Detroit Soul & Shows # 892 & 891

For a late/mid July episode of Revolution Rock we were joined by guest host Graeme Sylvio of CJAM FM’s Sylvio & Soul. Airing on July 24th, 2021, the episode featured a collection of obscure tracks from Detroit artists in the soul, R&B and funk genres. Here is some info about some of the selections that were featured on the show. The playlist is found below. You can hear Sylvio & Soul on CJAM FM every Sunday from 2:30-4 PM EST.

The Miracles – Got A Job (1958)

This is the very first single released by a at the time new emerging songwriter Smokey Robinson. The song was written by Robinson as a response to the 1957 hit Billboard Pop and R&B single “Get A Job” by The Silhouettes, an R&B vocal group from Philadelphia. In The Miracles track, Smokey sings a comedic song of a down-on-his-luck character finding a job in a grocery store, which they ultimately hate, but they keep doing it anyway. At the time that this song was recorded, it was the beginning of Robinson and Berry Gordy Jr.’s songwriting partnership (Gordy co-wrote this track). Motown didn’t exist yet. This “answer song” was originally released in 1958 on Smokey Robinson’s 18th birthday on End Records. Disappointed with the way the label operated, despite the record selling well, Gordy decided to start his own record label following the release of this single.

The Fantastic Four – Alvin Stone (The Birth & Death of a Gangster) (1975)

Recorded several years after their 1967 top ten US R&B Billboard hit “The Whole World Is A Stage,” “Alvin Stone (The Birth & Death of a Gangster)” was a song recorded for the Westbound label in 1975. The album of the same name, which the song is also found on only contained six tracks, but is a powerful late 70s soul album. Alvin Stone (The Birth & Death of a Gangster) is a concept album about a 1930’s gangster named Alvin Stone. It was meant to be a soundtrack/concept album to a film that never existed. The Fantastic Four started out in 1965 with ”Sweet” James Epps, the brothers Ralph and Joseph Pruitt and Wallace “Toby” Childs. Ric-Tic records released their first single. By the time they signed to Westbound in 75, the lineup had changed featuring Cleveland Horne and Ernest Newsome in place “Toby” Childs and Ralph Pruitt.

Dave Hamilton – Highland Sound (Dave Hamilton’s Detroit Funk: Rare and Unreleased Twisted Funk 1967-1973)

Dave Hamilton was a guitarist and vibraphone player that is perhaps best known for his work as a session musician at Motown during the 1960s. He was one of the original members of Motown’s house band that played on many, many Motown recordings, The Funk Brothers. Some of Hamilton’s early guitar credits include John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom Boom,” The Marvelettes “Please Mr. Postman” and vibes on Mary Wells “My Guy,” to name a few. He left Motown to pursue a solo career in 1962. He continued to release singles and produce music. Hamilton released a jazz album in 1963 entitled Blue Vibrations. He also had several different labels and being a producer as well made a large amount of different recordings in the 60s and 70s, most of which remained unreleased for quite some time. Following his passing in 1994, Ace Records released several compilations of his unreleased material, which they acquired including the album Detroit City Grooves and Dave Hamilton’s Detroit Funk.

Show 892 Playlist (Originally Aired On July 24th, 2021)(Obscure Detroit Soul, R&B, Funk w/Guest Host Graeme Sylvio):

