Dom Digs.

The Are & His Records

2007-07-23T12:18:00.001-07:00

That is all for now... OH!

Mark The 45 King & Vestax Handytrax

2007-07-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

Record Digging 101

2007-07-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

Folks, meet BJ. BJ is a friend of mine who, with his wonderful girlfriend Monica, just traveled from our nation's capital (by car) to spend the summer in beautiful San Francisco. And not just anywhere in San Francisco, but in the thick of it all - on the crest betwixt Upper and Lower Haight. What a summer they'll have. Having already visited the city as tourists, the pair have become more than familiar with the Amoebas and Rasputins of the area and I felt that as a local, BJ should get an idea of some of the record havens to be found off the beaten path.
The above photo gives a brief hint at what the basement looks like. Beyond the back-to-back rows of records, hanging guitars and 13-inch deep clearances in which you are expected to stand, 4-crate tall stacks eliminate all chances at a safe escape in the case of an emergency which makes this spot, well.... better than most others. If not more fun to navigate. Never have I felt so nimble as when I hoisted myself over said 4-crate stack to peruse the soul section. Well worth the effort - and risk of bodily harm. And at $5 for ANY record in the place, this is the kind of store that let's you get away with murder when you find that special dig.

And special digs we found. In the above above pictures, you'll note that BJ is test-driving a copy of Joe Simon's GET DOWN. Oh, so lovely. I put him on to that, and in exchange? He gets me into WHO I AM by David Ruffin. Now, sadly, I'm not up on mr. Ruffin like I gathered that I should be. But having gotten through the record twice now, I'm definately on the hunt. "Walk Away From Love" is beautiful and the man has a great knack for performing convincingly. Super.
Perhaps the inspiration for mr. K. West's affinity for mascot outfits, this 1978 Odyssey album, HOLLYWOOD PARTY TONIGHT dons a lion mascot - headless, and the lovely Lopez sisters in formal where. It is, I guess, your standard soul/disco fare. Super dope though. I hadn't heard any Odyssey prior to this, but again, something else that I'm checking for. One of the nicer releases from trios that I picked up this weekend. As dope as it is though, it pales in comparison to the following:
Love Unlimited's IN HEAT came out in the wonderful year of 1974. I was not even a twinkle in my parents' eyes while Barry White was killing mainstream America with his solo career and releasing more potent, soulful material via his femmebot threesome, Love Unlimited. Oh, how they've influenced hip hop in the last 20 years. Nas, Q-Tip, Pras & Mya (yes, THAT one), Masta Ace, Cappadonna, OC, Guru and EPMD have all used L.U.'s sound for some of their bigger hits. IN HEAT, my newest L.U. acquisition is also my favorite. For me to highlight a particular cut would be almost criminal - like a parent naming a favorite child, or my girlfriend picking her favorite Asian dish. So I'll just list the tracklisting and you can make your own pick(s):
1. Move Me No Mountain
2. Share A Little Love In Your Heart
3. Oh I Should Say, It's Such A Beautiful Day
4. I Needed Love - You Were There
5. I Belong To You
6. I Love You So, Never Gonna Let You Go
7. Love's Theme

Seriously, 5 stars. Per song. That's like 35 stars. And two more fore each fingernail longer than 2 inches on the album's cover. So that's like 65 total stars which, by my math, kids, makes it a classic.

Back In The Swing Of Things

2007-07-09T21:25:00.000-07:00

So since we last caught up, I've moved apartments, have acquired my Brother's collection, spent the 4th of July digging at two of my favorite spots in the bay area, and acquired a LARGE portion of DJ Derrick B's collection (thank you, brother). I also bought some cool magnetic clips that i can hang my records from on the fridge for their photo shoots... oh, and I have sleeved 1,500 of my soul records for protection. On to the records...

THE ISAAC HAYES MOVEMENT. Isaac Hayes. I've seen it in stores every visit for the last 10+ years. Buying it at 50% off when it's tag reads "$2.95" was the way to do it. Man, it sounded good on mp3, but listening to the album the whole way through? Wahwahweewah. His cover of Harrison's "Something" makes you wonder if Harrison had a good idea but just couldn't come close to pulling it off. I'm convinced that this is how Harrison intended the song to sound. If not.... he should have. Hayes has an obvious mystique about him. Lord of soul, conducter of funk epics, etcetera. But when you wash all that away, the music really stands up. Seriously... check this out. He makes bad good and good better. And as far as my collection is concerned, this is the best peice in it. Perhaps that will change as I own more, but my expectation is that this will remain the crown jewel atop my Isaac Hayes Crown.

MIDNIGHT LOVE AFFAIR. Carol Douglas. First off, kudos to Adam of Lost Role Models for doing the right thing and handing this over to me while we dug on Independence Day. I let you get away with the Jaggerz and appreciate you letting me walk with this. Title track? Bananas. "Headline News"? Super ill type break. And A2 has a drum break that is just bonkers. I grew up despising only two music fields: disco, and the musical works of Mr. Prince Rogers Nelson. Around the age of 18, the epiphany train struck me dead and I managed to see Prince's catalog for the brilliance that it is. It hasn't been until recent years that I've managed to find my way through the weeds that are "YMCA", "I Will Survive" and "Shake Shake Shake" that I've found the flowers of Carol Douglas, and innumerous disco greats. I guess the fact that I'm still discovering much of the genre's works bodes well for me. Hooray for still having plenty to learn.

