Fancy Miss Nancy

Oh, sweet Nancy. How I love you...!

Nancy breathes so much life into all of her songs, it's entrancing. She can take an old favorite like "Moon River" and truly make it her own. The three-time Grammy winner got her start filling in as a back-up singer for Irene Reid (who I will post more on later), eventually landing a deal with Capitol Records that has spanned over 40 years.

Mesmerized by her voice, class and, umm, Charm, I borrowed a riff from the aforementioned song upon stumbling on this record years ago, transforming it into "The Last Laugh". Sweet Nancy ranks on my top ten list of favorite artists of all time, along with the Sylvers and Esther Phillips, among others. Here's to the wonderful woman who released this gem in 1963. (download)

Fantasy Land

Usuaully when one hears the word "Fantasia", they either think of the 1940 Disney film re-released in the early 70's to profit from the psychadelia-lovin', LSD-trippin' college crowd, or the 2004 American Idol winner who made some song about wanting a "hood boy". Yikes! Good luck with that, 'Tasia.

Very seldom do people discuss the greatness that is this 1979 record from the Bruton music library. The track "Discovery" alone -- previously released as "Solstice" on Bennett's Voyage LP and sampled by Nas -- makes this album worth the purchase. It isn't a difficult record to come by; I believe you can still catch it on CD&LP for 69 euros.

By the way, what the hell is a "hood boy" anyway? (download)

Da Plane, Boss, Da Plane

I'm still pounding the pavement looking for employment, so I'll have to keep it short today. Do you know how tough it is to find a job these days? Yeeesh. Wish me luck folks! (download)

Donny & Danny

No homo, of course.

Don't be fooled by the cover: despite the Osmonds' penchant for churning out the bubblegummiest of bubblegum pop back in the early 70's, this record is actually pretty enjoyable.

The then-16-year-old Osmond was still in the process of establishing himself as an artist in his own right, hence the attempt at making "grown-up" songs. There are quite a few gems on this LP; particularly the tear-jerking "I'm Dyin'", which I gave the Danny! treatment a few years back for the instrumental that would become "So All Alone". Other tracks, like "If Someone Ever Breaks Your Heart", are more light-hearted, yet sappy as hell. Interestingly, "Sixteen Candles", a track covered by the Jackson Five three years earlier, turns up here, as does "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", which was also covered by Al Green a year before.

Donny was released in 1974 under MGM Records who, in conjunction with Pride Records, also released the first three records of one of my favorite bands of all time, the Sylvers (more to come on them later).

Enjoy! I'm just now listening to this again for the first time in two years, maybe I'll find some other goodies... (download)

I Got The (Blues)

Word on the street is that this 1982 selection from the KPM 1000 series, one of the few to not feature the legendary "green sleeve", is quite rare and fetches upward $60 on eBay.

Merry Christmas! (download)

Water Under The Bridge

Thank you.

I truly appreciate everyone who, over the course of the last few days, offered not only appreciation of my blog, but kind words in the wake of me losing my job. A little encouragement goes a loooooooooooooong way, you have no idea. Thanks to everyone, seriously. I have been making strides to find employment but you know what? Maybe I need the time off anyway to work on my music. Maybe I'm going to win the lottery tomorrow. Maybe they'll finally cancel Mind Of Mencia, my grandmother won't buy me socks again for Christmas, or Hilary Duff will return my stalker-esque voicemail messages. My point is anything can happen, so it's best to stay positive and keep moving forward without being too hard on myself.

Shout-out to Reza, AMP, Cosmo, OtO, Sir Funklicious, Soulman & Lafayette; please visit their respective blogs for more out-of-this-world music. Without further ado, here's 1977's Water Show from the Montparnasse music library. (download)

Half Empty

That's how I'm looking at the glass these days, half empty. My job decided to let me go and -- because I've never had any prior incidents and was an exceptional employee -- gave me the lamest, contrived excuse as to why they were firing me. Streaming music? Really? You guys could've came up with a better excuse than that.

