Funk my Soul

Doug Fowlkes formed Wess & The Airedales in 1961 as the Airedales. In the mid-60s the band ended up in Italy due to a military tour of duty where they added singer and bassist Wess Johnson who took over the band.
This one was sent by a visitor of FMS a long time ago and I am sure you’ll all enjoy it. It is extremely rare, never released on CD.

Tracks
A1. Chapel Of Dreams 3.03
A2. My sun Is Shining 2.03
A3. Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag 2.47
A4. Stop Foolin’ Yourself 2.43
A5. High Heel Sneakers 3.14
A6. Until You Came Along 3.25
B1. Your Precious Love 3.20
B2. Where Did Our Love Go 2.30
B3. I’ll Never Turn My Back On You 2.59
B4. I’ve Got My Eyes On You 2.08
B5. You Brought It All On Yourself 2.28
B6. She Found Out 2.14

For generations the music and influence of black America has penetrated the ears of music lovers all over the world. During the ‘60s and ‘70s, as radio & TV communications and record distribution improved, more people than ever before were able to groove to the jazz of Blue Note, the soul of Motown, and the funk of James Brown…

It wasn’t just the head-nodders and dancers that would get down to these exciting new American exports. Singers and musicians on all six continents, having only been exposed to traditional or classical music, would listen with a keen ear to draw much-needed inspiration. The many styles of funk, soul, jazz and rock pouring out from the US during the incredibly fertile ‘60s period meant that there was a LOT of music to be inspired by, but as you can imagine the biggest and the best were the ones who made their point most known – in the case of Italian Soul band Wess & the Airedales, the tremendous power of James Brown’s trademarked production, arrangement and instrumentation was a major influence.

The many incarnations of  Wess & the Airedales started in the US, in the year of 1961 when founder Doug Fowlkes fronted his Airedales band, recording a solitary 45 on the Viva label. More recordings followed with singer Rocky Roberts at the helm, and things continued despite his relocation to Italy due to military service. The band inevitably took on some Italian members, and in 1967 Italian vocalist and bassist Wess Johnson took over the role of Roberts. The American influence is obvious with the band performing and recording many more LPs, Eps and 45s of American-style Soul music - sung in Italian!

Any self-respecting US funk band at the time of recording – 1970 – would have been envious of the tight rhythms, sharp horns and super-clean production. Even Mr Brown himself! They are a band that is truly together. The music they’ve created clearly displays the level of talent & ingenuity that’s managed to bridge the gap between Italian and American interpretation of a cutting edge sound, regardless of geographical location.

A perfect example of foreign talent that has managed to capture the very essence of deep, hard & raw American funk.

Full Discography

Buy their albums from Groove Collector.

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The Vibrations were a smooth harmonizing soul group in the tradition of the Temptations and the Delfonics.  Originally known as the Jayhawks, the Vibrations were notable for being equally proficient with smooth ballads, such as ‘Oh Cindy’ (1962), and exuberant dance tunes like ‘Sloop Dance’ (1964).  Following a string of minor hits in the late 60s, they temporarily disbanded just prior to recording “Taking A New Step”, with the lead single “Wind up toy” revitalising their good fortunes.  They eventually became a nightclub act in the mid 1970s, before officially dissolving the group in 1976.  This is wonderful tribute to a band that managed to move through 3 decades and still sound scintillatingly fresh.  This is one fabulous group soul album.

This is a @320 vinyl rip of the original Mandala LP including covers

Tracks
A1 Wind Up Toy 2.47
A2 Ain’t No Greens In Harlem 3.22
A3 Run For Your Lives 3.31
A4 Take A Step 3.51
A5 Midnight Rider 2.38
A6 Kazoo 2.40
B1 Man Overboard 2.36
B2 The Man 4.02
B3 Silver Dollar 2.56
B4 Whiskey Man 2.44
B5 Bolder, Green & Jones 5.25

Review by Trakbuv

Well it would seem that if you weren’t a ‘-tion’ or an ‘-ic’, you weren’t a soul harmony group at one point in time. However, the Vibrations had several incarnations prior to this glorious release, and had originally formed as The Heart Thrills way back in ’55. Hailing from Los Angeles, the original members included Carl Fisher, Cleo White and Dave Govan. They then changed their name to the Jayhawks the following year and released “Counting my teardrops” on the Flash imprint. I’m guessing they weren’t counting too many royalties after it flung open the door to fame and fortune. They eventually scored with “Stranded in the jungle” in ‘56 (US Soul Charts #18), before changing their name momentarily to The Vibes in 1959, just before presumably realising that including ‘-tions’ was the necessary ingredient for continued success. And it duly followed in the form of “The Watusi” in ’61 (#21). They even had time to moonlight as The Marathons at the behest of HB Barnum who had a novelty record for another act (The Olympics). The Olympics were unfortunately away on tour and the single, titled “Peanut butter”, became a US Top 20 hit.

