Sinner Strong - Don't Knock It b/w Nobody But Me (Serock - 1962)

This harmonica wailing slice of raw R&B was sung by the best 'white' soul voice in the form of a young fairly unknown singer called Joyce Harris, who relocated from New Orleans to Los Angles and cut this wailing piece of Rhythm and Blues in 1962.

I'd rank this 45 as a phenomenal piece early Soul music, the raw energy of the band and those amazing off-kilter vocals sung by Joyce Harris with such verve and passion, that this white girl could've sung any black girl off the stage, she was that impressive on this cut.

The A-side is the mover and shaker of this piece of wax, the B-side is more of a traditional gospel influenced R&B track, not my cup of tea, I kind of find over use of 'strings, horns and brass' in black music from 1957-68 a total yawn fest and song killer, with R&B and Soul Music, I only really dig the arse-shaking, head kicking, primitive songs with the odd exceptions to the former.

I first heard the A-side 'Don't Knock It' on the Crypt Records compilation 'T-Bird Party' years ago and decided to track down the 45, I've had the 45 in my collection for a couple of years now, It would be a good floor-filler if played at a Soul event, I feel.... I personally don't really know what 45s are considered cool today amongst that crowd of people??

Recently I was looking through my Soul, Doo-Wop and R&B records drawer and was amazed I even had a bunch of the stuff I had, this record was one of the one's I had totally forgotten about and thus I now feel somewhat compelled to write a blog about it and share the killer side.

Anyway dig the grooves.

Paul Messis

Them Two - Am I Good Man? b/w Love Has Taken Wings (Deep City Records - 1967)

In West Sussex where I live not much ever happens these days, however during the 1980s the area was home (and still is) to a vast number of scooter clubs and related groups, this was the breeding ground for many different type of youth culture in the area, at one time in Sussex mainly during the 80s, there was a rich youth cultural variety due mainly to the locale being "beside the sea-side" and the fact  many big events of the day were promoted and made use of staging "weekenders" by the sea and this was, for the youth of the time an easily accessible way to become apart of something, during the 80s in Sussex there was a pretty wide range of youth scenes; there was a thriving skinhead scene, rockabilly and psychobilly scene plus a huge soul scene.

Of the above scenes left in Sussex the 'soul' scene is still surviving pretty well, with regular all-nighters, club nights and the odd meet up here and there, I myself have been to a few of these events myself and have seen just how passionately people at these events get for 'soul music' - this happens all up and down the country in many towns, big and small.

I am grateful I am merely an outsider of such fanfare, because I find it to resemble a black hole - people go in fairly normal and with-it and then before they know it they are putting talcum powder on dance floors, spinning around as fast as merry-go-rounds and even in rare instances looking like Noddy Holder - YES!!! there are at least three people I have seen on this scene who look like the great Side-Burned One from Birmingham.

Although I have no real care for The Sussex Soul Scene, nor do I wish to really engage heavily with it, I do admire the pure love these people have for this type of music, also although I am not a 'full-on' soul 45 collector myself by any means, I still have a few really hip Soul and Funk 45s that I really dig and love to bits.

One such record is the following... Them Two - Am I Good Man? b/w Love Has Taken Wings.

The 45 was released on a small Miami, FL based soul-label known as ' Deep City', the label is somewhat legendary amongst fans of this music, as each release is considered to be top-dollar as it were.

Them Two are considered somewhat of a mysterious vocal duo, not a great deal is known about them, although the enigmatic 'two' were vocalists Clarence Reid and Willie Clarke, Reid later went onto a succesful song-writing and recording career, however I feel this 45 was his piece de resistance, particularly the A-side cut.

I only wish to talk and share the A-side as it has been a special track to me for a number of years now. I relate heavily to it and love the lyrical subject-matter and the way both singers commit all their soul and fury onto the vinyl slab of plastic.

I think anyone who considers themselves a soulful person asks themselves the very same questions that the opening statements of this song ask.... I certainly do, and this song completely hits home for me in the most dramatic and intense kind of ways.... "Am I Good Man? Am I A Fool, Am I Weak? or Am I Just Playing It Cool?".... that to me is pure lyrical genius, the guy's seem to tap into the straight up unfounded confusion that lies internally for many of us so-called sensitive souls.

Dig this masterpiece of soul music...

Enjoy

Paul

Mel Smith & The Nite Riders - Pretty Plaid Skirt (& Long Black Socks) b/w I'll Never Change (Sue Records - circa 1958?)

                                              (Pic Above - Doc Starkes with the Nite-Riders)

I picked up this 45 a few years ago, after being briefly in a band who used to cover it, I don't think we ever played it outside of the rehearsal room, however the song holds a few cool memories for me. Whilst I played the frantic guitar part it always used to blow my mind at how cool the track I was playing was and that inspired me to go out and track the 45 down, because it is quite possibly the most frantic and wildly erratic R&B 45 to ever exist.

