Chubby "Chequered" Checker
YEEE AAAHHHHH!!!!
I have been wanting to hear this LP forever, well at least since I read about it in Ugly Things 23 from a couple of years back. And what did I find in my mailbox this afterlunch, but a copy on CDR from Mockba, no less.
Scott Seward wrote an excellent piece on this record in UT 23, which happens to be Chubby's acid rock album. I know that it sounds crazy, but this is a solid effort, featuring tons of soulful Hammond and acid tinged guitar. His vocal delivery is awesome.
He even uses turned on lyrics- "How does it feel when you smoke by yourself, How does it feel when you trip with someone else?" from the song "How Does it Feel," obviously not anything to do with the Creation track.
The details on how this LP, which Chubby doesn't want to speak about or really acknowledge, are somewhat sketchy. A record company scammer from he 60s, named Ed Chalpin, who also was behind the Hendrix / Curtis Knight chitlin circuit records, released this in Europe and in a cutout version in North America. Money was made on this, but one suspects The Chubbinator did not reap any of the monetary reward.
1971 is listed as the year of release, but since the Moon is such a large part of the lyrical subject matter suggests a possible earlier release (or composition) timeframe.
Wild! The LP leads off with "Goodbye Victoria" a real scorcher. The build of the piano into his haunting acid vocal moves it along.
The pacing of the album ebbs and flows after that, but really "peaks" with the track "Love Tunnel." It is like a more speeded out Arthur Lee with a more heavy acid backing group. "Don't get hung up in the Love Tunnel," Indeed. The drums just pound under the vocals. Just wait until you get to the crazy track that ends it all-- "Gypsy," Chubby sounds like he is really losing it, fast tempo, yelling vocals.
I can't recommend something higher, this is both a novelty and psychotronically entertaining, but also quite good. I can see listening at least to "Goodbye Victoria" and "Love Tunnel" in the future. I am looking for a vinyl version of this one!
4 comments:
hey - just came across thi spost - i've had a similar recent revelation, the album is just fantastic. have been listening to it every day this week. i love "my mind" and "stoned in the bathroom" which has a real sly stone feel to it. phenomenal. more people need to know about it!
-alex
yeah this album is awesome! "if the sun stops shining" is making me cry. so does "he died". the best lyrics on the album is when he says "we gonna do some tea, one two maybe, we gonna make some love, and have a doggone space baby!!" i hope somebody does a vinyl lp reissue of this cuz the originals are too rare to find reasonably priced.
so yeah I've had this album but for some stupid reason I sold it along with a tone of music collection because I was strapped for cash. Do you still have it or a CDR I could get.
let me know
thanks so much!
Brad
faisedfist@yahoo.com
Awesome album!
Just bought 7" vinyl single of gypsy with the B side as 'Reggae My Way'. Still having no lukc finding the entire album.
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