By MEL&THEN SOME (195.219.7.56 - 195.219.7.56) on Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 05:43 pm: |
I HAVE AN OLD (UK)TAMLA MOTOWN L.P. AND IT IS A QUITE EARLY COPY.ALL TRACKS ARE SUPERB,ESPECIALLY THE MABEL JOHN SIDES,BUT ONE TRACK,DATED ,I THINK 1961 IS SATANS BLUES BY JNR.WALKER,A SOUND THAT HAS GROWN ON ME OVER THE YEARS.CAN ANYBODY GIVE ANY DETAILS ABOUT THIS TRACK.IVE SEEN JNR.WALKER LIVE(EARLY MECCA,CASINO)AND BEING A PERSONAL FAVOURITEOF MINE,I DONT RECALL HAVING ANY IN-DEPTH INFO REGARDS THIS TRACK.MEL(ANDTHENSOME)
By Ritchie (62.254.0.6 - 62.254.0.6) on Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 06:39 pm: |
Hi Mel
You must be talking about the album "Motown Memories Vol.3" there.
The Jr Walker track in question appeared on the third single on the Soul label, released August 1964. The flip (top side?) was Monkey Jump.
By MEL&THEN SOME (195.219.7.28 - 195.219.7.28) on Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 06:50 pm: |
MANY THANKS RITCHIE,I THOUGHT 61 SEEMED A BIT EARLY,(63 WAS IN MY HEAD).WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE TRACK.YES, THE ALBUM IS MOTOWN MEMORIES 3.THE MABEL JOHN TRACKS(AS ALL THE SIDES IVE HEARD FROM HER,ABSOLUTE MAGIC.HAVE YOU HEARD MONKEY JUMP,ITS ONE IM NOT FAMILIAR WITH).MEL(ANDTHENSOME)
By Ritchie (62.254.0.6 - 62.254.0.6) on Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 07:02 pm: |
Hi Mel
Yes, regarding Mable John, I think Motown's loss was definitely Stax's gain. By the way, she was Little Willie John's sister, if you weren't aware.
Re Monkey Jump - yes, I have it on an obscure Jr Walker CD. It's a medium tempo semi-instrumental, a 12-bar with a feel somewhere in the region of the Mar-Keys' Last Night. Needless to say what the lead instrument is, but there's a nice funky, bluesy guitar part in there too!
By MEL&THEN SOME (195.219.7.115 - 195.219.7.115) on Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 07:31 pm: |
RITCHIE,I AGREE WITH WHAT YOU SAY ABOUT MABLE JOHN,WHOLEHEARTEDLEY(MUST BE WRONG SPELLING,AS WITH MY MABELS)MOST DEFINATLEY STAXS GAIN.LITTLE WILLIE JOHN,ONE TOTALLY MINDBLOWING ARTIST.A MATE OF MINE TURNED ME ON TO A VAST AMOUNT OF L.WILLIE JOHNS MATERIAL YEARS AGO,THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF FEVER,CANNOT FAULT IT IN ANY WAY,THE MATE ALSO HAS ALMOST EVERY STAX/VOLT SINGLE RELEASED,AND BOY,STAX RECORDS ,AS IM SURE YOU KNOW,ONE HELL OF A LABEL.IVE GOT A MAR-KEYS,LAST NIGHT ON ENGLISH,SO I KNOW WHERE YOUR COMING FROM WITH THAT.FOR SOME REASON A FROG JUMP IS IN MY MIND BUT A STAX TITLE AND RUFUS THOMAS RINGING BELLS FOR SOME REASON.THOUGH PROBABLY TOTALLY UNRELATED.MANY THANKS RITCHIE,MEL(ANDTHENSOME)
By MEL&THEN SOME (195.219.7.115 - 195.219.7.115) on Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 07:35 pm: |
WHOOPS,SPOT THE ERROR RITCHIE,THE REASON RUFUS THOMAS IS RINGING BELLS IS BECAUSE ITS TITLED FROG JUMP AND HAS TOTALLY NO CONNECTION WITH MONKEY JUMP,SORRY IF IVE THROWN YOU.MEL(ANDTHENSOME)
By Ritchie (62.254.0.6 - 62.254.0.6) on Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 07:45 pm: |
Hey, Mel - don't worry. I get thrown all the time ;o)
I too love the Stax sound. I mean, if you're really into Soul, you gotta have some Stax!
PS - have you heard Rufus Thomas' cover of Barefootin'? I love Robert Parker's original, so I was stunned to hear the Big Bad Dog's version - it sounds so perfect for him. And Steve Cropper is just as perfect. Memphis meets New Orleans - fabulous.
