soul strut review:
If you didn’t pay close enough attention, you might take a look at this album and just think it was another easy listening piece. However, on closer inspection you notice that it’s on Mainstream Records, and lineup has some big names like Grady Tate, Hubert Laws, Woody Shaw, and was arranged by Ernie Wilkins. Then the songs give away that this might be a pretty good record. The Phoenix Authority appears to be another one of those Mainstream Records brainchildren like Afrique that was put together just to record a number of hit songs of the time. Well they do a pretty good job. The album opens up with a rousing rendition of Spinning Wheel with a big horn line and a really nice and fast drum break in the middle. Next up are Sly Stone’s Everyday People and the Beatles’ Come Together that get pretty good treatments by the band. Honky Tonk Women starts off with a little drum break that’s on the original but it’s nothing special. Susie Q starts off the second side and it too features a drum break at the beginning.
If you didn’t pay close enough attention, you might take a look at this album and just think it was another easy listening piece. However, on closer inspection you notice that it’s on Mainstream Records, and lineup has some big names like Grady Tate, Hubert Laws, Woody Shaw, and was arranged by Ernie Wilkins. Then the songs give away that this might be a pretty good record. The Phoenix Authority appears to be another one of those Mainstream Records brainchildren like Afrique that was put together just to record a number of hit songs of the time. Well they do a pretty good job. The album opens up with a rousing rendition of Spinning Wheel with a big horn line and a really nice and fast drum break in the middle. Next up are Sly Stone’s Everyday People and the Beatles’ Come Together that get pretty good treatments by the band. Honky Tonk Women starts off with a little drum break that’s on the original but it’s nothing special. Susie Q starts off the second side and it too features a drum break at the beginning.
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5 comments:
Let's start the day with a link:
http://sharebee.com/8615917d
Cheers,
Arkadin
A great start at that! I had heard this was a good LP but ot is funkier than I expected.
Thanks Arkadin!
hey, NIce website. Was very surprised and delighted to find your place , focused on Mainstream Bob Shad stuff.
Never heard this record..i see Soul Strut is still obsessing about Break Beats...there is more to music than...
Love the sound of the jazz on mainstream, got into funk a bit eh?
Will you be concentrating on any of Shads other labels..I particularily enjoy his BRENT imprint....
Monday bliss! Great stuff :)
Hi and welcome freqazoidiac and bobbyh!
freq, you can't fault Soul Strut for writin' what they know but I agree that there's more to these ensemble pop cover LPs than a nice break here and there.
As for BRENT, this site is focused on the Red Lion series for now. There's a load of Mainstream LPs going back to the mid-60s and on into the late 70s which fall outside of this little jazz/rock/soul/pop gem of a catalogue serial number run.
We'll see what happens when we've tracked down all 122!
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