Get Your Singles (1999)

Svenonius-core (though the ideological core is supposedly sharing/liberation) Gospel Yeh-Yeh. Get yours, you fifth member. Fire your boss. Replace your bourgeois rock n roll with Svenonius-core rock n roll. Pretend participate in this collection, ready and awaiting your consumption. The joke's on you in one way or another, but the songs are good and there are 23 of them.

get yours / you pig

The Temptations - Psychedelic Shack (1970)

♫ hey girl! i wanna mess around with you and feel so good and put my jumper on 'cause it's cold right now ♫

'cause psych = wanting to protest+weed
=
B+

feel so good

Alice Clark, self-titled (1972)

Depending on your taste you will either see this album posted all the time, or you will almost never come across it. I'm not a Northern Soul connoisseur, but I understand that people who are have an exceptionally high opinion of this record. Not hard to understand, though; every cut on this is going to raise whatever standards you might have for Soul and R&B. This is possibly one of those "obscure but highly influential" albums because it was put out by Bob Shad, who founded Mainstream Records. You can be pretty sure that almost everyone who subsequently released something on Mainstream Records listened to this album.

Clark's record can be listened to in the context of that early-70s American popular music scene when white listeners were really starting to forget in earnest that they owed pretty much everything they have musically to black people. If you have ever enjoyed, for instance, Janis Joplin, you are pretty much required to listen to this and enjoy it more.

A+

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Otis G. Johnson - Everything - God is Love '78 (1978)

When did this become a thing? I mean I guess it appeals in the same way that Daniel Johnston or Jandek or Lonnie Holley appeal, and that's the outsider appeal, the disregard of audience and convention for the sake of spilling one's guts, brains, and in this case, soul, out, onto the record. There's a certain kind of pleasure found in hearing such directness- can't find a chord to satisfactorily express one's woes/devotion/anything? make one up. Stuck with a spacey keyboard and even spacier drum machine that'll sound real fucked up as the foundations over which you lay your soul bare? record the shit out of it. It's a freakshow and record geeks will love it

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The Isley Brothers - The Heat Is On (1975)

Comfortable lineup, comfortable rock funk soul fusion, 3 + 3 had the freshness and excitability that came with the realization of what this could achieve i.e. quiet storm sensuality meets rocknroll sexuality and the crossover success that a public in need of sophisticated baby making sensuality with flourishes of raw sexuality, could bring the Isleys. Fight the Power is ambitious but not in the pop sense which defined 3 + 3. Rather it's an album of epics, ideas, and sides. Side one is killer funk foundations and loose psych ornament, ostensibly loose and intoxicating, but tight and planned, driven by the Isleys' take on the black experience both political and personal. Side two is straight intimate. Worth it for Sensuality alone imo

A

try / buy

Sylvia Striplin - Give Me Your Love (1981)

Sylvia's fine, she does her thing, her disco thing, like thin and somehow monotone, and it would've sounded good, or suitable at least, but here's the thing: Roy Ayers does his thing too and he does it disco-funk, thudding and twinkling in a way that's beyond Striplin's innocent disco vocals. This makes Give Me Your Love a better record than it might've been without Ayers, but the discrepancy between Striplin's and Ayers' contributions evokes a singer out of their depth, and this may lead to serious nose-scrunching in the more nasal passages of a song like Searchin', however moved the nose-scruncher might be following the double-hit of disco funk goodness that is Give Me Your Love to Will We Ever Pass This Way Again. Recommended?

B-

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24-Carat Black - Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth (1973)

Dale Warren- dude who arranged Isaac Hayes' epic Walk on By which is Hood Took Me Under and I Can't Go To Sleep- hood tales and social commentary combined, and then, before them, Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth- hood tales and social commentary from 20yrs earlier, in fact, an expansive soul opera or funk opera or ghetto opera- make it through the slow/moody first half and you'll be rewarded with the incredible second, take no issue with the first half and you've found yourself a classic. Lucky you!