Oh well, I know when I'm not wanted. As a result of being recently unemployed, I've been out of commission for the past week but I'll try to keep the place up the best I can. Today's selection from the crates comes from Vicki Sue Robinson's Half & Half, released in 1977 on RCA Records. This record was one of the first ones I bought when I first started using samples in my beats; I swiped it from the record store for like three dollars. Of course, I only picked it up because two of my favorite producers had already run through it, using Half & Half to make two of the hottest joints that year, "Free" and "My Problem (Jealousy)". Check out what this underrated disco queen, who sadly passed away in 2000, has to offer on her third album. In the meantime, let's see if I can bounce back and turn the beat around. (download)

Live Life To The Fullest

This post is dedicated to Pimp C, Ike Turner, Donda West and everyone else who left this world in 2007. Live your life as if today were your last day folks, and enjoy everything, because you never know when it's your time to go.

Today's post is, fittingly, 1972's Life Is For Living, another gem from the KPM Music Library. On a side note, I didn't realize I had like 114 KPM records in the stash yo. So many beats, so little time...I guess I better get started. (download)

Miss Cleo

It's late and I'm horny hungry. Here's the 1978 offering from Clementine Dankworth, better known to the world as the lovely Cleo Laine. I...umm, my friend was quite fond of this record back in 2005 and used a few songs from this album for tracks of his own, with "Mind's Made Up" being the only one to have been released. Get it before it's gone. (download)

Come On, Come On Do The Locomotion With Me

I could give an insightful dissertation about where I found this record, what sample I used to make a beat from this a year or so back, and more background information about talented composer Hervé Roy, but in the words of Andre 3000:

"Y'all don't hear me / You just wanna dance..." - "Hey Ya" (download)

Guess Who's On Third...

Which one shall I post? Hmmmmmmm....

I've been ripping a lot of stuff lately, so leave me some feedback and let me know which of these three Lupin III television soundtracks you'd rather see posted here. I'm listening!

On Your Marc...Get Set...

...go.

I never would've heard of Marc Hannibal if my idol DJ Premier hadn't sampled from his 1976 eponymous record from Phillips Recordings. After learning that he had used "Forever Is A Long, Long Time" for Detroit MC Royce the 5'9"'s "Boom", I tracked down the record like them dudes that were always looking for Carmen Sandiego. I was thrilled when I finally copped the LP for a modest $20 back in 2004; peep the ill ass cover with Marc straight ice-grillin' the camera while coppin' a squat next to Dumbo's mama.

Like many students that mimic their hero I listened to this record front and back before deciding to sample the swooning "When I Wake Up In The Morning" back in 2005 for an instrumental titled "Yesterday" that was intended to be on my sophomore album, but was never released (I didn't think it "fit" with the rest of the joints). Nonetheless I kept the record in the stash, ecstatic that I had gotten my hands on a record that was apparently good enough for one of my favorite producers of all time.

As for the actual music, well...I'll be honest, though a lot of the production is rich and lush, I think Marc Hannibal is a mediocre singer with cheesy lyrics. Sorry, dude. I'm sure he's a cool cat in real life, though. The former Harlem Globetrotter would put out a second LP four years later titled Night Times which you can more than likely find on eBay for a little less than $20. I have yet to cop it but, quite frankly, I'm in no rush. (download)

** EDIT ** Password: smoff

Fresh Prints Of Bel Air

Don't really feel like typing much today, maybe some other time. Enjoy the music nonetheless: 1982's Bel Air from the de Wolfe library by the magnificent Alan Parker. (download)

Patch Things Up

My next selection comes from the french music library label Patchwork. Composers Claude Perraudin and Teddy Lasry both had previous entries in the Patchwork catalogue (Perraudin's Voices with the Monday Singers and Lasry's Tutti Fluti, volumes 14 and 22 respectively) prior to 1976's Vol. 24: Racing. The primarily synthy record gives off that late 70's moog/electronic sound that was emerging at the time; "Monte Carlo Rallye" is trippy and groovy while tracks like "Chamonix" are pretty laid-back. While you're enjoying this, I'll see if I can't dig up some other Patchwork gems I have in the stash like the aforementioned Voices or 1977's Flutissimo. Holla at PopSike if you're trying to track Racing down. (download)

Marc My Words

Coming soon. No bullsh*t.

A1 - And The Grass Won't Pay No Mind (4:10)
A2 - Until It's Time For You To Go (2:34)
A3 - When The Wind Blows In Chicago (3:44)
A4 - Days (2:30)
A5 - Four Winds & The Seven Seas (2:40)
B1 - When I Wake Up In The Morning (2:25)
B2 - If She Should Come To You (2:40)
B3 - Forever Is A Long, Long Time (2:40)
B4 - Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring (2:50)
B5 - Why Can't I Walk Away (2:28)

I'm on the way to Portman's Music to buy a new stylus for my record player, I'm long overdue for one. Peace!