TOO HOT TO HANDLE. Heatwave. So about that cheesy, weedy disco... "Boogie Nights" by Heatwave has never been among my favorites. Its grown on me a tad in recent years and mixes well with Michael Jackson's "Off The Wall" which I believe it may have even inspired. Both songs were written by the legendary Mr. Rod Temperton. He wrote ALL of TOO HOT... and a flurry of hits for MJ in the years to follow.

When I found (doubles of) TOO HOT TO HANDLE in Derrick B's old crates, I was thrilled. Why, you ask? Could it be because it has the full version of "Always And Forever" with the shrieking falsetto finale? It probably could. But it honestly wasn't. It was because of a little ditty called "Ain't No Half Steppin'" which went on to inspire another song a decade later called... you guessed it: "Ain't No Half Steppin'" by Big Daddy Kane. Small world, ain't it? Now you can impress your friends when you play six degrees and want to hop from MJ to "Boogie Nights" in one move. Liner notes are a man's best friend.

Rocking & Rolling (part 1)

2007-06-29T23:33:00.000-07:00

Today, on this glorious 30th of June, 2007, we celebrate Rock & Roll - its variations, its niches, its infinate glory and splendor. In the past months since my last update (sorry about that), I've gone digging in Seattle with Jake One, rummaged a few garages, and digested a new addendum to my collection - all of my brother's old records (he moved too - to North Carolina).

We start off with a fantastic record that I found just outside of Seattle. The record is called FACE THE MUSIC (1972), and it's by the obscure (to me, at least) Jazz-Rock band, SOD. "California" is bassist and vocalist, "Highme" Devers is on drums and vocals, Michael Green plays a myriad of percussion, and Rick Kellis is on sax, percussion and vocals. They're joined by Pat "Chico" Murphy on Congas and "Dirty" Don Phillips on guitar.

Allured by the album cover, I picked it up, listened to the first 8 or 9 seconds of A1 and walked straight to the counter to buy (I did not pay the $24.00 as the sticker might otherwise imply). I have since spent hours with this record and am at a loss when listening to it. It is some of the funkiest, vampiest, live shit I've ever heard. It reminds me a little bit of War, a little bit of Sly, a little bit of Spruce (my uncle's New England-based band circa 1974 - more on that later).

Like many great random finds, the tracklisting on the sleeve does not match that of the a- and b-side labels, but the labels are accurate in portraying what is actually included in this recording. In addition to the tracklisting on the sleeve there is a little paper insert inside the sleeve. Let's continue reading, shall we? After peeling through the "thank you"s, the engineering credits and the song lyrics, there's this one little line. What's that say? I must not be reading it right. Oh. Produced by.... David Axelrod??!?! Well I'll be. No wonder. This does sound exactly like the fruits of mr. oft-psych jazz-funk-rock fuser's labor. It all makes sense now.

To be perfectly honest, this record could supply enough samples to fill a discography of beatmakers who still sample in hip hop. I have wet dreams (well, not really) about what Jake One, The Are or Madlib might do with this record. It's guitar and horn heavy riffs and abundant instrumental breaks are just too good to be true. There is such a great dynamic relationship between the rhythm section and the brass that you'd swear this is the way bands should have always been arranged. What if Led Zeppelin had a trumpet ensemble for FOUR or if The Stones had a tuba and sax dueling throughout SOME GIRLS? Of course, neither of these hypotheticals should really exist, but I trust that you get my point.

Perhaps the only negative thing that you could say about this record is that... erm. I don't know, man. Seriously, this is a brilliant record. The songs are amazing, the performances and arrangements solid, and the sound impecable. Even if I'd paid the full price as listed for this one, I feel I would have had made the right choice. If you find it, buy it. If you find two, put one aside for me. I could always use doubles.

R.I.P. Johnny Angel

2007-03-08T16:29:00.000-08:00

My life's passion right now is the donut hunt; collecting samples that Dilla used during the course of his life - focusing on, but not being limited to the DONUTS album. I've had the 2 songs that he flipped from UK rock group 10cc, but not in "donut" form. I've now got the soundscape for "Waves" in Donut Box-ready format and I'm super excited about it. I found this picture-sleeve pressing online and when I came home today, it was sitting, waiting for me. What joy!

I must say, I'd hit some roadblocks in my donut hunt but as it stands right now, I'm actually faring quite well. I've got somewhere between 15-20 donuts on 45 with some great leads on more. And I'm expecting Motherlode's "When I Die" any day now.

I've come across so many records in the last year, but I will say this. The fine people at Blue Meanie in Dallas, TX seem to take great care of their records. The plastic and paper sleeves, as well as the record itself are in amazing condition. The significance of this? However subtle it may be, a clean record gives a cleaner sound than a dirty record. This is by far, the cleanest used record I've ever seen. It's so clean it's cleaning other parts of my apartment right now. Just playing it reorganizes my books and junk mail. I think the bathroom is sparkling more than usual too.

Although "Waves" is not my favorite Donut, "Johnny Don't Do It" is a dope cut, for real. And Dilla chopped the hell out of it. Seriously. He spiked 10cc's punch on this one. "Johnny Don't Do It" can be found on just about ALLLLLLLLLL of the group's greatest hits releases, so if you want an easy find, there you go. If you're looking for a 7" version of the song with picture sleeve, that was printed and distributed in Holland, beleive me... its a tougher find.

Honey Cone - "Want Ads"

2007-03-05T16:49:00.000-08:00

Okay... so The Honey Cone were Holland, Dozier and Holland's Mary Jane Girls or Vanity/Apollonia 6. They were a trio from the late-60s early-70s who had some seriously funky pop/soul songs on Hot Wax Records which was was being run at the time by Eddie Holland. People have called them the female answer to The Jackson 5. I don't think its the worst comparison in the world. They had uptempo tracks with emphasis on the rhythm section and guitar parts - chicken grease pre-"chicken grease".

