Well as they used to say round these parts, Thank Crunchie it’s Friday!! (Now there’s a blast from the past!) After a draining week at ‘The Coal Face’, it’s surely time for some well deserved R&R, and what better way to get in the mood with another chunk of Funk and Soul.

I managed to convene with Hoppin’ John at Camp Hook & Sling during the week, where we started to piece together the first parts of a new mini mix series that will hopefully be touching down on these pages at some point next week, so keep one eye open for that!

So here we go with today’s selection, a bit of a 50/50 split of Funk and Soul, some new finds as well as a few old favourites.

Kicking things into gear is Bobby Rush with ‘Much to Much’, the flip to his 1967 release ‘Sock A Boogaloo’. I scored this as well as a huge grip of other 45s from one of my London contacts who had just received an entire collection of Funk & Soul singles. First dibs ensured this went home with me and has been on rotation since! The track is a feel good up-tempo number and has a cool Southern Soul feeling to it. Great stuff!

The Glass House were admittedly a group I hadn’t come across until I was out digging recently. Whilst flicking through crates and crates of dusty 45s, I spotted the title ‘Crumbs Off The Table’, and having heard the later Laura Lee version, I knew it would be worth taking a punt on.

Credited to Edith Wayne, who was a pseudonym used by the Holland/ Dozier Holland gang, probably to maximise royalties, this was released in 1969. Scherrie Payne, the younger sister of Freda Payne (of ‘Unhooked Generation & ‘Band Of Gold’ fame) belts out the vocals on this with plenty of gusto, and it’s pretty plain for everyone to see why she was later snapped up by The Supremes as a replacement for Jean Terrell in 1973.

The Stokes are up next with ‘Young Man, Old Man’, the B-side to their 1966 single ‘One Mint Julep’ on Alon Records. Originally formed by NOLA legend, Allen Toussaint whilst serving time in the US army, this was one of the groups last 45s before they disbanded. This cut is another example of an artist using a pseudonym in the writing credits, with this 45 being ‘penned by’ Naomi Neville, which was actually Allen Toussaint mothers maiden name! I pulled this from the same collection as the Bobby Rush 45. Double bonus!!

Jazzman Records comes through with the goods yet again. This time with a great reissue of the late Keisa Brown’s upfront Sister Funk bomb. With an original copy being as rare as hens teeth to find, this is a welcome release. Punchy horns, tidy drumming and seriously sassy vocals make this a must have!

We take things back to the soulful side with King release, ‘Your Love Was Good For Me’. This as I mentioned earlier in the week is possibly my favourite Marva Whitney cut , which is a pretty tough choice to make as there are so many fantastic sides by her! The track literally drips soul like a colander and really show cases her vocals!

This was released an astounding four separate times as a single!! First on Federal Records in June 1967, September 1967 on King Records, April 1968 on King and finally in October 1968 again on King Records . The issue on this mix is from the third release on King which was backed with ‘What Kind Of Man’. I can only assume that the demand for the track allowed this to happen, and rightly so!

Into the back straight and if you don’t know ‘My Baby Just Cares For Me’ by Nina Simone then I can only assume you’ve just awoken from some sort of coma, possibly induced by listening to some seriously awful talentless, modern, pop drivel! This is a definite classic and one that admittedly had been long lost in amongst my crates until I was pulling out some sides for today’s mix. Some may call it over played, but if you listen ‘between the lines’ as it were, you can hear the genius of Nina Simone!

After featuring the fantastic ‘Some Kind Of Wonderful’ by the Soul Brothers Six in my last mix outing, The Sunday Soul Sessions, I thought we’d revisit the group with the flip,’ Somebody Else Is Loving My Baby’ on Atlantic.

Hailing from New York, this was the bands most successful release, reaching #91 in The Top 100 in 1967. Sadly they were unable to follow up with any further hits, and were dropped by Atlantic shortly after.

Jumping forward to something a lot more recent, and Mayer Hawthorne & The County keep the soulful vibes going with ‘When I Said Goodbye’ on Stones Throw. Those of you unfamiliar with Mr Hawthorne should hastily head HERE for the plug side to this 45, ‘Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out’, which seems to be a bit more readily available now the hype has settled down.

The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble are an eight piece Brass section plus drummer from Chicago. Eight of the members are the sons of Sun Ra member Phil Cohran. ‘Flipside’ is appropriately the B-side to their release ‘Alayo’ on Honest John Records, which also featured Malcolm Catto stepping in on drums for the session. A great track which fits in here nicely.

Rounding things up is KC & The Sunshine Band and ‘Sound Your Funky Horn’ from Jay Boy Records. This was a 45 I pulled out of a dingy Soho basement years ago. It to fell foul to the same black hole in my record collection as the Nina Simone 45 from today! Released in 1973, this is a bouncy, feel good 45 which takes us to the finish line for the time being.

Before I go, I want to give a big shout out to Omer Saar for banging The Hook & Sling drum stateside for us. Check out his fantastic Blog UniverSOUL Productions, which is currently on the move at the moment, but rest assured there is more than enough content at the original location to keep you busy and out of trouble!!

Make sure you check out The Green Album, his own remix tribute to Al Green. There are some slick beats in there, which have been on rotation round these parts for a long while now!

I hope you enjoy today’s new mix as much as I did putting it together! Stay safe and I’ll be back here shortly with Part 1 of our new Mini Mix Series.

Track List

Bobby Rush – Much To Much – Checker

The Glass House – Crumbs Off the Table – Invictus

The Stokes – Young Man, Old Man – Alon

Keisa Brown – Dance Man – Jazzman Records

Marva Whitney – Your Love Was Good For Me – King

Nina Simone - My Baby Just Cares For Me – Bethlehem

Soul Brothers Six – Somebody Else Is Loving My Baby – Atlantic

Mayer Hawthorne & The County – When I Said Goodbye – Stones Throw

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – Flipside – Honest John Records (10” Single)

KC & The Sunshine Band - Sound Your Funky Horn – Jay Boy

Download Mr Double Down Presents The Soul Spin HERE

I hope you had a great weekend and are all refreshed, reinvigorated and ready for the week ahead at the ‘Coal face’ of your respective choices?

Saturday saw me hooking up with Hoppin’ John and my Betterdays compatriot, El Guiri, before we headed over to The 100 Club on Oxford Street for the eagerly anticipated Marva Whitney / Osaka Monaurail / The Impellers show.

As far as live gigs go this was undoubtedly up there with the best I’ve ever seen!! We arrived at the venue to find things in full swing with Freestyle Records boss, Adrian Gibson doing the business on the decks.

He set the tone for the night perfectly, both before and in between the bands with some seriously heavyweight 45s, including a minty OG copy of ‘Funky 16 Corners’ by The Highlighters on 3 Diamonds, which admittedly had us staring enviously at the decks after that!

The Impellers took to the stage and kicked things up a notch with their tightly worked grooves. By the end of the first track they had the full attention of the crowd, which was swelling by the minute, as more and more bodies made it into the venue.

Having procured a copy of their fantastic LP ’Robot Legs’ (Thanks Glenn and Clair!!) a short while ago, I was well aware of the majority of stuff from the LP that they played. They also dipped into their back catalogue for a brilliant re-working of ‘Bringing Something Sweeter’, which had me making a mental note to keep an eye open for some of their previous releases!! As a band they were well rehearsed and performed faultlessly, even down to the new track which cheekily “They’d only played a couple of times before!”

The last third of their performance saw them dropping two covers, Sharon Jones ‘Pick It Up, Lay It In The Cut’ and a cleverly reworked and much more funky version of The Ting Tings ‘That’s Not My Name’, which had the crowd getting down. They finished up with their new 45 ‘How Am I?’, which had everyone in the venue screaming for an encore!!

The Impellers duelly obliged with a punchy horn led cover of Jimmy Hendrix’s ‘Fire’! Top stuff and both Hoppin’ John and myself are waiting in excited anticipation for them to join us for our Soul Weekender in February!! Great stuff!!

