The (Four) Shells - Whiplash, Their Singles (White Trash Soul Greasy R&B 2)

 

One of the more obscure records from Chi-Town is "Whiplash" b/w "When I’m Blue" by the Shells on Jerry Butler's short-lived Conlo imprint. Not much is known about the Chicago-based Shells (they probably had roots in St. Louis), except that they had another Jerry Butler-produced single on Volt/Stax in 1966 as The Four Shells, "Hot Dog (My Baby's Comin' Home)" b/w "Reputation" and their members were brothers Charles and James Calvin, plus Willie Exon and Billy Harper. This infectious, driving first 45 was full of 100% pure party songs and are also two of the few soul tunes that gets played outside the (northern) soul scene because of The Cramps' appreciation and the lo-fi garagey recording with the distorted guitar bends (the opening licks on "Whiplash" sounded like it was taken from a 1964 Pretty Things session, and its inclusion in iconic compilations like "Shakin' Fit","Born Bad, Vol 7" etc). The Volt sides are equally great danceable numbers but the Southern Soul horns have taken guitar's place as leading force and instruments. Of the bands that I wish they had done more.

Various Artists - Two Siders (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.14)

45s are the midwives of rock'n'roll. I mean, Sam Phillips didn't need to wait until Elvis had a dozen songs to start the mayhem, did he? There was no need for every small label in the world to have a big budget to release the music that mattered, or for some artists to wait for someone to record them and release their work. DIY and punk rock before punk rock even existed. Thank god for those round 7-inch fetish objects!

There are some singles (that's what they were called in ancient times) where you really couldn't decide whether the A-side was the right choice over the B-side. And there were a lot of them, some even still waiting for someone to dig them up and discover something new. So I decided to make (what else?) a compilation of a handful of my favourite 45 rpms that contain some of the rawest, most brutal and soulful rhythms ever recorded on both sides. Again, dancing was my main goal, after all, it always has been. If the music doesn't move your ass, your legs and what's between them, why bother?

Well, here you'll find Baby Huey & The Babysitters' early garage punk movers, Lousiana Red's Blues boppers during his time with Laurie, Big Al Downing at his poundingnest rock'n'rollingnest, soulful screamers by Bobby Parker, Carl Lester & The Showstoppers' Mod Club anthems and Mercy Baby (drummer of Frankie Lee Sims) with Frankie Lee himself on guitar doing the boogie! Young Jessie, Long John Hunter, Phil Flowers, Ace Holder, Lazy Lester, Bad Smitty, The Kavetts, Lil' Ray and many more are on board, thirty four (count 'em!) frolic swirlers from the best possible sources and loudest rips. 

Enjoy your weekend lads and lasses!

Muddy Waters - Messin' With The Man / Muddy Waters Twist (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.12)

 

This is an imaginary single of mine, similar to the previous Bo Diddley compilation I did. 
I believe it's the same story: Chess tried to modernize Muddy's hard R&B sound by trying to fit it into the trends of Soul and Twist with these floorfillers. I don't know if he liked it at all, probably not, I mean, these guys weren't particularly keen to compromise. Nevertheless, I think both tracks are incredible! One with lots of horns and the other with an organ that colors wonderfully his tough electric Chicago blues and make no mistake both are absolutely danceable monsters!

Baby Jean - If You Wanna, The Singles (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.11)

The problem with artists who don't have many releases in their arsenal is that information about their lives and careers is minimal to non-existent. Such is the case with Baby Jean Hamilton, sister of Chicago-based singer Small Paul Hamilton. The two-sider "If You Wanna/Oh Johnny" from 1962 on Stacy has become a soul rockin' dance classic over the years, and deservedly so. There's another pair of gritty R&B dance numbers on Picadilly and that was that. Such a same... 

