Rather Unique

UNDR-CRWN's the illest!

The Friends of Distinction: "Let Yourself Go", "We Got A Good Thing Goin'"
From: Highly Distinct [RCA, 1969]

Highly Distinct is the kind of record people forget they own, because its sound is familiar to the lump of L.A. soul groups in the late-60s. The Friends of Distinction hit their high-notes and have vocal hops that at times sound like a choir section. "Let Yourself Go" and "We Got a Good Thing Goin'" are written by former Emotion, Sheila Hutchinson. Her carefree lyrics on "Let Yourself Go" make for a groovy soul ballad that suits this vocal quartet.

The album credits list Willie Hutch arranging vocals for both tracks, which explains why the vocal precision is flawless. On "We Got a Good Thing Goin'" Jessica Cleaves and Barbra Jean Love keep the song's pep up over an orchestra arrangement that demands high vocal kicks. Harry Elston and Floyd Bulter hold their own on these demanding productions with subtle exchanges, and bass vocals that fill those high kicks. At times, The Friends of Distinction sound theatrical and overly produced, but that works in favor the a gender-mixed quartet.

"Grazing in the Grass" is another song (undoubtedly their staple single) to checkout by this mildly successful quartet.

Two Scoops of Vanilla Fudge

Vanilla Fudge: You Keep Me Hangin' On and Bang Bang
From: Vanilla Fudge [Atco, 1967]

If, like me, you have an incredibly short patience and concentration threshold, you'll find yourself constantly reaching out for new musical experiences and changes of tone. Therefore, while my love for funk soul and hip hop will never end I like to mix it up to ensure freshness is maintained in my musical garden.

One area of music that I've come to explore more and more over the recent months is the world of Psych/Prog Rock. Luckily for me, there is plenty of funky rock out there so, while I still can't find it in myself to embrace the image of Rick Wakefield in a wizard's outfit, my appetite is regularly fed.

One of my favourites from this expanding collection is Vanilla Fudge. A band who, on paper read more like some kind of parody, taking popular songs from the late sixties and reworking them into grand epic sets. While their success rate was not 100% any doubts about their intentions and the validity of the project are quickly washed aside when you put needle to record and hear something like this....

Stra (Illusions Of My Childhood-Part One) - You Keep Me Hangin'On - Wber (Illusions Of My Childhood Part Two) is actually a far more focused piece than it's elongated name suggests. While it's something of a cliche to note that Vanilla Fudge took a song and slowed it down that is essentially what they do. However, and I can't emphasise this enough, this is a MONSTEROUS song. Beginning in characteristically slap dash style the groove of the song slowly embeds itself in the track and when it comes together and takes off with harmonies and guitars over the rolling organ its sheer excess ends up bowling you over. Put this on rotation, turn the speakers right up, and play it again and again and again and again.

Vanilla Fudge were great believers that more is more, why layer one level of instrumentation when you can layer five? Bang Bang is more of an acquired taste than You Keep Me Hangin' On but I can't resist the playfulness of the track as it fluctuates all over the place incorporating everything up to and including nursery rhymes before finally focusing on the actual song halfway through the track. Organ heavy funky rock is the order of the day as the band once again display their own version of the wall of sound. Amazing to think this is thirty forty years old and still sounds as fresh today as it ever did.

Apparently according to their official website the band are reformed and currently touring, I can only pray that they make it across the Atlantic soon.

Le Domestiques - Cooking up delights

Le Domestique - Irrelevant Answer & One Minute Muffin
both from the EP Jewish Delights on ??? (200?)

Le Domestique is Dori Adar from Tel Aviv, Israel. That's him on the left up above and on the right is this great tree sculpture thing I saw when I was Tel Aviv on a completely non-Le Domestique related quest. There is a lot of violent and angry things going on over there currently, but sadly that's not new news. I hope Mr. Adar is okay. I got hooked into this EP because a dear friend was a participant at the Red Bull Music Academy with Le Domestique. It seems like a crazy amount of talent flowed through there so for the beat makers out there reading this it would be worth your while to give it a look.

