Major Lance - Monkey Time

Aside from being a brilliant song writer, vocalist and guitar player, Curtis Mayfield produced many great singles for other artists. It always amazes me just how many great records Curtis Mayfield recorded on himself with the impressions and others on the side. He was without a doubt one of the most creative souls ever to grace the recording industry.

Monkey Time is one of my favorites. Though it is arguably just a throw away dance record few dance records sound quite as warm and inviting. Any good dance record should invite you to join in the fun of whatever dance it promotes. With its punchy horns and it's subtle dragging funk groove you can't help but shout and shimney even though the record sounds almost unbearably light. Monkey Time is simply just one of those great mysteries that pull you in, whether you want to or not. The music begins to play and automatically you're on your way.



Available on Curtis Mayfield's Chicago Soul

Thurston Harris - Be Baba Leba

Thurston Harris is know as a one hit wonder from the sunny state of California. He scored a whopping million seller with Little Bitty Pretty One, after which not much happened. Not for the lack of great singles though. Be Baba Leba sounds so irresistible that it should have been another million seller.

The record opens a bit tame, with a few rather fruity back up singers. But as soon Thurston storms in it's a rave. Thurston Harris shows he could be a furious shouter and translates the joy of this fine 45 with a fervorous fervor. Again, it is one of those places where we all have been. Just every once in a great while we all meet that one person that'll make you Be Baba Leba just at the prospect of seeing her again. Simply because that sweetness doesn't let itself describe any better than simply Be Baba Leba. So Be Baba Leba my friends!



Of course, the original in this case is by Helen Humes, in a great early jump blues version.

Thurston's version is available as a vinyl reissue. What better reason to dust off your turn table right?

Shorty Long - Devil With the Blue Dress On

Shorty Long was something of an oddity in the Motown household. Next to Smokey Robinson he was one of the few artists that Gordy allowed to produce and write his own material. Within Motown he was a jack of all trades, playing various instruments on unidentified recordings and doing the MC honors on the Motown Revue. Shorty's records for Motown, Here Come the Judge,Function at the Junction and this gem were unlike any other record Motown became famous for. Shorty Long was greasier and fatter than anything else that came from Hitsville at the time. Shorty's career was cut short when he drowned in lake Michigan but this 45 continued to appeal to generations of great bands.

Come 1966 Mitch Ryder first made this song into a proper hit with a rather souped up version of it. Mitch set Little Richard behind the wheels of Shorty's ride. Mitch's version was subsequently picked up by the Cramps and Bruce Springsteen. Yet none of those versions have that dangerous sly and sexy feel to it. On Shorty's record you can actually see those fine hips strutting down the boulevard, packed in that tight blue dress, you can smell the Chanel no 5 in her neck. When you hear Shorty's you know he's talking about the kind of woman that will get you high and mighty, wind you up, make you crazy, before, of course, she'll let you fall smack down on your face. This record is a mighty dangerous attraction.



Available on The Essential Collection

Arthur Alexander - A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues

To me this 45 brings back the memory of entering Rooky Ricardo’s Records in San Francisco for the first time. A record store that should be named Heaven for Record Collectors. A young man with specs big enough to function as a windshield in an open car asked me if I had a list. I did. I handed him the list hoping he would come back with one or two singles from the endless piece of paper. Instead he came back with a pile of 45’s costing $40 altogether. At that point (two years ago) the dollar wasn’t worth crap. Well, it still isn’t.

This beauty, recorded in 1961, was standing on a small display on the counter in its original Dot company sleeve. It went on my pile because of a-side “You better Move On”. But at home I realized that flipside “A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues” was an even nicer find. Alexander sings the song, almost without time to breathe, over a delicious groove. A groove that will make you stand up from your chair and start to shake your hips. The only thing I dislike about the song is the fact it fades out at 1.40 seconds. In my opinion this song should go on forever.

The song also made an appearance on The Beatles’ BBC sessions album. While listening to their version I noticed how big the comparison is with Lennon and McCartney’s “I Saw Her Standing There”. To put it stronger: they stole the riff and made it their own. Listen to both songs and judge for yourself.

Wendy Rene - Bar-B-Q

It is around this time of year that I really start to get the itch for spring. Somehow I kid myself every year into thinking that spring begins in February. Maybe it is all the crocuses springing up! I get a deep graving for Bar-B-Q even though it is cold and dark outside. My mouth starts to water when I think of Hot-Dogs and Hamburgers. Unfortunately spring is months away. Untill then we'll just have to make do with this great Wendy Rene record. It certainly feels like spring when she heats up the turn table!



Available on After Hours 2: More Northern Soul Masters

Ned Towns - BINGO!

My grandmother loves to play bingo. Unfortunately she's too old to shake her hips to this curious 45. I never had the stomach for bingo, I simply couldn't stand the tension. This fine platter is the ultimate tension releaver though. I never knew my granny had this much fun! B-I-N-G-O!!!

The Marathons - Peanut Butter

This record definitely falls into he category nuttiness. Grinded nuttiness, fat and greasy nuttiness, sticky nuttiness. The Marathons are actually the Vibrations of the Watusi fame. The Arvee label wanted to rush out this nuttiness and had originally intended it to be for the Olympics. Unfortunately they were on tour, so the Vibrations got a crack at it. However, since they were signed to Chess, a name change was needed. Or maybe they just didn't want people to know that this nuttiness was theirs. A sticky situation indeed.



Available on Chess Story 1957-1964

Marv Johnson - Come on and Stop

Nobody pleads quite as convincing and casually as Marv Johnson. Particulary on this great record produced by the late great Bert Berns. Most Pop and rock fans know Berns because of his affiliation with the young Van Morrison. But Berns produced some of the finest R&B singles of the sixties. In creativity he could easily compete with Phil Spector or Leiber & Stoller. His use of symphonic influences and exotic rhythms was a huge influence on the Beatles and their generation.

Come on and Stop is one of his most catching and overlooked 45s in my book. It perfectly captures how we sometimes in our playfulness and carelessness manage to hurt those closest. Marv's plea illustrates how hard it is not to. In other words, this is a killer make up and kiss record. The dancing is just a bonus on this one.



Available on The Bert Berns Story Volume 1: Twist & Shout 1960-1964

The Jewels Smokie Joe's

There are lots of Smokie Joe's in the world of R&B. Most famously used in a song by the Coasters. Maybe it is a real place, I don't know. If it is, it sure sounds like a hell of a party on most records. My favourite Smokie's is the one by the Jewels. This fine mover was written by Ashford and Simpson, who went on to do great things at Motown. The record was produced by James Brown. So the Jewels kind of sound like the love child of Berry Gordy and the hardest working man in show business.



Available on The Real Thing: The Songs of Ashford, Simpson and Armstead