** EDIT ** The vinyl rip is now available HERE.

Prime Time

Italian bass guitarist Toni Campo released this gem on Impress Records in 1976. Born Antonio Campo, he also contributed to a number of other library records for Bosworth and Amphonic in the 70's as a session player. Ranging from the jazzy "Two-Way Street" to the melancholic "Here & Now", there are plenty of good tunes on this record to keep you guys interested. I -- uhh, my friend (heh heh) picked this up a while back and sampled "Vice-Versa" for a song for a local R&B singer damn near three years ago (Has it really been that long? Yikes), but it sounds so primitive compared to my -- err, his later work that I don't think anyone would care to hear it. Maybe I'll post a snippet some day...? Very well. Here's a sneak peek of the "All Night Long" instrumental, all the way from 2004...I wonder if she ever did anything with that beat...?

Ever since I snagged this record I've been trying to locate Campo's "Slowly" LP that he released on Munich-based Sonoton Records, in addition to the contributions he made on various library records for the German label. In the meantime, see if you can't find this bad boy on eBay somewhere...good luck. Oh, and shout-out to Soulbrotha and Lafayette over at 4BB, Cosmo at APS and OtO over at SdzOf! These guys have been holdin' me down for a while...thanks to all of y'all. Be sure to check out their respective sites for some dope music! (download)

Anonymity

It's only fitting that I post this next record. Apparently I've been getting a lot of love lately on my foray into the blog world: I noticed my page/profile views have been climbing at an alarming pace. 7,000+ views/visits within a month...but only 6 total comments? Yeesh. Love Anonymous, indeed. I'll probably threaten to discontinue this blog about as much as I threaten to retire from music.

Anyway, as for Love Anonymous: I love this record. I hate this record. I love it because there are a lot of nice grooves on this LP: "Modern Day Woman" and "Be Real", to name a couple. Love Anonymous was released in 1977 through Isaac Hayes' Hot Buttered Soul imprint over at ABC Records. I remember like it was yesterday when I first bought it: back in late 2001, right around the time I really started making sample-based beats (up until then I played everything on my keyboard, à la Patrice Rushen), I used to ravage those dollar bins at the record store! Anything I could do to get my hands on as many records as possible ('cause back then I was broke). I don't even think I actually listened to Love Anonymous until the summer of 2002 'cause I was so busy with classes at the time. But when I did I fell in love with the soulful sounds and after I got all of my equipment a year or so later I made three beats within two weeks, thanks to the aforementioned "Modern Day Woman", "Can't Nobody Love Me (Like You Do)", and "It's A Terrible Thing To Waste Your Love".

Which brings me to why I hate this record. When a certain somebody emerged from hip-hop's underground around the same time everyone wanted to start making their little comparisons. By the time my first album came out, dude had already released songs that sampled the same tracks I did. And you probably know the rest. I remember being so pissed at all the finger-pointing that I traded Love Anonymous to a friend for a Stevie Wonder record (can't remember which one it was) back in '04, only to sheepishly re-purchase it from another dollar bin not even a year later. Good music, after all, is good music.

Which brings me back to why I love the record: the incident inspired me to dig just a little deeper for more obscure joints so that way people couldn't say sh*t. Don't get me wrong, this record will always have a place in my heart; the songs on here are soul music at its best. Click HERE to find it on eBay; sucks that they're charging upward $12 for the record considering I paid a buck for it, but...meh. (download)

Mahagon-y

One listen to this self-titled album from Czechoslovakian jazz-rock outfit Mahagon, and the first thing to pop into your head is: "this is on some other sh*t." At least that's the first thing that I thought. It's not that left-field, per sé...but any album that opens up with a near-deafening scream has got to have some interesting material, no?

Fortunately, Mahagon doesn't disappoint. Formed in 1973, this band was bubbling a little bit on the Czech scene before releasing their first album in 1978. Mahagon would later disband in 1980 after releasing a not-as-good-but-still-enjoyable follow-up titled Slunečnice pro Vincenta van Gogha the same year, which I may post sometime in the near future. I -- err, I mean my friend (heh heh) was digging the smooth grooves so much that he sampled one of Mahagon's stand-out tracks, the heavenly "More Klidu", for an instrumental titled "Sky's The Limit". It sounds nice, but it needs more cowbell, not klidu. What's a "klidu", anyway? Probably not a whole lot. Get it? "Kli-do?" Yuk yuk yuk!