Anyways, Le Domestique has done some production work and guitar playing for different bands, and this is his first (I believe, very little web presence) solo joint where he's doing the writing and producing. It is a little haphapazard overall, and split about half and half for purely instrumental hip hop/downtempo (like the two songs featured here) and similar but less complex beats with female vocals. Despite the unevenness there is a lot of promise and I've been enjoying these tracks immensely.

The first "Irrelevant Answer" reminds me a bunch of Blockhead (NOTE: I would consider this a great compliment) with his solid sense of melody, the big pulsing beat, and especially the cheerleader style chant. It's fun and childhood nostalgia inducing while still being a compelling rhythmic listen. Next is "One Minute Muffin," which slows the beat down considerably and delicately places some piano scales and guitar strums to give a languid summery day feel. The strings and flute at the midpoint really strengthen the track and give it a foreign (to American ears) feeling that provides a nice personal feel. I love this beathead, downtempo stuff, but it is extremely difficult to do well and very easy to do poorly.

What's Strange about a Fruit Project?

Soul Clap - Strange Fruit Project
Special f/ Thesis - Strange Fruit Project
from The Healing on Om:Hip Hop (2006).

It is always a little embarrassing to wax sentimental in print, but writing for Ear Fuzz is really a great thing. I feel honored to put thoughts and sounds up with my collaborators here and to get the occasional feedback from the readers. I bring up all this gushing for two reasons: uno) Junior mentioned the possibility of finding another scribe or two out there with shared loves and dos) wonderfully enough just the musings here have convinced a few music folks to give me music.

Which, brings me to Strange Fruit Project a trio (Myone, Myth, and Symbolyc 1) from Texas whose album The Healing is coming out next week on Spilt Milk/Om:Hip Hop (the new and clearly titled hip hop imprint for Om records). It is sort of unbelievable that someone would be kind enough to give me/you a CD, but that's what the fine folks at Om did and only asked that I not post any songs other than the two featured here (which are also available elsewhere on the web, so it all makes sense). There is a very nice and thorough interview with the group on Popmatters.

In said interview SFP are pretty clear about their desires, namely that they have a deep desire to make hip hop and they're unhappy with what is available in that medium, especially on the radio. That is a noble desire, but honestly isn't that the motive of any artist: they have something to say that they feel isn't being said appropriately by anyone else. That just about sums up how I feel about this album too: SFP is clearly coming from their hearts with a noble idea of intelligent, musical, introspective, and (dreaded label) conscious hip hop, but for all their good intentions not very much differentiates them from their many like-minded members in the intelligent hip hop community. This comes across as damning with faint praise, but saying a group makes a good album with all the best intentions and a positive, enjoyable vibe obviously isn't a bad thing. This is far far better than another crack rap, synth-heavy, slang-inventing single with 12 filler tracks...but I'd be surprised (and so would the SFP fellas) if you hear this on the radio which is one of those mysteries that will just continue to surprise me.

The two tracks here illustrate my point quite well, Soul Clap and Special are two of the better tracks on the consistent album with Soul Clap definitely featuring the best beat courtesy of Jake One. Both feature lyrics that should uplift anyone strugling with the daily grind while still providing a nice smile when coupled with lemonade on a hot day. It both helps and hurts that the crew sound like early Outkast. 9th Wonder produced Special and you always know what you get with a 9th Wonder - true school flavor and a mildly bouncey beat with some nice melody textures...it sounds really good, but it sounds like every other 9th Wonder production. And I keep coming back to it, for The Healing it is all good, but it is never knock-you-on-your-ass great and doesn't bring you something you haven't heard before.

Just some quick notes that this album also features a track by one of my favorite producers (Vitamin D who produced the Ms. Jackson-esque Pinball, which isn't his best work) and a guest vocal spot by one of my favorite rappers, Bavu Blakes. Little Brother, Erykah Baud, Illmind, and some others also lend their talents as guests.

