ID: OLIVER WANG aka ODub

TITLE: I Dont Know How
ARTIST: The Superlatives
LABEL: Westbound/196?

Im not much of a 45 collector at all but I randomly crossed paths with this totally scruffed up 7 at a record fair, took a chance and dropped in onto my portable player. I was instantly floored. Its such a gorgeous soul cut, starting off very innocently with some cymbal play and a touch of vibes. But when the vocals kick in, this thick bottomed beat pops out of nowhere, as does the rest of the rhythm section and the whole synergy of it is beautiful. I dont know if this is supposed to be Northern Soul or Sweet Soul but whichever, its pretty damn soulful. It took me some frantic searching to find a clean copy but now that I have it, its easily one of my favorite 45s.

TITLE: Strong as Death (Sweet as Love)
ARTIST: Al Green
LABEL: Hi/197?

One of Greens best songs on Hi, but it never made it onto an album (save a later compilation). This 45 is classic Hi Records production sweeping strings, guitar lines that tear through the song and Greens searing falsetto itself all making for a stunning slice of soul. I certainly havent been the only person to appreciate it Wu-Tang affiliates KGB lifted the main bridge for their Bless Ya Life while DJ Muggs uses it on his new Soul Assassins PresentsVol. 2 album for a song with the Goodie Mob.

TITLE: Movies N Me
ARTIST: John Dankworth and His Orchestra
LABEL: RCA/1974

The reason I love Groove Merchant is because every time I go in there, Cool Chris has some fat new song or album for me to check out. This one was no exception. Most of Dankworths works fall into nostalgia pop or instrumental, sort of like the UKs version of Henry Mancini.. This 197*, originally released in the UK, has some of his favorite songs from different movie themes hes developed and its a treasure trove of fat breaks and other grooves. Modesty Blaise, which kicks off the album, is amazing starting with some innocuous horns that drop out into a ridiculous breakbeat augmented by the return of the horns. Its like Rocky, just funkier. Then theres Return From the Ashes, a far out electronic piece that just screams funky and was recently lifted for one of the Dusty Fingers series.

TITLE: Off the Cuff
ARTIST: Freddie Robinson (aka Freddy Robinson)
LABEL: Enterprise/1973

Im a huge fan of Monk Higgins hes probably the only arranger/producer whose catalog Ive made a concerted effort to collect. You can really pick almost any album hes put out himself or worked on and therell be some tight breaks or grooves, but if I had to pick just one album that he worked on, this would be it. Theres tons of great, funky blues on this album full of slick two and four bar loops. But its all about Rivers Invitation and its massively thick bassline. The first four bars are enough to blow most peoples minds, but Higgins just pours it on, juggling Robinsons bluesy guitar riffs, Memphis-influenced horn sections and even some strings for dramatic effect. You gotta follow the funk, you gotta follow the funk.

TITLE: Wa-Tu-Wa-Uzi
ARTIST: Charles Kynard
LABEL: Prestige 197?

I like most of Kynards late 60s, early 70s work, especially the funky sides he put together for Mainstream. But this Prestige album is probably my all-around favorite musically. As an organist, Kynard managed to avoid most of the chessiness that tended to plague even greats like Jimmy Smith and Jimmy McGriff and this album has some absolutely great groovers on it. Something is best known since Diamond D. grifted two bars off the intro but the real gem is Winters Child, a six minute work packed with so much smooth soulfulness that Id rank it up there with the Heath Brothers Smilin Billy Suite Pt. 2. And compared to his Mainstream LPs, this ones easier to find (though rarely cheaper).

TITLE: Something To Believe In
ARTIST: Curtis Mayfield
LABEL: RSO 1980

I have no clue why this record is so impossible to find. Maybe by this point of his career, Mayfield just wasnt selling that many LPs so he didnt press up as many. My suspicion is because the album has one of the dopest covers out there. Sure, its worth getting for the well-named Trippin (looped by Camp Lo) but really, Id be happy just finding the cover sans disc if it came to that. You have this cartoon of a black female DJ, lips up to the mic, holding an oversized vinyl platter announcing Mayfields next song. Such rich imagery and suitable for framing.

TITLE: Doin It
ARTIST: Spanky Wilson
LABEL: Mothers/196?

