The Vandals “In my opinion” (T-Neck)
To all of us, Thorne was an education and you left the night with your head buzzing with loads of things you’d never heard of, or had heard of but actually never heard before. Despite the fact he was ‘all fur coat and no knickers’ I enjoyed Tim Brown’s spots (mainly to hear what I could rarely afford..). I do remember him spinning this and being totally floored by it. I’m pretty sure he went on at ten after my early hour set and therefore you could play slow to mid and then pick things up post about 10.30.This sylph like slab of pure group heaven (produced by The Isleys) left an indelible
impression on me and every time I return to it, it still knocks me out.
If you like Fletcher Walker III etc; all yearning vocals, strings; hip dipping mid.
To all of us, Thorne was an education and you left the night with your head buzzing with loads of things you’d never heard of, or had heard of but actually never heard before. Despite the fact he was ‘all fur coat and no knickers’ I enjoyed Tim Brown’s spots (mainly to hear what I could rarely afford..). I do remember him spinning this and being totally floored by it. I’m pretty sure he went on at ten after my early hour set and therefore you could play slow to mid and then pick things up post about 10.30.This sylph like slab of pure group heaven (produced by The Isleys) left an indelible
impression on me and every time I return to it, it still knocks me out.
If you like Fletcher Walker III etc; all yearning vocals, strings; hip dipping mid.
Jackie Ross “A woman (Get’s nothing from love)” /”Do I” (GSF demo)
Ross’s slower 70’s sides took ‘soulful vulnerability’ to new levels. This is a fine example of the listener being tortured, wanting her to give more and more–as it is evident there’s a bucket full just under the surface-and suddenly she puts her foot down and switches from church mouse to church wrecker. Brilliant. Flip is a nice edgy, slightly funky mover that totally fits in now. (An aside. I got no interest in her “Take the weight off me” some months back, yet my daughter thought it was one of the best ballads I’d put onto. Don’t confuse Jackie “trotting out what they all trotted out in the 60s’ Ross with the far more creative, firebrand 70’s model. Just sayin’ like…).
Ross’s slower 70’s sides took ‘soulful vulnerability’ to new levels. This is a fine example of the listener being tortured, wanting her to give more and more–as it is evident there’s a bucket full just under the surface-and suddenly she puts her foot down and switches from church mouse to church wrecker. Brilliant. Flip is a nice edgy, slightly funky mover that totally fits in now. (An aside. I got no interest in her “Take the weight off me” some months back, yet my daughter thought it was one of the best ballads I’d put onto. Don’t confuse Jackie “trotting out what they all trotted out in the 60s’ Ross with the far more creative, firebrand 70’s model. Just sayin’ like…).
Bill Withers “Harlem”/”Who is he and what is he to you” (Sussex)
Alongside Lou Courtney’s “Call the police” this was my favourite up-tempo revival
of the year (09). A work of sheer genius.To start a record at the hightest possible level of intensity you think possible, and then to gatecrash through the gears, each time lifting the whole thing, production and all, onto even more intense, more frantic footing. Boy that is genius. Forget Bill’s big jumpers (Bill, you live in L.A. what the hell is the big jumper thing??) and his
“Lovely day”, this is full on, head banging up-tempo soul at it’s strung out best. Even the strings, darting by you at ever increasing intensity sound like a runaway NY subway train. The flip is the ‘paranoid’ soul song and one of the best songs of the 70s.“A man we met just tried to stare me down, and when I looked at you girl, you looked at the ground..”. They don’t write them like Th...and all that. (Aside. This isn’t pleasant Bill from his hits; this is angry young Bill, dripping with soul and spitting out venom. Comparing his later hits to this is like judging Sam Dees on the strength of “Row, Row you boat”. Nuff said.
Alongside Lou Courtney’s “Call the police” this was my favourite up-tempo revival
of the year (09). A work of sheer genius.To start a record at the hightest possible level of intensity you think possible, and then to gatecrash through the gears, each time lifting the whole thing, production and all, onto even more intense, more frantic footing. Boy that is genius. Forget Bill’s big jumpers (Bill, you live in L.A. what the hell is the big jumper thing??) and his
“Lovely day”, this is full on, head banging up-tempo soul at it’s strung out best. Even the strings, darting by you at ever increasing intensity sound like a runaway NY subway train. The flip is the ‘paranoid’ soul song and one of the best songs of the 70s.“A man we met just tried to stare me down, and when I looked at you girl, you looked at the ground..”. They don’t write them like Th...and all that. (Aside. This isn’t pleasant Bill from his hits; this is angry young Bill, dripping with soul and spitting out venom. Comparing his later hits to this is like judging Sam Dees on the strength of “Row, Row you boat”. Nuff said.
