Say "Prisencolinensinainciusol" Five Times Fast

I think this fine tune was the first victory for my iphone eBay application. As my buddy Atsushi as my witness, this 45 was won while enjoying happy hour at the Argus. Thanks to Klaudia and Brigham for putting this tune (& video) in my headlights. This tune is just one of the strangest specimens of global pop culture. As the story goes Adriano Celentano is something like Italy's Elvis with a similar two-pronged music and film approach. He was also a skilled gyrator of the hula hoop.

This song was written and performed with his wife, Claudia Mori an actress turned record producer. Adriano suggests that the song is about "incommunicability" and to drive this point home they crafted lyrics that sound like English, but rarely make any sense beyond a couple linked words. Check out the video below that attempts to transcribe the lyrics:


The song is clearly bizarre, but the relentless beat, boomeranging horn stabs and growling guitars make it a freaky dancefloor classic. On top of that, the TV production looks like it was Fellini's attempt to choreograph and direct a classic 50s Elvis movie dance number. There might only be like 12 dancers, but thanks to the well positioned mirrors, it might as well be a google plus 1. The original version is from an Italian TV show. The actual song starts 1:15 in to the clip. If you want to watch it without the subtitles, here ya go:


Being an Italian pop star, naturally Adriano had to do a house remix.

Adriano Celentano - Prisencolinensinainciusol
Here's the original 45 version. The flip is called "Disc Jockey" and is basically the same song, utilizing that same fantastic crunching beat set against horn stabs and snarling guitars.



Adriano Celentano - Prisencolinensinainciusol (GW Ruff Edit)
And this is a great extended, re-edited and re-imagined version by legendary UK DJ Greg Wilson.

Barry Good Music

Barry White is one of those musicians that I never really followed too closely because his music was already so ubiquitous, I assumed that I had already heard it all. Sure, I definitely liked some of his stuff a lot and even got down to some greatest hits CD when I lived in Indonesia and was starved of good music. But it wasn't until lately that I realized what a wealth of music he was responsible for beyond his own records.

I have been rocking the Love Unlimited record below for a couple years now and managed to track down the My Sweet Summer Suite 12" a while back, but honestly I was thinking these tracks were just one-offs. Then, more recently, I came across the Gloria Scott record and then the Jay Dee single (also featured on the $20 Worth of Soul Mix and I realized that there really is something to this Barry White dude beyond the hits.

Gloria Scott - What Am I Gonna Do?
This album is awesome! It's kinda like the first Love Unlimited album, but with a more soulful solo female vocalist. Most of the songs are mid-tempo and really emotionally-charged, but man the arrangements and the hooks are sooo good! This is the first track of the disc, but honestly I coulda picked one of 5 others that are just as good. Pick up the reissue CD or LP at dustygroove.

Love Unlimited - I Can't Let Him Down
This is a later Love Unlimited jam that I absolutely love. The intro is soaring and then the beat just drops and the song is on its way. This song shows Barry in a more rare fast-paced groove.



Love Unlimited Orchestra - My Sweet Summer Suite (12" Version)
I initially liked this one for its tropical, cuica-filled intro, but the groove is just great.


Jay Dee - Strange Funky Games and Things
Another Barry White side-project, Jay Dee is a decent singer but what we have here is really just prime Barry White arrangements and playing from Love Unlimited, Barry's ever-present ensemble. I'm sure there are other individuals responsible for these excellent tunes: the Love Unlimited singers, Jay Dee, arrangers such as the legendary Gene Page and Webster Lewis, but the one thing all these tunes have in common is the larger than life . . . Barry White.

New All-45 Mix: $20 Worth of Soul

The idea behind this mix is to demonstrate what can be accomplished with $20, some patience, record cleaning solution and some elbow grease. Two weekends ago I went down the street for my regular dig at the Alemany Flea Market. I ended up getting records from two different vendors, neither of which specialize in vinyl. I convinced the vendor at the first spot to sell me a stack of 25 sleeveless and dusty 45s and one Stacy Lattislaw LP for $20. The mix you are listening to was constructed from 18 of these 25 45s a day or two after I got'em. You'll notice that there's a bit of surface noise on some of the cuts, but (speaking for myself here) the mix is pretty darn listenable.

