thank you katrina, thank you katrina...

galactic - black eyed pea (2000)


well, well, well...look at me indulging in something that was created after my high school graduation. i love galactic. these "wonder bread" boys hail from new orleans & can bring the groove like nobodys business. highly respected and endorsed by some funks originating masters, cyril neville of the meters, you cant but know that youre on the right track to greatness. (ok settle down) but i really have enjoyed listening to everything these cats have done. its the fantasy marriage between the meters & chicago. im a little twisted, but if you dont get it...this would be a good opportunity to do so....im a fanatic of jam sessions & i do recommend them live, for it is less polished than the studio sound. like i things a little messy most of the time. galactic has plenty of live performance footage on youtube, so grab your cocktail & take a listen.

ooooo.oooo. ah-ah. oooooo

cameo - shake your pants (1980)


this song always reminds me of movies in the 1990s, when players & mack where all the rage and made a big comeback in soul cinema. i am talking about macaroni(s) though not real macks like frank ward or goldie. no no no...those men died a long time ago & took masculinity with them. you know like the suave stephan urkel...these boys were the rookies that would get caught dippin their spoon in the kool-aid and run like bitches as honey's old man pulled into the driveway. all i can picture is martin lawrence climbing & stumbling out of the window with pants binding him at his ankles. crying & squealing as a random shoe gets thrown & hits him right in his dunkin donut. ahh i miss martin. he's so crazy! garbage bags & cocaine. love-joy

hey sister soul sister

what is it about this sound that makes my face distort itself into a surrealist masterpiece? or gets my heart racing like my mom is chasing me around the house with chittlin lining...guess i'll never know. "you know got soul, cause if you didnt yo' feet would move yeah?" - bobby byrd.

marie queen lyons - your thing aint no good (1970)


its the perfect balance of curtis mayfield & james brown compositions.

knick knack pattie whack!!!

labelle - lady marmalade (1975)


just taking it to an entire different level huh? 2 things: patti labelle is ridiculous & i love this show though. midnight special displayed a showcase showdown of some of the #1 acts in pop music of that day, week, month, whatever...some of my favorite performances are this one; linda ronstad performing "youre no good"; redbone, "come & get your love'; james brown medley; and fleetwood mac's "rhiannon". a small stage, small crowd, enormous energy and just a good ole time! its everything i dream about as far as venues & performers go. the ultimate basement party if you will. love-joy.

marva whitney

im tired ....im going to bed. marva is one of JBs girls. i heard this on some random playlist called "diggin on youtube". i swear i love me some youtube. if it werent for this website, i would be led into the valley of shadow and death when it comes to being recommended music. i can honestly say that i am a music snob, so what, suck it. youtubies has never stirred me wrong. on the other hand, pandoras box is too occupied by corporate penis to see 2ft ahead herself..."where are you taking me?", is a phrase that always manages to end up at the tip of tongue. mbmo - pandora is a hyperactive whore who validates ones lazy tendencies. rant on!
anyway...sit & jam & listen to what marva is tryin to say...complaining just sounds less annoying when backed by funk.

marva whitney - i'm tired, etc

cisco sound bite: "sing it again!!"

speakin of this song holding the title of one of the best beggin songs ever...check out the cover by the man...rev. al green. who begs better than preachers?

al green - cant get next to you (1971)



even i have to admit that the first time i "felt" this song creep into the crevice of my womanhood was during a pitiful scene of sex in the city. the dancing was horrible but the man, played by daniel sunjata...oh lawd...mr sailor man...you are the reason why god created vaginas. i persoanlly want to thank the homosexual casting directors, you sure do know how to pick 'em. as he lingersssssssssssss....love-joy

the game is strong....

temptations - i cant get next to you (1969)



i once heard this song referred to as "the most intense 2 minutes & 30 seconds on any motown record." i cannot tell a lie nor can i disagree with this statement. if you dont feel like you should be in church confessing youre love crawling on your knees by the end of this song...well i dont know what to say. this song so easily over looked especially since we are all so used to experiencing the tempts in a different light of love's expressions. usually too smooth for the groove, the tempts hit this track hard with the gritty voice of dennis edwards added to the mix, oh lawd, i get hot just typing about it. the sound reflects the influence of the northern soul sound that overpowered the mid-east in the late 60s. just like what quincy jones & rod temperton did for mj in the 80s, norman whitfield did for the temptations by shedding that school boy crush persona. the tempts were men & men arent afraid to beg which is one of the reasons why this is definitely one of my favorite "beggin" songs off the motown label. another reason is that this our introduction to mr. edwards as lead after crack head david ruffin left...i love me some dennis. it maybe the 1st time a group successfully replaced a lead singer without backlash. well naturally they lost their following to the "black movement", but thats for a future post... til then, enjoy the poetic / soulful sounds of pleadin & beggin. love-joy

you're the main man, herbie!

