I Pity the Foo' Who Eats From My Cookie Jar

I wanna give a shout out to my brother Charlie for turning me on to this song, Cookie Jar, originally by Fuzzy Haskins of the P-Funk crew. The song is a great, slow funky jaunt that starts off normal like he's just trying to mack on some girl he met, but then that chorus comes in, "I don't know what to do witcha when I getcha, put you in my cookie jar, save you for a rainy day," all of a sudden this ain't your normal love song.

It begs a few questions:

1) Who actually uses a cookie jar?
2) What else are you keeping in your cookie jar aside from young women?
3) Do you only eat "cookies" on rainy days?

Fuzzy Haskins - Cookie Jar
The song first saw the light of day on Fuzzy's 1976 album on Westbound, "A Whole Nother Thang." I'm imagining the song-writing process went something like this: Fuzzy moves to a new house and notices a fine-ass neighbor that he thinks about getting with. Being a P-Funk soldier that tours regularly he doesn't have normal stuff like couches, rugs or dishes . . . all he has is a cookie jar in his new house. Cookie Jar. Woman. Idea: Put the woman IN the cookie jar! And there we have it, a song is born.

Parlet - Cookie Jar
Later another P-Funk franchise, Parlet, put the song on their 1978 album "Pleasure Principle."








Prince - Cookie Jar
At some point the great purple one decided to make a go of it and recorded it, but never officially released it and to this day it is one of the few cover songs he's ever recorded - seriously, try to think of five songs Prince has covered on record or live . . . there are bulletin boards aplenty documenting it. It's a strange song, but a goodie and it's cool to see that others pick up on the weirdness of the chorus and the down-right funkiness of the song structure.

I Heart Ronnie Lane

Ronnie Lane with his band Slim Chance
I haven't had a serious musical crush for awhile. Don't get me wrong, I love music and listen to it in all varieties incessantly, but it's been awhile since I have fallen in love with an musician and his or her body work as thoroughly as I have fallen lately for Ronnie Lane. He might not fit your traditional idea of what "soul music" in terms of inclusion on this blog, but Ronnie is no doubt soulful and therefore he gets a pass.

I first heard Ronnie's work as many of you probably have, from the soundtrack to the Wes Anderson film, "Rushmore." It's the Faces song "Ooh La La" with the wonderful refrain, "I wish that I knew what I know now when I was younger" that is easily the most identifiable near-mainstream exposure most of us have to Ronnie's songwriting and musical style. It's not actually Ronnie Lane signing that song, but Ron Wood another member of the Faces and future (and current) Rolling Stone band-member.

The Faces: Top row: Kenny Jones (drums), Ron Wood (guitar), Rod Stewart (vocals) and bottom row: Ian McLagan (keyboards) and Ronnie Lane (bass)









Then I started tracking down more Faces work, also being a fan or Rod Stewart's early years, and chanced upon this song:

The Faces - Glad & Sorry
This is another song from the fourth and last real Faces album (there were a few singles and a live album) with Ronnie participating, "Ooh La La." Despite Ronnie's frustration with his place in the band and Rod Stewart's ever-expanding ego, Ronnie actually has several great songs on this album including the title track and this tender nugget.

Ronnie Lane & Slim Chance - Anymore for Anymore
It wasn't until last Spring when I was traveling through London that I got a chance to discover some more of his output thanks to my man Hugh who is a Small Faces/Faces/Ronnie Lane fan of the first order. Hugh and I stayed up late, starting and finishing a bottle of port and listening to Ronnie Lane solo albums. This song is the title track from Ronnie's first solo album. As you can tell, Ronnie took his solo album in a similar direction as his late Faces-era compositions employing acoustic instruments and merging English and American folk traditions effortlessly.

Ronnie Lane & Ron Wood - Just For a Moment
It was around the time of "Ooh La La" that Ronnie and Ron Wood worked on a soundtrack for a lesser-known film called "Mahoney's Last Stand". According to rumor, the band worked on the soundtrack the days that Rod failed to show up at the recording sessions. This song is a real favorite of mine and reflects Ronnie's spiritual state of the mind at the time as a follower of Meher Baba, having been introduced to the spiritual movement by friend Peter Townshend.