B+

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vinyl

Terry Callier - What Color Is Love (1972)

Intricate/sophisticated arrangements would be the source of much inspiration to lesser artists a decade or so later also concerned with the human condition by way of their own 'profound' experience or observation- I'm thinking of you, sophistipoppers! Lyrically repetitive/sentimental like you'd expect from a soul record. Grand, organic, stoned, atmospheric, and melancholic like you mightn't. And that might be where the folk kicks in. Or was that jazz? Who can tell. Starting things with your best song and then repeating that but not as good with a few Withers-y ones to mask or dress up the repetition would be a terrible idea if it weren't for his fantastic voice carrying it. He might repeat himself, but he sounds good doing so. Not a terrible idea, but not a good one either. The ear longs for anything half as good as Dancing Girl and after 30 mins still has blue balls. This record will probably blue ball you. But it also has a song so good that it almost makes it worth returning to that blue ball state. And that's the most critical I can be of What Color Is Love/Terry Callier: you put your best song first. The others are pretty good too, but you put your best song first

A-

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Teddy Pendergrass - Satisfaction Guaranteed: The Very Best of Teddy Pendergrass (2004)

C'mon, I couldn't not post this after Rawse's verse

What makes a good best-of? I guess you have to like the artist and then assess whether the good tracks are covered or not. Two discs, 16 songs each, is a lot of Teddy Pendergrass and I venture to say Satisfaction Guaranteed has him covered

A

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Rick James - Garden of Love (1980)

Carnal enough to indicate that James' Garden of Love is a different kind to the one Blake found- rather than moral and religious limitations, he's found two dark skinned aliens with the same haircut as him and a creepy light skinned one with cornrows. And lush green! And mushrooms... Not as psych as all that'd suggest, but about as laid-back as this kind of thing can be. REAL laid-back. As much as I'm gripped by Street Songs' chaos, I'm also happy to lay back in the green and watch the warm sunset with Rick James and his aliens and their mushrooms. I mean:

This must be love that I'm goin' through
I can feel it, I can feel it
This must be love
Summer love and you
Could this be love I'm goin' through
Warm as the sun soft as the mornin' dew

how nice! Underrated and a real musical oddity- in parts Garden of Love is more folk than funk. I like it a lot

A-

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Rick James - Street Songs (1981)

The classic one- the cover's not as mesmerizing as Bustin' Out of L Seven which recalls The Ramones' big dumb 80s period, playing Street Fighter at an arcade machine at night, Escape From New York, and The Warriors. Nor as creepy as Throwin' Down which is the end of Poltergeist II meets Mad Max by way of a creepy sexual theme park ride or laser tag. Not as confusing as Garden of Love's surreal take on reggae artwork. BUT I LOVE THOSE BOOTS. OH THE CLASSIC ONE. There's no Mary Jane or epic heartfelt Hollywood! But that doesn't matter. There's a Ghetto Life, and if that's not good enough, a Super Freak. You know what? I'd be happy with even one of them. The fact that it opens with the lesser known (actually a single, whatever) but equally strong Give It to Me Baby just makes the record all the more confident: James is gonna come back from a critical lull (Garden of Love), grabbing the listener's attention and promising he won't let go 'til his 8 tracks are over. His grip weakens (now regretting this analogy) on Mr. Policeman- not because of the message but because it's not quite as good as the ones that come before and after. The final four are solid though. The only problem might've been the seven minute Fire and Desire, but it's crazy epic and touching in its hit those high notes when you've got no more words to sing wooooooooo sugar sugar sugar-ness. His songs don't always grab me (I try to forget about his and Prince's rivalry), but there's always enough chaotic funk and sexual ridiculousness to keep me listening and saying fuck yeah I love Rick James! Street Songs! Mary Jane! Hollywood!

A

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Wendy Rene - After Laughter Comes Tears: Complete Stax & Volt Singles + Rarities 1964-1965 (2012)

Remembered mostly today for After Laughter Comes Tears 'cause RZA did it- here's a whole bunch of other ones any way! That song... that song! With or without RZA it's a great song. I know that 'cause there's a bunch of songs on here that never got sampled on a classic rap album and I like them too! Unfortunately there are also a lot that aren't very good. By the time the good ones are all gone, After Laughter Comes Tears becomes background music. At that point it's unclear whether the song is any good or not, which may or may not be a good thing. I dunno. I like background music!

Good song vibes 10/10
Everything else 2/10
Let's call it a C+

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Bill Withers - Just As I am (1971)

Sorta underrated compared to 1972's Still Bill- a shame 'cause Withers' voice is already that mix of velvety but still straight from the stomach, and while the songs just aren't as good as on his masterpiece, they tell a story both personal and political as Withers describes injustice with aggression, and heartbreak with such genuine sadness that the only logical conclusion to what he builds is to Scarface/Big at the end of Better off Dead. While he might genuinely hope she'll be happier with him, he'll keep coming back any way (Ain't No Sunshine), so decides he is in fact better off dead. Moving and enjoyable- soul by way of folk

A

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Syl Johnson - Dresses Too Short (1968)