Support the band by picking up their LP, ’Robot Legs’ HERE

The Impellers – How Am I? – Freestyle Records

After a short interlude, which just gave us enough time to catch our breaths and refill our glasses, Osaka Monaurail appeared on stage.

Slickly dressed in matching suits, they started off with a short 20 minute set featuring some of the tightest and flawless live funk I’ve ever seen, let alone heard!! The band were well drilled by lead singer, organist and conductor, Ryo Nakata, and were visually highly entertaining with their synced trumpet spinning and dance steps!!

They returned after a short break and got the crowd moving again with some great JB covers including ‘Soul Pride’, which IMHO was simply amazing!! A quick spin through the Maceo & The Flames version of ‘Tighten Up’ and it was time for the main event of the evening!

Support the band by picking up some of their fantastic 45s and LPs HERE

Osaka Monaurail - Thankful (For What You’ve Done)

With Osaka Monaurail still playing and not even stopping to pause, they broke into their “It’s Star Time!!” introduction. The crowd went absolutely wild as Soul Sister No1, Marva Whitney took to the stage!!

Dressed elegantly in red, she looked vulnerable at first, but once she found her voice she settled in comfortably and belted out classic after classic! Her vocals were as strong and powerful as ever, and she never strained to hit either the high or the long notes!!

After a brief couple of minutes break from the stage, she returned for the final part of her show, where she shocked the crowd by revealing she was 65 years old!!! For me, stand out moments were ‘Its My Thing’ and a faultless ‘Your Love Was Good For Me’ (which happens to be my favourite 45 by her!). There were several moments during her performance where you could see the youthfulness of the 26 year old Marva Whitney who’d had three 45s simultaneously in the Top 100 from 1968.

She mesmerised and entranced the crowd completely with emotionally fraught recollections of “Love” as well as her feelings on being “Black-Balled by the Music Industry for 40 years”. Her final request from the crowd was “That we all keep the faith”, before she belted out a powerful ‘I Am What I Am’, which left me totally shell shocked and stunned!

She left the stage to rapturous applause, a complete first class performance from The First Lady Of Funk. As we left there was a definite feeling amongst everyone that we had just witnessed something incredibly special!

Marva Whitney – It’s My Thing – King Records

Before I go check out a few videos I’ve posted from today’s artists on the FOR YOUR EYES ONLY PAGE.

Enjoy today’s trio of 45s, support the artists and I’ll be back here shortly with something special for you!!

I hope you managed to pull down the 1’s and 0’s and take a listen to The Popcorn Kings Street Beats mix tape from earlier in the week? If not, go and grab it now, we’re not going anywhere!

As we head into the final death throws of the working week, I thought I’d dig into my ever growing new pile of 45s and hit you up with something to get your weekend off on the ‘Good Foot’. Today’s slice of goodness is called ‘The Gorilla’ and comes courtesy of the Chicago outfit, The Ideals.

A short while ago I did a mix swap with Aaron Anderson of Ann Arbour Soul Club fame. Among the many gems he included in his selection was today’s 45.

When the first bars of the single trickled out of my speakers, it provoked what many amongst you might call an irrational trait of mine. You see kind readers, once I hear a record that musically slaps me in the face, I find it incredibly difficult to resist doing everything within my (meagre) powers to track down and own a copy. This fevered feeling won’t, unfortunately for my bank balance, subside until filled with the required shiny, black, record shaped piece of plastic!!

So after a swift jog around my usual internet based record hunting grounds, the 45 had been purchased and was swiftly winging its way back to the safety of my crates for a somewhat thankfully reasonable price.

Released in September 1963, the record coincided with the growing monkey dance craze, which had reached huge levels of popularity at the time due to The Miracles, ‘Mickey’s Monkey and Major Lance’s ‘The Monkey Time’ which were both big hitters on the scene earlier that year.

The Ideals were formed in 1952, and over the ensuing years the groups line up chopped and changed leaving only two of the original members, Leonard Mitchell and Robert Tharp. By the time the group had got round to recording ‘The Gorilla’ in 1963 Reggie Jackson, Sam Steward and Eddie Williams had all joined the ranks.

After releasing several records with limited success, The Ideals joined up with former Five Chances member Howard Pitman, who not only owned Concord Records, but also wrote ‘The Gorilla’ for The Ideals. The record imediately took off and sold nearly 90,000 copies! It is cited this may have been due to The Ideals mini tour of all the local Chicago schools, complete with a guy dressed in a gorilla outfit in tow!!

The groups local hit out grew Concord Records and Howard Pitman eventually sold on the rights and The Ideals contract to Cortland Records, who pushed ‘The Gorilla’ to a national platform.

After downsizing to a trio a couple of years later, The ideals eventually split up around 1967, having been unable to follow up on their brief spell of success.

This is a truly energetic slice of music and went down a storm at our monthly night last Saturday! Previously the 45 had seen a resurgence on both the Northern Soul and Mod scenes some years ago. A quick listen should reveal just why!!

Before I go I want to give you a quick heads up for a forthcoming event on Saturday 28th November, which should tick the boxes for those of you within reach of the South coast.

Eddie Stenner, the man behind the regular Sussex By The Sea nights (he will also be playing at our weekender in February!) has organised Dantes Reunion at The Mud Club in Bognor. With a line up featuring Dr. Bob Jones, Sean French, Keith Barnes, Godfrey Flavell, Paul Clarke, Mark Webster, as well as Eddie Stenner himself on the decks, this should be a cracking night for all concerned!! Don’t sleep on it!!

Go Ape and enjoy today’s 45 (sorry I’ll get my coat!), stay safe and I’ll be back with more goodness for you after the weekend.

Firstly, A big thanks to everyone who made it down to The Vestry in Chichester on Saturday night for our monthly Hook & Sling outing, despite the torrential rain.

Recently moving to the new much larger venue has definitely helped the night progress and our crowd of regulars has also grown month on month which is great news! While we’re at it, I’d like to say a big thank you to both Ash and all the bar staff, who once again helped make the night run smoothly!! We’ll be posting up more photos from Saturday night shortly, so keep an eye on the Gallery tab at the top of the page.

Here at The Hook & Sling we like to spread the good word of Funk and Soul and I for one am extremely excited about this forthcoming Saturday 14th November.

The 100 Club in ‘Good Ole London Town’ will be hosting the return of Soul Sister Number One, Marva Whitney, complete with Japanese funkateers, Osaka Monaurail in tow!! If that wasn’t more than enough to whet your appetite, support comes in the magnificent form of The Impellers, Jazz CoTech Dancers, and DJs Adrian Gibson and Perry Louis…..Phew!!! Seriously, don’t sleep on this one!

Ok, so I’m guessing you’ve arrived at our dark little recess of the internet because of one of two reasons.

A) Your Internet search engine of choice is playing up again?

or

B) You’re looking for your weekly fix of Funk and Soul goodness?

If (hopefully) the answer is the latter, then we can help you! The Popcorn King returns here once again with another of one his fantastic mixes for you, having recently recorded it at Casa Del Hook & Sling a short while ago.

This is another mixed all 45rpm bag of straight up Soul, Sister Funk and Northern tinged gems for you. It’s been on heavy play here, and has also had my Google-ificator working overtime trying to snap up a few of these new additions to my ever growing wants list! I’m pretty sure it’s going to get your week off to a good start.

Stay safe, enjoy The Popcorn King’s Street Beats and I’ll see you back here shortly with something cool!

Track List

Brenda George – I Can’t Stand It (I Can’t Take It No More) – Kent

Over Night Low –The Witch Doctor (Catches “Jungle Fever”) – Deluxe

Herbie Thompson – Jungle Time - Big Hit Records

The Turks – Generation Gap – DJO

Warren Lee – Climb The Ladder – Deesu

The Extra Kicks – Come On (Let The Good Times Roll) – Sko-Field Records

Ike & Tina Turner - You Can’t Miss Nothing That You Never Had – Sonja Records

The Chantels – Well, I Told You – Carlton

Gerri Granger – Show Stopper – Double L

Calvin leavy – Enjoy Being Hurt By You – Soul Beat “Arkansas Sound”

Download The Popcorn King Presents Street Beats HERE

I hope the new week finds you all well and good?

