If Peace Was All We Had

A favorite song from our favorite Christmas album and what is most likely our favorite band (let's face it).

Happy Holidays, everyone!

The Specials - You Stood Me Up

This is some alternate reality shit. Great song, too.

Charlie Palmieri - El Pan Sobao

Charlie is the giant, but that coro.

Margaret Singana - Why Did You Do It

hot version

Al Foster Band - Night of The Wolf

good.

Allen Toussaint - Gone Too Far

Really bummed we never got to see him live. Rest in peace part II

The Exciters - Life, Love, & Peace

A favorite from the old days. Kinda can't imagine which incarnation of the group this could be.

The Exciters - He's Got The Power

well, holy shit.

The Pointer Sisters - Going Down Slowly

Written by the recently deceased genius and American national treasure, Allen Toussaint. Rest in Peace.

The Glass House - I Don't See Me In Your Eyes Anymore

oooh weeee.

The Diamonds - Just Can't Figure Out

Original version, before they added "Mighty" to their name. That intro, though.

Shocking Blue - Beggin'

Wait, what?! When did they cover this?

Smokey Robinson - And I Don't Love You (Larry Levan dub)

Okay, this has been happening for over a week now. Just talking about Clarence Wheeler the other night, and how great his organ player was, one Reginald "Sonny" Burke. Turns out he was also an arranger and producer of certain iconic Motown singers and songwriters. Also, this has to be one of Levan's weirdest remixes, and that's saying a lot.

The Chi-Lites - We Are Neighbors

What an ear worm. Whether we wanna be (or not).

Eddy Grant Interview on Friday Night Videos (1983)

This candid interview from Eddy Grant gives us even more reason to love him

60 Minutes Disco Music Special

Dan Rather breaks it down for middle America. Look out for cameos by the legendary production duo Rinder & Lewis at 4:49, engineer Bob Blank at 7:31 and DJ Michael Capello at 11:50. There's also great footage of Peter Brown and Betty Wright at work in the studio, although that is an ARP synthesizer, not a Moog, Mr Rather.

The Ohio Players - I Want To Be Free

Just in case you don't know it.

3 Hürel - Canım Kurban (TRT 1973)

Just read that the Hürel brothers were on TV more than any other Anatolian Pop groups because unlike their contemporaries, they didn't mind cutting their hair. Sure enough, here they are, homemade guitar-saz, durbakas drumkit, and everything.

Cat Mother & The All Night News Boys - Track In A (Nebraska Night) -

from their debut album produced by one James M Hendrix. An early favorite of the original disco architect, DJ Francis Grasso

Redd Foxx on The Flip Wilson Show

"...she thinks I love her, cuz when she gets in the bed, I roll toward her."

Mina - Io E Te Da Soli

from the songwriting team of Battisti and Mogol

Bo Hansson - Trial and Adversity

From the lesser known El Ahraihrah, an album inspired by Watership Down

The Education of Sonny Carson

Honest-to-God goosebumps. This kid is the textbook definition of the term "bad ass".

Salsoul TV Commercial (1977)

Holy shit. "Disco blending" by Walter Gibbons, no less.

Herbie Hancock & Quincy Jones - "African Blood"

A brief tutorial on the Fairlight CMI and some hot jamming on the Rhodes Chroma, followed closely by some prolix philosophizing.

Glenn Riccs - Keep On Dancing

Still a few more days of summer left.

LA GRAN CIUDAD - ELIA Y ELIZABETH

What a song.

A Compliment to End All Compliments

Apparently, Kevin Parker of Tame Impala is being sued by Sam Culley of The Skull Snaps for using his famous drum break http://pitchfork.com/news/60872-tame-impala-threatened-with-lawsuit-over-eventually/

Or, Ol Mr Culley has developed the Herman Kelly syndrome.

Paul Kelly - Stealing In The Name Of The Lord (1970)

Originally written for Sam & Dave, Kelly decided to record it himself under the guidance of Joe Tex's partner in crime, Buddy Killen.

House Music Makes The News For The First Time In Chicago (1986)

So you say this music is known as "house"?

Mr. Tape

A triumph of the human spirit.

'Sampling'

It is changing the way we do things.

