Do toads spawn in the woods?

Enjoyed a pleasant walk with some friends in the Wye Valley last weekend. The woods were magical – lots of small tumbling streams, rocks covered in moss so lushly green it was almost luminous, lichen and fungi everywhere. One of our party is something of a bird spotter. I love the sound of bird song but have never mastered the art of identifying birds by their song. It was good to have somebody with us who could identify the songs, and so we came to learn which species were gracing our walk with their early spring warblings.

At one point on the walk we came across a scene that could have come straight out of a sc-fi B movie. Small ditches on either side of the path were full of what looked like some nasty alien goo that was seeping up through the earth’s fissures. If we hung around it would surely envelop us all in its deadly poisonous gloop. Of course it was nothing of the sort – just frog spawn. We had never seen so much of it in one place before, and I for one wasn’t expecting to see any so early in the year. From a quick bit of subsequent research it seems that frog spawn can appear anytime in February or March so evidently the particular mountain of it we came across isn’t another portend of global warming. It also struck me that I can’t recall hearing anybody ever refer to toad spawn. Do toads spawn? Was this toad spawn not frog spawn? Well, yes, toads do spawn, but no this wasn’t toad spawn as I have now learnt that that this long and stringy. Nevertheless I'm sure some toads were eyeing us along our walk.

And so, after taking you on a 10+ mile walk through the woods we have finally arrived at today’s circuitous and, it has to be said, flimsy link to the launching point of today’s musical offering “Toad’s Place”.

The Jeff Lorber Fusion were a favourite of mine back in the day when I caught the jazz-funk bug. I have all of their albums (they are on the floor in front of me now, clustered together like so much frog spawn –ha!ha!). When they started out they probably fell as much into the jazz-fusion category as jazz-funk. Whatever j-f label you care to choose the jazz (and funk, and rock) purists would, likely as not, throw their hands up in horror and declare it faux-junk. It’s true that with so many albums of those particular genres you could usually find one or two killer tracks on each album, but they would be surrounded by a number of distinctly run of the mill noodlings. However, I always thought Jeff Lorber’s early albums held up in the quality and listenability stakes pretty well throughout. The eponymous first album and “Soft Space” were released in 1977 and 1978 on the Inner City label. That label always struck me as having a simplistic design that was the epitome of cool. After that Jeff and the Fusion moved to Arista. “Water Sign” was released in 1979, followed by “Wizard Island” in 1980 and “Galaxian” in 1981. Over the span of these albums their sound gradually changed, becoming less sweet and mellow and straight jazz to more commercial upbeat and bright. Also by “Galaxian” Lorber’s synthesised keyboards increasingly dominated and there were even some vocal tracks, which was a bit of a shame as I really liked the horns, reeds and flute when they made appearances on the earlier albums. The Fusion, which had always been a somewhat fluid collection of musicians, disbanded after “Galaxian” and Jeff carried on under his own name and with the more synth dominated and smoother sound.

Jeff is still very much active, having released 20 albums in his name over the last 30 years. I not a fan of pigeon-holing music, and labels come and go. Currently you would put him in the smooth jazz bag. That label didn’t exist 30 years ago but is probably a fair catch all description of his sound.

I think “Toad’s Place” gets the nod as a “banger” and I was going to put up this alone. But then I gorged on all the albums and decided this post needed to be graced by a couple more tracks too. As a result this is a little bit late getting up because I have been struggling to decide which ones. This is what I settled on:

The Jeff Lorber Fusion – Toad’s Place 1979
from Water Sign

The Jeff Lorber Fusion – Curtains 1978
from Soft Space

The Jeff Lorber Fusion – Chinese Medicinal Herbs 1977
from The Jeff Lorber Fusion

Put it on your list

Well here we are – this is post #50. I’m not intending to stop, so it’s 50 not out – a score that most English cricketers nowadays can only dream about. After the pain of an Ashes drubbing that was going to be my cheap joke at their expense but then, what do you know, they polish their bats (and balls!), come up with a couple of half decent performances and win the wotsit cup from under the Aussies noses. Not exactly reason to dance around the sidescreens yet, but maybe there’s a glimmer of hope for the World Cup.

As this is 50 up I thought I better make the music a bit special. Back in October I featured a Betty Wright single. Re-reading that post I notice I made a cricket reference there too, in fact probably the only other cricket reference I’ve made in any of my posts – what’s this then? some weird cricket - Betty Wright subliminal connection going on?