herbie hancock - hang up your hang-ups (1975)

i cant wait to celebrate herbies 70th birthday along with my friends & family. this track is one of my friends todd's favorite. i love the video these folks on youtube put together. herbie is the coolest musical nerd genuis ever!! i love him, my very own watermelon man. love-joy

mickey blue eyes

so on my youtube account i have a playlist that i have properly named "make me feel pretty". it consists of loves songs that i can imagine a man serenading me with...maybe in the bed, outside my window, or at karaoke. most of the songs are guilty pleasures, cause im not that kind of chick...i'd rather you buy me a corndog and just tell me im sexy (i dont know how that works out either, but it does) nevertheless, i can dig on some sappy music once in a while. one track on the list is robin thicke's lost without you. i usually listen to this song ukiah stlye. i know, i know, its a song released after the millennium...yeah, but with some old flavor. the prince / babyface influence is top notch. i give robin an a+ for this jam. even though i read that robin doesnt like for his music to be labeled as "blue-eyed soul", i respect him, but i wouldnt give a rat's piss if he werent the son of alan thicke. i love that man. always thought he was a hot tv dad, plus he sings the "diff'rent strokes" theme song....bonus boner!! but really, not liking the term "blue eyed soul" and saying that it is small minded is ridiculous, cause all the blue eyed brothers out there rock hard ass. i wanna know what term he would suggest to advertise being badass white boy! get over yourself a little bit robin. youre officially labeled!..."now the world dont move..."

robin thicke - lost without u (2007)


this other jam that is way out of my realm, but it takes me back to my teenage years. do you remember the chris gaines project??

chris gaines - lost in you (1999)


thank you garth brooks! love-joy

dear carson & buzz...

i've been waiting for so long...

jakki o - ooo aah (19??)



this song is from the 1989 movie shag about a group of girls who go down to myrtle beach for their last summer weekend before they depart for college or whatever. its one of those coming of age movies full of dancing & teen romance most likely best compared to dirty dancing without the pesky abortion.
the song plays during a lake scene...you know the first kiss with the summer crush. if you could picture kevin & winnie cooper kissing for the 1st time, you would be spot on. well...a bit more sensual with the help of this song. it took me years before i figured out what this song was or who sang it, or if it was even a real song. shoooot, i initially thought it was written for the score, glad i was wrong. apparently it took me searching thru the cholo oldies section to find get my answer. so thank you la triste and lil' joker for i am that much closer to being complete. dang i want some carne asada right about now. is that racist? love-joy.

church!

james brown - its a new day part 1 & 2 (1969)



"walk away & twist your hips... make sure you keep him weak." - thats what youre supposed to do when he asks if you love him...smile & walk away.

what can i say about this freakin song? really. if you cant hear it, you aint listening. there have been some nice "i am woman, hear me roar" songs out there that have depict the motto for female liberation, but there needs to be a tune for the women who are too strong & too liberated...you know the one that cant keep a man. this song should be an anthem for those women . jb is straight up, as always, and takes it to church, advising all women to...stay strong (not too strong, calm the hell down & act like a lady) have your man's back (they dont need competition), be tender to him but with discipline (dont let him slander your name to the ground), keep him guessing (tighten the jaw...he doesnt have to know everything damn detail), keep it fresh, etc.

other notes from cliff :

"dont let nobody take care of business, better than you do. do what he wants, give him he what he wants...respect will come to you & you can hold your man..." - be the untold boss..hahaha. f-yes!

"t.c.b. so mellow, nobody can get thru..." - mind your business & your man's business. watch your mouth ...loose lips sink ships.

"sisters when you love your man, be careful how you tell him that...he will use you like a sunday hat." - nuff said.

can i get a witness?? love-joy.

hey..why didnt anyone tell me???

quincy jones - beautiful black girl (1975)


i know this is my first entry regarding q...sorry its so.......true.
on a serious note...if i may. im glad someone is saying something, cause what i see is totally different from the actual situation. q says im beautiful, the african princess, as he is wearing his dashiki and pounding on the bongos, sharpening his spear...my dark skin of the earth's womb is to be glorified and upheld with love and compassion for i am strength and courage, the gear for life's cycle...is that right?? well im happy its written in words and spoken by mouth cause otherwise i wouldnt believe him if he handed it to me in a gifted wrapped box with sequins that spelled out "honest truths". but if he says so...yeah right...i'd believe it more if it were coming from mouth of michael mcdonald. q...its like telling me i should believe that there will be a black pope. (used to be u.s. president, but we hit that goal. hey-oooo)

most likely these words did not come from q...this track features the watts prophets which are 3 brothers from the watts distirct in los angeles who wrote & performed poetry / spoken word layered over jazz tracks. They began their journey in the late 60s releasing albums for "the people" by the people. a serious militant behavior reflected from the ideals of the black panthers who were striving for self efficient communities which was expressed in the album "rapping black in a white world" released in 1971. thats of a little taste of what q was workin with. heavily influenced, if you will, by his people & the movement. just goes to show you that lots of people got thru the "black phase"...even black people! love joy.

