DJ Pete Pop and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus swing at the Funky Easter Brunch!
On Sunday April 9, DJ Pete Pop hosted another fabulous Funky Brunch. This one landed right on Easter Sunday. Because of the holiday, he had to ditch out early in order to meet some family commitments. Therefore, he asked Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus to drop by as guest DJ and to work the hustle after he cut out.
Easter Sunday at Mama Roux was a grand affair. The room was packed all day and even the back yard was utilized to handle spill-over of the hungry brunchers. It was reported that reservations were made weeks in advance. Was it the music or the food that got these Newburghians so excited? Hard to tell, because both are always excellent at the Funky Brunch.
At the end of the day, after the last record had been turned, the Mama Roux crew invited the Phast One and the official Boogaloo Bag photographer Miss Nancy to partake in some food that was laid out for the workers. Were we hungry? You bet. Not being foodies, we can’t tell you exactly what was on the plate, but it was gooooood!
For this Easter Sunday, Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus brought out some gospel records, and a few other jams that he deemed appropriate for the occasion (such as “Savoy Truffle,” “Peter Cottontail,” “Back From the Dead”). Here’s a list of all the records he played:
DJ Pete Pop and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus swing at the Funky Brunch.
The first weekend of April was a wild one for DJ Pete Pop. He started it out Friday night, spinning his boss sounds at The Silk Factory in Newburgh. The Silk Factory is located in a great big brick building that was constructed in 1910 and to house an actual silk factory. Now it’s a great big, multi-space, event venue, restaurant and probably an art gallery. Anyway, on this night, Pete Pop swung the joint, standing on the stage which was placed on the back of an old pickup truck.
DJ Pete Pop swings at the Silk Factory on the back of a truck!!
On Saturday, Pete Pop dragged his turntables and records over to The Colonyin Woodstock for the Hawk’s Nest Shop’s Vintage Market and Rock ’n’ Roll Dance Party. The Colony is one of the area’s premier music venues. In fact, our pals The Daddy Long Legs are going to play there in a few weeks (which reminds me I should get tickets before it sells out!). The event was fun, with dealers selling all sorts of vintage clothes, tiki mugs, jewelry, records and such, but the dimly lit room made it nearly impossible to see the fabulous stuff that was for sale. However, Pete Pop had no problems playing his fabulous records. They sounded terrific in the room. When Pete Pop needed a breather, he asked Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus to spell him, which he was happy to do, playing Pete’s records!
Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus spells DJ Pete Pop at the Colony.
The next day was Sunday, which means Funky Brunch at Mama Roux day! Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus was asked to fall in and spin some jams and he did that with glee. The place was full of Funky Brunchers and the music Pete Pop and The Phast Man played had them all boppin’ their heads as they chewed their vittles. At the end of the Brunch, the chef put out some fried chicken, biscuits with gravy and a salad for the Mama Roux crew and the DJs were happy to partake.
The Boog picks a boss jam at the Funky Brunch.Pete Pop digs what The Boog is putting down!Our pal Marty enjoys the fine food at Mama Roux.
By the way, Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus will be swingin’ at the Funky Brunch on the next two Sundays. On April 9th (Easter Sunday), DJ Pete Pop has to cut out early, so The Boog will be there most of the day. On the 16th (Greek Orthodox Easter Sunday), DJ Pete Pop will be out of town, so The Boog will be flying solo. Don’t miss out on the fun and excitement of the Funky Brunch—especially don’t miss out on Mama Roux’s excellent food!!
Here’s a list of all the records Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus played at the Funky Brunch, held on April 2, 2023.
This is The GO Mechanism: an audio odyssey hosted by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus who will be your captain on this magic sailing ship, taking you on a journey through the essence of your being. G. O. GO! The “G” is for Groove, and in order to keep the groove groovin’, we don’t slow down to back announce records. If you are interested in the trash heard on the show, the track listing is below. The “O” stands for O’Rooney, an intangible force that puts the OO into “Cool.” Every GO Mechanism is assembled employing a classified superlaphonic method that is uniquely engineered to contain Groove and O’Rooney.
This GO Mechanism will initially stream over the Luxuria Music web hustle in the Saturday Night Special time-slot on March 11, then it will unlax as a Luxuria Music podcast for a few weeks; soon after it will be posted on the Mixclouds and here in The Boogaloo Bag.
In the middle of the program there will be a Science Corner, where we discuss a musical entity of some note. Today we will discuss the great Rhythm & Blues songwriter Rudy Toombs. We’ll start there…
—SCIENCE CORNER—
Rudolph Toombs was born in Monroe, LA in 1914 and grew up in Philadelphia before moving to Harlem. Before writing songs, he was a tap dancer at many of the local night clubs and theaters. He also appeared in a few films, including one that starred Louis Jordan. By the end of the forties, he was writing songs that were getting cut by such R&B stars as Wynonie Harris.
Toombs had several minor cuts under his belt when Ruth Brown recorded his “Teardrops From My Eyes,” which became a Number One R&B hit for eleven weeks in 1950. His career was on his way from that day forward.
Rudy Toombs’ most famous song is “One Mint Julep.” It was recorded by a vocal group from Washington, D.C. called The Clovers on December 19, 1951. During the spring of the next year it climbed to Number Two on the R&B chart. The song that kept it from being Number One was a song he wrote for Ruth Brown, “5-10-15 Hours.” During the fifties, “One Mint Julep” was rerecorded by Buddy Morrow, The Johnny Otis & the Jayos, and Chet Atkins. In 1962, Ray Charles recorded an instrumental version that was a Number One R&B hit and even went Top Ten pop. The song has since been recorded by around a hundred different artists.