Anyway, in that post I mentioned her 1972 album “I Love The Way You Love”. People sometimes say that soul music is all about the 45s and that there haven’t been many classic soul albums. Well I would agree to a point in that many good soul albums feel like a collection of singles but don’t seem to quite work as an entity which would elevate them to greatness (of course we can all name some classic soul albums that do work as an entity - Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” & “Here, My Dear” and Stevie Wonder’s 70s triple play of “Music Of My Mind”, “Talking Book” and “Innervisions” come immediately to mind). Betty Wright’s “I Love The Way You Love” probably falls into the category of a collection of singles – seven of the eleven tracks were either A or B sides of 45s and six of those were released before the album – but I still rate it as a classic as every track is so strong. The likes of Little Beaver, Snoopy Dean, Clarence Reid, Benny Latimore, and The Memphis Horns are all present; Betty is one of the best soul singers around; and with strong and varied arrangements each track has its own clear identity. I must name check Mike Lewis too who did the string and horn arrangements, the strings are prominent throughout, and fantastic.

To quote, from the back cover, Willie ‘Moon Man’ Bacote from WEBB Radio Baltimore, Maryland: “It’s truly a great bit-o-wax- well recorded and beautifully put together”.

This album is not too difficult pick up on vinyl, and it’s also now available on CD so you too can easily own this soul classic.

How do I pick the tracks to feature? Difficult, because they’re all great. Easy, because they’re all great!

The album has not one but two tracks that feature the word ‘love’ twice in their title. Must be some sort of record. Here they are:

Betty Wright – I Love The Way You Love 1972
Betty Wright – If You Love Me Like You Say You Love Me 1972

Oh, go on then, here’s another one:

Betty Wright – All Your Kissin’ Sho’ Don’t Make True Lovin’ 1972

Now go and buy it.

A dose of Dennis

I’ve been laid low for a few days – sniffles, aches and pains – yes - full blown man flu! I even took a sick day. The worst part of it is that when I have gone to work this week I’ve taken the path of least resistance and driven the car. I normally cycle and I’m really missing the fresh air, the sense of freedom, and my ipod shuffle. All together I somehow feel less alive.

I’m fed up with popping paracetamol, what I need is a dose of the late great Dennis Brown.

“Should I” is from his hit 1979 album “Words And Wisdom”. This track warms me inside and out. While I’m drinking the hot toddy that is Dennis’s voice the whole vibe is wrapping me up in a plump king size duvet.

As an extra bonus the lyric features the word “gay” in probably one of its final outings in it’s original colours.

It warms the cockles of your heart.

I’m feeling better already.

Dennis Brown – Should I (mp3) 1979

Moss Bros

Moss Bros have been an established name on the British high street for more than a century, the name originally appearing over a shop in 1898, although the company was originally founded in 1851. If you want to hire a DJ you could contact Mr. Finewine. Alternatively, if the DJ you’re looking for is of the sartorial variety and you’re in the UK, the chances are you will pop in to your local Moss Bros as theirs is probably the first name you will think of if formal clothes hire is on the agenda (they also sell clothes through other brand outlets). I can’t say I have ever had occasion to use them, however that may change in the future. I now no longer wear a suit to work (no, I don’t go naked, just dress down!) but last summer found myself buying one as we were invited to the wedding of a family friend. Worn once it’s hung in the wardrobe ever since. Perhaps I should have gone to Moss Bros.

For the purposes of this blog mini series of random connections of the unconnected Moss Bros serve as a link to…. Bill Moss the founder of Capsoul Records…. and so to the ‘brothers’ Kool Blues, another one of the select Columbus/central Ohio groups to appear on that label during it’s relatively brief existence.


I picked up Kool Blues “I’m Gonna Keep On Loving You” blind from a soul list in 1976. Although not extensive, my record collection does contain a few obscurities. For some unknown reason though this particular record has always had a special mystique about it. I had always wanted to know more about the label and Kool Blues but at the time there was no practical way of finding out more about it. Of course now we have the Interweb, and, combined with the sterling work done by the Numero Group in 2004 to immortalise the Capsoul label (see link in my previous post) I now know a lot more about the label at least. Although it has to be said not much more about Kool Blues themselves (John Primm, Bill Gilbert, and(?) Norman Whiteside). But the story of Bill Moss and his Capsoul label seems to prove that the mystique this record held for me over all these years was justified – maybe I secretly knew there was a good story behind it.