Clarence Mann “Have faith in me”/ “Man’s Temptation” (T&M)
Mann’s waivering and trembling timbre has blessed some fine songs over the years on a variety of indie labels including Bama, California Gold and notably, Spirit, which cast out to an ungrateful world his only LP. As the lead vocalist of True Image he retained the same gusto and rugged enthusiasm as his solo work and the fact I recently parted company with the Super Smash45 he record within True Image, “I’m not over you yet” was simply because as a pleasant sing-a-long disco records it fine, but it didn’t really come close to the group’s “It ain’t fair” (Glades1754) or “It’s only a matter of time” (Juana 1949) 45s as a soul record. One man’s junk and all that. However, for Mann’s pinnacle as a performer to date, go back to his inaugural release, this stunning, twin-edged vinyl sword from October 1973. Two simmering sides that must have rated as one of the best ‘non-hit’ release of the years- these really should be up there on all deep soul fans’ shelves or ‘wants’ lists. “Man’s Temptation”, a tremulous but lazy toe-tapper with horn supplements that dig and poke over an organ, percussion, bass and strings but centre stage is Mann’s bull-necked, gritty pleading on is Curtis Mayfield compilation that calls for forceful lead and slightly mocking male back-ups. A fair hit in 1963 for Gene Chandler, Mann exerts his own swirling brand of soulfulness over the proceedings and if such underground classics from ’73 like Robert Dobyne’s “Spent a lot of years (Loving you)” (Kwanza 7714) or Pep Brown “Is it all over” (Polydor 14176) give you a lasting rush, then you need this Alabama indie, fast. Not a prolific writer, the backbone of mann’s output-and True Image-eminates from the likes of Joe Shamwell and Tommy Tate, Fredrick Knight, y’know, the top graduates from the Southern School of R&B writers, however, “Have faith in me” , published via Rick Hall, does allow some elasticity into the thought line- why didn’t he write more? Ponderous, tinkling piano fills lay like morning mist over the same formula of instruments used on “Temptation” as Mann builds the song with a ‘lump-in-the-throat’ tenacity that perfectly catches the mood and subject matter, a gentle trickle of vibes just detracts from an organ stewing in sentiment and the whole recording is a real thoroughbred. Though probably not on catalogue anymore, Expansion issued a 12’ by Mann in 1986, a version of the Bell/Hurt oft-covered classic “I be around”. It’s likeable enough but to hear Mann on a slightly more pacy item than the T&M 45, a must have is “Curtains up” from his Spirit LP “Clarence Mann”. Even allowing for the atmospheric ‘break’ in tempo which, whilst lengthening the odds on modern soul spins, are a masterpiece in arrangement by the gifted Paul Riser. A more obvious choice from the same LP is “Different kind of love”, but ballads like “You can’t deny me” and “There’s only room for two” are really the vein in which Mann excels.
Mann’s waivering and trembling timbre has blessed some fine songs over the years on a variety of indie labels including Bama, California Gold and notably, Spirit, which cast out to an ungrateful world his only LP. As the lead vocalist of True Image he retained the same gusto and rugged enthusiasm as his solo work and the fact I recently parted company with the Super Smash45 he record within True Image, “I’m not over you yet” was simply because as a pleasant sing-a-long disco records it fine, but it didn’t really come close to the group’s “It ain’t fair” (Glades1754) or “It’s only a matter of time” (Juana 1949) 45s as a soul record. One man’s junk and all that. However, for Mann’s pinnacle as a performer to date, go back to his inaugural release, this stunning, twin-edged vinyl sword from October 1973. Two simmering sides that must have rated as one of the best ‘non-hit’ release of the years- these really should be up there on all deep soul fans’ shelves or ‘wants’ lists. “Man’s Temptation”, a tremulous but lazy toe-tapper with horn supplements that dig and poke over an organ, percussion, bass and strings but centre stage is Mann’s bull-necked, gritty pleading on is Curtis Mayfield compilation that calls for forceful lead and slightly mocking male back-ups. A fair hit in 1963 for Gene Chandler, Mann exerts his own swirling brand of soulfulness over the proceedings and if such underground classics from ’73 like Robert Dobyne’s “Spent a lot of years (Loving you)” (Kwanza 7714) or Pep Brown “Is it all over” (Polydor 14176) give you a lasting rush, then you need this Alabama indie, fast. Not a prolific writer, the backbone of mann’s output-and True Image-eminates from the likes of Joe Shamwell and Tommy Tate, Fredrick Knight, y’know, the top graduates from the Southern School of R&B writers, however, “Have faith in me” , published via Rick Hall, does allow some elasticity into the thought line- why didn’t he write more? Ponderous, tinkling piano fills lay like morning mist over the same formula of instruments used on “Temptation” as Mann builds the song with a ‘lump-in-the-throat’ tenacity that perfectly catches the mood and subject matter, a gentle trickle of vibes just detracts from an organ stewing in sentiment and the whole recording is a real thoroughbred. Though probably not on catalogue anymore, Expansion issued a 12’ by Mann in 1986, a version of the Bell/Hurt oft-covered classic “I be around”. It’s likeable enough but to hear Mann on a slightly more pacy item than the T&M 45, a must have is “Curtains up” from his Spirit LP “Clarence Mann”. Even allowing for the atmospheric ‘break’ in tempo which, whilst lengthening the odds on modern soul spins, are a masterpiece in arrangement by the gifted Paul Riser. A more obvious choice from the same LP is “Different kind of love”, but ballads like “You can’t deny me” and “There’s only room for two” are really the vein in which Mann excels.