Although having several line-ups, the core unit became Carl Fisher, Dave Govan, Jimmy Johnson, Don Bradley and Richard Owens. They had gained a reputation of being equally at ease with slow and upbeat numbers, and had continued success with numbers like “My Girl Sloopy” (’64), “Misty” (’65) and “And I love her” (’66). The Vibrations briefly broke up in 1971 whereupon Richard had a short stay with the Temptations. I guess “Taking A New Step” is the fruits of their reunion, and musically I believe the LP title conveys their new direction aptly. “Wind up toy” is a song I am familiar with and is a firm favourite with the Northern Soul crowd. That gentle, gleeful jingle jangle of the guitar is quite hypnotic and was an assured pop-laced single to lead the LP. Sterling stuff. The other track that I have cherished for many years now is the glorious “Take a step” - wonderful midtempo group soul of the highest order. Spectacular.

What I was not prepared for was the FUNK !! This LP has managed to capture the rawness, dirt, mayhem and rhythm, all essential funk ingredients, in an utterly convincing sauce. Check out my favourites “The Man” and “Kazoo” (oh my) for some zappy happy butt-gnawing grits – slide baby, sliiiiide !! Or the audacious boldness of “Bolder, Green & Jones” – just try and stop those goosebumps popping. “Silver dollar” keeps the message ringing to a fatback jive; they present a great version of the Allman Brothers classic “Midnight rider”; and slaphappy funk in “Ain’t no greens in Harlem”. “Whiskey man” gives a slight whimsical approach to the sad tale of lost love - another beautiful inclusion. And just to run the full gamut of musical influences, we have some country-honky tonk pop in the form of “Run for your lives”.

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the scope of this LP which reminded me of my melted emotional state after hearing the Skull Snaps LP the first time. And I cannot stop playing ‘Kazoo’ - I’ve even ordered one on-line. If I had formed a band, I think I would have called ourselves ‘The Contradictions’ and had the benefit of both an ‘-ic’ and a ‘-tion’, but we best not go to a place where I also wish I could sing and had an afro haircut.

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Sam Cooke revolutionized R&B music in the ’50s and ’60s with his inimitable singing style and smooth, soulful voice. He was among the first and most successful to cross R&B over into the popular music field. With his smooth, velvet, delivery singing style, Sam Cooke stands on his own as one of the all time great singer-songwriters, capable of singing almost any style of music in his own distinctive way.
If you are a Sam Cooke fan, this is a must have. I personally enjoy singing along to every cut on the LP. Given the fact that this album seems to be hard to find these days, I am very happy to have picked it up when I did some years ago. Never released on CD and here is your chance to get it.

This is a @320 vinyl rip of the original RCA LP including covers.

Tracks
A1 Twistin’ the Night Away 2.39
A2 Sugar Dumpling 2.15
A3 Twistin’ in the Kitchen With Dinah 2.06
A4 Somebody’s Gonna Miss Me 2.29
A5 A Whole Lotta Woman 2.18
A6 The Twist 2.25
B2 Twistin’ in the Old Town Tonight 2.10
B3 Movin’ and Groovin’ 2.33
B4 Camptown Twist 2.11
B4 Somebody Have Mercy 2.53
B5 Soothe Me 2.07
B6 That’s It, I Quit, I’m Moving On 2.28

This was one of Cooke’s more successful LPs, only his second ever to chart and from here on, all of his albums would sell in serious numbers. Twistin’ the Night Away remains one of Cooke’s most accessible records, despite the fact that it was a “twist” album, aimed by the producers at cashing in on that craze, and Cooke was shoehorned into doing numbers like “Camptown Twist,” “Twistin’ in the Kitchen With Dinah,” and “Twistin’ in the Old Town,” as well as his version of Hank Ballard’s “The Twist.” Around them, the singer is at his most soulful, exciting, and passionate, on the bluesy “Somebody Have Mercy”; the romantic lament “Somebody’s Gonna Miss Me”; the ebullient “Sugar Dumpling”; the achingly beautiful, yearning “A Whole Lot of Woman”; the soaring “Soothe Me” (with Lou Rawls); and the slow dance number “Movin’ and Groovin’ .” One of the great dance albums of its period, but a brilliant soul album as well, which is why it holds up 40 years later.