By MEL&THEN SOME (195.219.7.115 - 195.219.7.115) on Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 07:58 pm: |
HEY RITCHIE,I HAVE HEARD BAREFOOTIN,ALTHOUGH ROBERT PARKERS IS A GOLDEN OLDIE ALL-NIGHTER MEMORIE JERKER FOR ME,GOOD OLD RUFUS IS UPTHERE.NEW ORLEANS,ANOTHER TOWN FULL OF CLASS.HAVE YOU HEARD BIG BAD DOGS STOMPER ON STAX TITLED MEMPHIS TRAIN,IF NOT,THEN BROTHER,TRACK IT DOWN.REGARDS MR.CROPPER(ANDTHEBOYS)SAY NO MORE.STAX RECORDS ONE TRULY AND UNDESERVEDLY MOST UNDER-RATED LABEL IN ITS TIME.MEL(THESTAX/VOLT/ORMSKIRK/REVIEW/AVNDTHENSOME)
By Ritchie (62.254.0.6 - 62.254.0.6) on Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 08:05 pm: |
Mel
Finger-clickin' good!
The Big Bad Dog
By MEL&THEN SOME (195.219.7.17 - 195.219.7.17) on Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 08:51 pm: |
HEY RITCHIE YOUR THE MAN.MEL(ANDTHENSOME).P.S.IM JUST ABOUT TO GO WALKIN THE DOG.
By RJ Spangler (205.188.209.48 - 205.188.209.48) on Thursday, August 01, 2002 - 03:22 am: |
My pal Earl King sez he wrote Barefootin. It does sorta have his cadence. Back to the Jr Walker thread though.....did you folks know there is a Jr Walker Ghostband? My buddy Jerome Spearman plays drums in it. He had previously spent a decade with Mary Wilson and the New Supremes. As a teenager he had a job at Motown as a gofer for the Funk Bros. Jerome was groomed to be a Motown drummer. They sent him out as soon as he was old enough to hit the road. He also played with the Temps, Martha Reeves and the Jackson 5. It is amazing to me that so many musicians still make a living recreating Motown music. I got a call today from Martha Reeves musical directer looking for a recomendation for a bass player.
-RJ
By Gary Rosen (12.234.95.0 - 12.234.95.0) on Thursday, August 01, 2002 - 08:14 am: |
Mel, Rufus Thomas' "Memphis Train" is on the 9-record boxed set of Stax/Volt singles which I think is still available. Though not well-known it is one of my all-time personal favorites.
- Gary Rosen
By Ritchie (62.254.0.6 - 62.254.0.6) on Thursday, August 01, 2002 - 10:12 am: |
RJ
That's an interesting claim from Earl King, and come to think of it - the song does have his kind of feel. What's the story on this?
Robert Parker's classic cut is a long-time club favourite over here, from its first issue right through to the early "Northern" scene. (And I still find it irresistible.)
By MEL&THEN SOME (195.219.7.22 - 195.219.7.22) on Thursday, August 01, 2002 - 12:24 pm: |
RJSPANGLER,MANY THANKS FOR THAT AMAZING PIECE OF INFO,DOES YOUR PAL MR.KING KNOW THE HISTORY ABOUT BAREFOOTIN,ON THE BRITISH NORTHERN SOUL SCENE.TO ME ,EVEN TODAY ITS A GREAT SOUND.AROUND 1986 A CHICK CAME TO HER VERY FIRST NORTHERN SOUL ALL-NIGHTER,NOW SHE HADNT HEARD ANY NORTHERN SOUL BEFORE,AND THEY PLAYED ROBERT PARKERS,BAREFOOTIN,AND SHE WAS TOTALLY BLOWN AWAY.DANCED TO IT AND COULDNT GET IT OUT OF HER HEAD.AND TO THIS DAY ,BECAUSE OF THAT TRACK,SHES THE QUEEN OF THE GO-GO.REGARDS THE GHOSTBAND I HAD NO IDEA,MAGIC INFO THOUGH.I ONLY WISH I COULD PLAY BASS.IM A GOOD GOFER THOUGH.BEST WISHES TO EARL KING,MR JEROME(STICKS)SPEARMAN(AND BAND)AND HEY,RJ,MANY THANKS FOR THE TRULY AMAZING INFO.MEL(ANDTHENSOME)
By MEL&THEN SOME (195.219.7.22 - 195.219.7.22) on Thursday, August 01, 2002 - 12:27 pm: |
GARY ROSEN,ALL ABOARD THE MEMPHIS TRAIN,SAY NO MORE BUDDY.MEL(ANDTHENSOME)
By MEL&THEN SOME (195.219.7.35 - 195.219.7.35) on Thursday, August 01, 2002 - 02:30 pm: |
RJSPANGLER,FORGIVE MY IGNORANCE,BUT YOU BLEW ME AWAY REGARDS THE BAREFOOTIN INFO,WHOELSE IS IN THE GHOSTBAND(DO THEY HAVE A NAME)AND WHO PLAYS THE SAX.MEL(ANDTHENSOME).
