I'm on something of a right roaring ol' blues-buzz at the moment. A couple of sweet inspirations have got me knocking on the pentatonic rock (with a few flattened fifths and sliding ninths thrown in). Taking delivery of series two of The Beat!!! 98 minutes of possibly the greatest music show ever committed to tape, weighing heavy with nuggets such as ....
I'm also going very heavy on the back catalogue of Lowell Fulson and his funky boogaloo blues
And as featured last Friday Magic Sam. Fret-frying tonight with Sam's Boogie, grabbable below as Lookin' Good.
Behold the sunday afternoon shindigs at the Railway Hotel: a hooting, tooting blues 'n' booze blast. Should you find yourself loose ended or with a few spare hours to fill this coming sabbath - point and steer yourself in the direction of Southend's most rock 'n' roll local. Why? Martin McNeill's Bottletop Blues Band are installed for their every-third-week-residency and calling on a rolling repertory of premium league players
West End legend Mark Casey could be on drummer duties, Martin Johnson may be onboard for some heavy-handed hammond action, or Wes Weston might be huffing, puffing and blowing the house down.
22nd April this year - zip to 1 minute in for a proper old honk-off
Retro vintage finery is the gear to go for - with jive, swings and spins being the dances of the day - 'it's all about the back-step' I'm advised by those in the know (Mrs M).
Between the sets I'll be spinning a mix of jump blues, west coast blues, early R 'n' B, northern, soul, ska and Latin along the way. Every sesh I try and wing in a few newbie-tunes. This week - stand by for the sounds of Magic Sam and Lowell Fulson.
Picking up from Tuesday's funky run-out, today, I'm pitching in a 22 track, 70 minute mix whisking together all shades of soul, funk and groovy doings. Heavy-handed Hammond,
New Orleans grinders, mod stompers, Jamaican moogie-woogie and Latin flavoured
wig-outs. Mostly fitted around the letter 'F' wrapping up with two fast and furious and finishers. And a first in this neck of the blogs - funky country. Literally!
Dial in below to fill your fruity boots....
Dial F for Funky
Or to back track and catch up Tuesday's Radio Podrophenia (the letter F) dig in here..
It's just a touch too early to start dishing out the tinsel tunes (we'll save that for next week), but as a winter warm-up, how about a visit from three six string Kings that put some fatback on the fretboard and bring us Cold, Funking-sense and much, much more*
Every Friday is Funky Friday on Planet Mondo and to tie in with this week's theme of hidden nuggets and covers I've loaded up a couple of obscure Youtube treats and two Rock 'n' Soul covers from Wilson Pickett and Solomon Burke.
Arthur Conley is probably best known for 'Sweet Soul Music', but this is Art's shakedown of 'Shake Rattle and Roll'.
Arthur Conley Jr - Shake, Rattle, Roll
Who is Roger Martin? Why isn't he a superstar? Why is 'They Say' a secret stomper and not a soul standard? And where can I get hold of this track?
Roger Martin - They Say
I do know the backing musicians are Freddie Kingand his band though.
Finally two funky takes on sixties rebel rock classics (click on the links to download and divshare to preview)
And today FF brings you the 'Texas Cannonball', the 'Big King Of The Strings' Mr Freddie King - wearing his guitar strap like a shoulder holster and using a crazy but killer technique that's all fingers and thumbs.
Treat yourself and watch him tear it up on I'm Tore Down - check out those have a go-go backing dancers
I'm Tore Down
Now settle in for San Ho Zay. Look out for Clarence 'Gate Mouth' Brown on guitar. And on sky high bass... Billy Cox, who later became the bass man in Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys and check out the cheeky horn riffing