1.  The Satintones - Motor City (Going To The Hop/Motor City - Tamla Motown - 1959)
2.  The Miracles - Got A Job (35th Anniversary Collection - Motown - 1994)
3.  The Marvelettes - All The Love I've Got (The Sound of Detroit (Original Gems From The Motown Vaults) - One Day Music - 2012)
4.  Melvin Davis - I Don't Want You (Detroit Soul Ambassador - Vampi Soul - 2010)
5.  Don Hart and The Fyve - Keep Holding On (Lou Beatty’s Detroit Soul - Thirty Rare Gems from the vaults of La Beat Records - Grapevine - 2006)
6.  The Fantastic Four - Alvin Stone (The Birth and Death of a Gangster) (Alvin Stone (The Birth and Death of a Gangster) - Westbound Records - 1975)
7.  The Dynamic Superiors - Soon (The Dynamic Superiors - Motown - 1975)
8.  Chairmen of the Board - Skin I'm In (Skin I'm In - Invictus Records - 1974)
9.  8th Day - You've Got To Crawl (Before You Can Walk) (8th Day - Invictus Records - 1971)
10. Caroline Crawford - The Strut (Nice and Soulful - Mercury Records - 1979)
11. The Black Nasty - Party On 4th Street (Party On 4th Street - Big Hit Records - 1976)
12. Dave Hamilton - Highland Sound (Dave Hamilton's Detroit Funk - BGP Records - 2006)
13. Herbie Thompson - Jungle Time (Jungle Time/Let Your Love (Grow Stronger) - Big Hit Records - 1971)
14. The Dramatics - Don't Leave Me To Be Lonely (Funky Funky Detroit - Funky Delicacies - 2003)
15. Andre Williams - Mozelle (Mr Rhythm - Regency - 1996)
16. Nathaniel Mayer and The Fabulous Twilights - I've Got News (For You) (Going Back To The Village of Love - Fortune Records - 1963)
17. The Delteens with the Orbits - Listen To The Rain (Listen To The Rain/Why Don't You Love Me - Fortune Records - 1961)
18. Nolan Strong & The Diablos - Mind Over Matter (I'm Going To Make You Mine) (Mind Over Matter - Fortune Records - 1963)
19. The Holidays - Watch Out Girl (No Greater Love/Watch Out Girl - Golden World - 1966)
20. Rose Batiste - Hit & Run (The Golden Torch Story (A Collection of 30 Classic Northern Soul Shakers) - Goldmine Soul Supply - 1995)
21. The CombiNations - The Feeling Is Fine (While You Were Gone - Solid Rock - 1967)
22. Mary Wells - Drop In The Bucket (Tamla Motown Early Classics - Spectrum Music - 1996)
23. Richard Street & The Distants - Save Me From This Misery (Answer Me/Save Me From This Misery - Thelma Record Co. - 1962) 
24. Frankie "Sugar Chile" Robinson - I'll Eat My Spinach (Broke-Down Piano/I'll Eat My Spinach - Capitol Records - 1951)
25. Shorty Long - Night Fo' (Last Here Comes The Judge - Soul Records - 1968)
26. Pat Lewis - Can't Shake It Loose (Can't Shake It Loose/Let's Go Together - Golden World Records - 1966)
27. Lemont Dozier - Fortune Teller (Tell Me) (Dearest One/Fortune Teller (Tell Me) - Mel-O-Dy Records - 1962)

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the July 24 file to download/stream the episode.

Show 891 Playlist (Originally Aired On July 17th, 2021)(The Beach Boys, Funkadelic's Maggot Brain (50th Anniversary), Smithereens Songtracks, The Blow Up, Swell Maps):

1.  The Beach Boys - Big Sur 
2.  The Beach Boys - Add Some Music To Your Day
3.  Martin Shiller - Future Prints 
4.  Grassy Knoll & The Magic Bullit - World Stopped Spinning 
5.  Century Egg - Ring A Bell 
6.  betaboys - So Shy 
7.  Paul Jacobs - The Boys Are Back 
8.  Chad VanGaalen - Golden Pear 
9.  Ty Segall - Hit It and Quit It 
10. Brittany Howard - You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks 
11. Mavis Staples - Can You Get To That One 
12. Funkadelic - Back In Our Minds 
13. Joe Strummer - Junco Partner (Acoustic)
14. Danny & The Darleans - You Colonized My Mind (Demo) 
15. The Ray Beats - Guitar Beat 
16. The Feelies - Original Love 
17. Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Another World 
18. Squid - Pamphlets 
19. black midi - Slow
20. black midi - Hogwash and Balderdash
21. Pale Lips - Don't Take Your Switchblade To New York
22. Matt Ellis - Missing You 
23. Bloodshot Bill - Can't Dance Alone 
24. PRIORS - Astral 
25. Swell Maps - Vertical Slum 
26. Swell Maps - Off The Beach 
27. The Yardbirds - Stroll On 

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the July 17 file to download/stream the episode.