Tag: R&B

597. Bo Diddley

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(August 2024) Episode 597 is BO DIDDLEY. Take just the first eponymous album (a collection of singles); the influence on rock music of those songs is as immeasurable as the number of times they have been covered. There’s the classic “chonk, chonk, chonk… chonk-chonk” rhythm that now bears his name. But also the tremolo, which anticipates the explosion of guitar effects the next decade. His scene was never confined to blues, rock or R&B. He never again had the success of those early records, but he retained fame and recognition. I did enjoy his turn to soul/funk in the early 1970s.

Favorite album: Bo Diddley

Favorite song: Bo Diddley*

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: That first album functions as a greatest hits record..

 * the first trifecta (same artist/album/song) of the Opus Project

591. Martha and the Vandellas

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(August 2024) Episode 591 is MARTHA AND THE VANDELLAS. Given that I dig the 60s girl group sound and with my wider explorations of Motown, it is surprising I haven’t gotten to Marth Reeves and her colleagues (who rotated over their dozen recording years) before now. Their hits “Dancing in the Streets,” “Nowhere to Run” and “Heatwave” are imprinted in our culture. It’s good stuff. Although if I have to choose among the girl groups I prefer the New York-based ones (Shangri-Las, Crystals, etc.).  The group lasted through the early 70s, providing for an evolution of their sound into the more funky soul of the time (I love), a good example of which is “Easily Persuaded.”

Favorite album: Dance Party

Favorite song:  Nowhere to Run

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: A best-of will satisfy.

579. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

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(June 2024) Episode 579 is SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES. This episode covers the Miracles’ recordings with and after Smokey, and his solo efforts. The Miracles were the first Motown act to make it big, a legend in their own right. Plus, as Berry Gordy’s right-hand man with his own numerous hit songwriting and production credits, Robinson’s fame involves so much music we consider classic.  That said, the music recorded by Smokey and the Miracles tended toward safer pop, without the edge or social consciousness of peers, taking them down a notch among Motown artists for me. You know how I love falsetto, and Smokey is one of the best. But it’s 100% for him, and I find falsetto is used best in contrast with lower range singing, as with The Temptations or Marvin Gaye.

Favorite joint album: A Pocketful of Miracles

Favorite Smokey album: A Quiet Storm

Favorite Miracles album: Renaissance

Favorite joint song: I Second That Emotion

Favorite Smokey song: Cruisin’

Favorite Miracles song: Love Machine

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: A complication of their hits is essential for any 60s R&B collection. For a deeper dive try the mid-70s Miracles cuts (after Smokey).

569. Professor Longhair

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(May 2024) Episode 569 is PROFESSOR LONGHAIR. As I continue my mini-tour through New Orleans music, I come upon one of its fathers. “Fess” was best known for his piano style, which incorporated Caribbean rhumba and calypso to create a rhythmic style adopted by generations of New Orleans musicians including Fats Domino, Allen Toussant and Dr. John. He never broke into the big time like the artists he influenced, perhaps in part because his singing style is comparatively a bit clipped and less polished. But you can’t not have a good time with his boogie.

Favorite album: Rock ‘n’ Roll Gumbo

Favorite song: Tipitina

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: A compilation album will provide what you need to know.

558. The Animals

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(April 2024) Episode 558 is THE ANIMALS. I started to write about them as a second-tier British Invasion band but then realized that’s an American-centric view. In the UK they developed a fiery presence on UK R&B scene. But just as I wrote about how the Searchers music proved the magic of the Beatles within Merseybeat, the Animals demonstrate how superior the Rolling Stones were among the blues-based UK bands. The original Animals played with gusto, but they lacked song-writing chops; their main four hits on U.S. radio (“House of the Rising Sun,” “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place,” “It’s My Life,” and “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”) were composed by others. They fell apart early, and in 1966 Eric Burdon formed another group with his name up front. To me this is the most interesting period, as the albums have a psychedelic and experimental approach, providing the minor hits “San Francisco Nights” and “Sky Pilot.” Bottom line, Burdon’s voice never appealed to me.

Favourite album: The Twain Shall Meet

Favourite song: House of the Rising Sun

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: A great hits LP is enough.

555. The Neville Brothers

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(March 2024) Episode 555 is THE NEVILLE BROTHERS. This logiclly follows my recent episode on The Meters, which featured Art and Cyril Neville. In 1977 they joined Aaron and Charles to form this eponymously named unit. Each brother in this talented family had their own musical careers long before, during and after. But assembled together they created an iconic group with New Orleans-flavored funk, soul and R&B. This episode covers their studio albums, which weren’t many, and a few live performances, but it still feels incomplete given the span of each brother’s work. I’ve always loved Aaron’s fluttering tenor and his classic mid-60s song “Tell It Like It Is.”

