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By Cousin Justin
I started the day yesterday by putting on one of my favorite shirts, an original Wu-Wear T-shirt that I got in High School. You see I am a huge Wu-Tang mark since 36 chambers dropped. Good albums have been few and far between over the last few years. That was until Ghostface dropped Fishscale. I dug that album more than any Wu joint in a long time. Normally a rap skit is a good oppurtunity to skip to the next track, but the Bad Mouth Kid Skit on Fish Scale starts by Ghost saying “that’s soul right there, don’t touch that radio” in the background a dope ass song is playing that the foul mouthed kid insists on changing, much to the chagrin of ghost. As soon as I heard the song in the background I used my little Google fingers to try and find out what the fuck it was. I was unsuccessful and this has been one of those musical obsessions for the last 2 years. So when I started the day I had no idea my wardrobe decision would have any affect on the cosmos. Max was comming over later in the evening to hang out and to take a trip to the Record Collector in Ferndale. I went through the Soul section and picked out a few Soul, Funk, and Disco albums. One that stood out was the Brother To Brother album. I took it to the listening station and dropped it on the second track, something I never do, and there it was, the song I have looked for for 2 years. Needless to say I was pumped. To keep the karma going, Max and I ended the night with a screening of the underrated Ghost Dog.
Brother To Brother-Vibrations
by Cousin Geoff
Hamilton Bohannon moved to Detroit in the 60s after Stevie Wonder hired him to be his drummer. After splitting from Stevie, he capitalized on his bandleading abilites and signed onto Dakar. Bohannon then put out some incredibly funky dance records in the early to mid 70s, among them this LP titled “Insides Out”.
This was one of the leftovers that I snatched up after it didn’t sell at auction, mainly because it’s on a crazy Korean bootleg label, like the rest of them were (I also took home a Korean pressing of Maggot Brain, so ghetto that it was listed as Funk Adelic on the typewritten label, and filled with misspellings and botched song titles). But I’ll take this copy of Insides Out until I can upgrade, because it’s a fun, funky, groovy record. I put it on for the first time while hanging out with my 6 month old daughter, and she bounced and squealed in her Johnny Jump-Up as I played the djembe while the record blasted. My wife was out so we jammed on and on. And that is what Bohannon does on this record, he picks up a groove, lays it down and just keeps it going.
He’s joined by fellow Detroiters LeRoy Emmanuel and Mose Davis of The Counts. The first side is like one big all-nighter, while the b-side is much more mellow, mostly love songs. It’s worth it to seek out this album for the a-side though, and you’ll see easily see the inspiration for modern electronic music. When you’ve got the funk and you’re holding it down, why let go?
Check out Foot-Stompin’ Music (about half of the 7:00 min. + track):
There have been many important contributions to the world of music, mainly disco, funk, and R&B in the late 70s and early to mid 80s, whose contributing artists sported magnificant Jheri Curls.
Michael Jackson is the first to come to mind for most people, and he may have been the most popular dance music superstar to “grease it up”. The cover of his Thriller album shows his Jheri Curl at it’s prime.
But what about the others? I thought this was a topic that was deserving of an all time list. Keeping in mind the equal importance of Jheri Curl awesomeness and the actual music, here goes the rest of the top ten (in no particular order):
Prince-Prince was perhaps the most innovative musician of the last 30 years. He brought us the songs Kiss, Little Red Corvette, When Doves Cry, 1999, and countless immortal others. Always the stylist hipster, Prince sported a more glammed out Jheri curl. This When The Doves Cry picture sleeve 7″ is a good example.
James Brown-God rest his funky soul. His was more of a variation, more straight than curly. But still cool. JB may have commanded the most respect of any musician ever, known as Mr. Brown to those around him. The hair helped. This Ain’t It Funky Now 45 shows him on the King label, not the best example, but his LPs sell as soon as we get them, and we’re out at the moment.
Kevin Rowland (& Dexy’s Midnight Runners)-Kevin had a pretty sweet Jheri Curl for a white boy. C’mon Eileen-check it out.
Rick James-Rick James actually had a dread-Jheri hybrid. This picture of his Throwin’ Down LP is bad, but you get the idea.
Morris Day (and The Time)-The Oak Tree 45 shows it off, but a better example is the classic Time album, What Time Is It? His may have the most awesome of all time.
Durell Coleman-An obscure choice here, but a neccesary one. Durell and his fantastic Jheri Curl was the first ever winner of Star Search. He went on to record one LP and a few 7″ers around 1985; I once found a still sealed copy of his r&B love album, and it is priceless. I recommend the song, Somebody Took My Love. He now fronts the Durell Coleman Band, the self proclaimed America’s Premiere Party Band who played at Shaq’s wedding. Some guy’s got it for sale for $2.99 on eBay; if I were you I’d snach it up.
Dazz Band-One of those 80s dance funk groups where the whole band sported Jheri Curls. You gotta love that one white guy in the band-did he have Jheri Curl envy?
Lee Osler-Although I can’t confirm this due to a lack of a photo, I would bet my house that Lee had a Jheri Curl. If he didn’t, he would still make the list due to his Back To Ypsilanti song. We do know that his mustasche inspired the name of the label of that 45.
Little Richard-Little Richard had a Jheri Curl way back in the 50s, when he began his journey as perhaps the greatest ever contributer to rhythm and blues and rock n roll. Coincidence? Perhaps…
Honorable mention: Kool and the Gang, Easy E, Jermaine Jackson, Lionel Richie.
There you have it. I am sure I have left off some well-deserving names.
jsREVIEW:
This album is a party, simply put. Sure, the applause is fake and the casual rock that underpins the entire album is played less with a view toward any cohesive tunes than endless jamming, but the spirit of loose fun from the fringes of the disco movement pervades the whole thing.
Brainchild of Bob Crewe, best known for producing the Four Seasons, giving them a clean, open sound, Disco Tex is closer to Crewe’s other claim to fame— writing Lady Marmelade for Labelle. The other creative force behind Disco Tex? Sir Monti Rock III, a coked-out hairdresser who pimps with the best of them in a campy gay style.
A great album for DJs looking to drop some weirdness into a set, or for hipsters looking to have a party all on one platter, the album keeps the same beat throughout (for easy matching) and would fit great into a set next to Dr. Buzzard’s Savanah Band (or any August Darnell gig, really) or Was (Not Was). Hits include both “Get Dancin’” and “I Wanna Dance Wit’ Choo,” whose loose rollicking character should be apparent from the titles. Also great are “(I See) Your Name Up In Lights,” a Latin/Showtune anthem with plenty of headtrip effects, and “Love is a Killer,” featuring the vocal stylings of the Chocolate Kisses.
If nothing else, it proves how wild and fun the dance scene was before Saturday Night Fever and Disco Duck. For those of you not afraid of “disco sucks” backlash, this is great deep crate vinyl.
-js