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Biography and discography on Wikipedia.

Buy the vinyl from ebay.

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Enjoy all his hits in our back pages here.

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A talent whose time on Earth was cut much too short, Linda Jones had a wild, deeply passionate style of singing that set her apart from her contemporaries.  “Hypnotized” was a toned-down performance that  hit in the late 1960s but it is the later work for Turbo that people search for.  Turbo released 3 Lp’s. This one after her tragic death. “Your Precious love” and “Not On the Outside” are some of the hardest-sung records you’ll ever hear and I can only imagine how she did them in concert.

This is a @320 vinyl rip of the original Turbo Records LP including covers

Tracks
A1. Your Precious Love 4.38
A2. Don’t Go (I Can’t Bear To Be Alone) 3.17
A3. Behold 2.36
A4. Stay With Me Forever 3.34
B1. Not On The Outside 4.10
B2. Dancing In The Street 1.50
B3. Let It Be Me 3.49
B4. I Can’t Make It Αlone 3.32
B5. Doggin Me Around 5.03

..If  I was powerful enough to persuade my favourite act to appear at my 50th it would involve, I am afraid, resurrection. Linda Jones died 30 years ago. I looked in vain for some mention of this sad anniversary but found none. If you don’t know, Linda Jones’ “For Your Precious Love” is the greatest soul record ever made. I thought this was the case when I was 18 and have not changed my mind since. It still causes me severe emotional damage whenever I play it, which I do with worrying regularity. It has an intensity and an emotional depth like no other work of art I know. When, after a spoken section which will make all non-soul fans cringe, Jones launches into a crescendo of impassioned pleading she touches something so unfathomable and raw that its effects are literally overwhelming. It should come with government health warnings.. (Cancellor of Soul)

Fans overviews on Linda

If I remember clearly this song was either released after she died , I am not sure. But it was haunting because a lot of us could not believe she had died so young for she was one great soul singer who was putting out some monster songs that were great. One of my sisters loved all of Linda’s recordings and so did my mom. She was one singer that didn’t get her due but her recordings will live on.

Love to the ultimate power. real love, true love, the kind that will move you. This woman has experienced real true love. The kind of love till it hurts. Love ya Lin da J.

I Hate the way that R & B now stands for Rubbish & Bollox, I get so angry at the current crop of female singers being described as “Soul Divas” when they ain’t got no soul. This is real soul music, one of the greatest vocal performances of all time

The RAW EMOTIONS that this woman had in her voice, there hasn’t been one like her since. Although her body has been gone for awhile, her soul still remains with us on earth. You can’t tell me that when you here her sing that you don’t think of that special somebody. Hopefully you’re with them. If you’re not, then your heart has a hole in it, and you know what I’m talking about. Stop holding it in! Peace

OMG…This song right here!!!!! I was born in the 70’s, and I’m telling you no other song can compare to this. I used to call the radio station as a kid and request it all day. I song this for my husband in front of my mom and his family. I got sooo into the song and fell down on my knees…thats how much I was into it. I LOVE IT.

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Linda Jones is a singer that could have and should have become one of the true greats. She had a steady stream of medium hits throughout the late 60s and early 70s to signal that superstardom may have been just around the corner.  Both Aretha and Gladys have made it clear that she was one of the greatest female artists they had heard.  And her live act was something that had to be experienced to believe. Here is her debut abum that includes her huge hit ‘Hypnotised’ and so much more. Believe me when I say, this girl can holler !

This is a @320 vinyl rip of the original Loma LP including covers.