I’m currently typing this as I start my second week stuck away from Hook & Sling HQ on business, seemingly imprisoned in the village that time forgot! What initially looked on paper like a good opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of busy London life, has it seems turned into a bit of a nightmare!

I find myself in a place we’ll call Dullsville, in a backwards hotel room with four, yes thats right count them all, four terrestrial TV channels and no internet connection! Thank God for pubs with Wi-Fi! The final kick in the danglers was the lack of even a remote control for the aforementioned antiquated TV, so my limited channel surfing has to be done stood up!!

Thank god for my trusty laptop and iphone which I’ve loaded up with funk and soul, as well as a grip of autobiographies by Messieurs Wesley, Womack and Green I’ve been reading to keep me from losing my sanity here!

Fortunately I was able to make it back home over the weekend, where aside from enjoying some mod-cons and time with friends, I also managed to crowbar in a stretch with my records! Sunday saw part time Hook & Slinger, The Popcorn King joining me for another joint mix, which will hopefully see you through till my return back home. His visits always turn out some tasty Soul treats so I’m sure you’ll find something within that hits the spot nicely!

Before I go I want to hip you all to the revamp of Bold Soul Brother, which has seen a surge of activity over the past few weeks. Head on over and check out the wares my good friend Rich has on offer!

Don’t forget we return this Saturday 7th November to The Vestry in Chichester, West Sussex for our monthly Hook & Sling Funk and Soul outing. As always all the details can be found in the tabs at the top of the page, so if you’re in the area drop by and say hello! Until then, enjoy today’s mix and I’ll be return here as soon as I make it back to civilization!

Track List

Mr Double Down

Bobby Peterson - Piano Rock -V-Tone Records

Joe Turner And His Blues Kings - Feelin’ Happy - Atlantic

The Popcorn King

The Larks - The Jerk - Money Hollywood

Lightnin’ Hopkins - Move On Out Pt2 - Jewel Records

Mr Double Down

Ruby & The Party Gang - Hey Ruby (Shut Your Mouth) - Law-ton Records

Syl Johnson - Dresses Too Short - Twinight Records

The Popcorn King

Solomon Burke - I Can’t Stop - Bell Records

Little Richard - I’m Back - Modern Records

Mr Double Down

Rose Mitchell - Baby Please Don’t Go - Roseann (Jukebox Jam Series)

Soul Brothers Six - She’s Some Kind Of Wonderful - Atlantic

The Popcorn King

Ollie And The Nightingales - Girl You Have My Heart Singing - Stax

Linda Jones - I Can’t Stop Loving My Baby - Loma

Mr Double Down

The Music Makers - United Pt1 - Gamble Records

I hope you’re feeling rejuvenated after the weekend? I’m pretty beat as mine was spent fulfilling several unfortunately unavoidable mundane chores, as well as the usual burning of both ends of the proverbial candle! Thankfully though help is on hand for today’s post as I’m joined by the fantastic Tony C!

Those that drop by on the reg. will already be familiar with Tony, the man behind the sadly now defunct Melting Pot radio show, as he has already graced us with a brace of fantastic guest mixes which you can catch HERE and HERE.

A short while ago I put the feelers out for the Guest mix series that we ran to celebrate our two year anniversary and thankfully Tony obliged and returned with the selections contained herein!

As always his musical choices never disappoint and I’m sure you’ll find this will hit the spot and get your week off to a good start! Enjoy Tony C’s cracking mix, stay safe and I’ll be back here shortly with a new slice of the ‘Good Stuff’ for you. Ladies and gentlemen give it up for Tony C…..

“Hello and many thanks to Mr Double Down for inviting me to air a few of my tunes to celebrate two years of top notch Blogging. ‘The Hook and Sling’ never fails to deliver and has been a favourite of mine for information during the last two years.

‘Give a Damn’ is a collection of 45’s, apart from Mancini’s cool version of ‘Green Onions’, put together whilst enjoying a good few beers, so it became a lot longer and more self indulgent than intended!!! I could say that all the beer drinking was in celebration of Mr Double Down’s anniversary but that would be a blatant lie!! Truth is I had the house to myself and the music blaring.

Hope you enjoy the tunes and keep up the good work Mr D.D.

Tony C”

Track List

Henry Mancini - Green Onions - RCA

Bobby Darin - Nature Boy - London

Quincy Jones - Comin’ Home - Mercury

Peggy Lee - Spinning Wheel - Capitol

Lou Rawls - When Love Goes Wrong - Capitol

Frank D’Rone - Think I Will - Cadet

The Internationals - Give A Damn - D’ar Records

Ray Pereira - Funk Everything - Columbia

Wes - Crazy - Durium

Sammy Lee - It Hurts Me - Rampart

Roy Lee Johnson - Boogaloo Number 3 - Josie

Jay Jordan - If It Wasn’t For Love - Verve

The Emperors - My Baby Like To Boogaloo - Mala

Ross.D.Wyllie - Do The Uptight - Festival

Lonnette - Stop - M-S

Jimmy Norman - Gangster Of Love - Josie

Junior And The Classics - Kill The Pain - Magic Touch

Towanda Barnes - You Better Find Someone To Love - A.M

Billy Joe Young - The Push - Jewel

Leo Valentine Trio - Behind The Outhouse - Camelia

Jimmy Holiday - Love Me One More Time - Diplomacy

Little Richard - Lucille - Speciality

Johnny Kidd - Shakin’ All Over - H.M.V

Pete Bennett And The Embers - Fever - Sunset

Ray Sharpe - Help Me - Atco

Cozy Cole - Play Cozy Play - King

Bobby Bland - Honey Child - Duke

McKinley Travis - Get Yourself Together - Soultown

Download Tony C Presents Give A Damn HERE

I hope listening to Ed Meme’s fantastic Guest Mix from last week has prompted those amongst you within travelling distance to pen the dates for The Hook & Sling Soul Weekender into your diaries? You should also check out The Impellers new LP, ‘Robot Legs’ HERE if you haven’t already done so yet.

Before we get down to the business of providing you with a brand new dose of the ‘Good Stuff’, I’d like to prompt the lesser eagle eyed visitors amongst you into taking a quick moment to check out the shiny new Twitter account we’ve just opened. Regular alerts should (if the technology Gods allow us) be displayed in the Twitter-doobrie-box-thingy in the right hand side bar. Check the box out or follow us HERE. We’ll be posting site updates as well as a few little extra mini downloads to fill all your soulful Twitter needs. Just how down with the kids are we!!!

So, after a fantastic run of Guest Mixes on the site I felt is was time we made some sort of conscious effort to drop a new mix of our own on you. A couple of weeks back you may remember that The Popcorn King filled the Hoppin’ John sized gap at our monthly night back in September. Before heading down to the venue we joined forces back at Hook & Sling HQ to put a new joint mix together for you.

The result is a tidy soul outing that clocks in at just around 25 minutes. All the tracks included herein are (obviously!!) fantastic but I wanted to draw both your attention and your ears to a few of them.

The two picture sleeves, from both Otis Redding, a German Atlantic issue and Sam Cooke, an English RCA issue are both aesthetically as well as musically pleasing! So much so I thought I’d include a quick picture for you! Great examples of the sort of picture sleeves I’m a total sucker for!

The Popcorn King chips in with, amongst others, ‘I’m A Good Woman’ from Barbara Lynn, a serious slice of sister funk that is simply unbeatable!

So turn the volume up on the listening device of your choice, sit back and enjoy. I’ll be back here shortly with something special for you!

