Cupid

Photo: Bob Dylan and Suze Rotolo © Don Huntstein

It's Valentine's Day.
It's snowing in New York City.
Bob Dylan sings Sam Cooke.

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More Songs About...

Okay. Here's another group of small records with big holes loosely themed for romance and matters of cupid. Dion sings "Love Came To Me" with a cool Bronx swagger. Joe Jeffrey pledges his love. Anyone know anything about this guy? Arthur Conley sings "Let's Go Steady", the B-Side of his smash 1967 hit "Sweet Soul Music". I always liked this one better. Produced by Otis Redding, it's a killer, with a funky Booker T and the MG's backing. George Jones, America's greatest soul singer gives us "Take Me". Check out how he flubs the first line. Doesn't matter- it's great anyway. And finally, Don Covay whips himself into a frenzy trying to get back to his woman, singing a duet with himself and accompanied by a young and uncredited Jimi Hendrix on guitar.

Happy Valentine's Day























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Bonus mp3: Keef :REAL GONE

Strangelove

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"How do you call your loverboy ?"...

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I Found A Love

Let's just declare this Valentine's Week. Valentine's Day is is for greeting card companies, florists, Al Capone, chocolatiers, and restaurants that would like to sell you a prix-fixe meal.
No songs of ill will at the flu this week. Below are a few testimonials of love. First off, The Falcons from 1962 Featuring Wilson Pickett on lead vocals. There's a lot of talent in this group, joining him are, among others, Eddie Floyd, Sir "Mack " Rice, and Robert Ward on guitar leading the excellent Ohio Untouchables. Then, we get "I Found A Love" Pts. 1 and 2, that Pickett recorded five years later for Atlantic, at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals. And last but not least, Al Green spells it out. Wilson Pickett started out singing in church. Al Green ended up there a few years after this record.























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Moody's Mood

Photo: James Moody, 1951 © Herman Leonard


When I was a teenager, whiling away in my lonely purgatory and waiting 'til I could get the fuck out of St. Louis, I used to hang out at a record store called Vintage Vinyl. It was a small place back then with records everywhere, from the floor to the ceiling. The proprietors must have taken pity on me. Everyday I was in there looking through the stacks of used records, seeing what came in, what I had never heard, asking stupid questions, listening and learning. Most of the time I bought from the middle rack which was loosely Punk/New Wave. On the right side of the store was the Rock section; I also bought a lot of the records there. On the left side were the Jazz, Blues, R & B, and a very well stocked selection of Jamaican imports. I dabbled in all of these sections, but without exactly knowing what was what. Around the time I was sixteen or so, I started buying Jazz records. Mostly the obvious. Bird. Miles. Monk. One day, Lew Prince, one of the owners, foisted a James Moody album on me. I didn't know what it was, but I trusted his opinion and bought it. I took it home, played it, and felt like I'd been sold a bill of goods that wasn't for me. It sounded tame and a little boring. I was an ignorant kid trying to expand my horizons, but I wasn't gonna have any of this. So, having fewer scruples than cash I scratched the record and took it back. To this day, I feel guilty about this every time I listen to James Moody. So, Lew, if your reading this, I'm sorry and I think I get it now.














"The Flight" mp3
by James Moody and his Quartet, 1949.
available on James Moody 1949-1950














"I'm In The Mood For Love" mp3
by James Moody and his Band, 1949
available on James Moody 1949-1950

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"Moody's Mood For Love" mp3
by King Pleasure with Teacho and Blossom Dearie, 1952.
available on Moody's Mood for Love

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"Lester Leaps In" mp3
by James Moody and his band, 1949.
available on James Moody 1949-1950














"Out of Nowhere" mp3
by James Moody and his Band , 1949.
out of print

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"Lester Leaps In #1" mp3
by Lester Young, 1946.
available on Prez Conferences

"Out of Nowhere" mp3
by Charlie Parker Quintet, 1947.
available on The Complete Savoy and Dial Studio Recordings

Jumpin' With Symphony Sid

Okay, time to shift gears. Two examples of vocalese (lyrical vocal interpretation of a jazz solo) and an R & B record by a jazz singer. King Pleasure wrote these lyrics to Lester Young's solo on "Jumpin' With Symphony Sid". Annie Ross interprets Wardell Gray, with a swinging rythym section of Percy Heath and Art Blakey, and Billie Holiday makes a rocking record with Tiny Grimes. Set your dial to "right there close to eighty on the dot".















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Doug Sahm and The Dell Kings

Update to Larry Williams post: This is (pre- Sir Douglas) Doug Sahm doing his version of "Slow Down". Thanks to Will Rigby for hipping me to this. Taken from the Norton Records collection San Antonio Rock / The Harlem Recordings 1957-1961.



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