I got hip to them indirectly. I'm the first to admit that I'm not the most seasoned music listener or record buyer, but I'll definately hunt some shit down once I discover it. This is how I came to find Honey Cone. I am a big fan of Googoosh who is this once-ill, now-eh Iranian pop diva who performed dope, pre-revolution funky material in Farsi, English, Italian and more. I found her cover of "Want Ads" and did about 20 seconds of due dilligence before I fell in love with the original. I've gotten some more Honey Cone stuff including "Stick Up" which is a similar upbeat romp through chicken grease guitar and strong r&b backbeat. Super cool stuff. Here's the Googoosh cover for your listening enjoyment:

So anyway, check out Honey Cone and pretty much anything H,D,H did. There is some good information on Honey Cone here, if you're interested. And wikipedia is always a good look. I guess they sunk into the realm of obscurity after being a succesful backing group for some of the more popular motownesque girl groups of the early-mid-70s. Buddah re-released some of the group's more popular songs in the mid-80s as well. History is fun. I'm still hunting down any and all Googoosh vinyl. If you come across it, holler.

First Visit To A New Spot...

2007-02-28T10:55:00.000-08:00

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.

The Donut Shop & The Purple Box

2007-02-25T23:01:00.000-08:00

Okay, so back in early January, I found two jukeboxes on craigslist for $100 total. Not each. Total. That's $50 each. Not total. Each. Anyway, I bought them for myself as a bit of a project that I'll be working on for what will likely be the next year of my life. I'm excited. Before buying, I had the boxes assessed by a box-builder who told me that I'd be nuts not to purchase the pair. They came with enough spare parts to build two more boxes as well. Needless to say, I'm pretty excited. The plan is to work with the box-builder to get them fully-functioning. He thinks it'll take an afternoon or two to knock it all out.

After that, I'm going to fix both boxes cosmetically, customizing them both, thematically, to reflect their future contents. We'll have to see how successful I can become at finding the needed records, but my intentions are to make one of the boxes a Prince collection. 45s from Prince, The Time, Apollonia 6, Vanity 6, and all of the other Paisley, Minneapolis-based groups and solo acts that the purple one penned.

The second box is going to be a hard but rewarding project that I like to call the Donut Shop. It'll include 45s from the belated J Dilla as well as 45s that he's sampled over the years. I've got about 25 so far including Jerry Butler's "Just Because I Really Love You", The Trammps' "Rubber Band", Luther Ingram's "To The Other Man", and L.V. Johnson's "I Don't Really Care" among others. I have found it far more difficult than I'd hoped to find 45s from DONUTS, so the new plan is to open it up to other songs that Dilla had used for the likes of Slum Village, Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, and the other numerous artists that he'd produced for since the mid-1990s.

I feel as though I should be able to get through at least half of the box's slots. Each box holds 50 45s if I'm not mistaken. There are 80 slots for tags but only 50 slots for 45s. The boxes are not here with me. I need to go back and check them at, but I think that's right. I'm going to take off all of the removable panels - the square sides, the frames for the tag displays, and will also customize the wooden sides and speaker-clad fronts. It'll be a whole new box. I can't wait. I've started to put some art together for the Dilla box. It looks like this:

Other portions of the art will include other releases, of course. This is what I've got so far. Thoughts? Oh, and if you've got any applicable donuts to share for the greater good of the box, you can send them to:

Donut Boy Recordings c/o Dominic
1130 3rd Ave. #306
Oakland, CA 94606

All donations are charitable gifts and are not tax-deductible.

Three For Love

2007-02-21T14:21:00.000-08:00

Rufus - STREET PLAYER, "Destiny". So I put out this record last year called MOONLIGHTING by Tanya Morgan. It's a dope indie hip-hop record. I can't lie. I really like it. Mad charisma on it and shit. Produced entirely by the group's own Von Pea (aka The Beatmaker) and Brick Beats. Brick did a cut called "Ode 2 Tanya" which I'm particularly fond of. It's a holler-at-a-chick record with a twist - the guys all hate on one another in the process. It's brutal. The melodic backdrop comes courtesy of Rufus and the incomparable ms. Khan. I had had some trouble locating this one. Too much MASTERJAM and RAGS TO RUFUS to sort through, I guess. I found it though. It's such a nice cut. Pick it up if you can. The rest of the album is okay. Nothing as memorable as their big hits or "Destiny", but nice all the same.

Don Blackman - DON BLACKMAN, "Holding You, Loving You". The joint? Hell to the yes. You've heard it. And you've found it on your 1980s Soul Compilations, but haven't seen the album it came from. That sucks for you. The whole album is bananas. In the same vein as Bernard Wright's 'NARD which I just picked up and Tom Browne's classic "Funkin' For Jamaica". By the way, Browne's "Midnight Interlude"? Oh my god. I gotta step this blog up a bit and include links to this stuff. If nothing else, just so I can link my damned self.

Bobby Caldwell - "What You Won't Do For Love" heart-shaped 10". An audio classic. Now a collectible. I found this guy for pretty cheap at GROOVES in San Francisco the day after Valentine's day. I probably got caught up in the moment, but I copped. I love Bobby though. Obviously "The Light" was cracking a few years ago, but he's got more shit that's been used too. "My Flame" was Biggie's "Sky's The Limit", "What You Won't Do For Love" was The Luniz "Playa Hata" and probably about 20 dozen more joints. I don't know. Bobby is one of those enigmas, to me. I wasn't really UP on him until after the fact, but he seems so quiet-spoken. He plays a lot of jazz festivals and whatnot. Like, hippified suburban white folks just beyond their mid-life crises will drive up to a river and watch Bobby belt out his three greatest hits ever summer. And then I imagine he just goes home and chills for 11 months. I have no idea though. He's someone I'd love to meet. He and Boz Skaggs. SILK DEGREES is fuckin' banging' yo!