We would be remiss if we did not note here that the song “I’m Shakin’” was written by Rudy Toombs. It was first recorded by Little Willie John in December 1959 and released the next year. It was then re-released a couple years later with added percussion; both releases were by King Records. About 20 years later, the American music band The Blasters recorded it and had great success with it. Another version, by The Ron Thompson Trio was recorded probably around the same time as The Blasters, and in the last twenty years, the song has been cut more than a dozen times.
Also, Rudy Toombs excelled at writing Rhythm & Booze songs. Dig this list of some of them:
During The Science Corner we will hear “Fatback and Corn Liquor” by Louis Jordan, “Miss Mosey,”as sung by the songwriter, and Thurston Harris‘ rockin’ version of “One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer.” The talk-over music is Willie Mitchell‘s version of “One Mint Julep.”
In 1962, Rudy Toombs was beaten up on a street in Harlem and it damaged his brain. He died of his injuries soon after.
—MORE GO!—
“Miss Joan and Mr. Sam” is the flip side of The Ronettes’ “Baby, I Love You.” It is an instrumental and does not feature any Ronette whatsoever, although the track is credited to them. It’s really a recording by a group of Los Angeles session musicians, known as The Wrecking Crew, playing post bop jazz; most likely the kind of music they would rather be playing than the pop music they were paid to play. Record producer Phil Spector often placed a “throw-away” instrumental on the B-side of his records in order for the A-side to be emphasized. He didn’t want some DJ to flip a record over and turn a B-side into a hit, which has happened on occasion; Spector wanted to pick the hit. The Boogaloo Bag writers and The GO Mechanism producers do not claim to be Spector experts, but they will posit that the players on this track are either Nino Tempo or Steve Douglas on saxophone (maybe both), Barney Kessel on guitar, Carol Kaye on bass and Hal Blaine on drums. Spector must have asked them to play two minutes of jazz as it fades exactly at the two-minute mark. If a reader has definitive knowledge on this track, please post it in the comments below.
Throughout the sixties drummer Sandy Nelson recorded instrumental records that featured songs that were on the charts at the time, as well as some original songs. Sometimes the cover songs were interesting. Usually, the originals were the best songs on the albums. This version of “Sunshine of Your Love” has been turned into a rockin’ organ groove.
“Sunshine of Your Love” is the first of several, for lack of a better term, “classic rock” songs that have been re-recorded and aired during this show. The others, later in the program, include “I Can’t Quit Her,” a song originally recorded by Al Kooper’s Blood, Sweat & Tears and “I’m Tired,” a song by Savoy Brown. It is often noted that rock artists are fond of cutting R&B and blues songs. These two are examples of just the opposite. This version of “Quit” is by Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band. Washington was an African American serving in the Air Force and stationed in England during the sixties. Washington was an authentic American Soul singer who played to his Mod audience. (The song “Geno” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners is about him. Also, don’t confuse him with Gino Washington, an excellent Detroit-based R&B singer from the same time period.) “I’m Tired” is by Little Milton, the great blues singer/guitarist who made a ton of great records, first for Sun, then Bobbin, Checker, Stax and Malaco. Although the arrangements are not too different from the originals, both songs benefit from strong vocal performances.
The Martini Kings are lead by our friend and bass player Tony Marsico. The band plays heavy, heavy Space Age Bachelor Pad Music, usually with a vibraphonist. For the album Groovin’, Marsico and percussionist Bob Conti are joined by guitarist Doug Macdonald, a veteran jazz cat who has been around the block. “Killer Joe (Reprise)” is the Benny Golson jazz standard with a spoken word bit by Mr. Marsico. We dig it.
Jimmy Takeuchi was a Japanese drummer. During the sixties and seventies he made a series of drum-heavy instrumental records that would feature hits of the day along with his own originals; sort of Japan’s answer to Sandy Nelson. For some reason, many of his albums were called Drum Drum Drum and feature women in bikinis on the cover. The album with his cool version of “Alligator Boogaloo” is no exception…
Every episode of The GO Mechanism features a version of “Caravan,” the Duke Ellington/Juan Tizol composition that must have been recorded by about a thousand different artists (See The Science Corner in GO #3for more on the song). For this episode we present a version by another great drummer: Bernard “Pretty” Purdy. He has played on as many records as there are versions of “Caravan;” maybe more, as he was one prolific drummer during his prime. His version of “Caravan” is a big fave at The GO Mechanism studios—it’s rockin’ and wailin’ drumming overpowers everything else in the world!
Another song that has been recorded many times—also, another song that may be considered “classic rock”—is “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones. The GO Mechanism presents here a version by the great British R&B/pop group Manfred Mann. Played as an instrumental, this was arranged by Jack Bruce, who also played bass on it.
Over the last several years, there has been a trend toward having bonus tracks on reissues of popular albums. We have some examples in this episode of The GO Mechanism by these artists: Love, Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band and The Velvet Underground. All three are backing tracks sans the original vocals, as The GO Mechanism likes to specialize in instrumentals. The third example, “The Gift,” originally had a story recited by Velvets’ member John Cale. Instead we have the first two and a half pages of the short story The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by the British author Allan Stillitoe. It is read by our in-house narrator Oweinama Biu.
