Years ago, I was at the Montreal music library and took a chance on a Chess Records compilation. It was one of the best things I could have done for myself musically. I was meant to learn that Blues music is very important to any music lover's consciousness and Chess Records is the alpha & omega record label. Although I was aware of his name for years, hearing First Time I Met the Blues from that compilation would be my first time hearing Buddy Guy. It would be the only song I would know of his until a purchase of Buddy's Blues last year. I didn't get around to listening to the CD until a few days ago. The 15 tracks didn't finish playing before the inspiration to blog about Buddy Guy hit me. What I took away from that initial Chess Records compilation was that Buddy Guy was among the youngest of the label's blues recording artists and Buddy's Blues reinforced my initial observations. Aside from the gravelly-voiced Howling Wolf or grandfatherly-sounding Sonny Boy Williamson, Buddy Guy's youthful blues singing and wails gave me the impression he was the next generation's blues leader in training. First Time I Met The Blues has all of the conditions I need for me to like it. With my love for screaming soul singers, Guy's delivery gives me the dramatics I enjoy in a song as well. When the opportunity presented itself for me to buy Buddy's Blues, I knew I would get over a dozen more chances to experience Buddy Guy's music. Stone Crazy and Pretty Baby caught my attention and ear after my first listen. I have yet to catch a live Buddy Guy performance and I believe he was in my city not too long ago. Thanks to YouTube, I am able to see the Blues legend at work.
I’ll take this time to talk about how much of an inspiration Danger Mouse is to me.
I was watching the Mixtape Inc. DVD last month and a photograph of him on a magazine cover sparked the idea to put fingertips to keyboard.
I couldn’t help but notice how my taste in music is similar to the career paths of Danger Mouse and Kanye West in a number of ways.Both started out producing traditional hip hop music but slowly drifted more towards experimentation.
Ironically, my approach to music is similar and that is possibly why I have such respect for the two.
I learned about Danger Mouse shortly after learning about MF Doom and the Madvillainy album.I wanted more MF Doom and discovered an album called Danger Doom.
I believe The Grey Album mixtape was released roughly around the time I wanted more Danger Mouse.I played the What More Can I Say from that mixtape on one of my birthday celebration episodes of The Suite Delight.
My quest for more Danger Mouse put me on the path to the album Ghetto Pop Life with Jemini The Gifted One.The Only One is the only song I played more than once on my radio show at the time when I wasn’t repeating songs on my playlist.
Gnarlz Barkley was something of a surprise to me.To think that Danger Mouse would pair with Cee-Lo Green of Goodie Mob fame was unbelievable and the resulting dark beauty of the Crazy single was just aptly named.I wasn’t quite expecting Danger Mouse to produce a song like Crazy.As I think about it now, I have not heard a traditional or stereotypical hip hop beat from Danger Mouse since Crazy.
Regardless of that fact, I have an interest in Danger Mouse production and I'm sure that if he returns to hip hop production, the beats will be simply crazy.
Years ago when I read about a New York DJ coming to town for Pop Montreal to spin with exclusively soul 45 RPMs, I was sold and knew I'd be there.
The then-known-as Green Room was packed for Jonathan Toubin that night. I walked into the venue to hear some hot James Brown & The Famous Flames tracks to a frenzied crowd. I still am not sure whether the packed house added to the soul music madness or the soul music made the people mad with moves.
Before I left, they proceeded to hold a dance competition where there was no room to even move. I had my fill at that point because I think I had work the next morning.
I met Jonathan Toubin at the WFMU Record Fair in 2009 and told him how much I enjoyed his Pop Montreal Green Room set. I looked for him again at the 2010 WFMU Record Fair but I met a tall brunette DJ, who has to go nameless at this time, instead.
DJ Jonathan Toubin has visited my fair city on many occasions including a 2013 M For Montrealstint for other sizzling soul music sets.
I cared little to none about country music for most of my life but acknowledge pioneers of the 50s & 60s like Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn.
I took the time to list my favorite country & western songs a while ago. However, my recent discovery and fascination with Bobbie Gentry almost makes me want to revise the list.
Along with classic music, the country music section of a record store is where you would least find me traipsing.
I was fortunate to have found her Fancy album at the same time. The Fancy album cover features a drawn likeness of Gentry which in itself is interesting.
To my surprise, I discovered Soul Jazz Records released a compilation of female country music singers called Country Soul Sisters and they included two of Gentry’s songs on its track listing. Reunion does not appear on the Fancy album.
I have wanted to post about The Rolling Stones for months but there were difficulties.
What is the best approach to writing about one of the greatest bands in rock music history?
I thought about listing my 20 favorite Rolling Stones songs but that seemed a bit much, especially since I was going to have to write about each song.Interest and attention could fade on the reader’s part and they may not scroll down to find out which close off the list.
The list of 20 was going to be narrowed down to my 10 favorite Rolling Stones songs with 5 representing their 1960s output and the other half would comprise 1970s singles.That also proved difficult because I had a hard time choosing which ballad out of Angie, Fool to Cry and Wild Horses was my favorite.I knew about and imitated Jagger’s singing of Angie since I was a boy.Fool to Cry entered my consciousness after the other too and if I were pushed I might choose it as my favorite of the three.
