For a reason nobody seems to remember, the February Shim Sham Shimmy was held on the 22nd instead of the 8th—or, really the 1st, as it is supposed to take place on the first Saturday of the month. But alas, it ended up on the 22nd. One date change may have had to do with the availability of the DJs; the other was weather related—or maybe it was the other way around. Anyway, it took place on the 22nd of February at the fabulous Salt Box in Kingston… and it was a gasser!
As per usual, DJ Pete Pop rolls into the Salt Box with all his equipment and sets up. Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus comes in and makes sure everything is swingin’ and helps to get the system roaring. Miss Nancy sets out her yummy vittles. For this night, she made some delicious cupcakes (to celebrate the second anniversary of the Salt Box) and her special chex mix.
Once things got going, Pete and Phast played some rockin’ and rollin’ 45s: stompin’ blues, jumpin’ R&B, salacious rockabilly, sensational surf and all sorts of jams that go WHAM! in the night.
For example, dig all the records played by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus:
February Do The 45 took place on Valentines Day. There was plenty of love of reet music in the air! All night long, folks at Quinn’s were boppin’ to the boss sounds laid down by host Pete Pop, his co-host Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus and guest DJ $mall ¢hange.
$mall ¢hange is one of the area’s finest and versatile DJs—he can play all kinds of stuff. He recently started a hustle up the river at the Half Moon in Hudson, NY. Plus, he still has gigs down in The City—The first Friday of the month at Studio 151 and the second Monday of the month at Union Pool. We’ve been watching him in action for about 20 years and we can attest that the man can play a record!! At the Do The 45 he played some great ones that kept the kids hoppin’!!
Resident Go-Go dancer Bella Bombora was back in action, often joined by her friend Princess Wow. Also, Miss Nancy made a bunch treats: black velvet cupcakes, chocolate cookies and her special chex mix. Yum-Ola!!!
DJ Pete Pop played his usual mix of excellent rock, latin and R&B jams. For the last hour or so, Pop, ¢hange and Phast traded three-record sets until the club kicked them out. Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus played these records:
Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus returned to the WFMU Rock’n’Soul webstreaming hustle with an all new program: The Monkey Time! This show will not ape The Wipe Out or The Pipeline(Phast Phreddie‘s other R&S shows), it will be an audio experience that will create disturbance in your mind; full of boss jams, heavy messages, simian songs, exclusive track edits, breathtaking beats and astonishing segues. The Monkey Time is lively, provocative and not for the squeamish. The Monkey Time is a trip through an audio jungle that will mess with your fragile egg-shell existence. The Monkey Time will use exclusive aural exciters and sonic sensory soul preceptors that will switch on your super consciousness. The Monkey Time will fill your life with a desirable desire completely unheard of in this modern world. The world premier was heard on the WFMU Rock’n’Soul web-o-net streaming hustle on Saturday February 22 as a DROP IN program at 6:00PM Eastern Time. An hour that will fracture your fragile egg-shell mind!
This sonic safari does not stop to smell the roses. The Phast Man doesn’t like to talk much during the show; for instance, he does not back-announce the records he plays. If you want to know what’s happening, you must follow along with this score card. Halfway into the program, there will be a segment called The Science Corner where three songs are played in order to illustrate a point of some sort. In this edition, The Science Corner will look at a song written by King Curtis and recorded three times as three different songs.
King Curtis
King Curtis was born Curtis Montgomery but changed his name when he was adopted into the Ousley family as a young boy in Fort Worth, Texas, where he went to high school with Ornette Coleman and Dewey Redman. After his graduation, the teenaged King Curtis visited an uncle in New York City where he won an amateur night at the Apollo Theater. Word got out that a hot new saxophonist was in town and soon he was working with some of the top R&B talent around, including Sammy Price, Titus Turner, Sam Cooke, The Shirelles and Wilbert Harrison. He is mostly known for his work for Atlantic Records: The Coasters, Ruth Brown, LaVern Baker, Big Joe Turner and many others. He cut a lot of records under his own name and they were issued on about a dozen different labels. “Soul Twist” was a hit in in 1962 for Enjoy. In 1964, “Soul Serenade” was a minor hit for Capitol, but it has become a classic. By 1966, King Curtis was making records for the Atlantic subsidiary Atco exclusively and also played on some recording sessions for the label.
