Wednesday, February 28, 2007

First Visit To A New Spot...

Bill Cosby was a comedian. He also recorded some albums. They were mostly a hybrid of comedy and funky, soulful, jazzy recordings that I find particularly dope. BILL COSBY IS NOT HIS SELF THESE DAYS features some slow soul and is really dope, but with comical lyrics, as found on the standout song "Yes, Yes, Yes". There's also the SILVER THROAT record which charted a top 40 single and is pretty easy to find. There's a second tier (so to speak) of Cosby's musical records that are a bit more difficult to find. It includes HOORAY FOR THE SALVATION ARMY BAND! which features a dope, playful version of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band", "Sunny", and "Reach Out I'll Be There". He's backed on this album by the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band which is DOPE, and although its got some of Bill's comedic presence in it, its a solid funk release.

AT LAST BILL COSBY REALLY SINGS is a gem too. Released on STAX in 1974, its got a couple of joints that if haven't been sampled yet, would make some of the hottest Just Blaze beats in years. Namely, "Take Your Time" and "It's Strange". The record's title implies that he's belting out arias and challenging Ms. Ripperton to falsetto contests, but its not quite that. He is singing though. The liner notes imply that the Cos' vocals were recorded in one afternoon following a tennis match and a cigar. Could be. It's good to have for collection's sake but its a far cry from the Badfoot Brown records - none of which I've ever seen. If I find it ever, I need two as Dwine would be entitled to one. He put me on.

Once upon a time there was this group called Little Brother. The cats were dope. Still are. They're still around, actually. Their first record, my good friend executive-produced, and although I didn't know that at the time, I fell hard for it. Frankie did the art, 9th did the beats, and I did the buying. The title track of the debut ("The Listening") featured a sample from the diana of "Sunny" by the incomparable Melba Moore, found on her album, I GOT LOVE. The HOORAY... record by Cosby also features a cover of that song. 9th found another gem to use on that album. The single "Whatever You Say" featured an interesting lift from Cleo Laine's "I Believe You".

To your immediate left, you'll see the record from which that song came. "I Believe You" was my introduction to ms. Laine, and until I found this cover, I thought she'd be a glammed-up smooth jazz vocalist with a tiara and pearls and shit. The sneakers and t-shirt were kind of fly when I saw them. Her sound is far more classy than she gives off. It looks uber-casual. The sound is strings, bells, light electric piano and some sultry vocals.very Sunday morning. I'm gonna find me some more of her better albums here in the near future. I'll share feedback and all that good stuff...

So what could be better than finding samples used for a post-mid-nineties but classic-sounding hip hop record? Finding a donut, of course. I'd had it on CD and I'd had it on a BEST OF joint, but man, for some reason, when I found this LP last night at a super-dope, yet-to-be-dug-out, dusty ass dust spot, I was lit up. "Stop" has always been in my top 5 donuts list, rotating its place with the likes of "Two Can Win", "U-Love", "One Eleven" and "Donuts (Intro)" and i've now got the 3rd of 5 of those. I'm still hunting down "Two Can Win" and "Donuts (Intro)". Known for performing songs penned by the illustrious but oft-cheesy and over-accessible Burt Bacharach, Warwick's "You're Gonna Need Me" was authored by the historic songwriting team of Holland, Dozier, and Holland. You've memorized dozens of their songs. Beyond writing "Baby Love" for the Supremes, "Jimmy Mack" for Martha & The Vandellas and most of the Four Tops' catalog ("Reach Out, I'll Be There" also covered on the above Bill Cosby Record, HOORAY...), they wrote some non-chart-toppers that were actually incredible r&b songs. This would be one of them. Hooray for Motown.

2 Comments:

At 5:45 PM, Blogger flwrpt. said...

Man, I see your DONUTS ORIGINALS hunt is going very well! Keep on diggin' Dom...

I jus got in from the record shop, picked up this record w/ a really dope (weird) cover design, by an artist named FLAKES-1, come to find out it's a really rare record, not many traces of it on the web...but it has a nice sound for an LP from 1980. 80 and 81, those two years are really beginning to impress me, lately I've been getting some great digs from those years.

Anyway, how is that Bill Cosby record,"Hooray for the salvation army band" ?...

 
At 5:55 PM, Blogger Dom. I Dig. said...

HOORAY... is cool. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is the most noteworthy cut on the record. Very odd intro and a dope song altogether. His version of "Get Out Of My Life, Woman" has a drum break at the beginning that has been used by Digable Planets, Chubb Rock, Cypress Hill and GangStarr. I'm really trying to hunt down the Badfoot Brown stuff, but these have sated my Cosby-finding appetite for now, I suppose.

I have NO idea about a FLAKES-1 record. I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Happy hunting.

 

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