West Coast Revival - My Mind Is At Ease

You know, it's Sunday.

Friday Night, August 14th (Part 2, the studio version)

After all, it only happens once every few years.

The Parliaments - Friday Night August the 14th (live,1969)

Rare televised performance from their transitional period. Not the best version of this song perhaps, but if not today, when?

John Entwistle - Heaven and Hell

For some reason, we're just hearing this for the first time. A great version of one of our very favorite Who songs.

The Overton Berry Ensemble - Superstar

The bass line kinda makes this version.

2 Tone Allstars featuring The Pioneers - Starvation

Oh yeah, this! Still don't like UB40, though. Especially that singer.

Larry Levan in 1989

It's nice to hear him speak, but what dull questions, huh?

SCORPIONS - I'M GOIN' MAD

There's a video for this?!

Apollos Hester's LSD Interview

An old friend of ours reminded us of this recently. Inspirational, yes, but ol' Apollos has clearly been dabbling in psychedelic drugs.

Guido & Maurizio De Angelis - Goodbye My Friend

No idea why there is only a clip from Faster instead of the movie it was written for, Enzo Castellari's Street Law, but here it is nonetheless. Thanks for the tip, Jarrod!

Letta Mbulu - Nomalizo

It's summer!

Julie Driscoll - Indian Ropeman x 2

We posted a clip of this performance this a long time ago, but it was just her birthday, and this treatment of outtakes versus what actually aired is pretty weird. Weird good.

Sharon Tandy & Fleur De Lys - Hold On

yes. YES!

ONE G PLUS THREE - POQUITO SOUL

Five for Cinco part 5, although it might be a five-way tie. The Chicano organ combo is a beloved subgenre for us.

The Village Callers - Hector (1968)

Five for Cinco part 4. It's been a long time since you've listened to this, let's face it.

Los Dug Dug's - Cambia Cambia

5 for Cinco part 3. Mexico's finest psych band, Los Dug Dug's

El Chicano - Más Zacate

Five for Cinco part 2. That organ solo, though.

El Chicano - Viva Tirado (LIVE)

A top entry from the "Holy Shit, This Exists?!" File. Happy Cinco De Mayo, everybody.

The Alan Parsons Project - I Wouldn't Want to be Like You

Whoa. Late pass! This is from the time in the record industry when "videos" were both called and considered "promotional films".

Lindstrom - The Contemporary Fix (EP Version)

Excited to see this dude tonite.

Electric Sandwich - China (single version) 1973

Peculiar single version of the lesser known krautrock gem

Cornelis Vreeswijk - I Rio de Janeiro

Happy Thursday.

Marvin Pentz Gay Jr (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984)

Absolutely everything about this video.

Upfront - Infatuation

Maurice Fulton played this the other night at Good Room, and everybody lost her mind.

Sly & The Family Stone - Higher And Higher (Woodstock)

This is some futuristic shit for 1969. And you know, just because.

Amason - Duvan

yes.

Janko Nilovic - Tapatapa

Long overdue on this blog, unless it was already posted in a fit of amnesia. In which case, enjoy it again.

Del Shannon - New Orleans (Mardi Gras)

Happy Mardi Gras, everybody.

Sergio Mendes - Crystal Illusions

Happy birthday to the one and only Sergio Mendes, heard here in a rare foray into psychedelia, courtesy of the great Edu Lobo.

Cross Country - Just A Thought (1973)

Sublime pop music from the remaining members of The Tokens, presumably made on their days off from producing Tony Orlando & Dawn records.

Suzanne Ciani on Omni

Electronic music pioneer Suzanne Ciani, AKA the perfect woman, in a comprehensive interview by Omni magazine. Try 'tube shot' indeed.

Grant Green - Dracula

Our friends from Stockholm, The Amazing, have been in town this week, and we geeked out about this number the other night.

Funky 4+1 - Rappin and Rockin the House (Live at The Kitchen, NY 1980)

Hott off the pressesss. And we do mean "hott". And by "hott", we mean very recently discovered and uploaded to youtube.

Galaxis - Space Ranger

From the desk of Keith Forsey and Jorg Evers. Happy 2015, everybody.