Favorite album: Fiyo on the Bayou

Favorite song: Yellow Moon

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: Find some of their live concert performances, which show the energy and interaction.

547. The Temptations

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(February 2024) Episode 547 is THE TEMPTATIONS. I had known them as a legendary Motown act through classic mid-60s hits like “My Girl,” “The Way You Do the Things You Do” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” who endured to the present day on the nostalgia circuit. What I did not know, and was not prepared by have MY MIND BLOWN by, were their “psychedelic soul” albums from 1968-1972 (notably Cloud Nine, Puzzle People and Psychedelic Shack). I knew “I Can’t Get Next To You” and “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” but hadn’t connected that this was the same outfit that made “My Girl.” This period is when producer Norman Whitfield took over and guided them to a rougher and funkier sound, as well as more socially conscious themes. Alongside Sly Stone and Funkadelic, this sound made the Temptations a big influence on funk and 70s soul. Love this stuff. I am a sucker for falsetto, so I highlight Eddie Kendricks, one of the best and one of my favorites (along with Curtis Mayfield, Phillip Bailey and Prince). Amidst lineup changes, they kept pumping out albums through the decades following R&B trends, but never recapturing the magic of their peak. The Temptations are around today, still led by founder Otis Williams, the last original member.

Favorite album: Psychedelic Shack

Favorite song: I Can’t Get Next To You

Compared to expectations: ↑

Recommendation: Get those “psychedelic soul” albums referenced above, but their earlier “classic 5” era albums are very good too, such as Getting’ Ready and The Temptations with a Lot o’ Soul

541. Fats Domino

~ ernopepper ~ 1 Comment

(January 2024) Episode 541 is FATS DOMINO, a pioneer of rock-and-roll, although he dismissed the term, noting that he was merely making the same piano-based New Orleans R&B he had been playing for years. “The Fat Man” (1949) is one of the many songs that historians nominate as the first rock-and-roll record. Regardless, he was massively influential on what became rock music. His success in the mid-1950s marked the peak of piano-based rock-and-roll before guitar became supreme. His sound was consistent (but also repetitive) over the years: piano beats in 12/4 time with his easy-going vocal style. I tire easily of early rock-and-roll but I find Fats, who unlike many in the business appeared to be a decent human being, an enjoyable listening experience.

Favorite album: This Is Fats Domino!

Favorite song: I’m Ready (1959)

Favorite later song: Work My Way Up Steady (1967)

Compared to expectations: ↑

Recommendation: Any greatest hits record will do but also check out the two songs listed above which are unlikely to make the cut.

523. The Isley Brothers

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(September 2023) Episode 523 is THE ISLEY BROTHERS. You might know them best for the classics “Shout” and “Twist and Shout,” prime examples of how gospel’s call-and-response helped define soul and rock. These late 50s recordings were just the beginning of a six-decade career of six brothers from Cincinnati, in various combinations, which is still going. They covered all the styles through that span: early R&B, soul, funk, disco, smooth R&B. My favorite period is 1969-75, their peak of funky soul, with hits like “It’s Your Thing” and “That Lady.” Everything from the 1980s on is not my thing. I commend their 1971 album “Givin’ It Back.” After a decade of watching White artists cover their material, they flip it by recording songs by Dylan, Stills, Young and Taylor. And they do it great.

Favorite album: 3+3

Favorite song: I Turned You On

Favorite cover song: Summer Breeze

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: Try those eight albums from 1969-75, or a greatest hits collection; make sure it includes the songs above and the funkalicious “If He Can You Can” and “The Heat Is On.”

506. Tina Turner

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(June 2023) Episode 506 of the “opus project” is TINA TURNER, including her work with IKE & TINA, begun after her recent passing.  Few if any performers can match her dynamism on stage and in voice; I had not fully appreciated her powerful delivery before this episode.  Add to this her personal story of overcoming Ike’s abuse to become an international star, reaching a pinnacle with her mid-1980s hits. While these songs are how my generation knows her, my favorite stuff is the Ike & Tina albums from 1970-73.  It’s fantastic gritty, funky soul.  (Their earlier R&B material is less interesting.)   

Favorite album (Ike & Tina): Feel Good

Favorite album (Tina solo): Acid Queen

Favorite song (Ike & Tina): I Like It

Favorite song (Tina solo): Whole Lotta Love (yeah, it’s a cover, but what she does with it is funkalicious)

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: Those early 70s albums are essential funk/soul