.
But masterminding the break up of Big Brother & The Holding Company with Albert Grossman is not a creative stroke of genius and is definitely unforgivable. How fucking dumb can you be? Their CHEAP THRILLS album soared to #1 in the Billboard charts being a blisteringly perfect document of her and the band’s magnetism.
Big Brother & The Holding Company were the ultimate acid rock group, probably of all time. They were raw and ragged but had swing, a lethally positive combination. Listen to James Gurley’s solo on the version of ‘Down On Me’ I’ve posted. By the time this was released, after her death, Columbia didn’t even have the courtesy to credit the band on the label. I assume the plan was to polish her for mainstream acceptance. Please. The whole point was her wild abandon.
Big Brother & The Holding Company live were an experience I’ll never forget. Friday October 11, 1968. Syracuse University presented the band at The War Memorial, but you had to be a student to get in. I wasn’t an SU student, in fact I was a little boy; no way could I even pass for a college kid. My friend Denny and I begged a security guy to let us in, bless him cause he did! Changed my life.
Above and below: Big Brother & The Holding Company / Syracuse War Memorial / October 11, 1968
These two pictures are from that night, snapped with my crap camera. I wish I had the negatives as the prints are fading. Check out how little equipment is up on stage. Still it was loud and out of control. Fantastic. Luckily, Janis played my area many times. I got to see all her line ups through the years. She was amazing. It’s not because I was young and impressionable. Janis Joplin was truly a living legend. And the lasting effect she has over everyone, not just me, proves it.
Tags: Albert Grossman, Arista, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Billboard, Clive Davis, Columbia, Dick Cavett, Ed Sullivan, Iggy Pop, Janis Joplin, Lou Reed, Syracuse War Memorial, The Kinks, The Patti Smith Group
Posted in Albert Grossman, Arista, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Billboard, Clive Davis, Columbia, Dick Cavett, Ed Sullivan, Iggy Pop, Janis Joplin, Lou Reed, Syracuse War Memorial, The Kinks, The Patti Smith Group | No Comments »
Friday, November 12th, 2010
Listen: Walk Tall / 2 Of Clubs 01 Walk Tall.mp3
Another favorite from Cincinnati’s Fraternity label, 2 Of Clubs fall right in line with previous Marc Bolan/Gloria Jones and Jackie DeShannon posts by mimicking the Brill Building songs. Or maybe they were just a normal reflection of the period’s Girl Group sound. Either way, they were great.
All their singles are worth owning, ‘Walk Tall’ being particularly memorable as it got a lot of play in my hometown. Oddly it never became more than a regional hit, peaking at #93 on the Billboard chart in March ’67. By then, this sound was becoming passe, even The Shangri-Las were struggling for hits.
‘Walk Tall’ really hung in there though, first appearing on Billboard’s Bubbling Under The Hot 100 (click to enlarge) in the last week of ’66. Most of the time, that Bubbling Under chart was more interesting to me than the actual Top 100, with barely a single listed that I didn’t end up adding to my collection.
Tags: 2 Of Clubs. Bubbling Under The Hot 100, Billboard, Fraternity, The Shangri-Las
Posted in 2 Of Clubs, Billboard, Bubbling Under The Hot 100, Fraternity, The Shangri-Las | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 13th, 2010
Listen: Oh No Not My Baby / Maxine Brown MaxineBrownOhNo.mp3
Infamous Carole King (did you know she married one of The Myddle Class) / Gerry Goffin classic. Like many of their compositions, ‘Oh No Not My Baby’ was recorded by a whole bunch of folks. Cher, Manfred Mann, Fontella Bass, Dusty Springfield and Dee Dee Warwick amongst my favorites.
The US hit version went to Maxine Brown (#24, 1964). Unfortunately, most of her singles for Wand (Pye International in the UK for this one), as well her duets with Chuck Jackson, achieved undeserved low Billboard pop chart peaks, Bubbling Under The Hot 100 entries or non hits whatsoever. Hence, their place in every last Northern Soul price guide.