A lot of these tracks are songs I have on album, but I was psyched to find them on 45, like the Faze-O, the Johhny "Guitar" Watson and the Rufus cuts. The scores as far as I'm concerned are the Fred Wesley jam and the Jay Dee tune. Not a bad way to spend $20 I would say. I hope you get some value out of it too.

The Ambassador - $20 Worth of Soul
1. Johnny Nash - You Got Soul
2. Gene Chandler - A Song Called Soul
3. The Joneses - Hey Girl, Part 1
4. Jay Dee - Strange Funky Games and Things
5. The Isley Brothers - Work To Do
6. Rufus - You Got the Love
7. Earth, Wind & Fire - Evil
8. Suede - Everybody Must Pay
9. Sly & the Family Stone - Loose Booty
10. Muscle Shoals Horns - Born To Get Down
11. Jimmy "Bo" Horne - Gimme Some
12. Shirley & Company - Shame, Shame, Shame
13. Slave - Just a Touch of Love
14. Fred Wesley - House Party
15. Johnny "Guitar" Watson - Superman Lover
16. Faze-O - Riding High
17. Rance Allen Group - Ain't No Need of Crying
18. Garnet Mimms - A Quiet Place

Promo Only! These jamz are not for sale.

Here are two great sides from A&M of the Brazilian variety that for whatever reason never made it out as a commercial release. The promotional only white label release is an interesting thing as the reason for its limited release can be a result of a number of different situations. Maybe they tested them out as promos to see if there was interest and there wasn't . . . Maybe the group switched record labels, which could be the case for both of these as the Sergio track was supposedly recorded during the sessions for the "Primal Roots" album on A&M and the following album, Love Music, came out on Bell in 1973. Tamba 4 released two albums on A&M before moving back to Brazil and while I have no idea when this single came out, I think it was after their two albums as the song "California Soul" didn't see the light of day until 1968 when the 5th Dimension and Marvin & Tammi recorded it. We may never know why these records were never released commercially, but I think it's fair to say it wasn't because of poor quality.

Sergio Mendes & Brazil '77 - The Crab (Karan - gai - jo)
This song is great for a number of reasons: 1) It's a Joao Donato original tune that was far as I know was never recorded by anyone other than Sergio's troop; 2) It comes from the sessions for one of Sergio's most underrated albums "Primal Roots" which saw Sergio getting back to roots and its the one album that actually sounds like some other stuff being released in Brazil from the same time period; and lastly, 3) It's freakin' weird. Listen to that strange scream in the background!

Tamba 4 - California Soul
Sure, there's no shortage of cover versions of "California Soul", but how many feature whispy portuguese accented vocals and strange organ sounds? Just this one.

Grab Bag Across the Soul Spectrum

It's been awhile . . . apologies. I'm gonna blame it on wedding planning, but not sure that really explains it. To make it up to you I'm giving you a grab-bag of 45s I've picked up around San Francisco at a Ricky's in the Lower Haight and a garage sale in Glen Park of all places. Enjoy.


Harvey Scales & The 7 Sounds - Get Down
A bit beat up, but still very listenable. This one must have been during that "freeze" dance craze. I love that "freeze" breakdown. "Don't move a muscle!"


Maxayn - Check Out Your Mind
The classic Mayfield cut done by the strange gender and racially mixed Maxayn. Interesting fact: The disco auteur Mandre, was the brains behind this band.

J.J. Jackson - I Dig Girls
I don't know anything about this guy, but I LOVE this song. A simple message that I can relate to.





Hugh Masekela - Gettin' It On
Man, this one blew my socks off. Talk about early Afro-funk, this takes James Brown's chicken- scratch and pairs it with Hugh's layered horns. money.

