#45Fridays

I got wind this past Friday that some your favorite DJ’s were posting up their favorite 45s on Twitter – taking photos of rare 45’s and posting the links. You can easily go to Twitter and search on the hash tag – #45Fridays. I’m already missing Earfuzz bossman Junior and his penchant for writing up rare as heck soul and funk 45s. He’d love #45Fridays!

Ok, so the pictured 45 – I found it on DJ BK-One’s Facebook page ; I wasn’t even looking for it on Twitter. BK-One I had only heard of once because he was on a compliation called ‘Do It To It’ which I suggest you cop here, but I imagine he’s a great DJ, I just haven’t earpeeped his mixes yet. He’s got a nice joint on the comp called ‘Turn that MF UP’. Ok shameless plug – I’m on that same ‘Do It To It’ comp as well with my own group fONKSQUISh. What’s weird is, my jam on the comp features Funkadelic’s Billy Bass Nelson. Well BK-One’s posted the pictured 45 for #45Fridays – and it’s a Revilot 45 by The Holidays, a Detroit vocal group featuring Funkadelic. Apparently BK-One says it was also released as a Parliaments instrumental, but I’ve never heard that one either – I’ll have to dig for it.

‘All That Required’ is a typical George Clinton penned jam - I mean, you know, where George out does Smokey Robinson with the one liners as George typically does – and a Holland brother (from the famous Holland Dozier Holland Motown and post Motown writing team) is here writing too, so go figure.

I’m not the DJ who digs for 45’s and has an extensive collection – but I certainly have most all of the George Clinton produced 45’s from the late 50s to the early 70s. BUT I didn’t have this one! It’s quite a revelation for me since I always believe I’ve heard every P-Funk rarity ever. You can hear Eddie Hazel do some sick and twisted things with the rhythm and lead guitars, and I’m pretty sure Billy Bass Nelson is holding down the bass line – almost sure it’s the entire Funkadelic band. I’ll ask Billy about it … Anyone care to leave some more info this one in the comments?? I love at about 2:30, Eddie just kicks this twisted guitar solo just in time to work on out as the song fades on …

The Holidays – All That is Required (Is You) – featuring Funkadelic / George Clinton Produced

Of course, there are also right beautiful vocals from the Holidays on the song, who I can’t turn much up on via a Google search because – well, the Holidays – turns up other results. I’m sure you know more – go ahead and let us know.

READ ON FOR TWO MORE #45FRIDAYS …

Ok real quick, two more 45’s to share. I’m looking to funk songs to contain my mantras right now. And Billy Preston’s ‘Whole New Thing’ is one of those jams … produced by the ever elusive Truman Thomas, a keyboard player who we funkateers often confuse for Billy Preston himself, assumed to be a pen name, but we’re never sure. Jeffery Bowen also gets writer credits here, but I assume he took the credits from Billy Bass Nelson as well. But Billy doesn’t play on this Preston version – I believe it’s Keni Burke on bass, who you may know from ‘Rising to the Top’. Regardless of the credits, ‘Whole New Thing’ is a romp, and I’m going with the mantra in the lyrics:

It’s the beginning of a whole new thing
My head is together, and I’m feeling breezy
Believe me when I tell you people, that it was never easy
I couldn’t create cuz some people all around me didn’t want to see me make it
Me and friend talkin deep within, said we can’t afford to fake it
I know in life everybody get’s a chance, most times the people blow it
But I got a field of green green grass, sit back and watch me grow it

Billy Preston – Whole New Thing

While I love Billy Preston’s version of ‘Whole New Thing’ .. Rose Banks version of the same the jam – to me wins out. Rose Banks by the way of course is actually Rose Stone – Sly Stone’s sister. And Billy Bass Nelson does this different thing on the bridge that takes this version of ‘Whole New Thing’ in a different direction. Plus Truman Thomas goes a little more synthesizer-tastic here. And Freddie Stone, Eddie Hazel and Billy Bass are just taking the song in a more P-Funk direction. Love Billy Bass’s walking basslines here – more in the cut in a way than the Preston version.

Also Rose starts out with a different lyric which is more honest, but it’s also uplifting.

It’s the beginning of a whole new thing
My head was under the weather, I’ve been out in the rain
My eyes have been so cloudy, I couldn’t see a thing
It’s the beginning of a whole new thing
My head is together, and I’m feeling breezy
Believe me when I tell you people, that it was never easy
I said goodbye to yesterday – I left it all behind
Today’s the first day of my life, I came alive inside me
And the truth is, that love was the only thing I needed
I’m satisfied deep down inside, my life now has true meaning

Rose Banks – Whole New Thing

I own the 45 for Rose Banks’ ‘Whole New Thing’ and would love to take a pic of it – but it’s locked up in the basement of my ‘Whole Old Thing’ – but here’s a picture of a promo copy.

Also since we are on the topic of the Family Stone, more pics of 45 rarieties relating to Sly Stone, posted up also by BK One: