Spending the weekend in Ojai; added this album to my phone for the trip out. Here’s a taste. Arranged and produced by Jack Nitzsche, her husband, Buffy Sainte-Marie’s version of Neil Young’s oft-covered “Helpless” – from the 1971 LP, She Used To Wanna Be A Ballerina.
Our weekly two hour show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35, can now be heard twice, every Friday – Noon EST with an encore broadcast at Midnight EST.
SIRIUS 241: Jean Michel Bernard – Generique Stephane ++ Rob Jo Star Band – I Call on One’s Muse ++ Mission Of Burma – New Disco ++ Guided By Voices – Captain’s Dead ++ The Jesus & Mary Chain – Taste The Floor ++ Joy Division – Day Of The Lords ++ Iggy Pop – Sister Midnight ++ The Cure – Screw ++ Mikal Cronin – Green And Blue ++ Fugazi – Lusty Scripps ++ The Fall – The Classical ++ Pavement – Perfume-V ++ The Soft Moon – Total Decay ++ Gary Numan – Metal ++ Portishead – Machine Gun ++ Deerhunter – Cool (Pylon Cover) ++ Bleached – Dazed ++ The Orwells – In My Bed ++ The Damned – New Rose ++ Wire – 12xU ++ Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers – Born To Lose ++ Bass Drum of Death – Nerve Jamming ++ Jeff The Brotherhood – Health And Strength (Heavy Version) ++ Black Lips – I Feel Alright ++ The War On Drugs – Baby Missiles ++ Atlas Sound – Amplifiers ++ Broadcast – Long Was The Year ++ My Bloody Valentine – Loomer ++ No Joy – Heedless ++ Tamaryn – Sandstone ++ The Ponys – Double Vision ++ Thee Oh Sees – Carrion Crawler ++ Kindness – Swinging Party ++ Suicide – Dream Baby Dream ++ Billy Idol – Eyes Without A Face
*You can listen, for free, online with the SIRIUS three day trial — just submit an email address and they will send you a password.
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Lagniappe (la·gniappe) noun \ˈlan-ˌyap,’ – 1. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. 2. Something given or obtained as a gratuity or bonus.
Whether recording as Wooden Wand, under his own name or with others, I’ve long made a point to keep up with most everything James Jackson Toth has a hand in. Next week sees the release of the deluxe edition of Wooden Wand’s 2011 Briarwood LP, supplemented with 8 stripped down corresponding demos of songs from the original release. In Toth’s own words, “the demos are the grimoire.” Here, on the eighth installment of the Lagniappe Sessions, Toth pays tribute to Jonathan Richman and Born Against. Toth, in his own words, below…
MP3: Wooden Wand :: Mary And Child (Born Against)
When I was 16, Sam McPheeters was my hero. I still follow his stuff – I’m going to Cincinnati to see him read from his book this very weekend, as a matter of fact. Born Against is my second favorite punk band of all time (after Black Flag, natch, though I’d much rather hang out with Sam McPheeters than Greg Ginn, and Born Against wrote ((much??)) better lyrics). “Mary and Child” is one of the most lyrically strong, eloquently caustic, and perfect punk songs ever written. Since reproductive rights remain a hot button issue in America, this song is, tragically and inexplicably, still pretty timely.
MP3: Wooden Wand :: Fly Into The Mystery (Jonathan Richman)
Of course I have loved the Modern Lovers s/t album and the Kim Fowley-produced The Original Modern Lovers LP since I heard them way back when, but it took an episode of Ken Katkin’s terrific radio show Trash Flow Radio to draw my attention to this outtake from the Fowley sessions. I guess Jonathan Richman recorded this song again years later, on the not-so-good Rock and Roll with the Modern Lovers LP (I’m told the album has its supporters), and Luna actually recorded a pretty awesome version as well, but this early bootleg-only version I heard on Ken’s show is the one I covered here. Thanks Ken!
There are so many facets to Scott Walker’s public persona that it’s difficult to mention his music without delving into a lengthy aside. It’s not just that his career has spanned more than four decades, or that he’s had success both within a group and solo, it’s that his work truly spans the creative spectrum – ranging from radio friendly, pop music (The Walker Brothers) to dark, dissonant and grating compositions of The Drift. Walker traversed this gulf – indulging many stylistic layovers along the way – succeeding at nearly every turn. Walker’s 1969 LP, Scott 4, was no exception.
