Step Into The Night

Step Into The Night

Dirt In The Keytar

And now for a little peak into my boogie and modern soul collection, left-field style. Hats off to all the DJs who can mix flawlessly, because I sure can't. But anyway, I'm kind of happy with how this came out, minus a couple rough patches. To listen, just click on the title. Oh, and if the tracklist is a little too small to read, just click on it and it will make it a bit larger.

The Bay Is Deep

My home for the last half-dozen years, the Bay Area, produced a seemingly bottomless pool of amazing music in the 60s and 70s (and before and after of course, but that is the era this mix covers). I've already shared some of my favorite local sides on previous mixes (and sold piles of other great local records over the years - the downside to selling records for a living), but even picking out 20 or so tunes for this mix from my collection turned out to be a challenge. All records are original pressings except for the Inticers, which I used a reissue of, but I have owned that record in the past (twice!) so it's all good.

Without further ado, here it is: The Bay Is Deep

Tracklist:

Little Ronnie & The Chromatics- What A Day This Has Been (HLS)
Marvin Holmes - Early Bird (Salwa)
Wylie Trass & Soul Explosion - Since You Been Gone (Pashlo)
Camille La Vah - O Johnny (Wax)
Whispers - Great Day (Soul Clock)
The Natural Four - Going In Circles (ABC)
Burton & Company - Peaceful Coexistance (MoLove)
Soul Sensations - When I Had You, Baby (Music City)
Sonny Anderson & Prince Conley - Love & Laughter (Emerson)
Eugene Blacknell - The Trip (Boola Boola)
Dawn & Sunset - What It Is (DT&V)
Quintessents - Image Of A Man (Vibra)
The Right Kind - Why Do You Have To Lie (Galaxy)
Victor Green - Poincianna (Circle M)
Emmett Kennedy & The Burners - I Got It Real Bad (CLIMS)
The Magicians - Keep Your Hands Off My Baby (Villa)
The Inticers - Since You Left (reissue)
The Savonics - I Had A Girl (MTA)
Little Ronnie & The Chromatics - Speak What's On Your Mind (HLS)

Take Me To Paradise

A new year and time for a new mix. Here are some long-time favorites in a mostly late 60s northern soul style (most of these ended up being from the Bay Area and Chicago, though I didn't plan it that way - go figure). Click on the main title to listen (right click and "Save Link As" to download).

The Quintessents - Movin' On (Vibra)
Claude "Baby" Huey - Drifting (M.I.O.B.)
The Four Sonics Plus One - Tell Me You're Mine (Sepia)
The Invincibles - It's That Love Of Mine (WB)
Othello Robertson - So In Luv (Baby Luv)
Ethics - Look At Me Now (Vent)
The Ballads - I Can't See Your Love (Wee)
Bobby McNutt - I'm Gettin' Ready (Roulette)
Wilson Love - Funny Money (Natural Soul)
The Topics - Try A Little Love (Heavy Duty)
Royal Jesters - My Kind Of Woman (Optimum)
Bobby Sansom - Don't Leave (Sublime)
Cicero Blake - You're Gonna Be Sorry (Mar-V-Lus)
Billy McGregor - Mr. Shy (Flash)
Tenison Stephens - Where Would You Be (Aries)
The Brother's Two - Hoping (Jonah)
Brothers Of Soul - Come On Back (Boo)
The Cheers - Take Me To Paradise (Okeh)
Chi-Lites - The Twelfth Of Never (Brunswick)

Barely-Keepin'-The-Lights-On-Soul

Five recent 45 finds that have made my world a little brighter...


Kal feat. Mr. Tee - Whistle Song
Crudely recorded but super catchy Detroit modern soul with unorthodox vocal phrasing that seals the deal. And of course the whistling...



Page Three - The Love We Had
Knew about this 45 from the flipside, which appears on a well-regarded mix by the one Justin Torres. Pleasant surprise to learn that the flipside is high quality too.



Victor Green - How To Love A Woman Pt. 2
Wow. I love finding these ultra-low-rent local funk 45s. "Are you relaxed?"



Kansas City Melody-Aires - Don't Let It Be Too Late
I've been turning up tons of gospel 45s lately and this is one of the cooler ones. Funky gospel soul that starts(!)with a flute solo.


Love Co. Inc. - Fiesta
Scarcely known (if at all) instrumental winner out of Alabama. Kind of a blend of 70s style funk and early 80s boogie. The flip is a lovely modern tune...

PR_V_T_ M_ND G_RD_N

This mix takes more of a kitchen sink approach compared to the mixes I've posted previously. The common thread being that most of the songs used were self-released by the artists themselves, hence the name of the mix (Private Mind Garden, in case you had trouble filling in the blanks.) Also, I bought most of these on a recent trip to Texas for the Austin Record Convention, so this is kind of my way of processing some of the music that was consumed on that voyage. Much respect to Rich/Rockadelic and Dave at Friends Of Sounds, which is where most of these records came from. I don't think anyone will like every song on here (except me) and everyone should find at least something that moves them. If not, sorry for wasting your time.

The songs are recorded as individual tracks by the way, if anyone has trouble downloading just give me a holler. This hi-tech stuff is pretty new to me.
Part One
Part Two



Here's the tracklisting:
Part 1
Park Peters - The Silence Of The One O'Clock Hour
Pierre Akendengue - Ogowe
Band X - Picking Mushrooms With Rabbit
Stouder & Kline - Canada
Carrie Cleveland - Love Will Set You Free
Van Havel & Vaughn - September Song
Mark Thompson - Open Windows Empty Rooms (Reprise)
Twilight - Pains Of Love
Glenn Phillips - Guruvir

Part 2
Kim Holloway - If You Haven't Seen The Rain
(from the Ain't Got Time To Lose album, made by Oklahoma prisoners)
Guy Randle - Mercy
Park Peters - For Two
Band X - Afterthought
Eastham Band (Texas Prison Rodeo) - I Can't Get Over Losing You
Fred Rothert - Treasure Hunting
Juan De Granada - First Movement Of The Moonlight Sonata
Pin Points - Rainbow Smiles

Some Of My Favorite Gospel Records...

I've been meaning to share some songs from my gospel collection, which has been growing slowly and unsteadily over the last couple years. Probably like a lot of people of my generation I got into gospel from the funk angle but that emphasis has definitely gone by the wayside for me. I'm all about these slow burning beauties now.

Tracklist:

1. The Gospel Clouds - Let Us Pray (Spectrum)
2. The Gospel Hummingbirds - Trouble Don't Last Always (W&E)
3. The Master Keys - I Won't Have To Cry (Styletone)
4. Eloise Polk - I'm Willing To Run All The Way (Prophecy)
5. Ruby & The Dreamers - A Right To Be Free (Pavillion)
6. The Gospel I.Q.'s - Heaven Was Made For Me (Su-Ann)
7. The Jackson Southernairs - On My Way Home (Songbird)
8. The Friendly Travellers - Going To A City (Wajo)
9. The Jackson Southernairs - Too Late
10. The Master Keys - I Cried Lord (Styletone)
11. The Daytonians - Let Jesus Work It Out (Church Door)
12. The Mighty Gospel Travelers - I Don't Know Why (Champ)
13. The Salem Travelers - Crying Pity & A Shame (Checker)
14. Sister Corene Barton - Lord I Need You As I Travel (J&W)
15. The Soul Superiors Of Detroit - What Ever You Do, Do Good (Designer)
16. The Daytonians - Lord Hold My Hand (Church Door)



Download Part 1
Download Part 2