Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Primitive Sound System - Wednesday May 13th at the Lamp Post - 10 PM to Closing

Hello Y'all
This Wednesday I'll be rolling my bloated body down the hill to the Lamp Post where I'll spinning a batch of 7s. This is either the fourth or fifth time I am back here and I have yet to repeat a record. I have dipped into the punk boxes for a set so it is the first new genre I have added to the set since spinning there. Up until now it has pretty much been Soul / Funk / R&B, some Garage, Latin and Jazz and that is it. This format as given me the opportunity to spin some records that I just don't take with me on a regular basis for one reason or another. Do you like something so much that you try not to abuse it for the fear of over doing it? You never want to lose that feeling or connection you had with it. Recently I have had good luck finding some nice records for cheap. I ran through some of them for last Thursday at D.C's and below is some more from the new bin. Some of these I have been chasing for a while and others I have never heard of. I love spinning at the Lamp Post. The crowd extremely friendly and always receptive to what ever you play. Steff and Claudia will be holding down the fort and keeping you drunk so be kind with the tips.

- pat.
Primitive Sound System - http://primitivesoundsystem.blogspot.com

Wednesday, May 13th
Spinning from 10PM to Closing
Lamp Post Bar & Grill
382 2nd St
Jersey City, NJ 07302
(201)-222-1331
Lamp Post MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/lamppost

Some of the hundred and twenty songs you can possibly play in four hours:
Al Caiola and Orchestra - "Diamonds Are Forever" b/w "Mod Squad" (Two Worlds cat. 801)
I only have a few Al Caiola records where is is the leader. As a sideman he was the guitarist on about a thousand records. He would be as deeply entrenched in the Space Age Lounge music history as anyone else if not more than most. Unfortunately on many of the records he has played on to be noticed might be considered too much or aggressive. Luckily for him he is featured on about a hundred records with guitar in the title. I do have the brilliant, yes brilliant, "Sounds for Spies and Private Eyes" on United Artists. An amazing batch of songs from many of the best Spy and Cop movies and shows. When I came across this 7-inch I didn't remember these titles being on that LP. I was right. I was REALLY hoping the "Mod Squad" theme was just going to be mind blowing but sadly it falls a little flat. Not bad just a little boring. On the other hand "Diamonds Are Forever" is great. A real raw stripped down version. This is what "Diamonds Are Forever" would sound like as a TV Theme as opposed to a Bond film. There is a Horn section that, for the most part, sounds like large farting elephants. That is NOT a bad thing. It is incredible. The slow baritones keep things from getting too fast and when the trumpets come in over the top they sound that much more bright. Caiola is soulful yet precise and the haunting and mysterious sound of his guitar is perfect for this theme. It really bums me out that "Mod Squad" is not more explosive even despite the efforts of a very note filled trumpet run. Oh well, "Diamonds" will have to do.

Oh yeah, did I mention that Caiola is from Jersey City? That's right born and bred. I guess it is back to the Sali by the tunnel to dig up some more LPs from the lost souls of the Lounge scene.

James Moore - "Feet" b/w "Cool" (Soft Records cat. S-1014)
What the HELL?! OK, this has a funk side and a guitar instrumental side. It's like someone saw me coming. There are few songs I have that have a "happier" sound than the intro of "Feet." Unfortunately the song isn't exactly the happiest. Mr. Moore basically is walking around the country trying to catch up to his lady. No matter what he does and no matter how far he travels he can't seem to close the gap between them. His poor tired itchy feet. The band is tight consisting of bass, guitar, drums and a horn section that accents the simple, raw song beautifully. On the back of this wonderful song comes "Cool" which opens with a little country riff but immediately ends up on the Bluesy / R&B side of things. The guitar is way out front and sadly the horns are gone. Though there is an amazingly long note on a sax that sounds exactly like a harmonica and a hammering piano that pounds away in the background. The horn honks, skronks and wails as the guitar takes a moment out of the spotlight. The whole thing can't be more than two minutes long but then that is what makes this so great. Damn I am happy. Essential two-sider... at least for me.

Georgie Woods - "Potato Salad" Part I & II (Fat Back Records cat. 541)
"Like I say baby, don't eat chicken on Sunday, it'll put a hole in your soul" This is a food song of the highest order. The music is kicking and Mr. Woods comes off as being slightly crazy. He is certainly having fun, that is for sure. I'm wondering if the backing was recorded for another use and he decided to have some fun with it. The drums and bass are heavy and there are vibes dancing around having as good of a time as Mr. Woods is. There is even a nice little break but that doesn't stop Mr Woods even for a second. He keeps rapping as the sax steps out of the darkness from behind the break and fills the space with some moody, emotional playing. What a great mix of sounds. "Write that down... AH HA!"

Floyd Smith - "Soul Strut" b/w "Getting Nowhere Fast" (Dakar Records cat. 45-604)
A nice big heavy break opens up this Soulful romp. Mr. Smith raps his way through the directions of a new dance, "The Soul Strut" but honestly he seems more interested in what the ladies look like than how they are moving on the floor. There is an aggressive sax that bursts out over the pounding drums and keeps everything extremely groovy. My favorite part is when he instructs all the men to stop dancing and let the ladies do the "Soul Strut" one more time. So the dance seems to be three steps to the left and then three to the right and is made better if you are wearing a mini-skirt. Excellent, I have found a new theme song! "Getting Nowhere Fast" is a stirring ballad with a really big sound. There are backing vocals that would make Elvis' stage show jealous and Mr. Smith's raspy voice and screaming plea is perfect for the beautiful arrangement. I don't normally play or even like ballads but this is out of this world. Crazy.

Eddie Long - "There's No Weapon Like Woman's Tears" b/w "Mo Jo Workout" (Fun City Records cat. F-100)
I know I have the Bobby Long & His Satellites version of this on some record. I can't seem to find it. I had flipped through the "New Arrivals" box at Big City and I am not sure how I flipped passed this. I can only assume someone had looked at it, put it back after I was done looking and luckily Jared showed it to me. All I can say is, thank you. This version is only slightly different and I have been trying to find the version I have to A/B them. Oh well. From what I can tell the music is really similar. There is a more Funk rhythm guitar at points and the song seems a little more tightly played than the Bobby Long versions. The call and response is missing in this version replaced by what seems to be double tracked vocals which is OK because I know when to shout out the backing. The drums are super tight, taken at breakneck speeds and hold together through the break. Great version.

Tyrone Chestnut - "The Bump" b/w "Bumping" (Intrepid cat. 75003)
Slow and low that is the tempo. I heard this a while ago but since there are so many songs called the bump it made it hard to place. What struck me was the twisted vocals. Mr. Chestnut yells out in what can be considered ecstasy filled pain. I'm not exactly sure if there is a note he is trying to hit or mood he is trying to set. I do know this is Funky as hell and a vocal performance like this is what keeps songs interesting. I like the way the organ follows him through the quiet parts and there is a honking baritone sax that punctuates in between notes like a fog horn. The rest of the horns are buried slightly giving space to Mr. Chestnuts crazed vocal. Side two is instrumental and the horns are out front replacing the vocals. It would have been really interesting if Mr. Chestnut would have accented the quiet moments with his euphoric yet tortured sounds.