Lester Young - Lester Young Story (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.10)

Lester Young, not the same person as the legendary tenor sax player of the same name, was a hugely talented R&B thug/guitarist/singer who recorded and released a slew of 45 rpm singles of R&B/Pre-Soul nuggets, sometimes under the Lester Young and The California Playboys moniker, with thunderous and danceable results! No matter how much I searched the internet, I couldn't find much about him and his life. The first time I became aware of him was through the fantastic compilation "Whip! Wobble! And Grind!" from 2004 and from then on, every time I came across another track of his in a set, I was finding  myself blown away again. So I decided to make an anthology of this bad motherfucker's career on my own. If any of you guys and gals know anything more about the hero of my post, please comment, I consider him one of the best I've ever heard of for not knowing anything about him...

Bo Diddley - Soulfood (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.9)

I'm out of town for the Easter break and doing nothing but listening to music, reading (mostly about music) and making new compilations, I guess some things never change, you can't teach an old dog new tricks, as they say, can you?

Of course, I don't have to tell you who Bo Diddley was, what he did, etc. A couple of centuries ago we had made a cοmp of all the Originator's instrumentals. Now I've decided to collect everything he tried in a more soulful vein, and prove most people who seem to find this material "bad", "poor" or "unfocused" wrong.

Because I'm a clumsy bastard, while I absolutely adore this period (1965-1969), I find the later, more funk-oriented one annoying, and yeah, I can't stand any of "The Black Gladiator", I'm guilty, I don't care - piss off! I also don't know if Bo or Chess were making a conscious effort to recapture both the black audience that had abandoned him and the white audience that bought all those soul records, but if The Pretty Things think the 'slicker' sounding Diddley is brilliant, everyone else had better shut up and listen to those recordings again more carefully.

And the fact that Bo was supported by the Cookies was a killer decision. The Cookies sing their hearts out while Bo tries his hand at some songs that would have fitted well on one of The Miracles' first albums. What we get is a sexy and raucous Diddley doing the boogaloo better than most, because he was still the man!

PS: I'm not good with thank yous; I don't do them for that anyway, but I thank all of you who feel like leaving a comment on what I post.

Larry Williams & Johnny Guitar Watson - Boss Lovin': 1965-69 (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.7)

The transformation phase.

In the second half of the 50s, Larry Williams battled Little Richard for the title of King of Rock'n'Roll at Specialty Records and almost got it. In the early 60s and after a brief stroll at Chess Records, where he was still recording some fine singles, he became embroiled in a drug affair for which he received a three-year sentence reward. Things looked bad for the old guard until those guys from Liverpool checked them out and Lennon called Larry his favorite rock'n'roller.

Larry had met the excellent R&B thug/guitarist Johnny 'Guitar' Watson a few years earlier and they became friends for life. In the mid-60s, the two played together and shared the stage in the clubs of L.A. One morning, the phone rang and they were both called to a major tour of the UK. A young band from Guilford, called The Stormville Shakers was chosen to accompany them.

The collaboration and friendship between Larry Williams and Johnny 'Guitar' Watson would of course continue for a number of years. In 1967 they released another LP and several singles together for Okeh, concentrating mainly on Soul (and producing ex-rival Little Richard on most of his Okeh sides, among others).

But the mighty fine and sadly overlooked (outside the UK) album of upbeat and sometimes even frenetic soul material is not our cup of tea on this self-assembled compilation. The guys, sometimes solo and sometimes together, have crafted some strong material to rival similar urban-soul efforts of the Chicago and Detroit scenes, with great arrangements and inflamed guitar/horn interactions and call-and-response routines, and on tracks where Watson shows off his R&B or jazz prowess on piano (it was after all his first instrument).

Even to those who like their Soul in a more slick Motown vein laden with horns, first class vocal work and occasional appetizing Funk, R&B or Doo-Wop flirtations, can’t go wrong with all of these tracks. They even backed by LA's kings of psychedelia, Kaleidoscope! As I was wondering around their stuff I discover that many of their singles sides on Okeh were drastically different mixes or recordings than the ones on their LP, tougher, grittier and to my ears better (for example just hear the brutal "I'd Rather Fight Than Switch" Larry Williams delivering). 

