Booker T. & the M.G.'s - Green Onions (1962)

Recent weeks have been pretty hectic for me work-wise and it looks like it ain't gonna stop in the near future, so I'm really struggling to find the time to write stuff on my blog. Nevertheless, I'm just gonna try to keep it short and simple and let the music do the talking. And if there's any type of music that can tell a good story, it's gotta be blues!

'Green Onions' was the debut album of Booker T. & the M.G.'s. It was released in 1962 on Atlantic's memphis-based Stax division, which had in its roster such renowned artists as Otis Redding, Albert King, Sam & Dave and Isaac Hayes.

The group started off as a session band, providing the backbone for many Stax artists at the time. One day, in a break between recordings, they started jamming around with a couple of riffs and fiddled with a little song Booker T. Jones has written way back in high-school - 'Green Onions'. Jim Stewart, the then president of Stax liked their sound and decided to release their debut record with 'Green Onions' as the a-side and 'Behave Yourself' on the flip-side. The single enjoyed great success, selling over a million copies, and this prompted the band to release a whole album.

At the time of the recording of their first full-length release, the band consisted of 4 people: Booker T. Jones (organs, bass guitar, guitar, keyboards), Steve 'The Colonel' Cropper (guitar), Lewie Steinberg (upright bass) and Al Jackson Jr. (drums). Later on, the band replaced Steinberg with Donald 'Duck' Dunn, who has played with them ever since. You might remember both Dunn and Cropper from the legendary 1980 film 'Blues Brothers' - they were both featured in the film and were also members of the original 'Blues Brothers' band.

Booker T & the M.G.'s is kind of a peculiar band. All of the guys in it are really session musicians first and foremost. They have backed a plethora of famous singers on thousands of records, playing on and producing many hits. Booker T. wrote such great tunes as: 'I've Never Found a Girl (To Love Me Like You Do)', 'I Love You More Than Words Can Say' and Albert King's 'Born Under A Bad Sign', which was covered by such powerful bands as 'Cream', with Clapton on board, and The Paul Butterfield Blues Band (by far my favourite rendition). Suffice it to say, Sam & Dave's fantastic 'Hold On! I'm a Comin'' features Booker T. (playing the tuba!!!) and the rest of the M.G.'s with Donald 'Duck' Dunn's killer bassline.

Nevertheless, the group managed to record a great album, that has defined southern soul music for a whole decade. Bands on both sides of the Atlantic were trying to imitate that unforgettable sound of Booker's Hammond organs and Steve Cropper's Fender Telecaster guitar and the groove both of them created.

The 'Green Onions' album is a 35 minute instrumental voyage, filled with blues-infused soul goodies. The album features 12 songs, ranging from slower, kinda mellow tunes like: 'Stranger On The Shore' or 'Lonely Avenue', to faster, rock'n'roll-ish songs like: 'You Can't Sit Down' or 'Twist And Shout', and to the groovy bits like: 'Comin' Home Baby'. There's a bit of everything really. What they all have in common is the fantastic guitar work of Cropper, where hes able to subtly accompany Booker with delicate choruses but also jump into finger-twisting solos, and the great sound of Booker's organs which serve as a trademark sound for the whole album. Prime time soul music with a dash of an R'n'B feeling, a hazy blues aura and jazz sophistication. You might think to yourself - how the hell could they play Ray Charles' 'I Got A Woman' without a singer?! Well, the truth is, their music is so good you don't even realise that this song ever needed any lyrics.

You could have heard some of their songs before - a lot of the tunes were used as a soundtrack to 'Get Shorty' (starring Travolta, De Vito, Hackman and a few others), and 'Behave Yourself' was featured in the Coen brothers' awesome picture: 'Big Lebowski'. Rings a bell?

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Bob Sinclar - I Feel For You (2000)

I recently found an old, long-forgotten CD that was lying around my room, shoved in a corner years ago, covered in tons of dust, and.....it turned out to be a compilation of some old-school Bob Sinclar tracks. Quite naturally then, I felt a strong urge to browse through my record collection and dig out all the fine tracks Bob has graced us with in the late 90s / early 00s and reminisce on these happy vibes.

I also figured I should share a piece of Sinclar's beats with the rest of the world. And trust me, it was a mission and a half to actually pick an album/song for my blog - simply because Bob has made so many fantastic tunes! Nevertheless, in the end, I went for the 'I feel for you' LP...follow me and you'll figure out why!

...Bob Sinclar...the name has become nearly synonymous with house music. Christophe Le Friant, cuz that's his real name, is a true character - trying to grasp who he actually is and getting the gist of his persona would take some considerable research. In the meantime, let's just see what the man himself has to say:

"Who is Bob Sinclar? An international man of mystery, since he first emerged in 1976 his career path has taken in spy, jewel thief. Riviera playboy, mercenary, arms smuggler, Monte Carlo card shark, Studio 54 bellboy, high-class gigolo, sunglasses model and hardcore porn star. It's also rumoured he was roped in to teach John Travolta to dance for Saturday Night Fever, but we don't want to play with the rumours - the mere facts themselves are incredible enough. Now, since his autobiography was banned worldwide in order to protect NATO security, Bob has decided to tell his story via the medium of House music."