This isnt necessarily the best album by Spanky Wilson ever. As far as soul albums go, theres some decent stuff on here H.B. Barnums production is uptempo, funky, but more in a hot than cool way, and definitely provides some decent listening. But if for nothing else, this album is a sizzler because of Spankys cover for Sunshine of Your Love. Its one of THE greatest dance jams that Ive ever heard in any era bursting with a hittin snare beat that just compels your whole body to move untilthe songs done. It was so nice, the folks at Fat City put it on their Main Ingredient compilation and it deserved the stature.

TITLE: Souled Out (also Soul and Salvation)
ARTIST: Dizzy Gillespie
LABEL: GWP 1970

This is a weird LP insofar as it was released on three different occassions. Ive only seen two this one on GWP and Soul and Salvation (same songs, different title) that was on another label completely. Cool Chris says a third exists but I dont know its name or label. In any case, this album runs pretty close with Gillespies The Real Thing (Perception) as his funkiest work and Im inclined to give this a slight nod. For one thing, the titles were just ridiculous: Stomped and Wasted, Pot Licka, Blue Cuchifrito, Turnip Tops, The Fly Foxand thats just Side A. Besides, Stomped and Wasted has to have one of the hardest intros Ive ever had the pleasure of experiencing a one-bar chicken skratch guitar that adds in congos for another two bars then drops a boomin drum break. The whole album is quite like this theres a good bit of blues-influence too, but definitely some uptempo groovers to get down n dirty to.

TITLE: Say No Go
ARTIST: De La Soul
LABEL: Tommy Boy/1990

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, this is supposed to be for VINYL pressings but theres a good story behind this all. It begins with DJ Zen (of Solesides) who told me that De La looped up The Muppet Showtheme and had Mase and Double D rhyme over it for what was supposed to be a bonus skit on the Say No Go 12, called The Baby Huey Skit. However, Jim Henson wouldnt clear the sample and so Tommy Boy couldnt put it out. The song only appeared on the12 test pressings of Say No Go even the promo copies of the 12 didnt have it. After years (and a lot of money) I tracked down a copy on wax, but then one day, at Amoeba Music in Berkeley, I noticed the promo CD copy of Say No Go and lo and behold, The Baby Huey Skit lived on that too. Im glad I have the vinyl version, but I cant complain about copping a digitally clean version of the song either (for what purpose one can only guess *wink, wink*). In any case, Ive seen several copies of the test pressing on vinyl. This is the only copy on CD Ive ever seen or heard of.

TITLE: In the Trunk
ARTIST: Too Short
LABEL: Jive/1992

When I put this song on a mixtape, I was overwhelmed with responses. Go figure people getting all crazy over a Too Short 12, but the secret is the Glove Compartment remix done by DJ Premier. Simple beat nothing more than some big drum drops and a viscous bassline but it thumps like crazy and sounds perfect for Too Shorts pimp drawl. And peep this quote: its not pop/its called underground rap/from Oakland California and the sh*t sound fat. Lick a shot for The Land!

TITLE: Sippin Brandy
ARTIST: King Sun
LABEL: Big Boss/199?

This promo-only 12 by King Sun has one of the nicer flips of the Emotions Blind Alley a sample which had been all but played out by the time the 12 was released. The sample doesnt get switched up too much, but just enough to distinguish it from say Aint No Half Steppin, Jiggable Pie or Pink Cookies in a Plastic Bag. And King Sun a decent MC who never really got his chance smokes on this one, confronting those who say he sounds too much like Rakim Allah and just ripping lines after line. I actually think this would have made a dope collabo with the Alkaholiks given the song title, but even solo, King Sun still shines.

TITLE: Distortion to Static Remixes
ARTIST: The Roots
LABEL: Geffen/1995

One of the dopest set of songs ever committed to wax, the Distortion of Static remixes truly applied the idea of remix. Each version totally flips the proverbial script. The Black Thought version totally vibes the whole joint out, layering it deep in Fender Rhodes key play and witty drum-isms by ?uest Love. The Ques Jim takes it in another direction, a little funkier and hard-edge. But its the Freestyle mix which is off the heezy, no deezy. Sharp drum cracks sets the tempo as Black Thought and Malik B turn in firery new verses with Scratch on the virtual turntable during the hook. But its Dice Raw who steals the show at the end, dropping some of his most bombastic lyrics ever, peep: you can never touch me/with lyrics that are sloppy/Im like the Prophet/and you cant stop me. Oh yeah, and then theres the forgettable At Ease remix on the flipside, complete with instrumental, but trust me, the Bs all you need.