Track List

Mr Double Down

Lee Dorsey - Yes We Can Pt1 - Polydor

The Pointer Sisters - Yes We Can Can - Blue Thumb Records

The Popcorn King

Chuck Wood - I’ve Got My Lovelight Shining - Big T

The Parliaments - Don’t Be Sore At Me - Revilot

Mr Double Down

Otis Redding - Sweet Lorene - Atlantic Records

Edwin Starr - Headline News - Polydor

The Popcorn King

Barbara Lynn - I’m A Good Woman - Tribe Records

Bud Harper - Whenever You Were - Duke

Mr Double Down

Ray Charles - Never Had Enough Of Nothing Yet - Stateside

Sam Cooke - Soothe Me - RCA Records

Download The Popcorn King & Mr Double Down Present Can We Get A Soul Clap? HERE

I hope you’re all well and managed to catch last weeks fantastic guest mix from Larry Grogan? It’s been on constant rotation here at Hook & Sling HQ, as have the other frankly brilliant guest contributions from the last few weeks! We’re not done just yet though so hold tight!

Apologies for the unplanned downtime for some of the downloads, the extra traffic over the last few weeks has caused one of my DivShare accounts to max out! This should be back on track in a few days, in the meantime if there are any particular files you are desperate to get your hands on you can always contact me and I will do my best to help!

A short while back I mentioned that I had been working on something special and things seem to have come together enough to let you all in on the loop! We have finally put all the details together and have joined forces with Brighton based funk giants, The Impellers to put on our first Hook and Sling Soul Weekender! Anyone unfamiliar with the band should proceed immediately HERE to listen to them via the player on their MySpace page.

It’s a little way off at the moment but these things always creep up pretty quickly! Friday 5th February 2010 will see us supporting The Impellers at our new haunt The Vestry in Chichester, West Sussex. The weekend continues with our usual monthly offering of Funk and Soul 45s on Saturday 6th February 2010, joining us as special guest DJ will be Ed Meme, the guitarist and writer from The Impellers. Sunday 7th February 2010 will see us hosting a soul all-dayer, kicking off at 12pm and going on through till the early evening. Special Guest DJ’s for the Sunday include Eddie Stenner, the man behind the fantastic Sussex By The Sea Soul nights. I’m also working on a few other guests for the weekend which will be announced once they are confirmed.

We’re all incredibly excited about this so pen those dates into your spanky brand new diaries for 2010 because this should be a great weekend!

That makes a nice segue into today’s guest mix! Whilst arranging the forthcoming Weekender I managed to persuade Ed Meme to take some time out from his extremely busy schedule and lay down a new guest mix for us here! The result is just over 45 minutes of solid goodness!

Those of you residing on the South Coast of England can catch Ed Meme spinning the platters that matter at his monthly night, Sweat Shop in Brighton. The night is on a brief hiatus at the moment but check the website for forthcoming dates as they appear.

So here we go with another storming guest selection. Ladies and Gentlemen, give it up for the one and only Ed Meme…..

Greetings one, greetings all.

My name is Ed Meme from The Impellers on Freestyle Records.

I was very honoured indeed to be asked by The Hook & Sling to do this mix and spent a ludicrous amount of time working out what I was going to put on here.

So in the end I went for some tracks I’ve been playing out for ages which are huge favourites of mine; some new stuff which has caught my ear recently; and finally some tracks which have inspired me in writing for our recent album ‘Robot Legs’.

Hope it pushes the right buttons for you.

Cheers,

Ed Meme - The Impellers

Track List

Wee Willie & The Winners – Wipe Your Feet & Dance (Mercury)

The Bar Kays – Knucklehead (Volt)

Georgie Fame – Somebody Stole my Thunder (Stardust)

The Cal Jenkins Review – The Cut Off (Kef Records)

The Impellers – Ed Meme’s Super Soul Boogalootion (Freestyle)

The Fatback Band – I Gotta Learn How to Dance (Polydor)

Eli “Paperboy” Reed – It’s Easier (Q-Dee)

The Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band – Pimp (Mocambo)

Ray Barretto – Hard Hands (Fania)

Ray Camacho & The Teardrops – Let’s Boogie (Freestyle)

Baby Charles – Back of My Hand (Record Kicks)

Bobby Byrd – I Need Help (I Can’t Do it Alone) Pt.1 (King)

Count Sidney & His Jukes – Do Your Stuff (Goldband)

Ian Dury & The Blockheads – Wake Up & Make Love With Me (Stiff Records)

The Supremes & The Four Tops – Love the One You’re With (Motown)

Download Ed Meme’s Mixed Platter HERE

First up a huge thank you to everyone who turned out for last Saturdays Hook & Sling at The Vestry. It was a fantastic night and hats off to The Popcorn King, who stepped in and helped to whip the dance floor up into a full on frenzy!!

More photos from the night can be found by clicking the GALLERY tab at the top of the page. We return to The Vestry on Saturday 7th November for another funk fueled dose of the good stuff!

So we continue with our on-going Guest Mix series and after the frankly astounding mix from Anatoly Ice, there was really only one man I could call on to drop another well rounded dose of the ‘Good Stuff’.

Those of you that frequent the ‘Blogosphere’ regularly will no doubt of heard of Larry Grogan and his wonderfully informative Funky16Corners blog. I will be the first to say that I’ve spent many an hour frantically tracking down certain 45s that Mr Grogan has been kind enough to share and bring to my attention (a new highly contagious illness which I’ve named Groganitis!). I’m sure that I’m not the first and certainly won’t be the last!

And that after all folks is surely what all this is about isn’t it? Giving some of the artists who didn’t get the recognition they deserve first time around a new audience is a reason in itself just why we need more people like Larry to help keep this small musical scene of ours healthy!

A swift Indiana Jones-esque dig back through the archives will reveal not ONE but TWO previous Guest Mixes from The Funky16Corners camp for your aural delectation. Today’s offering from Larry stands up nicely along side both and certainly ticks all the required boxes.

Ladies and Gentlemen, without further ado, I give you the one and only Larry Grogan…..

“Greetings all.

What you see (and hear) before you is a little something I put together to help celebrate the anniversary of The Hook and Sling Blog. I usually say that I show my love for other blogs via the links in the sidebar at Funky16Corners, but every once in a while I go a step further by working up a guest mix.

This is my way of saying that I really dig what someone else is whipping into the blog-o-mosphere. The fellas at The Hook and Sling have show over the last few years that their love of the music, and their taste in the selection thereof is first rate.

When they asked me to work up a mix, I dipped into the archives and pulled out several of my favourite mid-tempo funkers. Not that you couldn’t dance to these tunes of you were so inclined, but at least from my side of things I like to think of all these 45s as head-nodders of the first order. You may also feel like tapping your feet, but when I put on a song like ‘Going To See My Baby’ by The Fatback Band (especially in the car) the pulse of the rhythm is manifested mainly from the neck up (ears included).

The whole thing clocks in at just over a half hour, just enough to let the groove grab you, take you for a little ride and then drop you back into the “real” world (as it is) safe and sound and ready to dip into one of the other flavours in your own crates, be they actual or digital. As always, I hope you dig it, and take the time to raise a pint to the good folks at The Hook and Sling.

Peace

Larry”

Track List

Brian Auger/Julie Driscoll - Tramp (Polydor)

Average White Band - TLC (MCA)

Big John Hamilton - Big Fanny (SSS Intl)

Society’s Bag - Let It Crawl (WB)

Fatback Band - Going to See My Baby (Perception)

Fred Wesley & the JBs - Everybody Got Soul (People)

A.A.B.B. - Pick Up the Pieces One By One (Identify)

Monk Higgings - Gotta be Funky (UA)

Download Larry Grogan’s TLC Guest Mix HERE

First up , I’d like to give a big shout out to everyone who dropped by and offered their support on our 2 year anniversary! Your comments and emails mean a lot , Thank You!

So, the end of the week rolls in once more and with it comes the return of our monthly night this Saturday! I‘ve been looking forward to this since last month, as the response we have received since moving venues to The Vestry has been truly fantastic. This time around will see The Popcorn King stepping up to the plate and joining me in the unavoidable absence of Hoppin’ John. This is certainly no bad thing as The Popcorn King’s crates run deep! We’ll be kicking things off on Saturday 3rd October from 7.30pm, so if you’re in the area come down and join us!

So after the blistering Guest Mix from Vincent The Soul Chef earlier in the week, I return here with something that I promise is going to get your respective weekends off on the good foot!