1. Dresses Too Short 2:44

2. I Can Take Care of Business 3:00

3. Different Strokes 2:20

4. Soul Drippin' 2:24

5. Fox Hunting on the Weekend 2:32

6. Ode to Soul Man 2:30

7. Come on Sock It to Me 2:26

8. I'll Take Those Skinny Legs 1:57

9. Try Me 2:02

10. Same Kind of Thing 2:21

11. I've Got the Real Thing 2:40

12. Sorry 'Bout Dat! 2:14

Basically I just love this guy's voice. Musically, the upbeat southern soul leads to comparisons to Otis and Wilson Pickett, but he just sounds different. It won't change the way you listen to music, but it doesn't really need to. 12 tracks, some better than others, but not one is less than essential

B+

O.V. Wright - A Nickle and a Nail and Ace of Spades (1971)

1. Don't Let My Baby Ride 3:02

2. Born All Over 3:16

3. Ace of Spades 2:12

4. Eight Men - Four Women 2:56

5. He Made Woman for Man 3:04

6. I Can't Take It 3:08

7. Afflicted 3:43

8. When You Took Your Love From Me 3:02

9. Nickle and a Nail 3:40

10. Don't Take It Away 3:53

The golden era of Southern soul was essentially over by 1971, but thankfully no one told O.V. Wright about this; this album, which as the title suggests featured two of his biggest hits, showed that his gifts as a vocalist were near the peak of their strength, and this is Memphis-style R&B in the grand tradition. Willie Mitchell produced these sessions at his Royal Recording Studio in Memphis, with the Hi Records Rhythm Section and the Memphis Horns providing the backing, and their performances lend the music a smooth, glorious burn like fine brandy, and are not unlike the work they did with Al Green, but reveal a darker and bluesier tone. Great as the band is, Wright headlines this show, and when he sings he dominates these sessions with grace and authority; the longing and hurt in his voice are a wonder to behold, and the burnished gospel influences in his voice meld the secular and the sacred with a powerful common belief, particularly on "He Made Woman for Man." The lovers' ache of "Don't Take It Away" and "When You Took Your Love from Me," and the blues-shot laments of "A Nickel and a Nail" and "Afflicted" are as powerful as Southern soul got in the early '70s. Wright was a master of this form, and while he would lose his life only nine years after this album was released, A Nickel and a Nail and Ace of Spades sounds like the work of an artist as powerful and vital as you could ask for. Brilliant music, despite cover art that makes this look like a low-budget bootleg.
-AMG

A

fixed

Baby Huey - The Baby Huey Story: The Living Legend (1971)

Baby Huey's only album, released after his untimely death, is titled The Living Legend with good reason. He was legendary in his appearance, a 400-pound man with a penchant for flamboyant clothing and crowned by a woolly Afro, a look that is best illustrated by one of several rare photos included in the Water Records edition that shows our man in a wide-lapeled polka-dot shirt with a lime-green jacket. Beyond his unusual appearance, though, he was graced with a stunning, fierce voice on par with Otis Redding and Howard Tate, wailing and howling one moment and oddly tender and sentimental the next. Nowhere on Living Legend is his range more apparent than the opening track, "Listen to Me," where listeners are introduced to both the enigma of Baby Huey and his diamond-tough psychedelic funk backing band, the Baby Sitters. The high-energy instrumental workout "Mama Get Yourself Together" is worthy of the J.B.'s and a hazy, spiraling ten-minute rendition of Sam Cooke's chestnut "A Change Is Going to Come" confirms that the Baby Sitters could hold their own with Blood, Sweat & Tears. Further lore that catapults The Living Legend from good to great: the production was helmed by Curtis Mayfield, reason enough to make it near essential, and is highlighted by three of his compositions, "Mighty Mighty," which Mayfield and the Impressions recorded a few years earlier; "Running," a classic Mayfield cut that can only be heard here ripped to glorious bits by a band that is trying to let every member solo; and "Hard Times," which Mayfield himself would revisit on his 1975 album There's No Place Like America Today, although Baby Huey's razor-edged reading remains the definitive version -- no small caveat considering Mayfield not only wrote the tune, but could rightfully be considered one of the architects of soul to boot. 

