Don't worry, I'll let you know what you should be apologizing for when I post the review.

Yeah, I'm kinda with billy and Rads on this one... if one feels like putting two cd's of 25 tracks each, then so be it. It's not the compiler's fault that some people have the attention span of a gnat and don't have the patience to sit down and properly listen to everything. But at the same time, no one is forcing you to listen to all of it either. With that said, I've still got a shitload of cd's to review.

1. "Laughing Man" - Bill Fay
Pretty maudlin stuff for a mix opener. There's some pretty schizo guitar there at the end. Interesting to hear once, but I don't think I'll feel the need to hear this one again.

2. "Ordinary Joe" - Terry Callier
This is more like it. Bouncy soul always does the trick. Love this guy's voice. A good buddy of mine in college was named Terry Collier -- just one letter different. So, that's certainly another plus for this already superb track. Hook me up with more of this guy's stuff...assuming it's in a similar vein.

3. "My Mama Never Taught Me How To Cook" - Annette Peacock
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, yessssssssssssssssssss. What a voice this chick's got! The guitar skews a little too pr0n, but given the tone of the song, it's actually appropriate in this context. Good stuff, man. She's another one I should probably investigate further. This may be the closest I've ever heard a woman get to becoming Jim Morrison, when she goes into that beat poetry bit toward the end.

4. "Voce Fica Melhor Assim" - LoBorges
Starts off like it's going to be a cover of the "Theme to 'Barney Miller'," but quickly veers into a more fuzz-tinged freak-out. Well, maybe not quite a "freak-out," per se, but definitely a bit on the freaky side. I think I like it, though.

5. "The Frog" - Joao Donato
Brazil's answer to Cliff Nobles and Co.? Yes, this does invoke shades of "The Horse," but with a zesty South American flavor. Not bad.

6. "Call My Name" - Joe Bataan
Certainly no death march to be found here. This is smooth...Colt 45 smooth. Awesome groove on this one. Possibly my fav track on the mix so far. I'm now up to three artists requiring a further look.

7. "Evolution" - Magnum
Bongos, electric piano , horns...what's not to love? I'd be shocked if this didn't appear on the soundtrack to at least one '70s Blaxploitation flick. At the very least, Richard Roundtree must have rolled through the 'hood with this on his quadrophonic 8-track more than a few times on his way to and from the set. Man, this stuff is so much better than rap.

8. "Maria Fumaca" - Banda Black Rio
I like it, but it hovers precariously close to the likes of Spyrogyra and Chuck Mangione at times.

9. "I Put a Spell on You" - Demon Fuzz
Cool take on the Screamin' Jay Hawkins standard, though I think the CCR version will always be my favorite. This sounds a little too much like early Santana or something, but it's still pretty good.

10. "Is It Because I'm Black?" - Syl Johnson
This is about as direct a lament as you'll ever hear. This brother don't pull no punches. DOWN WITH WHITEY!!! No, this is more of a simmering rage than an explosive one, which I think ultimately makes it much more effective in getting its point across. When he sings, "I wanna be somebody so bad," you really feel his torment.

11. "Padre Cicero" - Tim Maia
The vocals and harmonization on this are extremely reminiscent of Three Dog Night, who I love. But for some reason, the song doesn't really grab me, outside of that odd similarity to Chuck Negron and the gang.

12. "Headless Heroes" - Eugene McDaniels
Dated sound with a timely message: "Jews and the Arabs, political pawns in the master game / The player who controls the board sees them all as the same / Basically cannon fodder." Pretty heady stuff. The only thing this song is lacking is a Halliburton reference. Definitely makes you think, but probably not the ideal selection for a Spring Break road trip.

13. "Chip's Funk" - Black Heat
Great harmonica and organ solos to be had in this one. Unfortunately, despite Chip's funkiest efforts, Ernie remained a classic white-bread nerd until "My Three Sons" finally went off the air. Even so, I like it.

14. "It's Not The World" - Black Nasty
Dude, billy g, was this mix curated by Eldridge Cleaver? The tunes are all solid, including this one, but I'm starting to feel a little bit like a lone Irish cop at a crowded Black Panther rally. We need more fun and happy attempts at healing strained race relations in song, like "Why Can't We Be Friends?" by WAR.

15. "So Much Trouble In My Mind" - Sir Joe Quarterman & Free Soul
The subject matter on this one's still heavy, but at least the song is more upbeat...like those nice boys in WAR. This song's actually got a Vietnam reference. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just worth noting, in case anybody wants to put together a mix for their family's version of Lt. Dan.

16. "I've Got a Feelin'" - Raulzinho & Impacto 8
This sounds like James Brown after years and years of extensive diction and enunciation lessons. I can understand every single word clearly, yet everything else about this song is SO JB. I like it, but can't decide whether it benefits or suffers from the lack of James Brown's jivin' jibberish.

17. "Revelations" - Fugi
Probably the first song on the mix that's somewhat bored me, though I may be unfairly penalizing it due to a mild fatigue with the socio-politically downtrodden themes that have permeated many of the preceding songs. This stuff is all good taken on its own, but gets to weigh down one's conscience after such a prolonged pummeling.

