watcha listenin to, mistercrispy?
i'm soaked in, permeated by, classic soul. putting together a definitive 2-cd set (playlist below). my main rediscovery in this sojourn is o.v. wright, an amazing and amazingly underappreciated deep soul singer. "blind, crippled and crazy" is my latest theme song. later in his career, he recorded for hi records, which made the classic soul of al green and ann peebles (who is one my favorite artists ever; you can't seem to get the right stuff on itunes; you want early: "I can't stand the rain," "tear your playhouse down," "feel like breakin up somebody's home.") i finally went back and got early solomon burke. beautiful. my kids vince and sam are skeptical; i think they think it sounds like country music. it's amazing what happens to popular music retroactively! but they're musicians and i at least can say: try to understand the horn arrangements! or just fucking soak up those vocals: the best singers in pop music history, approximately. there's little aretha below, not because i don't love aretha, but because i've heard "respect" and "think" perhaps too many times.

(1) ann peebles, "i can't stand the rain"
(2) bobby bland, "ain't no love in the heart of the city"
(3) purify bros, "i'm your puppet"
(4) solomon burke, "everybody needs somebody to love"
(5) james brown, "it's a man's man's man's world"
(6) otis redding and carla thomas, "knock on wood"
(7) o.v. wright, "i'd rather be blind, crippled, and crazy"
(8) jackie wilson, "am i the man"
(9) clarence carter, "back door santa"
(10) wilson pickett, "634-5789"
(11) betty wright, "clean up woman"
(12) o.v wright, "drowning on dry land"
(13) sam and dave, "i thank you"
(14) otis redding, "fa-fa-fa-fa-fa (sad song)"
(15) solomon burke, "cry to me" ("don't you feel like crying?")
(16) sly and the family stone, "underdog"
(17) al green, "look what you done for me"
(18) patti labelle, "1-2-3-4-5-6-7 (count the days)"
(19) booker t and the mg's, "green onions"
(20) don covay, "mercy, mercy"
(21) ann peebles, "tear your playhouse down"
(22) rufus thomas, "push pull"
(23) o.v. wright, "a nickel and a nail"
(24) sam cooke, "cupid"
(25) solomon burke, "can't nobody love you (like i can)"
(26) bettye swann, "chained and bound"
(27) ben e. king, "supernatural thing"
(28) james brown, "please, please, please (please, please)"
(29) al green, "call me"
(30) aretha franklin, "chain of fools"
(31) tyrone davis, "turn back the hands of time"
(32) ike and tina turner, "river deep and mountain high"
(33) johnnie taylor, "testify (i wanna)"
(34) o.v. wright, "i've been searching"
(35) b.b. king, "thrill is gone"
(36) sam and dave, "soothe me"
(37) solomon burke, "none of us are free"
(38) gladys knight and the pips, "i've got to use my imagination"
(39) otis redding, "i've been loving you too long"
(40) the isley brothers, "shout"
(41) bobby bland "i wouldn't treat a dog (the way you treated me)"
(42) ann peebles, "feel like breakin up somebody's home"
(43) o.v. wright, "eight men, four women (jury of love)"
(44) betty wright "clean up woman"
(45) wilson pickett, "land of 1000 dances"
(46) joe tex, "skinny legs and all"
(47) o.v. wright, "everybody knows (the river song)"
(48) al green, "let's stay together"
(49) the bar-kays, "soul finger"
(50) sam and dave, "hold on, i'm comin'"
(51) otis redding, "(sittin' on) the dock of the bay"
(52) o.v. wright, "born all over"
(53) james brown, "cold sweat"