Aki Aleong is an interesting cat. He was a character actor in movies and TV shows during the fifties and sixties, and also made records, as an artist, songwriter and producer. He may have had an ownership stake in Pan World Records, too. In 1959 he co-wrote and produced one of the Greatest Records Of All Time, “Shombalor” by Sheriff and the Ravels. In 1963 he released an album of surf music called Come Surf With Me, from whence comes our selection, “Earthquake.” We don’t have the LP, but we were able to obtain “Earthquake” on an Australian 45.
The Birds were arguably one of the greatest British beat bands of all time. The band’s power equalled that of The Who. Unfortunately, the group only released four singles during its short life. In 1999, a compilation of all the singles, plus some unreleased tracks and demos, was released in Europe. Called The Collector’s Guide to Rare British Birds, it is where we were able to obtain one of two versions of “Run, Run, Run,” a song by The Who! Today, The Birds are mostly remembered as the first band of a fellow named Ronnie Wood.
When it was recorded (January 1966) and released, Batman and Robin was considered a cheesy exploitation album by The Sensational Guitars of Dan & Dale. Over the last twenty years or so it has become an object of legend after it was revealed that the musicians who made it include members of The Sun Ra Arkestra and The Blues Project. How did these two diverse entities come together? The producer was Tom Wilson, who had worked with both. It must have meant very little to the musicians who recorded it as those involved don’t seem to discuss it much. Al Kooper, who was a member of The Blues Project at the time, doesn’t even mention it in any of his memoirs. However, there are some boss sounds on the album, as the listener can witness with one listen to “Robin’s Theme.”
“Hot Butter ’n All Part 2” is the backing track to “Part 1” by the great, but largely unheard-of, Lou Courtney. He was a journeyman soul artist/songwriter/producer who we will feature in a future Science Corner, but for now, suffice it to say that he was involved with the careers of Jerry Lee Lewis, Freddie & the Dreamers, Bonnie Raitt and The Fifth Dimension. When we feature him in The Science Corner we will hear “Part 1.”
To close this episode of The GO Mechanism, we present one of the Greatest Records Of All Time, Eddie Kirk’s “The Grunt.” This is raw, screaming-and-banging-on-shit at it’s best. Eddie Kirkland was born in Jamaica and grew up in Alabama. After serving in the Army during World War II, he lived in Detroit, where he became a second guitarist for John Lee Hooker; Kirkland plays on many of Hooker’s recordings made in the early fifties. Under his own name—either as Eddie Kirkland or Eddie Kirk—he cut tracks for a host of record companies, including RPM, King, Fortune and Lu Pine.
During sessions recorded on December 8, 1961 and March 9, 1962, he cut enough material with King Curtis and his band that it was released on an album called It’s the Blues Man. Up to that point, only a handfull of singles were issued by him—most of them are now impossible to find. Although he cut eight tracks for Lu Pine (circa 1959/60), only a single was issued; the other tracks came out on a compilation during the late seventies or early eighties. In the early sixties, Kirkland somehow made his way to Macon, Georgia, where he hooked up with Otis Redding and became the guitarist for Redding’s touring band. This brought him to the attention of Stax records, who recorded two singles that were issued on the subsidiary Volt label.
In 1968, Kirkland was back in Detroit, where he cut “The Grunt,” a remarkable accomplishment in audio history. The excited girls you hear screeching during the record are his young daughters—Betty Ann, Jo Ann and Geraldine Kirkland.
Eddie Kirkland
During the seventies, Kirkland took to wearing a turban and he recorded for several independent labels. On February 27, 2011, Eddie Kirkland died when the car he was driving was hit by a Greyhound bus as he was trying to make a u-turn somewhere in Florida.
The graphic image used in the poster for this episode’s GO Mechanism is by our friend David Allan. A British cat, we first met him in the Hollywood punk rock scene of the late seventies. He was a photographer and graphic designer for Slash Magazine and he designed album covers. He moved to New York City in 1980 and we were able to reconnect with him when the Boogaloo Bag writers moved to Brooklyn in the nineties. When he moved to Spain a few years ago, we were able to obtain some of his paintings, including the one used here, called Red Rotator. It is viewable anyway you look at it. Dig more of his work here.
After The GO Mechanism initially airs on the Luxuria Musics—this one on Saturday, March 11— it will be available as a podcast for a few weeks. Look for the Saturday Night Special dated 3/12/2023. Once it falls off the Lux Mu podcast hustle, it will be posted on the Mixclouds as well as here in the Boogaloo Bag. Luxuria Music is a swingin’ thing that deserves your support. Visit it often. Listen to the many cool shows. If you dig the scene, contribute monetarily. Keep Lux Mu alive!
All the tracks played in GO Mechanism Number Fifteen:
Earl Bostic—Lester Leaps In (King)
Sonny Rollins Quintet featuring Thelonious Monk—The Way You Look Tonight (from LP Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins; Prestige)
The Ronettes (The Wrecking Crew)—Miss Joan and Mr. Sam (Philles)
Sandy Nelson—Sunshine of Your Love (from LP Rebirth of the Beat; Imperial)
Martini Kings and Doug MacDonald—Killer Joe (reprise) (from album Groovin!!!; Swingomatic)
Jimmy Takeuchi & His Exciters—Alligator Boogaloo (from LP Drum Drum Drum; Toshiba; Japan)
Love—A House Is Not a Motel (backing track) (from album Forever Changes: Collector’s Edition; Rhino/Elektra)
Toño Quirazco—Soul Makossa (Orfeon; Mexico)
Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band—I Can’t Quit Her (Pye; UK)
Tito Puente—Ti Mon Bo (RCA Victor)
—“The Owl” by Edward Thomas, recited by Dylan Thomas
Pretty Purdie—Caravan (Date)
The Sheldons—The Cat (Dot)
Hank Ballard—Do It Zulu Style (King)
Babatunde Olatunji—Dye Ko Dide (from LP High Life; Columbia)
Astute Boogaloo Bag readers should know by now that our pal DJ Pete Pop hosts the Funky Brunch at Mama Roux every Sunday. About once a month he invites Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus to join him. He was invited once again on February 19. That Sunday just happened to land a few days before Fat Tuesday—the day that the Mardi Gras takes place every year in the geographical locations that celebrate it. Since Mama Roux is a New Orleans-themed restaurant it was only fitting for Mama’s owner, Miss Sterling Knight, to arrange a Mardi Gras-themed event for the day. She was able to bring the Mardi Gras magic to a few blocks of downtown Newburgh, NY.