Mel Smith joined forces with The Nite-Riders led by Doc Starkes and to my opinion created one of the most jaw-dropping Rhythm and Blues records to ever be released.

The highlight track in question is the earth shattering Flip Side, 'Pretty Plaid Skirt (And Long Black Socks) what a hip title for a song hey?, the music is primitive and absolutely wild, it sounds like a Bo-Diddley beat taken to  it's fullest amphetamine high and stuck in fifth gear; possessed by the devil himself - Mel Smith gives a ferocious vocal workout on the song and hits the mark with a paint-peeling scream after each verse for the song then to only re-begin rolling like a freight train in the direction of the Sun.

When I used to DJ on the very rare occasions until I got sick of it and the pretence which that idealism holds, I used to play this record and it used to really confuse people, it has a beat that people could dance to but it also isn't quite right, meaning that people on the dance-floor looked like they had just received lobotomies from the local nut house.

The plug side to this records is a simple boozy bar blues type number called 'I'll Never Change', it is a cool mid-tempo guitar and piano driven song, about a deep yearning for some floozy dame who obviously caused young Mel Smith some mighty fine distress (as most women do), he confirms to the listener and himself a multitude of times that "He'll Never Change" and he sure as hell means it, especially when the sloppy guitar work and crazy piano playing duel against one another to be the more 'prominent' instrument on the record and ending up sounding like a crazy plague infected ship sinking in the sea, however like all great records it's not perfect and that is what is cool about it.

Due to its imperfections this 45 is a double-sided killer and I would suggest that you find an buy yourself a copy.

Originals of this 45 have been known to go for $300 and more.... I must of been super lucky cos I got an original one myself for around the $30 mark... I think that is the lowest you'd ever be able to find it??

A bunch of Bootleggers in London have made reissues of this 45 (alongside a bunch of other rare and hard to find 45s) which are available to buy for under a tenner. I personally don't condone anyone purchasing anything from these pirates... cos these clowns are the one's making the money! and for what? ruining a record's integrity as a collectable and sought after item?

Enjoy the sound clip of 'Pretty Plaid Skirt' below...

Take Good Care

Paul

Reuben Bell & The Casanovas - It's Not That Easy b/w Hummin' A Sad Song (Murco Records - 1967)

Reuben Bell with The Casanovas quite possibly produced one of in my opinion best 'Soul' 45s in existence, 'It's Not That Easy' b/w Hummin' A Sad Song was released on cult Soul label Murco records and I feel it is a real double-sided killer of a record.

What I love about this gem, is that it is a Jekyll and Hyde of a record each of the two sides is equally great for the same reasons yet they are totally different, quite often I find the best 45's to be the ones in which both sides work well against each other and are both equally good in their own right (I have tried doing this with my own).

The A-side of this 45 (personally one of my all-time favourite Soul and R&B songs) 'It's Not That Easy' is a slow-paced heart wrenching tear-jerker with an extremely cool organ line snaking in the background behind the vocal. Complete with totally lonesome and desperate lyricsm, the song for me instantly gets put up there high in the musical genius territory. 

The song is very special to me for a number of reasons, once again (like the Five Bucks 45rpm below) it came to me at a point in my life where it seemed the emotions on the grooves were mirroring my own life and therefore acted as a comfort to me. I particularly love the warm guitar sound on this side, Reuben Bell sings his heart out and means every word he is singing and forces every emotion out of his very soul and being by singing such lines as "I know I'll always think about you, I've grown so used to you, I just can't make it without you, It's not that easy.... Forgetting You"

Check it...

If the A-side was Dr Jekyll then the B-side of this wonderful 45 is  definitely Mr Hyde, a fast paced floor-filler. The B-side perfectly mirrors the sadness of the A-side by in itself being totally fed-up, frustrated and somewhat pissed off... Dig these lyrics "These Memories I just can't forget, I wake up in the morning, my pillow's soaked in sweat, She up'ed and left me, she didn't say good bye" ... then to top it off there is an amazing saxophone break in the middle which is meaner than a howling dog in the dead of night, it's a really cool song and you'd be foolish not to want to dance to it.

Check it...

There are a couple of cool Murco compilations out and about, the most recent being on the Kent Records label which is easily to find, the comp is a really good investments if you're into 60s soul or more importantly regional sounds Murco being particular to the South, if Cd's are not your bag, why not try and find the 45rpm vinyl.... the above record has varied in price over the years and has sold around the $100 mark but  over the last year or two has be found around the $40-$50 price range on Ebay.

Enjoy

Paul Messis