The reason I finally decided to share my love for Ronnie is because I just finished watching this excellent documentary about his life and musical output. I highly recommend any and all music fans to see this documentary. It shows Ronnie's dedication to a life in music that was absolutely contrary to any notions of celebrity, fame, or fortune. In this age of bloated, talentless music industry Ronnie Lane's story is a like a breath of fresh, English country air.

I Woke Up With This Song In My Head

Hyldon from the back cover of his first album
Do you ever have that when a song just pops in your head. Maybe it's just a refrain, a snatch of chorus or possibly just a horn part or a nifty drumbeat, but it squirms into your subconscious and goes to seed until you are able to identify and either deliberately purge it from your brain or set it free with repeat listening.

Hyldon - Estrada Errada
That's what happened with this great Hyldon song while I was travelling a few weeks ago in Thailand. One day this song was just in my head and surprisingly it's not a song I know particularly well. Luckily I had the song on my Ipod, so I sat down and gave it a few repeat listens and it really holds up.

The song is about being on the "wrong road" in a relationship and how he knows he's on this wrong road and that he really wants to be happy in life, but he can't see a way out. You'd think the song would be kinda a dirge-like sad bastard lament, but it's tone is undeniably upbeat and celebratory. I keep running across 1970s funky Brazilian tunes that feel like they should be on the ending credits of a really heart-warming movie. This is one of them.

Like our friend Cassiano, Hyldon is one of the mid-level Brazilian Soul/Funk soldiers that influenced and was influenced by Tim Maia. Also like Cassiano, he doesn't have the best voice, but he can write some fantastic songs that are often covered by others like brother Tim. On this, his second, album he is backed by members of Brazilian jazz-funk giants Azimuth/Azymuth. Don't sleep on Hyldon and lets hope you get this song stuck in your head for at least a little while . . .

Earth, Wind & Fire video rarities over at SS videos . . .

Click here to see some rare videos from the 1975 film "That's the Way of the World."








Here's an extra special bonus Earth, Wind & Fire track for you all, the (re-edit) of "Brazilian Rhyme" from their 1977 album "All 'n All." The song is an interesting one. It's a cover of a Milton Nascimento song (I still can't seem to find which song it is a cover of, but I'm certain I have the Milton album from which it's from). It's more of a variation on a theme than a cover I suspect, taking Milton's delightful vocalese style and bolstering it with the fantastic EWF rhythm section and vocal harmonies. On top of that you have Eumir Deodato producing it and this is the guy who is credited with "discovering" Milton Nascimento more than 10 years prior! The re-edit is sooo necessary, because the original track comes as two separate interludes, one is 1:20 and the other is only :50 long, so splicing and looping is the only way to go. This is from the Bozo-Meko 12" pressing that you can probably find at Turntable Lab.

Earth, Wind & Fire - Brazilian Rhyme (re-edit)

It's So Nice To See Old Friends

This song is dedicated to my good friends T & K who will be having a baby any minute. It was great to get back from the Holidays and then a trip to Thailand and see them on the verge of something major, exciting, scary and unknown. They are approaching it with such grace, confidence and enthusiasm.

I slept on this song for awhile thinking I had all of the great Minnie Riperton songs on the excellent "Petals" compilation. I was wrong. This is a stand-out track from Minnie's best selling record and the easiest of hers to find. On first listening it might sound a bit overly sentimental, but like T & K she does things sincerely, deliberately and with a lot of love and you can't help but feel it when you listen.


Minnie Riperton - It's So Nice (To See Old Friends)

See You Next Year!

Faithful readers, I will be away from my computer for the holidays and then no sooner do I get back then I will be going to Thailand for work for a few weeks. I will be back in Brooklyn and my trusty computer in mid-January at which point I will pick up where I left off. Merry New Years to you all!

Allen, aka the Ambassador

Brazilian Funk & Folk for Christmas Day

These Brazilian treats should be a welcome addition to your holiday playlist although they might be a bit tough for the family to sing along to. Pour some cachaca into your egg-nog and pretty soon you'll be able to sing along just fine.