Mama Roux’s Miss Sterling dressed in her Mardi Gras finery!
This Newburgh Mardi Gras event commenced with the Funky Brunch at Mama’s. This involved DJ Pete Pop and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus playing cool, rhythmic records as folks take nourishment in the wonderful food that Mama’s serves. With the Mardi Gras theme, The Boog played a preponderance of R&B records that were recorded in New Orleans, or by musicians from New Orleans, or are about New Orleans, or are New Orleans-adjacent (ie, zydeco) plus some calypso records (the West Indies also celebrate Mardi Gras). You get the picture.
Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo OmnibusDJ Pete Pop
However, that was not all that was going on that day. A couple other local clubs were persuaded to get into the Mardi Gras spirit. This included The Wherehouse, a pub-like bar a block away down Liberty Street, and the Spirits Lab, a large, hanger-like bar that features custom distilled spirits.
At the Sprits Lab, not only did they have an artist painting people’s faces and a pizza food truck, but it also had our friend and hero Josh Styles spinning records in the afternoon. He had also DJed the night before at Toasted, another bar in downtown Newburgh for a related event.
Josh Styles gets visted at Spirits Lab by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus as Josh’s dad looks on!Josh Styles swings at Toasted!
At The Wherehouse, a band called The Working Dogs rocked the house, playing mostly New Orleans second line-style rhythms.
When Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus and Boogaloo Bag photographer Miss Nancy showed up at Mama Roux that morning, Pete Pop had just finished setting up and was starting to play records. The Boog took over so that Pete could go down to the Spirits Lab and help set up the sound system there. After he returned, The Boog and Miss Nancy went down to the Spirits Lab to visit with Mr. Styles, who was playing some bangin’ rekkids!
The Funky Brunch ended around 5. We then walked down to The Wherehouse, where Miss Sterling was rounding up folks for a parade up the street to Mama Roux, where Mardi Gras festivities would continue. The members of The Working Dogs were part of the parade, banging on things, playing through battery-operated amps and leading the parade-goers in “hey-pocky-way” chants. Also, some drag queens were involved.
Josh & Pete PopMiss Sterling leads the parade!The Working Dogs
Back at Mama’s, the place was packed. The Working Dogs set up and played more New Orleans style music until about 8:30. There was a brief drag queen event, then DJ Pete Pop spun a few boss records before giving way to Josh Styles.
DJ Pette Pop prepares to spin a platter!Josh Styles at the controls!
Josh Styles has not been involved with DJing as much as he once was. Around fifteen years ago the Smashed! Blocked! discotheque party of Boss Sounds was the most fantastic dance party going in New York City. These days, though, he’s too busy for all that. As one of the owners and operators of Rebel Rouser—a Brooklyn record store—he is constantly on the hunt for records to sell there. Plus, Daddy Long Legs, the super boss blues band he drums with, has been touring and recording heavily. A new album and another tour is in the works. So Mr. Styles’ DJ activities have not been as prolific as they once were; which is a shame because Mr. Styles is hands-down the best DJ of Boss Sounds on the planet. He proved that once again on the Saturday night at Toasted and then Sunday night at Mama Roux. It’s possible that other DJs may have better records than Mr. Styles, but no one can spin them as well. Where others may play fabulous records, Mr. Styles plays records fabulously. The difference may be subtle, but those who know appreciate the thought process that goes into Mr. Styles’ style.
Below is a list of the fabulous records played by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus at The Funky Brunch, Mardi Gras edition:
Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus and Pete Pop swing at DO THE 45!
DJ Pete Pop’s Do The 45 shindig is usually the last Friday of the month at Quinn’s in Beacon, NY. For some reason, the folks at Quinn’s decided to move it up a week to the third Friday. Under normal circumstances this may not have been such a big deal. However, due to some serious Mardi Gras activities that involved Pete Pop heavily that weekend, it became a bit of a burden on him. On the Saturday night our friend Josh Styles (of Daddy Long Legs) joined Pete Pop at a Newburgh joint called Toasted. On Sunday, Pete hosted the Funky Brunch with Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus; plus a night time Mardi Gras celebration took place, also at Mama Roux, that included Josh Styles. Man, it was a wild weekend!
Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo OmnibusDJ Pete Pop
Originally, our friend Peanut Butter Brown was supposed to be guest DJ at Do The 45 when it was scheduled for the 24th of February. When the event was moved to the 17th, he was no longer available and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus was called in to sub for him. This was not a problem, as The Boog had about a week to assemble records for it.
Paula Grace, Peter Aaron, Pete Pop, Amanda Lay and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus at DO THE 45!
