Robert Palmer - Pressure Drop (1975)

Here's Robert Palmer in early cool.  Another of his LP covers with some aspect of sex in it - this  would be a feature of his sets for Island.  This, his second, album continues on the same vein as "Sneakin'" and takes it a bit further.  The basic tracks were recorded around during the same period as that excellent first album.  Thi has the benefit of Gene Page arranged strings (known for his work with Barry White).  My favourites here are "Work To Make It Work"; Give Me An Inch"; "Back In My Arms" and; "Which Of Us Is The Fool?" engineered by Phill Brown and produced by Steve Smith.  Lowell George and Little Feat feature again. I came across this in a library in Camden along with an early Vinegar Joe album which of course featured RP and Elkie Brooks on vocals.  Highly recommended.  Give Me An Inch has been covered but never surpassed.

Gloria Gaynor - Never Can Say Goodbye (1975)

The great disco album of 1975 - this was a game changing album which was a pre-cursor for the genre to come - long instrumental passages with the song in their somewhere.  It's said that Gloria wasn't best pleased when she heard the results (due to her lack of presence for most of the time) but she was wrong this is a great album particularly side A which features just sublime disco versions of Reach Out, Honey Bee and Never Can Say Goodbye.  Here's a radio interview with her and producer Tom Moulton about the making of this.

Extract from Norman Jay's BBC "Story Of Disco" part two  

There is a CD release on this with a number of added songs - worth every penny (probably cent as you'll end up getting from the US)

Here's a review of the LP when released in 1975 from Blues and Soul.

 UK: MGM 2315 321

(cover shown is US version but same art was used - see my second hand purchase price!)

Curtis Mayfield - There's No Place Like America Today (1975)

From The Lost Record Covers Club

Anyone not knowing that they'll get social commentary on a Curtis record can be in no doubt when they see this cover with the parallels of the breadline with the "never had it so good" billboard in the background.  I have only recently bought this album (although i've been a fan of his since my teens) and I did so on the back of the John Legend/Roots version of "Hard Times" - very different but just as telling.

This is the artwork from the UK Charly Records CD issue - SNAPCD 244CD

Phil Upchurch and Tennyson Stephens - Upchurch/Tennyson (1975)

From The Lost Record Covers Club

A cool jazz album from two regular top sidemen of their day.  Phil Upchurch can be found playing guitar on many a soul album together with jazz sets.  Tennyson Stephens is a keyboard player who (on this) also takes vocal duties.  I got this from the Polydor archive when trying to find the instrumental of Rufus' "Tell Me Soemthing Good" - this was used as a theme tune for a Radio 1 show that was on Sunday evenings at the end of the 70's after the soul show (could have been Bob Harris - not sure) good track anyway.


Kudu (via CTI/Polydor) - JU22

Kokomo - Rise And Shine (1975)

From The Lost Record Covers Club

More Brit Soul from the Kokomo team with them perfecting their sound.  Some changes in line-up from the first album with John Sussewell arriving on drums in place of Terry Stannard and Jody Linscott (Congas) and Jim Mullen (Guitar) moving on.  CBS, taken by surprise  by the reaction to the debut, put more behind this.  Alan Spenner vocals "Use You Imagination"; Tony O'Malley's massive title track and the trio of Birch, Collins and the flamboyant Paddy McHugh providing wonderful vocals front and rear throughout. Recorded at Criteria in Miami with Brad Shapiro (who was responsible for many of Millie Jackson's great productions amongst others) Excellent!

They made one further album later with CBS and had a minor hit with "A Little Bit Further Away"

CBS - 69229

Kokomo - Kokomo (1975)

From The Lost Record Covers Club

Sixth form banter produced a record club where groups of us used to vie with each other to find the next big thing.  Discoveries included Supertramp (circa Crime Of The Century); Cockney Rebel; Moon and Kokomo. 


The seventies found a number of UK bands producing viable white soul music and Kokomo alongside the Average White Band Cado Belle, Pacific Eardrum, FBI and Moon leading the pack.
As this was released and gained airplay via John Peel and others they embarked on their first headlining tour.  I took my wife on a first date to the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London.  They were supported by Upp (more of them in a later post).  They perfomed all of this album and much of the about to be released "Rise and Shine".  A must see live act.  This gig was the one.  One of the killer tracks is featured below, a driving version of Bobby Womack's "I Can Understand It".  We later saw them supporting AWB when they returned after their success stateside.  Kokomo came back on stage for a massive version of "Grapevine" which also features on the AWB's "Person To Person" live set.


