Posts Tagged ‘R&B’

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Los Bravos: Black is Black

Sunday, January 3rd, 2010

The debut album behind the ‘60s Spanish one-hit wonder

Los Bravos is one of the more unlikelier stories of the 1960s Top 40, breaking out of Spain with a German lead singer to achieve U.S. one-hit wonder status with the #4 “Black is Black” in 1966. The single, along with their debut album, features the Gene Pitney-like vocals of Michael Kogel and horn-heavy, soul-influenced pop that owes more to 1960s New York R&B than the British Invasion then winding down its sweep of the world’s stage. From their sound, you’d be hard-pressed to place this band as German and Spanish in origin. The group had a second hit in the UK with “I Don’t Care” (included here), and a follow-up album, Bring a Little Lovin’, whose Vanda & Young-penned title single (not included here) failed to crack the Top 40. The group never really regained their footing on the U.S. or international charts. Their debut has no other songs that compare with the catchiness and drive of the iconic hit, though Kogel’s vocals add punch to “Trapped” and “I Want a Name,” and “I Don’t Care,” suggest the operatic verve of Jay Black. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

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Dick Dale: King of the Surf Guitar

Sunday, January 3rd, 2010

Dale’s second album dilutes the guitar sting of his debut

Dick Dale’s second album was his first to be issued on the Capitol label, and though his guitar playing is solid (as is his saxophonist’s), the song selection isn’t as inspiring as his debut, Surfer’s Choice. The Blossoms, featuring Darlene Love, back Dale on the title track and the guitarist sings lead on “Kansas City,” “Dick Dale Stomp,” and several other tracks. The covers include R&B, Soul, Folk, Country and International tunes that aren’t always the best showcase for Dale’s immense instrumental talent. Or at least they’re not always arranged to leave space for his guitar. The second half of the album offers more charms, with staccato flat-picked shredding on “Hava Nagela” and “Riders in the Sky,” fancy picking on “Mexico” and a low twangy groove on “Break Time.” Sundazed’s CD reissue adds two bonus tracks, both instrumentals that offer up samplings of Dale’s six-string craft, but on balance there’s more singing and sax than belongs on an album titled “King of the Surf Guitar.” This album leaves you wanting more of Dale’s picking, which just might have been the idea at the time. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

Dick Dale’s Home Page
Dick Dale’s MySpace Page

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Various Artists: Radio Hits of the 60s

Sunday, January 3rd, 2010

Terrific collection of AM radio’s highly varied legacy

Rather than picking an artist or label or scene or sound, Legacy’s pulled together thirteen original hit recordings that show the range of music that AM radio brought to its listeners. Collected here is New Orleans R&B (“Ya Ya,” 1961 and “Working in the Coal Mine,” 1966), Dixieland Jazz (“Washington Square,” 1963), Easy Listening (“A Fool Never Learns,” 1964), Folk Pop and Rock (“We’ll Sing in the Sunshine,” 1964 and “In the Year 2525,” 1969), Garage Punk (“Little Girl,” 1966), Soul (“I’m Your Puppet,” 1966 and “Cherry Hill Park,” 1969), Bubblegum (“Simon Says,” 1968), Trad Jazz Vocal (“The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde,” 1968), and Vocal Pop (“Worst That Could Happen,” 1969).

Even within these individual songs you can often hear more than one genre exerting its influence, such as the steel guitar and horns that provide accents to the superb pop production of Merrilee Rush’s “Angel of the Morning.” In this day of highly balkanized music channels and individually programmed MP3 playlists, it’s hard to imagine such variety inhabiting a single mass-market playlist, but that was part of AM radio’s power to attract and keep a broad swath of listeners. Playing this collection will remind you how good record and radio people were at picking and making hits – the winnowing process disenfranchised many, but what got through the sieves, particularly what got to the top of the charts, was often highly memorable.