I’ve been listening to a couple of Sinatra’s super-down-and-out records over the past week. Crooners on the brain, I was reminded of ”On Your Own Again.“ Clocking in at a brief one minute and forty five seconds, I’m always amazed at how much depth and resonance Walker works into the track’s limited frame. The vocals, pacing and phrasing, coupled with the tonal drop and just-right orchestration deceptively give the track the feeling of an almost mini-suite. Almost, in that it leaves you wanting more.
Next month sees the stateside release of volume two of Jazzman Records’ Spritual Jazz series. Like volume one, the set once again highlights under-appreciated ‘esoteric, modal and deep jazz’ – only here the sole emphasis is on Europe. We’ll dig in deeper in May, but today I want to re-introduce a tune I caught wind of via the series first volume: Senegalese drummer and bandleader, Mor Thiam’s “Ayo Ayo Nene.” Cut in 1973, originally found on Thiam’s Drums of Fire record, I cannot possibly spit enough hyperbolic praise here to do the track justice. Just press play, rinse and repeat. Oh yeah, Thiam is Akon’s pops.
Here’s one slated for a mixtape I’ve been woodshedding the past month, Dorothy Ashby’s “Soul Vibrations” – the first track off her 1968 LP, Afro-Harping. Fuseless, the track explodes right out of the gate. Propelled by a funky bottom comprised of an unrelenting bassline and syncopated percussion, within seconds otherworldly theremin and flutes drop in, soon followed by Ashby’s harp. With roots firmly entrenched in esoteric jazz, Ashby cut Afro-Harping with producer Richard Evans, the first of three transformative LPs she would record for the Cadet label between ’68 and ’70. An aesthetic break from her past, the album’s understated psychedelia and fusion fall in line with fellow jazz harpist Alice Coltrane and the eccentric ‘soul-jazz’ movement that was beginning to take root. A minor groove, this is not.
In October 1966 Rita Lee and brothers Arnaldo Baptista and Sérgio Dias walked on stage for the first time as Os Mutantes to perform on a Brazilian TV show. In hindsight, it was a momentous occasion. Several months later they became involved with the Tropicália Movement, performing with Gilberto Gil at the 1967 Brazilian Popular Music Festival and recorded “Panis et Circenses” for the Tropicália album manifesto. In 1968, with arrangements by Rogério Duprat, once called the “Brazilian George Martin”, Os Mutantes recorded their acclaimed, eponymous debut album. The follow-up, simply entitled Mutantes, was released in 1969. Fresh and highly creative, the music injected sense of humor and rebelliousness into the heavy atmosphere of a country under the rule of an oppressive military dictatorship.
MP3: Os Mutantes :: I Feel A Little Spaced Out (Ando Meio Desligado)
MP3: Os Mutantes :: Tecnicolor
In 1970, after releasing A Divina Comédia ou Ando Meio Desligado, their third LP, Os Mutantes – now a five piece band, with Dinho on drums and Liminha on bass – traveled to Europe to perform and were invited by producer Carl Homes to record at Des Dames studio in Paris. Aiming to reach a broader audience they translated a few of their early songs to English in addition to recording several new compositions — the sessions would eventually become Tecnicolor, an album that both exemplifies Os Mutantes genius and, in a way, sums up their very essence. The arrangements inhabit a space somewhere between the experimental and psychedelic sound of their first period and the heavier rock they had been playing since A Divina Comédia, recorded earlier that year. Along with the harmonies, the sessions individual instrumental performances show the first signs of progressive rock, an increasing influence on their music. Although completed, Tecnicolor (named after one of the original songs recorded in Paris) was not released, as the British subsidiary of their label, Polydor, decided it wasn’t commercial enough. The album would remain shelved for the next three decades.
(Volume 12 of Clifton’s Corner. Every other week on the blog Clifton Weaver, aka DJ Soft Touch, shares some of his favorite spins, old and new, in the worlds of soul, r&b, funk, psych and beyond.)
Much maligned and often misunderstood, for years disco divided music fans. Some connected with the dance grooves. For others, it’s omnipresence from the mid to late ‘70s, the schlock cash-ins by has been artists, and the resultant backlash gave the impression it was a vacuous dance fad. Even though the last twenty years have gone a long way towards rehabilitating the music’s legacy, rarely (in my opinion) is it thought of in its proper context, as cutting edge (for its time) R&B. Whether being appropriated by dance music enthusiasts or spat upon by traditionalists, disco’s clear lineage to the early R&B/soul & funk sounds is usually disregarded. So this is my humble attempt, dear reader, to shine a different light on the music, to show that disco is much more than four on the floor beats and lyrics just about dancing the night away.
