Zero to 180 – Three Minute Magic
Urszula Dudziak‘s debut single was deemed a ‘Pick of the Week’ by Cash Box whose October 4, 1975 review identified the Polish jazz vocalist as an important new voice from whom big things were expected: Since Minnie Riperton hit the scene a new vocal approach seems to be in the
[Note: Piece updated on February 15, 2019 – see special coda at the tail end] Zero to 180 is intrigued to discover that today’s featured song is the sole composition attributed to Vic Coppersmith-Heaven [whose impressive audio engineering CV includes Cat Stevens, The Rolling Stones, Billy Preston, and even Stanley Kubrick] on Discogs. This
One can be forgiven for mistaking the heartbeat bass line and the off-kilter, syncopated hand drumming in this 2-minute heavy chant as being part of the Jamaican Nyabinghi tradition. Note the special effect at song’s end — somewhat “high tech” for King in 1954: “Oooh-Diga-Gow” by Cecil Young Quartet (1954)
I’m a little surprised more ink has not been expended on a snappy early reggae 45 from 1970 on the Doctor Bird label that can command up to £200 [i.e., $300ish] at auction: “Rum Bum a Loo“ The Message (1970) * “Rum Bum a Loo” was produced for the UK
Zero to 180’s musical salute to Georgia‘s official prepared food continues with “Grits & Corn Bread,” a song that listeners can enjoy at a variety of playback speeds (I’m partial to the medium speed): “Grits and Corn Bread” The Soul Runners (1966) This debut 45 from The Soul Runners, forerunners to
ABC once broadcast a 4-part television special in 1960 called The Frank Sinatra Timex Show: Welcome Home Elvis. This was to be the hip-swiveler’s first television appearance in three years since being discharged from military service. Poster art by Al Hirschfeld, yes? At one point, Elvis threatens to get upstaged
Thanks to Harry Hawks‘ biographical portrait of master percussionist (& sometime vocalist) Uzziah ‘Sticky‘ Thompson for Reggae Collector’s Artists Hall of Fame, we learn that (1) ‘Sticky’ gets a shout-out in the intro to Baba Brooks’ “Girls Town Ska” from 1965 [Q: “Hey Sticks, where you going tonight?” A: “I’m
David Katz‘s biography of Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, People Funny Boy, provides some very useful biographical details about master percussionist, Uzziah ‘Sticky‘ Thompson: For the rest of [1967], Perry worked closely with a variety of artists for [Joe] Gibbs, including future percussionist, Uzziah ‘Sticky’ Thompson, then a popular deejay known as *Cool
“Cerveza” by Boots Brown (see previous post about rock/pop’s Latin roots) was only one of the more obvious attempts to cash in on the runaway success of “Tequila” by The Champs in 1958. “Chili Beans” by Felix & His Guitar also does a great job of appropriating that familiar riff
This boss near-instrumental from 1967 simply attributed to “The Paris Studio Group” features a mean harpsichord – something right out of Lurch from The Addams Family: “Accroche Toi, Caroline“ The Paris Studio Group (1967) New Musical Express informs us — Main title theme as used on Tony Hart`s UK TV
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