Summertime Vibrations

Mighty Ryeders: Evil Vibrations and Help Us Spread The Message
From: Help Us Spread The Message [Sun Glo, 1978]

So apologies for not posting recently, a holiday and heavy work schedule resulted in probably my longest break between posts in the near on three years I've been doing this shit (doesn't time fly etc etc). While I steady the workload and get back on top of things I thought I'd get in the mood with a couple of songs that fit perfectly to the current sweltering temperatures.

There are certain albums in my collection that only really work when the sun is shining and the temperature is hot, Mighty Ryeders 1978 work, Help Us Spread The Message, definitely falls into that category, tunes that entertain in the winter suddenly transform into glistening greats to be played long and hard.

Coming in right at the end of funk's dominance and the emergence of disco the Mighty Ryeders straddle the change well, bringing a disco vibe to their live instrument tracks but maintaining the soul and heart of the funk era.

No points for spotting the sample on Evil Vibrations but the track would be a classic without the De La link, it's high energy vocals and thumping instrumentation crying out to be played loud out of the car, your house, your office or any other place where music is played (heat. not. make. brain. work. so. good.)

While the huge majority of the album is in the vein of Evil Vibrations (and very good it is too) the band could spin a more thoughtful line as well as displayed on the title track of this album. More rooted in soul than disco the song ably displays the band's vocal abilities and musicianship and is a nice way to unwind after the melting activities of a summers day.

Ear Fuzz Competition Time: Atlantic Soul

Otis Redding: I Love You More Than Words Can Say
From: Atlantic Unearthed: Soul Brothers [Rhino, 2006]

As an apology for the tardiness of my recent posts I thought I'd try and make amends to you, the beautiful reader, by doing something we haven't done round in here in quite some time, and that's run a competition.

Up for grabs are the new compilations of rare and unreleased Atalantic Soul tracks by many of the big stars of the sixties. You may have already checked out some tracks from these on both Soul Shower and Soul Sides but I can only apologise for my late entrance to the party and swear it, possibly, won't happen again.

When I first got my hands on these compilations I must confess that, like Oliver at Soulsides, I felt a little bit of disappointment over the releases, problem being that the catalogue's history is so rich that my expectations were incredibly high for every track. However, on subsequent listens I've discovered many gems in the pack and do believe it's a goldmine for those enamoured with this period in Atlantic's history. I didn't want to post up too much more on top of the lovely tracks featured by AK and Oliver so thought I'd just give you Otis's ballad featured on the Soul Brothers compilation, a sweet little track featuring, unusually for Otis, some lush string arrangements.

Right, question time, I racked my brain for minutes hours on end before, inspired by the albums up for grabs, settling on the following competition question:

All I want you to do is tell me, in as many or few words as required, what soul music means to you. Email your answers to me here. End date for this competition is 31st July and the winner is based entirely on my subjective judgement. You'll receive a free copy of each CD in the post (I'll even mail it across the Atlantic for you because, damn it, I care) and I'll post up the winning entry on Ear Fuzz.

On a side note we're looking to possibly expand our roster of posters at the moment as well so this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Even if you can't be arsed to enter or don't win I'd highly recommend checking out the collections anyway as there are some real finds on the two discs that have been wallowing in obscurity for far too long. You can find more information about both releases at Rhino's website

Beached Soul

The Tams: "Hey Girl Don't Bother Me", "What Kind Of Girl Are You"
From: Hey Girl Don't Bother Me [ABC-Paramount Records, 196?]

My friend's white `91 Nissan Stanza is a blast. Last Tuesday the back right tire blewout in a Tim Hortons parking lot-the Stanza is wack, but that's its shtick and we like it.

Blasting The Tams over tinny Nissan factory speakers through a worn Clarion CD player that recently was stolen with a mix CD-R of Whitney Houston slow jams in the deck-Stanza 1 Petty Crime 0-is an experience my friend and I enjoy over coffee, and a mean catalog of car music.

The Best of The Tams: Hey Girl Don't Bother Me is a recent compilation that features a version of the ABC-Paramount compilation released in 196?. I found The Tams' ABC-Paramount compilation in a small record store on the Canadian prairies, an ironic place to find beach music. The record has 12 tracks that have similar production, teeny lyrics and vocal arrangement.