Diggin' In Somebody Else's Crates

2007-02-20T14:57:00.000-08:00

So among all of the other gems that I picked up at Rooky Ricardo's last weekend, I purchased a 5-disc set of rare 45s compiled, in appropriate groupings, from less-than-famous soul, r&b and rock singers of the 50s and 60s. The discs are: Girls On The Edge, R&B Girls, Soul Girls, Classic Girl Group Sounds, and Teen Trauma.

I've only made it through Teen Trauma and Girls On The Edge but so far, its super dope. "I Won't Be Your Fool Anymore" by The Gibralters is my new song right now. I'm eager to hear what Soul Girls sounds like. With groups like Teacho & The Students, I'm sure that I'm in for a treat. These cuts, although all rare and void of any reknown, are all equal to or better than the songs that I grew up listening to from the same era. It is a great indication of how tough it can be to break a group of any kind, and a good lesson that even some of the dopest records ever never really grow their wings.

It put a lot in persepective. I know that DJ Shadow has talked about mountains of records and the realization that anything you ever put out will eventually add to the millions of crappy records out there, but this is a good look at the other side of that. A reminder (not that I really needed one), that although I've got favorite artists and niche genres and whatnot, there is still plenty for me to discover out there. I'm looking forward to this weekend as I'll be spending one full day, (or at least most of it) at Rooky's. I think there is a lot of untapped potential for me to find things there. I want to knock some of it out this week.

If you get a chance, swing by Rooky's and pick this up. It's $40 for the 5-disc set or you can by them individually for $10 each, without the cool little case. Makes a great gift. Also slices and dices and folds laundry!

All I Want For Christmas...

2007-02-19T19:17:00.000-08:00

The Maytones - ONLY YOUR PICTURE featuring Vernon Buckley's "Save Us Jah"

Eddie Kendricks, PEOPLE, HOLD ON featuring "My People, Hold On"

The Escorts, 3 DOWN, 4 TO GO featuring "I Can't Stand To See You Cry"

Gap Mangione, DIANA IN THE AUTUMN WIND

Bloodstone, DON'T STOP featuring "I'm Just Doing My Job"

Rainbow Chasing (No Homo)

2007-02-17T21:51:00.000-08:00

I'm by no means a great digger. Not at all. I have a very rudementary idea of what I'm doing when I'm out buying records, but really, I'm a follower. I have a fascination with records that have been used more than those that can be used. Perhaps because I'm not one to actually produce anymore, that part of the game has lost interest. What I like more is finding the obscure stuff that has been used to make some of the doper cuts in recent years. Its this that gets me into record stores multiple times per week. Trying to chase the rainbows - "That Ain't The Way You Make Love", "When I Die", "Light My Fire" (Africa), Gap Mangione's DIANA IN THE AUTUMN WIND... The list goes on and on. It's the thrill of the chase though. I can remember when I was looking for Apollonia 6's "Sex Shooter" for like a year. Or Bob James' ONE. These, by all standards, are relatively easy to find. It's kind of cool to go back and see how far I've come.

I've chased down some more rainbows today. Again, not that these records are impossible to find, but somewhere between Apollonia 6 and Gap Mangione, I've managed to finally find HURRY UP THIS WAY AGAIN by the Stylistics. The title track was used for Jay-Z's "Politics As Usual" from his debut LP, REASONABLE DOUBT. It's a classic. I found it at Recycled Records on Haight St. in San Francisco. Between hitting that spot as well as Rooky's Records (also on Haight), Groove Merchant (also also on Haight), Rasputin (Berkeley) and Amoeba (Berkeley), I came up with a few other goodies.

I snagged THE HIT MAN and LOVE KEYS by Eddie Kendricks. I have yet to cross paths with PEOPLE, MOVE ON, but I have a new friend, Dick at Rooky's Records who will be keeping an eye out for me. I also was able to find "I'm Your Pusher" by Ice-T. Outside of the greatness of that track and the 12"'s cover, the b-side was Von Pea's stomping grounds for his remake of "L.G.B.N.A.F." which is a favorite of mine (Von's version, that is).

I've come across some new Chi-Lites records lately. Well, not new new. Just new to me. As in, I haven't seen them in record stores. Or if I have, they hadn't caught my eye. I found HAPPY BEING LONELY which seems pretty solid judging by the crazy afro/mustache combinations on the cover photo. I've gotten my hands on "Are You My Woman", used for Beyonce's "Crazy In Love". This one I haven't heard yet. Its from 1976 though. Should be good.

I also got some Shirley Bassey of "Diamonds Are Forever" fame. She did a lot of soundtrack/scoring work for United Artists (I think. Gotta double check that) and has some really cool stuff. I got the I, CAPRICORN album and THE BEST OF, which I usually frown upon, but for 99 cents, it'll be a good primer.

My splurge for the week was this record from Young Holt Unlimited, .....JUST A MELODY. Its one of those "rare" records that if you can find in a store, will likely never be found in a dollar bin because it is... well, its the shit, really. I mean, it's got a crazy cover of "Light My Fire" and the album's closer, "Young And Holtful" is very very dope.

