The Soundr Hour - Yachtify

Soundr-Crowders: an hour of AOR vintage funk and new smooth-cruising tunes - Diana Ross, Johnny Mathis and Loyal Carner are all aboard the yacht - with a rare Toto demo and an early doors cameo from Nik Kershaw. There's also news of an exciting Soundr team-up due coming soon Stream away below

Soundr DJ · The Soundr Hour: Yachtify - cruising through new yacht and vintage smooth grooves

Radio Podrophenia - the Letter V. Now up for download

If you fancy something to lively up your commute and doings over the coming week - grab a take away version of our Radio Podrophenia show, featuring a mix of musical styles fitted around the theme of V recorded and broadcast live from The Railway, Southend...

Steven Hastings from Harbour Bazaar spotlights a classic Velvet Underground album with a rare take of a VU tune. Gentleman George Crockford from Box of Delights mans the Tech Decks - and our special guest is Chris Constantinou ex of Adam and the Ants talking about covering a Velvet Underground lost song and working with Tony Visconti on Adam's Vive Le Rock album and his current project The Mutants

Tune-wise we've got South African soul, Motown stompers, first-wave and now-wave punk

We also, ask what happens when you show retro children's TV shows to today's children... get listeners fancy dress confessions  (Peters and Lee, the 'hills' from The Sound of Music)...

Grab here Radio Podrophenia - the Letter V 

Stream here


Or via iTunes..

And what has this video got to do with the Letter V - find out inside..

60 Minute Man: Jukebox Jimmy's Guide to Motown

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Photo by Colin O' Brien - from the always excellent Spitalfields Life

For the third installement of Jukebox Jimmy's Guide to music - we bring you a JBJ Motown special. Wherein Jim picks his favourite tracks, tunes and Tamla tales. All hand-ripped from his very own vinyl library

Ballads, belters and tear-jerkers (literally) are contained within the collection.

So let Jukebox Jim take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of London and Detroit for the next hour

Sixty Minute Man - JBJ guide to Motown



The previous Sixty Minute editions are below should you fancy backtracking

Summer Sounds

JBJ Guide to Music

Sunday Sessions: music and movement

Snow stopped play for the last edition of the Sunday Sessions - but this weekend, we shall have.... a mix of blues, soul, boogaloo, funk, fatback and disco. A three course Sunday roast that includes...

Blues 'n' Boogie - Martin McNeill and the Bottletop Blues Band.

Decks 'n' discs - that's me.

A'drinking 'n' a'dancing - that's you.

So let's gather together at The Railway Hotel from four. Salut!

Lowell Fulson - Man of Motion

Funk Friday - Live: covers, floor shakers and samples

Crate expectations

Remember backawhiles, before the music nattering masses migrated to Twitter. Facebook and whatnot - we used to get on some sort of a goodly foot by cueing up a few funky tunes of a Friday...

Well, if you're any stripe of drinker or dancer - wander your way to Southend's Railway Hotel tonight - where I'll be winging in a few fleet-footed frisky discs from 7 30 (ish). No bands - just you know who and a crateful of soul, funk, hammond, motown, northern, glam, garage and godknowswhatelse.

Playlist-free, (that's too prescriptive) - I'll be winging in sizzlers and scorchers to fit the mood of the room. Funky nuggets such as ...

Mo Horizons - Hit The Road Jack





If you're around or about tonight - why not pop in for bop

Pop Quiz - Carry on Loving..

Live from 9 - tonight's Radio Podrophenia is pitched around the themes of ' Love and Hate'. Expect a few smoochy(ish) doings from The Sonic Executive Sessions, The Sonics, a Supremes instrumental rarity , a tune titled after this Carry On film - and a mystery artist. Along with handful of angry songs sung to you by Gil Scott Heron and Southend premier punk legends The Machines.

One track almost popped into my Tuesday night hamper was this full and fruity number from another mystery artist - but who is it geting himself into a cross-eyed tizzy.

Mystery Tune



For the full reveal tune into Chance Radio tonight

If you fancy catching up on last week's our 50th edition (theme:Films) - grab below or via iTunes...

