Sunday 27 April 2008

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

12 comments:

davyh said...

Ooh, looking forward to a bit of Geno Washington with me potato-roastin' - cheers!

Simon said...

A pleasure!

ally. said...

flippin eck - i'm worn out just thinking about this lot - the amount of energy in these could power a whole lot of world if we could find a way to rig them up
x

Simon said...

Soul Power eh? Replace all those windfarms around the country with a whole load of soul. Cookin'!

adam said...

It is, once again, enough to make a boy break cover. I love, absolutely love, the idea of a Dexy's and sources powered national grid. except that we'd have to accept that there would be significant 'power holidays'. I had a conversation with that kevin rowland on myspace once, lovely man.

Simon said...

Glad to see you around and about!

Suffering from a bit of burning?!?!?

Mondo said...

I am loving the Booker T 'Horse' track - funnily enough, I'm thinking of doing an 'Animal Crackers' themed Funky Friday soon.

Simon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Simon said...

Sounds like a good un! Did you happen to follow the link to funky16corners that's cleverly (too)hidden in the post? There's a whole page of 'horse' related soul goodies there...

Mondo said...

Just found it will be grabbing that one

Suzy Norman said...

Know what? There should have been more Dexys ballads. Say I.

Simon said...

I love the slow songs...I'll have to put some of those up...