Legacy’s disc clocks in at a slim 35 minutes, but what’s here is a terrifically nostalgic spin whose songs stand up to repeated listening forty-plus years later. True, Andy Williams’ “A Fool Never Learns” might wear out its welcome before the other tracks, but it’s part and parcel of the ebb and flow of 1960s AM radio. This set isn’t meant to be an all-inclusive compilation of any one thing in particular, but a reminder of the breadth that once graced individual radio stations across the land. There was a unity to AM radio’s audience that’s been replace by the free choice of the empowered individual. That personalization carries with it many benefits, but the range of this set may remind you of what’s also been lost. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

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Various Artists: Rock ‘n’ Roll Bell Ringers

Monday, December 28th, 2009

Period covers of ‘50s rock and R&B

The modern-day music market teems with cover albums featuring past-their-prime artists attempting to re-create their hit singles; there are often passed off with misleading cover art that fails to indicate these are re-recordings. But once upon a time covering other people’s hits was more of an art form, adding dashes of new creativity even as the copy rode the coattails of someone else’s stardom onto the charts. These twenty-six singles were originally released on the Bell label as covers of 1950s R&B and rock classics, with band arrangements that are polished and expertly played. A few of the top-line names, such as Sy Oliver, Edna McGriff and Jimmy Carroll will be familiar, as will be some of the ace New York session players, including Billy Mure, Al Caiola and Charlie Shavers.

The song selections will be familiar to anyone who’s heard a ‘50s hit collection, but the singers will mostly draw question marks. Jim Brown won’t make you forget Chuck Berry as he sings “Maybellene,” but hot guitar licks and a rousing sax solo signal that there’s top-flight talent on board, and Edna McGriff’s version of Lee Hazelwood’s “The Fool” is more hit parade than Sanford Clark’s rockabilly original, but it still packs a punch. The low twang, heavy sax and rolling piano of Jimmy Carroll’s “Big Guitar” fits into the Las Vegas Grind genre, and though Johnny Newton never became a household name, he sounds right at home on the Impalas’ “Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home).” The album closes with Tom & Jerry (soon to be known as Simon & Garfunkel) covering Jan & Dean’s pre-surf hit “Baby Talk.”

The Bell label specialized in quickie covers sold at a low price; but even in their hurry to beat an original single to the charts, they lavished a surprising amount of attention on these recordings. The arrangements, bands and recordings often outstrip the talent of the singers they could round up, but there’s a quality to these sides, and an authenticity of era, that greatly surpasses the middling results of current labels recreating 50 year old hits. These are no substitute for the originals, but given the mechanics of the record industry at the time and the passage of decades, they’ve gained an historical patina that elevates them beyond cheap knock-offs. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

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Thee Midniters: Thee Complete Midniters- Songs of Love, Rhythm and Psychedelia

Monday, November 16th, 2009

TheeMidniters_Complete1960s East L.A. rock ‘n’ soul giants get their due

Thee Midniters were hands-down the cream of the rock ‘n’ soul scene that sprouted in mid-60s East Los Angeles. Contemporaries like the Premiers and Cannibal & The Headhunters each made indelible marks, but the Midniters’ talent filled four full albums, numerous non-LP singles and ranged across a unique mix of ‘50s doo-wop and R&B, ‘60s rock, soul and jazz. Their chart success was minor (a 1965 version of “Land of a Thousand Dances” that was covered by the Headhunters and then completely overshadowed by Wilson Pickett), but their originals and covers resound to this day with the unfettered release of a Saturday night rave-up and the slow heat of the night’s last dance.

The band’s guitar, organ and horns sat atop propulsive bass lines and potent back beats, and moved easily from the soulful croon of Jerry Butler’s “Giving Up on Love” to a wicked, organ- and guitar-led cover Barrett Strong’s “Money.” The ballads are warm and comforting, and the up-tempo tunes are scorching. The band’s debut album Whittier Blvd., originally released in 1965, is constructed from a dozen covers, the title track being a hotted-up reworking of the Stones “2120 South Michigan Avenue.” The song list is drafted from then-popular regional and national hits by Marvin Gaye, Lenny Welch, Chris Kenner, and Roddie Joy, and spiked with a pair of rock ‘n’ roll classics from Larry Williams (“Slow Down”) and Chuck Berry (“Johnny B. Goode”). Bonus tracks included with the first album are highlighted by a playful cover of Tom Jones’ “It’s Not Unusual” and a shriek-lined live version of “Land of a Thousand Dances.”