Radio Podrophenia - 50th Edition

Where's the F in Funk

Chapter Six (well my half) of the Podrophonic Alphabet sets controls for the heart of funk playlisting naught but nifty footed-nuggets and unlikely places to find The Funk: onions, fever, trips. Also an unreleased Motown rarity and a Georgie Fame outtake.

Lend an ear here from 9 for a fistful of funky gubbins and an all out super-power con-funk-tation. Also nipping in from 9 is Fi Jacobs for a Railway Round Up - did anybody manage to eat/beat the Crass Burger Challenge...? Find out tonight on Radio Podrophenia.

Above: James Jamerson and his 'Funk Machine'

Below: my Jamerson clone bass..

Some nearly but not quites were.........

Ray Johnson ~ Funky Way





A version of Earl Van Dyke's - Soul Stomp will be in Tonight's Radio Podrophenia

Funky Friday: A One off all-soul shakedown

Its been awhiles since we got on the good foot of a weekend. But as we're off to a summer shindig tomorrow night - a garden gathering of scoopy doings and fruity tunes which I've been asked to do the music for - it seems a fine time to fire up some Friday Funk for a one off.

In fact, it was one of these very same get-togethers that partially gave me the push to start sticking tunes into a cyberspace scrapbook, as a way of sharing several CDs worth of home-mixed music comps. Although as it turned out, only this 30 minute snippet has ever been blogged.

Anyhow - tomorrow's collections and compilations span almost 5 hours - give or take a track or two. CDs 1 and 2 tend towards the sunny sounds of Acid Jazz, Studio One, funky covers and world grooves. But set 3 is something strangely I've never pitched in with before - an all out soul-rollercoaster of vintage hits, new bits, covers, northern, Motown, garage, international and instrumental hip swishing funk.

The track-listing is in the comments to swerve a blog-whacking. So tomorrow think of us shaking a Saturday night leg, and perhaps I'll wing in the other 3 CDs during the summer season

Summer Shakedown Volume 3



You'll find a few of these scraps around and about on the blog if you're happy to dig a bit..

A Day Trip to Wonderland

I couldn't let Sir Stevie's 60th birthday go unblogged, so in keeping with this month's theme of a worldwide eye (and ear) we have..

Stevie Wonder himself re-rendering one of his 60s hits in Italian!!

Solo Te, Solo Me, Solo Noi



An as yet unreleased and untitled rarity, which I believe, this vid (filmed in Brazil) captures the only recorded appearance of.



Finally, a two-way team up on The Real Thing. A Wonder tune performed by Sergio Mendes with Stevie on keys..

Sergio Mendes And The New Brazil 77 - The Real Thing

All Vinyl Fridays - Metallica Motown

And another two bargains by way of the Battlesbridge vinyl archive - in fact the two Tamla albums pictured, last week's soul special and this Python LP were all bagged in one sale for a rounded-down tenner!!! I would have included a track from one of my earliest requested-for Christmas comps The Big Wheels of Motown. But…

It's long lost in the loft somewhere

It's too crackle-o-matic to be anywhere near listenable

So today's tunes include a Supremes number, that's one of Mrs M's all time favourites of all time. And an almost Four Tops-ish Temptations track .

The Supremes ~ No Matter What Sign You Are



The Temptations ~ I can't Get Next To You



On the theme of sixties groovy doings - you really must drop in on Lord Dunsby's newly minted site, it's a F.A.B gallery of original illustrations and artwork. I've bought one already - any guesses? It's not the one below.


Now, why not treat yourself to this supremely tempting (ouch) clip of a Tamla Team-up

Funky Friday - Island Girls

Unintentionally, last Friday's label-mates turned out to be a grizzled and glittered bunch of blokes, gathering together: ska stars, frizzy hippies and space-rockers.

Today, let's try a tour of the Ladies Department. There's a rich history and roll call of role models to pick and mix from: Millie Small with My Boy Lollipop was one of Island's earliest stars - but Sandy Denny, Linda Thompson, P J Harvey, Amy Winehouse have also been Islanders at one time or another. So, picking up from where last week's timeline left off..

