Psyching Myself Up.

The Bee Gees: Holiday
Taken from the LP Bee Gee's 1st on Atco (1968)

Count Five: She's Fine
Taken from the LP Psychotic Reaction on Double Shot (1968)

The Zombies: Leave Me Be
Taken from the 7" on Decca (1964)

Arthur Brown: I Put A Spell On You
Taken from the LP Crazy World Of Arthur Brown on Atlantic (1968)

BONUS!

The Id: Short Circuit and Butterfly Kiss
Taken from the LP The Inner Sound Of The Id on World In Sound (1967)

I was shocked when I realized recently--somewhere in between my not writing entries for this blog and wishing that I was writing entries for this blog--that for several weeks now, I have possessed exactly zero desire to listen to music. Sure, I would muster the goods for my weekly DJ throwdown, and occasionally I'd put something on, albeit noncommitally, while I made my breakfast or cleaned my house... but the sad, simple truth is that I just wasn't feeling it.

Hip Hop, for a little beat-y satisfaction? No thanks. Brazilian, for some tropical transportation? Maybe another time. Reggae, to reach higher heights? Feel too low. Jazz? Nope. Salsa? Nah. And horror of horrors: even the trusted sanctity of Soul music offered me no reprieve.

The doldrums, friends. Angsty music-less doldrums.

So this morning, I got desperate. And searching through my ill-organized quasi-by-genre clusters of LP's I fell into that heady mess of late 60's rock and roll nestled somewhere at the base of my IKEA Expedit shelving unit. And surprise, surprise: I GOT SAVED!

There it is: the twang of angst! There it is: the bassy rumble of discontent! There it is: the strained melody that I CAN SING ALONG TO!

And just in case I felt I needed a reminder of to the baffling nature of redemption, who should provide that first enticing morsel to refuel my malnurished soul... THE BEE GEES!

Being that this particular era of rock and roll was what ushered me from mush-brained childhood into music loving adolescence, it's only appropriate that it took a return to my roots to find solace again. That said, things being what they are, I thought I'd keep the selections in minor-key melancholy because, well, I still feel like Soul music should have saved me from this funk, so in it's place I found some soulfully infused white dudes who get the job D.O.N.E.

I'll update with a little more band information later on, but for now I have to take my new puppy to the vet and you have some music to listen to.

UPDATE:

Though hard to imagine now, those sequined goofs who once crooned "Night Fever" for ol' Johnny Travolta's dancing pleasure were once a prolific and widely respected ROCK GROUP. Yep. Initially heralded as the second-coming of the Beatles, they produced an impressive ten plus albums worth of material, before hitting a creative and commercial rut. At which point, at the advice of the late great Ahmet Ertegun, they repositioned themselves as an R&B-cum-disco outfit and changed the world of wedding parties forever. (Regardless of the sequins, I stand by the assertion that "Staying Alive" is actually one of the great disco tracks ever recored. Check the video to be reminded.)

Count Five: San Jose-based high school-aged shredders who, with their single "Psychotic Reaction", would lay the double time percussive foundation of punk many years in advance. And they had ILL music videos.

Pete Townshend from a band called The Who (maybe you've heard of them), produced this record of amazingness. Arthur Brown, who was a notoriously extravagant performer (Jimi Hendrix kicked him off his tour when his pyrotechnics on stage became a liability), would later be cited as a major influence on Kiss and Alice Cooper. This cover of one of my absolute favorite tunes EV-AR pretty much rules.

And do yourself a favor: If you're not very familiar with The Zombies or their music, remedy that. This is one of the absolute cornerstone bands of 60's psyche. As good or better than Nutella. And that's saying a lot.

SEASONAL BLUES (END O' THE SUMMER)

Soul II Soul: Back To Life (acapella mix)
From 12" (Virgin, 1989)

Bonnie and Shelia: You Keep Me Hanging On
From 7" (King, 1971). Also on New Orleans Funk Vol. 2.

Patti Drew: Stop and Listen
From Tell Him (Capitol, 1967). Also on Workin' On a Groovy Thing.

Bobby Matos: Nadie Baila Como Yo
From My Latin Soul (Phillips, 1968)

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles: If You Can Want
From Special Occasion (Motown, 1968)

Menahan Street Band: Home Again
From Make the Road By Walking (Dunham/Daptone, forthcoming 10/14/08)

Final Solution: I Don't Care
From Brotherman soundtrack (Numero Group, 2008)

Freeway: Let the Beat Build freestyle
From ? (?, 2008)

Q-Tip: Gettin' Up
From The Renaissance (Motown, forthcoming 2008)

Black Ivory: You and I
From Don't Turn Around (Today, 1972)

It's the end of another summer, alas.

