Funky Friday - Northern Soul Nuggets

This week's Funky Friday brings you a couple of long lost Northern Soul nuggets, with downloads of both tracks available via the links.
Plus a 5 track home made mini mix featuring both songs posted at the bottom.

The Supremes - Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart.mp3




An overlooked and underplayed Supremes stomper from 1966, when Diana Ross was just a lowly Supreme and not the separatley billed superstar. It also features(yes,it's him again!) James Jamerson on bass.

I've uploaded the instrumental version of this track as it just seems to have more 'bounce to the ounce' than the vocal version.





The Flirtations - Nothing But a Heartache.mp3




Two videos were made for this single. One's a black and white mime filmed in a night-club, but I prefer the colour clip with it's Hammer Horror overtones and swishy hipshaker strides. It seems to have been filmed at Tintern Abbey? A long way to hoof when Highgate Cemetery must surely have been closer...




Mondo Mini Mix



This 5 track mini mix includes The Supremes, The Flirtations and 3 other tracks that seem to suit the mood. It's absolutely free of frills, having only had 10 minutes to rustle it up.

The Track listing is

I Surrender - Bonny St. Claire
Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart (vocal version)- The Supremes
Nothing But a Heartache - The Flirtations
Tainted Love - Gloria Jones
Billy Sunshine - Judi Scott

Beatle Boots - Jet Lady Joe

Go Home Productions - Jet Lady Joe(2004).mp3




This track is one of those mashup moments where the Professor of Pop, Mark Vidler (Go Home Productions) is at the Golden Section of his intergeneric genius.

On paper, attempting to build a Frankenstein of funk from this role call of rockers;

The Beatles, Jet, Joe Walsh, The Jamms and Mud.

Should end up as a musical disaster movie, but the Mozart of mashups creates an action stacked masterpiece that packs more wallop than a bare knuckle ruck.

I've been tempted several times to drop this in to various mixes, comps and occasional DJ spots, but being such an explosive 'banger' it’s almost impossible to find anything to follow up with.

If you enjoyed this get on over to GHP and fill your boots.

Duet's You Couldn't Dream Up (Not In a Good Way)

Lulu and Johnny cash - Games People Play

Probably the most fumble fingered pre song chit chat since records began, which swerves from haggis and potatoes to Glaswegian Police recruitment.
Unfortunately these clumsy stumbles and toe treading techniques carry on for the duration of the song.

A song soundtracked by showbiz horns, Isley Brothers guitar and higgldy piggldy piano.

Lulu and Cash would make a great name for a detective series though.



Cilla Black and Bryan Ferry - It's My Party

Oh dear, the showbiz horn's are back and they’ve bought their mate Plod Plod on bass with them. Ferry’s people must have spent years trying to bury this clip which does the Cilit Bang on his supercool gloss. In his defence though, he does seem to have an “I'm only doing this because my new solo album These Foolish Things is out now” look in eyes.

The phrase “you would cry too if this happened to you” must have been bouncing round his brain on the bus home

Funky Friday - Duets You Couldn't Dream Up (In a Good Way)

I've got two Youtube frug fest's this week, and a rare Tom Jones Northern Soul stomper available for download at the bottom.

Ray Charles and Billy Preston – Agent Double O Soul

Put those star performers together and you know that something good is going to happen! Doing Agent Double O Soul? That's it then,'banker' - no question, and a screamingly green suit is just the cherry on the top..

But if that funky bundle's not enough to lock your focus, wait until Mr Billy Preston does his scatter bomb bursts of leg actions, and jives like the jiggins for 1 minute and 42 seconds.

If he tried any harder he’d pop from the screen and dance like a pixie on the desk.

"Its a shame Ray Charles can't enjoy it!" was the cry from Mrs Mondo. Hmmmm



If you feel inspired to learn some of these groovy moves, why not shimmy over to the tip top Landcrofthouse blog and enjoy a James Brown masterclass showing on this screen

Tom Jones and Janis Joplin - Raise Your Hand

Starts as a “You Bump - I’ll Grind” duet, which smolders,smokes and shakes away politely(in what looks like a swingers bistro)until the sax solo kicks in. After that it’s volcanic vocals and lava flows of funk and fatbacking, all the way to the finish line. Sort of Hieronymus Bosch at the discotheque..



Tom Jones - Stop Breaking My Heart.mp3

Randomizer Pt. 3 The Beastles – Word To The Mic

Every time an unexpected winner, a long lost favourite or previously unheard nugget shuffles it’s way into play on my mp3 player. I log it in the blog. This time its;

The Beastles – Word To The Mic.mp3



I don’t mind the ol’ booty remixes. I know they’re about as dated as Teddy Boys now, but a couple of years ago bootleg remixers and bedroom techies were as A list as Banksy. Constantly ram raiding radio shows with their remixes, or spraying new mashup masterpieces all over the internet.