Betty Davis (married to Miles), grunts, grinds and bumps like Buckaroo over a groove-o-matic soundtrack of popping bass lines, fidgety riffing and fatback drums.

Nasty Gal - Betty Davis


Did you know Slits singer Ari Up is John Lydon's step-daughter? Of course you did. The grrrl gang's going over of Grapevine still sounds daisy-fresh, and as contemporary as any new tune you'll hear in-store at Rough Trade.

The Slits - I Heard It Through The Grapevine



Reggae rhythms, Caribbean cool, transworld trendiness and art-scene sparkle make this one of my most played Grace Jones tunes.



PS forgot to mention - we saw the original of this Warhol Pop Life last Sunday

Funky Friday - The Damned United and Tamla Motöwn

I don't know how I ended up deleting this post for an entire afternoon but I did. Anyway -back now

I won't get on my when-will-The-Damned-get-the-respect-they're-due soapbox yet (although I've been meaning to since I started this blog). But instead, would ask that you put any prejudice, previous dislikes or received wisdom along the lines of 'Class Clowns of Punk' to one side and lend an impartial ear to a few tunes.

If you've only time for one track today, make it Stranger On The Town, a song I literally obsessed over after moving from my childhood town to somewhere I knew nobody. It's simpatico but celebratory tone hit the target at the time, and had me manhandling who-knows-how-many college mates into the nearest record shop to buy the accompanying album Strawberries (a work of depth, genius and yours for a fiver). So, then...

Stranger On The Town - which, sees The Damned going The Doors meet Motown backed by Stax style horns (and you must check out the hammond freakout at starting at 4:50).

Nobody But Me - The Damned in disguise as Naz Nomad and the Nightmares (there's a thread waiting to happen: Secret Bands) as part of the eighties psych-revival.

And Finally a 1966 appearance from Lemmy (on guitar not bass) with his first band The Rocking Vicars and a Shel Tamy produced B-side

The Damned - Stranger On The Town



Naz Nomad and the Nightmares - Nobody But Me



The Rocking Vicars - I Don't Need Your Kind



Motör town - the classic 'head line up covering Holland-Dozier-Holland



PS - in case you're wondering what all the hi-deaf and decibels are about on a Friday! - It's inspired by seeing Motorhead, The Damned and Girlschool live in Southend on Tuesday..

Shake Your Booty Down To The Ground

I knew I had a few somewhere...

Jacko & The Charlatans
The Baddest One I Know - McSleazy



Jacko & The Beatles
Daytrip To Never Never Land - Go Home Productions



Jacko & Black Grape
Reverend Black Jackson - Go Home Productions

Funky Friday the 13th EP

How's Your Luck? Are you a superstitious sort - a ladder-dodger who says "hello" to Magpies and treads stealthily to avoid pesky pavement cracks? What's your take on black cats - good or bad luck? More importantly will you be taking time off and keeping yourself cocooned indoors, reducing the probability of pitfalls, pratfalls or possible hospitalization.

Wherever you are, whatever condition you're in - why not lend an ear bruised, bandaged or otherwise to these Friday the 13th anthems...

The Ventures - Superstition



Ella Fitzgerald - Knock On Wood



Jeff Beck(featuring Rod Stewart and Ron Wood)- I Ain't Superstitious

Funky Friday - Hitsville Twist

Community Chest - 'You've won second prize in a beauty contest. Move straight to frontman for The Commodores'

Motown has reached it's 50th birthday. It's officially middle- aged! So in celebration (or commiseration of the occasion), here's my hats off to Hitsville - where, rather than cracking out the usual classics, I'll roll out a few retreads of the Big Wheels of Motown..

