Hüsker Dü – Candy Apple Grey

The wife has been on a Hüsker Dü tip of late, and I’ve been making a conscious effort to listen to bands I’ve never really heard and giving them some eartime (it was Uriah Heep yesterday), ‘cos you never know. Anyway, this arrived in the post today, so I thought I’d give it a whirl.

Hüsker Dü were included in Half Man Half Biscuit’s Irk The Purists for good reason - people who love them go on and on about them. And, if anybody ever read these posts, purist or otherwise, I’d probably irk them by picking their fist major label release.

I normally avoid anything tagged Alternative Rock. Hence, Hüsker Dü remain a bit of a mystery to me.

There’s some big tunes in here. Whether they warrant all the fervour, I don’t know. It all goes a bit REM in places.

Also, Bob Mould would’ve been one of the best made-up punk names, if it wasn't his real name.

Two words to say about the pressing (the only Record Store Day release I own, on lilac vinyl): cät shït.

#NowPlaying
#Vinyl
#HüskerDü
#CandyAppleGrey
#AlternativeRock
#Music

Johnnie Taylor - Just Ain't Good Enough

Johnnie Taylor recorded only this one album for Beverly Glen Music before, quelle surprise, the relationship ended in bitterness and acrimony. (BGM had form in this area.) But what an album!

This is another Beverly Glen record that takes that deep southern soul feeling and chucks everything, including the big, fancy, marble, double sized, Hollywood kitchen sink at it – plumbed in by Patrick Molten and Otis Smith.

In What About My Love and Just Ain’t Good Enough, this album contains two of my favourite tunes ever.

The sleeve contains the most uneffusive statement from (presumably) JT: “I would like to thank a lot of great people who put forth their efforts. I enjoyed doing this album, and I hope everyone enjoys it as well.”

It also has the most aggressive promo stamp: “LOANED FOR PROMOTION Not for Sale/May Be Reclaimed.” Reclaimed? Yikes!

#NowPlaying
#Vinyl
#JohnnieTaylor
#JustAintGoodEnough
#BeverlyGlenMusic
#Music

John Spithead

2025-08-11 03:22:29

White Lines

Anita Baker - The Songstress

Anita Baker was working as a secretary and singing in the group Chapter 8, when Beverly Glen, an independent soul label put out this, her solo debut in 1983.

To say it had high production values was an understatement. She had a supporting cast of top-notch producers, players and singers. She even got a gate-fold sleeve. No expense was spared.

How could an indie label do this? Crack, that’s how. The album was financed by “Freeway” Rick Ross, multi-million dollar dealer of cocaine and apparent fan of velvety jazz-soul vocals.

Otis Smith, who owned the label, was a bit of a spiv. He had promised Bobby Womack he could get a deal for him with Motown, but instead signed him to Beverley Glen, giving world wide distribution to Motown, but keeping the US rights to himself. The Poet & Poet 2 sold millions. Bobby never saw a dime - but it cost him a fortune to get out of his contract.

Anita Baker never got paid for this album and spent thousands (and a couple of years) trying to get out of her contract, so she could sign for Elektra.

By, 1985 even his law firm had sued him to get paid for their services.

I bet “Freeway” Rick Ross never had to send a solicitor's letter.

Once signed to Elektra, Baker became the epoch-defining singer of smooth Mum-soul.

I bought it in the Virgin Megastore in Piccadilly Circus on import.

#NowPlaying
#Vinyl
#AnitaBaker
#TheSongstress
#Music
#Soul
#FreewayRickRoss
#BeverlyGlen

Old And New Dreams - Playing

Old and New Dreams was a quartet made up of former Ornette Coleman sidemen: Don Cherry, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden and Ed Blackwell. They played a mix of Coleman’s tunes and their own work, in an attempt to keep the free jazz flag flying.

This album finds them recorded live in Austria in 1980. As with a lot of live recordings, I’m left a little cold, despite the obviously brilliant chops on show. Being there would obviously have been wonderful.

Interestingly, the front cover has a photo of a football goal. In small letters at the bottom right of the sleeve are the words, “The kicker suddenly started his run.” Turn the sleeve over and, along the bottom is written, “The goalkeeper, who was wearing a bright yellow jersey, stood absolutely still, and the penalty kicker shot the ball into his hands.” Turns out this is a quote from Austrian writer Peter Handke, describing the goalkeeper’s dilemma (which way to dive, or whether to dive at all) at a penalty kick, in his short novel from 1970, Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter, or The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick. I’d never noticed this before.

I picked this superb ECM German pressing up as part of the best ever opshop streak a few years ago. It’s got a $2.50 sticker on, but might’ve even been half price or less.

