Category: The 7th
The 7th: Confrontation
CONTRIBUTOR: Jason Palma (Play De Record, Higher Ground) ARTIST: Homegrown Syndrome SONG: Confrontation LABEL: Arista YEAR: 1981 This is such an interesting record for me! This is a more recent purchase, but it is a record I was after for a few years time. These days I am VERY picky when it comes to spending…
The 7th: Total Satisfaction
CONTRIBUTOR: Aki Abe (Cosmos Records) ARTIST: Brief Encounter SONG: Total Satisfaction LABEL: Sound Plus YEAR: 1977 This one came from a juke box collection that sucked… mostly late 70’s glam funk ranging from Rick James to Jeff Lorber picture covers but we managed to rescue this record from being extinguished into a local garbage bin.…
The 7th: Mind Games
CONTRIBUTOR: Famous Lee (Love Handle) ARTIST: Roland Haynes Jr & Phenix SONG: Mind Games LABEL: EII Records YEAR: 1983 This small hole American 45 was a lesson in patience for all you novice internet diggers fiending over some obscure, over-priced joint on the (insert web vinyl depot of your choice here). I first came across…
The 7th: We Did it Baby (Part 1)
CONTRIBUTOR: Alister Johnson (Do Right Music, Love Handle) ARTIST: General Lee SONG: We Did It Baby (Part 1) LABEL: Lost Weekend YEAR: 1979 I still get goosebumps when I hear that vocal / key melody off the top of this track. That timeless sound of an artist who really was immersed in their music. Not…
The 7th: I’m Not Ready For Love
CONTRIBUTOR: Big Jacks (GGBRFM) ARTIST: Promise SONG: I’m not ready for love LABEL: New Directions YEAR: 1974 God bless the Internets for allowing me to track this one down after I first heard it on the radio. It was playing on the Stolen Souls radio show (on 105.5 FM) here in Toronto. The whole set was…
The 7th: Ain’t That Loving You
CONTRIBUTOR: Ms. Move On Up ARTIST: Skull Snaps SONG: Ain’t that loving you LABEL: Grill Records YEAR: 1975 I don’t know too much about this release other than it’s not on the full length and came out a couple of years later in 1975. And to be honest, this one side is better to me than…
The 7th: Put a Smile on Time
CONTRIBUTOR: Jason Palma (Play De Record, Toronto) ARTIST: Rhythm Machine SONG: Put a smile on time LABEL: Lulu YEAR: 1976 This was a record I really, really wanted at the time. Keb Darge was our first international guest at Movement (a monthly party I used to copromote with a collective of DJs from around 1999-2005)…
The 7th: Bravura
CONTRIBUTOR: Aki Abe (Cosmos Records) ARTIST: The Inner Circles SONG: Bravura LABEL: Del-Nita YEAR: ???? I wanted to share something out of Ohio since my partner Mazi and I have concentrated most of our civilian lives digging for soul and jazz records there. The Inner Circles also recorded and released a single out of Boddie…
The 7th: Next Time
CONTRIBUTOR: Famous Lee (Love Handle) ARTIST: Larry Dixon SONG: Next Time LABEL: Square Deal YEAR: 1971 The first time that I dove into Larry Dixon’s stunning musical catalogue, I was pretty overcome with excitement. I ended up sharing this excitement with Jerome Derradji, the owner of the Still Music imprint out of Chicago when I had…
The 7th: Kothbiro
CONTRIBUTOR: Alister Johnson (Do Right Music, Love Handle) ARTIST: Black Savage SONG: Kothbiro LABEL: Black Blood YEAR: 1976 I remember the day I bought this record like it was yesterday. It was sometime around 2006-7, and a weekly trip to the St. Lawrence Market to check out the records was in the schedule. I went…
The 7th: I Don’t See Me in Your Eyes
CONTRIBUTOR: Big Jacks (GGBRFM) ARTIST: Brotherly Love SONG: I don’t see me in your eyes anymore LABEL: Music Merchant YEAR: 1972 Copped this one during one of my Detroit runs. This one is on the early 70’s kiddie funk/soul tip, but it’s a soul slow burner: straight break-up music. I always loved how Alchemist flipped this…
The 7th: Strange Things Happening
CONTRIBUTOR: Ms. Move On Up ARTIST: John Holt SONG: Strange Things Happening LABEL: Tranquility YEAR: 1971 John Holt did this track for both Phil Pratt on Sunshot and Coxsone Dodd on Studio 1. This Tranquility side is the US release of the Dodd production (I don’t think it ever came out as a Studio 1…
