Joe Hicks: Train Of Thought and Ruby Dean and Water Water
Taken from the album The Mighty Joe Hicks on Enterprise (1973)

Okay, so first thing first: I’ve got enough Theraflu in me to sedate a bear, so be patient with me as I attempt to string together a few coherent sentences about the elusive Mr. Hicks.

Despite the fact that this record isn’t all that rare, information on Joe Hicks is incredibly scant. Recorded on the Stax subsidary, Enterprise, the only real clues to his work are present in the “thank you’s” on the back of the record. Hicks shouts out the prolific Stax writer/arranger Spooner Oldham (who he calls Old Ham), but more significantly Sly and Freddy Stone, who apparently collaborated with Hicks on some of his earliest sides. (In “Water Water” you can hear the pulsing, organ-heavy Sly Stone influence running deep.)

I found it interesting that in an exhaustive internet search, the only words I could uncover about Joe and his one release, were tepid (or worse) reviews that suggested the record’s only worth lay in the delectable open drum break on the album opener, “The Team”. Personally, I find that the album as a whole is wonderful, if a bit disjointed. From the psychaedelic space-funker “Train of Thought”, to the almost Lynard Skynard-esque southern blues-rock of “Ruby Dean” there is a lot of soul, a lot of drums and plenty of organ to boot! No one would argue that his is the purest of tenors, but as a start to finish play, the record is a sure fire winner. Nay-sayers be damned!!!

Abeti : Gogo
taken from her self-titled album on Pierre Cardin (1973)

Miriam Makeba : Quit It
taken from the album “A Promise” on Disques Esperance (1974)

Captain Planet : Lully Bye Inst.
just one of them old beats I made…

I have to give credit where it’s due: I first learned about the illustrious Abeti from a mixtape given to me by young Murphy’s Law. THAT BASTARD! I thought upon reaching the Abeti track, just 10 minutes into side A (nestled nicely between some heavy latin stylings from Los Virtuosos and the trance inducing afro vibes of Malombo– bet you wish you had a copy of that mix!). How can lil’ brody who only just started coppin’ vinyl already be one upping me?! But yesterday, I evened the score once again by finding a copy for myself in a cheapie bin. Hailing from Zaire (now the Congo), Abeti was known throughout the seventies as “le nightingale du Zaïre” – I might have dubbed her the “le Janis Joplin du Zaire” instead. Soul, rock, funk and indiginous styles intermingle all throughout the album with Abeti’s powerful vocal chords soaring over twangy guitar riffs and heavy bass. Why no one has reissued it is a mystery to me.

We all know Miriam, but sometimes we forget about just how amazing she is. Quit It has been brought back into my world recently through several songs that use the silky wah-wah guitar intro that pretty much embodies a chill downtempo headnod. I first sampled this cut almost two years ago, then I heard it used by Afu-Ra on his latest album (did anyone listen to that?) and I got frustrated- it’s never fun to find out that someone else uses your sample first. And then a recent trip over to Aurgasm left me with the song “Bluebird” by One Self in my itunes heavy rotation playlist. Produced by the ever funky DJ Vadim, they do the sample much more justice (sorry Afu). So, now I really can’t do anything with this old beat of mine. If anyone out there is a singer and would like to freak a vocal version, holler at me, otherwise, I figure I’d just throw it out there into the blogosphere as a final goodbye- yes, I know the string sample is a bit off key, but for some reason I kinda like it. A Promise also features the super sick “Mama Ndiyalila” groove as well as the bouncy afro funk cut “Samba” which has been comped a couple times. Joe Sample and other members of The Crusaders are on here as well as string arrangements by one David Axelrod. So quit it.

Candi Staton: Sure As Sin
Taken from the 7″ on Fame (1972)

Esther Phillips: Home Is Where The Hatred Is
Taken from the 7″ on Kudu (1972)

I’ve been revisiting some of my old seven inch cache recently and was pleased to turn up these gems: two blisteringly soulful tracks from 1972, that found each artist in top form.

Candi Staton was called the First Lady of Southern Soul; this track hints as to why. If you aren’t familiar with her work, this collection is a pretty good primer to one of the preeminent soulstresses of the era. “Sure As Sin ” was recorded at Rick Hall’s iconic Fame studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. I believe (correct me if I’m wrong) it was one of the cuts that appeared on the LP Stand By Your Man. That album, along with two other releases in ’69 and ’74, I’m Just A Prisoner and a self-titled release, comprise a substantial portion of her best work. Powerful, nuanced southern soul. (If you can get your hands on any of her early, pre-disco work with Fame–lucky you. Shit’s hard to come by.)