This particular Do The 45 was a gasser. It is especially fabulous when so many friends and local dignitaries make the scene. Among the notables in attendance were Hudson Valley radio personalities Paula & Amanda (of The Paula & Amanda Show on WVKR) and Peter Aaron (Go Go Kitty show on Radio Kingston WKNY). Also on hand was the exciting Go Go dancer Sheba Shake and her artistic gyrations were observed with awe.
Sheba Shake swings as DJ Pete Pop spins a hot platter!
All night, these and other local scenesters bopped and frolicked to the fabulous records spun by host Pete Pop. Miss Nancy made her signature vegan brownies as well as what she called Tiki Martian Fudge—which included pecans, coconut shavings, cherries and pineapple bits. Its tutti fruiti flavor may make it the best batch of fudge she has ever produced! By the end of the night, all of it was gone.
Miss Nancy’s yummy treats: vegan brownies and Tiki Martian fudge!
Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus contributed by playing boss records whenever Pete Pop told him to. At the end of the night, DJ Pete Pop and The Boog each took a turntable and alternated discs–which resulted in a duel of Spanish language records for a while! Here’s a list of all the records played by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus at Do The 45:
Sundays are Funky Brunch days. The day when DJ Pete Pop swings at Mama Roux with his groovy 45s. He rolls into the joint around 10am and sets up his equipment. By the time 11am comes around he has his turntables turning, mixing board mixing and speakers are speaking! On Sunday January 22, Mr. Pop invited Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus to come spin a few records with him.
DJ Pete Pop swings at the Funky BrunchDJ Pete Pop hoists a brew at the Funky Brunch
DJ Pete Pop continues to work his magic at Mama Roux. The Funky Brunches have been roaring successes. Each Sunday sees a full house of folks. First they chow down, then, as they leave the premises, they bow down to DJ Pete Pop for providing them with such a fantastic audio experience that enhances their equally fantastic brunch experience.
How many times do we have to tell you that the food is good at Mama Roux? At this particular Brunch, right at 3:30, the wonderful people at Mama’s brought a full plate of fabulous fried chicken over to feed the DJs. Man, that was good! (The Boog made a note in his mind to bring more chicken records next time!)
Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus swings at the Funky Brunch
For this Funky Brunch, Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus brought a cache of calypso records to spice up the audio experience. Here’s a list of all the records he played:
Miss Nancy displays the Beacon New Year’s Eve dropped ball!!
New Year’s Eve is always a time of great revelry. In order for the revelry to really revel, it helps to have some boss sounds played at a volume that is intense enough to induce revelment. The management at The Dogwood understood this principal and duly asked DJ Pete Pop to provide said boss sounds for the club’s year end celebration. Pete Pop then asked Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus to help out. Plus, extra added attraction, our new pal Peter Aaron brought a box of records and a couple times during the evening, he pulled out some records and played them.
The Dogwood is a groovy club/bar/restaurant located on East Main Street in Beacon, NY. It’s got a couple rooms, and for this evening, one of them was cleared of tables and chairs in order for dancing to ensue—and it ensued in a big way!
DJ Pete Pop swings on New Year’s Eve!
DJ Pete Pop is the king of reet music on both sides of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge. He is currently holding down four regular DJ gigs—three monthlies at the Dogwood, Quinn’s and now the Jet Set; plus the Funky Brunch every Sunday at Mama Roux. In fact, New Year’s Eve weekend, DJ Pete Pop worked the Friday Night (Do The 45 at Quinns’), Saturday Night (New Year’s Evenoted here) and Sunday morning Funky Brunch! Does the man ever sleep?
Peter Aaron swings on New Year’s Eve!!
Peter Aaron is a fellow who was recently introduced to the Boogaloo Bag writers. He’s a Kingston cat who was once the leader of the nineties punk band Chrome Cranks. These days he’s written some books about music and culture and is the arts editor of Chronogram, Hudson Valley’s culture magazine. He’s also the host of Go-Go Kitty, a program on WKNY—Radio Kingston, on Thursday nights. So this guy knows his music and on New Year’s Eve, he played some great records that kept the dance floor alive.
Miss Nancy’s sweet treats!!
Adding to the festivities in a big way were Miss Nancy’s peanut butter fudge and mint-infused vegan brownies.
At midnight, the club provided attendees with a glass of champagne. All were directed outside where there was a midnight Beacon Ball Drop!
As New Year’s Eve nights go, this one was certainly a gasser, but it was not without it’s disaster. Some time after midnight it was observed that condensation from the overhead air conditioner was dripping near the DJ booth. TOO near. Water was present on the top of Peter Aaron’s record box (luckily, closed) and The Boogaloo Omnibus’ fez box (luckily, closed). However, the bulk of the drippings fell into DJ Pete Pop’s main record case. Water was all over them. Most of the records were saved due to the fact that Mr. Pop keeps his 45s in plastic sleeves, but all of that had to be wiped down. Unfortunately, water did get into some of the sleeves—maybe about a dozen or so—and they had to be separated from the records. Peter Aaron was asked to extend his DJ set in order to give The Boog and Mr. Pop time to clean up the mess. Mr. Aaron did a grand job of it, so there were no worries in that department; the show went on!
…and what a show it was. All night long there were folks dancing and carrying on as if it were New Year’s Eve, because, of course, it was! Everyone had a grand time. At the end of the night, when things were getting packed up to leave, one of the owners of the Dogwood conversed with the Boogaloo Bag writers and let them know that he was very pleased with how the evening went down. Everybody was happy.