This enormous, and to some of you possibly exhaustive, selection of 35 songs is, in my opinion, a great illustration of what these bad motherfuckers were capable of when they weren't abusing drugs and guns.

I nicked and enriched the cover for my treasury from the Sleazy Records 2018 single. The sound may varies (not all my rips) but the 320 bitrate is still present, so don't worry.

The Five Royales - 1960-66 (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.3)

There's no need to introduce the sheer brilliance and the importance of The 5 Royales to anyone who's visiting this space. What could I possibly write for a band that is hugely influential and successful and hadn't been written before my attempt? There's no bad period on the Royales journey over the years. Every era (Apollo, King, Home of the Blues etc.) had something new to offer. All these sides are true classics of a group whose early singles predated the birth of rock & roll and withdrawn as R&B was making its way for what became better known as soul. 

This time my home-made offering is concentrated on the 1960s age of this black music/heritage monsters as they slide from one record company to another (Home of the Blues, Vee-Jay, Smash, Todd, King among others). Soul music exploded at this point and a young Stax Records guitarist under the name of Steve Cropper was using Pauling’s licks all the time to form a whole new tributary of Memphis R&B, but the group inexplicably failed to catch on. The production of James Brown and Willie Mitchell came up bare. Ironically enough their songs became hits by other artists' recordings (The Shirelles, Ray Charles, James Brown, Mamas & The Papas).  

I know most people would probably prefer their 50s King sides, but I strongly believe these are underrated jewels. 

Dorothy Berry - The Planetary Sides (WTS Soul No.6)

Miss Dorothy Berry has an impressive CV and some of the most wonderful and sadly underrated R&B/Soul sides ever recorded! I mean, this gal was a Jefferson High School student in the South Central Los Angeles where people like Richard Berry, Etta James, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Young Jessie, Cornell Gunter, O.C. Smith were upper-classmates, Roy Ayers was in her class and Barry White and Merry Clayton came after (as I learned from the always cool rock'n'soul preacher Jonathan Toubin)! In fact Dorothy dated and married Mr. "Louie Louie" and "Have Love Will Travel" guy. She was even a Raelette at some point!!

Anyway, every single song she recorded (for Challenge, Little Star, Planetary, USA etc.) was worthy making her at least a superstar and I mean EVERY SINGLE ONE but the four sides on Dot subsidiary Planetary are her peak. All booming, highly danceable and fast moving. The drums are pounding and the horns are like a filthy Motown secret session/production that Berry Gordy would have never let come out of his studios. And Dorothy is wailing all over, man... 

Little Richard – The Scream by Darius James (Vibe Magazine, June/July 1997)

 

 

(Right click and select 'open link in new tab' for full scans resolution)

Dean Parrish - Brooklyn Northern Soul 1964-67 (WTS Soul No.5)

Philip Anastasi was born and raised in the Bronx area of New York City. Dean Parrish was the name that he adopted when trying to be in the same league with Italian-American pretty faced lads such as Frankie Valli, Bobby Rydell or Dion DiMucci. 

He studied at the School of Industrial Design and sang with doo wop bands on the street. He soon frequented the Peppermint Lounge where he befriended the members of the (fabulous) Ronettes. It was apparently Veronica Bennett (Ronnie Spector to her friends and fans), who suggested the young Phil that he should change his stage name. 

He signed a contract with the much loved New York soul label Laurie and set out to become a star. His deep, soulful voice boomed from his mouth every time would open it. Dean achieved some minor success with the singles "I'm On My Way", "Tell Her", "Determination" and "Skate". He performed alongside the likes of Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, The Capitols and Lou Christie, hell he even appeared in a Motown revue with the Supremes! The big time beckoned, but his singing career began to fade. In 1967, Dean returned to his original name, abandoned soul and became an actor. 

He remained completely unaware of the Northern Soul scene in England and the legendary status he received over there ("I'm On My Way" was the last record that was played at the Northern Soul all-nighters at the Wigan Casino). Since he had changed his name back to what he was christened when he was born no one had been able to track him. His US labels had long since lost touch with him.