The Midniters’ second album, Bring You Love Special Delivery, was released in 1966 and though it continued the rock ‘n’ soul sounds of their debut, it added a psychedelic vibe and included four originals, including the rhythm-heavy rock ‘n’ soul title track. Jimmy Espinosa’s running bass lines and Danny LaMont’s snare grab you by the lapels as the horn section slaps you in the face; if you ever wondered what influenced Jeff Conolly’s (of The Lyres) organ style, check out Ronny Figueroa’s playing. The covers are drawn once again from popular songs of the day by Martha & The Vandellas, the Righteous Brothers, the Young Rascals, Percy Sledge and Deon Jackson. Thee Midniters really proved themselves the epitome of a great covers band, able to evoke the essence of a hit single while stamping the performance with their own unique sound.

The breadth of the band’s influences is readily heard in the contrast between their down-and-dirty cover of Them’s British Invasion classic “Gloria” and a relatively straight take on Frank Sinatra’s then-current easy listening hit “Strangers in the Night.” The band’s originals include the tough rocker “I Found a Peanut” and the soul ballad “Are You Angry.” Bonus tracks expanding the second album include a smoldering cover of Baby Washington’s “It’ll Never Be Over For Me,” a stomping take on Richard Lewis’ “Hey Little Girl” and the searing garage rock instrumental original “Thee Midnight Feeling.”

The group’s third album, Unlimited, was released in 1967 and opens with a rough, Stones-y cover of Solomon Burke’s “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love.” The horns that start “Cheatin’ Woman” suggest a moment of soothing soul, but vocalist Little Willie G is in no mood to forgive and forget as he croons his goodbye to an unfaithful mate. Originals finally dominate the song list with a variety of torchy ballads, garage rockers, easy swinging soul, and summery pop. The instrumental “Chile Con Soul” finds the band branching into jazz, and “Welcome Home Darling” is a fine upbeat blues-rocker. The set list winds down for a cover of the Beatles’ “Yesterday” and heats back up for Mitch Ryder’s medley of “Devil With a Blue Dress” and “Good Golly, Miss Molly.” Eight bonus tracks include the wild mariachi-rock “The Big Ranch,” a superb mid-tempo soul original, “You’re Gonna Make Me Cry,” plenty of heavy, psych-tinged blues, and both the English and Spanish sides of the honorific, “The Ballad of Cesar Chavez.”

By 1969 vocalist Little Willie G had departed, and the group’s fourth and final album, Giants, falls back on some familiar cuts (“Whittier Blvd,” “Land of a Thousand Dances” and “Love Special Delivery”) and sticks almost entirely to covers, many of which are themselves repeats. The album sounds more like the group’s debut than the progression of Unlimited. Highlights include a jazzy, five-minute instrumental arrangement of “Walk on By,” a moving take on Oscar Brown’s “Brother Where Are You,” and a stereo mix of “That’s All.” Three bonus tracks include the celebratory chant “Chicano Power,” a thick concoction of Gamble & Huff’s “Never Gonna Give You Up,” and a Latinized arrangement of Hubert Laws’ “Cinderella.” By this point you could hear the Midniters laying into the same roots that Carlos Santana was exploring, and which would be more fully fleshed out by War, EW&F, AWB and others in the early 1970s. The band played with more restraint in 1969 than 1966, but also with more polish and sophistication.

These CDs were mastered from vinyl records, and there are a few sound problems, including small skips, transitory distortion, and varying fidelity. The audio artifacts aren’t persistent and do not greatly diminish the pleasure of having these tracks available on CD; still, it’s a shame Micro Werks didn’t search more deeply for better vinyl sources. Each CD is screened with the green, white and pink label of Whittier Records and packaged in a three-panel cardboard slip-case that reproduces the front and back album cover. The four discs are housed in a box that includes a fold-out poster with liner notes by Richie Unterberger. Discs 1-3 are mono, disc 4 mixes mono and stereo. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