Members of the band came from Joe Cocker's Grease Band so soul was in their pedigree.  The singers Dyan Birch, Frank Collins and Paddy McHugh together with singer/bass player Alan Spenner would go on to ee the chosen session players for a host of premier bands including Roxy Music.  There is a twofer CD of these first two albums and a compilation (go for the former)

Columbia - PC 334422 (this is a US White Label Promo)


http://45cat.com/artist/kokomo

This is an ad from UK Blues and Soul magazine

The Cate Brothers - The Cate Brothers (1975)

From The Lost Record Covers Club

Ernie and Earl Cate were and probably still are the Cate Brothers.  They made two acclaimed albums for Asylum in the mid-70's.  Soulful with a bit of country rock thrown in, some good songs and excellent playing.  Best know tune is probably "Union Man" but some others here are notable "There's A Time For Us" and "Easy Way Out" work well.  This was produced by Stax guitarist Steve Cropper.  As far as I can see no CD presence at all for the Cates - shame.

Elektra - K53019

Melody Maker - Front Runners (1975)

From The Lost Record Covers Club

This is a CBS sampler that was sold via Melody Maker.  It was my first copy of the then fairly little known "Born To Run" but I also loved finding "Hang Ups" - I went out and bought Hancock's "Manchild" album  on the back of it.  It also introduced me to "Building Fires" which is wonderful for it's harmonies.  Sailor, SB and Q, Bill Withers and EW and F were already members of my collection. I have never seen this anywhere else and cannot remember where I found it.

CBS - SPR 107

MFSB - Universal Love (1975)

From The Lost Record Covers Club

MFSB were the "house band" at Sigma Sound Studios, home of Gamble and Huff's Philadelphia International label.  Often supplemented with members of the well respected Philadelphia Philharmonic Orchestra, the main core included such talents as Karl Chambers and Earl Young on drums; Norman Harris, Roland Chambers, Bobby Eli, and TJ Tindall on guitar; Winnie Wilford and Ronnie Baker on bass; Vincent Montana, Jr. and Larry Washington on vibes and percussion, Harold Ivory Williams on keyboards, plus Leon Huff and Thom Bell on keyboards and Don Renaldo on strings and horns featuring Rocco Bene on trumpet with Bobby Martin acting as arranger here.  Many of these guys had played on the various pre-PIR hits that Gamble and Huff had produced for Jerry Butler, Joe Simon and the like and would also feature on Thom Bell's work with the Stylistics, Johnny Mathis and the wonderful (ex-Motown) Spinners.  This was the second album in the UK and really established them as the Philly sound was becoming dominant in the charts via Billy Paul, The O'Jays, Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes, The Three Degrees and the Intruders.  "K-Jee" had been a US hit for the Niteliters but this version is superior in my view.  "Sexy" is one of those tunes that people know when you play it but have no idea what it's called and who it's by.  MFSB could be a bit too MOR and go for the seemingly obvious arrangements but their orginals plus superb covers of other PIR songs together with some other hits at the time are a cut above.  Here I'd recommend "Sexy", "K-Jee" and "Love Has No Time And Place".  The earlier album has the covers of Sly Stones "Family Affair" and Curtis Mayfield's "Freddie's Dead" - both favourites.  This album isn't available on CD but there are some good compilations around with all of the highlights featured.  There's a good Wikipedia page for the band.  Yes you know but for those that don't the answer is Mother Father Sister Brother.  Standing in the Shadows of Philly..?

Philadelphia International - PIR 80410

Yvonne Fair - The Bitch Is Black (1975)





I first came across Yvonne Fair on the "Motown Sound Volume 1" compilation with "Stay A Little Longer" a great track and included on this, her only album from Motown to my knowledge.  The only thing is that track is soft, romantic and very (traditional) Motown like.  If you know that song and want more - you'll get more than you bargained for here.  This is raunchy, hard hitting soul, much more aligned with Sly Stone.  Of course it's produced by the master Norman Whitfield so you would expect nothing less in him in '75 when he was virtually single-handedly changing the labels sound to accomodate changing times.  The hit single is "It Should've Been Me" - which I always thought was very Millie Jackson like both in subject matter and delivery. Standouts "Let Your Hair Down" and "Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On" both appear on Temptations albums with "Funky Music" having it's definitive version by the late and great Edwin Starr. "Love Ain't No Toy" was later covered by Amii Stewart. I wouldn't call this a great set as such more a patched together collection of songs well performed (probably to capitalise on the single's surprise success).  There are outstanding highlights but there's also some padding - still a worthwhile purchase for collectors of 70's Motown.  This is now available on CD.

 

Tamla Motown - STML 12008

Leon Haywood - Come And Get Yourself Some (1975)

From The Lost Record Covers Club

Introduced to me by by girlfriend in 1975 (now wife) - thanks hon'.  Check out the clothes - it had to be the 70's and you had to be a black soul star to wear them!  I don't understand what happened to this guy.  He was clearly talented, writing and producing his own stuff, so clearly wasn't like some soul stars who were reliant on the next hot producer arriving at their door.  Known at the time for the single "I Wanna Do Something Freaky To You" for obvious reasons in those tame times.  The album is varied in subject matter though and is a complete "set" with it's own sound and momentum. Recommended.  I haven't seen anything by him on CD anywhere.

20th Century - BT 476

Chris Rainbow - Home Of The Brave (1975)

Polydor - 2383 338