-AMG

A-

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Candi Staton - Candi Staton (1972)

1. Do It in the Name of Love 3:00

2. Darling You're All That I Had 3:23

3. Blackmail 2:58

4. In the Ghetto 2:52

5. Wanted: Lover 2:43

6. The Best Thing You Ever Had 2:25

7. Lovin' You, Lovin' Me 3:00

8. I'll Drop Everything and Come Running 2:48

9. You Don't Love Me No More 2:24

10. The Thanks I Get for Loving You 2:40

Don't know how to review this... trust me it's another great soul album

A-

Chic - C'est Chic (1978)

1. Chic Cheer 4:44

2. Le Freak 5:31

3. Savoir Faire 5:04

4. Happy Man 4:26

5. I Want Your Love 6:57

6. At Last I Am Free 7:11

7. Sometimes You Win 4:29

8. (Funny) Bone 3:42

Fuck all yall this is cooler than Risqué

Released in 1978, just as disco began to peak, C'est Chic and its pair of dancefloor anthems, "Le Freak" and "I Want Your Love," put Chic at the top of that dizzying peak. The right album at the right time, C'est Chic is essentially a rehash of Chic, the group's so-so self-titled debut from a year earlier. That first album also boasted a pair of floor-filling anthems, "Dance Dance Dance" and "Everybody Dance," and, like C'est Chic, it filled itself out with a mix of disco and ballads. So, essentially, C'est Chic does everything its predecessor did, except it does so masterfully: each side similarly gets its timeless floor-filler ("Le Freak," "I Want Your Love"), quiet storm come-down ("Savoir Faire," "At Last I Am Free"), feel-good album track ("Happy Man," "Sometimes You Win"), and moody album capper ("Chic Cheer," "[Funny] Bone"). Producers Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers were quite a savvy pair and knew that disco was as much a formula as anything. As evidenced here, they definitely had their fingers on the pulse of the moment, and used their perceptive touch to craft one of the few truly great disco albums. In fact, you could even argue that C'est Chic very well may be the definitive disco album. After all, countless artists scored dancefloor hits, but few could deliver an album this solid, and nearly as few could deliver one this epochal as well. C'est Chic embodies everything wonderful and excessive about disco at its pixilated peak. It's anything but subtle with its at-the-disco dancefloor mania and after-the-disco bedroom balladry, and Edwards and Rodgers are anything but whimsical with their disco-ballad-disco album sequencing and pseudo-jet-set Euro poshness. Chic would follow C'est Chic with "Good Times," the group's crowning achievement, but never again would Edwards and Rodgers assemble an album as perfectly calculated as C'est Chic.
-AMG

A

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Jim Ford - Harlan County (1969)

1. Harlan Co.

2. Love on My Brain

3. Changin' Color's

4. Spoonfull

5. Dr. Handy

6. To Make My Life Beautiful

7. Workin My Way to L.A.

8. Long Rd Ahead

9. I'm Gonna Make Her Love Me

10. Under Construction

Loved by Nick Lowe and others appreciating its effortless enthusiasm, catchiness, and eccentricity, forgotten by more and maybe never liked by critics any way- Jim Ford was a versatile song-writer and performer who aped his influences convincingly (to the point I was gonna write he was obviously inspired by Allen Toussaint's 1972 masterpiece until I noticed the year this was released), never bettering them, and released Harlan County which is essential for fans of Waylon Jennings, Allen Toussaint, Van Morrison, or actually anyone who fits into any one of the genres I've listed under labels- and doesn't really give a shit whether an album's influential or canon or whatever

A-

Al Green - Call Me (1973)

1. Call Me (Come Back Home) 3:03

2. Have You Been Making Out O.K. 3:42

3. Stand Up 3:25

4. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry 3:10

5. Your Love Is Like the Morning Sun 3:09

6. Here I Am (Come and Take Me) 4:14

7. Funny How Time Slips Away 5:33

8. You Ought to Be With Me 3:15

9. Jesus Is Waiting 5:36

Whenever I read reviews calling Let's Stay Together 'imperfect' I got all mad 'cause it featured the title track and How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?, both of which are sorta perfect soul songs, but then I heard Call Me which is just so good- it's country soul!- and found that those calling Let's Stay Together imperfect often at least admit that Call Me is, ya know, a masterpiece

Al Green reached his creative peak with the brilliant Call Me, the most inventive and assured album of his career.
-AMG

I originally believed people would buy this only so they wouldn't have to get up and flip I'm Still in Love with You, and I was probably right. But no other album documents Green's genius for the daring nuance so thrillingly. "Stand Up" is the subtlest black identity song ever, "Jesus Is Waiting" a profession of faith you can believe in, and "Here I Am" an uptempo vehicle that sneaks up from in front of you. The interpretations of country weepers by Hank Williams and Willie Nelson are definitive. The vocals are tougher than on the two "classic" Green LPs that preceded it. And the rhythms are irresistible. Al Jackson's (and Henry Grimes's) thick third-beat 4/4 kicks in with all kinds of extra surprises, and as always it's only a frame for a music that moves as one sinuous body, with Green dodging and weaving at the head. A+
-Robert Christgau

A+


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