Thee Midniters Home Page
Thee Midniters MySpace Page

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RIP Willy DeVille

Friday, August 7th, 2009

MinkDeville_CoupDeGraceAfter an initial diagnosis of Hepatitis C earlier this year, Willy DeVille was found to have pancreatic cancer, from which he passed away yesterday. DeVille founded Mink DeVille a few years ahead of the late ’70s punk explosion, but his band ended up sharing the stage with the leading lights of CBGB. Where the punks were loud and abrasive, however, Mink DeVille was soulful and suave. With Phil Spector’s one-time engineer Jack Nitzsche, the group waxed a pair of streetwise Spanish Harlem-inflected rock and soul classics, Cabretta and Return to Magenta, and a string of group and solo albums that expanded on the original Brill Building dream and into beefier rock, Muscle Shoals soul, and even New Orleans funk ‘n’ roll. DeVille was a superb showman, songwriter, vocaliast and band leader, who will be missed by all those touched by his music.

Willy DeVille was 55 when he passed away peacefully on August 6, 2009. RIP.

Listen to “Little Girl”

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Little Richard: King of Rock ‘n’ Roll

Saturday, June 27th, 2009

LittleRichard_KingOfRockNRollLittle Richard’s second Reprise album treads water

After his Reprise debut, 1970’s swamp-funk infused The Rill Thing, failed to garner commercial attention, Little Richard hooked up with mainstream producer H.B. Barnum and crafted an updated version of his 1950’s R&B-tinged rock ‘n’ roll sound. This is a more flamboyant and self-celebrating affair than its predecessor, from the album’s title track to the lengthy, self-aggrandizing introduction he gives himself on the cover of Hoyt Axton’s “Joy to the World.” Those who remember Richard’s television appearances in the 1970s (“Shut up!”) will recognize the character here.

As great as were the brassy, bass-heavy arrangements of The Rill Thing, Barnum’s production update doesn’t work. Richard’s belting vocals sound out-of-time against the flaccid, near-disco arrangements of “Joy to the World” and “Brown Sugar.” Better are the funky, hyperventilating reinterpretation of “Dancing in the Street” and the soul shout of “Midnight Special,” though here again the early ‘70s backing vocals are dated. Richard’s original “In the Name” is sung in a compelling croon, and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” works well in its Stax-styled arrangement.

The album’s closing cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Born on the Bayou” fits, but it reveals more about Richard’s impact on John Fogerty than it provides an opportunity to create something new. Richard sounds engaged, but his producer wasn’t able to craft a compelling showcase for his vocals, nor help him select material that offered the best vehicles for interpretation. After the electric jolt forward of The Rill Thing, this album is disappointing for its lack of new vision. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

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Ray Charles: Genius- The Ultimate Ray Charles Collection

Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

raycharles_geniusSingle-disc sampler of Charles on Atlantic and ABC

Songwriter, pianist and vocalist Ray Charles may be one of the most anthologized pop artists in history, with several hundred collections and repackagings issued on LP and CD. But even with so many facets of his career having been explored, there remain essential sides that have yet to see official digital reissue. Concord is kicking off an extensive redevelopment of Charles’ post-1960 catalogs on the ABC-Paramount and Tangerine labels with this 63-minute 21-track disc of career highlights, including ten R&B chart toppers and three pop #1s.

The set includes four tracks from Charles’ time on Atlantic, reaching back as early as 1955 for “I’ve Got a Woman.” The bulk of the set is drawn from 1960 through 1967, starting with Charles’ first pop chart topper, 1960’s “Georgia on My Mind,” and winding along to 1967’s “Here We Go Again” and “Yesterday.” The disc closes with Charles’ last single for ABC, 1976’s “America the Beautiful.” Throughout the twenty-one selections you can hear Charles’ develop his seminal brand of soul from roots in gospel, blues, R&B, and jazz. ABC freed Charles to explore more broadly than had Atlantic, bringing in Latin rhythms, singing the works of country and tin-pan alley songwriters, adding strings, and alternating between the sassy call-and-response of the Raelettes and a smooth backing chorus.