Speaking of "Light My Fire", we'll probably have to do a "Light My Fire" cover post one of these days. I've come across many a great version lately and although I'm not much of a Doors fan, I'm loving what I've found in the way of covers. Here are some of the 45s that I picked up this week:

"More, More, More" pts. 1 and 2 - Andrea True Connection (doubles)

"To The Other Man" b/w "Love Ain't Gonna Run Me Away" - Luther Ingram

"Sixty-Minute Man" b/w "Scrub-Board" - The Trammps

"Just Because I Really Love You" b/w "Only The Strong Survive" - Jerry Butler (again)

"Make It With You" b/w "Stray Woman" - Ralfi Pagan (thanks, Filthy)

"Stay In My Corner" b/w "Love Is So Simple" - The Dells (Beatmaker sample)

"Pray All You Sinners" b/w "Rubber Band" - The Trammps (again)

"Want Ads" b/w "We Belong Together" - The Honey Cone

"Killing Me Softly With His Song" - The Glen Burton Experience

"The Champ" b/w "Give Me Some" - The Mohawks

"1999 Riddim" b/w "Gal Dem Request" - Spragga Benz (dancehall cover of "1999")

"Tryin' To Love Two" b/w "If Sex Was All We Had" - William Bell

"Clean Up Woman" b/w "I'll Love You Forever" - Betty Wright

"Pass The Dutchie" b/w "Give Love A Chance" - Musical Youth

BOMB SHELTER EP - Yesterday's New Quintet

More digging to do tomorrow as I visit Record Man in Redwood City for the first time ever. What joy.

Mm Hmmm...

2007-01-06T23:04:00.000-08:00

Gladys Knight & The Pips - ALL I NEED IS TIME, 1973: So I usually don't stray too far from what's on my list when i'm diggging. I've been fortunate enough in the past weeks to make it up to Village Music (who, sadly, will close its doors this September) and dug through their "WE SUGGEST" endcap. I picked up this GK&P album that I wasn't familiar with and homina flipping homina. This is some super dust-funk soul. The A-side is incredible. Seriously nuts. I didn't recognize anything that'd been lifted in any obvious way. But I will find out if anybody has used "I'll Be Here When You Get Home" which is amazing. There are some other gems as well (see: "All I Need Is Time", The Only Time You Love Me...", and "The Singer" for starters). A gem. Seriously.

The Exciters - CAVIAR & CHITLINS, 1969: You don't really have to get past the artwork or album title, but should you choose to, you'll be surprised (or not) to find a dope 60s soul record that you probably haven't (or have) heard of. This is another gem from the OLDIES section. Don't Sleep. Lyrics like "dynomite and nitroglycerin are like a firecracker compared to you"? Chicken grease? Dope-ass drum fills? Extra points for this record right here.

Love Unlimited Orchestra - Music Maestro Please, 1975. "Vivrant Thing". That is all. Okay. Not "all", really. Years ago, when I hated Prince and disco, I actually had this record but never listened to it. Traded it for a DJ Rectangle breaks record. Now i've sold the breaks record back to a used LP store and have restored the better piece in my collection. A lot of thick string and brass arrangements from the man, Barry White. Half corn, half funk, all fun.

Atlantic Rythm & Blues: 1947-1974: I know, I know... It's a compilation record. No points for that. But I bought it out of desperation and will make right by it when I find the piece I need to replace it. The reason I just HAD to have this record? "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere". Man, oh, man. I heard it in a record store one day and it floored me. I went into Village recently and heard it again and had to inquire. It's by Joe Morris and was a pretty solid hit in October of 1950 (you gotta love those liner notes!). He died at 36 of a cerebral hemmorage. Oh, He's not the vocalist on the recording. Her name was Little Laurie Tate who was Morris' answer to Otis Show's female vocalist, Little Esther.

Raymond Scott - Manhattan Research, Inc, 1950s-1970s: The creme de la creme. "Lightworks". So yeah, this record never came out as an original release. It was released on vinyl as a 3-disc set in 2001. And I found it. Holler. In addition to the will-be classic, "Lightworks", you HAVE to check out "Don't Beat Your Wife Every Night" and "Portofino" which is crazy beautiful. The man had a way with tech toys and the like. This is a compilation of different versions of ads and songs that he'd composed over the course of his career as musician / inventor. Grab it if you find it.

De, Dee, D

2006-10-27T19:57:00.000-07:00

DeBarge, IN A SPECIAL WAY, GORDY. 1981. So of course this is the album from which Biggie's "One More Chance" was lifted. One of the dopest little loops of all time, if you ask me. And probably Puff too. But man, if you stop there, you're a fool. This peice of plastic packs a powerful punch. With uptempo riot-starters like "Baby Wontcha Come Quick" and "Be My Lady", as well as some of the more "sentivo" cuts of the early 80s (see "Time Will Reveal" and "Dream"), this is about as well-rounded a pop-funk-R&B record could get. Chock full of "good corniness" (see Prince's feathered hair and hoop rings circa his self-titled release) and absent of "bad corniness" (see DeBarge brother Chico's later works). Oh, and "Dream" rounds out the album, like Dennis Edwards, sparking some future east-west beef by laying the soundscape for 2Pac banger "I Ain't Mad At Cha". Classic. Classic. Classic.

Jay Dee, RUFF DRAFT EP, MUMMY. 2003. Mummy Records' second release EVAR, Ruff Draft EP was one of Dilla's crowning acheivements, if you ask me. Like, dude was kind of nice on the beats or whatever. But he really shined (shone?) on two particular cuts. Yes, I'm talking about the recently re-released and videoed "Nothing Like This" and my personal favorite "The $", on which he ripped your favorite emcee a new asshole. This is probably the single best example of Dilla as a superior emcee. If you're one of the naysayers who needs proof beyond the obvious that he was nice on the mic, check this track. Oh, and the EP also features "Make Em NV", "Crushin'", "Reckless Driving" and "Let's Take It Back". Some of his best works. Released on vinyl only.

