Al Wilson - The Snake

This is one of those records that I heard years ago and kept haunting me. I knew it was called the Snake, but I didn't know who sang the damn tune. These days the internet will get you a long way in trying to uncover those kinds of mysteries, but in those days I still had to rely on help from my local Dutch record store. Soul has never been a big thing in Holland, like it was in Britain, so for the longest time nobody knew what I was talking about. You really have to find out everything for yourself over in this country! Then I ran into a record by Oscar Brown jr, including a track called the Snake. Same song, different performer as it turned out to be. Though I have been told it was the original version of the songs and its jazzy feel has grown on me over time. Fast forward a few years, somebody slips me an old mix tape and there it was the Snake! Al Wilson was the cat I was looking for! On eBay the record kept eluding me after that, until I found this Belgian print nobody wanted. So after all these years its a delight to finally present to you the Snake!



Available on the forgotten Soul classic Searching for the Dolphins

And because I love you all so much, I'll throw in Oscar Brown Jr's version as well. If you ever come across one of his albums, pick it up, you won't be disappointed by his brand of cocktail Jazz. Oscar Brown Jr had this uneasy edge that simmers below the surface. Great stuff!



Available on Kicks! The Best of Oscar Brown Jr.