Al Wilson - The Snake (Soul City 767)

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Wow! What a week. I'm just glad it's over. In fact, I'll be heading into the "Big Smoke" later today to dig for some more singles. Nothing like some new wax to make the nightmares of the work week fade away. I was recently listening to a comp of "Northern" soul classics on my MP3 player (Yes I have an MP3 player with 98% ripped from vinyl tracks on it...Talk about ironic in this digital age hmmm?) Anyway, I heard todays selection for the first time in a while and thought this would be fun to post. Al Wilson wasn't a MAJOR name back in the 60's, but, in 1968 he scored REAL big with "Do What You Gotta Do" and this track "The Snake". Now if any of you have been to a scooter rally, MOD dance, Soul clan or anything that is even LOOSELY related to the English "Northern Soul" scene, this track is a MONSTER! I guess I'm just being nostalgic, but I thought I'd share one of my favorite tunes from my past...the thing is, even with all the tunes I've been exposed to, it still stands up today! Enjoy!

Clancy Eccles - Feel The Rythm - New Beat

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Hello once again! I noticed my counter has reached over the 20,000 mark! Woohoo! I thank you guys for making me feel like SOMEONE care for the same types of music as myself. I have recently stuck to the soul and funk side of things and felt that this time around I'd treat you to some of that great Island roots sound I dig so much. I've picked up a few new Jamaican singles recently and wanted to share....so here we go! Clancy Eccles was a very popular man in the 60's & 70's in Jamaica . As well as being a political activist, he was a singer, songwriter, arranger, producer, show promoter, talent scout and tailor. Not bad. Although I've never seen any of his Tailor work, his music is fantastic. This track launched from his own "New Beat" label is one of my favourites. Along with himself, he helped further the careers of other greats like Eric "Monty" Morris and Lee Perry (Clancy helped Lee found Upsetter records). This tune immediately imbeds itself in your brain and you'll find yourself humming along to it days after you've first heard it....or at least I did.....LOL! Enjoy!

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The second selection today is the Maytals "6th & 7th Books" on Coxsone. Pretty much everyone who knows ANYTHING about the Ska scene back in Jamaica know about the Maytals (Later to become known as Toots & The Maytals). So I won't go into too much detail. This is an early Maytals recording ( I believe 1963) and a few years prior to them hooking up with Leslie Kong who was a Chinese Jamaican Producer. An interesting story is that I now work with the niece of Leslie Kong here in Ontario. She still can't get over how this white boy knows so much about the ska (she makes sure I say it "skeeya"). To top it all off, Her Mother used to own a record shop down in Kingston where these crazy cats like Toots Hibberts, Desmond Dekker, Eric Morris et al would come down with their records they just cut and help them affix the labels before they sold them. It really blows my mind hearing the stories. Some are simply heartwrenching...I actually made a cd for her mother of all the original singles I own and she always asks her daughter how that "white boy who likes that old music" is doing (she even made me some Jamaican cake this christmas!!!). Okay I'm on a rant....so download and enjoy!

Lou Rawls - Season Of The Witch / For What It's Worth

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DOWNLOAD here! (OR Press Play below to listen!)

Happy New Year Folks! I've been off having a great holiday season and forgetting the interweeb even exists....until now that is. Everything has been "Steady As She Goes" up until the untimely passing of the Godfather of Soul. Wow, what a mindblast. The man, in my mind, was eternal and it really makes you think when someone as important as JB passes. I was reading some blogs about the great man and one that sticks particularly in my mind is Larry Grogan's piece on his Funky 16 Corners. That pretty much sums it up. I decided not to follow everyone's path and post a glut of JB material. I'm sure you can find enough of it out there (I posted JB's Fat Eddie a few weeks ago. Check it out below!) Instead I chose the silky smooth and sometimes funky sounds of another great man...Lou Rawls. Speaking of Funky 16 Corners, I noticed Mr Grogan had posted the first selection a long while back, so for some of you this may be old news. However, I don't buy off the net as I prefer the elbows deep in dusty stacks of vinyl approach. This means I may not get all the cool singles right away....but they come.....eventually they all show up one way or another. Season of the Witch was originally penned and recorded by Donovan Leitch (of Hurdy Gurdy Man fame) and that single has always been a favorite of mine. You can imagine my excitement on finding THIS version by Mr. Rawls. It definately has a groove. The second selection was released on the Feelin' Good LP. I'm not sure if there was a single released for this track. It's another cover, this time, of the Buffalo Springfield anthem For What It's Worth. As a kid of the 70's I can clearly remember Kermit the Frog's nephew singing this song on the Muppet Show Ha Ha Ha. This version of the song is similar in style to Season of the Witch, though that may have to do with both productions being headed up by none other than David Axelrod....definately a man in the know. Anyway, try out both tunes and crank them up! Enjoy!