After being rediscovered "I’m on My Way" was reissued in 1975 by Jonathan King’s UK Records label and reached at #38 in the British pop chart, it was even said to have sold more than 200.000 copies! In 2001 Parrish made his first trip to UK, appearing at a northern soul weekend in Prestatyn and Paul Weller's guitarist and Ocean Colour Scene member Steve Craddock hooked up with Dean for new recording of an unreleased Weller song, that The Jam leader had composed at the age of fifteen ("Left Right and Centre") on the Acid Jazz label. 

In 2006 as Philip Anastasia, he appeared in the 5th episode of the 6th season of The Sopranos, playing a suave, silver-haired MC at a lavish wedding reception. While Johnny Sack, the father of the bride, is persuading his fellow mobster Tony Soprano to arrange the murder of a rival, played by Valli, Anastasia serenades the happy couple with a rendering of Daddy’s Little Girl!

Anyway, here's gathered most of the sides I was sitting on or I was able to locate from my downloaded music files in my hard drives and the Brooklyn Soul legend released in the 60s.

Rex Garvin & The Mighty Cravers - I Gotta Go Now: 1961-1968 (WTS Soul No.4)

Rex Garvin was born in Harlem and grew up in the Bronx, where his neighbor Zelma Sanders introduced him to the music business in his early teens. Having one of the coolest band names ever (even though mr. Raw Funky himself was kinda embarrased about it), he has released countless singles especially during the 60s that are undisputed classics today. I thought he would have lived a comfortable life once he decided to leave music business. Unfortunately, his story is another one of the countless of an era with bad contracts and the exploitation of black kids in particular (anyone remembers the episode in The Sopranos first season?). He ended up living his last years of his life as a janitor for fuck's sake! 

[That's why I hate with passion capitalism and racism and I'm sharing thoughts and music. In most cases the artists never had a penny out of them.]

As a teen he wrote and arranged adjective hours of music (Rex’s inspiring intro to "Any Day Now" a song writren by the master of melodies Burt Bacharach that became a hit in 1962 - he got paid just for the session and with no credit even though our guy created it without having much time to plan or compose). 

Garvin’s gritty sound of the early 60s evolved into soul and funk over time, before his recording career waned at the end of the decade. Unlike many fallen stars of its time, he never had any interest in a comeback and remained reclusive until his passing. So here's a gathering of all of his 60s sides and once again as far as I know there's no such compilation around (I really wanted to include the amazing black rock'n'roller "Oh Yeah" but it wasn't in the aforementioned era). To make a long story short what I have to offer is an astonishing output of the most driving raw soul dance party anthems of all time! Bless his beautiful black soul...

Little Richard - Brunswick Lost Soul (WTS Soul No.3)

For some strange reason Little Richard's recordings on Brunswick have never been officially reissued, apart from a few scattered tracks on compilations here and there (some of them also bootlegs). As he said in his autobiography, Larry Williams was trying to make him a Motown artist during his stint on Okeh and for sure he wasn't one. Don't know what made him think like that, perhaps the lacking of success but Ricardito was as fabulous recording rock'n'soul as playing rock'n'roll! 

Despite his supposedly disdain for the horn-powered soul sound of his Okeh years, Little Richard displayed no aversion to brass immediately after signed out with Larry Williams. So in September 1967 he signed a one year deal with Brunswick Records. The three singles he recorded over the next twelve months doubled his commitment to the funky soul sound with horn sections that came into their own on hot numbers like "Soul Train", "Baby Don't You Tear My Clothes" or the Esquerita co-penned "Stingy Jenny". 

Unfortunately none of the amazing Brunswick singles cracked the charts and once again Mr. Penniman found himself in search of another label and chapter (with the Reprise era rejuvenation waiting around the corner). So, enter White Trash Soul to the picture to correct the mistake until someone, somewhere with a good taste decide to touch his hands to the previously mentioned material and finally make an official reissue. 