Lee Moses thumps and thunders through, 'Reach Out' taking it to a new level of uptempo urgency

Lee Moses - Reach Out I'll Be There



Shirley Scott's higgledy-piggeldy-my-funky-keyboard cut of 'Want You Back'is a joy and a gem

Shirley Scott - I Want You Back



I'm guessing Ella was going through her 'mod' period (I've got a handful of her Beatles belters, and a Cream cover cut from the same swishery) when she cracked off this hipshaking take on 'Grapevine'

Ella Fitzgerald - I Heard It Through The Grapevine



Perhaps I'll post some genuine Tamla treats next week..

Who Are The Mystery Girls ?

I only know a limited amount about each of these performers, and I think I'll keep it that way. It's actually quite liberating enjoying these songs for the songs sake - and not having the added baggage of facts and figures or being weighed down with the relative worth worked out on some ready reckoner of rock, pop and soul, which would burst the mystery bubble and take the gloss of the goodies anyway.

And for more funky nuggets why not check out what's a popping on all new That Black Magic blog


Judy Clay
'Private Number' the duet with recorded William Bell, was her only UK hit.
Judy Clay - 'It Ain't Long Enough'




Chris Clark
Was the first white female artist signed to Motown.
Chris Clark - 'Everything's Right Everything'Wrong'
(It's that man again- James Jamerson on bass)


Dee Dee Warwick
Is Dionne's elder sister.
Dee Dee Warwick -Rescue Me



Dee Dee also does a belting version of 'Monday Monday' - I'm desperate to get any version of this - so I'd be eternally grateful if anyone could slip a 'Monday Monday' MP3 my way.

Funky Friday - Bloggers Banquet

Most of the Stones uptempo output comes with a fully formed stomp in it's step, created by a combo of Charlie's pumping pulse-beat drums, Keef's louche grooves and Mick's swishery (check out 'Bitch' or 'Monkey Man' for examples of all three in perfect synch'), so it only takes a touch of extra heat under the tunes to clonk them up a groovy gear...

Merrie Clayton - Gimme Shelter
Merrie's belting version of 'Shelter' was my proto-Funky Friday post




Anadar Shankar - Jumpin Jack Flash
Sitar Hero a Go-Go



Little Richard - Brown Sugar
A screeching, squawling, Southern Soulish re-work of 'Brown Sugar'



Mary Wells- Satisfaction
A Tamala flavoured twist on the Stones Standard




And also worth lending an eye too...

Sympathy For The Devil

Recording possibly the most influential "ooh-ooh's" ever (kicks in at 1:18)


Thelma Houston - Jumpin' Jack Flash

A beaut' of a belter


Otis Redding - Satisfaction

Otis's (backed by Booker T and The MGs)entire Monterey set is explosive, but this track is unrelenting - listen out for 'Duck' Dunn's piledriving bass runs.

Funky Friday - Get Back and Get Down

I've always had a thumbnail theory about the distinction and differences between The Beatles and the Stones songs (based on my own eye witness evidence from family parties during the seventies) - The Beatles make people sing, the Stones make people dance - or put another way The Beatles are about the tunes. The Stones are about the groove.

This isn't set in stone or tried and tested under strictly controlled conditions, it's just a rough rule of thumb, and as these fab four flavours of 'Get Back' show Beatles tunes can just as easily be refried funky side up...

Get Back - Chris Clark

The Merseybeaters get given a Motown makeover




Get Back - Deidre Wilson Tabac

A bubbly,shuffely, loose limbed lollop-a-long re-work.




Get Back - Sarah Vaughan

A brain-frying team up between those beardy buggers brothers from Toto and their squiddly diddly synths, a'topped off with Sarah Vaughan's deep velvet vocals.




Get Back - Shirley Scott & The Soul Saxes

A hat-popping, horn-stomping spectacular so fast and furious it rollocks along like a runaway train.



There's a couple of other tasty Beatles treats well worth grabbing...

BLTP's unearthing of a gorgeous rework of 'Rain' - nothing like the original and none the worse for it - here

And Larry F16's Beatles based million-hit-mix here

Funky Friday - Hitsville U.S.A

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.


I Was Made To Love Her -instrumental


For Once In My Life -instrumental


I Can't Help Myself - Piano Version


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.

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