Playlist here
I woke up early this morning to finish the latest George Pelecanos novel called “What It Was”. It’s vintage GP as he heads back to 1972, and to the hero of four of his novels, the black private investigator Derek Strange.
Nobody writes with music and invokes the spirit of an era like Pelecanos. “What It Was” is a blacksploitation crime movie; a funk-soul blood relative of an earlier classic novel of his called “King Suckerman”. Hell it even has a cameo from Nick Stefanos, geek fans.
Pelecanos junkies are reading this mumbling about this blog post preaching to the choir. So let’s reel in the rest of you. George Pelecanos is currently one of the producers on HBO show “Treme”, as well as one of the writers and a producer of God’s own television show, also known as The Best Series Ever Made; ”The Wire”. If you enjoyed those TV shows, it’s a fair chance there is something for you in one of his nineteen novels. Start with the the “Washington Quartet” books.
Anyway - the music. Music is a huge part of everything Pelecanos writes, and with this novel being set in the “Watergate” time of 1972, and in the Washington ghetto, the soundtrack is as spattered with funk, and soul as it is with blood and broads.While I was reading it, I decided to make a note of all the tracks mentioned, then put them into a Spotify playlist.
Here you go
It features awesome music from Sly, Curtis, Donny Hathaway, Funkadelic, James Brown, Isaac Hayes, Stylistics and more. My musical OCD has to point out a couple of things, (this being the internet, it’s no doubt someone else will at some point anyway). Two tracks are missing: Kool & The Gang “Soul Vibrations”, and Ollie & The Nightingales “Just a Little Overcome” (Tommy Tate on the vocals). I thought about putting in another Kool track, but that would be cheating. And putting in the St Etienne version of “Just a Little Overcome” would be like swapping Rioja for Ribena. So forget that, yo.
I’m going off on one again. Pelecanos always does. Enjoy the playlist. The book is out now.
PS - I got to the end of this post, to find out the publisher had done this musical playlist already. BUT I found out they had missed out loads of tracks and got some things wrong, so I’m publishing mine anyway. Trust me it’s more accurate.
Filed under George Pelecanos George Pelecanos What It Was Derek Strange King Suckerman The Wire Treme Funkadelic Sly Stone Curtis Mayfield
Dillinger : Cool Operator
Just did my top 5 music-related films for the next issue of Clash Magazine. “Rockers” was in there of course, because it had to be. My favourite scene from the film is when these cats dance to Dillinger in the record shop. I’ve been trying to dance like that ever since. Scant consolation is the fact I do have the very same yellow tracksuit.
Here’s the Dillinger track in it’s entirety. It’s a beaut.
I think the article is out later this month. Happy Monday to you.
Filed under Dillinger Rockers Clash Magazine Sonic Cinema
The Jacksons - Enjoy Yourself.
In 1983 I wanted a wet look. Desperately. I was 8 years old and Michael Jackson had one, making it essential that I had one too. To Mum’s eternal credit, she ignored my incessant pleading and told me to do one.
I also wanted a Sony Walkman. Desperately. Michael Jackson had an album out, making it essential I could listen to it while moonwalking around Battersea. To Dad’s eternal credit, he gave in to my incessant pleading and got me one. And it was a thing of beauty.
. 
My experience of music up to this point had been opera (Mum), Glenn Reeves (Dad) & various Nigerian LP’s (both) so I had no idea what I wanted to listen to, apart from “Thriller”. So “Thriller” is what I asked for, and I then sat excitedly and expectantly by the window as Dad went off in the kind of Datsun that only Nigerian men ever seem to drive.
Later that day he came back with a Woolworths bag holding two cassettes. A best of compilation from some bloke I’d never heard of called Jimi Hendrix, and an album called “The Jacksons”, whose cover seemed to feature my hero, but not in THAT white suit. Surprisingly, it also included his four brothers (with Randy instead of Jermaine Jackson.) Furthermore, reading the back, it had a load of songs I’d never heard of…
Dad looked pleased with himself, totally unaware of his MASSIVE MISTAKE, but as it was the first LP I ever owned, on my first ever portable music device, I played it over and over until I knew every single word and grew to love it.