Looking back over the summer songs season, I wanted to do the last post on the songs that ended up forming my personal soundtrack the last few months. To be honest, I thought this list would be a lot longer than it ended up being but I wanted to keep it to songs that I kept returning to over and over rather than something I found merely "good."

Soul II Soul's acapella mix of "Back to Life" came at me three different ways: Murphy's Law dropped it at Boogaloo[la] and reminded me how cotdamn fresh it was, Greg Tate's Summer Songs post made me revisit the Soul II Soul catalog and I finally saw Belly which makes incredible use of the song to open the movie. Personally, I grew impatient to actually get to where the beat drops so I edited my version down to about a 30 second teaser before the "Impeach the President" drums kick in. As ML showed me, it's always a fun cut to play out.

The Bonnie and Sheila, I have to admit, I learned about first through a quirky youtube video[1] and I wondered how the hell I didn't know about this earlier. Great little slice of New Orleans funk produced by the great Wardell Quezergue and released on King (the Cincinnati label most associated with James Brown). Words are insufficient to explain to you how much I love this song.

The Patti Drew I owe to Chairman Mao. When I interviewed him for Asia Pacific Arts, he mentioned "Stop and Listen" as an example of a great soul tune that doesn't cost and arm and a leg yet sounds like a million bucks (not his exact words but you catch the meaning). I couldn't agree more. Don't sleep on the equally excellent ballad, "Tell Him" on the same album.

I had totally forgotten about the Bobby Matos and Combo Conquistadores song, "Nadie Baila Como Yo" (nobody dances like me) off the incredible My Latin Soul album until I heard the Boogaloo Assassins play it at their shows. This may very well elevate itself to my top 10 Latin soul songs given how it changes up chord progressions and tepos not once but twice - it's like getting three songs in one; one of the marks of a superior son montuno. I can't believe I slept on this track all these years.

I found the Smokey Robinson and Miracles song during my search through Motown's catalog to find tracks to play out that wasn't part of their Big Chill/Greatest Hits collection and I never failed to be amazed at the generosity of greatness that Motown provided over the years. For those who think Smokey is all droopy ballads, "If You Can Want" is a loud, proud wake-up call of funky power. How has no one ever done a 12" edit of this?

I already wrote about the Menahan Street Band and Brotherman songs already but they're so nice, I had to list 'em twice.

Freeway's freestyle over "Let the Beat Build" goes well with my official, beginning of the summer post where I nodded at Lil Wayne's original. Free, who had one of the best albums of last year that few seemed to notice, murders over Kanye's beat here. After, uh, a million subpar "A Milli" freestyles, I was happy to hear someone pick a different track to rip.

The last song is one I should have started the summer with. Late pass. Q-Tip's had a rough, um, decade so far in terms of being able to get this music to the masses but I'm hoping "Gettin' Up" does it right for him in preparation for his Renaissance album. This is, by far, the best thing I've heard from 'Tip since this and without getting all misty-eyed for my halcyon teens and 20s, listening to Tribe, this song just f---ing sounds good in the way the best Tribe songs just sounded f---ing good. (No doubt, it helps that the sample source is also f---ng good: "You and I" by Black Ivory. Read more here.).

By the way, if I had to pick my absolute favorite song of the summer...surprisingly, it'd end up being Solange Knowles' "I Decided." Don't ask me why but this has stuck with me the entire time through without ever ceasing to be pleasurable.

And with that...I bid all you adieu until next May but hope you keep the memory of summer in your mind alive until then.[2]

[1] Don't laugh - he dances better than you.

[2] Unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere.

My Kind Of Slow Jam

O'Donel Levy : I Believe In Miracles
taken from the album Windows on Groove Merchant (1976)

King Harvest : Take It Easy
taken from the album Dancing In The Moonlight on Perception (1973)

Som Tres : Take It Easy My Brother Charles
taken from their self-titled album on Odeon (1969)

Nilsson : Coconut
taken from the album Nilsson Schmilsson on RCA (1971)

Van Morrison : It's All Right
taken from the album Bang Masters on Epic (1991)
originally recorded for the Bang label in 1967

Today I pulled together a seemingly random bag of tunes that share a certain slinky slowness- the noggin bopping tempo- which fits perfectly to an early Autumn blue sky day with nothing to do but laundry.

