Letter From The Godfather Of Soul

I was digging for records recently and came across a spectacularly clean promotional copy of James Brown's "Escape-ism" on 45. I already had a copy of the record, but what made the purchase irresistible was the stock letter to the radio programmer that had been slipped inside the sleeve encouraging him to play THIS mix, as the previously shipped batch of singles just wasn't quite up to JB's specification. When Soul Brother #1 tells you to do something, you better do it!

...I couldn't find a decent live performance of "Escape-ism", but here is an amazing Soul Train medley featuring "Get On The Good Foot", "Soul Power" and "Make It Funky" from 1973. James Brown is THE baddest man to do it.

New Digs | Early September, 2011

Edan - Rapperfiction 12" (Lewis Recordings, 2000)

Edan - Torture Chamber Remix 12" (Lewis Recordings, 2005)

Im always a fan of Edan!  From his earlier, spaced out braggadocious raps, all the way through his more ambitious psychedlic renditions, he always brings the raw shit!

James Brown - Presents His Show Of Tomorrow (King, 1968)

A nice compilation from King Records that features cuts from JB, Vicki Anderson, Bobby Byrd, Marva Whitney, and others. This was a trade that I couldn't resist since the record was in such great condition.

Grootna - S/T (Columbia, 1972)

A solid rock record that sounds more a bit more Texas than California, and that ain't so bad!

Circus Maximus - S/T (Vanguard, 1967)

I was super stoked to find this lp for pretty cheap as I recognized the band from the excellent Vanguard psych compilation 'Follow Me Down' that came out this past Record Store Day. 

Womb - S/T (Dot, 1967)

Still fully digesting this psych rock lp, but so far it sounds incredibly promising and makes a real nice addition to the collection. 

Archie Bell & The Drells - There's Gonna Be A Showdown (Atlantic, 1969)

Curtis Mayfield - Sweet Exorcist (Curtom, 1974)

Tower Of Power - East Bay Grease (San Francisco, 1970)

Cross the last three off my long time wants list. Finally! Strangely, I can't remember ever seeing this Tower Of Power album in the wild. I love their horn arrangements, and think they are consistently overlooked for their songwriting as well. 

Freda Payne - Band Of Gold (Invictus, 1970)

I bought this one on a recommendation from dude at the spot, and once I dropped the needle on the first cut and instantly recognized the title song, I had to bring it on home. There are a couple songs on the album that should be of interest to rap nerds, particularly the last cut 'The Easiest Way to Fall' which so dope and provides the sample source for JVC Force's 'Strong Island'.

Betty Wright - Danger High Voltage (Alston, 1974)

I have quitely been picking up all the Betty Wright lp's I can track down. So far, all her 70's output is pretty strong.  Plus, I love her outfit on the album cover.

The Time - S/T (Warner Brothers, 1981)

I consistently pass on this album because I see it everywhere and know that I can pretty much always land a used copy... but I finally scooped this one up and have been jamming to 'Get it Up' almost everyday.

The Webs - "This Thing Called Love"

I couldn't find too much about this group. But this jam is definitely right up my alley. Hard to deny the throaty, gut wrenching vocals on this one.

The Superlatives - "I Don't Know How To Say (I Love You)"

This is a fantastic soul burner (the flip-side "Lonely In A Crowd" is great too) from the Superlatives. It's astounding just how many one-off soul groups from Detroit were pressed up, and never quite made it despite the quality of their releases.

Lee Fields - "Everybody Gonna Give Their Thing Away To Somebody (Sometime)"

This is evidence that Lee Fields has been doing his JB impersonation for a minute now... and that ain't a bad thing either! I scooped this up super clean (and luckily) cheap copy of this 45 from 1975 and had to share with the massive. Dig it!