“The Jacksons” was produced by Gamble & Huff, the legends behind the Philadelphia Sound (there is a new compilation called Golden Gate Groove that is ESSENTIAL by the way). It was their first album away from their massive success Motown, and was greeted as such by a public unsure of their new direction. It did however spawn a platinum hit, (“Enjoy Yourself” - video at the top) as well as fantastic R&B jams like “Blues Away” , “Show You The Way To Go” & the ballad “Good Times”.
My brother got Thriller in the end, before me. It was alright I suppose, but it never meant as much to me as The Jacksons release. And as I write this now, that’s still the case. Thanks Dad, and rest in peace. x
Filed under Jacksons Michael JAckson Sony Walkman Gambe & Huff Philadephia Soul Golden Gate Groove Thriller
RIP Biggie Smalls. Hip Hop’s finest ever.
This freestyle was taken from the famous Wake Up Show with Sway & Tech in California. Recorded six days before Christopher Wallace was murdered and featuring Biggie’s lieutenant Lil Cease, from the crew Junior Mafia.
Enjoy. Of course you will.
Filed under Notorious BIG. Wake Up Show
Why am I sharing a video of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes on Soul Train?
Because it’s Friday, and because I can.
Also because I want to remind you (again) in an enjoyable way (Facebook invites are really dull and no-one reads them) that myself and comedian / rapper / actor / presenter DOC BROWN (pictured) are doing an event called FURIOUS STYLES TV, where we will be picking the best of black entertainment on the tellybox over the years and he will present it to you in a very funny and interesting way. I’ll be at the back watching you laugh and making sure the projector works, probably.
Because of the untimely death of my hero, and number one fantasy uncle, Don Cornelius, our first show is a Soul Train special. We’ll be going on a round trip starting with Soul Train, ending with Soul Train, and taking in some of the best stuff that we’ve trawled the internet, our video collections, BBC archives and more, to bring to you. We’re doing it on 5th March at The Old Queens Head in Islington. Click HERE for more details.
Filed under Furious Styles TV Don Cornelius Doc Brown Old Queens Head Soul Train Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
PATTI LABELLE ON SESAME STREET.
This is Patti Labelle singing the alphabet on Sesame Street. Gospel style. Good innit?It’s OK you can thank me later.
I watch this stuff while you live your life, so you don’t have to. You can see more stuff like this if you come to the video night I’m doing with comedian Doc Brown. It’s called Furious Styles TV (click link) and it’s on 5th March at The old Queens Head, and it’s going to be cool. Yeah.
Filed under Patti Labelle Sesame Street Furious Styles TV
lozzaloves:
New Kindness album due 19th March
Looking forward to this. Kindness LP out next month.
THIS IS AMAZING. I went to BUG last night at the BFI, the music video night hosted by Adam Buxton. I was djing in the bar afterwards, which was fun. Anyway. This was one of the videos he showed. If I was the Rofl type, and not already sitting down, I might have rolled around on the floor for sure.
Filed under Burrs hip hop Bug Adam Buxton BFI
Are you Rob Base? This simple, but amazing diagram helps you check.
Filed under Rob Base DJ EZ Rock hip hop
There is nothing I want to do more in the world today than eat here.
Click the link and do the air punch of amazingness. Out to Doc Brown, and Rob Cracknell for bringing this to my attention .
Carry on.
Filed under Bon Rappetite
I’ve decided to style myself as “The Gentleman Junglist”, when I play at my WICKED WICKED night, (which is at Star Of Bethnal Green,on last Thursday of the month by the way) which basically means I’ll be playing dutty d&b dressed somewhere between Andre3000 and Chris Eubank.
With this in mind, my good friend @themichaelmoran pointed out this here Amen scarf, which is the soundwave of the most famous drum break of all time, knitted into a neck warmer PAR EXCELLENCE.
