Buckle up for the November pressing of Podrophenia - Billy Reeves is in for news on his upcoming album Steve (pre order here). https://shop.lastnightfromglasgow.com/.../billy-reeves...
With world premier plays of his newbie tunes. Also Why films are rubbish, why isn't there a Darts documentary and the Donkety Donk quiz.
While Lord Hastings and myself spin a collection curious cover versions - Warren Zevon doing Prince, Cliff doing Northern Soul - it's all here, here, HERE
Download/stream - The Podrophonic Sunday Session. Four solid hours of funk, freakbeat, reggae, forgotten Brit-pop, curious covers and Northern Soul all DJd live - and behold - a World Premiere of Billy Reeves ear-hooking new tune 'Trying to Ride a Donkey' - salutes to Pal Billy for chugging from the west end of the Thames to Westcliff on Sea for a Sunday arvo social ..
Behold as a Podrophonic double drop lands in your 2022 lap
Sickness: illness is the theme of the January playlist, wherein we prescribe new tunes alongside old faves and buried treasures. Dig in and dose up here . Or wherever you get your podcasts
Health: Piley, Lord Hastings and m'self bring you a robust bundle and of heart-pounding sounds from 2021. Listenable here (or wherever you get your etc.....)
Something to lively up your playlists - the Soundr Hour - Cover Stars....
60 solid minutes of uptempo covers: disco refits, funky reduxes and latin reworks - all contained herein. From Steely Dan to Rod Stewart, from the Average White Band to Ashford and Simpson - they all get rung and respun with fruity new versions...
Rockers, rollers, new romantics and old romantics - settle in for Podrophenia's Love-in podcast. Where Piley, Lord Hastings and Mondo will be pleasuring your lugs with two hours of tuneage - themed around, hearts, flowers and Champagne.
There'll be a Valentine's quiz, love songs rendered to 8 bit Sega style editions, and smoochy tunes played on a tuba.
And a live a 'performance' of three eighties hits on a 1982 Casio VL Tone keyboard......
For just over a year now. I've been running a bi-monthly night of disco doings - Soundr.
Wherein we spin in tracks and tunes from Daft Punk to Dolly Parton, Tom Jones to Grace Jones and Cher to Chic.. The next run-out is 25th May - at Soundr HQ or Peggy Sue's to give it it's official title..
Should you fancy sampling the vibe of the night - dig in to Snaps 'n' claps a freshly pressed mix swishy disco and deep cut remixes..
Every Friday is Funky Friday on Planet Mondo, but this week FF is different for the following reason..
It's my birthday this Sunday, so I hope you'll allow me the indulgence of loading up the A and B side my favourite Northern Soul single EVER by Luther Ingram
A - 'Exus Trek' B - 'If It's All The Same To You'
I only stumbled across these tracks six months ago, but the moment I heard them it felt like I'd known them all my life and I've had to play them at least once a week ever since. The A side 'Exus Trek' is a glorious Northern Soul stomping instrumental, but flip it over and it's even better on the B side. A vocal version of 'Exus Trek' with heartfelt lead vocals and haunting backing vocals - and for me THE perfect Northern Soul song (I really can't understand why the vocal take was tucked away on the B side)
There are few other tracks constantly in flux and contending for second place on my Northern Soul playlist..
Bobby Fuller Four - 'Magic Touch' The MVP's - 'Turnin' That Heartbeat up' The Younghearts - 'A Little Togetherness' 'Love is Like an Itching in My Heart' - The Supremes
But Luther Ingram is always there in pole position.
I don't know much about Luther Ingram except that his greatest hit was '(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right' and he appeared at Wattstax, - but I do know that 'If It's All The Same To You' and 'Exus Trek' are the distilled essence of Northern Soul and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Every Friday is Funky Friday on Planet Mondo and this week brings you two youtube alternative takes on Tamla tunes, and three tracks that breakdown the mechanics of Motown classics.
Funk Brothers band leader Joe Hunter on the start of the Motown Sound
There can be an element of sniffery towards Motown from some Soul and Funk purists - the production line production, the radio friendly Funk arrangements (I feel the same about Trojan Reggae - it's good but the high frequencies and searing strings are a sweetened and diluted version of Studio One), but one of the first albums I owned when I started moving away from stand alone singles to the joined up listening of LP's was 'The Big Wheels of Motown', so I'll always have a soft spot for Motown.
The template, foundation and roots of Northern Soul can be traced back to the Motor City sound and in particular The Supremes 'Love is Like An Itching in My Heart' - Larry over at Funk 16 Corners does a great piece on this theory here.
First up is a Tamla team up with The Supremes and The Temptations vamping like crazy on a franticly funky 'I'm Losing You' - the Rod and the Faces Rock and Soul rework is also well worth a peep here.
Marvin Gaye's 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine' may be the definitive version of the song but Gladys knight and the Pips were the first to record it in 1967. GK and the P's version is a faster, looser, downtown shakedown and completley different 'Grapevine' to Marvin Gaye's snake hips take.
This trio of treats are instrumentals of Motown classics and have deliberate drop outs and isolated instrumental breaks which give a peep at the engine, mechanics and component parts of the Motor City sound.
There's an unreleased Motown nugget on a previous post here
And finally If you do happen to be in the sunny Southend (Leigh on Sea)area tonight, why not pop along to Weird Fantasy where Paul Sigg's, Agent Cooper and possibly even me may be spinning a few of these winners.
