Erma Franklin - Soul Sister

For as many times as I had seen Franklin’s Soul Sister album, I should have bought a copy earlier than I did. 

I had seen the Soul Sister album in stores for so long but didn’t consider it.  I only had eyes and ears for one singing Franklin. I had never heard one song by Erma Franklin so there was no burning desire to acquire her music.

Within the last few years of acquiring a lot of digital files, I managed to discover Erma Franklin’s cover of The Doors’ Light My Fire. It was fantastic and I realized that I should seek some Erma Franklin soul music when possible. 

  

Earlier in September 2012, I was happy to see that one of the DJs I admire, DJ Center, used one of Erma Franklin’s songs in a mix.

It was obvious from the title alone that it was an album that I should own. Aretha Franklin is the Queen of Soul.  Erma Franklin is literally and in more ways than one, the Soul Sister.

Wilson Pickett - I'm In Love

IIL has the distinct honor of being the only album of Wilson Pickett's Atlantic Records discography that I don't own either in vinyl or CD form at this time.
I at least heard the album. the songs, title track.
From what I've learned, Bobby Womack's career was in jeopardy because he married Sam Cooke's widow.
It caused such an uproar that Womack had his songs sung by Wilson Pickett who was riding high with a string of hit singles at the time.
Bobby Womack’s songs appear on earlier Wilson Pickett albums but especially I`m IN Love and The Midnight Mover feature the most Womack compoisitnoins.
Unlike the few prior albums on Atlantic Records, Wilson Pickett did not have a 1 hit single with the IIL or TMM albums.
It appears that Pickett was guilty by association with Womack. There are top 10 charters on IIL

Common

When I was compiling my top 10 rappers list of the last decade or so, I managed to forget Common's name.

As much as I've been disinterested in hip hop for about 20 years, Common is still one of the few I respect to this day.

As a matter of fact, the Resurrection reissue got me open when I saw it in a Montreal record store. I already have the CD but to have the album in vinyl form is enough to resurrect my interest in him and his music.

I would learn later that Common released a new album in 2014 called Nobody Smiling. I don`t visit the websites that would inform me of hip hop album release dates enough to have known about that news.

I got to a point where I wished I was listening to Resurrection while listening to that 2014 album.

I started listening to it and stopped after 2-3 songs. I listened to it from beginning to end later on. Common's still very lyrical but the album is practically pointless. It made me realize that the classic they wanted him to make with Be very well could have been released under the name Resurrection. I don't care if I never hear this 2014 album again. After listening to this last album of his, I was more than ready to get that Resiurrection reissue.



 I'll give you that about the album being refreshing in this climate of hip hop. Maybe I wanted, expected, hoped or NEEDED more from him especially after learning he was releasing a new album here. I'll tell you this. If asked for Common's best work, this new one doesn't make the cut and neither does any album he made after Be except for Finding Forever. I'm a little disappinted to be disregarding Common albums since he's still recording them.

LOL How dare I? I'm not the one recording albums be they weak or strong. You know damn well Meth hasn't released a slamming album in...drum roll please....20 years.

You kinda proved my point or at least expressed my sentiments. Meth has released nearly 6 albums but you, myself and most people that really know their stuff only care about Tical. Common's been recording since 1992 and the last 2-3 albums have been a waste of time. He's experimented, come back and managed to drop a few classics in the process. It took this new album for me to realize Resurrection is a better album than I thought and one that I feel I need to Be hearing more of now.

It's almost sad for me to come to the conclusion that Common is one of my favorite MCs and I'm at a stage of my life, and his career, when I can say I may have heard all the Common I may have needed to hear.

I think the purpose of this album was for him to cement his place as Chi Town's premier MC considering he's been in the game for over 20 years and still recording albums today. If No ID did all the production I was left disappointed for more than half the album. We DID hear No ID better.....on Resurrection.....

I agree with you Alain. There aren't many golden era hip hop artists relevant today. Jay-Z let me down with that Magna Carta last year. Common dropped a weak one this year.....

