Nostalgia 77 (w/Alice Russell)
Seven Nation Army
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Tender Forever
My Love
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B.Cause (w/The Whitefield Brothers & The Dazz Band)
Let It Whip
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I’m gonna switch things up on Musical Cousins. Usually, I do a modernish song that contains a sample from a slightly less modern song. Not this time. The tracks offered up in this post are all cover versions that sound as if they were released before the original. Allow me to demonstrate.

The first selection is a cover of The White Stripes’s “Seven Nation Army.” When I heard the original way back in 2003, I remember thinking that it could have been released decades earlier; an instant 5-star classic. A few years later, I heard this cover version by UK producer Benedic Lamdin (who records under the moniker Nostalgia 77) and I actually believed that The White Stripes covered an obscure 70s soul song. With fiery vocals by fellow Brit Alice Russell (who sounds like Irma Thomas but looks kinda like a young Courtney Love) and a slowed-down bluesy groove, this is one remake that is on par with the original.

Exhibit B is a novelty interpretation of the Justin Timberlake track “My Love,” recorded by the lo-fi French (by way of Portland, OR) act Tender Forever. Singer/ukulele player Melanie Valera changes my perception of this song with her childlike sweetness. Timbaland’s bold production on the original feels like it comes from the future, but this cover version hearkens back to 60s folk.

The final selection is not exactly a cover, but a radical remix of The Dazz Band’s 80s classic “Let It Whip” by San Francisco producer B.Cause. Clearly, B.Cause is a skilled technician, slowing down a track form German funkmeisters The Whitefield Brothers and blending it with what I believe to be the a cappella version of the original single; it’s an absolutely perfect fit.

By the way, check out this retro clip from Soul Train featuring the original version by The Dazz Band:

Kid Cudi
50 Ways To Make A Record
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Album: A Kid Named Cudi (Mixtape, 2008)

Paul Simon
50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
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Album: Still Crazy After All These Years (1975)

One of the benefits of sampling other artists’ songs is that I get to rediscover music that I haven’t heard in a while. Such is the case with this edition of Musical Cousins.

One of the many (too many) year-end “best of” lists I read was The 10 Best Mixtapes of 2008 (all free, by the way). Most of them were not of interest to me, but I checked out a couple. The freshest was from Kid Cudi, a Cleveland singer-rapper who, as a result of his mixtape, became a protege of Kanye West.

Cudi has a laid back flow and a respectable singing voice. But what really brought a smile to my face was a throwaway track, a semi-cover of Paul SImon’s “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” which he reworked as “50 Ways To Make A Record.” Yeah, the new lyrics are insidery and on its own, this track won’t move the needle for Cudi’s burgeoning career, but hearing that militaristic drum line took me back instantly.

I probably hadn’t heard Paul Simon’s version for at least 20 years, so after listening to Cudi’s track I downloaded the original immediately. Wow, what a great song (a 5-star classic, fo’ sho’). The song shifts — both musically and lyrically — from the wistful realization of dissatisfaction in the narrator’s relationship to the buoyant catharsis of letting go and finding relief through freedom. Simon is that rare artist who is equally skilled as a songwriter, singer, and musician and this classic is a testament to his talents.

Thanks, Kid Cudi, for shepherding me back to this song after all these years.

Summer In The City
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Manteca
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“Sanford & Son” Theme
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Chump Change
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Album: You’ve Got It Bad Girl (1973)

To mark the one month anniversary of gBlog, I’ve got a new feature that I hope you will enjoy: LP Classics, a tribute to the best records in my collection. The rules: each selection must have a few 4- and 5-star classics, and it can’t be a compilation or live album.

I’d be hard-pressed to come up with a more auspicious debut for this feature than the LP I selected: Quincy Jones’s You’ve Got It Bad Girl. Released in 1973, it’s rarely mentioned among Q’s triumphs, but I’ve played and enjoyed this record countless times. I found it at a San Francisco sidewalk sale for $2, a deal that still makes me smile some 15 years later.

