Devo - "Turn Around" (Warner Bros, 1980)

Everyone knows the a-side to this 45, the 80's classic and onetime MTV staple "Whip It" from Ohio natives Devo. You might NOT know the flip side to "Whip It" contains the amazing non-album cut and Nirvana covered "Turn Around". As documented in earlier posts on the blog, I'm a big Devo fan! I had been on the lookout for a clean copy of this 7" before finding one a few years ago. The 45 is pretty common, but it took a while to find a minty fresh copy as most were worn out after repeated jukebox spins.

The Nite-Liters - "Afro-Strut / (We've Got To) Pull Together" (RCA, 1972)

This 45 showcases two distinct sounds from the Nite-Liters. "Afro-Strut" is a killer funky drum and horn driven cut, while "Pull Together" is a more uplifting chant and saxophone vamp. Both sounds are typical of Nite-Liters output and showcase their range as a an outfit.

I've been trying to find Lp's by the Nite-Liters since I've started buying records. I can find their 45's pretty regularly, but their albums NEVER pop up for me. There was one tragic time I dug up a clean copy of the Nite-Liter's fourth album Different Strokes at a local spot...only to walk out empty handed. The shopkeeper told me that if I found anything in the crates of un-priced records, that he'd give me a number at the counter. Admittedly, the whole ordeal sounded a tad sketchy, but I had just started to become a regular patron and felt I had a developed a decent rapport with the shop-keeper. I was super stoked to dive in and after a little over an hour, I pulled a couple dozen pieces, some of which I still haven't seen in the field to this day. I was geeked! After some self-editing, I cautiously took my stack to the register. The store owner flipped through it all at the counter, and shockingly refused to sell or even price the records for me. His logic was that he could get “more than $100 apiece” for the records I selected. I was livid. I walked right out the door and have never returned.

The Nite-Liters were founded in Louisville, KY by Harvey Fuqua and Tony Churchill. Fuqua later went on to hold it down as a producer and songwriter for Motown. Check the liner notes of your favorite records, it's amazing how often Harvey Fuqua's name appears in credits! The Nite-Liter's went on to become New Birth, whose records are a little easier to track down. Even today, when I'm out shopping for records and I come across a New Birth album, I still pause and reflect on the time when I first started digging for funk records, and their music and albums were elusive and acted as a promising gateway to new, exciting, and unfamiliar sonic territory.

The Toys - "I Got Carried Away"

The Toys were a short lived R&B trio that helped define the brill building sound of the mid-60's. I have yet to be disappointed with any of their records and I am especially fond of their 1965 compilation album A Lovers Concerto. The song “I Got Carried Away” is the B-side to the single “Ciao Baby” and expertly exudes the anguish and yearning sensibility of the prototypical girl group sound for which the group is known. Put the needle on the record!

General Crook - "Do It For Me"

This is one of the funky 45's I picked up a couple months ago at the record show when it swung through town. I had never heard the song, and had little familiarity with General Crook's mid-70's output, but I was hopeful the 7” would sound as good as it looked. This is my first record score from the Down To Earth label, and after a solid introduction, I now know to keep my eyes peeled for their other releases. Happy diggin'!

General Crook - “Do It For Me” (Down To Earth, 1970)

Peggy Scott & Jo Jo Benson - "We Were Made For Each Other"

This is, without a doubt, one of my personal favorite love songs. The powerful back-and-forth vocals sit on top of a driving soundscape of guitar, bass, and drums that builds up to a rousing celebration of devotion and commitment between the two performers.