Joining us today is Anatoly Ice, a brand new guest contributor all the way from Russia. Aside from his awesome record collection , he has some seriously tight mixing skills in amongst his bag of tricks! I’m not joking when I say the bar has been well and truly raised from now on!

Ladies and Gentlemen give it up for the one and only Anatoly Ice……

“My name is Anatoly Ice. I am a DJ, 45s addicted record collector, promoter, beat digger and music lover from Moscow, Russia. This is my mixture of various beats & breaks, funk & soul from all over the world. All records are original 45s except of few, which are 12″s from Poland.

This mix represents how I play records at my parties. If you like it and somehow appear in Moscow, then you can catch me at The Cult Club where every Saturday I carefully construct segments of the Funk 45s, Soul tracks, Hip-Hop beats, Breaks, Afro, Latin and Brazilian grooves together at my Funk & Beyond parties. It’s an awesome venue with a fantastic crowd and even better music. Come and say Hi!

More information can be found at http://www.myspace.com/iceboundproject or on my website http://anatolyice.ru (Russian)”

Anatoly Ice

Track List

Jason & Pam – Soul Train (Instrumental) [Happy Fox]

Charlotte Bailey – Bang, Bang (instrumental) [Flower’s]

Little Richard – Green Power [Reprise]

New World – Help The Man [Polydor]

Phillip Mitchell – If We Get Caught, I Don’t Know You [Event]

Leroy Hutson – All Because Of You [Curtom]

Bemibem – Kolorowe Lato [Muza]

Novi Singers – Oh Woman [Muza]

Inell Young – What Do You See In Her [Libra]

Rhetta Hughes – You’re Doing It With Her [Tetragrammaton]

Bobby Bland – I’m So Tired [Duke]

Syl Johnson – Don’t Give It Away [Twinight]

The Barons Ltd. – Making It Better [Chimneyville]

Norris Vines & The Luvlines – Give In [’77 Dynamite]

David Ruffin – No Matter Where [Motown]

Mary Jane Hooper – I’ve Got Reasons [Power-Pac]

Ann Peebles – Somebody’s On Your Case [Hi]

James Brown – The Boss [Polydor]

Ginette Reno – Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood [Decca]

The Marvels – Rock Steady [Pama]

Malcolm Hayes – You Made The Rain fall Down [TA]

Skip Mahoney & The Casuals – Town Called Nowhere [DC International]

The Soul Controllers – I Ain’t Lyin’ [Eaton’s Pub. Co.]

David Batiste & The Gladiators – Funky Soul [Instant]

The Bamboos – Eel Oil [Bamboo Shack]

Ray & The Corrupters – Soul Explosion [Rampage]

John Paul – I’m A Bad Sun-Of-A-Gun [Philips]

Download Anatoly Ice - A Little Bit Of Funk & Beyond (A Guest Mix For The Hook & Sling) HERE

I can’t quite believe it’s been this long, but as I write this it’s been two years and a touch just over 80,000 hits since the conception of The Hook & Sling blog / podcast!!

As I’ve mentioned here before, I originally started this as a promotional tool for our monthly Funk and Soul nights, which incidently are well over 10 years in the running in one form or another! After realising that just posting our flyers up wasn’t going to cut the mustard, I set about recording a couple of mixes and composed my first article. The pleasure that came from reading your comments and realising that there were other like minded individuals out there pushed me on into investing more of my time and efforts into the blog, and as they say, the rest is (a short two year long) history!

Along the way I’ve had the pleasure of making many good friends through here. The level of support we’ve received has been truly astounding and something I never imagined would come from participating in something like this!

Whilst trying to decide how to a mark the occasion I thought I’d revisit the ongoing Guest Mix series as a way of giving a little nod back to those amongst you who have my respect and have inspired me.

So first up to the plate is the legendary Vincent The Soul Chef of Fufu Stew fame. Vincent’s offerings here have always hit the spot and today’s is definitely no exception!

So before I go I want to thank each and everyone of you (especially Vincent for his contribution) who have visited this tiny corner of the Internet!

Stay safe enjoy the mighty Soul Chef. I’ll be back here shortly as we stride on into our third year (chalk it up!) with some more of the good stuff for you all.”

Mr Double Down

“Hello, kiddies…

…and a happy second anniversary to the mighty Hook and Sling team! Ever since I first discovered this corner of the blogosphere, I knew that this was something special. Two years later, and the hosts show no signs of slowing down. Keep up the tremendous job, gents.

Now, on to the business of delivering another plate full of 45 rpm goodness. This time around, I went for a sweeter soul sound. I have to admit, the Northern Soul phenomenon has always perplexed me. Why do they call it such?.. that’s been a burning question lodged somewhere in the back of my mind for years. Is it a particular sound that these records make? Is it the geography? Just what is it that qualifies a record to be branded as Northern Soul? Well, Mr. Double Down helped to make it just a little clearer for me a few weeks ago.

With that newfound knowledge firmly in my grasp, I proceeded to the record boxes and plucked a few chestnuts for your dining and dancing pleasure. Some of these records I’ve had for years, but I never played them until I put together this mix. Big props to the UK contingent for keeping this sound alive and well when it seemed that it was all but dead here in the States.

I’m gonna go on a whim here and ask you, DD… did I pass?

Track List

01 Do Do Do Bah Ah - Bert Keyes (Clock) A lovely way to open…

02 I Get The Sweetest Feeling - Jackie Wilson (Brunswick) When I first heard this one on a guest mix done by my hero, I was reminded that I had a copy in my box for years but I never played it. Now I can’t stop playing it! Thanks as always Larry.

03 I Can Feel The Ice Melting - The Parliaments (Revilot) Here’s the flip side of (I Wanna) Testify. The vibraphone stings are a tell tale sign that this is a textbook example of the Detroit sound, but wasn’t George Clinton born in North Carolina???

04 Hide Nor Hair - Earl Grant (Decca) This is one that you have to call a stormer, a stomper, a cracker… whatever you call it, I call it a fantastic side. According to John Manship, I got this one at roughly a 64 dollar savings! I must give thanks to the gentleman that runs the corner store (Now and Then Records here in beautiful downtown Arbutus) for having this one buried away in a dusty box, and selling it to me for a buck…

05 The Manhattan Stomp - The Manhattans (Carnival)

06 Cleo’s Back - Jr. Walker & The All Stars (Soul) I couldn’t ignore Hitsville USA, not for a minute. This one here is a favourite of mine that made its way to my Talking Loud And Saying Nothing trilogy. One of those is featured right here…

07 A Song Called Soul - Gene Chandler (Constellation) Self explanatory, complete with that “Do Do Do Bah Ah” hook which I suspect is another tell tale sign of a Northern Soul record…

08 Y’awll - Maskman And The Agents (Dynamo) I always love hearing this group’s comedy-laced sides, but this here is another fine example taken from the Northern Soul textbook.

09 Dinky Doo - Eddie Bo (Ric) I bought this one clearly on the strength of the name, but I was surprised when I didn’t hear the signature New Orleans funk. I was even more surprised how well this track fit in the mix, so here you go.

10 Back Street (Instrumental)(Ric Tic) Apparently it was common practice to put instros on the B sides of selected Ric Tic records… with that in mind, sing along with Edwin Starr!

11 I Never Had A Love Like Yours - Act 1 (Spring) Here’s one that lay dormant in the crates for years… shame, shame, chef!

12 Breaking Down the Walls Of Heartache - The Bandwagon (Epic) I was happy to find this original some five years back, since the first version I heard was performed by Dexys Midnight Runners during their “Mod” phase.

13 I Still Love You - The Superlatives (Up-Tite) I’m not too sure about this one. I do know that it has to be the same Superlatives that released that monster 45 for Westbound. I would suspect that this is a slightly later release.

14 Monkey Spanner - Dave And Ansell Collins (Big Tree) A bit more “Mod” for this next one. The first time I played it, I immediately thought to myself… “ONE STEP BEYONNNNNNNND!” See if you can figure out why.