#NowPlaying
#Vinyl
#OldAndNewDreams
#Playing
#DonCherry
#OrnetteColeman
#DeweyRedman
#CarlieHaden
#EdBlackwell
#PeterHandke
#Music
#FreeJazz

George Duke - I Love The Blues, She Heard My Cry

I picked this album up in my local record shop a few years ago after I’d popped out to buy a cucumber or something. They’d had a delivery of second-hand jazz-funk and I couldn’t resist filling my boots.

It has a real heavyweight line-up, including Flora Purim, Airto, Leon Ndugu Chancellor, Lee Ritenour and Johnny “Guitar” Watson, but it largely falls short of the potential there. It’s easy to let the album’s worst moment, the absolutely awful, no redeeming features, Rokkinrowl – in which they do a really poor Jimi Hendrix impression, overshadow the rest of the album.

The high points are Flora Purim’s appearance on Look Into Her Eyes, a song she later reprised on That’s What She Said; Someday sounds years ahead of its time, Duke’s keyboard playing is so him-sounding and his electronic wizardry is so advanced for 1975, and it’s always good to hear JGW singing and playing.

Worth noting, it’s an Aussie pressing which, for once, isn’t really shit.

#NowPlaying
#Vinyl
#GeorgeDuke
#IloveTheBluesSheHeardMeCry
#Jazz
#JazzFusion
#FloraPurim
#Airto

John Spithead

2025-06-28 04:21:55

I can feel you in my space

Flora Purim - Stories To Tell

Friendica has been out of action for a while, so I've got a bit of a backlog of tunes to post. Glad it's back, but I'm going to miss those 503 Service Unavailable messages. It means some of those #NowPlaying tags will be a bit of a lie.

I went onto Discogs over the weekend to have a quick look at what Flora Purim albums I don’t have and discovered that I own this. Turns out it had been mis-filed.

A really decent album. Brazilian-Fusion with the emphasis on the Brazilian. Flora calls back to her work with Chick Corea/Neville Potter’s Scientology-fusion Return To Forever work on the super-angular-funky title track.

It has Earl Klugh listed as guitarist. I’ve got a couple of his albums and they tend to be verrrrry melllllow affairs. I was onto the second side when I thought, “Bloody hell, Earl, you’re going for it a bit.” Turns out Carlos Santana was swapped in for that track.

Looks like I paid $20 for this, probably in Mr V’s in Semaphore. Bargain.

#NowPlaying
#Vinyl
#Music
#FloraPurim
#StoriesToTell
#JazzFusion
#BrazilianFusion

The Natural Four - Nightchaser

This is an album of pretty standard Curtom fare, with the producers, LeRoy Hutson, Chuck Jackson, Lowrell Simon, and Richard Evans amongst them, being far higher achievers than the band themselves.

What you get is an album of decent pre-disco, seventies soul with only one relatively dreary ballad. Get It Over With is the stand-out tune. To be fair, almost any of the up-tempo tunes could have turned out to be modern soul classics. Except they’re not.

The front cover shows the four band members in their glad rags, in a swanky pad with seven hot ladies. Naturally. The glass coffee table has what looks like a large plate of falafel. They’re all having a whale of a time, except for the bloke on the bottom right who is looking at one of the ladies like he’s just asked her to shit on the glass coffee table and she’s refused.

Flip to the rear of the sleeve and the photo is of the same room in the aftermath of the party – wine bottle on the floor, clothing scattered asunder, ashtray half full of nubs, people and falafel all but gone. Who’s going to tidy up?

#NowPlaying
#Vinyl
#TheNaturalFour
#Nightchaser
#Soul
#Curtom
#Music
#LeRoyHutson

Hugh Masekela - The Boy's Doin' It

On 27th September 1984, as part of the London Festival of Black Music at the Wembley Arena, I saw Hugh Masekela live. (Also on the bill that night were Philip Bailey, The Crusaders, Ronnie Laws, Stanley Clarke with George Duke and Junior Giscombe – how’s that for a line-up?)

The next morning I was on the Central Line and who should get on my train but Hugh Masekela. I was quite star-struck. When we came to our stop and I passed him to get off the train, I said quietly, “Good gig last might, mate,” He said, “Thank you, my friend.” I think he’s the most famous person I’ve ever met.

Masekela recorded this in 1975 in Lagos, and it’s accordingly full of Fela vibes (the album is dedicated to him), although mixed with a pan-African and funk influence.

I picked this up for £1.99 in a Birmingham charity shop in the 90s.

#NowPlaying
#Vinyl
#HughMasekela
#TheBoysDoinIt
#Music
#FelaKuti
#Lagos
#CentralLine

Slade - Old New Borrowed And Blue

Slade all look a bit gloomy on the cover of this album. As well they might, considering they were now well into the slide towards diminishing returns.