The Dramatics, A DRAMATIC EXPERIENCE, STAX. 1973. So The Dramatics brought you such lackluster hits as "In The Rain" and "Watcha See Is Whatcha Get". Okay, I'm a fan too, but really, nothing is fucking with this record. I think this is their climax as a group. Stax let them wild out on this one and they went dark. It's still some soulful shit you'd expect from The Dramatics but with a weird twist. The crown jewel from the whole album? Remeber The Pharcyde's vocal sample on "Hey You"? Wink wink.

Donwill Presents:

2006-10-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

Today's blog is brought to you by the rapper "Don". He's the pocket-sized member of Tanya Morgan who's kicks game is as mean as his verse on "We Be". He uses midwest words like "pop" (soda) and "gym shoes" (sneakers) and it greatly amuses me. He's really excited right now because he's officially tall enough to ride the ITS A SMALL WORLD ride at Disneyland. Victory. He has a couple of records to share.

Bette Midler's "Mr. Rockefeller" - SONGS FOR THE NEW DEPRESSION, Atlantic. 1976. Not too much to say here. It's an ego stroke from "Last Call" from the COLLEGE DROPOUT album. SONGS... has some gems on it like "Old Cape Cod", "Marahuana" and the corny classic "Strangers In The Night". Quite the bargain buy. I never really checked for Midler like that (not that I should have), but between she and Streisand, there are actually a handful of golden finds (see Tanya Morgan's "Stay Tuned").

Rodney Franklin's "The Watcher" - YOU'LL NEVER KNOW, Columbia. 1980. Homina homina homina and a dash of no homo. This piano player's "The Watcher" played home to classics from A Tribe Called Quest, Tanya Morgan and more. He's got the Billy Dee look on the cover photo which is why Donwill is holding it so near and dear.

Donwill isn't going to share where these digs were made. They were at yet another super secret dusty spot in the northern Cali area. But if you ever want to go, holler and you can be blindfolded and escorted to the spot free of charge.

In other news, Von Pea is Brooklyn-bound right now and we're all heading to DC at the end of the week. Then on to NYC for CMJ. A.O.K.? Lol.

2/5 count.

2006-10-23T09:21:00.000-07:00

Lupe Fiasco - FOOD & LIQUOR. So Lupe Fiasco is this kid that Heinz put me onto a couple of years ago with some mixtapes. I didn't bother checking. He's pretty much changed (a lot of) the game at this point. He's a walking hyperbole and I love him for that. He can bring up a myriad of issues that are plaguing the world without preaching or judging. And he puts it all together in very interesting ways. I don't know. He kind of took me by surprise. Dude is killing it right now.

"Something He Can Feel" - Aretha Franklin. Okay. This doesn't really count. It's a best-of collection. But the shit was like two dollars so I bought it. And it has Aretha's version of "Something He Can Feel" which was repopularized for our generation by the Hangin' With Mr. Cooper Theme Song-Singing En Vogue. Both versions are crazy nutritious. I like that I found this as a place holder first because honestly, my Aretha collection is null and void. Non existent. Kaput. Slow. Low. Anyway. There are some great cuts on here.

"Call Me" - Aretha Franklin. I was 0-2 on genuine finds for Aretha last night, but I had to grab "Call Me". If Dilla's works are called "donuts" what can we call Kanye's? Ego strokes? This is the ego stroke sample for Slum Village's "Selfish". Boy is it fun! It's really just the intro/diana part of the song on some loopage. But boy is it ever so tender and sweet!! All attacks on his personality aside, there are few people in Kanye's league right now. Like, maybe 5 or 10. He's at the top of this production game. And his own records are pretty landmark.

DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER - Dee Dee Bridgewater. 1976. Atlantic. So here's the story. I was digging with Dwine and Jahbryll a few years ago and I picked up this Frank Foster record on the strength of the album cover. It was Foster, with a saxaphone around his neck, killing a hanging mic in the studio. He had more fury in his eyes than "Busta Rhymes doing lines of coke. Woo Ha! That's all she wrote!"... Anyway. I took it home and it was oh, the funkiest record ever recorded. Or one of 'em. And the name of Foster's collective was called The Loud Minority. I was hooked. Had it on repeat for a few months. Anyway, I commemorated the work by naming a struggling indie-hiphop label after it. One of the vocalists was Dee Dee Bridgewater. I've found some great solo works by her. This is one of them. Her version of Hall & Oates "He's Gone" is so damn slumpish that its not funny. And I'm gonna get my sample flipping on with "My Lonely Room" and "It Ain't Easy". I've yet to spend time with the b-side as I just got this record, but I'll let you know how it sounds.

"Sweet Misery" - Martha Reeves, MARTHA REEVES. 1974. MCA. This jelly-filled, chocolate covered treat is kind of the shit. An opening break that was just out there got updated to be one of the sleeper pastries. Anyway... The gem on this record is really her rendition of Jimmy Cliff's "Many Rivers To Cross" which I was pleased to find was on this same album. I've been searching for some time. And to find 3 copies for 2 dollars each was quite the reward. I got the beatmaker one copy and kept two for self. Oh the juggling fun!

This is the first time in a LONG time that I've found something worthwile at the Berkeley Amoeba.