Caetano Veloso - In the Hot Sun of a Christmas Day
First we have a not-very-festive contribution from Caetano Veloso that comes from his 1971 album recorded while in exile in London. This is a beautiful album of Brazilian rock and folk - the kinda thing that today's neo-folkies just east up, particularly Caetano's get-up on the front. I think I saw a dude walking down Bedford Avenue (hipster mainstreet) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn trying to rock this same look. Caetano's homesickness is visceral on this track as he spends the holidays far from home in a different hemisphere, far colder than Christmas in Rio.


Cassiano - Hoje E Natal
Cassiano wrote this lovely holiday tune for his classic 1976 album, "Cuban Soul - 18 Kilates." Here, Cassiano finds is vocal range better and delivers some sweet soul about the holidays. The song title means "Today is Christmas."

The following two songs are a real treat. I'm not much of a raer record hound, but I don't know of anyone else with this particular record. I found it in a used bookstore in some backwoods neighborhood of Sao Paulo and as evidenced by the "Natal" side, it's seen some better days. Seeing as this is a Christmas post I've included the "Natal" side, but the "Ano Novo" side is in far better shape and should be used to rock your new year's party this year. I passed it off to DJs Sean Marquand and Greg Caz for their New Year's party at Black Betty last year and it slayed, so the story goes. I love the way that this anonymous band reworked "Good Times" and "Rapper's Delight" within a year of the latter being released and also augmented the song with some funky clavinet as well as a samba-breakdown. A true holiday party MONSTER!

Equipe Radio Cidade - Bons Tempos - Natal

Equipe Radio Cidade - Bons Tempos - Ano Novo

I just found some info on Equipe Radio Cidade on this website. Here are the technical information for these two songs (note the participation of Ed Lincoln, dance-band legend):

Bons Tempos II – Natal de 1980. – Letra: Romilson Luiz e Eládio Sandoval. Arranjos: Eduardo Souto Neto. Produção: Mariozinho Rocha Participação especial: Roupa Nova, Ed Lincoln e Mestre Marçal. Gravação: Estúdio Emi-Odeon.

Bons Tempos II - Ano Novo de 1980 – Letra: Romilson Luiz e Eládio Sandoval. Arranjos: Eduardo Souto Neto. Produção: Mariozinho Rocha Participação especial: Roupa Nova, Ed Lincoln e Mestre Marçal. Gravação: Estúdio Emi-Odeon.

Dreaming of a (Al) Green Christmas . . .

And listening to the gentle tinkling of Jingle (William) Bell(s). Enough of the horrible puns, already and on to some more excellent soulful Christmas songs. My girlfriend cannot get enough of the Christmas music, so being the dutiful boyfriend that I am, when thinking of what LP to put on the Hi-Fi I keep coming back to the "Soul Christmas" album from whence the wonderful "Merry Christmas, Baby" by Otis was taken. We were listening to it last night and it sunk in just how good this William Bell song is.



Download: Everyday Will Be Like A Holiday
William Bell is one of those lesser-known soul singers of the Southern/Memphis variety that is often overlooked because of his subtlety. He wasn't a shouter like Otis or a screamer like the Godfather or a velvet-voiced crooner like the honorable Rev. Al Green, but in recent years there has been renewed interest in his tunes, particularly the heartbreaking, "I Forgot to be Your Lover" which was sampled by someone notable and comped on O-Dub's "Soul Sides Vol. 1" This song is so subtle it must have taken me five listens before I had to exclaim aloud, "Damn, that's a great song," to which my girlfriend replied, "yay, for christmas songs."



Download: What Christmas Means To Me
My brother bought me this Al Green Christmas tape a few years back. Yes, a cassette tape and yes, it was only a few years ago. My brother likes tapes and having a car myself, I can appreciate tapes because my car has a tape-deck, not a CD player or a DVD surround-sound entertainment system. So, come the holiday season there is only one Christmas tape in my collection, which means its a "Green Christmas" in my car all season long. This is a bit dated in its 80s production, but as far as another modern Christmas classic, I think it's up there and Al Green has to try pretty hard to mess up anything.

