The Mighty Turbines - The Best Of Mighty Turbines (19??)

Here in the States, it is time for my personal favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. We all have something to be thankful for, some of us more than others. This group of young Jamaican steel drum players must have been thankful for their gift of raw talent and pure ingenuity.

According to the back cover of the record, The Mighty Turbines were a group of "ghetto youth" from Trelawney Parrish, Jamaica. They had apparently never played instruments before, and had zero musical training. When they heard steel drums for the first time, it must have stricken them like a bolt of lightning, because within a year of their introduction to the sound, they had banged out their own instruments from trash can lids and recorded this astonishingly good album.

Whether you believe this story or not - I'm not sure I do - this is a great record (even if you don't typically listen to steel drum music). The songs are catchy and whimsical, with complex poly-rhythms and warm joyful tones. The dead of winter - as it appears to be outside today - is just the right time to crank this up and dream of life on the islands. Be thankful y'all.

ENJOY

Frankenstein and the All-Star Monster Band (1984)

I know, I know... I've allowed this blog to slip into oblivion once again, this time for nearly 5 months. But - in the spirit of Halloween - I'd like to say that this blog isn't dead. It's undead.

That being said, I am excited to present you all with a very special Halloween post (one which I made several failed attempts to share last Halloween, and which I've waited all year to try sharing again, because I love being topical). This very special album is the self-titled release by Frankenstein and the All-Star Monster Band, a high concept piece of weirdo Halloween pop brewed up by Rock 'n Roll mad scientist Kim Fowley (manager of the Runaways and much, much more)!

According to the borderline insane liner notes, the album is dedicated to "all the ugly, stupid and misunderstood people of the world," a sympathy not unfamiliar to the irreverent, rebellious underdog nature of Punk Rock and New Wave which this album is very much a part of. The difference here is that these songs tackle this subject matter through the lens of B-movie monsters shunned by society - monsters trying to survive in a modern world full of artificial beauty, high unemployment, dwindling individuality, and damsels who won't accept a casual date with the likes of vampires or werewolves.

The band consists of Kim Fowley (appearing here as Doctor Dog, in the role of Frankenstein), whose vocals sound sometimes like Billy Idol, Jim Morrison, David Bowie or Bob Dylan, and a bunch of mystery players using names such as Larry Lizard, Jumbo Frog, Video Pig, Dorothy Dinosaur and Empress of the Underworld (each with their own character role... it gets a bit convoluted). The songs are fun, catchy, witty pop music with a brain - the brain might be floating in a jar in some Transylvanian laboratory, but it is definitely pulsing with life.

This is essential weird pop music, and a must for any Halloween dance party.

ENJOY

Billy Paul - War Of The Gods (1973)

Billy Paul is a very well-loved Philly Soul singer, best known for his number one hit "Me and Mrs. Jones" which is still just as great more than 40 years after its release. This album, War Of The Gods, came out one year after the one that spawned his biggest hit, and shows Billy Paul exploring a more psychedelic side of Soul music.

The first side of this album shows Billy Paul demonstrating this style over the course of two jaw-dropping psychedelic Soul ballads - one of which is the title track "War Of The Gods" which is about exactly what it sounds like, and which opens with legendary Hip Hop producer J Dilla's well known siren sound effect. 

Side B sees Billy Paul playing it a bit safe with a few short, but sweet pop songs. Although not as memorable or experimental as the first two songs, the last four are still excellent examples of the magic of Gamble & Huff Philadelphia Soul music. "The Whole Town's Talking" and "Thanks For Saving My Life" are upbeat and catchy dance numbers, while "I Was Married" sounds almost exactly like "Me and Mrs Jones" except that it features the cheeky lyrics 'I was married... it just didn't work', and "Peace Holy Peace" sees Billy Paul doing the Gospel thing to great success.

Out of the few Billy Paul albums in my collection, this is the one I keep coming back to. At the very least, the first two tracks are absolutely essential for any music lover.

ENJOY.

R. Kelly - Your Body's Callin' 12" (1994)

Today is my birthday. To celebrate the occasion, I thought I would stay home and write a blog. I kid, I kid - to celebrate my birthday, I wanted to share some music that expresses all the freaky thangs we do to make births possible in the first place. And who better to express those freaky thangs than Mr. Robert Kelly himself?

