December 24th Mix

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all cratedigger visitors and regulars.

I think that this blog and my knowledge of music has come a long way over the past year. Thanks for stopping and for all of your input (and comments.)

In thanks, please find the latest mix from cratedigger labs, imaginatively titled dec 24 mix.

I have culled these sides from a variety of real world sources, junk stores, record shops and garage sales, mostly from the Northern IL area, but there are a number of tracks that were rediscovered on a recent trip to SF.

The odd pic above is from a house party during last summer.

Hope you dig. Best in 2008!!!

dec 24 mix tracklist

01 Intro-Shure Brothers
02 Detroit Emeralds I Bet You Get The One (Who Loves You) Westbound
03 Intruders Turn The Hands Of Time Gamble
04 Stereo’s Stereo Freeze Pt. 1 Cadet
05 Meters Sophisticated Cissy Josie
06 Dynatones The Fife Piper HBR
07 Solomon Burke I’m Leaving on That Late Late Train Chess
08 Kool & The Gang North, East, South, West De-Lite
09 Simtec & Wylie Nine Times Out Of Ten Mercury
10 Chi-Lites Being In Love Brunswick
11 Lonette McKee Save It (Don’t Give it Away) Sussex
12 Rufus Thomas The Funky Penguin Pt. 1 Stax
13 Swamp Dogg Do You Believe Elektra
14 King Curtis 8th Wonder Atco

Download here

RIP Ike Turner

I vividly remember the first time that I saw Ike and Tina perform, when I was but a wee lad. It was a Saturday morning in the very early 70s. I was at the Sears store with my pops and he was buying some tools or something, but as usual, I got distracted in the electronics department.

Soul Train, or some similar show was on all 40 black and white and "living" color tv sets. The main thing that I noticed was that the volume was cranked on all the sets, when usually the volume was muted.

There was this incredibly hot woman in the shortest of skirts and the tallest of boots (silver, perhaps?) that was singing he lungs out in front of a tight band that was bordered by a series of HUGE Orange speaker cabinets. I was staring at the biggest set and one of the sales dudes, said, "Hey Lil' Man, you're watchin' Tina Turner!!!" I think the song was Proud Mary.



At the time, I had no idea what role Ike Turner played in any of this, but as a little kid in Chicago, I thought this was up there with James Brown, Stevie Wonder and The Jackson Five.

I was traveling today, so more out of the pocket than normal, when I saw in the NYTimes that Ike Turner had passed away in San Diego at the age of 76. He was known as both Izear Luster Turner Jr and Ike Wister Turner and was born in the Delta town of Clarkdale Mississippi.

It boggles the mind to consider that Ike wrote the song Rocket 88 (at least the intro and 1st verse) all the way back in 1951! That was 20 years and more before I was grooving to Ike & Tina in the early 70s. I learned about the Jackie Brenston and the Nightcats much later in my life, but I still enjoy hearing it even now. I can't imagine what an effect a song like that may have had way back then. The Times said Ike was paid $20 for the record that went on to sell 500,000 copies on Chess Records.

In 1958, he was working the St. Louis scene and met Anna Mae Bullock, whom he later named Tina Turner. I will spare all the detail of their ups and downs as they are well documented elsewhere.

As always, music always speaks better than words anyway. The music lives forever.

In remembrance, here is an Ike and Tina funky track that I included on a mix earlier this year, Funkier Than A Mosquitos' Tweeter.

Link

Some Digs in SF

I got back from a few days in the SF Bay Area recently. In my spare time, I hit some of the vinyl emporiums around town. I visited a total of 5 stores. I felt that 2 were worthy of a return visit.

I love that city. I can only imagine what shows up at house sales. It also seems that Serrato/Skratch has taken over all DJ booths. Vinyl has fallen from favor. I bet if you look it is all over the place...

I came up from the depths with the following:

LP

An Audio Obstacle Course- Shure Trackability Test Record for Stereo Cartridges

45s

Byrds Feel A Whole Better Columbia
King Curtis 8th Wonder Atco
Swamp Dogg Do You Believe Elektra
Lonette McKee Do It To Me Sussex
Simtec & Wylie Nine Times Out of Ten Mercury
Soul Survivors Turn Out The Fire Atco
Rufus Thomas Do the Funky Penguin Stax

I have no doubt that with more time, many more 45s would have made it home in my luggage.

Jah Shaka "remix"

A couple of months back, while digging at a house sale, I came upon an odd selection of LPs. Amongst the Nat King Cole Christmas records and the odd Bing Crosby joint, I found some interesting wax.

One of them was a Jah Shaka Far I Ship Dub LP that contained 2 sides of dubs. The LP is from the UK in the early 90s on the Jah Shaka Music label. I enjoyed the rumbling that the LP gave my house.

This got me to thinking that maybe I would try to mix one of the hotter tracks. I attempted to give the cratedigger treatment to Far I Ship Dub. I have a long way to go with developing my skills in this area, but you have to start somewhere.

Here is my attempt at a "remix" of this track:



Here is a link:

cratedigger fari ship dub remix

check out this holiday gift

I got a set of these slip mats from A. Toots as an early gift. They look really sweet on the 1200 mk 3s...

In Dangerous Rhythm 1500th post mix

Hi everyone in the audience...

Sorry about the extended absences, but travel and life in general have gotten in the way of posting...

Colin over at In Dangerous Rhythm has done a new mix in celebration of his 1500th post.

Check it out here.

IDR 1500 Mix