I agree with what Brian just said about the Common album. My opinion or comments come from a consumer standpoint. As I stated before, my disappointment in the new Common makes me justify spending double for the Resurrection vinyl reissue than I would for the new album. Just for fun, put aside the fact I'm now willing to pay more for the same MC's 1994 album than his 2014 one.

Erma Franklin

It took a while but I finally did hear an Erma Franklin song many years ago. One night when I was visiting CKUT’s WeFunk, Professor Groove played a song from one of her 7”. The song was good but what was most remarkable about the 7” was that the flip side was damaged. The song played was from the only surviving side. My mind wondered what the other side must have sounded like. 

I was hunting for female funk and soul or other genres groovy enough for my Suite Delight radio show.  I browsed the Aretha Franklin section of a Plateau record store and realized that I wouldn’t be able to play Aretha as much as I would want.  

That was when I had my revelation that Aretha’s sisters would be great additions to my playlists.  Any sibling of Aretha Franklin could and should be able to sing and even if they are not as renowned.  

The Sound of Wilson Pickett

Aside from being on of Wilson Pickett's best 1960s albums on Atlantic Records, The Sound Of Wilson Pickett has one of his best album covers. One
should not be too surprised to see this blogger/DJ with that album cover on a t-shirt at some point in the near future.
The hit Funky Broadway can be found on this album. Soul Dance #3 can be found on the album as well and is questionably left off of the Wilson Pickett
Greatest Hits compilation as charted as high as #6 on the 1967 charts.

Angel Forrest

Montreal is filled with talent. Canada on a whole is filled with talent. I find it amazing how I discover local talent doing amazing things. By accident or maybe it was fate, I was reading the Montreal International Jazz Festival program guide. Within minutes, I saw a photo of an intense looking vocalist. The one thought that came to my mind was are her vocals as intense as the photo? I read the blurb and sure enough the press release said as much. I went to YouTube in the hopes of finding footage and there was plenty for me to view. I noticed the name Janis Joplin appearing on the web pages mentioning Angel Forrest. I would understand why when I heard her sing.

I'm a big fan of exceptional female vocalists if you're new to my blog. I always liked the raspy, hoarse quality of Tina Turner, Bonnie Tyler & Alannah Myles.  Angel Forrest has entered that elite group. Her singing Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here makes me wish I was there.



The last time I caught one of her live performances was a few years ago. I arrived so late that I was convinced I'd miss her performance. According to the schedule, she was third on the show roster. When I got to Berri Square, I was upset because no security or even volunteer could confirm whether or not she performed.

To my surprise, the show MC announced her name and I was immediately relieved. I was treated to a mini set of Angel Forrest's raw vocals and stage presence. I only wish I was closer to the stage but being on the grass from a distance allowed me to take in more of her vocal quality. There was a couple seated in the grass near enough for me to see the woman rocking out to Angel's finale Like The Way I Do.

No disrespect to the other artists on the bill but I left after Forrest's finale. I had to attend another festival later that night. I was just extremely relieved I got to hear Angel Forrest live that night rather than later.

Speaking of sooner & later, the soonest Angel Forrest performance is scheduled on July 3 for the 2013 Festival International de Jazz de Montréal.

Wilson Pickett - In The Midnight Hour (1965)

In The Midnight Hour is the most expensive of all the Wilson Pickett vinyls I own.

It's an original pressing and I decided to not let it pass me by upon seeing it at a Montreal record store.



Aside from the title track, there are a lot of early recordings that were released prior to 1965 that can be found on the album.

Don't Fight It is so similar to In The Midnight Hour that an Atlantic Records 7" repressing has both singles on opposite sides.



In The Midnight Hour is the album from which Wilson Pickett's legacy as one of soul's greatest entertainers starts.

Martha Cooper

If Spike Lee is hip hop's director, Martha Cooper is its photographer.

Years ago, while riding a subway heading to Fulton Street in Brooklyn, I was distracted, missed my stop and resolved to get out at the Fulton Street stop. 

I learned I was in Manhattan and no where near the stop was accustomed.

 

There was a bookstore near that subway stop and I ventured in.  Of all the books I saw, one in particular called to me.  It was filled with vintage photographs or early 1980s New York hip hop culture.   That era of hip hop history is of prime interest to me. 