In 1993, R. Kelly left his group Public Announcement to fly solo and burst onto the scene with his nasty-and-proud debut album 12 Play which pretty much changed the tone of R&B forever. This album is known best for spawning the mega-hit single "Bump N' Grind" which probably caused a boom in the population for the next 5 years.

Pants unzipped, with steampunk rearview-mirrored cane in hand

A year later, Kells released the slinky Caribbean-tinged slow jam "Your Body's Callin'" as a single (which was later sampled by DJ Premier for Biggie's single "Unbelievable"), along with 3 other stunning tracks (including a "His & Hers Mix" of the single which was completely re-written with more explicit lyrics, a sleazy 808 track, and an uncredited appearance from a then-brand-new Aaliyah, and is featured below).

Also featured, are the chill-inducing "Prelude," which starts with a sparse arrangement of keys and the crashing waves of (I like to assume) Lake Michigan. Just as it begins to build a sexy funked out bass groove, the song fades away into nothing. Finally, R. Kelly provided an instrumental of the "His & Hers Mix" which features some Jazz piano in place of the vocals and trust me - this beat still hits hard 20 years later.

ENJOY

Viola - Little Girl [Club Mix] (2001)

This is a special Mother's Day edition of Dollar Bin Radio. For this occasion, I would like to present a song that has been stuck in my head since I first heard it years ago.

This very soulful New York Gospel House track, "Little Girl" by Viola Sykes, was released in 2001 by the reliable Nervous Records label. This song is wonderful for not only being lush, musical, and extremely catchy, but for capturing a certain motherly nature in its lyrics.

Viola does not approve of your outfit.

Here, girls are reminded by Viola (or insert your Mom's name here) that they are beautiful and strong, and that they should put some clothes back on and win a man's respect. This might not be my philosophy 100% (people with less clothes on deserve some respect too) but hey, mother knows best.

Bobby Bland - "The Soul Of The Man" (1966)

Bobby "Blue" Bland is a legend of Memphis music and one of the greatest Blues crooners that ever was. His rich, soulful voice works amazingly well in just about any genre, and has given him an edge in the industry shared by other soulful Blues/Gospel artists like Sam Cooke and Ray Charles.

Bobby Bland is probably best known by today's youth as sample source for Jay-Z's Blueprint album, and the original performer of "I'll Take Care of You", covered by Drake and Rihanna, and a whole bunch of other people.

The Soul Of The Man is Bobby Bland's fifth studio album, released in 1966 on Duke Records. This album has an intimate, yet spacious sound, and features Bobby rocking it out over all variety of songs. "Ain't Nobody's Business" and "Dear Bobby (The Note)", his duet with backing vocalist Vi Campbell, share the bellowing, pained sound of "I'll Take Care of You", while "Back In The Same Old Bag" and "Reach Right Out" are punchy Rock & Roll dance numbers. Best of all, this album features a really wonderfully minimal, funky cover of "Fever", featured streaming below:

The sound quality is on the crackly side, but I feel like it does the music justice. I'm generally a big fan of Bobby, and though I hadn't heard any of these songs before I found this copy, I feel like this album does a great job of exhibiting Bobby Bland's best qualities.

ENJOY 

Percy Faith and his Orchestra - Passport to Romance (1956)

Percy Faith was one of the premier "Mood Music" composers of the 1950's and 60's, and along with his pal Mitch Miller, remains one of the premier artists in dollar bins and thrift store record boxes around the country to this day (second only perhaps to Barbara Streisand herself). This lingering influence only goes to show just how popular Percy Faith's sound was at the time, and for good reason: the music is dynamic, with personality to spare.

This album explores matters of the heart by way of various European compositions - everything from Waltzes to Tangos, and from French carousels to enchanting Elvish forests. Sometimes the music is romantic in a grand tragic sense, and sometimes in a cheeky 60's Hollywood sense. 

You can do many things while listening to this album. You can wear a leotard and pretend to be a cat, you can kick your legs in the air like a Russian dancing man, you can pretend to have a forbidden love with a member of the French underground, or you can frolic around with a deranged look on your face like Ren & Stimpy on one of their good days. Truly "mood music" for every romantic expression.

ENJOY