Tracks
A1. Hypnotized 2:38
A2. I Can’t Stop Lovin’ My Baby 2:03
A3. Give My Love a Try 2:30
A4. You Can’t Take It 2:20
A5. What’ve I Done (To Make You Mad) 2:20
A6. I Can’t Stand It 2:20
B1. Things I’ve Been Through (Loving You) 3:10
B2. If Only (We Had Met Sooner) 2:38
B3. Make Me Surrender (Baby,Baby Please) 2:34
B4. Last Minute Miracle 2:31
B5. Seeing Is Believing 3:14

Review by Trakbuv

How do you start to write about something that ended virtually before it had begun.  Linda Jones: born 14 December 1944, died 14 March 1972, both in Newark, NJ.  Singing in public from the age of six, she was surrounded by a family that all performed in Church, sometimes referred to as ‘The Jones Singers’.  Later plucked from making pies in a factory, she greatly impressed the legendary songwriter/arranger George Kerr who promptly released ‘Take The Boy Out Of The Country’ in 1965 on Atco Records.  Several singles later, her unbridled assault of songs appeared to cut no ice with the public at large. George then had the inspired decision to give her ‘Hypnotised’.  An excerpt from an interview with George Kerr: “I remember when she recorded ‘Hypnotized’.  We were in the studio and she said ‘let’s run it down’.  She was really learning the song but I told the engineer to hit the record button. I got goose bumps on my arm when she sang that song.  It was one take, that was it.  She wanted to straighten it out because she had sung the word ‘hyp-mot-ized’ rather than ‘hypnotized’ but I wanted to keep it just the way it was and boy, did she curse me out.”

Amazing.  That single take - warts and all - provided one of the great singles of the sixties - released on Loma records in 1967, it is a charismatic mix of the playful tones of Barbara Mason and the crystal clear phrasings of Sam Cooke - this has all the hallmarks of a classic record - regardless of genre.  Let’s get George Kerr to take the story up: “I lost faith in the record, I couldn’t give it away”. Several months passed when he got a message to contact Jerry Ragovoy (head of Loma Records).  “The record you gave me is a hit.  The booking agency has been calling us every day asking if we can get Linda Jones to do some shows and we’re selling 15,000-20,000 copies of this record !” exclaimed Jerry.  George elaborates: “I was shocked.  I called Linda and she couldn’t believe it !  She started screaming and before I knew it, she and I were crying !”  The single peaked at no.4 in the Billboard Black Music charts and no.20 on the Pop charts.

The hit was followed by the pleading ‘What’ve I Done (To Make You Mad)’, peaking at no. 8 and 61 in the Black Music and Pop charts, respectively - again perfect foil for the unrestrained Linda Jones.  They decided to follow up with another gorgeous ballad in the form of ‘Give My Love a Try’ - this time glancing the Pop charts at no.93, but still making waves with the soul fraternity - reaching no.34 on the Black Music charts.  The supporting album is certainly no three track wonder, and showcases her vocal prowess in all its raw glory.  George Kerr again: “We only did three takes on the songs and I always ended up using the first one.  She was quite something, always so full of energy.  The best way to describe her performance in the studio is to say she was in love with the microphone, so at ease.  We would turn down the lights in the studio and just listen.  Linda did everything with no effort…”

Her spirited attack of tracks like ‘I can’t stop lovin’ my baby’, ‘I can’t stand it’ and particularly ‘You can’t take it’ are literally exhausting when fully appreciated.  ‘Seeing is believing’ is possibly the best example of the impassioned cauldron in her voice, a blend of all the greats - recalling Debbie Taylor and Lorraine Ellison, among others.  Also special mention for ‘If only (we had met sooner)’ to the modern soul/two-step cats out there.  This album is pure emotional heaven given the carefully arranged confines of George Kerr’s production - akin to watching a boxer throwing himself around a ring with only the ropes to contain that energy.

The lady was blessed with a unique thirst for singing, with George skillfully providing an overflowing cup.  And in capturing that energy in a single take, he allowed us to savour the awesome thunder of her live stage presence.  Sadly, she passed away shortly after completing one of her many captivating live shows.  She was only 27.

The George Kerr quotations were obtained from an article by David Nathan here.

You can also visit the Linda Jones MySpace site run by her daughter Terry here.