Concord’s digital remastering is crisp (mono for the Atlantic tracks 2, 6, 9, 17), and the non-chronological song sequence provides an excellent flow. The CD includes a 20-page booklet with liner and song notes by Don Heckman, photos, release and chart data, and an embossed cardboard wrapper. Few artists can boast as powerful a catalog as Charles, and though it’s overstatement to label any single disc an ultimate collection (there’s many times more essential sides missing than would fit), this is a welcome overture to the coming symphony of ABC/Tangerine reissues. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

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Paul Jones: Starting All Over Again

Wednesday, March 11th, 2009

pauljones_startingalloveragainFormer Manfred Mann vocalist resurfaces as a bluesman

If you lost track of Paul Jones after he sang Manfred Mann’s seminal British Invasion hits (“Do Wah Diddy,” “Pretty Flamingo,” “Sha La La”), or if you failed to reconnect with his lengthy tenure in the UK-based Blues Band, you’re in for a surprise. The husky R&B voice he brought to Mann’s early works has weathered lightly, and nineteen albums into his side gig as a bluesman (his main occupations have been actor and radio host) he’s returning to U.S. shores on reissue giant Collectors’ Choice’s first new music release. Produced by Carla Olson, the album is filled with terrific instrumental talent, including Austin guitarist Jake Andrews, keyboardist Mike Thompson and a horn section that includes Joe Sublett and Ernie Watts. Eric Clapton lends his guitar to Jones’ original “Choose or Cop Out” and a cover of Mel & Tim’s “Starting All Over Again,” and Percy Sledge (who is in terrific voice) teams with Jones on a superb horn-driven cover of “Big Blue Diamonds.”

Those who dug beyond Manfred Mann’s singles won’t be too surprised to find blues at the core of Jones’ solo work, supplemented by R&B and jazz flavors. Though he’s not the strutting youngster of 1964, he still shows the same adventurousness and complexity that separated Mann’s work from much of the British Invasion pack. In addition to straightforward blues numbers, he lends a jazz croon to “Gratefully Blue,” leans on the second-line funk of Little Johnnie Taylor’s “If You Love Me (Like You Say),” and pairs his harmonica with Mike Thompson’s roadhouse piano on Van Morrison’s “Philosopher’s Stone.” Jones picks up songs from a few surprising places, including “I’m Gone” from the Swedish retro garage-blues band The Creeps and “Need to Know” from British/Nigerian soul singer Ola Onabule.

Some of the album’s best tracks are found in the final quartet, starting with the Stax-styled gospel-soul “Still True” and the newly written acoustic country-blues “When He Comes.” The band’s instrumental chops are highlighted on “Alvino’s Entourage,” with drummer Alvino Bennett laying down a second-line groove and Jones, Andrews and Thompson each taking a solo. The closing “Big Blue Diamonds” opens with a rolling piano by Clayton Ivey, a terrific sax and trumpet horn chart, and a Fats Domino styled vocal by Percy Sledge. It’s hard to believe this was recorded in Los Angeles – hopefully Mr. Jones will get to the Crescent City for a follow-up. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | Still True
Paul Jones’ BBC Radio Program
The Manfreds’ Home Page
The Blues Band’s Home Page

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The Soul of John Black: Black John

Thursday, February 19th, 2009

thesoulofjohnblack_blackjohnSeamless blend of blues, R&B, funk and soul

The third album from guitarist John Bigham (Fishbone, Miles Davis) continues to explore the intersection of blues, R&B, funk and soul. Having co-founded the group with bassist Chris Thomas for 2003’s eponymous debut, he assumed the lion’s share of artistic control on 2007’s The Good Girl Blues, and here provides the songs, vocals, guitar and production. Blues and gospel provide the underlying progressions, but this is anything but “straight eight,” with electric bass and piano guiding the music towards the blend of soul, R&B and funk heard on the group’s first album. But neither is this a mash-up of styles, as the elements are smoothly absorbed into the whole, rather than stitched together patchwork-style. Bigham’s guitar is here, but it’s his elegant and thoughtful vocals that are the album’s star, with elements of Al Green, Prince, Sly Stone Lenny Kravitz, and Isaac Hayes all figuring into the results. Fans of old-school funk, ‘70s soul and contemporary blues will all find this to their liking. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | Black John (Radio Edit)
The Soul of John Black’s Home Page
The Soul of John Black’s MySpace Page

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