I have a few other LPs by O'Donel and I can always count on him for some solid jazz-funk fusion goodness, but when this slow bounce scat-fest came on I too was reminded about the realness of miracles. Keep in mind- O'Donel is on guitar while vocalist Aleta Green is vocalizing the EXACT same line! There's plenty of other good funky moments on the record, but this track is what I'm needing today.

King Harvest is a group I knew nothing about until now. I picked up the record because I usually like the soul music I find on the Perception label. Definitely not The Fatback Band, this funky-country-soul song still won me over instantly.

This Som Tres record was an easy pick to follow up with, and I'm surprised we haven't posted it here in the Crate before. Such a classic! And when your name happens to be Charlie, the song feels that much more like it was written specifically for you. I've heard a handful of other Brazilian versions of this song- written by Jorge Ben I believe- but this Som Tres take on it has got to be the most true embodiment of the song's message. Check the rest of the record at Loronix.

Do we ever need an excuse to drop a lil Nilsson into our set? Whether or not this song has been played 2 bazillion times does not seem to affect my love for it. And with the new track by Tyga getting spins in the club and on MTV, I wanted to return to the version that made me realize Bobby McFerrin wasn't the first vocalist to get crazy nice with the vocal instrumentation and tropical-coco-butter harmonizing. I can also relate to the way the man feels on the cover of this one- sometimes putting on an entire outfit is just too much work, that's why we have bathrobes.

Last but certainly not least, a song of pure, unbridled catharsis from an album that I can't seem to take off repeat. There's a whole story behind the recordings found on this CD (which were never collectively released at once until 1991!), but there's also the tale of a much younger me, listening to this record by default every other weekend when I stayed at my Dad's house and came up with another thousand ways to use a stick as a toy. Is Van the most soulful white man ever? Until I'm shown a better example (Bobby Caldwell comes close) he will hold the title.

LOU PEREZ: TWO-TIMING

Lou Perez and His NY Sound: Caribbean Woman
From S/T (Parnaso, 1972)

Lou Perez y su Orquesta Barrio: Antillana
From Barrio (Parnaso, 1972)

I always find it interesting when artists cover their own songs. It's hardly an unusual practice but you sometimes wonder how much of it is dissatisfaction with the original version and how much of it is trying to capitalize on an already successful song by flipping a variation on it.

The Lou Perez, to me, is especially notable since, from far as I can tell, these two songs are probably, at most, a year or so apart. "Caribbean Woman" has been a favorite at Boogaloo[la] - dancers seem to dig its combo of Latin rock/funk rhythms with that whiff of island flavor. It's always reminded me something that Santana's cousin might have whipped together - not deep but sweetly satisfying.

When I picked up Perez's Barrio LP, I was surprised to hear him, in essence, remake the song in a charanga style. That means here a faster tempo, a strong acoustic piano montuno and most charanga-ish, the string accompaniment. That plus he flips the lyrics into español.

I've never had a chance to play out both songs to a Latin-friendly crowd but I'd be mightily curious to see which of the two goes over better.

Unfortunately, Perez passed away just a few years ago at the age of 78. He wasn't a household name to casual Latin fans even though his career was rich and long-lasting, having risen with the charanga fad of early 1960s not to mention a prolific songwriter to boot.

DEBARGE + AZ: 'CAUSE THEY'RE SPECIAL

DeBarge: Love Me In a Special Way
From In a Special Way (Gordy, 1983)

AZ: Love Me In a Special Way
From S.O.S.A. (N/A, 2000)

Face it, early '80s R&B was far better then you think you remember it.

AZ knew what's up. (So does MAN).

MENAHAN STREET BAND: GO HOME AGAIN

Menahan Street Band: Home Again!

From Make the Road By Walking (Dunham/Daptone, forthcoming 10/14/08)

This has to be one of my favorite songs I've heard all summer, a beautiful mid-tempo ballad off the new Menahan Street Band. The MSB is the brain child of Tom "TNT" Brenneck, the guitarist for the Dap-Kings and a rising songwriter/producer from within the Daptone's deep camp. I wrote about MSB last fall after their single, "Make the Road By Walking" was sampled for Jay-Z's "Roc Boys" and I've been eagerly awaiting the release of their full-length album.

