It's been quite some time since I last posted, but I am hoping to start posting more regularly. I will be chronicling my digging trips and sharing some of my discoveries, with links to the music, if possible.
For my first digging trip this year, I went to the always wonderful & well-stocked, Mill City Sound in Hopkins, MN. Milly City is a great record store that has been expanding shelf space & inventory constantly, buying collections from across the country and putting some truly great records out for sale. One of the main reasons I love Mill City so much is their incredible basement section of 45s. There are boxes on boxes of 7 inches that I still have yet to be able to get through their entire stock, but I always find some great 45s and a lot of them are in terrific shape. Last year on record store day I cleaned up on James Brown and Kool & The Gang 45s, all in excellent condition for 3-5 dollars a piece.
Here are my finds from my trip on January 6, 2018:
Chaka Khan - I'm Every Woman b/w A Woman In A Man's World (7", picture sleeve)
"A Woman In A Man's World"
James Brown - Sex Machine b/w The Popcorn (7")
Ever since I got a copy of the 1975 version of sex machine and was incredibly disappointed with the result, I've wanted the proper version, so this was a great find for me, although I hope to track down the 45 with both parts 1 & 2 in the future.
Latimore - Let Me Live The Life I Love b/w It Ain't Where You Been (7")
This 45 is fantastic, as both tracks drip with soul. The keys are COLD and Latimore's voice rides the groove with ease. While I enjoyed both cuts, side B was the real winner for me, building and building with some funky clavinet work to boot. A lower tempo song that is somehow both raw & smooth. Take a listen below:
"It Ain't Where You Been"
Chi-Lites - Are You My Woman (Tell Me So) b/w Troubles A' Comin'
I have been after this song for a while, as it has pretty much everything a funk/soul DJ/collector could want. Drum break? check. Blazing horns sampled by a big-name artist? check. Vocal breakdown and harmonizing so funky it will melt your face off? checkity-check-check-check! Not a rare tune by any means, but an absolute belter, sampled by Beyonce in the soulful hip-hop collab with Jay-Z "Crazy in Love." In addition to the great dance factor, this was a joint I wanted just so I could school some people on sampling and blow a few minds. I'm always looking for ways to get people into soul/funk music from the 70s and many times samples can be a good gateway, it sure was for me!
On Side B, the Chi-Lites break it down on a more conscious tip with "Troubles A' Comin'" which is another great, slower cut that speaks straight to the soul. With a great piano line & a clear gospel influence, it's a great track to mellow out to.
"Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)"
Delegation - Oh Honey b/w Let Me Take You To The Sun (7")
Now, I am not a big sucker for slow, love songs, but after hearing this song sampled by Brothers Like Outlaw and on BADBADNOTGOOD's incredible Late Night Tales mixtape, I was more than sold. This song has just enough groove and mellow, and avoids the schmaltziness of many ballads. This cut is quite soothing and relaxing, which you need sometimes, whether it be when you're tired from a night of grooving or if you're going through a rough patch in life. The intro key-line will grab you and soon you'll be head-bobbing and singing along. Side B was a more uptempo cut, but it sounded a bit overproduced, so for me, the winner here was most definitely "Oh Honey."
"Oh Honey"
Pieces Of A Dream - Please Don't Do This To Me b/w Mt. Airy Groove (7")
Here is another example of why it's a good idea to flip over a record and listen to side B. Pieces of a Dream, a band discovered and produced by Grover Washington Jr., recorded a string of albums through the 80s to today. I must say I am not super familiar with the group's discography, but I have been familiar with Mt. Airy Groove for some time. Mt. Airy Groove has been sampled by Grandmaster Flash, DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, Leaders of the New School, Force M.D.'s, Geto Boys, and was even remixed as a "rap version" by Grover Washington and Pieces of a Dream themselves. The track combines a breakbeat with jazzier instrumentation, and a scratch-like sound that pulses throughout the track. Another classic breakbeat joint for my record bag!
"Mt. Airy Groove"
Herbie Hancock - Chameleon b/w Autodrive (7")
I am hard pressed to pick a "favorite" artist, but one that influenced me greatly and has a special place in my heart is Herbie Hancock. His albums "Thrust" & "Head Hunters" opened my eyes to a whole new world of jazz, funk, and dance music, so it was with much excitement that I grabbed this 7". Although I already have the album on vinyl and fitting a 15 minute opus onto a 7" is not really going to do the original justice, my interest was piqued, I wanted to see what part of the song they put on the 45, plus this would give me a short version that I could play in sets more easily than the full album cut. The flip "Autodrive" is another favorite of mine. It's a less obvious cut from the "Future Shock" album which contained the massive b-boy hit "Rockit" and an electronic re-working of the title track originally by Curtis Mayfield. Autodrive doesn't have any scratching on it, but it does have an acoustic piano solo over a electro-groove, making it both an interesting & danceable track. It sounded like they lopped off the ending, but most of the solo remains intact, thank goodness!