15 Snatchin’ Back - Calvin Arnold (Virtue) Here’s the flip side of “Funky Way” that we all know and love so well, but this slab of Philly Soul has some definite Motown influence.

16 Talkin’ ‘Bout My Friends - A.C. Reed (Nike) Here’s the vocal version of “Boogaloo Tramp”…

17 Showtime (Instrumental)(Ric Tic) Sing along with the Detroit Emeralds!

18 Hallways Of My Mind - The Dells (Cadet) Here’s one of the late Charles Stepney’s finest productions ever!

19 Bo Time - The Mar Keys (Stax) This one sounds quite similar to the Jr. Walker track. I wonder who should really get the credit.

20 Time Can Change A Love - Cindy Scott (Veep)

21 Kansas City Woman - Bennie Gordon & The Soul Brothers (Enrica)

22 Standing In The Shadows Of Love - Four Tops (Motown) If I had to put one Motown 45 in a time capsule, it would be this one, no question. Those Funk Brothers really put the hurt on this standard.

23 Somebody Done Took My Baby And Gone - Joey Gilmore (Phil LA Of Soul) I bought this one about two years ago on the strength of the label, but I was surprised to find that the A side was featured on a Miami Funk comp… While this side does have some recognisable Miami elements, it still fits the bill nicely.

24 Waitin’ For The Rain - The Fantastic Johnny C (Phil LA Of Soul)

25 I Had A Good Thing And I Blew It - Al Thomas (Virtue) Here’s one of two pretty rare Philly sides from the Virtue studios that I picked up from the Guru back in the spring.

26 Do The Train - Willis Wooten Ork (Virtue) This one doesn’t come cheap, but Funkadelphia Records has a great comp available called “The Philly Sound Get Down” that features this track along with over 20 other rarities and alternate takes. You really should pick up a copy at your favourite download store…

27 Doin’ The Choo Choo - Archie Bell & The Drells (Atlantic) Let’s stay on the train just a bit longer.

28 Old Man Soul Parts 1&2 - The Implements (Loma) E-I-E-I-O…

Please download and enjoy this special 45 rpm exercise, a 93MB zip file HERE

As always, it’s been my pleasure. I lift my glass to you, Double Down and Hoppin John, for many more years of Hookin’ and Slingin’! Thanks for letting me come along for the ride. Have fun(k), and as always, please be safe.”

Vincent The Soul Chef

Time to drop out of the seemingly endless rat race and hit you up again with some more of the good stuff!

Time is a very precious commodity for me at the moment! Along with ongoing work commitments, I also have several ‘irons’ warming up nicely in the fire! I’m currently in the process of organising something very special with regards to both the monthly night, as well as the Blog / Podcast so be patient, sit tight and all will be revealed shortly!

In the meantime, I thought I’d resort to dropping a mini compilation for you containing a few tunes that are keeping me sane and grounded at the moment!

The Five Royales – Right Around The Corner

Frank “Sugarchile” Robinson – Numbers Boogie

Next up, kickin’ it on the ivories is Frank “SugarChile” Robinson, the child prodigy from Detroit, Michigan. He was musically competent by the age of two and by the age of six, performed ‘Caldonia’ in the movie ‘No Leave, No Love’ (See video clip below).

By the age of nine he had made it to No 4 on the R&B Billboard charts with ‘Numbers Boogie’. Check the FOR YOU EYES ONLY tab at the top of the page for more video clips of SugarChile

Betty Harris – Ride Your Pony

Lightnin’ Hopkins – Ball Of Twine

The Swan Silvertones – Oh Mary Don’t You Weep

Unlike the scrotum kicking track that I featured by The Swan Silvertones a while back HERE, this is a slightly more grass roots gospel affair. Don’t be fooled by the low quality recording as this is a real builder full to the brim with soulful goodness!

Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Band - Your Love (Means Everything To Me)

Bill Thomas & The Fendells – Southern Fried Chicken

I have to raise my grubby mitts up and say I know very little about this one. When I say very little, I actually mean nothing, as apart from a few mentions in various play lists it is pretty much un-google-able! However once you pull down the digits and have a listen I’m sure you’ll agree with me this is a top tune! “Dig This!!”

Download a ZIP file containing all seven tracks HERE

That should tide you over until my (hopefully) swift return here. A quick heads up, as in addition to our regular monthly Hook & Sling outing on Saturday 3rd October featuring The Popcorn King, both Myself and Hoppin’ John will be airing the 45s for a quick mid week warm up at The Vestry in Chichester, West Sussex on Tuesday 29th September. If you’re about, come down and join us for the usual soulful shenanigans!

I hope you enjoyed the double offering from both Hoppin’ John and myself last week?

Before we get into today’s slice of goodness, I’d like to hip you towards a band that I accidentally stumbled across last weekend. Sunday morning found me wandering the various street markets in London’s East End, trying miserably to kick the monstrous hangover I had (un)cleverly acquired whilst guest DJing at Bump & Hustle the previous evening. As I headed up towards Spitalfields Market, I passed the Vibe Bar, where they were hosting The Brick Lane Music Festival in the grounds outside. I’m a sucker for some good sounding horns, so I dropped in to see what the score was.

The Hackney Colliery Band, a local 9 piece brass band (with two drummers to boot!) were tearing up the stage with some tight punchy playing. Dropping in a mix of Hip Hop, funk, soul and some off the wall Jazz styled solos. They were an incredibly refreshing change to some of the run of the mill, pork pie hat and skinny jeans wearing Indie blah-ness (yes that is a proper descriptive term, look it up!) that you hear a lot these days.

You can catch them playing the following gigs below:

Check out the videos below (especially their cover of ‘War’ by The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and drop by the bands website HERE to check out some more goodness.

So onto business and today’s 45 is one that that has taken me some time to finally acquire!

Al Trahan’s ‘Can I Feel It’ comes out of the funk strong hold that is Beaumont, Texas. This appears to be the final release on The Spindletop Label. Although it was released in 1976, the cut has a much earlier feel due to its bare bones make up. It’s 100% wha-wah guitar, bass and drums, with Al Trahan’s powerful vocals and screams making it a definite must have 45.

I dropped this at our last Hook & Sling monthly night and it was the musical equivalent of throwing petrol on a fire, with the dance floor exploding into a frenzy!! Tricky to pick up but not entirely impossible if you’re swift off the mark! This generally goes for three figures, but I’m sure after a quick listen you’ll agree it’s worth every single penny!

Download Al Trahan – Can I Feel It – Spindletop Records HERE

I hope you all enjoyed my Put ‘Em Up Mix from Monday?

Today is somewhat of a double edged sword, as my soulful co-pilot, Hoppin’ John takes the reigns here at The Hook & Sling with a brand new mix for you. You can catch me dropping a new Guest mix over at Dang! Radio, the excellent eclectic radio podcast run by Wil Grace AKA Pookie Wonder. I’ve put together just over 90 minutes of soulful goodness for him entitled, Got Skills? (An All 45 Excursion). So once you’ve finished here, head there for second helpings! Enjoy today’s mixes, stay safe and I’ll catch you back here shortly!

Mr Double Down

“They do say the best things come to those who wait and hopefully this mix will be no different. Admittedly my own contributions to this site recently have been threadbare, if not non-existent over the recent months. So hopefully this mix will be the start of a regular monthly update as to what’s hot and what’s getting heavy rotations on my 1210’s.

The frenetic dance floor action and excellent turnout last Saturday night saw me playing the majority of these tracks at The Vestry, along with the regular 45 groovers and floor fillers.

So sit back, take the phone off the hook and enjoy. Hopefully I’ll be back soon!”