As for the Brazilian Christmas songs, they are coming tomorrow. However, I realized to my chagrin that I don't have one of the songs I was hoping to post: "Jingle Black" by Gerson King Combo. If anyone else out there has it on MP3, hit me up on email and I will get it posted.

Christmas in heaven with James, Donny & Otis

Since freshman year in college there has been only one legitimate soundtrack to Christmas: James Brown's Funky Christmas. Every year around this time I dig out this CD and throw it on the ipod of boombox for all holiday functions. For someone who doesn't really like holiday music this compilation is superb. James Brown cranked out Christmas singles throughout his career but it sounds like most of these songs came from the late sixties and early seventies, arguably his best era. Most of the songs are great, but the two I have picked for you here are my favorites.


Download: Christmas Is Love
I remember rediscovering this song just last year as I was running last-minute errands before getting on my flight to Portland, not knowing that within 24 hours The Godfather would be passing from this world. I love the arrangement. How big and bold it is with dramatic horns and crashing symbols. Like some of the best Christmas songs it's celebratory and over the top.



Download: Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto
This tune is just pure James Brown. Nobody else could (or would) record a song so boldly pro-ghetto at this time and have it come off as just as classy as a rerecording of any olde Christmas standard.



Download: Merry Christmas, Baby
Recently I picked up this "Soul Christmas" album from Atlantic records which might just rival the James Brown album for all-time best Christmas album. I know everyone's heard it already, but this Otis Redding classic just can't be beat for modern Christmas classic.



Download: This Christmas
Donny Hathaway's Christmas classic is another modern Christmas classic that has made the cut to get on nearly every Christmas playlist and for good reason too!

By the end of the week I'll have some Brazilian Christmas tunes headin' your way . . . "Jingle Black" anyone?

Brasoul

This is just a quick little post to tide you all over with some choice selections from some early 1970s Brazilian soul. These three lesser-known artists bring a variety of interpretations of the soul form to each of their songs.


Download: O Vale
This song here, "O Vale" is one of the standout tracks from an otherwise dissappointing album from Cassiano. Cassiano was kinda the heart and soul of the Brazilian Soul music scene. He was a member of Os Diagonais and wrote some hits for Tim Maia, named "Primavera" off of Tim's first album. This is his second solo LP and is really quite unusual. The arrangements are a bit different, kinda in an acoustic guitar baroque curtis mayfield style. "O Vale" is one of the few songs on here that I really dig. Sadly, for all of Cassiano's talents he was not a great singer as his range his very limited, which is the main reason why this album suffers. He really found his groove on his next album "16 Kilates - Cuban Soul" where he learned how to frame his vocals more within his range. I would love to hear some of these songs from this album sung by others. If you're not deterred, you can buy the album here.



Download: Madalena
That's actually a good segue into this next song, "Madalena". This was Ivan Lins' breakthrough song. Ivan's first album was in a psych-soul style and was arranged by Arthur Verocai. Its got some cool songs like "Hei Voce" and "Madalena," but like Cassiano, Ivan had yet to figure out that he couldn't sing. These are great songs, but man does he destroy them on his album, which is not without its redeeming qualities. But I can't help but get annoyed when a great song gets thrashed by a second-rate vocalist. Dila, a one-off singer on Durval Ferreira's CID label is a passionate singer and while she's not pitch-perfect I love her take on this song. Another great version, possibly the definitive one is by the late, great Elis Regina (more on her soon).



Download: Zamba Ben
Marku is one of my favorites. I posted a song of his last month as one of my scores from the WFMU record fair. This song here is from his first album from 1972, which featured arrangements by Erlon Chaves. If I'm not mistaken it was Erlon Chaves that "discovered" Marku and arranged for his first recording. His following albums are graced by numerous superstars: Joao Donato and Erasmo Carlos among others. The unique thing about Marku is that he lived in Martinique and Jamaica for seven years before recording his first album. He brings that Caribbean flavor to many of his recordings and that vocal style, so different than most Brazilian singers. You can download this album here. Once again, Loronix to the rescue, but Zeca's got the date wrong here, it's from 1972 not 1976. Also, Ed Motta just compiled a CD of Marku's stuff that's already sold out on Dustygroove, but check back later to see if they got come more CDs later.