Stacy Lane - Nine Sides 1967-73 (WTS Soul No.2)

I can provide little to no information about Stacy Lane. This Wilson Pickett-esque screamer had, as far as I know (and Discogs confirms), only four singles in his arsenal, two on the Excello touchstone and one more each for BAR and Playboy Records. I first became aware of him on the "Buttshakers Vol. 6" compilation and from then on I was on a never-ending rollercoaster ride for updated information on his life and recordings (no luck unfortunately). On the BAR single, the black sheep of the Stax family, Charles 'Packy' Axton, is seriously involved, which makes me think that this cat wasn't just a man and a half copycat. In fact, all the known/released recordings are excellent templates of a blend of southern soul and gritty proto-funk.

The Ideals - Mo-Gorilla (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.2)

Here's another one I made for the iconic Ideals from Chicago Illinois. 

Let's make clear something right from the start: The Ideals on Checker/Chess wasn't them. 

The Ideals, who had been around since 1952, when they were barely in their teens (all but Spraggins attended Crane High School). At their inception, they were lead Frank Cowan, tenors Leonard Mitchell and Wes Spraggins, baritone Robert Tharp, and bass Clifford Clayborn, though he was soon replaced by Sam Steward while Reggie Jackson supplanted Cowan.

Fred Pettis came in as lead singer around 1956 and left a couple of years later. Future soul star Major Lance briefly floated through also. Jackson returned from the military to rejoin Mitchell, Tharp, and Steward. The Ideals made their 1961 vinyl debut on Richard Stamz's Paso label with "Together b/w What's The Matter With You Sam" and encored with "Magic b/w Teens". By the time they made it back into a recording studio in 1963, they'd acquired a new lead singer Eddie Williams.

Howard Pitman, a former member of The Five Chances (they recorded for Chance and Blue Lake in the mid-'50s), started his own Concord label and came up with "The Gorilla" along with lead singer Williams and Jerry Murray. With dj Herb Kent behind it, "The Gorilla" sold well enough locally that Pitman handed it to Bill Erman's Cortland label. With the Donald Jenkins-penned ballad "Don Juan" on the flip, "The Gorilla" made a lot of Chi-Town noise. None of their Cortland followups, notably a remake of Henry Lumpkin's "Mojo Hanna" and the fake live sequel "Mo Gorilla", went anywhere.
The Ideals moved to the St. Lawrence label in 1965 for the R&B sizzler "Go Get A Wig". They were down to just Jackson, Mitchell, and Stewart when they ventured in a Windy City soul direction for "I Got Lucky (When I Found You)" and then "You Lost And I Won", the latter on St. Lawrence's Satellite imprint. Meanwhile, Tharp joined with Murray to form the duo Tom and Jerry-O, posting a 1965 hit with their "Boo-Ga-Loo" for ABC-Paramount. The Ideals would finally dent the R&B charts with "Kissin'", their second soul-soaked outing on Satellite, in early 1966. A smoother remake of "Go Go Gorilla" closed out their Satellite stay, and a 1967 outing for Boo-Ga-Loo, "The Mighty Lover", completed The Ideals' recording career. 

*Information on The Ideals story taken from Street Corner Symphonies compilation, thanks!
Of course the whole cover idea was shamelessly nicked from Norton's amazing 45 reissue from 2011 but I wasn't able to locate a cool picture of them. Whatever. 

The Olympics - Good Lovin': The Olympics on Loma (WTS Soul No.1)

Hey there! 

Hope everyone's doing fine since the last time.

So, since I never really stopped doing compilations for my own pleasure I decided to upload them after I was kinda forced by you people by seeing my stories and posts on Instagram. I mean, why not right?!

Let's start with The Olympics' quick stint on legendary LOMA label and their three singles. As far as I know, there's no compilation around including all of them sides. [Some co-produced by Mighty Hannibal!]

Cheers!

Various Artists - "Songs The Missing Souls Taught Us" (WAIL TAPE 01)

Hi there! Hope 2017 will be a far better year for each and every single one of you guys and gals.