Hoppin’ John

Track List

The Pazant Brothers – Skunk Juice – RCA Victor

Moody Scott – A Man In Need (Is A Fool Indeed) – Soud Stage 7

Johnny Truitt – No Sad Times – Soul Unlimited

Weston Prim – Get That Feelin’ – Brent

The Apostles – Six Pack – Kapp

Johnny Moore – Haven’t I Been Good To You – Wand

Bobby D. Husband – Man’s Best Friend – Mid-Way Records

Rhetta Hughes – You’re Doing It With Her (When It Should Be Me) – Tetragrammaton Records

Sugar Pie Desanto – Go Go Power – Checker

Billy Wade And The 3rd Degree – Tear It Up Pt1 – ABC Records

The Charmels – As Long As I’ve Got You - Volt

Download Hoppin’ John Presents Go Go Power HERE

I hope your weekend was an enjoyable one?

I’ve just about recovered from Saturday which saw the re-launch of our monthly funk and soul night at The Vestry in Chichester, West Sussex. With it being a brand new venue to us, we were a little nervous in the run up, as we went about ironing out all the small problems that went with the restart!

We set up and waited anxiously for the crowd to show and we certainly weren’t disappointed!! The turnout by far and away exceeded our expectations. By the middle of the night the door staff had decided it was a one in one out policy!! The crowd were extremely receptive to the 45s we dropped and I’m already looking forward to the next outing on Saturday 3rd October so we can keep the momentum going!

I’d also like to give a big shout out to Lewis, Ash, Ben and Mike the friendly soundman, as well as all The Bar Staff. Everyone chipped in and helped us make the first night there a huge success. Thank you!

Click on the GALLERY tab at the top of the page for more photos from Saturday night.

So onto business! As I mentioned in my previous post I have recently had some well earned time away from ‘The Coal Face’. This has given me some extra time to sort through the piles of 45s that I’ve recently acquired and put them together for forthcoming mixes here!

Today’s selection is another veritable mixed bag for you. Pay particular attention to the Bobby Powell 45 which is a great little groover and also The Ambassadors cut which has been a long time want of mine that I’ve just finally got around to scoring!

For those of you in the London area this coming weekend, I’ll be joining Jamie Coughlan as a guest DJ at his ongoing night, Bump & Hustle at The Elbow Room in Shoreditch, East London. Guaranteed good times as always, so don’t sleep on it!

Enjoy the new mix, stay safe and I’ll be back here shortly with some more of ‘The Good Stuff’ for you!

Track List

Funkadelic - Music For My Mother - Westbound Records

Bobby Powell - Thank You - Whit

Warren Lee - Climb The Ladder - Deesu

The Meters - (The World Is A Bit Under The Weather) Doodle Oop - Josie

Gladys Knight & The Pips - The Nitty Gritty - Soul

Derek Martin - Moving Hands Of Time - Buttercup Records

The Ambassadors - I’m So Proud Of My Baby - Atlantic

The Pilgrim Travellers - Hold On – Specialty

Download Mr Double Down Presents Put ‘Em Up HERE

Apologies for the delay in returning here, but I’ve been enjoying some well earned rest away from ‘The Coal Face’. While this is all well and good, a lack of a convienient internet connection coupled with several outstanding plans and commitments seem to have slowed down things here to a near crawl.

Another main contributing factor towards my tardiness was that my birthday coincided with the extended Bank Holiday Weekend. Several of us headed along the coast to Brighton for the long awaited Northern Soul All-Nighter, Brighton Got Soul! at The Komedia.

With a line-up including the likes of Ginger Taylor, Keb Darge (who strangely didn’t show on the night??) and others spinning rare Northern Soul, the event turned out to be a highly enjoyable evening stroke morning! Ginger Taylor totally ripped it up and I’d highly urge anyone to catch him if he plays anywhere near you! So having (just about) recovered, I felt it was time to hit you all up with some long over due goodness!

This coming Saturday 5th September sees the return of our monthly Hook & Sling Funk and Soul outing at our brand new venue, The Vestry in Chichester, West Sussex. We’ve been out of the game for the last couple of months, taking a little while away to regroup, but hopefully with ‘The Big Record Dealer In The Sky’ permitting we should be back stronger than ever with a couple of fresh twists thrown in for good measure!

In preperation for our return I hooked up with Hoppin’ John to cross the T’s and dot all the outstanding I’s. Over a couple of beers we caught up on each others new purchases and aquisitions, and in the process even manged to lay down a couple of new mixes for here!

This joint collaboration is a nice mixed bag of funk and soul 45’s, so hopefully there will be something in amongst there that catches your ear. Enjoy today’s offering and we look forward to seeing those of you that are close enough joining us this Saturday, hopefully with your best dancing shoes in tow!

Track List

Hoppin’ John

The Mad Men - Do The African Twist Pt 1 - Gamble Records

Cymande - Brothers On The Slide - Contempo

Mr Double Down

Dyke And The Blazers - Don’t Bug Me - Original Sound

Johnnie Morrisette - Brick - Convoy Records

Hoppin’ John

Soul Survivors - Expressway To Your Heart - Stateside

Black Haze Express - Won’t Nobody Listen - Clintone Records

Mr Double Down

The Ambassadors - (I’ve Got To Find) Happiness - Atlantic

The Impalas - I Still Love You - Bunky

Hoppin’ John

Johnny Copeland And His Soul Agents - Soul Power - Zephyr Records

Donnie Jacobs - Proud Man - Maison De Soul

Robert Parker - Funky Soul Train - Nola

Mr Double Down

Bob & Gene - I Gotta Find A Way - Mo-Do

Download Hoppin’ John & Mr Double Down Present Just Stop Frontin’ HERE

After a few days tidying away some loose ends I return here with something very special for you all!

Occasionally whilst collecting records I tend to focus on and imerse myself in certain time periods and sounds which can sometimes lead to me overlooking some of the newer releases. A short while back I was contacted by ’Lady’ Clair, the vocalist for the South Coast based funk outfit, The Impellers, a band who recently signed to Freestyle records not too long ago. She hipped me (rather thankfully) towards the bands stunning new 45, ‘How Am I?’ which is taken from their new LP, ‘Robot Legs’

Having missed the boat with the release of this one originally, I checked it out over at the Freestyle Records website, a quick listen later and I was scrambling around the Interwebs trying to secure a copy of my own! I have to say it’s one of the fullest sounding as well as freshest releases on the funk scene that I’ve heard in a very long while!

The Impellers are a nine piece outfit plus guests (including Snowboy), led by Glenn Fallows AKA Ed Meme on Guitar and Hammond. Glenn not only provides the backbone to the band but also writes and arranges the bands impressive tracks. The bassist, Alex Berry, Drummer, Will Stanley and Guitarist, Barry ‘Impact’ Lalane make up the rest of the rhythm section. The Impellers astoundingly tight and full sounding Horn section comprises of Tom Humphries and Chris Evans-Roberts on Sax, Gram Canyon on Trombone and Mark Yexley on Trumpet. Rounding things up are the sassy vocals of ‘Lady’ Clair Witcher, who delivers with some real conviction!

The Impellers are already making huge waves on the scene, having been featured on the BBC 6 Craig Charles Funk & Soul Radio Show, as well as catching the attention of Mark Lammar, Snowboy and legendary Sister funk compiler and collecter, Ian Wright.

The group have a few upcoming dates (below) and have also been snapped up to play several times during The Beach Down Festival in Brighton, so if your in the area over the Bank Holiday Weekend head down and catch them!

Within the small Funk and Soul scene there are many notable acts and individual artists who all keep the fires burning with some solid 45s and Lps. Speedometer, Lee Fields, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, The New Master Sounds and The Bamboos are just a few of those and IMHO The Impellers more than hold their own against these and other artists. If the calibre and quality of their future releases are anything near the likes of ‘How Am I? Then I don’t doubt for one minute that theirs will be a name you will be hearing again in the future!

Please support these newer artists by buying their 45s and LPs as they are the ones who are pushing this genre of music forward to a new generation of ears.

Pick up The Impellers New LP, Robot Legs from itunes HERE or on lovely vinyl HERE

Before I go I want to drop (yet) another gentle reminder about our forthcoming Funk & Soul night. Having returned from our brief hiatus, we’ll be taking over our new venue,The Vestry in Chichester, West Sussex for the return of The Hook & Sling on Saturday 5th September 2009. We’ve already had some strong interest in this one, so dont sleep on it!