Meeting Martha Cooper during the first Montreal Mural Festival was one of my summer's sweetest highlights.

On that Saturday afternoon, I was sitting on St. Laurent Blvd and a local boombox enthusiast was heading north towards me.  I called out to him and we spoke.  He eventually showed me the back of the boombox in his hands.  From the moment I realized it was autographed by Martha Cooper, I freaked out and had three immediate thoughts. First was that Martha Cooper was in Montreal! Second was how the hell would I be able to find and meet her? Third was if there was any hope of getting my Hip Hop Files book signed that weekend.

I had not known what she looked like and was convinced I would scour the Main and introduce myself to any older woman photographer in hopes of landing the legendary lady.  That scared me somewhat because for all I knew if I was looking for her north, she could have been heading south and vice versa. The boombox enthusiast joined me as we roamed the road trying to find Martha Cooper until I broke from the crew for a quick bite to eat. 

A text message told me where I could find him and to hurry in doing so.  As I approached to the blaring beats from the box, they pointed me in the direction of a woman with a camera a few feet away.  I introduced myself and the story about how I came to own her book.  Getting it autographed was unfortunately not in my cards but I settled for smiles and photos with Cooper.

Even though I didn’t know she would be there, Martha Cooper was one of the reasons I was at Montreal Mural Festival.  Her photography has been influential on me.  Martha Cooper inspired me to take photography more seriously, especially where urban street arts are concerned.  I went from admiring photography from the likes of herself and Annie Leibovitz to creating my own.

My time at Montreal Mural Festival would not happen had it not been for the organizers, sponsors and Martha Cooper.  

Meeting Martha Cooper again and having her sign my Hip Hop Files book during the Montreal Mural Festival was easily one of my summer's sweetest memories and highlights.

The Notorious B.I.G.

I was listening to The Rub – The History of Hip-Hop (1994) on the way to work one day. 

The first MC of the mix was the late, great Notorious with his verse from the late Craig Mack’s Flava in ya Ear (Remix). 

The other Notorious tracks chosen for the mix made me realize just how B.I.G. he was. 

He managed to be the hip hop king of New York before he died. 

I’ll never forget arriving to New York in the summer of 1996. 

The first song I heard was 112’s Only You (Remix) and he starts that song as well. 

March 9 has been imprinted as the anniversary of The Notorious B.I.G. death.

We’ll always love Big Poppa.

10 Best Female MCs

The Women & Hip Hop Conference held in Montreal got me to thinking about the state of hip hop and female MCs on a whole.

For a few years, it appeared that the female MC is rare like an endangered species. In some ways, they might be.

There is the issue of there being too few to listen to today. If and when I take notice of a female MC, I treasure them like a worker for wildlife preservation.

My enjoyment for female MCs is two-fold. As it should be clear through multiple posts, I love female vocalists. Their voices are pleasing to my ears. If a lady is lyrical, I’m in even more bliss.

From my days of discovering hip hop in the late 1980s to not caring much about it now, I am nostalgic and reflective and decided on finding out just who have been my favorite ladies on the microphone.

Below are the female MCs I consider to be the 10 Female MCs that I've been blessed to have heard.

MC Lyte 

The Lady of Rage 

  Lauryn Hill 

Tiye Phoenix 

 Shawnna 

Queen Latifah

 Rah Digga 

Missy Elliott 

Jean Grae

 Salt-N-Pepa

 

I dedicated one of my former radio show playlists to female MCs of the 1990s glory days of hip hop.

Please make yourself familiar with below to bring you up to speed.

Visit the Mixcloud page to listen and the Podomatic site to download.

