Workin' Out

A little while back, I was asked to make a mix for an online magazine called Spine TV. Since it had been some time since my last effort, Mashi, and my record box had become populated with new gems, I was happy to oblige.

This mix attempts to capture the sound that I’m chasing right now – a sound which centres on the US West Coast in the late 50’s, early 60’s. There were a lot of hot jazz players from New Orleans doing session work for LA labels around that time. They cut sleazy and steamy Rhythm’n’Blues and Rock’n’Roll tunes to die for. Of course, many of the tunes on this mix don’t fit neatly into that box, I’m far from a purist, but they fit the vibe. There’s a drummer, Earl Palmer – drummed on some of Little Richard’s early hits – who I’ve been discovering recently. I've just finished an excellent book about him, fascinating guy. He was also a music arranger and if he didn’t invent the Rock’n’Roll beat, he certainly popularised it. As I find out more about Earl Palmer, and which tracks he played on, I’m astounded by just how many of the mainstay 45s in my DJ box he played a part in recording.

There's a bit of Earl on this, but maybe for my next one I'll just use tunes he drums on, wouldn't be hard at all.

mp3: Workin' Out

Ernie Fields - Workin' Out
Big Daddy And His Boys - Bacon Fat
The Chiefs - Apache!
The Chestnuts - Wobble Shank
Rockin Robin Roberts - Maryann
The Stone Crushers - Crawfish
The Jesters - Peter Gunn Twist
The Mar-Keys - Last Night
Dale Hawkins - Susie Q
Allen Wayne - Chills & Fever
Ernie Fields - Teen Flip
Little Willie John - Leave My Kitten Alone
Ronnie Kole Trio - Batman Theme
The Motions - Beatle Drums
The Chiefs - Enchiladas!

Wildest Drums Yet

Les Brown, Jr. - Swingin' & Surfin'
Les Brown, Jr. - Drum's Safari

Another son of is featured in today's selections. Les Brown Jr.'s father, Les Brown, was a bandleader and sax player. Brown Sr. was himself the son of a musician, R.W. Brown, also a sax player and known as the March Prince. I can't really describe how great this record is. For starters, it's a double sider. Swingin' & Surfin' is the faster of the two. Brown Jr. is a drummer so, as you would expect, the drums are wild, but it's the crunchy fuzz guitar that makes this tune all the more menacing. Released in 1963 on GNP Crescendo Records this is exactly what it proports to be, a surf tune with swing. Drum's Safari is less swing more stroll, but just as wild.

Googie Wiggle

Googie Rene - Wiggle-Tail Part 1
Googie Rene - Wiggle-Tail Part 2

Son of Leon Rene, the founder of Class records, Googie was a keys man who played with all the session guys I've been diggin heavily recently; Plas Johnson, Rene Hall and drummer extraordinaire Earl Palmer, who basically invented the rock'n'roll beat according to the book I'm reading about him. Wiggle-Tail is classic Googie instrumental goodness, the sound of top musicians having a top time.

Little Bitty Pretty One

Bobby Day - Little Bitty Pretty One

I've been buying a lot of records with this colour label recently. I guess I would describe it as maroon or perhaps burgundy. Modern, Aladdin, Rendezvous and Class all use it, and they were all also based in LA. Apart from Rendezvous and Class, I'm not sure what the connection was, or if there even was one. Maybe it was just the fashion of the time, it is an attractive tone after all. Little Bitty Pretty One was written by Bobby Day and released in 1957. However, it was Thurston Harris who had a bigger hit with it that same year on Aladdin -- and guess what colour the label was...

In the Fields

Ernie Field's Orch. - Christopher Columbus
Ernie Field's Orch. - In The Mood

If you've been following this blog recently, you might have noticed that I've been on an Ernie Fields binge -- as documented here, here and here. So, it should be no surprise that I'm offering this version of In The Mood from 1959, Field's biggest success. Don't tell anyone, but I actually prefer the flip, Christopher Columbus.