Most importantly for our purposes here, in 1967 he was a key player on the first album Aretha Franklin cut for Atlantic Records, I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You. That’s his solo on “Respect;” there’s a vocal version of his “Soul Serenade;” and a co-write with Aretha and her sister Carolyn called “Save Me.” This latter song has an outstanding guitar riff that may remind one of “Gloria.” (King Curtis was also a fine guitarist, by the way.) “Save Me” was a re-working of a song King Curtis wrote with fellow Texan Ray Sharpe in 1966. The Ray Sharpe song is called “Help Me (Get the Feeling).” On that version, the band seemed to enjoy playing the riff so much that it lasted more than five minutes and was released as a two-part single on Atco. Before he went to England to become famous, Jimi Hendrix played on several R&B sessions and he is on this record and can be heard briefly at the beginning of “Help Me – Part 2.” Sharp’s song was not a hit. Franklin’s song was not issued as a single in the U.S. (but was a B-side in England). In 1969, King Curtis resurrected the riff and released it under his own name and now called it “Instant Groove.” This version did the best business, as it was a Top 40 R&B hit and the title track of an album. It’s also the best version of the riff, aided by the fabulous drumming of Bernard “Pretty” Purdie and the “Tighten Up”-like bass feature by Jerry Jemmott and with Cornell Dupree on guitar. The only problem with it is that it is too short—you just want that riff to go on forever!
Original Gravity is a British recording company that began around 2018 by Neil Anderson. He runs the company, writes, produces, arranges and plays on nearly all the recordings, which were all made within the last several years, but the aim is to sound as if the recordings are fifty or sixty years old. Ska, reggae, soul, R&B, Latin boogaloo—you name it, Original Gravity makes it and it sounds classic. In this GO Mechanism, we present “El Barrio” by Nestor Alvarez, an authentic sounding Latin soul instrumental that grooves along fantastically. Some of the artists on the label seem to be real, but some just seem to be Neil Anderson working under a pseudonym. It doesn’t really matter because most of the records we’ve heard are great. Expect more Original Gravity action in future GO Mechanisms.
The Jewels got their start working with Bo Diddley at his home studio in Washington, D.C. around June 1961. At the time the girl group was called The Impalas and they sang on Diddley’s “Doin’ the Jaguar.” He then cut two songs by them that were issued on Checker. The record did nothing, so the group was renamed The Four Jewels. A few records were issued on the Start label and there were two more releases on Checker; none of them bothered the charts. The girls dropped the “Four” from their name and as The Jewels had a minor hit with “Opportunity” on Dimension Records in 1964. A year later, the group became part of the James Brown revue and cut “Papa Left Mama Holding the Bag” on JB’s own Dynamite Records (its only release). We are unsure if this was an answer song to “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” (most likely) or it proceeded JB’s hit before a little alteration. James Brown was known to rework songs that he had given others and then re-record himself (for example: “I Need Love” by Baby Lloyd with regards to “I’ve Got Money.”).
Los Freddy’s were a musical ensemble based in Tijuana, Mexico that was formed in the early sixties and lasted well into the nineties. The group often recorded American hits in Spanish, especially songs by The Beatles, as well as their own original ballads. By the late seventies, the group turned to more traditional Mexican styles. In this GO Mechanism we feature Los Freddy’s’ version of The Beatles “I Feel Fine,” now called “Me Siento Bien.” We’re not sure when it was recorded or released, but it did appear on a 1973 compilation LP called Tercia de Ases with the groups Los Blue Angelsand Los Diablos.
In the mid fifties, Harry Belafonte kickstarted the calypso craze in the U.S. with his version of “Jamaica Farewell.”Belafonte was really a folk-pop singer much like Theodore Bikel. Belefonte dipped into his West Indian roots (his parents are from Caribbean countries) and by 1956 was singing calypso songs—exactly like Bikel, who sang ethnic Hebrew songs. It is debatable whether Belafonte was an authentic calypso singer or not, but his success proved to be a boon for authentic calypso singers such as Cecil Anderson who recorded as The Duke of Iron. In 1957, he released an album called Calypso Carnival from which we pulled “Calypsonian Invasion.” The Duke was a popular nightclub attraction during the forties and in 1948 was filmed singing his song “Wild Indian.” Also, the great saxophonist Sonny Rollins paid tribute to the calypso singer with a composition called “Duke of Iron.” (Rollins’ connection to calypso music may be explored in a future Science Corner.)