As you can see from the tags I assigned to this post, Quincy showcases his eclectic tastes on this LP. A few tracks originate from movies or TV shows, others are creative interpretations of other artists’ songs, and the liner notes detail several legendary session players providing support throughout the album.

The track that leads off the LP is also among Quincy’s most revered: a cover of “Summer In The City,” which takes The Lovin’ Spoonful’s 60′s anthem to euphoric and jazzy new heights. It won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement, but is probably best known for it’s opening loop, sampled in The Pharcyde’s magnum opus, “Passing Me By.” Various bits of the song have been sampled in lots of other tracks as well. Jones’s version is a mystical brew consisting of trippy grooves, sultry solos, and soaring vocals (provided by Valerie Simpson, of Ashford & Simpson).

“Manteca” is an aggressive update of a Dizzy Gillespie track from the 1940s. I love the tone shifts between the ridiculously tight horn section and Jerome Richardson’s breezy sax passages. I always feel so sophisticated when I hear Bob James’s jumpy electric piano solo. I kinda wish Q didn’t let the track’s propulsive energy spiral into chaos towards the last couple of minutes of the track, but this is still a total jam.

The final two selections are both themes to TV shows. Everyone knows and loves the “‘Sanford & Son’ Theme,” (aka “The Streetbeater”); how Quincy Jones manages to compose a perfect musical counterpart to the junkyard in which the show is set is beyond my comprehension. Sorry for the skips, but I’ve played this cut down to the bone!

Less known (and thus, slightly less pleasurable) is the theme to two different Bill Cosby shows, 1972′s The New Bill Cosby Show and a game show from 1974, Now You See It; neither made it past their first season, but their theme song endures. Little know fact: Q co-wrote the track with Cosby — Bill is one talented dude.

Little Ghetto Boy
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Jealous Guy
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We’re Still Friends
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Album: Live (1972)

Introducing Sorta Live, where I’ll post some tracks from a live album, back when capturing a live concert was different enough from the recorded versions to merit release. I’ll also attempt to put some shine on recordings you may not have heard before and digitize my vinyl collection.

This time around, I selected some tracks from the late, great Donny Hathaway’s 1972 live album. Side 1 of the record (represented by “Little Ghetto Boy” and “Jealous Guy”) was recorded at NYC’s Bitter End club and side B (“We’re Still Friends”) was recorded at The Troubador in Los Angeles. Many live albums skimp on the production values, but these recordings are warm and intimate, with the perfect balance between performers and audience. Donny is among my favorite singers, and this set is a great example of the confident command he has over his luscious voice.

“Little Ghetto Boy,” is a song that may be somewhat familiar, as Dr. Dre samples it on The Chronic‘s “Lil’ Ghetto Boy”. Released only as a single, this version is a melodic, heart-wrenching parable of the two different paths a kid with a tragic childhood can take as he becomes a man.

A cover of John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy” is the next selection. One of the trends in pop music that doesn’t happen much anymore is the real-time cover version. Donny chooses a pair of tunes that were popular on he radio while he was on tour: Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” and this bouncy, ragtimey rendition of Lennon’s more subdued original.

The testimonial “We’re Still Friends” rounds out the selections. It was so 70s for soul singers to introduce a song in the third person (“This is a little song about a couple that was in love…”) when everyone knows he’s talking about himself and some broken-hearted mama. I dig the way this performance builds, peaking in a bluesy guitar solo played by the awesomely-named Cornell Dupree.

The gatefold is vintage bohemian and the quotes from his peers and critics (“The Word Is Out!”) are priceless:

Black is more than beautiful to Donny Hathaway — it’s a sound and a way of life that he wants the world to enjoy.

— The Philadelphia Tribune

Dig it; the brother’s got a lot to say.

— Soul magazine

Donny has got his thing together!

—Roberta Flack