Sounds For Sunday

Sounds For Sunday is on a Dexys Midnight Runners kick this week. Here's a handful of tunes that fans of that most marvellous of bands might recognise. The first is a song Dexys covered on their debut Searching For The Young Soul Rebels. The following three were covered on b-sides. Seven Days Is Too Long and Breakin' Down The Walls Of Heartache are stone cold Northern Soul classics. Soul Finger is a great instrumental by the 'other' great Stax band. And The Horse is the great Stax band Booker T & The MGs covering Cliff Nobles' classic tune. (This particular tune has an interesting history. Follow me for some more information; as well as other versions)

And finally the great man who was the subject of Dexys' first Number One 'Geno', Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band. Geno was my first gig. He and my father had met at an Alexis Corner tribute event at the Marquee back in the early 80s and became friends. At the time Geno had a restaurant in North West London. At the end of the night he would do some songs, just him, a guitarist and a drummer with only a snare. My dad took me along one night and Geno and the guys played for a couple of hours into the night. Just blues tunes, Little Red Rooster, Got My Mojo Working; things like that. I've seen him a few times over the years, every other time was with a full band, brass section and all. But that was probably the best time.

Sounds For Sunday will be getting an extra helping during the week. Although Sounds To Help You Get Over The Hump And Head Straight For The Weekend doesn't have quite the same ring. Yes, so extra in the week. Because after all, seven days is too long........

Chuck Wood - Seven Days Is Too Long
The Bandwagon - Breakin' Down The Walls Of Heartache
Booker T & The MGs - The Horse
The Bar-Kays - Soul Finger
Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band - Michael The Lover