HEY!  Let’s keep the time dial set to 1973, but let’s get out of Jersey and head to the dance floors of Paris with your host Marc Aryan and his floor burner “Liberte”!  This track starts out with what sounds like a space guitar from the future (that may or may not have been sampled/repurposed for the Beastie Boys track “Intergalactic” - another dimension, another dimension…) with a french Jorge Ben lamenting over the top.  Cool, I’m in…wait…what?…halfway through he decideds to kick it into gear (HEY!) and test the treads on your dancing shoes.

Had a hard time finding out too much about Marc and this track (googling Aryan isn’t as helpful as you may think).  Found a decent overview of his life here that talks about his recording studio (Katy) and Label (Markal).  Lots of greats recorded at Katy - Marvin Gaye, James Brown and Diana Ross to name a few.

Artist: Marc Aryan
Album: LA LETTRE//LIBERTE 45
Year: 1973
Label: Markal

EPIC! TUESDAYS!

Let’s just cut to the chase with this one shall we? 1st, I’m sorry. 2nd, yr welcome!

He’s sorta like a test pilot for the outer world…

For this week’s installment we have Irma Thomas updating and… expanding… upon (perhaps without the aid of prescribed meds?) her 1964 hit “Wish Someone Would Care.” Clocking in at a mammoth 12:30, imagine this is the soul “Sister Ray“… if only cuz that’d be awesome.

Anyway, get a pen and something to write on… this one packs all sorts of advice.

Artist: Irma Thomas [+] [+]
Album: In Between Tears
Production: Swamp Dogg
Year: 1973
Label: Fungus

GEMM has some vinyl fer ya!

If the band name and song title didn’t hook (excuse the pun) you immediately then the amazing lyrics and smokin’ hard-funk grooves certainly will.

Black Nasty (ummm…best funk band name ever?) were a funk group from Detroit that released their only album “Talking to the People” on the Stax label in 1973. The album was virtually ignored when it was released and like so many great artists were “discovered” years later. From what I can gather Black Nasty were a “family” group….not in the sense that they were family friendly but more that they were actual siblings. The album is a great mix of hard inner-city funk, soul, R+B and rock….which is probably why it was slept on….just too many ideas in one album for the soul over-dosed early 70’s.

“Booger the Hooker” is the tale of a good boy giving in to the pressures and delights of the streets. Our man Booger starts in “smokin’ marijuana, poppin’ pills and snortin’ cocaine” and soon develops a “habit of a 100 dollars a day”….hey…happens to the best of us Booger….just don’t let that pusher man turn you out! I don’t think Booger was a Hooker in the traditional sense…my guess is “hooker” refers to the fact that he was getting other folks hooked on the dope to support his own habit. Ya hear that kids? Don’t follow Booger’s example….stay off the dope!

ARTIST: Black Nasty
TRACK: “Booger the Hooker”
ALBUM: Talkin’ To The People
YEAR: 1973
LABEL: Stax

Ok, still clearing the decks here a bit. This one is fer my girl… kind of our theme song! Yeah, corny. Anyway, sick beat, great song. Totally slept on as best I can tell. Listen now and know the mysterious power of Mark IV (I’m thinking it’s the collars… shits is floppy yo). Deets:

Artist: Mark IV
Album: S/T
Year: 1973
Production: Roy C
Label: Mercury

Looks like there’s a best of disc available used @ Amazon. Some info @ Dusty Groove.

Ok friends, strap in… this is easily one of my favorite tracks of all time.* Perfect mix of great beat, sweet guitar, raw production, and laid-back vocals. Someone has to have sampled it… If not, I’d like to politely suggest you give it consideration. Tracklist and credits can be found here. Dude is still kicking it so go say hi! (I can’t vouch for his more recent work… “old” just happens right?) Anyway, the deets:

ARTIST: Arthur Adams
ALBUM: It’s Private Tonight
YEAR: 1972
LABEL: Blue Thumb
PRODUCTION: Bonnie Raitt (!?) & Tommy Lipuma

RIYL: Bill Withers, good things, treasure, breathing oxygen

The album has a number of choice cuts - including “You Hit the Nail on the Head” (I might post this one at some point) and “I’ll Never be the Same.” Also it looks like the title track was issued as a 7in single.

Once again, I’d love to link to a place where you can buy a disc or download but it seems this is out of print. Until someone gets a clue, I guess it’s back to GEMM.

* time to date, does not include future time