Here is a list of all the records played by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus at the Dogwood for the New Year’s Eve Party:
Sheba Shake, DJ Pete Pop + Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus swing at Do The 45!
The last Friday of the month is Do The 45 night at Quinn’s, the popular rock ’n’ ramen joint in downtown Beacon, NY. Do The 45 is the rollickin’ party hosted by our pal DJ Pete Pop, who asked Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus to guest DJ with him on the last Friday of December—which was also the last Friday of the year.
This particular Do The 45 landed on December 30, which is celebrated world-wide as Bo Diddley’s birthday. Some Bo Diddley records were played, as well as records by acts who recorded his songs. DJ Pete Pop even played the Mickey Gilley record “I Ain’t Bo Diddley!” Somehow, Bo Diddley appeared on the poster about a week before Pete Pop realized that the event would take place on Bo Diddley’s birthday. If that ain’t magic, I don’t know what is.
DJ Pete Pop continues to impress the Boogaloo Bag writers with his ultra fabulous records and the way that he plays them. Seems every time he swings we gotta check out what he’s spinning: always groovy stuff!
On hand to help celebrate was go-go dancer Sheba Shake, whose artistic gyrations had the packed house in awe all night! In fact, Do The 45 lasted a good hour beyond the stated closing time, folks were having that much fun—most likely starting their end-of-year celebrations early.
Speaking of magic, here’s a list of all the songs played by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus at the Bo Diddley Birthday Do The 45 dance party:
This is The GO Mechanism—an audio odyssey designed to shatter your fragile egg-shell mind. It is hosted by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus who will be your guide on this journey through your senses. The G stands for Groove and That’s what it is all about. The O stands for O’Rooney, an intangible force that puts the “oo” into Cool. The GO Mechanism is assembled via a secret copyrighted Ultra-Tonal® method that is especially engineered to challenge every component of your neurological system.
The GO Mechanism is initially aired as a Saturday Night Special on Luxuria Music’s web streaming hustle. The one at hand will air on Saturday January 7. This will be a particularly exceptional GO, as the Management at Luxuria Musics have asked TheGO Mechanism producers to supply them with a show relating in some remote way to the new year. Since 2023 ends with a three, The GO Mechanism producers have assembled a show made up of songs, compositions and assorted madness associated with the year 1963. The Science Corner will feature some live recordings from 1963. Even our graphic image is from 1963, a sort of modified version of “Otherworldly,” a painting by the Swiss/French artist known as Le Corbusier.
At various intervals during this episode Dylan Thomas will recite poetry, some of it his. Although the Welsh poet died in 1953, the recordings were released on an LP in 1963. Mr. Thomas will also drop pearls of wisdom at crucial moments during the program.
John Fitzgerald “Jack” Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963) was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. (Photo by Gerald L French/Corbis via Getty Images)
President John F. Kennedy will occasionally speak to us during this episode. Furthermore, brief excerpts from the 1963 film “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World” have been inserted as necessary. Plus, there are drop-ins from a stereo test record that was released in 1963.
Every song and recording played on the show—with the exception of the opening and closing themes—were all recorded and/or released in 1963.
The Science Corner: Barry Gordy, Jr. began in the music business around 1957 when a song he co-wrote, “Reet Petite” was recorded by Jackie Wilson and it became a hit. Two years later he started the Tamla Record Company and soon after came Motown, which became the parent company. By 1963, Gordy’s stable of artists included Marvin Gaye, Little Stevie Wonder, The Marvelettes, The Miracles and Mary Wells, among others. All of these performers released live albums that year. All but Wonder’s is called Recorded Live on Stage. Wonder’s was titled 12 Year Old Genius – Recorded Live. It benefited from having a hit single, “Fingertips Part 2,” and subsequently was the best seller of the lot. In the Science Corner we’ll hear live tracks by Marvin Gaye, The Marvelettes, The Miracles and Mary Wells, with “Soul Bongo” by Little Stevie Wonder as the bed music for the discussion.
“Tossin’ and Turnin’” was a Number One Pop hit for Bobby Lewis in 1961. The Marvelettes perform an enthusiastic version of the song for their live album. The backing is sparse—guitar and drums are prominent, and there’s a good guitar solo!—but the girls pull it off with the help of an excited audience.
The Miracles track has long been a favorite of The GO Mechanism producers. “Way Over There” is sped up quite a bit from the studio version and is given an exciting Isley Brothers-like finish, amending the song with a call and response with the audience.
“I Don’t Want to Take a Chance” was Mary Wells’ Top Ten R&B hit of 1961. In 1964, Wells would have a Number One Pop hit with “My Guy.”
On each of these live recordings, the audience is animated and very much a part of the show. It must have been a gas to witness these acts so early in their respective careers. The records all came out around the summer of 1963, with Wells’ in September.
Charles Mingus recorded three albums for Impulse Records in 1963: The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady,Mingus Plays Piano and Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus. “Better Get Hit In Yo’ Soul” comes from the latter and it has been… well, it’s hard to say which is anybody’s favorite Mingus composition because he wrote so many great ones. It’s a composition that Mingus recorded in 1959 for the Mingus Ah Um LP. At that time it was called “Better Get It in Your Soul.” We can’t decide which recording is better because the melody is so strong that every version is good.
We had to have a song with “1963” in the title and, luckily, Hal Blaine and the Young Cougars were able to oblige us for our second record. This track, “Hawaii 1963,” sounds to us that there is only one Young Cougar—the guitarist—as it is mostly a drum feature with a bit of guitar. Hal Blaine was a session drummer in Los Angeles during the sixties. In fact, he was THE session drummer, a member of the select studio musicians known as ‘The Wrecking Crew.’ We can’t tell you who the guitarist is on this, but Blaine would have had the pick of any session guitarist at the time, so you know that whoever it was is solid. It’s a cool track, no matter.
