KIWI SOUL

Artist: SAM COOKE & BUMPS BLACKWELL ORCHESTRA; Title: YOU SEND ME; Label: LONDON; Format: 7"; Cat. No.: 45-NZ.281; Year: 1958; Country: NEW ZEALAND

Looking today at this New Zealand issued classic from Sam Cooke - so we're back onto the international pressings again vinyl fans!

The A Side is the classic and sublime early Soul that is "You Send Me" - and interesting it's co-credited to Bumps Blackwell's Orchestra, which as far as I remember isn't the case on the UK issued singles from the same period.  I seem to remember that I can across this one Brighton, and bought at the same time as a couple of singles by The Drifters.

The B Side is another good one - this rather good version of "Summertime" - and like the A Side well worth checking out! It's interesting to see how Sam Cooke took what started out as almost classical piece in Gershwin's black opera 'Porgy & Bess', and transformed it into this piece of Soul music. It's one of Sam Cooke's tunes that doesn't get heard too often these day, which is a bit of a shame.

The other thing I noticed with this is it's on Decca's London imprint (which was their main outlet of blues R'n'B, and what we'd later regard as Soul) but here pressed up their behalf by HMV in New Zealand - one of those quirky things that being a record collector is about to a level.

TALCUM SOUL FROM OLE GRUMPY DRAWS!

Artist: VAN MORRISON; Title: DOMINO; Label: WARNER BROS.; Format;7"; 

Cat. No.: WB 7434; Year: 1970; Country: UK

Bit of Northern Soul curio for you today - not that artist is concerned one you'll never had heard, quite the opposite in fact, but that this 1970 single from Van Morrison was picked up by the Northern Soul scene.  Although the sight of Ole Grumpy Draws doing a few talcum spins on the dance at the Wigan Casino would have been something to see!  Anyway onto the music.

The A Side gives you "Domino" the opener from Van yer Man's 'His Band And The Street Choir' LP and slad bang in the middle of his Celtic Soul period.  It's a bit of a good one - and you can see why the N. Soul crowd picked up it - something that's pretty obvious when you see the state of the labels on this copy.  You can see where it's been covered so as to make it look like it's a real obscure track (which you could get away in those pre internet days of the early 70'), rather than who it actually was.

The flip side gives you "Sweet Jannie" - again from the parent 'His Band And Street Choir' set, and again another great bit of Van-styled Blue-Eyed Soul.  And again suffering from label damage - so again I'm assuming that had been picked up for plays at the Northern nights.  Presumably when the DJ's got bored of the playing the A Side.

WHEN ERIC & THE ANIMALS WENT NORTHERN

Artist: ERIC BURDON & THE ANIMALS; Title: HELP ME GIRL; Label: DECCA; 

Format: 7"; Cat. No.: F 12502; Year: 1966

1966 single from Eric Burdon and the Mark II version of the Animals - in this case Eric Burdon and drummer Barry Jenkins and the deliberate move away from the type of material increasing foisted on them by their producer at EMI, Mickie Most.  A year before the Animals had left EMI and signed with their US distrubution label MGM - with UK distribution switching over to Decca - but as with a lot of bands in the 60's the constant pressure of touring/promoting that you do on a worldwise basis and when you're one of the spearhead bands of The British Invasion starts to take it's toll.  Various founding members left - most noticeably Alan Price and Chas Chandler - and others only lasting a year or so.  So by the time this 1966 single is released it's pretty much Eric Burdon and whoever else was to hand.

But having said the above "Help Me Girl" is a a bit of brilliant tune - produced by Tom Wilson (who's other clients at this time included both Dylan and The Velvet Underground) - and (something I wasn't aware till I hear it at an allnighter) one of those tracks that had found favour on the Northern Soul scene.  It surprised me a bit at the time, but having listened to it again tonight while preparing this post I can easily see why. Plus with Eric Burdon being a R'n'B/Soul fan I'm fairly certain he's happy with the kudos it's got in that respect.

The flip side gives you "See See Rider (See What You've Done)" which a Blues standard which has gone under a number of slight title variations over the preceding decades, and one of those tunes that any self-respecting and aspiring blues musician knows down deep into their DNA.

 

 This single's one I've picked up a few copies of over the years - obviously the UK original on Decca, a Yugoslav copy - which has the same B Side as the UK version - labels scans included.  And the US version on MGM which doesn't.  The B Side is this case is a track called "That Ain't Where It's At" - another Blue-Eyed Soul flavoured track which like the A Side comes from the US only issued  'Eric Is Here' LP. Again well worth checking out/tracking down on that there internet and all good music retail type places!

MORE FROM ILLEGAL

Artist: THE POLICE; Title: FALL OUT; Label: ILLEGAL; Format: 7"; Cat. No.: IL 001; Year: 1979; Country: UK

Carrying on with the 1977 theme and stuff released on Miles Copeland's Illegal label, this is obviously where to go next after the last post on John Cale - as the drummer of the band featured today was the brother of the label boss.  Stewart Copeland, the band's The Police, and it's their only one to feature original guitarist Henry Padovani. 

 The A Side gives you "Fall Out" written by Stewart Copeland - and a decent slice of 1977 style New Wave stuff.  The single itself got reissued in 1979 when the group had broken big with 'Message In A Bottle' - which is when I bought it (WH Smith's in Whitehaven if memory serves).  Main way to tell this apart from the '77 original is the different label design (see the Cale post to see how the original looks).