The MSB sound is less like what the Dap-Kings themselves turn out and more on what I'd call "soul meets cool jazz" tip, not unlike what Leon Michels has done with the El Michels Affair over at Truth and Soul (and not surprisingly, many T&S players are featured in the MSB. I'll have more to say about the album as a whole once it drops but did want to at least tease people with "Home Again!", which I'm finding sublime, especially with that opening guitar melody and the horn arrangements. Enjoy this and make sure to pick up the album when it drops October 14th.

(Also, Daptone is about to put out another single from the album, feat. the vocals of Charles Bradley).

JOE BATAAN GIVEAWAY

Common feat. Bilal: Play Your Cards Right
From Smokin' Aces soundtrack (Lakeshore, 2007)

Joe Bataan: Under the Street Lamp
Available on Under the Streetlamps: The Joe Bataan Anthology 1967 - 1972 (Fania/Emusica, 2008)

Joe Bataan was just here in Los Angeles the last week or so (and I feel stupid for not posting up links to his performances) and we caught up twice during that time, including one meeting where he broke down the entire history behind "Rap-O, Clap-O". Fascinating stuff and I'll have to try to write that up sometime.

Anyways, the other time we met, he was asking me if I knew anything about this Common song that sampled one of his songs. Joe had gotten a check for the clearance but hadn't heard the actual use of the song yet. Not having really followed the sampling game that closely of late, I couldn't think of anything off the top so we sat down and googled it and sure enough, it was Common's "Play Your Cards Right" from last year's Smokin' Aces soundtrack. And once you hear it, it's plain as day that producer Kareem Riggins had looped up Joe's great "Under the Street Lamp" (from his Singin' Some Soul album originally). (Joe got a kick out of hearing his song sampled).

He was also gracious enough to sign a copy of his anthology that I did the liner notes for and I'm going to give this away to one lucky (and informed) reader.

To be eligible, send an email to soulsides AT gmail.com with the subject line "Joe Bataan giveaway." You need to answer the following:

1) What Latin producer of Alegre fame did Joe Bataan record with prior to signing with Fania?

2) How many albums did Joe record for Fania (this is a trick question of sorts so think it through carefully)?

3) Some of Joe's most successful songs have been covers: "Gypsy Woman, "Shaft," "The Bottle." Name the original artists behind these other Joe Bataan songs:
a. "It's a Good Feeling (Riot)"
b. "I'm No Stranger"
c. "Make Me Smile"

4) What Ismael Miranda boogaloo mash-up/cover of "Tighten Up" does Joe Bataan make a cameo on? Name the song and album.

5) What pseudonym did Joe take on when he recorded for Bobby Marin's Dynamite label?

6) What single preceded the release of Bataan's most successful album for Fania?

7) What classic from Joe's repertoire appears on his Salsoul album, but with a different name?

8) What's different about the 7" version of "Woman Don't Want to Love Me" compared to the LP version from Afrofilipino?

9) What old school rap duo was supposed to appear on "Rap-O, Clap-O" instead of Joe rapping himself?

10) What martial art are Joe's children all masters of?

I'll select a winner at random from those with the most correct answers. Deadline: next Monday.

I also have a second (unsigned) copy of the anthology to give away, randomly, to those who buy Deep Covers 2 in the next week. (Physical CD orders only, digital downloads don't apply, sorry).

Guest Post from DJ Busquelo

The New Swing Sextette : Open Your Mind & Puerto Rico
taken from a private press 12" on ENS (1976)

DJ Busquelo & Liz Martin on The Mambo Machine : Radio Show

today's post comes from friend and mentor DJ Busquelo (www.busquelo.org) who hosts The Mambo Machine on WKCR and has put together an amazing event, Tropic Of Cancer, happening tonight in NYC!

A record collector often finds himself in a world of imagined memories, among records that were heard before, in some other place and time, perhaps danced to, cried to, or even made love to. Very rarely do we find an opportunity to really learn the context of the forgotten place and time. One record which always held a mysterious place in my heart was this extremely funky 12". This private disco 12", with salsa on one side, latin funk on the other, and the group name"El Nuevo Swing" hinted at the 60's combo, The New Swing Sextette, who recorded 4 incredible albums on the Cotique label. However, nobody who I asked ever knew anything about this 12.