The 7th: All This Love That I’m Givin’
ARTIST: Gwen McCrae SONG: All This Love That I’m Givin’ YEAR: 1979 LABEL: Cat When ever I hear this song, it takes me back to an era in Toronto club history where you could play this for a room full of 500 people and it would instantly get the place rocking. Think back to places…
The 7th: La Cancion de Sally
ARTIST: The (St. Thomas) Pepper Smelter SONG: La Cancion de Sally LABEL: Virrey YEAR: ??? The (St. Thomas) Pepper Smelter was formed in Lima, Peru from disbanded members of a mid-60’s garage band called Los Shain’s. The band took a decidedly more psychedelic take on classics of the time, interpreting Hendrix’s Purple Haze on their…
The 7th: Head of The Class
SONG: Head of the Class ARTIST: Unlisted YEAR: 1977 LABEL: Unlisted This piece of NSFW sleaze came courtesy of Lost & Found, the best (and only) record store I ever worked at. I’m assuming this flexidisc was available with your purchase of High Society, back when porno mags were an actual thing. I think it…
The 7th: Big Chief
ARTIST: Professor Longhair SONG: Big Chief YEAR: 1964 LABEL: Watch I had no idea Professor Longhair was such an O.G. Cited as a heavy influence on such artists such as Allen Toussaint and Dr. John, Longhair was instrumental in helping create that New Orleans Jazz sound. As a piano player, he was best known for…
The 7th: Gimmewachoowan
ARTIST: Tiger People SONG: Gimmewachoowan YEAR: 1974 LABEL: Polydor SONG: My man Sipreano was kind enough to part with this one while I was in Vancouver last year. Musically, it’s like a mid-tempo sleazy Italian library complete with female back up vocals and gratuitous moaning. Of course, the label tells us it’s a promo and…
The 7th: Comin’ at ya
ARTIST: Pyramid Plus SONG: Comin’ at ya LABEL: Lifeworld YEAR: ? Buying records online can be a gamble. Record prices tend to fluctuate, depending on when dead stock copies are found and how the seller can go about letting them off. I ordered this joint online, and when it showed up, I knew something was…
The 7th: Get Out My Life
ARTIST: Allen Toussaint SONG: Get out my life woman LABEL: Bell YEAR: 1968 When I was talking to DJ Serious about his pick for this month’s edition of the Seventh, one thing became clear. Neither of us knew what the original version of “Get out my life woman” was. We speculated that it might be…
The 7th: Sadity Lady
ARTIST: CLARENCE MANN SONG: SADITY LADY (INSTRUMENTAL) LABEL: FLOWER’S RECORDS YEAR: ??? Nothing like digging through a private collection in storage. There’s an inherent excitement to having access to music the average collector perusing the record stores might not have. If it’s a solo mission, it can prove to be even more exciting, since you’re…
The 7th: Sweet Poison
ARTIST: IRON FORCE SONG: SWEET POISON LABEL: AMG RECORDS YEAR: 1977 I want to talk for a second about “trade currency”. A few years back, I found myself dj-ing at a local radio station with the homies Catalist and Blaz, when the prospect of getting a few records from the station came about. Now, by…
The 7th: S.T.P. #1
ARTIST: Les Sound Track SONG: S.T.P. #1 LABEL: Bel-Air YEAR: 1969 Montreal has always been a hot bed for music. It was one of my first “destination” digging spots and I would often find myself cramped into a car with a bunch of homies racing down the 401 trying to make it to stores like…
The 7th: Hey Joyce
ARTIST: Lou Courtney SONG: Hey Joyce LABEL: Pop-Side YEAR: 1967 The year is 1990. I shut my locker and adjust the volume on my limited edition grey rubber sports Walkman, before quietly bopping through the halls of Streetsville Secondary School, slapping hands with my classmates between periods as Main Source’s “He got so much soul”…
The 7th: Stonedage
ARTIST: FEIN SONG: STONEDAGE LABEL: EPIC (BRAZIL) YEAR: 197? This one evaded me for quite awhile, but damn, was it worth the wait. The homie Catalist turned me onto this joint years ago and I am eternally thankful and appreciative of him for doing so. This shit starts off like the perfect intro to a…