Amoeba Hollywood Needs to Step Up Their Bars

2006-10-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

So I'm in Los Angeles right now post-BRIDGES which is a bi-weekly hip hop event thrown by our dear friend Trek Life. This week's show featured Pacific Division (who killed it), Pusher Price (who I wasn't really paying much attention to because I was selling merch), and Oddissee (who killed it). Oh, and Tanya Morgan who, well... killed it. A few things about this show:

1. It was packed. Like PAAAAACKED. The venue has 3 rooms, two downstairs and one upstairs that we were in. All three were packed. All night.

2. Oddissee is just about the coolest dude in the world. Thanks for the love, man. See you at Scribblejam when we gang up on the freestyle battle and share our "rhymesayers" tent.

3. Trek Life is definately tied with Oddissee right now. I've officially thrown 2 shows now. Nothing fancy. And I've been a part of countless shows. Never have I seen anybody throw as dope a show without ANYthing going wrong. If anything DID go wrong, he kept his composure like a motherflipper. And bought us drinks. And snuck us on the bill. I don't know. Trek Life for president man. AND he killed the instore. Shiiiiiiiiiit.

I must send love to the following people: Ralph and DT, Kat and Julius, Trek Life, Mariam for hopping on AIM so I could e-holler, Mario from The Basement in Sherman Oaks, Triune, Dvooa, Natalie from the WE BE shoot and her dog and her friend, Eric for holding us down in the bay right now since i'm useless while driving around, Harmonia and Alfie for the floor and the good times, Natural Mystic, Ladyboss 07, and all the okayplayers who came out, dude who wanted to buy Sunset EP. I forget his name but his myspace is www.myspace.com/willrapforfood. How dope is that?

I tried digging for 15 minutes at Amoeba Hollywood and came up super dry. And yes, I expected to find something worthwhile in 15 minutes. I was moving so damned fast. Soul? Nothing. Rock? Nothing. DVD? Nothing. Laserdisc? Nothing. I'm looking for Menace 2 Society on Laserdisc for iD. Just putting it out there. If you find it, cop it and send it. Thanks.

And now I leave you with this:

This picture is posted for 2 reasons. The first being that I haven't uploaded an image of myself in this room yet. The second being that even though I don't have a photo of ME in this room, I had to post one just out of spite towards my good friend BILL who refuses to visit the bay. Bill, you should ask what was found in this room. Oh my god. Each of those boxes is about 3 feet deep, perfectly organized and alphabetized. Like this is the coolest 12 cubic feet in North America. Neener neener neener.

Addicted to blogging.

2006-10-17T13:06:00.000-07:00

This is what I look like when I'm out trying to buy records. More particularly when I'm actually finding records that I'm looking for. Notice the playful craziness? Yeah. When I was looking for Apollonia's "Sex Shooter" maxi-12" I wasn't really in the best of moods. This is more the "I just found Smokey Robinson & The Miracles' 'A Legend In It's Own Time' for dirt cheap" look.

And This is the "Dom just ran out of gas at the top of one of the tallest hills in San Francisco so now we have to walk everywhere to kill time while we get a gas can. My god he's a fucking idiot." face, brought to you by none other than 2/3 of Tanya Morgan, Von Pea (L) and Donwill (R). They chose to wear matching sweatshirts so they'd be easily identifiable if the group split up. Cute!

The Roots' "Can't Stop This" and J Dilla's "Time (The Heart Of The Donut": Jackson 5 - "All I Do Is Think Of You", MOVING VIOLATION. Mowtown. As listed in the liner notes of The Roots' 2006 Def Jam release, GAME THEORY (no snitch-o, Bill), J Dilla (RIP) used this melodic cut for what has been touted by many as the best of all the donuts. I'm a fan too. This record doesn't boast any of the bonafide Jackson 5 hits that you'd find on their earlier records but its a keeper nonetheless. One of their better late releases, save for VICTORY.

J Dilla - "One Eleven": Smokey Robinson And The Miracles - "A Legend In It's Own Time", FOUR IN BLUE. Mowtown. My favorite Donut. Can't really say that Dilla did too much with it, but again, just goes to show you the worth of the man's ear. There's another cut on this record that I imagine The Beatmaker will be turning into one of your favorite beats of 2007 very shortly.

Mos Def - "Brown Sugar": Norman Connors - "Invitation", INVITATION. Okay, so the remix beat was whatever. The original beat for this soundtrack title track standout was pretty dope if you ask me. And the original from which Kanye lifted the sample is clean as all hell. I'd been looking for this for, oh, EVER. and I just came across it while SQUEEEZING in some digging time with Von and Don on Sunday night. We bumped into Jake One as well at the store. That was super cool. Anyway, Mariam loves this cut as well. I have to give the rest of the album a solid listen. See what else is on there.

These Are The Breeeeaaaaks!

2006-10-16T17:11:00.000-07:00

Goapele's "It Takes Two": Gladys Knight - "And This Is Love", Angie Stone's "No More Rain": Gladys Knight - "Neither One Of Us", NEITHER ONE OF US, 1973. Mowtown.
So it seems that female soul singers are living vicariously through the performance of Ms. Gladys Knight. If only their records held up. This album is nuts. If you are breaking up, have broken up or will break up, this is a must-listen. She's got some angst in her and it came through on every song. The lyrics are somber, the breaks are funky and the arrangements are dizzope. Classic shit, yo.

George Duke - "Dukey Stick", DON'T LET GO, 1978. Epic.
No Bootsy-o. This record is fantastic. The A-side's 4th cut, "Dukey Stick" has played soundscape for westcoasters like Spice 1 and Paris. And its one of the funkier cuts that Mr. Duke ever peiced together. I've been looking for this casually for about 3 years now since my boy Dwine put together a partial shopping list for me. Thanks buddy!