Enjoy todays 45 and I’ll be back here shortly with some more of the good stuff.

Download The Impellers - How Am I? - Freestyle Records HERE

I hope all is well at your end as we roll steadily towards mid-week? Now I have a fully functioning laptop again I’ve been busy working on several mixes, guest posts and articles that I’ve had planned and in the pipeline for a while now.

It’s been my aim to get another contribution from extended Hook & Sling family member, The Popcorn King for a while now. After some gentle arm twisting, I finally persuaded him to make the short journey across town to lay down a new joint mix with me.

Now those of you who have taken the time to delve into the ever-growing back catalogue of posts here, will no doubt at some point have come across a mix or two by The Popcorn King. A self professed ‘Sister Funk’ fanatic and Stax Records completist. Ask him matter of factly if he’s bought any new 45s lately and you’ll always get something back along the lines of “Nah, nothing special”, which evidently always turns out to be something the exact opposite of “nothing special”, as was the case with today’s selections. I can testify that my wants list have swelled some what significantly since recording this mix!

So right down to the real nitty gritty (A la Shirley Ellis), and today’s 45s are a nice across the board selection, with most bases covered. Watch out for a few curve balls from The Popcorn King, with both the Gloria Bouschell and King Coleman 45s being real head turners IMHO.

Enjoy today’s mix and before you go make sure you check out the updated FOR YOUR EYES ONLY tab at the top of the page for some more of the good stuff!

Track List

Mr Double Down

Mark III Trio - Good Grease - Wingate

Naomi Shelton Featuring Cliff Driver - Talkin’ About A Good Thing - Daptone / Desco

The Popcorn King

The T.S.U. Toronados - Play The Music Toronados - Volt

Gloria Bouschell - Find Yourself Another Man - Mercury

Mr Double Down

Niece Dezel - It Doesn’t Matter - J & S Records

Maceo And The Macks - Boogie ‘N’Twist - People

The Popcorn King

David Baptiste And The Gladiators - Funky Soul Pt1 -Soulin’

The New Apocalypse - Stainless Soul - MTA Records

Mr Double Down

The Mixed Emotions - Can You Feel The Funk Pt2 - Rock-Way

Bill Cosby - Little Ole Man (Uptight Everything Is Alright) - Warner Brothers Records

The Popcorn King

King Coleman - The Boo Boo Song Pt1 - King

The Magics - Let’s Boogaloo - R.F.A. Records

Mr Double Down

The Aristocratics Organization - Don’t Go - Now-Again

The Show Stoppers - Eeny Meeny - M.G.M.

The Popcorn King

Ruby Johnson - Keep On Keeping On - Volt

Jay And The Techniques - Here We Go Again - Smash

Download The Popcorn King & Mr Double Down Present The Low Down Mix HERE

With the dust from the last couple of hectic weeks finally beginning to settle, I thought I’d return here with a new mix for you. Having spent the past week or so either away from home or steeped up to my neck in ongoing work commitments, it has been great to finally get back and continue sifting through the ever growing piles of unsorted 45s I seem to have accumulated over the previous month and a half.

I’ve also just about managed to suss out the basic workings of Audacity, ironing out the few gremlins and teething troubles associated with a new laptop, so after pulling out a few 45s last night I dived in and pieced this together. This is bit of a mixed bag so I hope you find something that ticks a box or prompts you to dig a little deeper.

Kicking off proceedings is Mighty Sam with this 1966 R&B stonker on the Andee Records label. Originally born Sam McClain and hailing from Monroe, North Louisiana, ‘Fannie Mae’ was his second solo release. While he never had any huge success as a recording artist, one listen will reveal an extremely talented and strong vocalist.

Continuing along the gritty R&B trail is Johnnie Morrisette and ‘Brick’, a track that always raises a smile on my face due to its comical lyrics. I assume this is the same Johnnie Morrisette who went onto produce the brilliant Deep Funk cut ‘I’m Hungry’, a 45 which incidentally I would sell my family for, in order to get hold of an OG copy in my grubby little mitts! (sorry!)

Robert Parker is yet another Hook & Sling favourite and I always pick up his 45s as and when I come across them. ‘Tip Toe’ was scored during my recent trip to Manchester, and was definately a very welcome addition to the crates.

Whilst self penned by Parker, the track is produced and arranged by the legendary Wardell Quezergue, who released it on his own NOLA record label in 1966. Top stuff I’m sure you will all agree!

Next up is The Fame Gang with ‘Soul Feud’, the flip to their 1969 single ‘Grits And Gravy’ on Fame Records. The Fame Gang were the Fame Studios own session band. When they weren’t knocking out funky ass scorchers like this, they could be found backing the likes of Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett and Etta James to name just a few.

The regular visitors amongst you may remember I guest Deejayed a short while ago at Bump & Hustle along with Aaron Anderson from The Ann Arbor Soul Club. During his set he played a real head turner by Ronnie Love called ‘Detroit, Michigan’.

Later, after digging around a little deeper I stumbled across this version by The Peps, also on the D-Town label. Both were released in 1965, however, from looking at the catalogue numbers the Ronnie Love version seems to have been released first. The production is a little more rawer on The Peps release, but the big drums, punchy horns and catchy vocals are still all there, making this a cracking 45.

The Peps or The Fabulous Peps as they were also known, were made up from select members of The Funk Brothers, Motown Records own session band and also The Hi Records Rhythm Section. A quality slice of raw Detroit soul!

Tenison Stephens is probably better known amongst the Northern Soul fraternities for his Chess release ‘Where Would You Be’. He joins up here with The Voices Of Operation Breadbasket Choir for ‘Baby, I’m A Fool For You’. I scored this slick slice of seventies soul in a recent lot of 45s, and the quirky label instantly stood out, drawing my attention.

The Fantastics! were formed after Reverend Cleatus & The Soul Saviours took on a new organist in the form of The Soul Destroyers very own Greg Boreman. One name change and a fantastic (pardon the pun) new album later and ‘Soul Child’, the first 45 from the LP has been released. Featuring Noel McKoy on vocals, this is a punchy funk number which tips a nod to JB wingman, Bobby Byrd. Quality!

The Ramrods, not to be confused with the 60s Rock and Roll band of the same name, are a group I have featured in a previous mix (HERE) on these pages. ‘Soul Express’ is rolling funk burner with some great honky tonk styled piano licks and ‘take no prisoner’ horns. Whether this cut, like ‘Soul Train’ also features King Curtis on guitar is a mystery to me. If anyone out there can shed some further light then please let me know.

This feel good Bay Area groover from The Mixed Emotions is up next. ‘Am I Imposing’ was recorded in 1975 and produced by Elijah Cole. The seriously catchy guitar and horn hook automatically sears itself into your consciousness, and had me humming it for days and days after I first picked it up! A must own 45!

We round out today’s mix with a great soul number from Ted Taylor. ‘Can’t Take No More’ was released on Okeh Records in 1962 and shows off his Gospel roots, with his powerful falsetto vocals ripping through the cut. The 45 has an almost swing feel to it at times, which isn’t a bad thing by any standards! A perfect way to close out today’s offering.

Having secured a brand new venue with The Vestry in Chichester, West Sussex, we’re eagerly looking forward to the return of our monthly funk and soul night on Saturday 5th September. If you’re in the area, roll by and join us for what is looking like it’s going to be a great night!

Enjoy today’s mix and I’ll be back here after the weekend with something very special for you!

Track List

Mighty Sam - Fannie Mae - Andee Records

Johnnie Morrisette - Brick - Convoy Records

Robert Parker - Tip Toe - Nola Records

The Fame Gang - Soul Feud - Fame

The Peps - Detroit, Michigan - D-Town Records Inc.

Tenison Stephens & Voices Of The Operation Breadbasket Choir - Baby, I’m A Fool For You - Aries Records

The Fantastics! - Soul Child - Freestyle Records

The Ramrods - Soul Express Pt2 - Rampage

The Mixed Emotions - Am I Imposing - Rock-Way

Ted Taylor - Can’t Take No More – Okeh

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