The 7th: As Long As…
ARTIST: The Charmels SONG: As Long As I’ve Got You YEAR: 1967 LABEL: Volt This little record helped spark a change in the sound of Hip Hop. Up to this point, producers didn’t really use sampled vocal elements from soul records in such a manner. Think about how many countless hip hop songs post-C.R.E.A.M. have…
The 7th: Seventh Heaven
ARTIST: Gwen Guthrie SONG: Seventh Heaven YEAR: 1982 LABEL: Island Gwen Guthrie’s 7th Heaven is an important record for me. From the first time I heard that signature opening synth line I was hooked. Up until that point, I pretty much only gravitated towards 70’s rock, soul and funk. This was definitely a record that…
The 7th: Gone with the sun
ARTIST: The Wings TITLE: “Gone with the sun” YEAR: ??? LABEL: Suzumi One of the perks of being a record nerd is having friends who are record nerds. The Wings in question are not McCartney’s backing band but a popular Nigerian rock band that had a few releases on Kenyan label Suzumi. I was in…
The 7th: Body Fusion
ARTIST: StarvueTITLE: “Body Fusion”YEAR: 1980LABEL: Midwest International Records I wish I had an elaborate story about how I found this record. Like how I had to make a trip out to an obscure record dealer’s house in the middle of the country, or how I found this joint at a thrift store for 10 cents…
The 7th: Pusher
ARTIST: Final Decisions TITLE: “Pusher” YEAR: 1973 LABEL: Bump Shop Without a doubt in my mind, this song is sheer genius. It’s a socially conscious, hard-edged soul song that is as well suited for today as it was in the 70’s. I didn’t know anything about it until I heard it blast through the speakers…
The 7th: I’m Still In Love
ARTIST: Marcia Aitkens TITLE: “I’m Still In Love” YEAR: ? LABEL: Joe Gibbs I’m always looking for soul singles. Although reggae isn’t high on my radar at the moment, I do find it fitting that this 45 was in a stack of soul joints that I discovered at a local record spot last year. In…
The 7th: The Message
ARTIST: Future Shock TITLE: “The Message” YEAR: ? LABEL: Ultra Records Weary, early hours lugging records out of the trunk of your homie’s frost bitten vehicle isn’t necessarily what one would consider “the jump off”. I was selling records (in Oshawa I think?) with my homie Sipreano and decided to take a stroll around the…
The 7th: Water No Get Enemy
ARTIST: Fela Ransome Kuti & The Africa ‘70 TITLE: “Water no get enemy” YEAR: 1975 LABEL: Editions Makossa I never knew this 45 existed until it popped up one day in a local record shop. Pressed up by NY-based record label Editions Makossa, the single version is just over 3 minutes long compared to full…
The 7th: Love Sounds
ARTIST: Intimate Strangers TITLE: “Love Sounds/ The Track” YEAR: Unlisted LABEL: Alaska Dumb luck, fate, and a certified banger. While on a trip in Thailand, the hommie and fellow music nerd, Bill, started going in on me for not being diligent in my pursuit of vinyl. To be honest, I was on vacation in Thailand.…
The 7th: Mekaberene Liyew
ARTIST: Menelik Wossenachew TITLE: “Mekaberene Liyew” YEAR: ???? LABEL: AMHA I own a total of one Ethiopian record. You’re looking at it. I’d be lying if I said I knew anything about this joint. Or how to pronounce it for that matter. What I do know is that for some reason one side had this…
The 7th: Superpeople
ARTIST: Notations TITLE: “Superpeople” YEAR: 1975 LABEL: Gemigo Truth be told, I found my copy at Kops records in Toronto years ago. But a producer friend of mine (who will remain nameless) has a far better story. He found a copy while on a trip to Chicago, but he couldn’t afford to pay for it.…
The 7th: Soul Raga
This is the first of some new content we’re starting on Cratery for 2013. “The Seventh” is dedicated to celebrating a different 7-inch from our collective collections -on the 7th of every month. We really could try and make a bigger deal out of it, but that’s basically it. Shout out the hommie Planet Pea…
