Gregg Jolly - Love Is

A pretty simple formula here for this disco bluesy number. Gregg Jolly, on the other hand is anything but simple. And, anything but known, discovered or appreciated. His few and extremely rare releases are hard to come by. All of them except for this one have still evaded me. This is one of his most available recordings. I often wonder what other recordings he was a part of that didn't feature his name. His vocal style boasts that he can hang with the likes of the great Al Green. He's been showcased and endorsed by the rare groove king Tommy Stewart on another elusive 12 inch and this release saw assistance from the great Bobby Robinson and his hip hop founding label Enjoy records. It's no wonder that this had such a disco feel, and the open drum break in the middle is ripe for classic Ultimate Breaks And Beats style editing.

Half way into the song Gregg really dips into his vocal soloing and almost goes Al Green ballistic. Even the title 'Love Is' feels as though it's an homage. But, even though he had less than a handful of records, he etched out his own brand of disco and funk. The drums are brutal and relentless throughout making me scratch my head thinking is that a drum machine or did they loop it? Clearly this drummer earned his keep in the studio. This oddly sounds more like 1976 than it's release date of 1981, but further proof that the blues was alive and well in the early 80's. If you are Gregg Jolly, know his whereabouts, or had anything to do with his recordings please let us know. We're madly obsessed with G-J and will do just about anything to track him or his records down.

It's just another slice of funkiness I wanted to share, and as I track down his other records I will post them here. If and when I can find them, as they are stupid rare.

Gregg Jolly - Love Is

Bobby Bland - I Wouldn't Treat A Dog (The Way You Treated Me)

Aside from being a strong runner for longest song title in the world, it's a tasty bit of bluesy funk from the incomparable Bobby 'Blue' Bland.
When I discovered his original version it knocked me down. You see, I had only heard the Rhythm Heritage's version, which was flip side to 'The Theme From S.W.A.T.'
When I was a kid growing up in San Francisco I had a small group of 45's. No more than a nine year old should have. A few I remember... 'More Bounce To The Ounce', 'Flashlight' and 'SWAT Theme'. I remember as kids popping and locking in the bathrooms at school to these songs. Perhaps only having exposure to a few 45's, I fell in love with 'treat you like a dog' even as an instrumental track. Their version is actually pretty sick too. It was something about the melody and hook. So, you can imagine 15 years later when I heard Bobby's smooth vocals my head just about shattered. Or, perhaps it was my pants that shattered? (thanks JB for the shitty visuals) But, nevertheless this tune is a swooner. Laid back urban funky groove from 'the man' of the blues himself Bobby Bland.



Bobby Bland - I Wouldn't Treat A Dog (The Way You Treated Me)

Shuggie Otis - Ice Cold Daydream

Whether in conversation or on this blog, I constantly reference Shuggie Otis. There's something truly beautiful and mysterious about him and his music. When I first scored his 'Inspiration Information' LP, I think I spent an entire week in my apartment with the headphones on. I was obviously blown away and affected, but it went even further than that. Somehow I had dreams those nights about Shuggie jammin' with the school band at Berkeley High. It was some kind of great hippie psychedelic soul jam session. I've often used that dream to describe his music, and although it doesn't encapsulate his 'sound' (as it's only my individual experience) Shuggie has created 'dream' music for his fans. He definitely left some kind of celestial imprint in my musical tastes.
In that LP he's etching out a new brand of 'Hippie Soul' (among other things) and with this LP he launched one of my all time favorite tracks EVER...'Strawberry Letter 23'.
This song 'Ice Cold Daydream' is on the flip of a 45 I have of 'Strawberry' and the opening tune on his 1971 'Freedom Flight' LP. This LP came out a year later than his previous more bluesy 'Here Comes Shuggie...' LP, but was light years beyond it. It was apparent that his sound was evolving and in 1974 when 'Inspiration' dropped it fell on deaf ears. Critics panned his moving away from the blues sounds and claimed he had lost his way. Years later it was of course discovered by soul enthusiasts, and heralded up there right along with other landmark Bay Area LP's like 'There's A Riot Goin' On' By Sly and the Family Stone. Then, it was re-released by Luaka Bop and it finally met with universal acclaim. As a result of his new found 'fame' I had to the chance to see him at Great American Music Hall in SF, but he was 'out of sorts' and almost canceled the performance. I had heard of people trying to reach him, and often knocking on his door with no response, or being told to 'go away' by Shuggie himself.
This is a sample of his more psych rock sounding stuff, but Shuggie is unconventional to say the least and his music knows few boundaries. In any instance of his music you'll hear vast varieties of both sound and mood and a bevy of unpredictable changes in the song writing. I'm posting this song 'cause i love it, but also I'll be heading down a 'rock' path in the next few weeks. There will be more Shuggie snippets to come in the future as I'm a huge fan. Thanks for letting me vent about my love for Shuggie, and have a happy Ice Cold Daydream.



Shuggie Otis - Ice Cold Daydream

Freddie Hughes - Sarah Mae

Mellow Saturday Morning soul.

That's what I'm feeling like right now.

That's exactly the mood I was put in when I first discovered this bay area soul 45. It's a tragic sounding story with Freddie pleading for her to come back home, definitely 'tear-stained' soul if I ever heard it. The backdrop is simple tight drums, a complex bass line, a nice piano melody and trickled with light synth. It's a masterful combination and had me hooked right from the beginning. I find it highly unlikely that this tune was much of a commercial success, but the bay area has always been diverse, so I know it had to get 'some' local radio play. Nonetheless, its a truly sincere tune that a few soul fans keep close to the chest. And, probably heralded and enjoyed now much more than then.
Freddie Hughes was closely aligned with the local blues scene here in Oakland, and I remember seeing him, and his name spattered throughout Oakland blues posters. I grew up mostly in Oakland, and since my brother was already playing bass in this circuit I had a great angle of insight. I remember seeing Freddie Hughes live somewhere and telling all my mod and soul loving friends that it was the most incredible man I had ever seen before. I told them that in his slick burgundy suit and with his captivating performance style it was the closest thing I could imagine to seeing Otis Redding. But, even better.. Freddie is drenched in good ole' Bay Area Blues, Soul and Funk. To this day, his version of "Take Me To The River" is smoking hot.

Freddie is a legend in his own right. He made absolutely beautiful soul records including his first LP 'Send My Baby Back' on the Wand label. He's not to be confused (which does happen-even I'm guilty of it at one time) with Fred Hughes of Brunswick fame. This is not the Fred of 'Oh Wee Babe' fame..yet, his caliber is the same or better. Freddie was born in Berkeley, and still performs here locally today. Oddly they had a performance yesterday at Berkeley's famous Cheese Board. AND, a performance tonight in Oakland at The Warehouse Bar & Grill. I highly recommend seeing Freddie Hughes in any capacity. Although I have not seen or heard his new band "Kickin' The Mule", I think it is NOT to be missed. Real talk folks.
Check the schedule here.
http://www.myspace.com/kickinthemule

One listen to "Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You" and you'll know what you need to do...SEE THIS MAN. But, then it gets even deeper with "Do My Thing".... Are you convinced yet??

Support the cats that are still around and still 'doing their thing'!!
If you live in this area, you should really try to see him. Makes sense right?
I'm glad to share this super bluesy deep soulful "Sarah Mae" track, and even happier to spread the gospel of 'Freddie Hughes'

Freddie Hughes - Sarah Mae