1. SAMMY DAVIS JR.-"I Got A Woman" Decca 9-31136 1960
Sammy's take on Brother Ray's classic is interesting because his vocals are akin to a gutbucket blues wailer while the musical backing is slick and quite commercial making for an interesting clash of style, think Jimmy Witherspoon being backed by Oliver Nelson!
https://youtu.be/VphqJRWyGeo?si=eZ3L5wRjpsvHQYZt
2. MUDDY WATERS-"My Dog Can't Bark" Chess 1937 1965
Muddy weathered the 60's with interesting results, no better illustrated by this 100 mph workout with interesting lyrics about idle gossip and rumors over the top of a fast blues boogie accented by raw harp blowing and an incessant beat.
https://youtu.be/8U4_ArgJxr8?si=DaBkiMJ_CZJ18vux
3. THE SANDPEBBLES-"Love Power" Calla C-141 1967
Not to be confused with the Dick Shawn tune from "The Producers" this call and response soul ballad with power has an excellent groove despite it's slick production and slightly antiseptic feel. The powerful horns and thundering drums towards the end kick it up several notches.
https://youtu.be/LYXd9iJ98kA?si=ZANXkpVGfzDDdWmK
4. ROOSEVELT NETTLES-"Drifting Heart" Chess 1846 1963
This number starts out sounding a lot like a Beatles track from '62 or '63 but has a soulful Brook Brenton feel with some very distinctive Merseybeat-esque guitar licks and drumming.
https://youtu.be/aIX_na3aSWw?si=fNP2SWC39Py4Q-mj
5. JOHNNY COLON &AND ORCHESTRA-"Boogaloo Blues (Part One)" Cotique CP 108 1967
Latin boogaloo numbers can be a bit tedious to me sometimes but this one is quite different because it starts out almost as a ballad with the tempo slowly building and these incredible layers of harmony coming in with increased musical backing as it goes along.
https://youtu.be/aFZ2U-uH3c8?si=dYho8SyJo-mtYbzS
6. ROSCO GORDON-"Just A Little Bit At A Time" Old Town 1167 1964
This one is an interesting mash mash of rock n' roll, r&b and soulful horns on top of an almost disjointed raving musical backing. The arrangement of course owes a little bit to his classic "Just A Little Bit" (sorry I couldn't resist the pun).
https://youtu.be/5ZNLtrj0eMA?si=5SZGtR3nj9a8rJsl
7. JIMMY CARAVAN AND HIS TRIO-"Higher And Higher" Tower 412 1968
This 101 mph mod Hammond jazz work out of the Jackie Wilson smash is incredible. It's funky wailing B-3 playing is like an American answer to Wynder. K. Frog and I have been unable to find out much more about Jimmy Caravan other than the fact that in addition to this 45 he did an LP for Tower full of lots of other covers of contemporary tunes (Bee Gees, Beatles, Rascals etc).
https://youtu.be/9GzkZWG2fmA?si=85ZFCpeIBTUD6z-B
8. LEON AND THE BURNERS-"Crack Up" Josie 45-945 1965
Greasy, twangy guitar, powerful horns and subtle organ make up this funky little instrumental that comes across like a raunchy Booker T. and the M.G.'s record. The instruments mesh together perfectly with the twangy raw guitar guitar licks and funky organ flowing together perfectly.
https://youtu.be/UALKCoz-Ra8?si=5OHYgxWE4ZSsO9SD
9. THE NEW HAPPINESS-"Mellow Yellow" Columbia 4-44044 1967
I'm a sucker for any 60's covers of Donovan songs, especially when they're from the jazz or easy listening genres. This flute led, Latin percussion version has some incredible Ramsey Lewis style piano, punchy horns and a backbeat that would do Ray Baretto proud.
https://youtu.be/vg7bNM9qfBs?si=wpH2M598lqmx_uDd
10. EDDIE HOLMAN-"This Can't Be True" Parkway P-960 1965
This powerful soul belter by Eddie Holman sees him utilizing his famous falsetto on top of an incredibly sophisticated musical backing featuring some catchy doo-wop style harmonies and mellow feel with a melodic swing. Dig that crazy organ that comes in halfway through!
https://youtu.be/_my5vvBQ8uo?si=HohCbJlulqlb4P6U
All scans c/o 45cat.com
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