Roy Ayers - Hey Uh-What You Say Come On b/w You and Me My Love (7")
Continuing on the jazz-funk tip, I found this 45 by the one and only Roy Ayers. I am always on the hunt for tracks by Roy Ayers and am happy to finally get a 45 by him that is in decent shape! This one is great because it has 2 great tracks from the classic LP - Everybody Loves The Sunshine. Side B is the same as the album version and a groovy, jazz funk track, with sparing vocals, smooth keys and a tight bottom end. Side A is interesting because it sounds as if the 45 version is a slightly different edit from the album version. There is no synths over the intro drum break, which comes in heavy after the intro chant of "Hey, uh! what you say, come on!" A Perfect track to get the energy going, making it another a great addition to my bag.
Listen to the album version of "Hey Uh-What You Say Come On"
Nite-Liters - Cherish Every Precious Moment b/w I've Got Dreams to Remember (7")
The Nite-Liters were an instrumental funk outfit that released a string of classic albums in the early 70s. They later joined with vocalists to form New Birth, which also released some great material in the mid 70s. I found another single by them 2 years ago containing the funk workout that is "Afro-Strut," so I was pleased to add this one to my collection. Both sides are great, but side B is the real winner for me, as the group gets down & gritty with a song about heartbreak and nightmares, reworking an Oddis Redding joint to maximum funkiness. The drums, blues-inspired guitar and bass-line interlock seamlessly, and when the vocals fade out there is a killer guitar solo that comes in along with handclaps. A song about bad dreams never felt this good.
"I've Got Dreams To Remember"
Tower of Power - Down To The Nightclub b/w What Happened To The World That Day (7")
Here's another classic funk offering from the Oakland funk band Tower of Power. I had the pleasure of seeing them up-close and live in 2016 at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minnesota and my love for them has kept increasing since. This band has it all, one of the tightest horn sections, a jaw-dropping rhythm section, and great vocalists.
This single is from their 1972 album "Bump City," and offers a classic Tower of Power pairing of a uptempo funk workout & a mellower groove on the flip. While I mainly got this single for "Down to the Nightclub," which packs a solid-funk-punch to the gut in just over two and half minutes, side B is also incredible. As far as love songs go, this is just the way I like 'em: smooth and mellow, but with a groove. This song is sure to put you in a breezy mood & put a smile on your face, and then towards the end the horns come in, adding the perfect finishing touch on an already sublime tune. Truly a master of their craft, the band celebrated their 50th anniversary last year. Thanks for keeping the funk alive!
"What Happened To The World That Day"
Dennis Coffey - Honky Tonk b/w El Tigre (7") & Getting It On b/w Ride, Sally, Ride (7")
To finish off this treasure trove of 45s, I picked up 2 45s by the incredible Dennis Coffey. I became familiar with Dennis Coffey many years ago through the b-boy & funk classic "Scorpio" which has been sampled and covered to death (my current fave being the Bacao Steel & Rhythm Band's version). Coffey added his signature wah-wah guitar to numerous productions in the late 60s & early 70s, with his most famous probably being the Temptations' "Cloud Nine."
I have yet to find Scorpio on 45, but with such a prolific, funky output, it was a no-brainer to pick up both of these 45s, heavy on the funk with nasty guitar riffs and fat, fat drums. "Honky Tonk" is a bit more cheesy as he started to incorporate more disco elements into his production, but El Tigre carries on the funk torch beautifully. Getting It On b/w Ride, Sally, Ride, is clearly the winner here however, with blazing guitar funk dripping on both sides, "Ride, Sally..." is reminiscent of "Scorpio," while "Getting It On" fuses funk with a heavy rock guitar, bringing Coffey's playing front and center.
Listen to "Ride, Sally, Ride"
Aaaand, that's a wrap! I hope you enjoyed the tunes & stay tuned for my next blog post... In the meantime, I always share links to tunes I'm digging on my DJ page on facebook and upload some of my discoveries as mixes to mixcloud, so if you're intrigued & want to dig deeper, find me/follow me on the links below... Thanks for reading & keep on grooving ~ DJ Blue Funk.
https://www.facebook.com/DJBlueFunk/
https://www.mixcloud.com/DJBlueFunk/
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