Shambling's Deep Soul Posted by G147

Shirley Butler - "I Really Really Need You" [Houston International Records (H.I.P.) 196?] Ernie Rivers - "A Message To Percy" [Knox, 196?] Open-relationships between husbands and wives are lame, and possibly damage their children's post-education dreams. Damn, the hydro is being cut off, oh shit, the bank is foreclosing the home. Time to heavily drink and smoke cigarettes while lying about sleeping with prostitutes, running rails and gambling. You see that little predicament sums up deep soul episodes and I laugh at the situations, why not, grown people bleeding their hearts on 45s is meant to be entertainment. The records are valued like food rations and the raw emotion these people release in their music is shivering. I cannot explain what soul is, but after watching Nina Simone's "For A While" on Live At Ronnie Smith's, I am witness to what soul is. Sir Shambling has collected records for over 35 years, has collected over 25,000 and lends records for compilations. The man is married, has two cats and manages a low-income housing organization somehow while managing his passion for soul music. I've heard Shirley Butler on rare occassions through friends, compilations (perhaps singles from Shambling or Larry Grogan's 45 collections) and Internet resources, but I had not heard "I Really Really Need You" until recently. Butler is a product of Houston and cut records with Huey Meaux, a local cat that owned the Crazy Cajun lable. Meaux was behind Barbara Lynn's "You'll Lose a Good Thing" and worked with Joe Barry on "I'm A Fool To Care." Let's undress "I Really Really Need You." Personally, 2:35 is sure shot timing for a hit in the `60s and the first 13-seconds of the song could wake up the dead. The minimal horn arrangement, light drums* and flirting guitar chords provide a sensual production that would have the preacher's daughter open. Sincere lyrics matched with Butler's raspy voice provide the perfect makeout song. Yeah, babies were made to this music. "A Message To Percy" by Ernie Rivers is the first (and only) soul "answer song" that I've heard. Rivers did to Percy Sledge what Dipset is doing to Jay-Z, but 40 years before crafty publicists dictated music. The song is a response to Sledge's "Take Time To Know Her" and assumes the character of the man that was left by a woman for Sledge. Come on now, this "answer song" is far more intelligent than Cam'Ron and Jay-Z's Internet bickering. Be sure to checkout Shambling's site - it had me distracted from work for two days! *The other day a friend commented on drum breakdowns from the `60s. He noted how easily people labeled drum patterns as "too sexy." Well, the breakdown in Butler's song is a huge "no, no."