For the last few days, there have been posts about rock groups and specific albums of theirs.Originally, I was planning my answer to Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 Best Albums list by listing what I thought were 10 essential rock albums for hip hop heads to hear.I could not choose which album of The Rolling Stones was the one I felt best represented the group.I am not entirely familiar with their discography because as I have stated several times on this blog, I have been geared towards greatest hits packages more than individual albums.The only Rolling Stones album I know inside out is Hot Rocks, their classic compilation of 1964-1969 singles.For The Rolling Stones to be represented by a compilation would rob albums like Beggar’s Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers or Some Girls of their glory.
I decided to just write about the group and put aside any strategy or clever campaign I could concoct.
Some 15 years ago, I was in a Montreal metro station and a man approached me with records that he wanted to sell. I almost thought it was a joke or Just for Laughs gag but I took the fact he had Hot Rocks on his person very seriously.That was the Rolling Stones album I mentioned earlier as knowing it inside out and the first of their albums I would own.
Another near-crazy instance of my finding a Rolling Stones record was when I was walking on the street of my first apartment and in a box on the curb lay Let It Bleed among a Led Zeppelin 2 and Black Sabbath’s Master of Reality.Had it not been for that discovery day, I probably still would not have heard Let It Bleed.
I leaped at the chance to buy the CD years later along with Big Hits & Green Grass, Through The past Darkly and 40 Licks.
I may not have been able to choose a Rolling Stones album as their best but I can state with all certainty that I choose Rolling Stones over The Beatles any day. Between the two groups, I bought Rolling Stones’ music first when I was able to buy my own music.I have been a Rolling Stones fan since childhood as I stated a few paragraphs prior.Memorabilia from the 1960s mesmerized me and that included classic footage of Rolling Stones performances, photographs and albums.I very much believed time was on my side until I learned the truth in my early 20s.
Growing up in the 80s, I saw them as one of the only groups of the 1960s still recording and performing.Mick Jagger and Keith Richards had solo projects as well.Today, The Rolling Stones are on par with U2, a band that emerged 20 years after, as headliners for major concert tours worldwide.Part of me is amazed at how The Rolling Stones continue to pack arenas anytime they announce a tour nowadays.Another part of me wonders when they will stop altogether.
The saying a rolling stone gathers no moss truly applies to the band.They show no signs of slowing down any time soon.I can only hope to have the career longevity and energy of the band members when I reach retirement age.
The photo above represents my third contact with Bobbie Gentry’sOde to Billy Joe album for the year. Had I not already purchased it twice prior, I very well may have bought that one on that day. The second purchase was something of a mistake but proves that I very much wanted to own the album when I thought I didn’t.
I have always known Ode to Billy Joe was written and sung by Bobbie Gentry. For me to know that nugget of information regarding a country song says a lot.
I first found her Ode to Billy Joe album around the same time I discovered one of her tracks was on Light in the Attic’s Country Funk 1969-1975 compilation. While digging in the crates, I came across the Ode album and only at that moment had an interest towards country music beyond Johnny Cash or Buck Owens.
but the Ode to Billy Joe album took my focus. Perhaps it was the naturalistic album cover of Gentry in a simple white t-shirt and shorts with a guitar that grabbed me. Her being a brunette didn’t hurt either.
The inspiration to write about Bobbie Gentry had always been there for most of the summer. It was after seeing her appear on yet another compilation in 2012 that I decided to post this earlier rather than later. I played Mississippi Delta on CKUT’s The Goods when I was fill-in host. I also played two Gentry cuts on The Suite Delight.
The inspiration to write about Bobbie Gentry had always been there for most of the summer. It was after seeing her appear on yet another compilation in 2012 that I decided to post this earlier rather than later. I played Mississippi Delta on CKUT’s The Goods when I was fill-in host. I also played two Gentry cuts on The Suite Delight.
Check out the podcast below for more Gentry.
Playlist:
NRBQ - Rocket Number 9
Mongo Santamaria - Cloud Nine
Edwin Starr - Time
Junior Walker & The Allstars - Pucker Up Buttercup
Chairmen Of The Board - Pay To The Piper
The Freedom Sounds feat. Wayne Henderson - Respect
Boobie Knight & The Soulciety - Soul Ain't No New Thing
Eddie Kendricks - Date With The Rain
The Hitch-Hikers feat. The Mighty Pope - Mr. Fortune
Young-Holt Unlimited - Funky Is As Funky Does
Colosseum - Elegy
Joe Bataan - Chick A Boom
Johnnie Taylor - I Could Never Be President
The Spinners - My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)
Hugh Masekela - Mago
Bob Dylan - Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)
Bobbie Gentry - Mississippi Delta
Wilson Pickett - Mercy, Mercy
Cannibal & The Headhunters - Land Of 1000 Dances
Eddie Floyd - Knock On Wood
Otis Redding - Don't Mess With Cupid
Mongo Santamaria - Spinning Wheel
Paul Anka - It Doesn't Matter Anymore
The Cougars - Right On
Titanic - Something On My Mind
Madeleine Chartrand - Ani-Kuni
Stevie Wonder - Don't Know Why I Love You
Nina Simone - To Love Somebody
The New Birth - Honeybee
Byron Lee & The Dragonaires - Sweet City Woman
Byron Lee & The Dragonaires - Groovy Situation
Dave & Ansil Collins - Double Barrel
Big Youth - Hit The Road Jack
Max Romeo - Seasons In The Sun
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