Adrian Younge Presents Venice Dawn "Lovely Lady" featuring Dennis Coffey

Sitting down, once again, with long time collaborator and friend Adrian Younge to talk about some of the thoughts behind the conception and execution of his latest video -- "Lovely Lady," a track featured on the Wax Poetics release "Something About April" and featuring the Detroit guitar legend Dennis Coffey. The video is directed by David Wong, and is once again borrows cinematic inspiration from the days of way-back, when music had soul, and the lyrics had meaning. I remember hearing the track for the first time about a year ago, then taking the stage with Mister Coffey himself at last years SXSW Music & Film Festival in Austin, and being floored, and after seeing this video, the way it has been executed, and the overall look, mood, and feeling of the video, I'm floored yet again...

V4G: What was your inspiration for this song?

AY: The song was basically inspired by "Classic Soul" -- a kind of soul that captures the true essence of innocent romance. "Lovely Lady" chronicles the thoughts of a
soon to be couple, before they become involved. They want to know each
other, yet they battle with the fear of rejection from one another; they fall in love at first sight, and think about each other on a daily... It's an innocent kind of love coupled with physical attraction, and it's his ode to what he feels inside about her.

V4G: How did you become involved with Dennis Coffey?

AY: His manager contacted Wax Poetics about potential collaborations around the time of his latest release. During their discussion, my name came up, and the rest is history... Dennis added so much style to Lovely Lady; I was speechless when I initially heard his guitar playing on the track. The guy is a living legend, and knows exactly what to play, and how to play it.

V4G) What was the deciding factor in the direction you wanted the video to go?

AY: Well, the "Something About April" album depicts the trials and tribulations of
an interracial couple, circa 1968; it chronicles their interactions, "Lovely
Lady" being their first encounter. We wanted to show the depth of their
affinity for one another, also, their subtly salacious thoughts for one
another, which is why we delve into the fantasy shots throughout. In essence, this video sought to capture that "love at first sight," feeling. Director, David Wong, and cinematographer, Mark Austin, nailed the aesthetic and vibe of the story we wanted to tell. I'm very happy with the results and how this media audiovisually captures the feeling of the brand.

V4G: How does this song have baring on the current musical project you are in production with the great William Hart from The Delfonics?

AY: This song resembles exactly the type of music I am creating with The Delfonics. One of my main musical inspirations have been the Delfonics. So many groups
have copied their style throughout the years. It's ironic that many people
mix them up for different groups (Stylistics, The Originals, Chi-Lites)
because they are the true pioneers of this type of soul. William Hart, lead
singer of the Delfonics, is a musical genius; his writing style is so
angelic and captivating. Lovely Lady touches on his writing style; however,
our new Delfonics album takes it to an entirely new level. The album should
be released before year end...

V4G: Can we expect this to become a series?

AY: Yes. Lovely Lady is part one of a continuing saga. The "Something About
April" album is a concept album, and I would love to hit all of the moments,
audio/visually. We will see what the future holds. I can guarantee that
there is more to come...

John Lennon "Plastic Ono Band" (1970) & Yoko Ono "Plastic Ono Band"

Designed to be two sides of the same coin, John Lennon's first and second outing after exiting The Beatles was the "Plastic Ono Band." His goal was to create a very loose, under-produced, thought provoking and emotion filled album, all under the moniker of the same name. Achieved during the months of September & October of 1970 at Abbey Road Studios, John employed the help of former band mate Ringo Starr, and long time artist collaborator Klaus Voormann to carry backing rhythm of drums & bass, along with production efforts by Phil Spector. Rumor has it that Spector was never really there for most of the sessions, and that John had to go as far as placing an ad in Rolling Stone, letting him know that recording had begun, and that he should join them at any time. Take a listen to both albums, and you'll see how each of them are polar opposites of each other.

John Lennon "Plastic Ono Band" (1970)

Side one
"Mother" – 5:34
"Hold On" – 1:52
"I Found Out" – 3:37
"Working Class Hero" – 3:48
"Isolation" – 2:51
Side two
"Remember" – 4:33
"Love" – 3:21
"Well Well Well" – 5:59
"Look at Me" – 2:53
"God" – 4:09
"My Mummy's Dead" – 0:49

Yoko Ono "Plastic Ono Band" (1970)

Side one
"Why" – 5:37 Edited version became the B-side to Lennon's single "Mother"
"Why Not" – 9:55

Side two
"AOS" – 7:06
Featuring Ornette Coleman, recorded on 29 February 1968, predating the rest of the material
"Touch Me" – 4:37
Also selected as a B-side, to "Power to the People", replacing Ono's "Open Your Box" for the US market
"Paper Shoes" – 7:26

The Jackson 5 "Christmas Album" (1970)

Grew up with this one playing around the house a whole lot when I was little. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did, and still do. Merry X-mas everyone!!

