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Post by dukelightning on Jan 20, 2014 18:40:42 GMT -5
^rayshae, one of the, maybe the best known act to come from Stax as a result of its folding are the Emotions. When they reached #1 on 8/20/77, Casey told the story of how Earth, Wind & Fire's Maurice White took advantage of his fellow windy city group's misfortune to have them signed to their label.
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Post by rayshae3 on Jan 20, 2014 20:19:43 GMT -5
^rayshae, one of the, maybe the best known act to come from Stax as a result of its folding are the Emotions. When they reached #1 on 8/20/77, Casey told the story of how Earth, Wind & Fire's Maurice White took advantage of his fellow windy city group's misfortune to have them signed to their label. Your comment reminded me of an almost identical trivia: There was another Stax family group, that after the label was folded, got help from a fellow act from Chicagoland and as a result landed a #1 song in Billboard. Who were they? Answer: The Staple Singers. Curtis Mayfield signed them to his Curtom label, and that #1 result was “Let’s Do It Again”.
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Post by mga707 on Jan 20, 2014 20:44:46 GMT -5
Offering a lost classic from 1/24/70, which failed to crack Billboard's top 40. It's an interesting tune from the band fronted by Jay Ferguson and Randy California: "1984" - Spirit Wow! I have this 45, one of the first I bought as an 11-year-old with allowance money, but my copy does not have the cool picture sleeve!
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Post by bobbo428 on Jan 20, 2014 21:38:52 GMT -5
From this week in 1967: A touch of sitar doesn’t change the overall infectious Bossa-Nova-influenced sound of the newly-formed group in this, their second chart, hit. Lead vocals by Lani Hall, who later in 1974 becomes the wife of the trumpeter and A&M Records executive Herb Alpert. Incidentally, the single was produced by Alpert and on A&M label. (#78 for week ending January 14, 1967 on its way to the high of #71): Constant Rain-Sergio Mendes & Brasil ‘66i enjoyed this song--I vaguely remember hearing it on the MOR station my parents had on when I was age five or six. Around the same time (or perhaps a year earlier), I recall another song about rain on a windowpane. It may have been by the Ray Conniff Singers or the Ray Charles Singers and may have been a MOR hit only. For about 48 years, I have had the tune go through my mind from time to time but could never place the title.
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Post by rayshae3 on Jan 20, 2014 22:49:13 GMT -5
From this week in 1967: A touch of sitar doesn’t change the overall infectious Bossa-Nova-influenced sound of the newly-formed group in this, their second chart, hit. Lead vocals by Lani Hall, who later in 1974 becomes the wife of the trumpeter and A&M Records executive Herb Alpert. Incidentally, the single was produced by Alpert and on A&M label. (#78 for week ending January 14, 1967 on its way to the high of #71): Constant Rain-Sergio Mendes & Brasil ‘66i enjoyed this song--I vaguely remember hearing it on the MOR station my parents had on when I was age five or six. Around the same time (or perhaps a year earlier), I recall another song about rain on a windowpane. It may have been by the Ray Conniff Singers or the Ray Charles Singers and may have been a MOR hit only. For about 48 years, I have had the tune go through my mind from time to time but could never place the title. Googling around, you might mean a late 60s song by Ray Charles called “Listen, They’re Playing My Song” with “Freezing Rain on My Window Pane” in the lyrics. But it’s basically a country song, also recorded by Waylon Jennings . I guess, it can pass as a MOR tune.
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Post by bobbo428 on Jan 20, 2014 23:03:18 GMT -5
Thanks for the help--I'm going to check it out now.
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Post by 1finemrg on Jan 21, 2014 9:34:31 GMT -5
Stax was a legendary label, that at one time was actually competing (although un-successfully) with Motown attracting R&B artists. Its significance, especially being located in the deep south of the 1950s and 60s, was its ethnically integrated groups and bands. However this label was small enough its distribution arm was handled by much bigger Atlantic label during most of the 60s. Its decline came after its difficulty in its partnership with CBS during the 70s that led Stax to go under. Comprehensive info/docu. kept at ‘Stax Museum of American Soul Music’ in Memphis. "Soulsville USA, The Story Of Stax Records", by Rob Bowman is a book written in the late 90s that offers great insight into the business and history of Stax. It's an interesting and educational read. I know the house band for Motown, the Funk Brothers is quite impressive. But having Booker T & The MGs as the house band for Stax is every bit its equal.