Bill Moss was a DJ and sometime performer and producer in Columbus when he started the Capsoul label in May 1970, building his own studio. Twelve singles and a single album were released in the four and a half years of it’s existence. The Four Mints and Marion Black had national R&B chart success but with true indie style distribution most of the releases only enjoyed regional success. Late in 1974 the bank finally withdrew a line of credit and the Capsoul label was no more. Bill Moss managed to save his master tapes but they were subsequently lost when the house where they were being stored was flooded, and by then he had already trashed the remainder of his stock as the banks actions had been too much for him to bear. You can hear (the now sadly deceased) Bill Moss talk more about his experiences on the music scene here, and more about Columbus based music here.

A great record and now, some thirty years after it dropped through my letterbox, I’m finally starting to unearth the great story behind it. Not bad for the price of two pints of beer in 1976.

Kool Blues - (I'm Gonna) Keep On Loving You (mp3) 1972

Freeman, Hardy & Willis

Wow! Two weeks since my last post. I have been engulfed by a mid-winter torpor. Getting home from work all I have felt like doing is reading the paper, vegetating in front of the TV and going to bed early (well, before midnight at any rate, which is early for me). I have managed to turn the computer on a few times but even blog hopping has seemed like a chore. As for actually compiling a post – no chance.
It seems that this was always on the cards, at least for those of us living in more northerly latitudes. Hopefully I’m back in the groove now.

As a relatively long time has passed since my last post it’s worth reminding you that this is the second in a short series of posts with titles taken from names of shops past and present in the British high street. Why? Why not - I like tenuous links, and it’s a bit of fun.

Today’s track is from Johnson, Hawkins, Tatum & Durr. As a group name it doesn’t exactly trip off the tongue does it? What has it got to do with Freeman, Hardy & Willis I hear you ask?
On a forum somewhere (possibly Soul Source) sometime ago I remember somebody referring to the group J, H, T & D as Freeman, Hardy & Willis. That made me chuckle.
And who or what is/was Freeman, Hardy & Willis? For those of you not familiar with the British high street of yesteryear Freeman, Hardy & Willis were one of the first shop chains, selling shoes. A common sight in the 70s, I believe they originated as a boot and shoe manufacturer in Leicester in the 19th century. I thought they had completely disappeared but a quick trawl of the interweb threw up a few listings of what appear to be currently trading shops dotted around the UK.

That’s it, as I said a tenuous link. But when you are casting around for witty or punchy (or just plain daft!) blog post titles such a tenuous link is like gold dust.

I bought this 45 blind a few years ago for next to nothing. The Capsoul label attracted me. I already had another Capsoul 45 in my collection acquired many years ago and again bought blind. That record didn’t disappoint and neither does this one from J, H , T & D.

“You Can’t Blame Me” is a great soul record. The intro is both eerie and wistful at the same time. Throughout there is quite a lot going on in the arrangement – vibes; guitar; listen carefully and there some strings too buried in the mix; Virgil Johnson’s strident falsetto barely stays under control and there are some sublime backing vocals from the rest of the guys. It’s a brave record, I think the arrangement is complicated and sophisticated but at the same time it has the distinct feel of being home made, which, in a way, it was. Recently just about the entire Capsoul output was documented and immortalised on "Eccentric Soul: The Capsoul Label". The label was evidently put together and operated on a shoestring and featured local artists form the Columbus, Ohio area. Johnson, Hawkins, Tatum, & Durr had just two releases on the label and then split, but if only for “You Can’t Blame Me”, their name, however awkward, will live on with this soul music fan at least.

I will feature the other Capsoul record in my collection in my next post. Those with a knowledge of both the British high street and the Capsoul label could probably hazard a guess as to the title of the next post.

Johnson, Hawkins, Tatum & Durr - You Can’t Blame Me 1971

Boosey & Hawkes

The titles of next my few posts will see me “moving through the high streets of my life” (to mangle an Isley Brothers lyric!).

I’m not sure now what exactly provided the initial spark for today’s post. What’s not in question is that, in the last few days, I experienced a sudden yearning to hear some Junior Walker. The question is did that feeling appear from nowhere or was it prompted by something?

Well, as I say I’m not sure, but it may have been sparked by an article on record shops in this month’s Word magazine. The article looks back, lovingly, at 50 years of record shopping and those now fast disappearing shrines to vinyl and all the new-fangled formats that have followed since. It recalls the early outlets. Typically they were shops selling sheet music and instruments, or electrical goods such as wireless’s and stereograms, that eventually branched out to sell records as well (I think that’s an example of either horizontal or vertical marketing but as I’m no marketing expert I’m not sure which it is).