As with most of her work for the label, Cissy Houston and The Sweet Inspirations provided backups. It had to have been a magical time around the New York studios that catered to the RnB sessions in those days. Seems a day didn’t pass without a classic being recorded, just think of all the unreleased, forgotten songs.
Worth getting: BEST OF THE WAND YEARS, a flawless cd comp from Ace UK with the usual amazing booklet. The details will have you drooling.
Above: Jukebox Tab signed by Maxine Brown
Tags: Ace Records, Billboard, Bubbling Under The Hot 100, Carole King, Cher, Chuck Jackson, Cissy Houston, Dee Dee Warwick, Dusty Springfield, Fontella Bass, Gerry Goffin, Jukebox Tab, Manfred Mann, Maxine Brown, Pye International, The Myddle Class, The Sweet Inspirations, Wand
Posted in Ace Records, Billboard, Bubbling Under The Hot 100, Carole King, Cher, Chuck Jackson, Cissy Houston, Dee Dee Warwick, Dusty Springfield, Fontella Bass, Gerry Goffin, Jukebox Tab, Manfred Mann, Maxine Brown, Pye International, The Myddle Class, The Sweet Inspirations, Wand | No Comments »
Monday, October 11th, 2010
Listen: Different Drum / The Stone Poneys StonePoneysDifferentDrum.mp3
Ok, so a follow up single isn’t always better than the hit preceding it, as was maybe the case with ‘Up To My Neck In High Muddy Water’. It’s hard to top ‘Different Drum’. In fact, Linda Ronstadt never did. At least I don’t remember her doing it, possibly due in part to my general lack of interest toward country leaning music back then.
‘Different Drum’ was indeed another story though. It became a radio staple not long after Jefferson Airplane’s somewhat similar sounding ‘White Rabbit’, and at the same time as both ‘Itchycoo Park’ by The Small Faces and ‘Zabadak’ from Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich.
‘Different Drum’ felt a bit psychedelic, even though it wasn’t. Maybe it was by association. Nick Venet was the producer and his work covered many genres. As a Capitol in house employee, seems he was handed all their youth culture signings of the day, thus slotting The Stone Poneys sessions between The Leaves, Lothar & The Hand People or Hearts & Flowers. It was one of many historic times at the Capitol Tower.
Listen: Up To My Neck In High Muddy Water / Linda Ronstadt & The Stone Poneys StonePoneysUpToMyNeck.mp3
Long before Simon Cowell, the ruthless corporate machine gnawed it’s way through bands, carving out the superstar for investment and mainstream marketing, leaving the other members to survive somehow. As when Clive Davis butchered Big Brother & The Holding Company for Janis Joplin, so too, it seems, did Capitol decimate The Stone Poneys for the asset now known as Linda Ronstadt.
‘Different Drum’ by The Stone Poneys was literally still on Billboard’s Top 100 when ‘Up To My Neck In High Muddy Water’ was released as Linda Ronstadt & The Stone Poneys. Housed in a full color sleeve, big things were expected. The record stalled at #93, but the setback was only temporary. She skyrocketed. It’s a great single despite the misery.
Linda Ronstadt was particularly critical of The Ramones, having gone to CBGB’s, catching an early performance and trashing them the very next day in a local New York paper. It was a hurtful moment that they talked about on occasion. So when Elektra threw a rather lavish party for her in New York, upon release of a successful new album, CANCIONES DE MI PADRE, the mischievous idea of inviting the band was impossible to resist and they were happy to attend.
We all met at Paul’s Lounge on 3rd and 10th, now a drug store, for a drink, then proceeded uptown to the event. Monte of course came along, Michael Alago and Arturo Vega did too. Everyone cleaned up on designer Mexican food, the album theme being traditional Mexican folk songs, and waited patiently for her to make the rounds, greeting her guests. The moment when she turned towards our table was classic, but it was too late to turn back. Obviously, she’d not been forewarned. Her look was priceless. DeeDee smiled and stared very menacingly, John just glared. Joey, after about five or ten seconds, decided to break the silence with “So Linda, long time no see”.
Nervously: “How are you guys doing?”