This is the fifth Slade LP I’ve posted about, so there’s nothing much left for me to say about them. So pour yourself a nice cup-a-soup and I’ll tell you a bit about Wolverhampton.
- Woverhampton Wanderers is one of the most...erm, exciting away games. I once got hit on the head with a ten bob bit there.
- Goldie, Liam Payne, Edward Elgar, Caitlin Moran and Eric Idle come from Wolvo.
- I once saw Fugazi there (at the Wulfun Hall, in case you were wondering). They were a bit boring.
- My mate Dave and I once schlepped all the way there to see Swamp Dogg, who had cancelled.

*This, if my memory serves me well, is a lyric from legendary Wolverhampton punk band The Velvet Underpants, whose name many train passengers would recognise from it being painted on a wall next to the train line at Birmingham New Street Station.

#NowPlaying
#Vinyl
#Slade
#OldNewBorrowedAndBlue
#Music

Anita Baker - The Songstress

Anita Baker was working as a secretary and singing in the group Chapter 8, when Beverly Glen, an independent soul label put out this, her solo debut in 1983.

To say it had high production values was an understatement. She had a supporting cast of top-notch producers, players and singers. She even got a gate-fold sleeve. No expense was spared.

How could an indie label do this? Crack, that’s how. The album was financed by “Freeway” Rick Ross, multi-million dollar dealer of cocaine and apparent fan of velvety jazz-soul vocals.

Otis Smith, who owned the label, was a bit of a spiv. He had promised Bobby Womack he could get a deal for him with Motown, but instead signed him to Beverley Glen, giving world wide distribution to Motown, but keeping the US rights to himself. The Poet & Poet 2 sold millions. Bobby never saw a dime - but it cost him a fortune to get out of his contract.

Anita Baker never got paid for this album and spent thousands (and a couple of years) trying to get out of her contract, so she could sign for Elektra.

By, 1985 even his law firm had sued him to get paid for their services.

I bet “Freeway” Rick Ross never had to send a solicitor's letter.

Once signed to Elektra, Baker became the epoch-defining singer of smooth Mum-soul.

I bought it in the Virgin Megastore in Piccadilly Circus on import.

#NowPlaying
#Vinyl
#AnitaBaker
#TheSongstress
#Music
#Soul
#FreewayRickRoss
#BeverlyGlen

C.L. Blast - C.L. Blast

They used to call this type of stuff modern independent soul or deep soul. Nowadays, it seems to be just southern soul. Whatever you call the bluesy-gospel-soul out of the south, issued on indie labels, largely for the consumption of a broadly local black audience, produced in studios where they never asked “is that too much reverb, do you think?” I’m all for it.

C.L. Blast was from (the other) Birmingham. He wore his new shirt for the cover photo.

I bought this on import when it came out in 1984, on the strength of Lay Another Log On The Fire, as bluesy a soul tune can get before it becomes blues. The Muscle Shoals Sound sound is in full effect. It’s perfect.

The final track on the album is called Let Me Entertain You. Nowhere is it written that this was the inspiration for a more famous song of the same name, but I wouldn’t mind betting it was.

Also, TIL that 'Jody' is US military slang for someone who fucks your wife whilst you're away on active service. After all these years, I finally understand this song properly.

#NowPlaying
#C.L.Blast
#Vinyl
#Soul

Johnny "Guitar" Watson - And The Family Clone

Johnny “Guitar” Watson was another one of those eccentric, genre-bending characters, who carried on churning out albums, and which I kept on buying. I’ve got a few JGW LPs.

This one, from 1981, sees Watson playing all the instruments (apart from the drums on one track) and doing all the vocals himself. It's got his mix of soul, blues, disco, funk and jazz, typical for this period of his work. He was fond of a vocoder too.

This was Watson’s last album on the DJM imprint, the label owned by Dick James, who had made his dough owning owning the Beatles publishing and signing Reg Dwight.

I saw Watson live once, at the Town & Country Club in Kentish Town, which the internet tells me was the 27th June 1987. I remember having a bit of a shit night, but that was down to who I was with, I think. A waste. Impressive, though, that he could still fill the T&C in 1987, despite having largely faded into obscurity by then. Also, probably the wrong venue for him at that time.

This is a really good album.

#NowPlaying
#Vinyl
#JohnnyGuitarWatson
#Music
#AndTheFamilyClone

Andy Hamilton & the Blue Notes - Silvershine

Andy Hamilton left Jamaica to come to Britain as part of the Windrush generation, bringing with him his sweet tenor style: think Lester Young with a Caribbean flavour.

The thing that is universally repeated about Hamilton is that he wrote the tune Silvershine for Errol Flynn. However, I think it's much more interesting that he recalled the tune whilst lying in a diabetic coma in the 1980s. But that's just me.

Hamilton played every Monday night upstairs at The Bear in Bearwood, accompanied by a mix of old-spars and young guns coming up under his mentorship. We used to go occasionally, and I was introduced to him once by our housemate, who studied under him. He was clearly a very important man; extremely charismatic and super cool.

