Som Tres – Som Tres Show (1968)
Original: 1968 Odeon MOFB 3541
Reissue: 2010 Bomba Records, Japan – BOM24183
Originally Odeon MOFB 3541
1. Leonardo
2. Falsa Baiana
3. Amazonas (Keep Talking)
4. The World Goes On
5. The Look Of Love
6. Frevo Rasgado
7. Jungle
8. Sá Marina
9. Watch What Happens
10. Emília
11. Balanço Zona SulSom Três – Som Três Show (1968) (BOM24183)
Roy Ayers Ubiquity
Change Up The Groove
Polydor PD 6032
This record probably gets overlooked a bit in favor of the Ubiquity releases that preceded it, but it is solid album. Any record with Pretty Purdie on the drum kit is a solid album though, amiright? Soulful covers of Stevie Wonder, the Theme From MASH, and Roberta Flack are peppered among the originals. In fact, the latter artist – represented by Eugene McDaniels’ “Feel Like Makin’ Love” – is a particularly homegrown choice, as keyboardist Harry Whitaker was now a regular contributor to Roberta Flack’s group and would work as her arranger for a while. Actually if I’m being honest, as the longest tune on the album I find it a bit boring, in spite of featuring what sounds like a Mellotron (not credited on the jacket). And the MASH theme (aka Suicide Is Painless) is kind of corny. The real highlights are the original tunes like Sensitize, Fikisha, and The Boogie Back. The group’s interpretation of the ubiquitous Stevie’s Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing does take celestial carefree flights of joy and should make you grin. Don’t be fooled by the worn-out jacket: this Sterling Sound pressing is actually in very nice shape and I think the rip came out pretty good. Stay tuned for more Ubiquity from me this summerRoy Ayers Ubiquity – Change Up The Groove (1974)
Dora Lopes – Enciclopédia da Gíria
Mocambo / Rozenblit 1957
Is this a Pride Month post? Sort of, because Dora Lopes was possibly the first “out” singer in Brazilian popular music. But this record was before anyone outside Rio scenesters knew or cared about her sexuality, and even before she was the proprietor of O Caixotinho, one of Rio’s first lesbian nightclubs that served the Copacabana area beginning in the second half of the 60s. This 1957 album is notable for other reasons, like being released on the small Recife imprint Mocambo, and for the fact that Dora gets composer credits on all but a couple songs here in a era when women songwriters were not the norm. The songs and arrangements fit more in the jazz-samba world than the nascent bossa nova scene.Dora Lopes – Enciclopédia da Gíria (1957 Mocambo)
The Humblebums – First Collection of Merry Melodies
Vinyl rip in 24-bit/192 kHz | Art scans at 300 dpi
1969 Transatlantic Records TRA 186 | Genre: Folk
The other week, I ran a Patreon poll for the site’s handful of patrons to ask what genre the next post should be about, and “folk” won the day. A few months ago I shared the final Humblebums record, Open The Door, which is split evenly between Billy Connolly and Gerry Rafferty songs. This debut album predates Rafferty’s participation and demonstrates that it was really Connolly’s project. In his place was Tommy Harvey, a competent guitarist who went on to play with Hamish Imlach, another Scotsman in the tradition of folk-comedy. The record opens with “Why Don’t They Come Back To Dunoon?”, a parody of the Jonathan King hit “Everyone’s Gone To The Moon” which remained a staple in Connolly’s live performances. While I am a big fan of Rafferty’s bittersweet balladeering, this record is less bipolar and more cohesive than their other two releases because of Connolly’s total control over the mood. And of course, there is some hot banjo playing on it. (P.S. If you feel like supporting the site via Patreon, YOU TOO can participate in exciting polls and other activities!)
The Humblebums – First Collection of Merry Melodies (1969) (Transatlantic TRA-186)
Swallow
Party In Space
1983 Charlie’s Records SCR 324
King Swallow is a famous Antiguan calypso and soca artist, but I confess that I picked up this album for the cover photo of the first Challenger space shuttle launch. There is a rumor that when NASA became aware of this album, they tried to sue Swallow for the unauthorized use of a Department of Defense image (now in the public domain, you can see the original below). They reached a settlement in which NASA received a thousand copies of the album and a promise not to do it again. The copies were distributed to Challenger team members, and allegedly playing the record during launches became a tradition for the next nine missions. Hence it is very likely that the sounds of “Party In Space” were last things heard by Challenger crew when it exploded a minute after takeoff in 1986. You can hear it below. Musically this is solid early-80’s soca. But like nearly all soca albums, it probably works best if you drop a song here or there in a mix or a playlist. Otherwise it can get repetitive. These LPs were built around whatever song the artist was promoting to be a given year’s mas / carnival road march anthem, after all, so filler is nearly inevitable.
Haboob – Haboob
1971 Hör Zu Black Label / Reprise Records REP 3400
Made in Germany
This is a rather difficult-to-describe rarity from a group that only made a single record, a trio of ex-pat Americans living in Germany. The driving force is James Jackson who rocks out on Farfisa, Choir Organ, and Hohner Piano. George Green, who also played in the Munich ‘drum orchestra’ band Niagara, gives a drum solo that is actually interesting (I appreciate drum solos in a live setting, when I’m there, but usually find them tedious on records.Haboob – Haboob (1971) (HörZu Black Label / Reprise Records REP 3400)