My own love affair with recorded output really started in 1971, and for the next 10 years at least I spent a probably unhealthy amount of time in record shops. There was no better way of killing a couple of hours than by riffling through stacks of LP covers (or, of course, 45s if they were out on display), even if you didn’t have enough money in your pocket to be able to buy anything. By the Seventies shops specialising in selling just records (and cassettes) were well established. But you could still find outlets that harked back to an earlier era and the original template. One such establishment was Boosey & Hawkes in Bath. I remember it being on two floors, it sold musical instruments and sheet music, plenty of classical music, and some ‘popular music’ too. It wasn’t a regular haunt of mine but I do remember it used to occasionally have good sales. And I distinctly remember this is where I bought my copy of Junior Walker & The All Stars Anthology. I think I came away with four albums on that particular visit, happy that I had secured some bargains. They are probably all still in my collection, but for some reason the Junior Walker album is the only from the haul that sticks in the memory.

All of Junior Walker & The All Stars big hits were scored between 1965 and 1973 as a Motown act and, while there was an underlying conformity to ‘the sound’ on a number of their tracks, they nevertheless sounded different. Difficult to categorize, their records were, by turns, laced with R&B raunch, house party jive, supper club jazz, and straightahead soul. But regardless of whether they were doing the “Boomerang”, urging us to “Shake And Fingerpop”, or effortlessly wooing us with tracks such as “What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)”, they were unmistakably Junior Walker & The All Stars. I can’t remember the last time I heard them on the radio, can’t recall them appearing on a film soundtrack (not that I’m a great moviegoer), and can’t think of an ad that’s used one of their songs. And I can’t understand that as the music is so accessible, it sorts of wraps you in blanket and makes you feel good.

Go on, get some Junior Walker in your life and feel good.

(Buy the Ultimate Collection).

Junior Walker & The All Stars – Pucker Up Buttercup 1967
Junior Walker & The The All Stars – Walk In The Night 1972

(PS I’ve just noticed that today -14th Jan - is the 42nd anniversary of the US release of their first national hit “Shotgun”. I love coincidences.)

A green triangle

Well, the Birthday Blues didn’t really kick in this year. Maybe the act of writing about it (see previous post) proved cathartic.

So that was it then, the Christmas season is over again, the decorations have been put away for another year, and now all that remains is a mountain of mince pies and chocolates and the pressure is on (the belt buckle!) to finish them all before the best before date.

I don’t think I have a particularly sweet tooth, and as far as chocolate is concerned I like to think I can take it or leave it but put some in front of me (or in my Christmas stocking) and I usually end up eating it. No discipline.

As with chocolate so with sweet soul. Sweet soul is like a tin of Celebrations, or Quality Street. If you put the tin on your lap and dive in, sooner or later you’re going to be sick. So it is with, for example, a Stylistics album, no way could I listen to a whole album at once. On the other hand “People Make The World Go Round” is by The Stylistics and it’s scrumptious - just like the mini Bounty Bars in Celebrations. So the trick is to root around and pick out the plums (I know, plums have nothing to do with chocolate, but they can be just as sweet and they are much more digestible).

When it comes to Quality Street there’s only one variety that really does it for me – the green triangle of solid chocolate, and nowadays I find these very hard to come by. So, back at work the other day idly rooting through a half-empty tin of QS leftover from before Christmas (as you do), I consider myself very lucky to have found a single green triangle nestling at the bottom of the tin. Result! It’s a bit like crate digging really, these moments are what you wait for.

So today I will share with you that perfectly formed green triangle – presented as a vinyl 45 by Tomorrow’s Promise that is the very essence of sweet soul. I know nothing about the group Tomorrow’s Promise apart from the fact they would appear to have released just five singles between 1973 and 1975, three on Capitol and two on Mercury.

“You’re Sweet, You’re Fine, You’re Everything” has actually been comped. A bit of Googling also shows that their singles would appear to be coveted by the Japanese at least. Just for fun I used the translation feature of Google on one of the hits and this is what it came up with:

Recently, covering with the new album of Glenn Jones, in the Seoul fan of part topic (?)Famous musical work in hydrangea Seoul of Tomorrow's Promise famous musical work Sweet, You’re Fine, You’re Everything. Well the ~, it can cry in any case, it is splendid! . Hundreds times hearing, you scratch the heart of this melody and the hydrangea fan, in the insect [ru] rust, indeed the storm of the impression tear. In addition don't you think?, just single release is the maniac crying.

I don’t think I can add anything to that!

Tomorrow's Promise - You're Sweet , You're Fine, You're Everything (mp3) 1973