The flip side gives you "Nothing Achieving" and again not written by Sting - in this case by Stewart Copeland and his brother Ian. And like the A Side it's interesting to hear what Sting and Co sounded like when they were just starting out (and before the ego started clashing), and before fame and the pitfalls the accompanied that came along.

In case you're wondering whatever happened to Henry Padovani - he lasted till the group briefly expanded to a fourpiece when Andy Summer's joined.  Then after being sacked in favour of the more proficient Andy Summers, joined Wayne/Jane Country and the Electric Chairs before becoming vice-president of Miles Copeland's IRS label (the one that R.E.M. started with before they switched to Warners).

And Sting learned to play the lute!

A BATCH OF THE WELSH WONDER

Artist: JOHN CALE; Title: ANIMAL JUSTICE; Label; ILLEGAL; Format: 7" EP; 

Cat. No.: IL003; Year: 1977; Country: UK

Some 10 years on from the Velvet's debut John Cale issued this 3 track EP "Animal Justice" on Miles Copeland's Illegal label at the height of punk, as you'd expect from the Welsh One at this point his career he's not taking prisoners.  A case is in point is the opener on Side One "Chicken Shit" is pretty much about the vegetarian drummer in the band quitting after a) refusing to cut his hair when Cale and went for a more punk look, and b) after the refusal of doing a) when Cale cut the head off chicken live on stage (and not Ozzy as some would have it) just to really piss said drummer off.  Next up you get a rather good version of Chuck Berry's "Memphis" on which Cale displays his Rock'n'Roll in no uncertain terms, and it's a pretty faithful interpretation compared to say the direction taken on 'Heartbreak Hotel'.

Side two of the EP (and the reason it's classed as an EP rather than 3 track single - or Maxi-Single of you're of an early 70's persuasion) is devoted entirely to 8 plus minutes that is the somewhat  amazing "Hedda Gabbler".  Loosely based on the narrative of Ibsen's play it's Cale at his best - all the elements kept in check and has a spectral grace to it with the electric piano the main instrument, with guitar fills and other instruments coming when needed, and the synth stings giving that underlying sense of menace.  Which shouldn't come as too much of surprise as this is a John Cale song after all!

SOMETHING FROM SWINDON'S FINEST

Artist: XTC; Title: SENSES WORKING OVERTIME; Label: VIRGIN; Format: 12" EP; 

Cat. No.: VS 462-12; Year: 1982; Country: UK

Focusing today on this 12" EP from Swindon's finest - XTC, and their 1982 classic "Senses Working Overtime".  They're one those British groups that seem have been more popular in the US than they were over here, which is a bit of a shame as Andy Partridge and co had a lot more going for them than the hits you're maybe lucky enough to hear on the radio.  The lead track being a case in point - "Senses working Overtime" is a great tune with all the inherent quirkiness that you tend to associate with this band (check out what they did to 'All Along The Watchtower in their debut LP for further research).  Next up is "Egyptian Solution (Homo Safari Series No. 3)" which is a case in point - instrumental electronica that sounds like it's more at home on a David Byrne, Brian Eno or Jon Hassell album from this period - and rather good it too - so go and check it out!

Side Two's opener gives you "Blame The Weather" (an apt title for what we're currently experiencing here in the UK!), which is more in the traditional XTC style - ie it's got vocals on it and played traditional instruments, and the catchy choruses that Andy Partridge is at good at coming up with, and with a nice bit of guitar work on the fade.  The proceedings are rounded off with "Tissue-Tigers (The Augers)" - which to me at least has more in common with their stuff from the late 70's - with a nice choppy rhythm and structure, and one of those tracks were you can see the influence on the US indie bands that emerged in the mid 80's - early R.E.M. comes to mind.  Worth a listen to see what you think - and as with the other tracks available somewhere on there on the web.

FRANK'S FRENCH GUITAR

Artist: THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION; Title: MY GUITAR; Label: REPRISE; 

Format: 7"; Cat. No.: RV. 20221; Year: 1969; Country: FRANCE

 First on for Feb is this 1969 French single from Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention.  And not a single underage groupie or roadie/dodgy politician in sight!

The A Side gives you "My Guitar" - which with it's longer title of 'My Guitar Wants To Kill You Mama' appears in a somewhat different mix on the parent 'Weasels Ripped My Flesh' LP.  What you a have here is a slower mid-tempo version with more of a Funk vibe to it, and without the speeded-up sax solos from Ian Underwood.  You can almost dance too it too!

The flip side gives you "Dog Breath" - and again a somewhat different version from the on that appears on 'Uncle Meat'.  Here it's an instrumental take (if you discount the backing vocal la-la-la's on the intro and Frank's mutant doo-wop at the end of the track) - so just when you're expecting the fuzzy dice and bongos bit instead you get Zappa and Ian Underwood playing in synch on what would normally be the vocal part.  The effect is to make it sound more akin to the stuff on 'Hot Rats'.

There's a copy of this on Discogs selling for £75 - so this one's probably worth around the £50 mark.  Not bad considering I only paid £20 for it back in Manchester a few years ago!