MP3: Frankie Gee :: Date With The Rain – A contender for the title of ‘First Disco Song’ is Eddie Kendrick’s “Date With The Rain.” Containing many of the traits of later disco songs (e.g. four-on-the-floor beat, soaring choruses, etc.), “Date With The Rain” bridges the gap from soul & funk to the new sound. This particular version is a cover by L.A. artist Frankie Gee. There’s a particular rawness to this track that emphasizes the ‘disco’ characteristics of the tune.
MP3: Eddie Kendricks :: Girl, You Need A Change Of Mind – From the same album as “Date With The Rain”, “Girl, You Need A Change Of Mind” is another excellent proto-disco song. For me the great thing about this era is that the connection to soul is still apparent. A new sound could be heard forming but each song was distinct, unlike many of the crass cash-ins that followed later in the decade.
MP3: George McCrae :: I Get Lifted – From McCrae’s 1974 LP Rock Your Baby, “I Get Lifted” is an instant classic. Starting with the shuffling drum pattern and syncopated guitar, everything about this song is ‘disco’ and it should come as no surprise. One Harry Casey penned “I Get Lifted.” Casey was a staff writer for Miami based label, TK Records and later found fame as KC from KC and The Sunshine Band.
MP3: Sisters Love :: Give Me Your Love – Another song to bridge the gap between soul/funk and disco, “Give Me Your Love” originally appeared on Curtis Mayfield’s soundtrack to the blaxploitation classic, Superfly. Mayfield’s mellow funk love song is given a shot in the arm on the Sisters Love version. Heavy percussion, a faster tempo, and later Danny Krivit edit, insure that this version ALWAYS features in any disco set that I spin. I defy anyone to not dance when it’s on.
MP3: Golden Flamingo Orchestra :: The Guardian Angel Is Watching Over Us – Contrary to the popular belief that disco was just about the joys and frivolities in life, some reflected current issues and acted as sort of musical newspapers. One such song is the “The Guardian Angel Is Watching Over Us.” Released on the P&P Records affiliated Golden Flamingo Records, this song sings the praises of the vigilante force known as the Guardian Angels at a time when there was not much support for their activities. Starting with one of the heaviest intros for a disco song that I’ve ever heard (does anyone else hear a slower version of “Radio Clash”?), “Guardian Angel…” is a disco/funk masterpiece. At a time when the sound of disco had been codified and the deluge of kitschy cash ins was already underway (Ethel Merman disco!), this song bucked the clichés without sacrificing any danceablility.
MP3: New York Community Choir :: I’ll Keep My Light In My Window – I must confess that I’ve only recently become aware of this song through Quantic & Alice Russell’s cover. However, it has quickly become one of my favorites. Originally recorded by Caston & Majors and produced by Chess Records veteran Leonard Caston. Artists such as Maria Muldaur, The Temptations, and the Philip Bailey produced Free Life have covered this song. One of my favorites is from the New York Community Choir. In the 60s and early 70s, gospel/soul and gospel/funk crossovers were the order of the day so in the later 70s, gospel and disco co-mingled. NYCC’s take on “I’ll Keep My Light…” is a fine example of this.
MP3: Sun Palace :: Rude Movements – Absolutely crucial to the development of disco were the loft parties of David Mancuso and other underground dance clubs. Before the sound coalesced into a definitive style, the dedicated hedonists that attended these all night parties were interested in whatever grooves made them dance. Although it was released in 1983, “Rude Movements” typifies the freewheeling spirit of those proto-disco parties.
MP3: Rim & Kasa :: Love Me For Real – Although it’s thought of as a 1970s phenomenon, disco survived well into the 1980s. “Love Me For Real” is a perfect example of quality 80s disco. All the usual traits are there but it maintains it’s own identity. It never succumbs to the well worn disco clichés but never fails to fill a floor either. Released on the 1982 album ‘Too Tough’, Rim and Kasa’s genre melding Afrocentric disco/funk would not be out of place in the formative days of disco.
Roy Ayers — Jazz-funk pioneer, vibraphonist and soulman. My Spotify playlist for Rhino this week pays tribute the man via twenty tracks, hand selected, spanning Ayers’ discography including material unearthed in 2004 found on the Virgin Ubiquity: Unreleased Recordings collection. Track selection and notes here, direct Spotify link here. Vibes for life.
Saturday night (4/14) Aquarium Drunkard Presents Damien Jurado w/ Peter Wolf Crier at the Bootleg Theater in L.A. We’re giving away three pairs of tickets to AD readers (you can also purchase tickets here). To enter for a pair, leave a comment below with your favorite Jurado record and when/how you first encountered it. Winners will be notified via email prior to the show, tickets held at will-call.
