Stays On My Mind (Soul July 31st 1971)

The Top 10 records on the Cash Box Top 60 in R&B Locations for 50 years ago this week were the same as the week before only in a slightly reshuffled order. Gladys Knight & her Pips had enjoyed just one week at #1 with “I Don’t Want To Do Wrong” & was now replaced by the impressively double bracketed “Hot Pants (Part 1) (She Got To Use What She Got To Get What She Wants), the 11th time that James Brown had hit the top spot. The most recent release of these 10 was a song that was initially slated to be a single for the Temptations but the departure of lead vocalist Eddie Kendricks for a solo career in March 1971 meant that a Plan B was required. Producer Norman Whitfield took his song “Smiling Faces Sometimes”, cut from over 12 minutes to under 4, re-recorded it with his Psychedelic Soul proteges, the Undisputed Truth & made the hit it was always going to be. Anyways, we looked at these big hits in the last post & there are other great artists & records, some of my favourites, further down the listing so let’s get to that.

Way back when I first invited the World Wide Web into the house it brought along a Y-tube clip from 1966 of Barbara Lynn performing “You’ll Lose A Good Thing”, her hit from four years earlier. I was convinced that me & this new e-world would be getting along just fine. An R&B prime cut, filmed in colour an elegant young woman singing her own song, playing her guitar left-handed just like Jimi, the whole package just seemed so assured, so modern. Barbara was just 20 when she made the 265 mile journey to New Orleans to record with Huey P Meaux, “the Crazy Cajun”. “…Good Thing”, her debut, was such a success that she was able to record regularly in the next few years. One of her songs “Oh Baby (We’ve Got a Good Thing Goin’)” was covered by the Rolling Stones in 1965. It was Meaux’ connections in the music business that got Barbara signed to Atlantic in 1967 & in the following year “Here Is Barbara Lynn”, an album recorded in Mississippi with Meaux was released.

“(Until Then) I’ll Suffer”, rising from #52 to #46 on this week chart is a 1971 release lifted from that three year old album. It appears to have been the b-side of “Take Your Love and Run”, another cut from a record that seemed to point Barbara towards sub-Motown Soul stompers which were good enough but it was the five songs she wrote, where the Blues was added to her Gulf Coast Soul that stood out. It is no surprise that “(Until Then) I’ll Suffer” in the style of “…Good Thing”, recognisably a Barbara Lynn joint, was the side preferred by radio stations. Any plans for new material from her were stalled by the imprisonment of Huey Meaux after a conviction under the Mann Act for transporting an underage female across state line for immoral purposes (later things got worse for Huey). Barbara, a new wife & mother, stepped away & took 20 years off to raise her kids before returning to recording & touring, still looking, singing & playing just fine. There were plenty of people pleased to see her.

I hope that you are able to spare three minutes to listen to a new entry at #58 to the Cash Box chart because “Trapped By A Thing Called Love” by Denise LaSalle is a wonderful thing. Denise had relocated from Mississippi to Chicago when she was a teenager. She was into her thirties before she began to record. It was perhaps this maturity showing when she & her husband Bill Jones set up their independent Crajon Enterprises company & negotiated a deal with Detroit’s Westbound label. It was certainly an astute move to go to Royal Studios in Memphis where producer Willie Mitchell was finessing a signature sound combining the melodic groove of his rhythm section with bright punchy interjections by the Memphis Horns. In 1971 Mitchell was establishing Al Green as a new force on the Soul scene & his arrangements for “Trapped By A Thing…” & Denise’s subsequent LP provided the same freshness. Eight of the eleven songs were written by Denise herself, she & her husband produced an album that is a fine, individual example of the way Southern Soul was heading. Incidentally the track “If You Should Loose Me” (sic) is a cover of Barbara Lynn’s “You’ll Lose A Good Thing”. Denise continued to write & record into the 21st century, her reputation as a “Blues Queen” fully justified.

In Jim Jarmusch’s fine Rock & Roll vampire movie “Only Lovers Left Alive” (2013) Eve (Tilda Swinton, that’s the great…) is listening to Adam (Loki Hiddleston), her husband over many centuries, whinge on about the drawbacks of immortality, of waiting round to never die. She walks across the room to the turntable, selects “Trapped By This Thing Called Love” & says “How can you have lived for so long and still not get it? This self obsession is a waste of living, It could be spent surviving things, appreciating nature, nurturing kindness and friendship, and dancing”. Life affirming words & music indeed.