Esther Phillips, on the other hand, has never been one of my favorite soul divas. She straddled too many genres, often missing the mark by making blues too pop’ish or countrifying (sic?) soul classics to little effect. This record, however, stands out head and shoulders above anything else I have heard from Ms. Phillips. The deceptive bouce-funk of an introduction gives way to vocals that would make a bishop kick in a stain glass window. And the horns that chase her through the track. And the string stabs. I’ve got crazy love for the original, but seriously–Gil Scott who? The song is especially poignant in light of the fact that the drug addictions with which Esther Phillips perenially battled, finally took her life within a few years of this recording.

Stay tuned for Soul Sisters, Part Two…

Edikanfo : Nka Bom
taken from the album “The Pace Setters” on Editions EG (1981)

Black Soul : Africa Africa
taken from their self-titled album on Beam Junction (1977)

Sorry to all of you who missed the extreme jump-off last wed., soooo righteous. Sky Hy definitely freaked the funk out, I’m looking forward to more from that dude. Big up to the other performers too, and the sponsors, and all the pretty faces I saw (ugly ones too). Looks like it will definitely happen again, so stay tuned…

As spring slowly comes into being around me, with cherry blossoms and sunsets at 7:30, I figured it might make sense to drop some fast paced joints in an attempt at speeding the whole process a bit. If it is possible for mother nature to get hype and shake a little faster, then Afro-disco is the thang that will make it happen. Organic pounding drums meet synths and soaring horns. Gotta love that phaser action on the high hats too.

Edikanfo came out of the thriving scene in 70’s Ghana. Faisal Helwani, who produced this record alongside Brian Eno (yup, totally random, he was on a trip and just kinda ended up in the studio), also produced for Fela and Hugh Masekela among other notables. What little I know about this group and the making of this record I learned by reading this book, check it.

As for Black Soul, I can’t say much other than that they originate from Dakar, Senegal and were making moves in the French scene at the time of this recording. Try doing a google search with “Black Soul” and see how much luck you have. It’s always funny to see the one smiling long-haired white dude in the group, reminds me of the Lafayette Afro-Rock Band. This whole record sizzles at about the same tempo and ferocity, moog and disco breaks abound, which makes sense since this is a “TOM MOULTON MIX”. What little I know about that dude I learned reading this book, check it.

Also, I updated the blogroll finally! There’s some new sites I’ve been finding out about… see for yourselves.

Jaime Foxx ft. Ludacris : Unpredictable (Captain Planet Remix)
Crate exclusive… you know.

Me and my boy DJ O (Beatards / Sway) have been planning this event for a minute now- it takes some serious effort to pull off a night with 4 turntables and 2 serato’s (yeah, that’s right, I’m hoppin’ on that digital hover-wagon) doing all LIVE remixes with 100% ORIGINAL BEATS. We make lots and lots of beats all the time, and this is where we get to put them to the test. The above track is one of the myriad concoctions that came together during our hazy-brained experiment sessions. A bunch of live acts that you want to see too, showcasing all kinds of sickness- it’s like the STD segment of Sex Ed, but fun, and with everybody dancing.

So if you’re in NYC this upcoming Wednesday night, then come out, show your face, and give us the thumbs up by wiggling it to a booty beat we probably made last night. It will be many bonfires of hotness.

The Beatards and Via Present:
MXTR6! MIXTAPE RIOT 6

Wednesday, April 5, 2006
@ SOHO:323
323 West Broadway (b/w Canal & Grand)
21+ // $5
Free beer from 10 – 11

The monthly scandalous notorious shocking dumb large girl meets boy boy meets girl party til dawn event, with on-site remixing by DJ O & Captain Planet. Live performances by Sky Hy, Lisa E, Louie Bricks & Nest, and Loot.

Grady Tate : And I Love Her, Work Song and All Around The World
taken from the album “Windmills Of My Mind” on Skye (1968)

In a bit of a different bag today, this is some of that sophisticated soul. I always knew to look for a Grady Tate drumming credit on the back of CTI records and whatnot, but I had no idea about the man’s musical story. Someone by the name of Kristian St. Claire has already written the review that belongs here, so I’ll just tell you to head over there for more info. Really beautiful arrangement by Gary McFarland on the Beatles cover- if, like me, you get impatient with anything that doesn’t start right off with a fat back open break, please push yourself on this one. It gets better, and better, and BETTER. (It’s Pretty Purdy behind the kit if that makes the wait sound a bit more rewarding to you). And when the humming drops at the close of the track, I’m pretty sure you’ll be sold on this tune as well. This is McFarland’s own start-up label, the same one that put out the ridiculously ill Armando Peraza record that I blogged a while back. Sadly, the man passed in ’71 and the label was no more…