Like Little Stevie Wonder, briefly mentioned above, Billy Preston was a child prodigy. As a teen he recorded with the gospel great James Cleveland. His first album was released in 1963, contained “Greazee,” and was called 16 Year Old Soul for Derby Records—a company associated with Sam Cooke. Preston cut some records for Vee Jay (“Billy’s Bag” is a boss one), was a regular on the teen TV show Shindig!, then teamed up with Sly Stone for an album for Capitol. In 1969, he reconnected with The Beatles, who he met while he was on tour in England as Little Richard’s organ player in 1962. After that, the GO Mechanism producers lost interest in Preston’s career, what with Grammy Awards and all!
The interesting thing about Nina Simone’s composition “Blackbird” is that the single version (released in 1963) was nearly four minutes long and on the LP it was just over two. Usually it’s the other way around. Also, the album that contained it was called Nina Simone With Strings and there are no violins in evidence on the recording.
Rufus Thomas was, at heart, a bluesman, and he proves it with his version of John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom.” The track comes to us from Thomas’ Walking the Dog LP, which is one of the finest in all Rhythm & Blues.
Thank you Anna Statman!
Amos Milburn has long been a favorite of The GO Mechanism producers. Starting in 1946, the Texas-born musician cut some fantastic R&B tracks for Aladdin Records—about 140 of them. 19 of them hit the R&B charts pretty hard. However, his recording opportunities dried up after 1957 as times changed. Three sessions for King Records only yielded five songs. For some reason, he was signed to Motown Records where he recorded 25 tracks, 12 of which appeared on the album The Return of “The” Blues Boss in 1963. Motown must have had high hopes for Milburn—the cover states: “Included in this album the hit single ‘I’ll Make It Up to You Somehow,’” a ballad co-written by producer Clarence Paul. The record, unfortunately, was not a hit. In March of 1964, Milburn returned to the Motown studio and cut seven more tracks but none of them were released at the time. Milburn’s recording career languished until 1967 when he issued the excellent “Whiz-A-Shoo-Pepi-Dada” on King. In the seventies, Mllburn suffered a couple of strokes that left him an invalid and he returned to Houston where he died on January 3, 1980.
“O Rangutang” is a boss Chuck Berry instrumental that he recorded on November 15, 1963. It first saw release as the flip side to “Nadine (Is It You)” the next year.
The GO Mechanism dipped into the Coltrane Live at Birdland well twice with excerpts from “I Want to Talk About You” and “Afro Blue” in order to get some back ground music for two of the Dylan Thomas readings. The two pieces were recorded on October 8, 1963.
The Birds was a very popular movie in 1963. Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller made one afraid to go outside. R&B singer Louis Jonesapparently tried to take it to the bank with his “The Birds Is Coming.” It’s a fantastic, unbelievable record that is actually more scary than the movie…and that worries me! More about Louis Jones here.
Speaking of scary records, The Tammy’s “Egyptian Shumba” includes screaming girls, nonsense lyrics and mummies! It is a rockin’, sockin’ good-time shouter that will wake you up from the dead. With out a doubt, one of the greatest records of all time. It was co-written by pop star Lou Christie and recorded on November 1, 1963. Trade magazine Cashbox reviewed it and said, “Teen lark threesome could make a chart stand with this engaging teen-dance romp. It’s wild, whacky and original. Watch it.” That’s putting it mildly.
Somewhere in the middle of the album We’re Only in It for the Money by The Mothers of Invention, the very beginning of an obscure surf record is sampled. That record is “Heavies” by The Rotations, from 1963. Here on The GO Mechanism we will hear the whole record–some of us for the first time!
The GO Mechanism producers are quite fond of the music of Astor Piazzolla, the great bandoneon player and creator of the nuevo tango. His music has been featured in GO Mechanisms Seven and Five. Both of those tracks are from the eighties. The track here, “Iracondo” is from a 1963 album called Tango Para Una Ciudad. We have a pressing made in Uruguay. What better record to follow it with than The Isley Brothers fabulous recording of “Tango,” from 1963.
Erma Franklin was Aretha’s big sister. Around the time that little sister was signed to Columbia Records, appropriately enough, Erma was signed to its sister label, Epic. For the most part, both Franklins were assigned standards and show tunes to record. After Erma’s LP didn’t catch on with record buyers, she cut two more singles with session drummer/Columbia staff producer Bobby Gregg at the helm. These lean more on the R&B side, with 1963’s “I Don’t Want No Mama’s Boy” a fabulous shouter. None of the records hit and she was dropped from the label. She often sang back-up on her sister’s records and several years later she was picked up by Shout Records were she made her masterpiece, the original version of “Piece of My Heart.” Aretha, on the other hand… well we all know what happened to her.
If we made a mistake with our 1963 records, it is with “Swing” by The Tokens. Somewhere we saw “1963” attached to the record, got excited and added it to the program. However, by all accounts, it was released in April 1964. By the time we discovered our error, The GO Mechanism had been sent to Luxuria Music for processing. Yeah, but, for a group of pop vocalists whose records are mostly on the square side, it’s a pretty hep disk. Let’s just say it was recorded in 1963 and released the next year.