From Wikipedia: "Jackson 5 Christmas Album was the only holiday album released by Motown family quintet The Jackson 5. Released in October 1970, the album showcased the brothers' harmonies and vocals. Lead singer Michael Jackson is prominently featured on the album tracks. Included on the Christmas Album is the Jackson 5's hit single version of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town". Rendered with a pop-soul feel, the Jackson 5's versions of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" remain frequent radio requests during the holiday season. The album spent all four weeks at the number one position on Billboard magazine's special Christmas Albums chart that the magazine published in December 1970, making it the best-selling holiday album of that year. It has sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide..."

1. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
2. Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
3. The Christmas Song
4. Up On The House Top
5. Frosty The Snowman
6. The Little Drummer Boy
7. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
8. Christmas Won't Be The Same This Year
9. Give Love On Christmas Day
10. Someday At Christmas
11. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

"Little Christmas Tree" was released in 2003 as part of the reissue:


2009 \"Ultimate Christmas Collection\" bonus tracks...

12. "Season's Greetings from Michael Jackson" - 0:09
13. "Little Christmas Tree" - 3:37
14. "Season's Greetings from Tito" - 0:06
15. "Up On The Housetop" (DJ Spinna Re-Edit) - 5:00
16. "Season's Greetings from Jackie Jackson" - 0:07
17. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (Stripped Mix) - 3:04
18. "Season's Greetings from Jermaine Jackson" - 0:07
19. "Someday At Christmas" (Stripped Mix) - 2:44
20. "Give Love On Christmas Day" (Group A Cappella Version) - 3:37
21. "J5 Christmas Medley" - 3:51

The Beatles "Abbey Road" Instrumentals

So, I'm pretty big on The Beatles, and I'm pretty big on Beatles covers, and I'm even bigger on instrumentals, so when I stumbled across this album, an instrumental version of "Abbey Road", my heart just about stopped. Don't know how, or where this came from, but it sounds pretty damn amazing; The Beatles always were great instrumentalist and musicians as they were singer/song-writers. Enjoy. Original post can be found here. Cheers!!

01 - Come Together
02 - Something
03 - Maxwell's Silver Hammer
04 - Oh! Darling
05 - Octopus's Garden
06 - I Want You (She's So Heavy)
07 - Here Comes The Sun
08 - Because
09 - You Never Give Me Your Money
10 - Sun King
11 - Mean Mr. Mustard
12 - Polythene Pam
13 - She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
14 - Golden Slumbers
15 - Carry That Weight
16 - The End
17 - Her Majesty

"I Want You (She's So Heavy)" -- The Beatles

Adrian Younge Presents Venice Dawn "It's Me" (Serato Control Vinyl 12-inch)

Following up his score to the cult-classic Black Dynamite, composer Adrian Younge has created "Something About April," a heavy, psychedelic mix of dark soul and cinematic instrumentals with hip-hop aesthetics.

The first single on Wax Poetics Records, “It\'s Me” featuring guest vocalist Rebecca Jordan, and is an Official Serato Control choclate colored Vinyl. Classic production techniques and authentic instrumentation recall the glory days of ’70s soul, while the vocal workout and swagger allow the music to sit firmly with modern artists who redefine soul.

Track two, “The Niacin,” exclusive to this Serato release, starts its point of reference in the dusty breakbeats of golden-era hip-hop. Featuring virtuoso Shawn Lee (Ubiquity), trumpeter Michael Leonhart (Truth & Soul, Daptone), and Italian cinephiles Calibro 35 (Nublu), the instrumental track expands into a free-form jam session that references both film maestro Ennio Morricone and hip-hop legend DJ Premier.