Ah, the mighty, mighty Dells, at #53 with their latest 45 “The Love We Had Stays On My Mind”. The quintet came together in 1953 as high school friends in Harvey, Illinois, just south of Chicago. “Oh What A Nite”, hit big in 1956, Johnny Carter (the new guy!) joined in 1962 & he, Marvin Junior, Chuck Barksdale, Michael McGill & Verne Allison were still together 50 years later. When, in 1966, their record company Vee-Jay declared bankruptcy a move across town to Chess Records led to a string of R&B hits with standards or material provided by producer Bobby Miller, finely tuned by ace arranger Charles Stepney. With the departure of Miller to Motown in 1969 Stepney took over production duties, continuing the ambitious, imaginative, urbane Soul vision he had pursued with the group Rotary Connection. In 1971, with the release of the “Freedom Means” album the Dells, already regarded as the most senior of the vocal groups, around since the days of Doo-Wop, were pushing the boundaries of melodic, harmonious Soul.

“Freedom Means” had its covers of well known songs along with six of the ten, including the title track & “The Love We Had…” written by Terry Callier, a Chicagoan friend of Curtis Mayfield & Jerry Butler. His mid-60s album “The New Folk of…” was embellished with Jazzy idiosyncrasy & now, as a Stepney protege, he was bringing a distinctiveness to the Dells. “The Dells Sing Dionne Warwicke’s Greatest Hits” (1972) sounds a little more mainstream but blimey Bacharach & David’s modern classics are only enhanced by the vocals & arrangements. “Sweet As Funk Can Be” (also 1972), seven Callier/Wade compositions & one cover, is an almost-concept album, tracks linked by spoken segues & as far out as the Dells ever got. It is perhaps a taste to be acquired but the album does exactly what it says on the cover &, for what it’s worth, my one-word review is “Magnificent”.

The Dells were by no means Stepney’s surrogates. Chuck’s bass added texture while Michael & Verne had been doing their harmony thing for so long now that they absolutely had it down. The powerful baritone voice of Marvin Junior really is a special thing. You hear that, it’s the Dells. While Marvin came with the thunder he was set up & perfectly, uniquely complemented by the lightning of Johnny Carter’s range from tenor to falsetto. There’s much more to the group than sheer durability. As tastes in music changed the Dells made slight adjustments, always classy, elegant & relevant, ensuring their longevity. My good e-friend Jennifer Hannah Cocozza, a woman of immaculate taste, will tell anyone who cares to listen that Marvin Junior is the outstanding voice in a talented, crowded Soul field. I’m the guy stood behind her saying “Yeah, that’s right!”

This week’s live clip is from the same 1972 performance by the Dells on the landmark but short-lived “Soul” TV series. “Stay In My Corner” was a hit in 1965 the re-recorded three year later, becoming the group’s biggest R&B and Pop hit of the 1960s. Developed into an expanded onstage showstopper it showcases the amalgamated talents of the five while featuring the quite extraordinary alignment & blessing that Marvin & Johnny had refined. It does not get better than this.

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Random Sightings July 2021

Right, the football season is finally over. England lost their first final in a major tournament for 55 years to an admittedly deserving Italian team by the width of a goal post in a penalty decider. I enjoyed the ride, being able to watch the games with a small group of family & friends was a pleasure after a year of garden meetings. I now have a few weeks when the pros & cons of the Video Assistant Referee or whether the England manager’s preference for the “double-pivot” would prove to be too defensive (it would) can be put on the back burner so let’s get back to throwing some of the good stuff that has crossed my path recently on to the blog. Is this keyboard still working?