“We’re fine” replies John before she’s even finished her last word.
Incredible singer, successful artist but at that moment, Linda Ronstadt was stumped. Wincing, she backed away and slithered into the crowd.
Touché.
Tags: Arturo Vega, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Billboard, Capitol, CBGB, Clive Davis, Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick & Tich, Dee Dee Ramone, Hearts & Flowers, Janis Joplin, Joey Ramone, Johnny Ramone, Linda Ronstadt, Lothar & The Hand People, Michael Alago, Mike Nesmith, Nick Venet, Simon Cowell, The Leaves, The Ramones, The Small Faces, The Stone Poneys
Posted in Arturo Vega, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Billboard, Capitol, CBGB, Clive Davis, Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick & Tich, Dee Dee Ramone, Hearts & Flowers, Janis Joplin, Joey Ramone, Johnny Ramone, Linda Ronstadt, Lothar & The Hand People, Michael Alago, Mike Nesmith, Monte Melnick, Nick Venet, Simon Cowell, The Leaves, The Ramones, The Small Faces, The Stone Poneys | No Comments »
Sunday, October 10th, 2010
Listen: Selfish One / Jackie Ross JackieRossSelfishOne.mp3
Always thought, for the longest time, this was a Mary Wells or Tammi Terrell single. With it’s intentional Motown swing and sound, I vaguely recalled hearing it as a current. And despite it’s somewhat pricey Northern Soul status (a genre loosely defined as Motown soundalikes that flopped), it was actually a US #11 Billboard pop hit.
Forever, ‘Selfish One’ evaded me, until my trip a few weeks back to Detroit. I’d completely forgotten about it’s unfilled slot in my wall shelf.
Great thing about collecting records, there’s always something you need. And when you find it at 94¢ plus tax, that moment of warmth is unbeatable.
Tags: Billboard, Chess, Jackie Ross, Mary Wells, Motown, Northern Soul, Tammi Terrell
Posted in Billboard, Chess, Jackie Ross, Mary Wells, Motown, Northern Soul, Tammi Terrell | No Comments »
Friday, October 8th, 2010
Listen: End Up Crying / The Vibrations VibrationsEndUp.mp3
Been meaning to create a section somewhere on the blog’s layout for great double siders. Once I do, this will reside in a new home. Until then….
I admit it, my knees go weak for the sight of a 60′s Okeh pressing in it’s original company sleeve. Usually I prefer a dj copy of any record, but with a few labels, Okeh being one, I love both.
These records always struggled for pop airplay in those days, well it’s still that way I guess. Just baffles me how something as good as ‘End Up Crying’ didn’t catch fire. Probably down to hindsight being 20/20. At the time, this was most likely considered just another Motown-lite, having peaked at 130 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under The Hot 100 chart in May ’65. If not for that, there’d be no Northern Soul, so give thanks at the end of the day.
Listen: Ain’t Love That Way / The Vibrations VibrationsAintThatLove.mp3
To think though, Carl Davis and Curtis Mayfield were all over Okeh releases, this being just one. Talk about an insurance policy. Despite all eyes and Northern Soul book values focusing on the A side, ‘Ain’t Love That Way’ feels equally deserving of such status. It might be the one I ultimately favor. I think.
Check my previous post on The Vibrations, and how I was lucky enough to see them live as a little kid, vivid memory cells still intact of their on stage somersaults, backdrops and flips.
Until you find your own version of this 7″, I can’t recommend strongly enough getting THE VIBRATING VIBRATIONS:THE OKEH AND EPIC SINGLES 1963-1968, released last year by UK’s Ace/Kent label – if only for the booklet.
Tags: Ace Records, Billboard, Bubbling Under The Hot 100, Carl Davis, Curtis Mayfield, Okeh, The Rolling Stones, The Vibrations
Posted in Ace Records, Billboard, Bubbling Under The Hot 100, Carl Davis, Curtis Mayfield, Okeh, The Rolling Stones, The Vibrations | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 6th, 2010
Listen: Some Guys Have All The Luck / The Persuaders PersuadersLuck.mp3
Only in hindsight did I hear The Persuaders version of ‘Some Guys Have All The Luck’. God only knows how that happened. I worked at a one-stop in Fall ’73, delivering records to accounts, and to my apartment….bad karma. I thought there wasn’t a 7″ I had left out of those personal allocations, but obviously I was wrong.
