"She'll Be Sorry" was the first single for the future queen of boogie wonderlands. It's a choice slice of northern soul from 1965, recorded after leaving her band, the Soul Satisfiers. Gloria Gaynor would have to wait another ten years before ruling the disco floor with the release of her club-pleasing LP Never Can Say Goodbye.
Sammy Davis Jr. fascinates me. Mostly because Mr. Candyman is the embodiment of all things groovy. He had the coolest (s)cat voice, the smoothest dance moves and the foxiest women. I've got five of his records and they are all solid belters, each and every one. The Rat Pack can keep their Dino and Ol' Blues Eyes. Sammy D was the whole package, in my opinion anyway.
"Not For Me" is the Gershwin brothers song also known as "But Not For Me". This recording is from his 1964 LP Sammy Sings The Big Ones For Young Lovers. Enjoy.
Not to be confused with the Elvis Presley song of the same name, "Clean Up Your Own Backyard" is the 1972 single from Leon Haywood. It's a funky track made even funkier by borrowing the iconic piano hook from The Isley Brother's ubiquitous "It's Your Thing". Oh, and if that's not enough, there's the extra cowbell to really help bring it home. Enjoy.
"The Letter" originally debuted as a number one hit for The Box Tops in 1967. Shortly afterward Lou Rawls recorded his own version for the long out-of-print LP Feelin' Good. There has since been over 200 recordings of "The Letter". However, I'm particularly fond of this ultra groovy, jazzy soul number. With Lou's buttery smooth vocals and David Axelrod's midas production touch you really can't miss.
After all the fame and megastardom Bobby Darin launched his own socially conscious record label (Direction), grew a mustache and started playing funky protest music. I was completely unaware of this later transformation, or that Bobby Darin ended his career singing for Motown Records. Who would have thought?
"Song For A Dollar" is the anti-materialism b-side to the equally superb "Me & Mr. Horner". Enjoy.
Long before Lance LeGault was known as Colonel Roderick Decker, the A-Team's dogged archnemesis, he was an accomplished musician with four records and a musical underneath his belt buckle. Chances are that if you've seen any television during the 80s (Knight Rider, Battlestar Galactica, MacGuyver, Dukes of Hazzard, Magnum P.I., etc.) you'll recognize his face, and especially his deep, whiskey burning voice. With a voice that's been described as "four octaves lower than god" it's no wonder he was selected for recording the self-guided tours of Graceland.
"(Good Deal) Keeping Man" is from Lance's first self-titled album, LeGault. It was released in 1971 on Polydor. I don't reckon LeGault has ever been remastered or reissued so enjoy this while there's still some vinyl to spin.