This piece of oddbod pop was put together by DJBC, whose Beastles project (Beastie Boys Vs Beatles based booties) ran for two albums, both of which are currently out of circulation.

Luckily I managed to grab them while they were up, along with far too many megabytes of other rare mashup mp3’s.

*Has moment of quite smugness*

I may start logging some of these on the blog under the title
“It’s All Too Bootyful” - ouch! Perhaps not.

Any alt.suggestions would be welcome. A prize of both DJBC albums to the winner

The big boss of bootleg remixers was Mark Vidler aka Go Home Productions . GHP did the legendary Madonna Sex Pistols - Ray Of Gob smashup which led to comissions from Bowie and Franz Ferdinad

Tomorrow he releases a free 5 year retrospective of the best, rare and unreleased remixes "This Was Pop (2002-2007)". It includes some of these benchmark booties

Ray Of Gob
Paperback Believer
Shannon Stone
Work It Out With A Foxy Lady

It's available via the Go Home Productions website, but may not be on line for long, so grab it while you can

Sex Pistols Are Coming !!!!!

So the Sex Pistols are back !

They could reform every year and roll round the world as far I’m concerned. How often do you get to see real life legends, who've turned the music, fashion, media, and design industries up side down. Whose look, sound and attitude is still referenced as undiluted source material today.

Walk down almost any high Street and you’ll see the shadow of the Sex Pistols somewhere.

I doubt I’ll get tickets.I don’t care. It's just a buzz to know they’re buzzing for it too.

I’m planning to upload a super rare bootleg next month Party Till You Puke – which is the complete and studio quality demo’s for the NMTB sessions including the only studio recording of Sid playing bass (on Submission).

So if you’ve got a Pistols buzz, treat yourself with some of these goodies


Ignore the ninnies who say the Sex Pistols can’t play, and blast this in their ears.

No Feelings – instrumental version.mp3



Sex Pistols poster - offline
A high Res version of the first ever Sex Pistols poster (as pictured above, but much larger), given away in the German music magazine Bravo.



Or why not have a peep at an earlier pistols blog of mine about at a Spanish Punk band's cover of NMTB

Then have a nosey at this Filth and the Fury trailer and see why the tickets will probably sell out in less time than it takes to watch this clip

The Cosmic Dancer and Cilla

Marc and Cilla

It seems appropriate to bookend this 30th anniversary weekend with another Marc Bolan moment, and only the seventies could bring you a moment like this.

Light Entertainment meets Glam Rock, as Marc Bolan and Cilla Black duet on Cosmic Dancer from the Cilla Show. Unfortunately the old spoilsport who uploaded this video hasn't allowed embedding so you'll gave to click on the "Marc and Cilla" link above to view it.

And if you've got time why not have a peep at this mini documentary. A six minute summary of Bolan and Glam with contributions from Sandie Shaw, Captain Sensible, Mick Rock, Johnny Marr and Marc Almond




One of the things I've noticed over the 3Oth anniversary of his death is how many blogs and bloggers with impeccable record collections, impossibly rare or tastefully trendy downloads haven't just written about Marc Bolan, but have written enthusically about Marc and his music without irony or Rock Snobbery, as Marc Bolan and T.Rex fans.

Two of the best pieces I've come across are below, and both are based around visits to the Memorial site yesterday.

Piley

The Ghost of Electricity


It seems even 30 Years after his death, Marc Bolan is still as cool as ever.

"Me I funk but I don't care
I ain't no square with my corkscrew hair " - Telegram Sam

It Was 30 Years Ago Today Pt. 2 - The Rex Factor

"Goodbye from all the boys in the band, David (Bowie),everybody,all the cats you know who they are" were his final words on TV.

I won't blab on about Marc Bolan, there'll be stacks of facts flying around this anniversary weekend. Instead I've picked 2 clips that show why, at just over five feet tall he towers above any of todays pop pretenders.

I've also popped a couple of T. Rextra bonus rarities/obscurities at the bottom for download. Slider or Tanx are my recommended Albums if you enjoyed these T.Rex treats and fancy digging deeper.


20th Century Boy - from Beat Club

This is the best version EVER!!!! of 20th Century Boy, where Marc swishes like a star,and struts like champ. Grinding his guitar all the way





Next To You - from The Marc Show

Bowie and Bolan (the Dynamic Duo of Glam) duetting on a some demolition riffery in Marc's final TV appearance. This is one of only 2 songs that Bowie and Bolan wrote togther. Bolan had to be stood on a box to get in shot with Bowie, but he takes a tumble at the end.