This is an extract from the liner notes of his first album - 'Paradise'. I don't think I could put it any better myself. If it still ain't enough, just know that he's responsible for over 80 releases, nearly 300 remixes (for such notable artists as: Ian Pooley, Jamiroquai, Dimitri from Paris, Moby and Madonna) and has made over 1,100 appearances on compilations, albums, mixes and videos. All this under various monikers: Bob Sinclar, Chris the French Kiss and Bob from Paris. Sinclar lives in Le Marais, the gay district of Paris and is currently involved in making shit music...what?!...yep, that's not a typo. A living legend, a leader of the french touch house scene, a visionary artist whose tracks have introduced me to house music, has now become a sell out, making plastic, commercial 'music' that ain't worth the vinyl it's pressed on. Sad but true...

Nevertheless, you gotta give credit where credit is due - his early stuff was mindblowing. The 'I feel for you' LP, which is the first single from his second album - 'Champs Elysées' (released in 2000 on his own Yellow Productions label), is simply French house at its best. The release features two tracks: 'I Feel For You' (with two r&b remixes) and 'Save Our Soul', plus two DJ tools - an accapella and a 'beatapella'.

The title track is a great disco-infused piece and has everything you'd expect from an early Bob tune - fantastic soulful vocals, a slamming beat and a funky rolling bass that keeps on driving the track. Where Sinclar really delivers is his sampling. He can take two records - Cerrone's 'Look for Love' and Weeks & Co.'s 'Knock Knock' - x-ray the tracks, scanning for the tastiest, sweetest bits and end up having a short sample, which after applying his filter magic, turns into an unforgettable hook that sends crowds of people crazy...that's pure musical instinct!

As for the B-side, 'Save Our Soul' is a lot more darker and deeper, but it still is a hell of a tune! Here Sinclar sampled the live version of Earth, Wind & Fire's 'Devotion' to create an awesome floorfiller that despite the heavier beat still has that 'feel-good' factor you'd expect from Bob. Personally, I really like the intro to the song, but I can't figure out where's the sample from. And also, is it just me or does the guy really say: 'Save us all' instead of 'Save our soul'? Do you think Bob knew about it? Did he do it on purpose?...It reminds me of 'Ride On Time' by Black Box, who only after several years after releasing their song admitted that the sample they used really said: 'Right on time' but they just misheard it :)

Adding up, the LP enjoyed massive success, being released in over 9 countries on labels such as: Defected (UK), Subliminal (US), Universal (Italy), Legato (Belgium), Vendetta (Spain) etc.etc. Credit must go to Julien Jabre who was the projects engineer and is responsible for that sweet sound. There are also many remixes worth checking out: 'Save Our Soul' was nicely edited by Brian Tappert of Defected and Kidstuff's 'Tear Our Soul Apart' mix is also a banger of a tune!

So the next time you hear 'Love Generation' on the radio, just remember that deep inside, hidden beneath that ton of plastic is Bobs true, vivid, colourful, funky soul - unfortunately it decided to hide for the time being. Let's just hope we will see it make an appearance once again!

French touch, baby!

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Hott 22 - Before I Let You In / 8th Wonder LP (2005)

Hott 22 is a New York based production duo of Chris Malinchak and Greg Bahary, which is responsible for delivering some of the finest house music of the last decade. With over 100 remixes and 20 LPs, their tunes have been showcased on compilation albums of such iconic labels as: Hed Kandi, Stero Sushi, Azuli and Defected. Their songs have that classic house touch that we don't get much of these days - feels good to reminisce on that sound from time to time.

The Before I Let You In / 8th Wonder LP, released in 2005 on the New Jersey based Gossip Records label, is a real banger! The duo delivers two fantastic tracks, both with a very positive, uplifting touch and a funky feel.

Before I Let You In features a great, driving beat with a thumping bass kick and some sweet congas in the background. Besides that, there's a funky 1-bar guitar loop and some soothing keys on top. But what really makes the difference in this track are the sweet vocals of Jocelyn Brown, sampled from Inner Lifes 'I'm Caught Up (In a One Night Love Affair)', which, slightly sped up and pitched, are combined with the short string sample to make a great, melodic vibe that will get you hooked in no time!

On the b-side, we find another great song - 8th Wonder - which is a bit more hazy and dreamy but equally delivers. The recipe is pretty similar to the tune on the other side of the vinyl - a nice beat with distinct shakers and congas, a rather simple, yet very catchy, funky bassline, a 1-bar synth loop, a 2-chord guitar lick, a single-note string in the background and some spoken word and heavily filtered vocals to top it of. Simple ingredients - great result! A true floor-filler that builds up really nicely and is guaranteed to send a smile to your face.

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