SBB - SBB (1974)

Last week I was driving around my city looking for a parking spot when, after 10 minutes of venturing through the urban maze, I ended up in this tiny, long forgotten street. Looking around for a spot I sort of caught this small shop sign in the corner of my eye. To my astonishment, the sign read: 'MUSIC, CDs, VINYL'. Surprised and excited, I've managed to sneak a peek through the window and I thought to myself: 'Well, whatta you know, a decent record shop in my home city. I should definitely check it out'.

Wouldn't you know it, I was already in the shop the very next day, browsing through the records. Turns out the store is owned by a true music junkie, with a real passion for his hobby. Even more, it turns out that the guy hosts a weekly radio show on Radio Afera, every Sunday from 8 PM which I promised myself to check out one day. I also managed to find out that he runs a blog with album reviews and general everyday chit-chat (Viola!). Right...enough about the context, let's get to the good stuff.

With a little guidance from the store owner I managed to dig out the debut album of this polish rock band from the 70s called: SBB (Szukaj, Burz, Buduj - Search, Break, Build). They never made it really big, but they do boast a following of some sorts from the more devoted fans. The group consists of 3 lads: Jozef Skrzek, the band leader and multiinstrumentalist (bass, piano, synthesisers, vocals, harp); Antymos Apostolis, a son of greek immigrants (guitar); and Jerzy Piotrowski (percussion).

SBB formed around 1971 by the young Jozef Skrzek, who by that time has already been working with Tadeusz Nalepa's Breakout (Nalepa on Platinum Grooves). The Silesian Blues Band, as they were then known, began touring with the famous Czeslaw Niemen and managed to perform with him on a few festivals in Western Europe. However, as it  usually is when two powerful personalities crash, the group parted Niemen around the summer of 1973, and officially became SBB: Search, Break, Build. With regular concerts in the Silesian area and frequent radio shows, the group got more and more recognition.

It's around that time when they release their debut album on Polskie Nagrania Muza. The disc is actually a live recording from a 1974 concert they gave in the Stodola student club in Warsaw. The material is really peculiar, I must say. It's this free-flowing run of progressive rock jams with some bluesy piano-suites in between and plenty of solo improvisation. If I were to pinpoint their music I'd say it's like a mixture of McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra, Cream's trio-format sound and Pink Floyd's hazy aura; but I feel that it's just a facade, and that if I were to dig in more deeply I'd find a richer dimension to their music. There's also something really catchy and nearly hypnotic in Skrzek's vocals (which, for the love of god, reminds me of Robert Plant).

Well anyways, I'm definitely glad I got this record. Not only because I have a fetish for debut albums, but also because it inspires me to explore more polish rock which, admittedly, I still have a lot to learn about.

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tony tiptrip - we back in '82 (2009)

Been in a kitschy 80's mood recently so I figured I might share with you this mix I did back in 2009. It's called: 'we back in '82' which is a wordplay on this inside joke me and my friends shared back then. Well, without further ado, here's the mix along with the tracklist and a short info I wrote when the mix came out:

This time I'd like to take you on a musical journey through time and space...Hold on to your seats cause we're about to go back in time... 

The year is 1982: Atari has just introduced the hit game 'Pac Man', 'E.T.' earns millions of dollars in cinemas worldwide, Reagan declares his 'War on drugs' and Mr.T from the A-Team is just an anonymous, random bouncer in some dodgy nightclub... 

Think 1982, think 'Ghostbusters', think black leggings, tight Lycra mini skirts, leotards, leg warmers and green/pink nylon tracksuits! You get the picture?

Expect over-synthesised beats, soulful vocals, funky grooves and lyrics that are just as predictable as you'd expect them to be! Yeah, your right, it sure is kitsch, it sure is cheesy! But believe me - it'll make your ass go boompty-bop in no time! 

So getcha Ray-Ban's outta yer closet cause the '80s are now officially back!

Tracklist:

1. Shalamar - A Night to Remember (1982)

2. Dynasty - Love in the Fast Lane (1981)

3. The Whispers - It's a Love Thing (1980)

4. Midnight Star - Night Rider (1983)

5. The Whispers - In the Raw (1981)

6. Lakeside - Fantastic Voyage (1980)

7. The Whispers - Contagious (1984)

8. Midnight Star - Midas Touch (1986)

9. Midnight Star - No Parking on the Dancefloor (1983)

10. Midnight Star - Operator (1984)

11. Dynasty - I Don't Wanna be a Freak but I Can't Help Myself (1979)

12. Dynasty - Satisfied (1979)

13. Carrie Lucas - Dance with You (1979)

14. Ripple - The Beat Goes On and On (1977)

15. Instant Funk - I Got My Mind Made Up (Larry Levan mix) (1978)

We back in '82 by Tony Tiptrip on Mixcloud

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Sylvester - Over and Over (1977)

Long time no see, eh? Well, I'm back and full of new goodies to love and share.

To start off the new year with a bang, I got a tune that will definitely fit in with the festive NYE vibes that are still probably echoing somewhere in your heads. I'm talking about Sylvester's 'Over and Over'.

This fantastic upbeat disco joint comes from his/hers 1977 Fantasy Records debut album entitled: - surprise, surprise - 'Sylvester'. The song was originally composed by Ashford & Simpson, who gave it a more subtle touch with a lower tempo and a sweeter, ballad-ish feeling. Don't get me wrong, theirs is still a hell of a tune. But Sylvester's version...well, it just has that juice, that mojo!

Right, you might be wondering why the hell did I refer to Sylvester in both male and female terms. Well, did you ever see the guy...erm, woman? To keep things short, he was a gay singer and drag performer. His looks might seem confusing today, but back in the day Sylvester James blended seamlessly with the black and gay community that ran the disco scene. Nuff said.

'Over and Over', which was his first single, is a really joyful, upbeat, hands-in-the-air type of tune.  It's got a killer bassline, that's really the driving force of the song. Apart from that you get you're usual funky rhythm guitar, bunch of horns here and there and some strings to fortify the melody.

But there's really something special about this tune, something that makes it rather laid-back and so...sophisticatedly cool. It could be the instrumentation that leaves quite a lot of 'air' in the song making it different to your average in-your-face disco joints. It could be Sylvesters hazy, loose, nearly reluctant style of singing (try to distinguish the lyrics - you'll know what I mean). Or it could be the screams and shouts of the background singers (btw. 'Two Tons O'Fun' is the name of the duo of these rather hefty African-American singers that do the backing vocals on Sylvesters albums. Never heard of them? Well, it's the same girls that gave us the hit 'It's Raining Men')...all in all, put all these elements together, add a nice guitar solo in the middle (Tip Wirrick, who later wrote most of Sylvesters songs) and you got yourself a hit!

Also, if you're up for a more up-to-date rendition of the song, try John Julius Knight's 'Find a Friend' on Soulfuric Trax. It's a top, top house tune with a bunch of 'Over and Over' samples.

Last but not least, here's a little trivia for you. Sylvester was discovered by Harvey Fuqua who just departed from Motown and became a scout for Fantasy Records. Fuqua later became the producer of Sylvesters albums. Remember the guy? That's the same Fuqua who sang duets with Etta James and then broke her heart...or the other way round. (Here's Etta on Platinum Grooves)

(There might be better quality versions of the song on YouTube but this is one is really awesome in that it shows clips of the legendary Paradise Garage. See for yourself!)

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