I know it's been a while since the last time but you know... Not much spare time, not much appetite, not much in general. It seems that I lost my mojo (or interest) for bloggin' matters, but I'm not shutting down the damn thing, cause I love it so much and it gave me even more the last 7 years. And maybe it's for better to post something when I'm really in the mood for it. So keep checkin' people, I'm sure from time to time will pop up something cool from your old hang out.

Anyway, on our subject: Some of the things that failed to renew my faith on modern bands lately, is the lack of fantasy and passion. Most of 'em seem to stay on the "looking good" concerns and they're recycling the same old cliches. I mean OK, you're not going to re-invent the wheel by playing rock & roll, but if you don't have faith, passion and...sex in your music, fuckin' leave it man, try something else for your own good (and ours)... Maybe I'm an old fart now, but I'd rather listen to Slim Harpo or The Pretty Things than to place an LP by the Tell Tale Hearts, and believe me I dig A LOT Mike Stax's old comrades. So, if I'm bored with a band like the Hearts lately, go figure what happens with a much newer combo who choose to play R&B or garage with a much less passion...

The Missing Souls outta Lyon, France are the real shit though, trust me! After three singles and a full album, these soulful fuzz-nuts made me ask for more every single time I put one of their slices on my turntable, man and believe me that's an often repeated procedure the last few months. They don't write songs of their own, but who fuckin' cares with a taste like this!!? Their ability to choose and rebuild amazing 60s garage-frat-punk and obscure soul classics having me not caring at all for not owning "original" material. In fact, I'm praying to stay that way!

If you haven't bought some (if not all) of their stuff already, stop reading now and go place an order. I mean, NOW brothers and sisters! In any other case, you definitely understand why I'm raving so much about them and decided to make a comp with all the original versions they have picked on so far. Again, this was at first for my own listening pleasure, but it's such a good selection of songs that I had to share it with you people.

Woooo, my (missing) soul!!!!

Cheers!

Various Artists ‎– "Pow City! FABulous Shakers Soul Party" (CD, No Label / Crypt? - 2000)

Another digital disc full o' buttshakin', wailin' soul and funky 45s, quite probably by the hands of Tim Warren! The whole (party) spirit throughout this CD it's from the period of time when the soul music was morphing and transforming into something funkier. The beats are heavier, more African oriented but not at all "ethnic". A plain rawness that had only in mind to shake some ass and nothing else. I got this at first just for King Little Richard's "Soul Train" but maaaaaan, imagine my surprise when I've found out that it was just another killer shot of hot-shit rhythm shaker among others!!! Dig also Dottie Campbell's groovy reworking of the Sir Douglas Quintet "He's About A Mover" (with THAT crazy and naughty organ, man!) or Andre Williams and Andre Williams disguise as Jomo or The Ditalians opener "I Gotta Go" which is an absolute cracker. 22 ultra rare stompers and groovers for your parties. Don't worry, dance now, you can thank me later!

****** Rudy Ray Moore - XXXMas Presents!!! ******

Merry Christmas to ya all and send kids to bed, Santa's cuming! 
See ya next year!

 

"Cheers!" Pure Genius: 20 page Pub Rock spectacular! (Mojo Magazine, Issue 30 - May 1996)

That's a hugely influential 20 page piece (at least for me) on MOJO Magazine dated back in May 1996 (just a month before my school graduate...wow) and it's written by the exceptional drummer of The Kursaal Flyers and The Records and now an even cooler music author (among them of course the No Sleep Till Canvey Island book), Will Birch. Back then of course (again!), no internet blah-blah-blah, so this more or less (more!) became my guide and source for quite many beloved (till now and ever) bands and gangs. From Dr. Feelgood, Nick Lowe and Eddie & the Hot Rods, to the Count Bishops, Graham Parker and Ducks Deluxe, this is probably the best effort ever committed on paper about punk rock's true and unsung forefather and  gatecrasher. It's the story of Pub Rock served up just in time (Saturday night)... Raise a glass to the regulars!