This edition of The Go Mechanism is bookended by a pair of recordings where the drums and guitar are prominent—mostly drums. The second record in the show was the Hal Blaine’s “Hawaii 1963.” We close the show with one of the greatest records of all time, which is also a guitar/drum duet: “Swinging Drums” by Ronny Kae. The latter record is much more crude and nasty sounding. In fact, it sounds as if it was made by crazy people. Mr. Kae’s version of “Caravan” was featured in GO Mechanism Number 12 and you can read more about him in that corresponding Boogaloo Bag post.
Earl Bostic—Lester Leaps In (theme song) (King)
Charles Mingus—Better Get Hit in Yo’ Soul (Mingus, Mingus, Mingus Mingus; Impulse!)
Hal Blaine & the Young Cougars—Hawaii 1963 (RCA Victor)
Billy Preston—Greazee, Pts. 1 & 2 (Derby)
Nina Simone—Blackbird (Colpix)
Quartet Trés Bien—Boss Trés Bien Part 2 (Norman)
The Moonlighters—Watermelon Man (Thunderbird)
The Rolling Stones—Stoned (Decca; UK)
Rufus Thomas—Boom Boom (from LP Walking the Dog; Stax)
Jimmy Gordon—Buzzzzzz (Challenge)
Little Joey Vespe—Caravan (Parkway)
Amos Milburn—Hold Me Baby (from LP The Return of “The” Blues Boss; Motown)
Chuck Berry—O Rangutang (Chess)
Teri Thornton—Open Highway (Route 66 Theme) (Columbia)
John Coltrane—excerpt from “I Want to Talk About You” (from LP Live in Birdland; Impulse)
Gene Burkes—Monkey Man (Arock)
Kai Winding—Pipeline (from LP Soul Surfin’; Verve)
Louis Jones—The Birds Is Coming (Decca)
The Tammys—Egyptian Shumba (United Artists)
Elliott Shavers—Soul Village (Blaun)
The Orchids—That Boy Is Messin’ Up My Mind (Columbia)
Joe Tex—I Wanna Be Free (Dial)
Marvin Gaye—Mojo Hannah (from LP Recorded Live On Stage; Tamla)
Little Stevie Wonder—Soul Bongo (from LP The 12 Year Old Genius – Recorded Live; Tamla)
The Marvelettes—Tossin’ and Turnin’ (from LP Recorded Live On Stage; Tamla)
The Miracles—Way Over There (from LP Recorded Live On Stage; Tamla)
Mary Wells—I Don’t Want to Take a Chance (from LP Recorded Live On Stage; Motown)
The Rotations—Heavies (Original Sound)
Olatunji—Lady Kennedy (Columbia)
Thelonious Monk—Bye-Ya (Columbia)
Astor Piazzolla—Iracondo (from LP Tango Para Una Ciudad; CBS; Uruguay)
The Isley Brothers—Tango (United Artists)
John Coltrane—excerpt from Afro Blue (from LP Live at Birdland; Impulse)
Erma Franklin—I Don’t Want No Mama’s Boy (Epic)
J.C. Davis—Monkey (Chess)
Mongo Santamaria–Yeh-Yeh (Battle)
Roland Kirk—Abstract Improvisation ()
The Tokens—Swing (B.T. Puppy)
Ray Barretto—Watusi (Tico)
James Brown—Choo Choo (King)
Curtis Mayfield—Freddie’s Dead (Boogaloo edit) (Curtom)
Thus concludes another exciting episode of The GO Mechanism. Thank you to the Luxuria Music Management for asking us to be involved in its Luxuria Music New Year celebration by incorporating a “3” in the program. It was certainly different and we hope it was appreciated.
After The GO Mechanism initially airs on the Luxuria Musics—this one on Saturday, January 7— it will be available as a podcast for a few weeks. Look for the Saturday Night Special dated 1/08/2023. Once it falls off the Lux Mu podcast hustle, it will be posted on the Mixclouds as well as here in the Boogaloo Bag.
Luxuria Musicis a swingin’ thing that deserves your support. Visit it often. Listen to the many cool shows. If you dig the scene, contribute monetarily. Keep Lux Mu alive!
Miss Nancy’s sweet treats make every night special!
On Wednesday, December 21, Phast Phreddie The Boogaloo Omniubus got an urgent call from DJ Pete Pop. The management at Quinn’s—the groovy rock and ramen joint in Beacon where Pete hosts his Do The 45 shindigs once a month—called him and asked him to assemble the troops for a bash THAT Friday night (December 23, night before Christmas Eve). Can The Boog swing? His reply: Yes, indeed!
DJ Pete Pop swings at the Rockin’ Holiday Hop!
This was kind of easy. The Boog is planning to DJ with Pete Pop at the regularly scheduled Do The 45 on December 30—a day before New Year’s Eve—so he already had records together for an event at Quinn’s; so picking discs for the night was a snap. However, now the records for the following Friday night will have to be re-thought out.
DJ Nina Day swings at the Rockin’ Holiday Hop!Sheba Shake performs artistic rhythmic gyrations at the Holiday Hop!
Pete called the night the Rockin’ Holiday Hop—and it absolutely rocked. DJ Nina Day was on hand to play a few records from time to time. Her alter ego Sheba Shake occasionally appeared on the stage to go-go dance. DJ Pete Pop played some fantastic records. Miss Nancy baked two kinds of cookies that were coated with powdered sugar (chocolate crinkles and pfeffernusse), plus her signature vegan brownies. Folks were dancing and carrying on all night.
Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus swings at the Rockin’ Holiday Hop!
Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus played these records:
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