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Post by rayshae3 on Jan 21, 2014 15:39:39 GMT -5
Stax was a legendary label, that at one time was actually competing (although un-successfully) with Motown attracting R&B artists. Its significance, especially being located in the deep south of the 1950s and 60s, was its ethnically integrated groups and bands. However this label was small enough its distribution arm was handled by much bigger Atlantic label during most of the 60s. Its decline came after its difficulty in its partnership with CBS during the 70s that led Stax to go under. Comprehensive info/docu. kept at ‘Stax Museum of American Soul Music’ in Memphis. "Soulsville USA, The Story Of Stax Records", by Rob Bowman is a book written in the late 90s that offers great insight into the business and history of Stax. It's an interesting and educational read. I know the house band for Motown, the Funk Brothers is quite impressive. But having Booker T & The MGs as the house band for Stax is every bit its equal. Thanks for the info. Interesting you mentioned Rob Bowman's book. He actually wrote the liner-notes in the accompanying booklet to the CD box-set ‘The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968’ that I referred to in my original intro to Rufus Thomas song a few posts back. Regarding The Stax houseband, Steve Cropper of the Booker T was of course Mr. Stax, taking care of both creative and business ends. He also went on to be in the Blues Brothers band. There are different accounts as to if it was because of Belushi himself or Paul Shaffer that he was first recruited. Amazingly after all these years, he’s one of two members from the original Blues Brothers Band line-up still with them. Another interesting trip back in time, is the movie Wattstax, that includes the concert footage to a number of Stax soul acts from the early 70s, including the early Emotions, Johnnie Taylor, Luther Ingram, and Isaac Hayes. Its soundtrack album made it to #1 of Soul album chart in the spring of 1973.
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Post by rayshae3 on Jan 27, 2014 0:29:44 GMT -5
From this week in 1964: Couple of years before that date, the 16-years-old R&B teen from Philadelphia Dee Dee Sharp started her career by hitting the Hot 100 in the same week with two of her biggest hits: “Slow Twistin” (w/Chubby Checker) and “Mashed Potato Time” on the Cameo/Parker family of labels that also had the young Patti Labelle and Her Blue Notes as well as the Orlons among its rosters. She married in 1967 to fellow Philadelphian Kenneth Gamble, later a co-founder of Philadelphia International Records. And this selection from the week of 2/1/64 (new at #97 on its way to the peak of #82), also had a big orchestral sound, even though it was basically a teen beat record. Written by a couple of local Philly staples of Cameo label (team of Mann and Appell to be exact), this is another introduction to one of a big-city R&B labels of the era, for my classic lost 60s choice. Where Did I Go Wrong – Dee Dee Sharp
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Post by 1finemrg on Jan 27, 2014 6:02:06 GMT -5
This lost classic from January 29, 1966 was the first Hot 100 single for the Young Rascals. It would peak at #52 during a 9 week chart run. Everyone from Angel to the Divinyls to Shania Twain has covered it, but the original written by Pam Sawyer and Laurie Burton still stands out to me. I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore - Young Rascals
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Post by pandy on Jan 28, 2014 18:17:40 GMT -5
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Post by mga707 on Jan 28, 2014 23:04:41 GMT -5
I remember that parody song well--my older brother had the 45. According to Whitburn, the recording is done by an outfit called The Hardly-Worthit Players. They followed up with a 'duet of the two 'Senators' covering "Mellow Yellow". Spent one week on the Hot 100 at #99 ("Wild Thing" had peaked at #20). Pretty safe to say that neither record received any airplay after June 6, 1968...
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Post by pgfromwp on Jan 29, 2014 16:28:38 GMT -5
Offering a lost classic from 1/28/67, which failed to crack Billboard's top 40. It's a psychedelic sounding follow-up to their late 1966 hit "Talk Talk":
"The People in Me" - Music Machine
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Post by mga707 on Jan 29, 2014 19:58:57 GMT -5
Offering a lost classic from 1/28/67, which failed to crack Billboard's top 40. It's a psychedelic sounding follow-up to their late 1966 hit "Talk Talk": "The People in Me" - Music Machine Thanks! Love that distorted guitar sound. That's the kind of song that reminds me of the Roger Corman B-movie 'biker flicks' of the period.
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Post by pgfromwp on Jan 31, 2014 18:12:12 GMT -5
Offering a lost classic from 2/02/63, which failed to crack Billboard's top 40. It's the original recording of a song that was, five years later, successfully covered by the Human Beinz:
"Nobody but Me" - Isley Brothers
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