In 1972 Kevin Ayers, a mainstay of the music scene in Canterbury, was, as was his habit, kicking back for a while. As a member of the Wilde Flowers & the Soft Machine he had contributed to the progressive/psychedelic improvisation & innovation that was characteristic of that city’s musical output. His three solo albums had a relaxed, whimsical, rather louche charm while retaining elements of surprise & exploration that made him such an original artist. The only live clips of Kevin from this time on the Y-tube are from “The Old Grey Whistle Test” with his group the Whole World. Now, this black & white clip of a solo performance has appeared & what a treat it is. The clip comes courtesy of an independent TV service produced by the Inner London Education Authority, a grouping responsible for the city’s schools which, like its parent administration the Greater London Council, was considered by Thatcher to be part of “the enemy within” & was subsequently abolished. The song, which Kevin explains “isn’t called anything” is “Hymn”, a track from his 1973 LP “Bananamour” & by heck it’s good.

Sometime in 1972 I attended a midweek entertainment at my university that promised appearances by not only Kevin Ayers but also Syd Barrett, such an influential pioneer of Psychedelic Pop with Pink Floyd before his drug intake & mental fragility led to his withdrawal from the group. A chance to see two such individual British mavericks was a pretty good deal & we took our places cross-legged in front of the stage (it was 1972!) in anticipation. Syd had recorded two fascinating, honest solo albums in 1970 before his unavailability had encouraged the rumours & enhanced the legend. We had no idea of what Syd looked like now so assumed that as the figure setting up in the dark was not Kevin it probably was Syd. Unfortunately on his return to the stage a roadie was adjusting a microphone. The performer stormed off & was not to be seen again. That’s as close we ever got to see one of the great British psychedelic talents…or maybe not. Kevin Ayers saved the day with an intimate & (that word again) charming solo set of bohemian cabaret filled with songs that weren’t about anything, finishing with his version of Marlene Dietrich’s “Falling In Love Again”. Another good, interesting night out.

“The Ed Sullivan Show” was never shown in the UK. We knew it was a big deal in the States, our very own The Beatles appeared on three consecutive Sundays in February 1964, causing the same cultural tremors to which we were becoming accustomed. Pretty soon England was swinging like a pendulum do & we had a whole scene going on over here anyway. Over the past year the archives of the show have been regularly released on to the Y-Tube. The show aired from 1948 to 1971 & some of the earlier variety entertainment is a little moderate. Post Mersey Mania the bookers upped their musical game & while the house orchestra are by no means the Funk Brothers it’s always good to see regular guests the Supremes in their modish Motown glory. Of even more interest to myself is the chance to see a number of outstanding US comedians doing that very funny thing they do. I have records by Bob Newhart, George Carlin & Richard Pryor but have never seen their early stand-up routines. The Sullivan clips are introducing me to others who were at the top of their game but we never got to see.

I was aware that Ben Stiller’s father Jerry was a funny guy. I’d seen him playing George Costanza’s Dad in “Seinfeld”. He was the guy who put me on to Festivus. What I didn’t know was that in the 1960s he had been part of a successful double act & that his partner was Anne Meara, his wife, Ben’s Mum & a very funny guy too. There were 36 appearances on the Sullivan show & this sketch about computer dating (in 1966, in colour, imagine that) where Jewish Jerry meets Irish Catholic Anne, from the same neighbourhood but living separate lives, is short, sharp & eventually sweet. The cracks are wise, the affiliation obvious & attractive. In 1970, concerned about blurred lines between the act & her marriage, Anne stepped away to raise her kids. She later returned to films, TV & theatre including a run with Jerry in “The King of Queens”. Jerry & Anne were married, until her death in 2015, for 61 years, now that’s sweet too.

Any regular visitor to this part of the Interweb will be aware that I am a little obsessed with that golden decade of Soul from 1965-75 so “Summer of Soul” has been, along with the upcoming Sopranos prequel, the most anticipated film of the year & it did not disappoint. The Harlem Cultural Festival, a series of free concerts in New York, was held across six weekends in the Summer of 1969. The events were filmed but despite the success of the “Woodstock” movie & the emerging “blaxploitation” genre there was no financial backing for any commercial release of the footage. Amhir “Questlove” Thompson, a man of multi-talents including playing drums for the Roots, making his directorial debut, has a very solid, impressive musical foundation on which to base his film. It starts with the Psychedelic Soul boys the Chambers Brothers rocking out with “Uptown” & Fifth Dimension, as Billy & Marilyn acknowledge, finding that playing to such a large black audience unwrapped a funky side that was rarely seen on their TV appearances, then the musical highlights keep on coming.