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Here is a record that Nikos has been trying to get for years now.  Never quite winning the bids and eventually costing several times that of the recent ‘Black Magic’ post. Nikos - with his impeccable taste and desire to bring us only the best - has delivered the goods once again.  I say all this to get people realise that there is a real dedication and passion behind the good ship FMS that extends beyond simply listing as many downloads that one can find on the net.  We have owned and lived with these records, and in a way, we can all join hands when we experience their wonder.  We were so touched by the wonderful response to the ‘Black Magic’ post - lots of genuine words of support, love for our music and friendship.  However, we appear to be back to the same loyal 30 or so people who comment on a regular basis - which of course we are very grateful for.  But what has happened to the remainder.  The amount of downloads hasn’t dramatically fallen to compensate for this.  In respect to this very special record, we would like to offer the link once again to those who wish to take a few seconds to leave a comment and an email address, and generally share the love.  I’m sure you will agree with me that it was definitely worth your while.

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The classic LP by this stellar Chicago harmony group and a monster! Heaven & Earth had a wonderful falsetto harmony sound that reminds us a lot of east coast winners like Blue Magic or The Stylistics and like some of the best east coast groups, this group’s vocals work equally well on slow ballads or faster uptempo numbers, both of which are handled extremely well on the record by producer Clarence Johnson. The bulk of the arrangements on the record were done by Tom Tom 84,  one of Chicago’s true soul geniuses, and in perfect form on this record. The whole thing’s amazingly well put together for an indie soul group album and is a sure indication of the group’s later fame on Mercury.

This is a 320@ vinyl rip of the original Mercury LP including covers.

Tracks
A1 Let’s Work It Out 4:56
A2 Distant Melody 4:42
A3 Guess Who’s Back In Town 6:12
A4 How Do You Think You’re Gonna Find Love 4:02
B1 Run and Tell That 5:58
B2 Dance-a-Thon 5:48
B3 No Limit 3:41
B4 You Area Part of Me 4:02

Chicago’s Heaven and Earth stand as a little known personal favorite.  They were one of those soul groups that should have been major stars, but due to unfortunate timing, lousy management, a never ending series of personnel issues and other misfortunes, never managed to break through outside of their native Chicago.

Brothers Dwight and James Dukes decided to form a vocal group in 1974 while attending Chicago’s South Shore High School.  They quickly recruited friends Michael Brown and Keith Stewart.  The quartet subsequently caught the attention of sometimes promoter Lil Schneider who brought them to the attention of label owner/producer Clarence Johnson.  Together with partner Lucky Cordell, Johnson was suitably impressed, signing the quartet to their new G.E.C. (General Entertainment Corporation) label. 1977 saw the group undergo a nasty personnel shakeup with original lead singer Brown being dumped in favor of former Soul Majestics lead Dean Williams.  The move was instigated by now-manager/producer Johnson and proved extremely unpopular with the Dukes bothers and Stewart.  At the same time, using his connections, Johnson arranged for the new line up to sign with Mercury.

The cleverly-titled “Heaven and Earth” found the quartet working separately with two production teams - Johnson and Ric Williams and Rodney Massey and Lawrence Hanks (the latter also contributed several songs to the project).  Gifted with a nice baritone, Williams handled most of the lead vocals, with performances such as ‘Let’s Work It Out’ baring a passing resemblance to Teddy Pendergrass.  Elsewhere, tracks such as ‘Guess Who’s Back In Town’ and ‘Distant Melody’ (one of the few tracks to showcase Dwight’s pretty falsetto) offered up a set of sophisticated urban contemporary-styled ballads. The lone exceptions to the formula were ‘Run and Tell That’ and the forgettable disco-influenced ‘Dance-a-Thon’.   While the production and performances were impeccable (check out the vocal harmonies on ”How Do You Think You’re Gonna Find Love), by the time the album was released old school soul was all but a dead as a musical genre.  Mercury pulled two singles from the album -1978’s ‘Guess Who’s Back In Town’ b/w ‘No Limit” and 1979’s ‘How Do You Think You’re Gonna Find Love’ b/w ‘Let’s Work It Out’.  The first one just missed the top-40 R&B charts (it peaked at # 42), but the second failed to sell. Even worse, album sales proved non-existent, even in hometown Chicago.

But… This is a fantastic album you should listen, especially those who love smooth soul groups.

(Review by BatCat Records)

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Buy the vinyl from ebay for 75$ or Music Stack from 39$ or BadCat Records for 50$ and listen the wonderful “Guess Who’s Back In Town”.

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You can also listen their debut album “I can’t seem to forget you” here.

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