Archive for the '45s' Category

Our Lives Are Shaped By What We Love
Odyssey
7″ Single, 1972

This song is pretty much single-handedly responsible for me getting into buying 45s. I bought it in an overpriced record store in cleveland about two years ago. It was one of those places where the owner says, “if there’s no price on the record bring it up and I’ll price it for you” and then he smiles a little too much. That and $10 Brothers Johnson records (although good, should be $1) landed me in the 45 section because it was the only section that had a reasonable (and fixed) price, 3/$5. There was also a turntable in the 45 section and six hours later the owner came up to me and asked if i was about done because he had to get home. I walked out with twenty 45s, this one being the masterpiece.

The whole song is beautiful but my favorite interplay is the changing pattern of the hi-hat symbol from the first part of the chorus to the second part (pre- and post- 0:55, 1:49, 3:15)

Also, don’t miss the crazy bass fill at 2:44.

>> songs are available for two weeks [4.9 MB]

Let’s Do It Again
The Staple Singers
7″ Single, 1975

The Staple Singers are best known for “I’ll Take You There” and “Respect Yourself”. This song, part of a full album of Curtis Mayfield material for the soundtrack to the Bill Cosby/Sidney Poitier movie Let’s Do It Again, was their swan song and last #1 hit. Curtis similarly put the finishing touches on the non-keep-up-with-the-trends portion of Aretha Franklin’s career the next year with the soundtrack to the movie Sparkle. His magic touch would soon fade as well but you wouldn’t be able to tell from this song, which sounds/feels like smiling when sunshine hits the back of your neck.

>> songs are available for two weeks