Sloan – “Deeper Than Beauty” 1994 from Twice Removed. I really should have been all over Sloan back in the 90s, as their aggressively melodic approach was pretty much right up my alley in those days. But somehow, I never heard them until sometime in the early 2000s. They were still good at that point, but some of the innocence and brightness had left them. This song from their second full-length album is something of an anomaly in their catalog, as it doesn’t seem to have any bass on it. A simple guitar riff not dissimilar to one you might hear on a Nirvana record, but with more precision and less ignition competes with a propulsive drum pattern as whichever one of the three singers (not to mention four songwriters) handles the lead vocal – I could never remember which one is which. The song is not exactly a feminist anthem, as it tells of how much better the object of his fantasy looks with her hair down and her glasses off. They had much better songs on the same album, but this one struck me today as something worth hearing again.
The Marvelettes – “Someday Someway” 1962 from Playboy. This was the b-side of the very popular “Beechwood 4-5789” so a lot more people owned it than they may have realized. I’m guessing, though, that Marshall Crenshaw never did, since he came up with his own song of the same name twenty years later. Anyway, this is a remarkable record in its own right, sounding to my ears as if it was a major influence on the rock steady style in Jamaica which was still a few years away. There’s no other Motown record with a rhythm quite like this one, and the bass line throbs instead of the more familiar melodic approach. The Marvelettes were the first big pop act in the Motown world. They had two different lead singers and I’m not sure whether this one features Gladys Horton or Wanda Young, though I’m leaning towards the latter. Strong vocals, catchy tune, and an excitingly innovative rhythm track – there would be a lot more Motown records you could sum up with those words.
Bessie Smith – “J.C. Holmes Blues” 1925 available on The Complete Recordings Vol. 2. While Bessie Smith was the greatest blues singer of her generation, and while this is a blues-infused song with “Blues” in the title, what we have here is not strictly blues form. It’s more like an old-time folk ballad shifted to the 1920s blues morality. J.C. Holmes is the conductor of the train who recommends to his women that they should have several men lined up in case one goes away, but then melts down and wants to die because he sees his woman with another man. Bessie Smith sings this essentially as a duet with a cornet played, according to Discogs, by Louis Armstrong. There’s a trombone and piano here, too, but they are holding down the basic chords and beats while Smith and Armstrong soar above. It’s interesting how Armstrong seems tentative after his powerful opening fanfare, merely playing responses to Smith’s vocal lines for a verse or two before slowly deciding to wind his way around what she sings the rest of the way. And, by the way, Smith’s vocal is as magnificent as ever, with her growls, her leaps, her vibrato, and her brash delivery all on full display.
Muddy Waters – “All Aboard” 1956 available on Hoochie Coochie Man: Complete Chess Masters Vol. 2 (1952-1956). I’ve spent decades knowing and loving “Mystery Train” both in its original incarnation by Junior Parker and the version Elvis Presley released very early in his career. I’d say Muddy Waters knew and loved it for a short time before he came up with this number, though it’s entirely possible that both songs have a common ancestor I just don’t know about. At any rate, this record may not have the same peculiar vibe, but it chugs along just like a train, and it conveys the pathos of loss beautifully. That third verse – “I stand here tremblin’ while the train goes around the bend” – is devastating, especially the way Muddy Waters sings it. He’s usually so confident, so in your face with power that when he sings from such a painful place, it’s devastating. There are two harmonica players on this track, one to do the lonesome train whistle sound, and the other to twist a knife deep inside your heart. That latter part is presumably by the one and only Little Walter.
Gary Toms Empire – “Love Me Right” 1975 from 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Blow Your Whistle. Gary Toms was never the most successful musician in the 1970s, but he sure tried hard to figure out whether funk, soul, or the burgeoning disco style would be his ticket to the top. “Love Me Right” is pure disco, all percolating groove and sexual come-ons, with strings and vibrant horns on top and a pumping electric piano riff. There are multiple key changes that make it seem as though the record is getting more energetic, which might influence dancers to up their game a little bit. I’m not sure who the singer is but he has I think the lowest falsetto voice I’ve ever heard. I don’t want to give the wrong impression – all of the above description makes for a delightfully infectious experience.