This LP came out last spring and became one of the connoisseur
albums of the summer. It may not have come to your attention had it not
been for Radio 1's trail for Giles Peterson's 'Worldwide Show', which was
aired on national TV earlier in the year. This trailer featured the track
'Rose Rouge' from this LP. This track has now blown up 'bonafide massive'
and is the jazzy rhythmic cut you all know, featuring the lines 'I want
you to get together...I want you to get together...put your hands...together
one time'(yup that one!) The rest of the LP is in a similar vein and is
on the modern, cool jazz tip. Kinda 'cappuccino music' for 2001, this is
a very sophisticated release. It's on the 'Blue Note' label, & they
don't lie on their logo when they say 'The finest in jazz since 1939'. This
LP is 100% true to Blue Note's long tradition of releasing exceptional cutting
edge music. This LP is also absolutely right now.
'The Five Stairsteps', as
with many 60's vocal outfits, are a group best known for their one top tune.
In this case 'Ooh Child'. They're a 5 piece,
child singing group, sporting the classic 'all wear the same trendy clothes'
image. At one point they released an LP called 'The five stairsteps &
Cubie', Cubie being like a 3 year old kid...?! Who fronted the band like
some mini-baby-Michael Jackson. The vinyl LP featuring 'Ooh Child' changes
hands for pure mad sums of wonga and is very, very, very, very rare (we're
the only people we know who have one). The rest of the LP is largely pants
but because of it's rarity 'Ooh Child' is one of those soul songs that has
never been overplayed (a la 'Rescue me'). It's also one of the most emotional/hairs
on neck/tears in eyes/pants wet with shock, rare grooves that you will ever
hear. Every time this gets played at World HQ people flock up to the DJ
box to ask 'Who's it by?'. It features in the Spike Lee movie 'Crooklyn'
and was covered, stunningly, by De La Soul when they played at Finsbury
Park in London last summer. You cannot have a proper black music collection
without this LP.... 'Ooh child, things are gonna get easier... Ooh child,
things'll get brighter...' Y'dig?
This is the LP that gave
Dusty Springfield worldwide status as opposed to 'Lulu' status. It was recorded
in Memphis Tennessee in 1968, with production by Jerry Wexler (Atlantic
Records), and uses backing musicians from the same school of as appear on
the majority of classic Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett releases. It's
a real cliche that many record companies try to pull, when they say that
until they saw a white artist, they thought, from their vocals, that they
were black. The story behind this LP is where that swerve emanates from.
People in Memphis were stunned that Dusty was white and without question
this is the strongest album she ever recorded. Very much a case of a record
exceeding the sum of its parts. Fourteen tracks & they're all bomb,
but exceptional mega-bombs include the timeless 'Son of a preacher man'
& the snuggletastic 'Just a little lovin' (you know the one...?) - 'just
a little lovin early in the morning, beats a cup of coffe for starting out
the day....'
Alicia is an artist who
debuts & gets her big push with this release. She looks about 15 and
really is a musical force to be reckoned with. She's got all that classically
trained piano action & a slick soul swerve that simply licks the inside
of your thighs until they sop. Her single 'Fallin' is charting now, but
don't be fooled by that. Her LP is far superior, packed with more after
sex anthems 4 all you loving couples & surely the Xmas box for the person
who knows you best. Her voice is so sweet & the instrumentation of this
set of songs is as original as it is bomb. One of the top 5 LP's of the
year. Basically... you should be on it.
Macy appeared from nowhere
and busted into international super-stardom with her first album "On how
life is…" Our expectations were very high for this her second collection
of songs. She delivers the goods smack on the nose again and it has to be
said, this is much stronger work than her first LP. The standout tracks
are the single "Sweet baby" which you'll have heard by now and the World
Headquarters #1 of this Autumn, the orchestral/disco "Sexual revolution".
