MUSIC

MUSIC

The Trinikas | Remember Me

Wild Bill Balazo ·

 
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Here's a nice little single from The Trinikas. I guess they were a high school group? If you ever go to your local Northern Soul night, notice how many of the bigger tracks have a bit of minor feel to them ("California Soul," "Nothin But a Heartache," etc.) Throw in one like this, that starts on the 4? You got yourself a hit!

MUSIC

Betty Davis | Don't Call Her No Tramp

Wild Bill Balazo ·

 
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Here's another kinky jam from the olden days. Phunk/phashion diva Betty Davis was briefly married to Miles,​ but apparently she was "too wild" for him. Larry Graham is all over her first album, and there's plenty of Sly-ed out rollin' and thumpin' on this track from They Say I'm Different, ​her second.​ Frantic clavinet courtesy of Tony Vaughn. Light In the Attic dusted these off a few years ago, just piling up more gems in their excellent catalogue. Righteous proto-Parliament-via-Bowie cover art on this one as well. Dig in, folks!

MUSIC

Paul Revere & the Raiders | The Great Airplane Strike

Wild Bill Balazo ·

​Who knew a band of dudes who had their own TV show and dressed in faux-colonial garb could rock so hard? This weird little ditty about an airplane strike features a raunchy Hazlewood/Sinatra-via-"Boots" riff, which sits nicely over the chunky syncopation of the multiple strummers. It's easy to find these guys in the dollar bin at your local record store, a total no-brainer purchase. Nancy Sinatra may be sexier, but these boys are a hell of a lot more fun.

MUSIC

Freddie King | Going Down

Wild Bill Balazo ·

I'm not nuts about the blooz, ​but some of these guys penned a few serious jams. Today's installment comes from the Texas Cannonball himself, Freddie King. It's hard to place what it is about this one: the driving piano, the raw guitar tone, the effortless delivery? Anyway, it's worthy of repeat listens and consistent toe taps.

MUSIC

Esquerita | Sinner Man

Wild Bill Balazo ·

Nine minutes of Esquerita bangin' on the piano! You can almost smell the pomade from his magnificent pompadour start a grease fire. Friction: it's science. Look it up.

There's some confusion as to whether he ripped off Little Richard or Little Richard ripped off him. My theory: some guy was working the piano so hard that he split in half, becoming the twin forces who invented glam and rock 'n roll simultaneously.

MUSIC

Daft Punk | Get Lucky

Wild Bill Balazo ·

Frankly, I think this song kind of sucks.​ It should be an easy one to nail: a sweet groove along the lines of "Something About Us," tight instrumentation, glimmering tones. But then Pharrell opens his damn mouth: "Like the legend of the phoenix / hah / all ends with beginnings." Guys. If you're gonna write a song about getting laid, why the hell would you start with a flaccid metaphor invoking "the legend of the phoenix?"

Granted, one of Daft Punk's best qualities is their ability to embrace tacky, tasteless sounds from the past, pump everything through their funk filter, and end up with golden boogies. And words are never really important to their songs. But with Pharrell's vocals front-and-center in a straightforward pop song structure, the lame lyrics grate on you. I appreciate stoopid shit, but this feels somehow much worse: a shiny holographic dance floor with a slippery turd right in the middle.

Make up your own mind about it:​

MUSIC

Cher | I Walk On Guilded Splinters

Wild Bill Balazo ·

When you think "voodoo-funk diva," you probably don't think of Cher. And you probably shouldn't, with the one exception of this marvelous cover of The Gris-Gris Man himself, Dr. John. This song resides on "3614 Jackson Highway," where Cher was backed by the hot-n-sweaty Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Listen to this while making dark love, getting into trouble with some masked friends, or driving alone through a field of tall grass.