Track Listing:
A1: It\'s Me
A2: The Niacin (featuring Shawn Lee, Michael Leonhart, and Calibro 35)

B-Side: Serato Control Vinyl

Preview "It's Me" here:


Preview "The Niacin" here:
02 The Niacin by vinyl4giants

From more information regarding the artist, band, and releases, visit www.waxpoetics.com

"Theme from Les Biches" Don Randi

09 Theme From Les Biches by vinyl4giants

Don Randi "Plays The Love Theme From Romeo & Juliet" (1969) -- produced by David Axelrod

Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon" Immersion Box Set

Disc 1 features the original version of the album, completely remastered (or so they tell us); Disc 2 features one of the best live renditions of DOTM that I've ever heard, recorded in 1974 at the Empire Pool in Wembley, London; Disc 6 is where all the goodies appear: an early mix by Alan Parson, demos, and a few unreleased tracks... hope you enjoy the Immersion box set as much as I do.

3-15 The Travel Sequence (prev. unre by vinyl4giants

"The Travel Sequence" is another deleted track from Pink Floyd's DOTM, and is featured on the new Immersion Box Set. This one is a little heavier, and has a lot more elements to the overall song... enjoy.

3-10 The Hard Way (Household Objects by vinyl4giants

The Hard Way (Household Objects Project) is a track from the Pink Floyd DOTM Immersion Box set, and previously unreleased. I would’ve loved to see where they would’ve fell within the overall mix of the album. great track, but obviously deleted due to lack of content… enjoy.

Ramon Morris "Sweet Sister Funk" (1973)

Discovered this album while researching "People Make The World Go 'Round" covers, and dicovered just how damn near perfect this album actually is. Lead by session Saxophonist Ramon Morris, this was (unfortunately) his only solo outing as a band leader, and apparently one of the rarest albums on the "Groove Merchant" label. He gained notable recognition throughout the Jazz community by playing with the likes of both Woody Shaw & Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. The most notable track on the album (for me) is "Lord Sideways," which takes use of the almost confusing at times 6/8 time signature, and has Morris and other players layering their solos almost oozingly of the track in the standard 4/4 progression. Take a listen, and you'll know what I'm talking about...

The Players:

Ramon Morris (ts)
Albert Daily (el-p)
Mickey Bass (b)
Granville "Mickey" Roker (dr)
Cecil Bridgewater (tp)
Lloyd Davis (g)
Tony Waters (congas)

Track Listing:

A1 First Come, First Serve
A2 Wijinia
A3 Sweet Sister Funk
B1 Sweat
B2 Don't Ask Me
B3 Lord Sideways
B4 People Make The World Go Round

Thanks to these sites for their original posts of this album: Soul Food, Hard Funk, Avaxhome, and Oufarkhan.

There's also a tremendous write by on of the alumni at this website regarding this same album: http://www.heavysoulbrutha.com/ -- Enjoy everybody. Glad to be back!!

Galt MacDermot’s First Natural Hair Band “Hair” (1968)

 

Side 1
01 On To A-Pot-O-Max
02 Sodomy
03 Black Boys / White Boys
04 Ripped Open By Metal Explosions
05 The Bed
06 Don't Put It Down

Side 2
07 Walking In Space
08 Colored Spade
09 Donna / Hashish
10 Freakout
11 Air

Features the classic cut "Ripped Open By Metal Explosions" & the renowned drummer Idris Muhammad on drums/precussions. I had been looking for this record for years, and thanks to SPIRAL here it is, but unfortunately, just like with every "Hair" record, it lacks that certain PUNCH that it's most famous cut so predominately displays. Still a great album though. Enjoy.

 

"The Black Fist" Music Inspired by 'World of Hurt'

Upon leaving to perform at the Sundance Film Festival in January, while catching up with my weekly dose of "ass-kicking," courtesy of Jay Potts & his webcomic "World of Hurt," I was struck with a melody. It was another 2 weeks before I was actually able to sit down in front of the Fender Rhodes and work it out, and another few months before I was able to finally conceptualize the mood & direction I wanted this bass heavy diddy to go. In the end, I was pleased with the feeling that this song asked of the listener, and I think it's the perfect fit for what it is that ISAIAH "PASTOR" HURT embodies: pure ass-kicking sensibilities!! A derivitive of instrumental breaks from soundtracks past, and library music of the 60's & 70's, I chose to make this an amalgam of my influences, of both past & present, and pay homage to the feeling that Jay Potts' strip gives to me...

Check out a snippet here.

Download the full version here.

And hear what the creator has to say here.