snap crackle pop

eugene blacknell - get in a hurry (1974)



mr. clean eugene...oaklands finest. one of THE baddest guitar players to hit the pavement. eugene blacknell was a young & promising musician who was one of the youngest players to play the apollo as a house band member. it is my understanding that he accomplished this from the 60s-thru he's untimely death in 1990. his band help establish the strength the "bay area funk" reputation has become. with vocals replicating some what of a war sound, if they werent so brown, or the mandrills, if they werent so polished, has become my golden nugget find of the season. i cannot get enough of this "kick the gravel" tune. but it gets even better, the cuts with the "new breed" (his backup band) are ready made chase scene scores waiting to be sampled, if not already done. lazy bums. but once again, there is not enough recorded material to expose this guy as the funk master, r&b groover, & blues toner that he really was. it wasnt until 2007 when his son helped put together a complication of tracks together to release "we cant take life for granted" an album that is a showcase showdown of eugene's greatest attributes...soul. love-joy.

im a soul man

sam & dave - stax/volt revue live in norway 1967



tnt! the dynamic duo. i heard a story about otis redding saying on several occassions that he didnt want to follow a sam & dave performance...even as the headliner. after sam & dave the audience doesnt want to do anything but take a nap. most are only familiar with hip tunes such as "soul man" and " hold on, im coming" but if you havent experienced this songs live....you havent heard them to begin with. you talk about taking it to church....whoa! i watched this documentary "stax/volt revue live in norway '67 " one of the best "pass life" shows i have ever attended. practically the entire stax lineup: the mar-keys, booker t & the mgs, eddie floyd, arthur conley, sam & dave, and otis redding. a sleep enduced show for sure. i know exactly how otis feels because i was jumpin on the bed & never danced so hard to soul man, which was written by isaac hayes, ever in my life. a roller coaster of emotions as they brought down the house with their soulful crying during "when something is wrong with my baby"...thats what a man is supposed to sound like begging. praise him!!! this performance is definitely a reason to start a new religion: begging. love-joy.

prince nelson

prince - just another sucker (1980) dirty mind lp



for years i wished my hair would be as pretty as prince. it didnt matter which hairstyle...i dreamed as pretty as he was....still is. but not so much in the beginning of his career, before 1978, the awkward teenage stage. could you imagine price as the weird drama class kid. so intense, with all of his little richard facial expressions, befriending every fag-hag around, using them as his portable locker.
i have been interested in the minnesota sound since before i knew what a minnesota was. it was a sound that came from the clubs scenes in minneapolis mostly consisting of electrical progressive funk with a hint of rock & a splash of dance. imagine motown & studio 54 having to share a building and jimmy page was the janitor that had to clean all the shit up and organize the hell out of it. thats how i feel about the 1st ave scene. prince basically elevated the scene to an entirely different level as far as funk pop music went. he was able to polish the sound, own it, and sell it by the mid 80s. most dont now that prince had at least (5) albums out before 1984s purple rain. they all sound a little experimental and inconsistent, maybe too much for the little genius to stand. young hyper excitement. , but you can pick apart & find some great nuggets within each album of course...its prince...i love the kid. love-joy.

6's & 7's shaft...6's & 7's

isaac hayes - soulsville (shaft - 1971)



daddy? i think its funny that i always compare my dad to isaac hayes. sometimes i sound just as ignorant as the little white kids at the county fair. its the milk dud syndrome.
one the best tracks from the shaft soundtracks is the gospel soulsville. a haunting tune narrating the struggles of the streets. a real heavy joint slipped in with purpose. subliminal. almost the purest representation of the streets. shaft the actual movie is amazing, a bit white washed, but amazing simply because of the numerous times they say "baby". "baby" at the end of every other sentence along with other cool sayings like "up yours, baby" and "im gonna get laid, baby" and "whateva, cool, baby". but the obvious highlight is the isaac hayes score. a enormous cycle of tunes spinning round & round with jive layered on top...are you kidding me. masterpiece. no wonder why the man received an oscar. well...plus the fact that it was a mgm production... whatever. (they wont bleed you sweetback!) the ghetto anthem...soulsville. love-joy

speak up!

not much to say on this one. sometimes thats best.

the staple singers - respect youself (wattstax 1972)



If you disrespect anybody that you run in to
How in the world do you think anybody's s'posed to respect you
If you don't give a heck 'bout the man with the bible in his hand
Just get out the way, and let the gentleman do his thing
You the kind of gentleman that want everything your way
Take the sheet off your face, boy, it's a brand new day

Respect yourself, respect yourself
If you don't respect yourself
Ain't nobody gonna give a good cahoot, na na na na
Respect yourself, respect yourself

If you're walking 'round think'n that the world owes you something cause
You're here you goin' out the world backwards like you did when you
Put your hand on your mouth when you cough, that'll help the solution
Oh, you cuss around women and you don't even know their names and you
Dumb enough to think that'll make you a big ol man