TITLE: Time and Place
ARTIST: Lee Moses
LABEL: Front Page 1970

When I go looking for 45s, my usual duty is to play the first 5 seconds then skip around for the breakdown. But as soon as I heard this one, I had to let it breath. This is some real smooth summertime soul shit. The guitar intro is so warm, you can feel it in your pelvis. It'll make ugly girls pretty. Playing for this for other people, I've found that it's one of those songs that is universal soul. This track can also be found on a small Maple label LP from Jersey which fetches 2 bills with soul collectors.

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TITLE: We Gave the Drummer Some
ARTIST: Specks Williams
LABEL: Jax ?

Once you see "Drummer" on the label of a four five, you know you got the stinky cheese. I remember the moment I first put the needle to this one and heard a voice go "we gave the drummer some" I got that electric feeling you get like when you first step into a strip joint. And sure enough Specks comes through with a monster, long intro drum break. Then the song busts into a dapper smooth boogaloo groover with some sweet guitar and heavenly piano licks. This is real early break. I think pre 69.

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TITLE: Hook and Sling
ARTIST: Eddie Bo
LABEL: Scram ?

If you're talking about all-time classic funk 45s, you gotta have this on the list. The most famous of Eddie Bo's tracks... the spit in your eye, the pablo escobar of breakbeat tracks. This and the Bo-produced "Hip Drop" defined Eddie Bo's thick drum + bass sound. The recording is banging throughout, with just about enough room for the sweet guitar hook, majstic horns, and Eddie's shouts. In two masterful parts, frustration occurs when I have to choose a side. A dancefloor filler, people don't know what they're doin when this gem drops. The intro is getting worn from playing this one out.

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TITLE: I've Got Reasons
ARTIST: Mary Jane Hooper
LABEL: Power 197?

I'm a sucker for girls that sing over funky arrangements. Hell, I'll even tell you I like that new Brittney Spears video. Marva Whitney, Lyn Collins, they my girls. Mary Jane is right up there with them. So much so, that I had to snag that Funky Delicassies compilation of hers which, is pretty good except for poor production transfers. This 45 is her stand-out song and the one she's most known for. Also one of my personal favorites. Like Eddie Bo, she recorded with New Orleans producer Al Scramuzza. This one is on the Scram imprint Power. The first thing you'll notice about this sound is the nawlings twang which sounds a lot like the Meters. But the juggular has got to be Mary Jane's attitude-busting vocals. Don't tell her where her bread and butter lie. All those little girls can't front on this. Another attitude buster: "I'm Tired, I'm Tired, I'm Tired" by Marva.

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TITLE: Bam Bam
ARTIST: Yellowman
LABEL: Volcano 1982

I picked this 45, cause it's got a story to it. Firstly it's an og jamaican press of the classic track from the albino, face-disintegrating, cheese liking, self proclaimed king of Jamaican Music, the pimp dad Yellow. The story behind it is that the cats from Jammyland went straight to Jamaica to get clean out these old Juke-Boxes. They pulled this one and many others out but they were covered with this light brown, hard as dried glue substance. Well the stuff happens to be official dried jamacan cockroach dung. When I bought this the stuff was covered in it. Let me tell you this is stuf is some post-apocalypse only thing surviving material. It took quite an effort to get it clean. I put some of the matter on my tongue to savor the moment. Whenever I listen to this, I try to picture that Jamaican bar this 45 was chillin in and always come up with some rich images. Another reason why cds got no soul.

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TITLE: Iron Leg
ARTIST: Mickey and the Soul Generation
LABEL: Maxwell 197?

Mickey and the Soul Generation 45s are the ones that get you started on down the road of funk 45 sweet addiction. A step just beyond JBs road, these semi-rare nuggets on the Maxwell label help to start this whole funky 45 craze. Why, cause they're what you think a funky 45 should sound. Ironleg starts off with the badass fuzz sound that breaks into some funky bass and organ instrumentation. The organ solo, which I usually dislike, is banging in a minimal, rub-down way. Sometimes I get pissed that this track is only 2:15 long. Look out, for their other Maxwell l45, Football, which isn't as strong but still quite funky. Also look out the group's "Get Down Brother" on Mr. G's label cause it's worth don king duckets.

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TITLE: Hippy Skippy Moon Strut
ARTIST: The Moon People
LABEL: Slew 197?

Don't know much about these Moon People except they've Dave told me that they did some latin-funk stuff with with Baby Cortez. But who gives a phuk, cause this is on some powerful funk tip! Listen as it starts with some nice latin stylee, then with a burst of the horns, breakbeat session begins, then they it switches up into some "Tighten Up" style piano chords, then back into breakbeat session, then the same pattern all over again. Not mention they're screaming "hippy strut" the whole time. These kind of tracks makes my mind go pop. When musicians back then flipped styles like this, it makes me wonder why so much tired stuff is coming out today. People, please flip your shit, it'll make it stank.

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TITLE: Hot Pants - I'm Coming I'm Coming
ARTIST: Bobby Byrd
LABEL: Brownstone 197?

Chalk this one up on my TGFJB (Thank God for JB) list. On JB's Polydor-subsidary label, Brownstone, this track shows the scope of the Godfather's brain cream. The sound on this has a more modern funk sound that JB didn't let loose too much. That bass and guitar hook foundation is definitely on some other tip. Add in some signature horns and you get a sound all his own. Not to mention that Bobby Byrd plays Ghostface with some of his best solo efforts. Funk Tang-wu, Premier, and Marley Marl, JB was the first to have his production fam on lockdown. And he was smarter, never let his brethren in on the the cream. Lucky Bootsy got away, but Maceo got stuck playing to University of Vermont hippies.

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TITLE: Just a Groove in "G"
ARTIST: Wilbur Bascomb and the Zodiact
LABEL: Carnival 197?

People think it's silly to buy records for a a break that last a couple seconds, but I call them pig-phukers. To me that breakdown is the the heavenly shit that takes me away from monotones. This break is as bad as it gets. No need for my babble. Just listen and pretend you're not there.

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TITLE: Good Times
ARTIST: Kool and the Gang
LABEL: De-Lite 1972

I love Kool and the Gang 45s for so many reasons:
1)Most people remember Kool for "Celebrate" and "Cherish," so when you find their older 45s they're usually 50 cents.
2) It's hard as Chyna to find their early records, so step to these.
3) Both sides are usually banging- Let the Music Take Your Mind/Chocolate Buttermilk, Kool's Back Again/The Gang is Back Again, Good Times/The Frog... and come in multiple configurations.
4) Tasty Stone Cold Funk Classics that people bug to.

t was hard picking one so I just picked this one blindly from a pile of 4. And a good one it is. Good Times is that "school is out for the summertime" shit with the bouncy bass grooves. Sampled lovely on the first Cypress for "Light Another." The b-side is moog cut sampled by Tribe. Kool and the Gang sucks and you should avoid buying their 45s, so I can horde them and eat them like cakes.

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TITLE: Five Fingers of Death
ARTIST: N/A
LABEL: Warner Bros.

Found this at a flea market. Radio spots pressed on a 45 for the original release of this kung fu flick. Comes in 4 versions on one side, blank on the other. No music, just voice-over, kung fu sound effects and typical "eastern sounds." I wonder if dialogue records will ever be demand, cause they're the bomb too. I picked this cause it makes me happy when I see it like a round the way girl. Word to the Stamp Collectors and the Hush Puppies.

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