Artist: Weldon Irvine 

Album: “Cosmic Vortex (Justice Divine)”

Track Included In This Post: “Love Jones” 

Year of Release: 1974

Label: RCA

I Bought This Record From: Cooks Flea Market

- First of all I want to stress that we currently have this amazing record for sale at CFBGs.  I’m going to be out of town for the next week and will have only limited access to the computer so this post will be up for a while.  No problem, though as this will suffice for any extended period of time.  Matter a fact I might even do two posts about this mind bender.  Weldon Irvine is basically one of the most talented jazz funk organist/arrangers of the 1970’s.  Everything he did was original and at the time unheard of.  A listing of the instruments that are used on this album is really all you need to know to realize this one is a revelation; clavinet, bongos, whistles, cow bell, and plenty of horns.  May not sound like much, but trust me the instrumentation delivers.  I picked “Love Jones,” because it’s one of the few non instrumental tracks on here, and I thought it was funk entertainment we all can enjoy. 

Artist: Lenny Williams 

Album: “S/T”

Track Included In This Post: “There’s Always Mystery (When You’re Making History”

Year of Release: 1974

Label: Warner Brothers

I Bought This Record From: Lost In Time Antique Mall

- I never thought I was a Lenny Williams fan until I heard “There’s Always Mystery (When You’re Making History).”  First of all this is one of the best titles for a track I’ve seen in a while.  It rings so true as well.  The immediate reaction you get when listening to the opening moments is “Damn that bass line is killer.”  Yes it is, and so is the rest of the track.  The other tracks on the album aren’t as immediate as this one is, but it is for sure one of the best Lenny Williams albums I’ve heard, not to mention the funky material he released with Tower of Power.  

Artist: Resurrection Band

Album: “Awaiting Your Reply” 

Track Included in this Post: “Death of the Dying”

Year of Release: 1978

Label: Star Song

I Bought This Record From: Carey Sound

- As evident in my previous blog post a month ago for The Bridge, I’ve oddly gotten into a 70’s Christian Rock phase.  For The Bridge it was more because they were subliminally psychedelic and for me local, but for Resurrection Band it’s more about 70’s arena rock.  The group is from outside Houston, Tx and they get loud for Jesus.  Sorry about the scratchy condition of this record, but this track starts off with an awesome chipmunk voice and then the heavy loss bass comes in for a track that in my opinion rocks, and so does most of the album for that matter.   Resurrecting rock. 

Artist: Harvey Mandel

Album: “The Snake” 

Track Included in this Post: “Bite the Electric Eel” 

Year of Release: 1972

Label: Beat Goes On

I Bought This Record From: Cooks Flea Market

- The cover and title intrigued me right away.  I mean this guy looked like a lot of famous snakes; Jake the Snake & Kenny “The Snake” Stabler to be exact.  When I took out the record to listen to it I was totally bummed to find a significant warp at the beginning of the record.  So while I can’t hear the first two tracks on either side I can hear the inner goodies such as “Bite the Electric Eel.”  I love the nice drums in the beginning and then Mandel just goes off on the guitar  You can hear him still licking down the blues funk even as they fade him out. 

Artist: Cannonball Adderly 

Album: “The Price You Got To Pay To be Free”

Track Included in this Post: “Down in Black Bottom”

Year of Release: 1970

Label: Capitol Records

I Bought This Record From: Riverside Thrift 

- I tried posting a track from Cannonball’s “Happy People” album the other week, but it was too large of a file.  So we’ll stick with this 5:00 long funky jam that was recorded live during Cannonball’s golden early 70’s period.  If you listen at the end you can hear Cannonball saying that his brother Nat is playing the guitar.  Unfortunately I only got one record from this album, which for some reason happens often when I come across Cannonball’s albums.  I’m not going to complain as I’ll take all I can get from both Adderly’s. 

I-Crates Piece #3 - “Voicebox Virtuoso: The Life and Death of Roger Troutman”

- I am very happy to report that I have been published for a third time in the ever expanding I-Crates Universe.  Originally this was supposed to be in their April theme of the Music Industry, but due to the genius of Roger Troutman it went into the esteemed Virtuoso issue.  I thought it was more apt for the Music Industry edition since the family murder of the Troutmans had something to do with the industry, but this makes sense.  Thanks to Anton and the whole I-Crates gang, esp Harmony for the artwork. 

Artist: Frank Wess

Album: Wess to Memphis

Track Included in this Post: “Cubano Chant”

Year of Release: 1973

Label: Enterprise Records

I Bought This Record From: Collector’s Choice

- This is in tribute to Adam Yauch, aka MCA of the Beastie Boys, who died today from his battle with cancer.  He was only 47 years old.  This track features the fantastic flute of Frank Wess, who in 1972 went down to Memphis to record that classic Memphis funk jazz/soul sound.  This really reminds me of perhaps my favorite Beastie Boys track in “Sure Shot.”  R.I.P. Adam Yauch. 

Artist: MC5

Album: “High Time”

Track Included in this Post: “Skunk, Sonically Speaking” 

Year of Release: 1971

Label: Rhino

I Bought This Record From: Greensboro Show Logic Record Show

- Good timing on posting this as last night I watched 6 of the 8 episodes from the third season of “Eastbound & Down.”  Wow, that show just keeps getting crazier as it goes.  Kenny f-ing Powers is out for number one, himself.  One of the highlights of the show has always been the soundtrack, and MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer is the music supervisor for the show.  This season has featured some amazing tunes from the likes of Lee Hazlewood, the “O Lucky Man” soundtrack, and perhaps the most memorable use of Candlebox’s one hit that I’ve ever heard.  This track is a great representation of the approach MC5 took with this album.  That approach being more is better, which you can hear with the use of horns on this track.  This turned out to be their final official release after only 3 albums.  It’s a winner and so is the work Wayne Kramer is currently doing on “Eastbound & Down.” 

Artist: Drink Small

Album: “American Blues Heritage Series Vol. 1 - Drink Small - “I Know My Blues Are Different - - Cause I’m the One Who Has Them”

Track Included in this Post: “A Sad Time For Real”

Year of Release: 1972

Label: Southland

I Borrowed this from Mark Coleslaw

- I was borrowing this record for a long time because I wanted to digitize it.  Drink Small is a little known country blues musician from Bishopville, SC.  I first heard about him because of the recent work he’s down with Music Maker Relief Foundation.   The album is a collection of very lo-fi intimate recordings of Drink Small with just his guitar.  He does some classics, but he also does plenty of sad lonely originals such as “A Sad Time For Real.”  Don’t let his deep voice lose the meaning of the song.  I was going to include the track “My Rod,” but he does more speaking then singing on that track, because after all he’s boasting about his “rod.”  This is my first post of a record I don’t own.  I’ll do this from time to time when I really want to expose everyone to something even if I can’t call it my own. 

Artist: West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band 

Album: Volume 2

Track Included in this Post: “Suppose They Gave Us A War And No One Comes”

Year of Release: 1967

Label: Reprise

I Bought This Record From: Dynasty Furniture & Antiques

- I first heard about this band when Forced Exposure reissued some of the B-Sides and unreleased tracks.  You can really guess the sound of this band by their name.  West Coast pop psychedelia with plenty of Zappa-esque irony & humor.  This track really showcases that as the comedic vocals talk about what the title suggests.  A piece of West Coast late 60’s mind expansion never hurts.