So… uh… it’s been raining in PDX. Like, a lot.

When it rains like this I like to play my saxophone. Just real chill like in the alley back behind my crib. All… wwwwhhhaaaaannnnnggggggggkkkkkkkkk… and such. You know. Hush now. Listen…

Artist: Terry Callier [+] [+]
Album: What Color Is Love
Production: Charles Stepney
Year: 1973
Label: Cadet / Verve

Amazon has the CD & MP3s. Shhh… let’s not ruin this.

Mellow jammer to help you cross the river from summer sunshine to autumn’s brisk embrace.  Kube…got to cross over…

Artist:  Letta Mbule
Album:  Naturally
Year:  1973
Label:  Fantasy 

Ah, chillllren… We neglecting ya for sunshine and other curiosities. An now we got all these followers? Well, hello! So let’s get you something for yr troubles. What we have here is the legendary Tapper with his horror dub classic “Simpleton Badness.” This cut is straight up scary… aaaaand a significant contributor to the great reverb shortage of 1991-1993. Zing!

(that’s a free one… you can keep it… yr welcome!)

Artist: Tapper Zukie
Album: Man Ah Warrior
Year: 1973
Label: Music Of The Mount High

Amazon has it (trade them some paper for it).

He hides his horns in many different forms but stays loose-ifer…

Looks at this handsome… devil! (*bam!* /hi-fives). Where to start? Let’s see… First, we have a quick cameo from Isaac Hayes as a… perplexed?… doomed soul forced to confront the reality of hellfire. Then we bust into a fairly stomping beat accompanied by timeless words of warning. “He plays tricks!” On closer listen, there’s something enticing about these warnings… something hinting at maybe this whole “going to hell” thing could be fun! It sure sounds like a party. Aaaand besides, didn’t Run DMC teach us that sometimes bad really means good? I mean, I take good notes so I’m pretty confident on this one. Anyway, as things wind down, don’t be surprised if you’ve developed a li’l jones.

The Devil is dope. Praise Satan!

Artist: The Dramatics
Album: A Dramatic Experience
Year: 1973
Label: Volt

Amazon has a the CD & MP3.

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!