Add to that, how did I miss it on the radio? There was nothing else to listen to while doing those said deliveries and this one went pop, peaking at #39 in Billboard that very November.
Eventually, around the Christmas season, I got moved inside, pulling orders and restocking. At this I was a whizz. Could do it in my sleep – and loved it. I was in the LP department – all organized by label, then chronologically by catalog number within each. Can you imagine sections for King, Okeh, Fontana, Sue, Deram, Philips, Parrot, Stax, Smash…….ok enough torture.
The front half of the warehouse was dedicated to the 45′s. Maude did my version of the job up there, and she had a Kevin pile – one of everything. Well, sometimes 5 or 10, depending on varying factors. Once a one hundred count box was full, off to the tape dispenser, then on to the cart, bound for the delivery truck, it went. Oh to go back in time.
Still, I didn’t end up with a copy of this one for years.
Listen: Some Guys Have All The Luck / Junior Tucker JuniorTuckerSomeGuys.mp3
Fast forward. 1980.
Oldest trick in the book: cover classic soul songs in a reggae style. Pretty much works every time. In this case, beyond great.
I fell in love with Junior Tucker’s ‘Some Guys Have All The Luck’ upon release. I dare say it got played hundreds and hundreds of times in my record room that year, and on my radio shows.
Corinne and I were both reggae lovers, having been weened on the hard corp Lee Perry and Jack Ruby releases Howard was sending our way starting in ’76. An all time favorite series, THIS IS REGGAE MUSIC, especially Volume 3, became our crowd’s anthem anthology. And I dare say all my best friends from that period can be transported back to some of the greatest times of our lives when we spin it nowadays.
Had I known then, that about ten years after Volume 3′s release, I would one afternoon walk into Chris Blackwell’s office, and suggest reviving the series with a Volume 4 and 5 (Volume 5 exclusive to reggae style RnB covers – this was included), and that he would say “Yes”, my heart would have frozen.
Tags: Atco, Billboard, Chris Blackwell, Deram, Fontana, Howard Thompson, Island, Jack Ruby, Junior Tucker, King, Lee Perry, Okeh, Parrot, Philips, Smash, Stax, Sue, The Persuaders, This Is Reggae Music
Posted in Atco, Billboard, Chris Blackwell, Deram, Fontana, Howard Thompson, Island, Jack Ruby, Junior Tucker, King, Lee Perry, Okeh, Parrot, Philips, Reggae, Smash, Stax, Sue Records, The Persuaders, This Is Reggae Music | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 21st, 2010
Listen: Street Life / The Crusaders CrusadersStreet.mp3
I can admit it, I never payed a blink of attention to Randy Crawford, although I did love her name. Her Warner Brothers album sleeves left me believing she was safe RnB sludge. Plus I had tunnel vision back then for all things punk.
Along comes her feature on The Crusaders’ ‘Street Life’ single, which was a record I worked as the local MCA radio promo guy back in ’79.
Wow. I loved this and since then, have loved her too (despite some questionable picture sleeves). ‘Street Life’ probably would have been more respected if it hadn’t become a hit – but it did. And deserved to as well. Sometimes there is justice.
To this day. ‘Street Life’ is considered a rare groove classic, one of those UK soul affectionado terms that I admittedly am not sure the meaning of. Fact is, Randy Crawford has a terrific voice, one that’s very much appreciated in the UK and Europe, but sadly not here in the US. Despite ‘Street Life’ peaking at #17 Stateside, and #5 in the UK, she has never had a Billboard chart entry on her own. Given my leaning toward all things British, I guess my passion for her makes sense.
Tags: Billboard, MCA, Randy Crawford, The Crusaders, Warner Brothers
Posted in Billboard, MCA, Randy Crawford, The Crusaders, Warner Brothers | No Comments »