The Tams are brothers Josph and Charles Pope, Robert Smith, Horace Kay and Flyod Ashton. Living in Atlanta and making music with Atlantians like Joe South and Ray Whitley branded The Tams sound. "Hey Girl Don't Bother Me" is a Whitley composition so the country rhythm guitar is not a suprise. The smooth timing, deadly vocals and Atlanta charm make "Hey Girl Don't Bother Me" an official Stanza summer jam.

"What Kind Of Girl Are You" sounds like beach party theatrics play out and we like the up-tempo two-minute Northern Soul songs that feel like Saturday nights in summer. There is a lot going on with the arrangements on this track. Josph Pope leads "What Kind Of Girl Are You" while clever flute and vibraphone arrangements add zing to this quick soul-pop ballad. Drop this single at your next BBQ and see cats bop to this rhythm.

Sorting the downtempo stacks

Breathe Me (Four Tet Remix) - Sia
from 10" on Go! Beat (2004).
On My Way - 3 Foot People f/ Linn
from the album 3 Foot High & Rising on Homegrown (2006).

I'll admit that the links between tracks I feature here are sometimes tenuous at best, and today takes it to a new level. Basically these records have nothing specific in common (that I care to uncover/write about now) other than that I find them to be very dope and I listened to them repeatedly while reshelving downtempo/trip-hop records this weekend. Feel free to connect your own mental dots if inspired by the tracks.

The first track is Four Tet's percussion heavy remix of Sia's somewhat recent big hit "Breathe Me." Sia, of course, is Sia Furler the Australian vocalist who has been the lovely lyric slinger for Jamiroquai and Zero7 before going solo. The original is a few years old, but has had a huge resurgence because it was prominently featured in the amazing finale to the often amazing HBO series Six Feet Under. I vastly prefer the Four Tet remix to the original.

The other track also features a breathy female vocal turn (this time by Linn who isn't familiar to me). Here the beats are a blunted and mellow production by 3 Foot People (aka Freddie Cruger aka Red Astaire). I can say it is representative of the quality of the 3 Foot album even if it isn't representative of the style which jumps smoothly between dub, funk breaks, hip hop, and downtempo all with a loungey and polished feel quite reminiscent of Nightmares On Wax.

Short and sweet post. Enjoy while you contemplate Federer's legacy and what that Italian defender might have said to Zinedane.

Blues and the Soulful Truth

Leon Thomas: L-O-V-E and Let's Go Down To Lucy
From: Blues and the Soulful Truth [Flying Dutchman, 1972]

So, the World Cup is dead to me now but is this going to dampen my spirits? Well, yeah to be honest, but the summer rolls on and it is damn hot here right now (thanks for skipping on air con guys). With that thought in mind it seemed appropriate to liven up the mood and introduce some ooomph into the week with some rocking funkalacious sounds that are always guaranteed to cheer me up.

Leon Thomas is rightly regarded as a true innovator of jazz and a vocal trendsetter. Famed for his unique singing style which flitted between soulful tones and the occasional yodel he worked with many of the greats of the sixties and seventies and even had a crossover hit with Pharoah Sanders when he lent his vocals to The Creator Has a Master Plan in 1969.

All this may lead you to believe that what I am offering up for you today is some deep and intense inward looking fusion. But wait! You couldn't be further from the truth as Leon knew how to funk out with the best of them when it took his fancy and while Blues And The Soulful Truth has many beautiful introspective moments I'll concentrate today on his uplifting music of the highest order.

L-O-V-E starts as it means to continue as Leon waffles entertaining but basically meaningless shit to the lady of his attention as a finger-clicking, head-nodding, foot-tapping, funk riff builds underneath. Check out the excellent backing vocals on this, as the track fuses funk and sixties r&b to brilliant effect. I love the insane horn solo halfway through as well. Pure fun(k).

Let's Go Down To Lucy continues in the same vein with Leon again favouring the funk as he stretches his vocal chords and reveals himself to be much more than just a free jazz singer, his voice of tool of immense power and feeling interspersed with infectious ad libs to all the pretty girls. This is bassy, poppy summertime funk and it's perfect for those post tournament blues........