Little Brother's "Welcome To The Minstrel Show": Floaters - "No Stronger Love", FLOATERS, 1977. ABC Records.
Yes, the record features "Float On". A 12 minute staple for any collector's collection. But it also has on it a not-so-special break that became special recently when it was used as the basis for Little Brother's introduction to their sophomore release. If you've got the LP already, check for it. Side b, track 4.

The Dells - "Stay In My Corner", GREATEST HITS. 1968. Cadet.
This record may not be anything special to you. It's a pretty basic doo wap r&b song from The Dells. The Beatmaker used it for a Nonameko joint though and for that, I had to put it up here. I didn't co-produce the song but I did tell The Beatmaker to include the bridge which I think peiced it all together much nicer.

No comment.

The Donut Shop (Part II)

2006-10-16T16:13:00.000-07:00

9th Wonder's beat 3: Billy Paul - "I Want 'Cha Baby",
9th Wonder's "Let The Dollar Circulate", Steve Spacek's "Let The Dollar Circulate": Billy Paul - "Let The Dollar Circulate". WHEN LOVE IS NEW. 1975. Philadelphia International Records.
A triple threat. It's McFadden and Whitehead. It's Gamble & Huff. It's Billy Paul. It's a great record. "When Love Is New" is pretty much the joint. And before R. Kelly was "going half", Billy Paul was "making". "Let's Make A Baby" is another great album cut. This is a must-have.

Cat Stevens - "Was Dog A Doughnut?". IZITSO. 1977. A&M.
So this is a crazy ass break that I'd had on an unlabled mp3 for quite some time. Thanks go out to Bill who put me on. I've got most of Cat Stevens' earlier works. The TEA FOR TILLERMAN era folky stuff. And It pretty much stays locked up. This, however, is great. Unfortunately, "WDAD" is a stand out track, but the arrangement on songs like "To Be A Star" and "Sweet Jamaica" are listenable.

Junior MAFIA's "Get Money", 2Pac's "Hit Em Up": Dennis Edwards' "Don't Look Any Further", DON'T LOOK ANY FURTHER, 1984. Gordy.
This man is a criminal. He's the mastermind behind the east coast - west coast beef of the mid-late 1990s. Yup, I said it. Something subliminal is going on here. Something is stirring up hatred between the Bad Boy and Death Row camps. Is it his sultry, Pendegrass-esque vocals or the cheesy distorted riffs of the ever-basic guitar solo at the bridge? I have no idea. But its the jam. Let's all wop it out, shall we?

J Dilla's "Workinonit": 10cc - "Worst Band In The World", 100cc. 1975. UK Records.
Okay, so this doesn't REALLLY count. It's a greatest hits collection, but I'll replace it with the album ASAP. I promise. The basis of one of the funkier donuts, "Worst Band In The World" was originally intended for The Roots (find "Workinonit" by Black Thought ft. Dice Raw at your nearest mp3 sharing site now!). Von Pea brought it to my attention that the name of this song was destined to get sampled for The Roots specifically. Quite the sense of humor.

J Dilla's "Waves": 10cc - "Johnny Don't Do It", 10cc. 1973. UK Records.
Much like their other semi-hit "Donna", 10cc exhibits their fasination with American 50s pop rock on this sarcastic, "Earth Angel" butchery. You gotta love the shit though. On some "Leader Of The Pack" shit, it tells the story of a high school boy named Johnny who took his steady girlfriend for a ride on his hog. There is a newsman reporting about the death during a melodic bridge that became the third donut. It's pretty cool. Check it out.

The Donut Shop (Part I)

2006-10-16T15:28:00.000-07:00

Some other goodies that I found this weekend include:

Dilla Says Go: Trammps - "Rubber Band". 1972. Buddah Records. Also the sample for The Game's "Hate It Or Love It". Suburb's favorite Donut. And for good reason. This record is sick as all hell. From The Legendary Zing Album. Again, I've yet to find it so I'm stuck with another 45 but oh well. It'll hold me over. The Trammps are responsible for some of the most terrible disco ever. And have some ridiculous gems as well. Go figure.

Hi: The Three Degrees - "Maybe". 19??. Longitude Music Co. Originally formed in Philadelphia in 1963, The Three Degrees were one of those groups that kept up with the times. They started with gritty, straight-ahead soul, much like this cut, and transitioned through disco, pop and more. They're still together today. This donut barely counts, if at all. Its a reissue from Collectables. This is hella fake. But I got it. The b-side is the funky "You're The One" (DOPE FUCKING BREAK 3/4 of in). Also one of the group's earlier recordings, I beleive it features all of The Three Degrees' original members, Fayette Pickney, Shirley Porter, and Linda Turner.

Glazed: Gene & Jerry - "You Just Can't Win (By Making The Same Mistake)". 19??. Mercury. The intro is the shit. The rest of the song is very straight-ahead soul much like that of Sam and Dave's more popular stuff. A great cut. Gene Chandler and Jerry Butler's One & One is still M.I.A. from my collection but my eyes are open. Dilla went on to use another Jerry Butler joint for another wonderful donut (see below).

U-Love: Jerry Butler - "Just Because I Really Love You". 1968. Mercury. Gamble & Huff strike again. This record is ridiculous. Jerry Butler, who dubbed his self "The Iceman" showed his ass on this one. The piano and brass really takes the lead in parts, and although Dilla didn't do anything too avant garde with this record, its an example of the man's great ear. This, like Joe Simon's "It Be's That Way Sometimes" and David Porter's "The Masquerade Is Over" have become bigger for me than the songs that used them. Taken from "The Iceman Cometh".