“Impeach the President” is a Nixon-era slice of funk that has recently become more popular in the clubs. In 2017, the cost of an original sky-rocketed and the record has been reissued and bootlegged since. We suspect it will be even more popular (and an original more valuable) in the coming months. The Honey Drippers were formed as the backing band for soul singer Roy C (Hammond), whose “Shotgun Wedding” was an R&B hit in 1966. Around 1970, Roy C started Alaga Records for his own releases and The Honey Drippers had two, including this one. The GO Mechanism producers felt it is a timely track that never seems to lose its relevance.
GO Mechanism 27 features two Los Angeles area bands that were quite good, yet few people are aware of them: The Howling Dogs and The Sheiks of Shake.
“(An Exact Farewell To) Sweet Sara Jones” by The Howling Dog is a moody rocker with a guitar riff that reminds us of The Byrds or “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper.” The group was from the South Bay and included Dave Peterson, brother of Vicki and Debbi Peterson of The Bangles. Indeed, The Howling Dogs album, Rock on George for Ringo One Time, was issued on Down Kiddie Records, the company that released the first Bangs/Bangles record.
The Sheiks of Shake were a blues-rock band from Hollywood. They operated from the mid-seventies into the early eighties and played a lot of the usual rock clubs during that period. The temptation to call them a psychedelic blues band is strong, but they were no Canned Heat—more like early Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band. Louie Lista’s vocals and harmonica playing are strong. Unfortunately, the band only released one single. “Bullets in My Gun” is an excellent example of what this band could do. It’s a shame that the flip side was an instrumental version of “Heartbreak Hotel.” Although it featured Lista’s cosmic blowing, the world would have been better served by another one of The Sheiks’ unique originals. As a side-note: The drummer for this band was Paul Body, whose laughter is often heard at the end of The GO Mechanism and it is he who introduces this one.
Duplex Records was a company owned by the R&B legend Jimmy Liggins. His song “Drunk” is a jump blues classic. His big brother Joe had a ton of big R&B hits in the late forties and early fifties. Jimmy didn’t fare as well and around 1958, when he felt his singing career was over, he began the record company. Duplex lasted until the mid seventies but only issued about 30 or so titles. Bobby Williams and His Mar Kings had a couple early releases on the label—fine R&B fare. In 1973, clearly under the influence of James Brown, Williams cut “Funky Superfly,” a two-part funk masterpiece for Duplex, co-produced by Jimmy Liggins and another R&B legend Clarence Samuels. For GO Mechanism Number 27, the producers have artfully grafted the two parts together in order for the song to be played straight through without turning the record over.
This GO Mechanism ends, as they usually do, with one of the Greatest Records Of All Time: “The Peanut Duck” by Marsha Gee. We first heard this record when Mr. Fine Wine played it at an Empire State Soul Club gig in the nineties. We freaked out! Mr. Fine Wine was able to put us in touch with a person in England who was able to part with a copy for some money and a record to be named later. As it turns out, Marsha Gee is not really the singer of the song. In fact, nobody knows who it is. The original record only exists as an acetate—a one-off disc used in the production of records in order to determine how the record will sound—it was never pressed for distribution. The label on the acetate had no artist listed, as it was probably a song demo. A Scottish fellow named Keb Darge—a popular reet music DJ in England—obtained the acetate and played it at his shows where it got a good response. He and a friend decided to press up copies. They named the artist “Marsha Gee” because the real Marsha Gee had a big record on the scene called “Baby, I Need You” at the time. “Peanut Duck” has since become a legend, even appearing in the fabulous 4-CD box set One Kiss Can Lead to Another: Girl Group Sounds Lost and Found that was released by Rhino Records about 20 years ago. “The Peanut Duck” has a great dance beat, a lyric that is timely and a way over-the-top vocal (“big quackie!!”) that will blow your mind. It is without a doubt one of the Greatest Records Of All Time!
Our featured artist for the GO Mechanism graphic above is Gene Sculatti. We first met him when he worked as a liner note writer for Warner Bros. Records in the mid seventies and we were trying to run a little magazine called Back Door Man. Around 1978, Mr. Sculatti hosted a radio show on KPFK called Unprovoked Attack, which was one of the first to feature only punk and new wave records. Later he hosted another influential show on KCRW called The Cool and the Crazy. Mr. Sculatti has also written several culturally significant books of which The Catalog Of Cool is essential reading. As for the artwork, when he was ten years old he started drawing imaginary cities on oversized pieces of paper. Some of them were scrolls dozens of feet long. He continued to draw all his life, even to this day. Over the last few years, he’s been posting some of his city-scapes on the Facedog and we got the brilliant idea to use one of them to illustrate The GO. The artwork we chose is called “Smoking Ordinance”: Seaside power plant, from “Untitled 765” (1975). Also, he hosts another fabulous show called Atomic Cocktail that airs Thursdays on Luxuria Music. Don’t miss it.