18. "Theme de Yoyo" - Art Ensemble of Chicago
Great horns and vocals early on. Things get a bit disjointed at times, but I guess that's what makes this an ART ENSEMBLE. The nine-plus-minute running time would also be something that qualifies this as an ART ENSEMBLE. Wait...she just sang "Your voice is like a long FUCK," which qualifies this ensemble for an ART ENDOWMENT!

This is a really hard one to score. On one hand, there isn't a single track on here (outside of perhaps the last one) I didn't like, and there are quite a few artists from whom I want to hear much more. On the other hand, I must have focused too much on the lyrical and thematic content, because this mix went from me raising my fist joining in the funky righteous indignation to looking over my shoulder hoping I wasn't about to get gunned down by Colin Ferguson. So, setting aside my white guilt for a moment, I'd have to give this mix an A-, though listening to it all at one sitting would bring it down to a B+.

Thanks Bob...I'm glad I wasn't drinking coffee yet while reading your review or I'd have a big mess to clean up.

Some comments



He's really great...this is as bouncy as he gets though. A lot of his material is more of a cross between folk and soul but still with some pop sensibility thrown in. I think I actually like his less bouncy stuff more but needed thought the mix needed a jolt after the maudlin bill fay lead-in. Still he's highly recommended.



If you like this track, I'd definitely recommend you look more into her. While I think this is her best track, its also might be her least accessible. There's a killer jazzy, bluesy cover of "Don't Be Cruel" on this album that I thought about including instead but I decided using a cover wouldn't convey enough what an artist she is.



This is the title track off my favorite album from last year. Joe's a legend in Latin Soul and has been recording since the 60's but this might just be his best album.



The political and "kill whitey" themes in a lot of this music don't make me uncomfortable, but I still haven't reconciled why and how I like this music so much. I think since I'm a big fan of blaxploitation movies which have these themes and are obviously campy and not to be taken too serious as political works, I'm able to similarly distance the music from its message even if this is intended more seriously.

I'm glad though that I gave you the ok to just do one mix...if you're getting fatigued with the political themes, I think there's still some more to come although less than on disc 1. My original plan was to make a 2 disc soul and funk and black jazz disc themed love and war with one disc being devoted to heavy political themes and the other being love ballads but then I realized that it would disclude my including things like the brazilian stuff, Annette Peacock, Bill Fay, etc so I scrapped that plan. I'd already picked out a lot of songs based on the political themes though and since I do like them they stayed.

Thanks again for the review....if you have any questions about the artists, just ask away.

slacker review time.

disc 2

1. Wanda Robinson - The Meeting Place - ** felt too long for me
2. Archie Shepp - Invocation Ballad for a Child - interlude
3. Archie Shepp - Ballad for a Child - ** good but just isn't workin for me, i think its the sax
4. The Lost Generation - This is the Lost Generation - *** nice mellow, there is something smooth and flowing that that i like.
5. Dóris Monteiro - É Isso Aí - **** playful. i like it.
6. Colin Blunstone - She Loves the Way They Love Her - **** excellent, the mood has picked up for sure.
7. The Montgomery Express - I'm Standing By - *** a little slower, i like it though. his voice is nice
8. Rasputin Stash - The Devil Made Me Do It - *** funky, didn't like it at first but fell into the groove after a bit
9. Syreeta - Happiness - *** like the transition here, it feels like a good time to slow it down. her voice is great. such sweet sentiment in the lyrics.
10. The Voices of East Harlem - For What It's Worth - *** fun
11. The Nite-Liters - K-Jee - *** great. the sax works a little better with this one. the flow from track 4 on has really been workin for me. seems like something that could have inspired the go! team.
12. Di Melo - Se o Mundo Acabasse em Mel - *** i like it, but i feel like if he was sing-talking like this in english i wouldn't.
13. Minnie Ripperton - Reasons - *** yeah, this works
14. Ike Turner & the Kings of Rhythm - Funky Mule - **
15. The Dramatics - Whatcha See is Whatcha Get - ***
16. Leon Thomas - China Doll - *** i like the chinese sounding influences mixed with what sounds like sleigh bells- it got just a little repetitive for me though
17. Dom Salvador - Guanabara - *** i'm bopping my head to this one
18. Edwin Birdsong - Theme from Callicoon - ** ok, i kept wavering on this one, i liked it more the first half of the song
19. The Eliminators - Loving Explosion - **** like his voice. funny title. yeah, this tune has my toe tappin
20. Mellow Candle - Vile Excesses - * shadows of unicorns? this just isn't for me
21. Nick Garrie - David's Prayer - *** pleasant enough
22. Mill Street Depot - You Won't Support Me - *** nice closer

this is all quite different than what i usually listen too. i was looking forward to hearing your mix, just for this reason. it did take a while to get through, so i'm leaning towards the camp that likes shorter mixes. especially when its all brand new stuff to me, i can take it better in smaller doses. i appreciate the introduction to this genre. review of disc #1 in another two months...

You mean that slacker stuff worked? thanks for the review.

yeah, getting called out usually gets a response from me.