This frames her voice perfectly and what a voice! Aside from her irresistible
raunchy pants, (the funk of which can not be denied!) Macy has so got the
shapes in the voice dept. This is an album for people who love vocals and
in the same way that the Lauryn Hill LP ruled, this is gonna be number 1
on all the foxy ladies Xmas lists this year. A stunner.
James is the man, James
is the man, James is the man. You have no idea just how many ground breaking
& quality records James has recorded and produced. There are literally
hundreds that you will probably never hear. Throughout his long and influential
career, JB recorded music which totally redefined everything that has gone
since. This is his strongest Christmas album (we know of at least two others)
and features seventeen outstanding tracks inc. 'Santa Claus go straight
to the ghetto', 'Go power at Xmas time', 'Xmas is love' & 'Soulful Xmas'.
Uptempo, funky as a big funky sex chicken, & you honestly don't stand
'a lump of lard in a towerng inferno's chance' of finding a better, more
refreshing and downright festive (on the peace & love funk tip) album
than this. James is the man, James is the man etc (loop to fade). PS did
you know James is a top piano player?
Minnie Ripperton is dead
now. During her career she recorded vocals with the seminal funk band 'Rotary
Conection', leaving a legacy of such gems as 'I am the Black Gold of the
Sun' (covered recently by MAW on the Nuyorican Soul album). She also had
a highly successful solo career and the tune of hers that you know best
is 'Loving You' (is easy 'cos you're beautiful). There are fifteen tracks
on this album including both of the above. All the cuts are mega and you
should also keep your ears wide open for the track 'Reasons' which is a
classic rare groove & the track 'Inside my love'. This is of special
note at the moment as a sample of it is used in that tune 'Two people' by
Jean-Jacques Smoothie, which has kicked around cheesey 'dance' clubs for
most of the year. If you're not sure which tune we mean just say out loud
now 'Two-oo-hoo peepole' in a really high nasal voice (they stretched her!)
& the tune will immediately pop into your head. That version is pap.
Her version is fuck music par excellence
Reggae & classic dub-cut
central! This is a compilation Lp done by a dude called Don Letts. He was
a reggae selector at the time of the punk explosion of the mid 70's. He
went on to be a member of 'Big Audio Dynamite' who were the band that guitarist
Mick Jones formed post ' The Clash'. The cuts here are pure roots reggae
and you really get a feel of England around the time of the riots in Toxteth
& Brixton from the grooves on this release. 'Police & thieves' is
on here along with many other blistering tunes of the day. 'Two Sevens Clash'
by 'Culture' is also on here & as it is one of the top Reggae tunes
of all time, it's inclusion alone makes this little baby worth the cover
charge. Best Roots comp of the year, no doubt (apologies to Soul Jazz who
have also made an exceptional contribution in keeping Reggae music alive
this year). Anally retentive trainspotting types (such as us), may be interested
to know that The Clash's 10' release 'Black Market Clash', features a photo
of a lone Rasta lining up to scores of riot police. That Rasta is Don Letts
& these tunes are his soundtrack to those days.
This is a 32 track compilation
of exceptional black music! We really cannot rave about this enough. It
features tunes as diverse as Roy Ayres' 'Running Away' & AWB 'Pick up
the Pieces' (on the well known tip) and a stack of other landmark tunes
which, though less commercial, have shaped the way black music is today.
No time to go into every track on here, only to say buy it. No, no...it's
just too good, we must go on! This also contains the epic 'Our roots began
in Africa' by Pharoah Sanders & the tune you'll all probably wanna buy
this compilation 4 - 'For What it's Worth' by Sergio Mendes. This is the
credible funk version of the groove that goes 'Stop children... what's that
sound? Everybody look what's going down'. If you are a World HQ regular
you will be familiar with many of these tunes & truly deserve this hot
tip. If on the other hand you are a punk ass/kid yourself/wannabe funk DJ,
running on tunes from the last two years (& vapour) during your one
hour sets...? Then you can look on this as a little favour we did you, to
make you look fly x.
