Wednesday, September 7, 2011

The Beats Of Philadelphia



I couldn't believe what I was hearing and if you dare to dig in, you won't believe it either, but you WILL thank me.

I stumbled across "The Best Of Melron Records: The Early Philly Sound" while trawling the web for an Inez Foxx record from 1973. I found that Inez Foxx record, but I suddenly didn't care. This jaw-dropping compilation of early rock 'n' roll & rhythm 'n' blues was a much better catch.

The playing is crude. The singing is off key a lot of the time. But I couldn't stop listening. It's raw, and has more soul than a Saturday night fish fry. Speaking of fish, track nine, "Big Butters," is a song by Bobby Eli and Del Rios; an unthinkably 5:31 long tribal chant with narration about a man who loves fishing for butterfish. Seriously, I had to use a car jack to close my mouth.

I mean it when I say, this made my week. Melron even has a web page. It's HERE. You can sample the whole she-bang there, or over at the odious iTunes store.

Take a listen to three of my faves, "Milk That Cow" by Essau Isaacs, "Too Young" by The Sweethearts, and "I Want Another Chance" by Fred Martin.

Then run, don't walk to Amazon and grab this gem for $8.99.
http://www.amazon.com/Best-Melron-Records-Various-Artists/dp/B004KKYDZY/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1315341098&sr=1-1


MILK THAT COW

TOO YOUNG

I WANT ANOTHER CHANCE

6 comments:

Sammy said...

definitely not to be confused with TSOP....my copy of this is now on order...thanks

Jeff Matthews said...

Great stuff -thanks. I assume you have discovered the Numero Group's treasure trove of unheralded regional record label releases? Your compilation reminds me of their Eclectic Soul series - I've bought several of these on (gasp) vinyl and have had a blast digging through them.
http://www.numerogroup.com/catalog.php?subcat=Soul-EccentricSoul

Sal Nunziato said...

@Jeff. I'm all over the Numero Group and yes, I've bought the vinyl as well. This one is a particular fave:
http://www.amazon.com/Local-Customs-Downriver-Revival-Vinyl/dp/B001TW68PO/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1315406612&sr=1-3

Jeff Matthews said...

Just ordered that one.
I have the Capsoul label one (Numero 01 I think) and the Local Customs: Lone Star Lowlands, and two others that I can't recall offhand.

Kevin said...

Another great find! Thanks again, Sal. I just finished downloading.

DeepKarma said...

I can't even begin to decide which track I like best...there goes a little more of my meager disposable income!