Archive for October, 2005

It’s A Shame
The Spinners
7″ Single, 1970

It all comes back to the Wonderlove. Stevie crops up so many (good) places. Click on the 45 label for a larger view and check the songwriting credit. As previously touched on (while discussing this other hot song that he co-wrote from that period), 1968-71 was a transitional period for Stevie as he went from being a teenage star to becoming a 20-something one-man show - establishing full creative control with Motown, took over his publishing rights and his production, and playing most of the instruments on most of his songs.

Although this song isn’t that much like his material that would come out a short time later, I like to imagine him sitting around, writing these instantly memorable melodies, instrumental lines and horn harmonies, gaining confidence and psyching himself up to take the giant leap forward that was soon to come.

The behind-the-scenes element to this song, that also fun to imagine is that he and Syreeta Wright, his fellow Motown artist and co-writer on this song, got married about 6 months after it was recorded. Was (Lee) Garrett feeling left out of the love-fest…or pre-marital squabbles?

I just found a whole page dedicated to Stevie Wonder songs for other artists but it looks like a long read, so I’ll publish this post first and read second.

>> songs are available for two weeks [4.2 MB]

I Got The
Labi Siffre
Remember My Song, 1975

The Loop Professor is sadly leaving us for 6 months (to work and chill on a ski resort in Switerland, no less). Luckily for me, and by extension - you, or at least anyone looking to my site for a good tune now and again, he left me 7 boxes of records for me to remember him by…ok, so I have to give them back when he gets back but obviously copious amounts of vinyl will be recorded between now and then!

Installment #1: This is track provides the backdrop for “Streets is Watching” by Jay-Z and “My Name Is” by Eminem. As this bio points out, Labi is openly gay, which makes it more than a little funny that his music fueled Eminem’s breakthrough. I know Em hugged Elton and all but still…

Every time I play this song (I have the mad bootleg copy - turns out there’s actually 4 more bars at the beginning and 16 at the end), people think it’s two separate songs. It does switch up pretty dramatically. Look out for the effect on his voice when he finally comes back in on the second half. It’s kind of chilling.

>> songs are available for two weeks [9 MB]

at the Loop Professor’s going away party:

Mystique Blues
Three Children
Crusaders
1, 1971

I was going to announce this as Installment #2 of The Full-Album Hotness You Can’t Find In a CD Store but alas, I checked All Music and the damn thing has been reissued! Although upon further clicking, I found out it was reissued by MVP Japan, it costs $40.99 on Barnes and Noble and Amazon and it takes 2 weeks to arrive! So…my time photographing the album cover was a waste but I can still claim this album in the name of all that is good and wonderful about vinyl, right? Especially as I got it for $2.

I don’t remember what first put this album on my radar screen. It’s been sampled many times, some I knew about before I got it, others I put together later, but the excitement I had when I found it didn’t compare the subsequent joy I got from sitting through all four sides of this stellar double LP. Jazz/Funk never sound much an cross between actual jazz and actual funk.

>> songs are available for two weeks [6.5 MB]
>> songs are available for two weeks [7.2 MB]