It’s difficult to top the emotional impact of a duet between Mavis Staples & Mahalia Jackson singing “Precious Lord Take My Hand”, a favourite of Martin Luther King & performed in his honour then along come Sly & the Family Stone, racially & gender diverse, boundless, infectious energy & one of the greatest groups ever. Stevie Wonder stakes his claim to being the funkiest individual in the world & the only word to describe Nina Simone is Goddess. All this music is carefully & expertly placed into the context of an assertiveness about the Black experience in the USA. There’s activism & anger about the Vietnam War, about police brutality & social inequality. There’s pride too in their community. The Harlemites who attended the concerts & those who are still around to tell about it want their stories to be heard & listened to. The unanimous dismissal in contemporary interviews of the Moon landing, a big deal for White America, is, as they would say in 1969, “Right On!”.

A Rose In A Fisted Glove (Soul July 10th 1971)

While “Mr Big Stuff” by Jean Knight & Gladys Knight & the Pips’ “I Don’t Want To Do Wrong” remained at the head of the Cash Box Top 60 in R&B Locations for July 10th 1971 there was significant movement just below these hits. No less than five singles were newly welcomed to the Top 10 so this week’s review will not be crate-digging for barely remembered or perhaps never heard before songs from the lower reaches of the chart. Instead it’s big hits from big stars all the way. Let’s get to it.

In 1971 the Isley Brothers were a-changing just like the times. The sleeve of their current album featured Ronald, Rudolph & O’Kelly, the family band whose high-octane early 60s hits “Shout” & “Twist & Shout” had appealed to the wild side of the British Invasion groups. A spell at Tamla Motown was perhaps more appreciated on the UK Soul scene than at home. In 1969 the self-written, produced & released “It’s Your Thing” celebrated the trio’s independence & established their Funk credentials. “Love the One You’re With”, rising a big 10 places to #4 on this week’s chart of 50 years ago was becoming their most successful single since then. Younger brother Ernie, then just 16 (!) had played bass on “It’s Your Thing” & was now the band’s guitarist, his bass duties taken up by little brother, 17 year old Marvin. Rudolph’s brother-in-law, Chris Jasper, another young gun, played keyboards so the Isleys had their own in-home & at the studio band. I don’t know if it was the regulars or all these young dudes who chose the songs for their new album, whatever, it was an inspired move, a step forward for the Isley Brothers.

The “sounds crazy but it just might work” idea of “Givin’ It Back” was to cover contemporary, familiar hits by mainly white artists. So there’s James Taylor’s “Fire & Rain”, Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay” & “Spill The Wine” off of Eric Burdon & War. “Love the One You’re With” is one of two songs by Stephen Stills, ascendant as one quarter of Crosby Stills Nash & Young while rising star Bill Withers contributed & played on his song “Cold Bologna”. The album opens with “Ohio/Machine Gun”, Neil Young’s immediate & angry reaction to the killing of four Kent State students by the Ohio Army National Guard segues into a song by Jimi Hendrix, a former member of their backing band. The whole is nine minutes of incendiary, incisive militancy, an atmospheric arrangement, Ronald’s impassioned vocals matched by Ernie’s wailing guitar, influenced & inspired by his friend. This epic track invokes the now less-remembered fatal shooting of two black students at Jackson State a matter of days after the deaths in Ohio, it showcases the fresh energy of the Isley Brothers, confidently moving into social commentary & progressive Soul. Two albums down the line the album “3+3” recognised that the band now had six members who all had their first platinum record.

James Brown, Soul Brother #1, Mr Dynamite, The Godfather of Soul, Minister of the New New Super Heavy Funk, had two records in this week’s Top 10. “Escape-ism (Part 1) rose three places to #6 while the impressively double-bracketed “Hot Pants (Part 1) (She Got To Use What She Got To Get What She Wants)” flew from #16 to #5. After 14 years of recording for King Records these two 45s were the first releases on James’ People label, set up for him through his new deal with Polydor. In March of the previous year most of James’ road band had voiced their concerns about payment & quit. With live dates & recording sessions to fulfill “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business” acted quickly by recruiting the Collins brothers, guitarist Catfish & bass player Bootsy, & the first release with this new young band, the J.B.’s, was “Get Up ( I Feel Like A Sex Machine)”. James was still getting on the scene, as popular as ever, same as it ever was. On a European tour in March 1971 disputes over money (again) & Bootsy’s lysergic indulgence left James without a band again. Stalwart trombonist Fred Wesley had returned to the fold, drummer Jabo Starks abided & the new J.B’s were assembled. These two current hits were the first recordings with his fresh crew.