Election '08: Musical Shout-Outs, Part 1: To the Voters

Today I'm kicking off a string of posts leading up to the 2008 election next Tuesday. I got inspired the other night and wrote down a list of songs that had vaguely or sometimes explicitly political readings and decided to make a series of posts that touched on various political issues relevant for this election. They will range in content, but most will be old-school soul jams of some sort. I'm gonna try and be pretty regular about them (at least every other day) and the commentary will be minimal as the songs should speak for themselves. That being said, here's the first one:

Election '08: Musical Shout-Outs, Part 1: To the Voters

Marvin Gaye - You're the Man (parts 1 & 2)
This was the lead-off single for a never-to-be recorded or released album. The single "You're the Man" reached #50 pop and #7 R&B during the Spring of 1972. The album was to be the follow-up to his hugely popular and now classic "What's Goin' On", but when this single didn't perform as well on the pop charts, he changed his strategy and started recording "Let's Get It On."

This is the single version, which surprisingly did not get released on the "Deluxe Edition" of "Let's Get It On" that Motown put out a few years back in place of some demo versions that frankly are not as good, in my humble opinion.

Try to imagine a song coming out today by a mainstream artist at the peak of his powers with even one verse as politically relevant as these lyrics must have been:

Talkin', talkin' to the people
Tryin' to get them to go your way
Tellin' lies, not to worry
That we won't be led astray
So blind, unsignified
Your opponents always lying
Think about the mistakes you make
I believe America's at stake
You know, busin', busin' is the issue
If you have a plan with you
Do you have a plan?
If you've got a master plan
Got to vote for you
Hey hey, got to vote for you
You're the man

We don't wanna hear no more lies
About how you plan to economize
We want our dollar value increased
Employment to rise
The nation's taxation
Is causin' all, all this inflation
Don't give us no peace sign
Turn around and rob the people blind
Economics is the issue
Do you have a plan with you?
'Cause if you've got a master plan
Got to vote for you
You're the man

[8 times, over scat singing:]
Don't you understand?
There's misery in the land

[Fade out . . . Fade in Part 2]

People marching on Washington
Better hear what they have to say
'Cause the tables just might turn against you, brother
Set around Election Day
Politics and hypocrites
Is turning us all into lunatics
Can you take the guns from our sons?
Right all the wrongs this administration has done?
Peace and freedom is the issue
Do you have a plan with you?
'Cause if you've got a plan
If you've got a master plan
Got to vote for you
Hey hey, got to vote for you
'Cause you're the man

[Repeat and fade:]
Got to vote for you

Thank you, Marvin. Remember to vote next week!

R.I.P. Dee Dee Warwick

I first heard of Dee Dee Warwick from an excellent Atlantic Records compilation from the early seventies (Heavy Soul, 1972) that I picked up near the beginning of my record digging days. It was back in Washington, DC and likely I recognized some of the bigger names on the comp, but the depth of this comp still surprises me: Little Sister, King Floyd, Beginning of the End, Donny Hathaway and Dee Dee Warwick among better known stars of the Atlantic roster like Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave and Aretha Franklin. Since my first of two two trips to Graceland I've been a huge fan of the song "Suspicious Minds" and Dee Dee's version does not disappoint with its loping groove and laid-back reading.

Fast-forward to NYC and I stumble across an eBay lot of 45s including the 45 from whence the Suspicious Minds track came from and sure enough the flip is just as good! Most recently, when having a sidewalk sale of records in preparation for my westward move I ran into a guy from Guyana who asked if I had any Dee Dee Warwick records, particularly the one with "Suspicious Minds" on it. I don't know that an album exists, but he remembers growing up in Guyana and how that song was a huge hit there. Crazy.

The reason I'm posting this double-sided piece of gold is because sadly Dee Dee Warwick, Dionne's younger sister, niece of Cissy Houston (cousin of Whitney), passed away at the age of 63 on October 20th.

Dee Dee Warwick - Suspicious Minds








Dee Dee Warwick (with the Dixie Flyers) - I'm Glad I'm a Woman