By keith Herschell - London (195.92.198.71 - 195.92.198.71) on Thursday, August 01, 2002 - 04:07 pm: |
Satans blues: What a wonderfully filthy piece of music that is, and so aptly titled. As someone who,in his dreams is the sax player who steps foreward from the band and plays blistering solos ala King Curtis (but in reality would have trouble producing a squeek from the instrument) could I ask any of our esteemed musicians on the site especially Mike Terry if he is around, why so many Motown records, used a baritone sax for the solo, when the tenor would have seemed more of an obvious choice, as they did in many 50s R&B recordings.
Incidentally, whilst on a satanic theme, I have always thought that if Lucifer himself had ever made a record, he would have sounded exactly like Howlin' Wolf. Whereas if God had made a record he would have sounded like Marvin Junior of the Dells.(or Jackie Wilson or Levi Stubbs or......)
By Ritchie (62.254.0.6 - 62.254.0.6) on Thursday, August 01, 2002 - 05:49 pm: |
Not sure about that, Keith. Didn't they used to say, "the Devil has the best tunes."?
By MEL&THEN SOME (195.219.7.75 - 195.219.7.75) on Thursday, August 01, 2002 - 06:47 pm: |
KEITH,NO WAY WOULD THE DEVIL HOLD HIS OWN WITH THE WOLF,NOT EVEN A SPOONFUL(OUCH).MEL(ANDTHENSOME).
By Frankj (212.159.70.184 - 212.159.70.184) on Thursday, August 08, 2002 - 03:04 pm: |
As you well know Mel "Frog Stomp" is Floyd Newman on Stax S-143. Check your mp3s my son as I even put the number on. See you Saturday skinhead.
By MEL&THENSOME (195.219.7.17 - 195.219.7.17) on Thursday, August 08, 2002 - 05:27 pm: |
CHEERS FRANK,YOU OLD SON OF A GUN. MEL.
By fenderpbass66 (151.203.5.204 - 151.203.5.204) on Thursday, August 08, 2002 - 05:54 pm: |
Just yesterday, I broke out Jr Walker and started listening to These Eyes.
Being familiar with the original Guess Who recording, I could not help but smile and laugh when through-out the piece, Jamerson was Doin His Thang.
By FransBigSister (151.199.238.157 - 151.199.238.157) on Friday, August 09, 2002 - 06:58 pm: |
--I'm sitting here with a stack of vinyls
(33's) of Sax players from the fifties and
sixties. I dragged them up from the basement
to try to put them onto CDs. I went to
Radio Shack and got the audio cable and an
adapter plug to put into the old 70's
unit. Now, I have to download a free sample
program from a site I found on the inernet
to clean up the scratchs, skips etc. when
I get to download them. Going through the
records I found Jr. Walker, Sonny Stitt, Lee
Allen (Walking with Mr. Lee), Boots Randoph,
King Curtis, the Viscounts & Ace Cannon.
My husband played tenor back in the 50's &
60's with a small local band, so we have
quite a collection. The most famous Sax player
in the Philly area then was Earl Bostic, who
could make you cry playing Harlem Nocturne.
The wildest one in the area was Lynn Hope, who
walked on top of the bar as he belted out
Night Train.
Lotsa other albums too, Hugh Masakella, Wes
Montgomery, Mongo Santarmaria and Ramsey Lewis
Trio to name a few. Looks like I got my work
cut out for me. Marilyn
By xxxclub (152.163.194.209 - 152.163.194.209) on Monday, August 12, 2002 - 01:32 pm: |
You might have noticed that the Bari-sax is dominating in a lot of songs because it helped to cultivate the bass sounds of the music. There were two factors that helped the instrument to take precidence. One is because Bean Bowles was the only person that played the instrument, and was innovative in cultivation the sound of the Bari, and it helped the Bass guitar to carry the groove of the song.Rather innovative I think. You can find more junior Walker information at:
JuniorWalkersAllStarBand.MotownAlumni.com
By Ritchie (62.254.0.6 - 62.254.0.6) on Monday, August 12, 2002 - 02:20 pm: |
xxx - You're leaving a very important factor out of the equasion here as regards the baritone sax - Mike Terry!
P.S. A word of friendly advice - I really would recommend a new user name, if you don't want people to delete your emails on sight :o)