One day this past July, We received a special honor on our radio show The Mambo Machine. when 2 members of The New Swing Sextette visited to promote the release of their first album in 30 years. The studio came alive with Angel and George's energetic presence, and in the midst of all the vintage vinyl and their countless memories of the golden age of Latin music, I pulled out my mysterious ENS 12" and said to them, "guys, I've been wanting to ask this question for such a long time: is this record YOU??". Their jaws dropped, and they asked me where the heck did I get that record?

They took the record into their hands and looked at it the way an old man would look at a photo of a secret lover from years ago. They revealed the story of how they recorded a full album in 1976, 5 years after their last record on Cotique, that took their original vision of the group into new territory, exploring aspects of psychedelia, rock, soul, and disco, as well as their traditional Latin elements. For whatever reasons, the project got shelved by the record label, and they took it into their own hands and pressed a handful of these 12"s to get the music out. They said that this 12" was only the 2nd one they have seen since those days, the first one being at Angel's house.

This special 12" is my contribution to the Captains Crate in honor of Tropic of Cancer which is taking place on Friday September 5th and celebrates tropical music and its many branches all over the world. Thanks to Captain Planet for such a rich and entertaining place to share such gems.

Sweating In The Studio

The Playlist:

The Beatards : Big Bad Beat & It's So Easy
sneak peak taken from the upcoming EP "Big Bad Beat" on MixtapeRiot (2008)

Our new EP is done as of last week and will be back from the printers shortly! Don't think you know what we sound like just from hearing these two tunes, we go all over the map and back again. Check us live in LA this week & next, or back in NYC in Sept. We keep our schedule updated on the myspace page.

The Virgins : Rich Girls (Beatards Remix)
CRATE EXCLUSIVE - can't get this one anywhere else!

Atlantic records reached out to us, and then bailed cause they don't know what's good for 'em.

Erykah Badu : Cleva (Captain Planet Remix) & Honey (Captain Planet Remix)
taken from the 12" AVAILABLE HERE or HERE on BSTRD BOOTS (2008)

I posted these joints for limited time only downloads earlier on, but this summer they finally came out on wax. In case it isn't already entirely clear, I've been going a little buck wild with vocoder and autotune experimentation recently. Feel free to hate, but I'm happily picturing myself chilling alongside Roger Troutman and T-Pain in the afterlife. Someone even liked my Honey remix enough to post it on youtube!

Captain Planet ft. Ako : On Yer Feet
taken from the upcoming EP on Bastard Jazz

Ako is a young funky drummer and producer. He recorded a bunch of drum breaks and posted them online- I used one as the backbone for this beat. The rest of the EP is falling into place nicely and should definitely be out before the year is over.

Captain Planet : Lean On My Baby
just a sketch for now... we'll see what happens

One of the many lil ideas I've hurriedly thrown together this Summer. I did this in an hour and a half, no lyrics yet, but I still love it and hope that it turns into something finished- who knows what.

Bonus beat: peep this music video, made by the group of High School students that I worked with in Sunset Park this summer. It was part of a competition to express why "I LOVE NY" in one minute or less. We didn't win, but we had a bunch of fun regardless.

The Story:

Deeply embedded in my understanding of the world, is the belief that Summer is meant to be "time off". There have been few moments, if any, in my life that approach the uncontrollable surging relief and freedom that I would feel every June getting off the bus after that last day of school. Looking ahead at the summer in front of me, the days of the week ceased to matter, and the passing hours that normally divided my laborious schedule into even blocks of responsibility and focus, blurred into a continuous quest for thrills. The goal of a day might take shape in the simple hunt for an ice cream cone, a new skate spot, a cute girl or a water-balloon fight and a place to swim. Perhaps nostalgia has amplified what I truly felt at the time, but this is how I will forever remember it.

2008 was my UN-summer: I've been working more than ever before, scheduling meetings and filling up two calendar pages beneath the present one. However, the fact that I'm doing it for myself, and spending time on what I love, has also helped me feel some of that same thrill I used to get from doing Super Soaker drive-bys on my bike. Instead of any "time-off" this summer, I spent nearly every free moment in my studio working on music or putting together live shows with my group The Beatards. In general, I really try not to blow up my own spot, but to be honest, these are the songs I've been listening to the most this summer. The tracks I'm posting up today are just a small fragment of all the music I've been making, so stay tuned for a lot more to come.

Now that summer is unofficially over (Labor Day still means back to school in my book), I'm finally getting a chance to take a break. Anyone who's in the Los Angeles area should definitely come out to one of the events I'm doing in the next week & a half. Leave your preconceptions at the door and be ready to let loose.