RIP Don Cornelius. Legend. #toosoon
RIP Don Cornelius
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Category Archives: WaybackWednesday
#WaybackWednesday Spooky Tooth
While y’all were Watching the Throne, I was diggin’ in the crates. In honor of the hype-machine that is #Janye, I will dedicate this week’s #WaybackWednesday to that illest of cuspids, layin’ in the cut: Spooky Tooth. Word… Life, Son will not tolerate the anti-denite.
Spooky Tooth released their debut album, It’s All About Spooky Tooth, in the UK in 1968. Entitled Tobacco Road when issued for American release, the album contained lead single “Sunshine Help Me” and the title-track, “Tobacco Road.” Both joints were lifted for Watch the Throne’s lead track, “No Church In the Wild.”
The sample will garner Spooky Tooth some much-deserved shine, as this is (by far) the most high-profile jacking of their work. But the crate-digger in me hopes that heads will also check for other titles in their catalog.
If you don’t know where you’re goin,’ start with “Pyramids,” from the Witness LP (1973):
Before fallin’ off, try to find your balance with “The Mirror,” from the album with the same name (1974):
Mega props for this B-Boy classic, the Vast-ly underrated “Old As I Was Born,” from Spooky Tooth’s 1973 El-P You Broke My Heart, So I Busted Your Jaw.
FYI: Members of Spooky Tooth went on to work with other bands, including: Mott the Hoople, Humble Pie, Traffic and Foreigner. Oh yeah. Former lead singer Gary Wright also crafted this glam gem:
#WaybackWednesday: Spirit “Ice”
Spirit “Ice” (1969)
You’d be hard-pressed to find a more unique story in the entire history of rock music than that of Spirit. Lead by singer/guitarist Randy California and his step-father, Ed Cassidy (drums), the band formed in Southern California in the late 1960s. Keyboardist John Locke, bassist Mark Andes and percussionist/vocalist Jay Ferguson rounded out the line-up. Their sound was a mix of jazz-influenced instrumentation, bluesy lyricism, and psychedelic rock. Continue reading
#WaybackWednesday: “Summer Breeze”
This week’s #WaybackWednesday will double your pleasure/double your fun. Chew on this shit…
Back-back in the days, it was copasetic to take the hottest songs and pay homage by covering them in one’s own style (instead of beat-jacking and gettin’ all Diddy’d on that azz). These covers crossed genres and made for some interesting interpretations. Often, these covers eclipsed the originals and even took on a life of their own (see Hendrix, Jimi). But there’s gotta be a clear winner in these original vs. cover battles, right?
Not exactly. Case in point is #WaybackWednesday installment number two.
In this corner, we have Seals & Croft. The folksy duo crafted several soothing pop/rock hits throughout the 1970s, including “Diamond Girl,” “Get Closer” and “I’ll Play For You.” However, the spiritually-influenced singer/songwriters scored their biggest hit with “Summer Breeze” in 1972:
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Here’s a low-res clip of Seals & Croft from a 1974 live performance:
#WaybackWednesday: Frankie Beverly & Maze “Before I Let Go”
Last I checked, we gots 7 days per week (Beatles be damned!). Meaning, that in addition to #ThrowbackThursday and our #FridayDime segments, we can lace hump day with our new feature, #WaybackWednesday. Capiche?
First up is (obviously) a personal favorite: Frankie Beverly & Maze “Before I Let Go,” the 2nd track on side ‘D’ (the studio portion) of the Live In New Orleans double LP (1981, Capitol Records). Yes, yes. You can check the label as it goes around, it’s called Capitol. Feel free to spark Mad Izm while doing so. Don’t mean to be blunt, but don’t front on “Before I Let Go:”