Honestly, if he had moved to the US, or even London, rather than Brum, he would be much better known.

It seems unbelievable to me now, that we didn't jump on the number 11 bus and go to see him every week. What were we thinking?

This album, released in 1991, features some big names from British jazz from that time: Andy Sheppard and Steve Williamson, for instance. Graeme, his trumpet-playing son, features, as does Jean Toussaint, who features on one track, as does a pre-Stars Mick Hucknall ,who, despite my reservations, does a decent job. Yep, I said it.

#NowPlaying
#Vinyl
#AndyHamilton
#Jazz
#Birmingham
#Music
#Bearwood

Sylvester - You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)

I remember being in the teens' disco at Pontin's in Camber Sands in the summer of 1977. Disco was huge. We were dancing to this and my mate, Ricky, turns to me with a knowing look and says, "You know that Sylvester's a [insert epithet for gay man], don't ya."

In hindsight, this is interesting for a couple of reasons: firstly, that the signifiers of queerness were lost on people. Really? That man wearing make-up and a dress and singing in a falsetto vocal is not heterosexual? Mind blown. Even years later, I remember older relatives refusing to countenance that Danny LaRue might be gay.

Secondly, at the time, disco was all the rage, due in large part to the film Saturday Night Fever. Whilst I'm quite the fan of the film, it completely elbows out gay culture from the art form, and replaces it with a preening-peacock form of toxic masculinity.

Why am I going on about this? I don't know really, other than I heard I Feel Love in the supermarket this morning and it got me thinking how much times have changed. My kids' generation are really clued-in about sexuality and homophobia is quite unusual and a bit...ick. I think this is one of the major cultural shifts in my lifetime.

I played this (twice) whilst I was putting away the shopping. I was surprised how acoustic and roomy the drum sound is. What a fucking tune though.

#NowPlaying
#Vinyl
#Sylvester
#Disco

Alive! - City Life

You know, playing this today reminded me of how hard it was to hear tunes you loved back in the old days. To hear this tune, for instance, I had to go out to hear a DJ play it, or listen to a pirate radio show that might play it. If I knew what it was called, I could go to one of a few specialist record shops who might have it or if I didn’t know the name, I could hum it to them - either way, I’d pay top dollar. It’s so easy now. But not necessarily better.

This is one of those records I would have loved to have had in the old days. I never knew what it was called until I looked it up on the internet and bought a copy a few years back.

It almost goes without saying that I bought this album for Skindo Le Le, a tune (TUNE!) which immediately takes me right back to the jazz rooms of the early eighties. That intro, that build, that climax! It still gives me a visceral response. And, honestly, this is my preferred version over Viva Brasil’s original.

And God, how we loved an alto sax in the 80s.

It was a staple of West Coast and Japanese jazz. Of course, this album, out of the San Francisco Bay area, is thick with it. And scat.

I never realised until today that Alive! were an all-woman group.

The rest of the album’s a bit meh. Very meh, in fact.

#NowPlaying
#Vinyl
#Jazz
#Music
#Alive!
#CityLife
#SkindoLeLe
#Scat

Rufus and Chaka Khan Live - Stompin' At The Savoy

Considering that, for much of their career, they couldn’t stand being in the same room, it’s odd that, in 1982, only a year after their last flop of an album, and whilst Chaka Khan’s solo career is flying, they got together to record some live shows, to be recorded for a live in concert film. Tony & Toni from Peep Show vibes.

The film was shelved by Warner Bros. (until its eventual release on home video), but the audio recordings formed three sides of this album, the fourth being studio stuff.

They smash through their big hits, plus one of Chaka’s solo tunes. This version of Bobby Womack’s Stop On By is one of my favourite pieces of music ever. I can still remember hearing it being played on Robbie Vincent’s Saturday afternoon Radio London show.

The studio side has Ain’t Nobody on it, and it became the biggest hit of any of their careers.

Funny old business.

I picked up this US pressing (cut-out) at Victor Harbor market one Sunday.

#NowPlaying
#Vinyl
#RufuswithChakaKhan
#Stompin’AtTheSavoy
#Music
#Soul

John Spithead

2025-08-01 02:19:19

You live in a quandry

Rufus - Camouflage

This was Rufus’ final album for MCA. The band and Chaka Khan reunited to knock this one out to meet their contractual obligations to the label. After this, Khan was free to pursue her solo career, which she did, instead of promoting the album. She’d fallen out with the rest of the band (again) and had recorded separately from them (again). The album disappeared without a trace.

Having said all that, it should be shit, but it’s actually OK.

It falls just at the tipping point between disco and post-disco/boogie and most of the up-tempo tunes reflect that.

Suffice to say, none of their big hits are on this album.

#NowPlaying
#Vinyl
#RufuswithChakaKhan
#Music
#Soul