Look out for Herbie (who wrote the bass line for Walk on The Wild Side)Flowers on Bass he also played with Bowie and Lou Reed. Tony Newman on drums, who'll be on Funky Friday soon. And spot the Raleigh Stryker T Shirt.




T. Rextras - offline at the moment

Get It On
- rocking version, of a work in progress studio run through as Bolan gives directions to the band

Sunken Rags - an .alt version slightly punchier take of Sunken Rags

Raw Ramp - brilliant overlooked B side

Thunderwing - should've been a single.

Walmington.... Are You Ready To Rock?

Marvellous news.

My monthly subscription to Word wafted onto the mat yesterday, and scanning through the letters on page 66 who did I see? – ME!!!!.

They've printed my email about old rock n roll soldiers David Bowie, Van Morrison, Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, The Pet Shop Boys plus others who could all be specific Dad’s Army characters.

For Example Van Morrison would make a perfect captain Mainwaring. Now I’m not gonna tell you who’s who - you’ll have to check the mag for that. But It's even got a photo with my suggested line up. How cool is that??

This rock veterans idea was inspired after listening to the Word Podcasts and two spectacular Van Morrison stories. I’m not particularly a Van fan which shows you how good they must be. The Word team are becoming the Lennon and McCartney of podcasters. So get over to Itunes and get downloading - it's all free.

Funky Friday - James Jamerson – Fever In The Funkhouse

After seeing how many downloads the Merry Clayton track received (almost as popular as Los Punkrockers). I’m going to sprinkle some sparkle over Fridays by sharing a few funky nuggets on the Blog.

For openers here's a hair-raisingly rare track I managed to grab while the online goldmine Winmx was up and running

James Jamerson – Fever In The Funkhouse.mp3




So, who's James Jamerson? Well he's not the shouty, cigar chomping editor from Spider-Man. But the bass playing virtuoso with Motown’s in-house band, The Funk Brothers  - a band who heard on more number one's than Elvis,The Beatles,The Beach Boys and The Rolling Stones combined.

Checkout his discography here

James Jamerson was (he died in 1983) one of those rare talents that crackle with natural ability and genius.

And like all genuine geniuses the usual rules don't apply. He rarely changed the strings on his bass "The Funk Machine", its neck was notoriously bowed with a crazy high action between the strings and the fret board. He didn’t rake the strings (the standard spider like hand movements bass players employ). Instead - and possibly from his beginnings as an upright bass player - just used his index finger, which he nicknamed "The Hook",

Try re-listening to I was Made To Love Her, Bernadette, or What's Going On to hear this Funk Brother bounce around the Fretboard

Fever in The Funkhouse is James Jamerson's own composition and is still unreleased

Holy Beatlemania - The Fab Four go to Gotham

Almost daily I'm amazed how pervasive The Beatles influence has been. Aside from the obvious clones and copycats, there's oblique references like Terry Gilliam's Monty Python animations and The Goodies music based slapstick skits. To even more obscure motifs like Chekov's haircut in Star Trek (honestly! It really is based on a Beatles moptop).

And then there's batty Beatlemania of Batman no. 222 "Dead Til Proven Alive". The June 1970 issue based around the Paul is dead rumors, which sees the Dynamic Duo trying to crack clues - backward recordings, cryptic artwork etc, to reveal the rogue rock star. Fortunately the full story has been scanned in and is available to read here . It's almost as bonkers as issue 133 of Daredevil which guest stars international "mentalist" Uri Geller in a walk on appearance.

Have a Go Heroes Pt. 1 - Borat With Biceps Pumping Heavy Metal

One of the best (and worst) things about the internet is it’s an open mic medium and anyone can shine a spotlight on themselves and become a cyberspace superstar. Occasionally you see something that has more sparkle than a chandelier, but mainly it’s happy amateur howlers

I’m going to start logging some of these "Have a Go Heroes" in the blog - Anything from top notch bit’s and bob’s I’ve stumbled across that have made me think how much longer until I can play like that? to lower league legends whose hearts are in the right place but fingers aren’t. It’s all going in the blog.

First up is The Nuclear Warrior blundering around in a boiler room. Doing two minutes of half hearted heavy metal and semi shredding solo’s that melt your fillings and make your ears bleed. They grind out the sort of trebly, tinny frequencies that put the needles in the red, and next door’s dog into spasms. But it’s not just a noise that annoys, there’s crazy shark fin shaped guitars, a muscle vest (in red) with comfort fit leisure slacks, porn star ‘taches on guitar ‘n drums, and a librarian on bass too.

It’s like Borat rocking out with a couple of reps.