So the first album for Polydor can sound like the singer & the group jamming in the studio getting to know each other. On “Escape-ism (Part 2)” James spends three minutes asking his new allies where they are from! Still, musicians taking their chance to show the boss that they’re the guys to keep that distinctive, tight funky groove, with Fred as band leader there’s now a touch more brass in there & it all makes for a pretty good noise. “Hot Pants”, the title track, is the most structured of the cuts, it’s not one from the top shelf of James Brown classics, that’s a high shelf, but it’s on point, one of the great run of R&B hits he had for so long. Oh yeah, Hot Pants were a big fashion thing in 1971, ask your Grandma if she’s still got her’s.

Here’s another cover version taken from one of the singer-songwriters whose softer, acoustic rock was carrying the swing on the Pop Album charts in 1971. Carole King was already a US Pop legend for her compositions, written with her husband Gerry Goffin. Switching coasts from the Brill Building in New York to Los Angeles’ Laurel Canyon she hung out with James Taylor & Joni Mitchell while recording her solo album “Tapestry”. “You’ve Got A Friend” was written in response to Taylor’s “Fire & Rain” & his version, a #1 Pop hit, was released in June 1971. An R&B take on the Grammy “Song of the Year”, a duet by two rising stars of the genre, was shipped on the same day & this week rose to #9 on our chart.

Donny Hathaway, from Chicago, was studying the noted Howard University when he was tempted by musical opportunities in his hometown. His name started to feature on records as a writer, arranger & producer & he worked with big names such as Curtis Mayfield, Jerry Butler & Betty Everett. Pretty soon he had a solo deal & in 1970, on “Everything Is Everything”, he displayed a sensitive, velvet voice to match his natural musicality. The record did not sell too well, even “The Ghetto (Part 1)”, a wonderful, influential, jazz-influenced groove, failed to make the mark it undoubtedly deserved & now has over time. Roberta Flack also studied at Howard, her talent earning a full scholarship at the age of just 15. Her progress was hindered by the death of her father & a return to her family home in North Carolina before a move to Washington D.C. & her appearances in the city’s nightclubs led to great appreciation of her talent. Like Donny Ms Flack was not an instant success, “First Take”, her 1969 debut, which included two songs by Hathaway, did not become a #1 hit until 1972 when Clint Eastwood employed “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” (you know it) in his film “Play Misty For Me”. In 1971 the two friends, both talents of the highest class, were matched by Atlantic for an album of duets.

Together Donny & Roberta made a fine, mature album, the covers classic & contemporary, original songs are interesting, the combination of Jazz, R&B & Gospel influences are effective & mellifluous. “You’ve Got A Friend” will always be associated with King & Taylor but the more than a little bit of Soul added by Hathaway & Flack make it my personal preference. The album, recorded with the finest New York session players, was released in 1972 & with Roberta’s star newly ascendant “Where Is The Love” reached the Top 10 on the Pop chart. In the following years Roberta confirmed her unique ability to understand & possess a song, her interpretation becoming definitive & selling records to the millions of buyers who could hear this. Donny released a glorious live album including “…Friend”, Marvin’s “What’s Goin’ On” & John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy”. Unfortunately his erratic behaviour led to a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia & he was prescribed extensive medication, a regime to which he did not always adhere. His progress stalled until a reunion with Roberta produced a major hit with “The Closer I Get To You” in 1978. While recording a planned album of duets, in January 1979 his behaviour in the studio was described as delusional & the session was aborted. That day he was found dead in the street below his 15th floor hotel; room. Donny Hathaway was just 33, a sad, terrible loss to the music world.

No video is available for this week’s live performance. This is the brilliant, extended version of “The Ghetto” from Donny’s “Live” album. We have these records so keep his memory is eternal.