Anyway! You came for records, not lame jokes. Neither Mahagon's debut nor their second and final album are that hard to come by; after coming across Mahagon in a record store I was able to cop their other record off of eBay for a little over $20. However, if you've been really really reading my blog entries and not just skimmin' through 'em, you may have noticed that everything good always comes out in the end. (download)

Pyrymyd Schemes

Good luck finding any background information on this group. Music whiz that I am, and even I don't know much about Pyrymyd except that they're a funk/rock outfit from the early 80's that released this rare gem at the turn of the decade. A quick search on Google rarely returns any additional info; I don't even know the names of any of the band memebers.

What I do know, though, is that you'll want to check this groovy dish out. Stand-out tracks include "I'm Yours Forever" and "Mr. Music Man". I also know that most retail outlets no longer carry this album, so you'll have a tough time tracking one down. (download)

Scoop It Up

Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! If you celebrate it, that is. If not, I hope everyone had a happy...Thursday. Meh.

I've got almost six dozen TeleMusic LP's in the stash, maybe I'll post them all one day. Maybe you can send me naked photos of yourself. Today I'm feelin' a little generous though (blame it on the cranberry sauce). Friday's entry is 1976's Mondial Scoop, helmed by the great Michel Gonet. A lot of the LP's content is easy listening, but tracks such as "Red Sunset" are just plain gorgeous. So gorgeous, in fact, that I -- err, my friend sampled a tune for the instrumental "Home...?". Mondial Scoop is the second in a series of three successive LP's that Gonet produced for TeleMusic (TV News and Phasing News, Volume 1 being the other two). As for Scoop, well, GrooveCollector is selling a copy for a few euros but I'm sure you'll be able to find it someplace else. LOLZ! (download)

Intriguing

Guess who's bizz-ack...sorry about the hiatus folks, just got caught up with final exams. Final exams suck.

Anyway, my next entry comes from the famed KPM 1000 series of library music. KPM 1084, Mediterranean Intrigue & Martenot, was released in 1971 and composers Neil Ardley and John Leach pretty much do their thing. Not as exciting as the some of the many other KPM 1000 records (like 1980's Technology and Movement or 1974's Jingles, both of which I may post someday), but its jazzy flutes and pianos make for an enjoyable listen; you'll find a few electronic-esque tracks on here as well, such as Leach's "Allegro for Martenot". Neil Ardley also collaborated with composers Don Rendell and Ian Carr for Greek Variations & Other Aegean Exercises (Columbia, 1969), another flute/piano-driven jazz sandwich. Haven't turned one up on eBay, but HipWax may still have a copy for a decent price. (download)

(Double) Diamonds Are Forever

I friggin' love If. Anyone who knows me knows this. If you're a fan of prog rock, you should definitely check them out. If tends to incorporate jazz elements in their songs, so I guess they'd fall under the "jazz rock" category as well. I'll more than likely be posting more albums from this British band in the future.

By the time 1973's Double Diamond was released, founder/saxist/flutist Dick Morrissey had scrapped the original line-up and enlisted all new members. As a result, reactions on the album were mixed and a lot of people didn't care for their new direction. Whatever! I, for one, enjoy the record; I even have a, ahem, close friend (LOL) that incorporated one of the songs from Double Diamond into an instrumental called "The Chute". From bouncy to laid-back to quirky, this record may not be the best entry in If's discography but it certainly is worth a listen. Good luck getting your hands on it, but you can click HERE to try finding it on eBay. (download)

Summer Dreamin'

This is my first blog post. It took me forever to start one, seeing how I hate the word "blog". Blog. It makes my head hurt. I hate the word "blog" almost as much as I hate "Mind Of Mencia", potato salad, and MySpace rappers. I mean, I like blogs and everything...just not the word "blog". Still with me? Good.

Anyway, you like music? Me too. The LP shown above, Summer Dreams, was released by Italian composer Carlo Savina in 1979. If you're lucky, you may be able to track down a copy...I found one in mint condition on eBay with a starting bid of $50. Quick! Bid on it HERE before it's too late...or not. (download)