Small things please small people. I’m not very tall and this makes me very fucking happy. Mine is on order. Click the title to read more.
Filed under Amen jungle Wicked Wicked Star Of Bethnal Green
I’ve started an old school drum and bass jungle night at Star Of Bethnal Green. We did the first night last night and it was HELLA FUN. Amongst all the ace people getting down last night, my favourite request was a bloke who wanted to hear Gregory Isaacs.
I told him it was a jungle night.
He reared up incredulously and went “JUNGLE! WHY? HAHA YOU’RE 20 YEARS TOO LATE!”.
I mentioned, that yes that was the point. I didn’t mention to him that Gregory Isaacs wasn’t exactly at the cutting edge of things at the moment, nor was he in his suit. But I didn’t. Besides I really like Gregory Isaacs’ music.
I did my third “Wicked Wicked” mix. Click the link at the top to check it out. This is the tracklisting.
Rebel MC - Wickedest Sound
2 Bad Mice - Bombscare
Future Assassins - Phuture Sound
Krome & Time - This Sound Is For the Underground
Kev Bird - This Is A Trip
Krome & Time - The Slammer
Q Project - Champion Sound
MA2 - Hearing Is Believing
You can check some other ones I did here
We’ve got Eats Everything djing next month 23rd Feb. Should be skills. No doubt I’ll tell you about it a few times before then.
Filed under wicked wicked jungle mixcloud ransom note Eats Everything
INNER CITY - PENNIES FROM HEAVEN
Bugged Out Weekender was brilliant. I’d like to tell you more, and I probably will, but that’ll be when I’m less tired. Which isn’t today AT ALL.
Erol Alkan, Green Velvet, Jackmaster and Frank Tope were brilliant. But Inner City were sensational. I’ve been humming this all day. So thought I’d share.
Thanks to Charlotte, Johnno, Andrew, & Jack for an awesome weekend, and for having me to play. This is an event that will grow and grow. Don’t miss out next year.
Filed under Inner City Green Velvet Jackmaster Frank Tope Erol Alkan Bugged Out.
Frank Tope is the best DJ in the world. Well he’s my favourite DJ in the world, and it’s my blog, so I won’t even apologise for the hyperbole.
By day, Frank is head of A&R for Universal Music publishing, looking after Florence, Franz Ferdinand, James Blake and a whole load of excellent acts you’ve heard of, or will soon hear about. The rest of the time he is a bearded, intelligent, funny and passionate encyclopedia of music. Everything. Just got into Surf Rock? He’ll tell you 5 of the best tracks to get you started. Musing on Kraut Rock? “Lemme dig out a few bits from the attic”. Disco or house music? Write off the rest of the day. Oh and bring a notebook.
We met sometime in the 90’s in South London, and ended up djing together a lot, first of all at the “Rooty” parties we organised with Basement Jaxx, at a long defunct boozer on Brixton Hill, then in the UK & around the world for a bit. It was hella fun. Even when he played “Kids From Fame” to a bunch of bemused techno ravers at an outdoor rave in Portugal. I was so embarrassed I ran out of the DJ booth. But at least he had the stones to even try something like that.
Click the link to see what he’s chosen as his Balearic Island Discs for an excellent site called Amateurism, a daily vibes site set up by a guy called Leo Walton, full of amazing music and choice selectors who do it for fun, rather than as a job (hence the name) you should check it out.
Oh and here’s a mix he did with his Wild Geese partner Dan Foat. files.me.com/tayo3000/c008on.mp3
Filed under Frank Tope Leo Walton Amateurism Basement Jaxx Wild Geese
DAVID BOWIE was one of the only white artists to appear on Soul Train. Which to my mind makes him even more of a complete dude than he was already. Just seeing him talking to Don Cornelius, and the Don saying his name incorrectly, makes me air punch. Thanks to Christian Stevenson for bringing this to my attention.
Filed under Soul Train David Bowie Don Cornelius