The Suite Delight - 2014-09-09 by Dj Solespin on Mixcloud

The Suite Delight - 2014-09-09 Playlist:

1. Nikki D - Lettin' Off Steam
2. Michie Mee & L.A. Luv - Jamaican Funk
3. Roxanne Shanté - Have A Nice Day
4. Salt-N-Pepa - Tramp
5. The Fugees - Ready Or Not (Salaam's Ready For The Show Remix) 
6. Bahamadia - 3 Tha Hard Way
7. Gang Starr - You Know My Steez (3 Men And A Lady Remix) feat Kurupt & The Lady of Rage 
8. Flipmode Squad – We Got Cha Opin (Part 2)
9. LL Cool J - I Shot Ya (Remix) feat Prodigy, Foxy Brown, Fat Joe & Keith Murray 
10. Queen Latifah - Inside Out
11. Sweet Tee & Jazzy Joyce - It's My Beat
12. MC Lyte - I Cram 2 Understand U

Karen Carpenter

 

A few days ago, I was doing my usual rounds at local record stores and shops.

On this particular day, I found not one but two Carpenters cassettes.  

One of  them was part of a greatest hits collection and another was one of their albums in entirety.  Funny enough, a number of tracks on the album appeared on the greatest hits collection.  Not funny was my picking them both up.

When I arrived home, I caught wind via social media that day or the one prior was Karen Carpenter's birthday.

I felt it too late to have written about her and post in on social media. I promised to take care of that at a later date. This year marks my return to blogging.  This is that time. Karen Carpenter is the subject of my first blog post after being dormant for almost a decade.  

I will admit to being a Carpenters fan and most specifically of Karen Carpenter.  

I was a boy when I learned she died. 

   

As little of her that I knew, I felt sadness from hearing the woman who sang songs I heard on the radio passed away.

I have a couple of Carpenters greatest hits albums in my collection.  The tapes were new additions.  

I planned to play the tapes while I was in the kitchen or on the laptop.  

There is a subtle beauty and soothing quality to Karen Carpenter's voice.  When listening to "Top of The World'', one can't say they don't feel like her vocals and the song don't indeed make you feel like you are on top of the world.  I will admit to feeling that when I hear that song.  It is my favorite of their songs. 

RIP Karen Carpenter and thank you for your music.

Eddy Grant

Bryan Adams may have had summer of 1969, but I had the one of 1983.

Michael was thrilling, Lionel was going at it all night long, Eurythmics was dreaming sweetly and Eddy Grant was talking about a hot street.

When I was a kid, the grown-ups loved and grooved to Eddy Grant's Say I Love You. As young as I was, I was learning the names of artists and songs. There was no photo of Grant for me to know what he looked like. I only knew his voice until music videos would change that. Like not fully realizing that Michael Jackson was part of The Jackson 5 and grew up to beat it, I barely realized he was the same Eddy Grant from the adults' 12" single.

I loved Electric Avenue in the summer of 1983 among other songs. I love it to this day and obviously played it on my former radio show a few years ago. I was too focused on Michael Jackson to have asked for the Eddy Grant album. I managed to buy it for myself many years later and discover more of his solo and Equals gems.

I have the utmost respect for Eddy Grant. I used to hear about him recording music as early as the 60s & 70s but it was not until I studied him more that I learned his history. I love classic rock & soul but The Equals managed to incorporate Caribbean rhythms to their music.

Walking on Sunshine has sort of become my own personal Say I Love You but there are too many to mention now. I missed him at Osheaga but if the chance comes for me to see him here again in Montreal, I will do what I can to not miss him.

The Equals - Born Ya! (1976)

A local record vendor made it clear to me that The Equals music of the 1970s was funkier than their 1960s output.

I was already aware of that fact. 

What I was not really aware of was how diffcult it is to come across a copy of their very funky 1970s output.

The local record vendor was unable to assist me in securing a copy of Born Ya! 

He said he was not parting with his own copy.

The photo of the album above was taken while I was at The Afrika Bambaataa Master of Records Open Archive.

Who knew that would be the only time I would hold the album in my hands? 

Who knew that I'd eventually want a copy of my own?

A few years ago, a copy was on sale at Yonge Street Play De Record.  I tried to haggle and bargain my way to a lower price but there was no budging.  There was no record for me either.  

My last purchase on Discogs was for a copy of Born Ya! which was arriving from Trinidad & Tobago. My copy doesn't look too far from the one in the photo above.  It is a few handles away from needing the makeshift tape.  The condition is not worth talking about either. 

 

At least I can say the album is no longer on my wantlist.