Speaking of Luxuria Music, The GO Mechanism originates there as a Saturday Night Special whenever we get around to producing one. Luxuria Music is a wonderful and unique web-streaming entity that has loads of great shows. We strongly suggest that all Boogaloo Bag readers and GO Mechanism enthusiasts give it as much support as possible. Somehow it exists without commercials or the largess of a deep-pocketed oligarch. Soon after this GO airs, Luxuria Music will begin it’s annual fund raising marathon. Please give generously. Thank you.
Here is a complete list of all the songs played on GO Mechanism Number Twenty Seven:
Earl Bostic—Lester Leaps In (King)
Thelonious Monk—Caravan (from album Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington; Riverside)
Googie René—Downtown (Class)
Joseph Gershenson (directed by)—Pompeii Club (from “Sweet Charity) (Decca)
Quintet Plus—Work Song (S.V.R)
The Ventures—Swingin’ Creeper (Dolton)
Willis Jackson—Shake Dance (Atlantic)
Sarah Vaughan—Fever (Mercury)
Nestor Alvarez—El Barrio (Original Gravity; UK)
The Jewels—Papa Left Mama Holding the Bag (Dynamite)
The Feelies—Fa-Ci-La (from album Crazy Rhythms; Stiff; UK)
Los Freddys—Me Siento Bien (Anahuac)
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins—Strange (Roulette)
The Duke of Iron—Calypsonian Invasion (from EP Calypso Carnival; RCA Victor)
Jack Brokensha—The Javelin Beat (American Motors)
Chuck Berry—I Wanna Be Your Driver (from LP Chuck Berry in London; Chess)
The Fleshtones—Theme From the Vindicators (from EP Up Front; I.R.S.)
Freddy King—Onion Rings (Federal)
Funkadelic—Cosmic Slop (Westbound)
Don Sebesky & The Jazz-Rock Syndrome—Meet a Cheetah (from album Don Sebesky & The Jazz-Rock Syndrome; Verve)
The Fifth Dimension—Sunshine of Your Love (Liberty; Germany)
The Honey Drippers—Impeach the President (Alaga)
Science Corner
Ray Sharpe—Help Me (Atco)
King Curtis—Soul Twist (
Aretha Franklin—Save Me (Atlantic; UK)
King Curtis—Instant Groove (Atco)
The Golden Pot—Motive (Disk A-Z; France)
Laika & the Cosmonauts—Surfs You Right (from album Surfs You Right; Texicala; Finland)
The Howling Dogs—(An Exact Farwell To) Sweet Sara Jones (from EP Rock On George For Ringo One Time; Down Kiddie)
Sly & the Family Stone—Underdog (Epic)
Commercial for The Move’s Split Ends album.
Flesh Eaters—Satan’s Stomp (Boogaloo Edit) (from album A Minute to Pray a Second to Die; Ruby)
Riccardo Chailly: Asko Ensemble—Varèse: Déserts – 3rd Interpolation (from album Varèse: Complete Works; London)
***Ogden Nash—Portrait of the Artist as a Prematurely Old Man
Slim Harpo—Te Ni Nee Ni Nu (Excello)
“Chick” Boucher & the Galaxies—Mop Up (Arco)
Rene Touzet and His Orchestra—Ticklish Mambo (Cosquillita) (GNP Crescendo)
The Sheiks of Shake—Bullets in My Gun (Mystic)
Bobby Williams—Funky Super Fly Part I & II (Duplex)
Hal Blaine—Wiggy (November) (from album Psychedelic Percussion; Dunhill)
Supersonics—Straight to Jazz Soul Head 1 (Peckings; UK)
Quincy Jones & His Orchestra—Twistin’ Chicken (Mercury)
Curtis Mayfield—Freddie’s Dead (Go Edit) (closing theme; Curtom)
Marsha Gee—The Peanut Duck (Joker; UK)
This edition of The GO Mechanism will be available as a podcast on the Luxuria Music website after its initial air-date of February 15, 2025. After a few weeks it will be posted on the Mixclouds (where you can find all The GO Mechanisms) and then it will appear below as well…
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