Sam Cooke -Live at Harlem the Square Club, 1963 (RCA, 1985)

Sam Cooke - Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963
(RCA, 1985)

LAME V0

Everyone knows a Sam Cooke tune. Even if they don't know who sings it, they've at least heard "Cupid," "You Send Me," or any of the other twenty-nine Top 40 Hits Sam had between 1957 and 1965 playing over the grocery store speakers. Y'know what I have to say about that? I have to say, "It's not enough! They need to hear more!"

This is no obscure record, it's a classic and I think it's a damned shame that there are ears on this planet that haven't had the pleasure of listening to it straight through. The studio versions of these classic tunes are a delight, that's sure, but they can't hold a candle to the power of this live performance. It's not polished and clean, it's a little rough and raw and I like it that way. It's as though you can hear the sweat on Cooke's brow along with his every guttural "Ha!" and every howl of approval from the crowd. Sam's amazingly passionate, sometimes even desperate, vocals are so convincing and moving on tunes like "Bring It On Home" that it's easy to forget that he was only a young thirty-three years old when he died in 1964, a year after this performance was recorded.

It's my understanding that this album wasn't actually released until 1985, if I'm wrong on that, someone drop me a line and let me know. I'm only including one preview track because you've got to hear the whole thing, to really appreciate what is easily one of the greatest live albums ever made.

PLAY IT LOUD AND SHAKE WHAT YOUR MOMMA GAVE YOU!!! : )

Favorite Tracks (click to play): Bring It On Home

01. Feel It
02. Chain Gang
03. Cupid
04. Medley: It's All Right / For Sentimental Reasons
05. Twisting the Night Away
06. Somebody Have Mercy
07. Bring It On Home to Me
08. Nothing Can Change This Love
09. Having a Party

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The Pyramids - Birth/Speed/Merging (EM Records,2006)

The Pyramids - Birth/Speed/Merging
(Originally self released on Pyramid Records,1976)

LAME -APS (vbr)
Includes: m3u, nfo, front cover, back cover

I've never been a big fan of Free Jazz (I don't mind certain elements of it: the skronk, the improv and so on, but only in small doses), but there's just something about this album that I absolutely love. I've heard a few of the tracks on this album dozens of times now (we'll get back to that later) and the only thing that I can decide on is that it's the drum rhythms and percussion that draw me in every time.

The Pyramids were formed by Idris Ackamoor sometime in the early 70s (71? 72? - their first album "Lalibela" was released in '73 and he was playing in another group called The Collective in '71) and combined elements of free jazz with african tribal styled beats, but that's not it... you'll also find hints of psychedelia, krautrock, and raga. It sounds like a really strange blend of genres, but it just flows together really nicely.

I first came across this because of another release: "Music Of Idris Ackamoor 1971-2004" which EM Records of Japan put out (along with reissuing Birth/Speed/Merging). EM Records has been held on a very high pedestal for a few years now by my favorite review site/retailer, Aquarius Records, and with the gushing praise this album received I knew I had to check it out. Thus began a heightened interest in the genre of afro-jazz and free jazz in general...always hoping to find another album that I like as much.

In all the Ackamoor retrospective is probably better, or is at least my personal favorite, but this is a great starter album (this clocks in at only 45mins as opposed to 135+ mins of the former) as it still has some great material on it (as I sort of mentioned earlier, 2 of the tracks also appear on the compilation).

Be sure to give the folks at EM Records (www.emrecords.net) a visit - they've got a ton of other essential releases out there!

Favorite Track: Birth/Speed/Merging Suite Part 1: Aomawa
...

George Carlin - Class Clown (Little David, 1972)

George Carlin - Class Clown
(Little David, 1972)

George Carlin passed away yesterday. He was a very cool man and will be greatly missed. Let's all "say a prayer to Joe Pesci" in George's name. Here's 1972's "Class Clown" album featuring the infamous "Seven Words..." routine.

See ya Friday,
-BA

01. Class Clown
02. Wasting Time: Sharing a Swallow
03. Values (How Much Is That Dog Crap in the Window?)
04. I Used to Be Irish Catholic
05. The Confessional
06. Special Dispensation: Heaven, Hell, Purgatory and Limbo
07. Heavy Mysteries
08. Muhammad Ali / America the Beautiful
09. Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television

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The Monks - Black Monk Time (Infinite Zero,1997)

The Monks - Black Monk Time
(Infinite Zero, 1997 reissue w/ bonus tracks.)
(Original release was Polydor, 1966.)


192cbr Xing
Includes: front cover

Woohoo, my first post! I've been struggling with what to post and finally decided to go with one of my absolute favorites ever, Monks' (or "The Monks," if you prefer) Black Monk Time.

O.G.s of feedback, mad men of rhythm, Krautrock pioneers(?), these disgruntled American soldiers stationed in 1960s Germany came together to blow off some steam. Their unholy musical union birthed the amazing Black Monk sound (Monkmusik) which combines raging banjo, the badassest organ this side of that opening bit of Bach's Toccata, crazed vocals, chants, and persistant rhythms (I challenge you to try and not drum along on whatever table, steering wheel, or thigh you have within reach! Good luck on that.) to wondrous effect.
I sincerely love this album, and I hope you will too.

Check out their official website (it's not hard to find) for lots of good reads and photos of the fellas in all of their tonsured glory.

Favorite Tracks (click to hear): Monk Time, I Hate You, Complication


01. Monk Time
02. Shut Up
03. Boys Are Boys and Girls Are Choice
04. Higgle-Dy-Piggle-Dy
05. I Hate You
06. Oh, How to Do Now
07. Complication
08. We Do Wie Du
09. Drunken Maria
10. Love Came Tumblin' Down
11. Blast Off!
12. That's My Girl
13. I Can't Get Over You
14. Cuckoo
15. Love Can Tame the Wild
16. He Went Down to the Sea
17. Monk Chant [Live]
18. I Hate You [Demo Version]
19. Oh, How to Do Now [Demo Version]

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J.C. Davis - A New Day! (Cali-Tex,2005)

J.C. Davis - A New Day!

LAME V2 (vbr)
Includes: m3u, nfo, front cover

I couldn't find a more appropriately titled album to start things off with than this gem of a funk record. JC Davis was none other than James Brown's bandleader back in the 70's and the style and feel so wonderfully featured on that era's JB albums carry over very well to these recordings. Plenty of stabbing horns and a slew of great drum breaks really stand out, and it's pretty easy to see why The Godfather of Soul chose Mr. Davis to be in charge of keeping things funky.

It was another J. Davis however, that would try to bring these tracks into the spotlight where they belong - more than 30 years after they were originally released. After one of the highly sought after original 45s was featured in a photo on his album "Endtroducing.....", DJ Shadow decided to meet up with J.C. and work on reissuing the long lost records that he thought so much of...and the result is what you find here.

Favorite Tracks: Circleville, Buttered Popcorn, Shelly


01. Introduction
02. A New Day (Is Here At Last)
03. Circleville
04. Don't Ever Leave Me (Unreleased)
05. Coconut Brown
06. Shelly (Unreleased)
07. Buttered Popcorn
08. A New Day (Is Here At Last) - Alternate Take

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