Chairmen of the Board: C/D?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Skin I'm In, in particular, is pretty amazing. Any thoughts on the rest of the legacy wrought by America's favorite one soul-hit wonder?

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 20:01 (twenty-three years ago)

Kevin Rowland = General Johnson (and Jonathan Richman used to cover 'It Will Stand' by the Showmen, GJ's prev group.) What a sublime, pleading, sob-soul voice GJ had! COTB were much more than one hit wonders - 'Give Me Just A Little More Time' yes of course, but also 'Everything is Tuesday', the best versh of 'Patches', 'You've Got Me Dangling on a String' etc. etc. I used to have a COTB GT hits CD w/ 20 tracks on, and there was almost NO FILLER.

― Andrew L (Andrew L), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 20:11 (twenty-three years ago)

I should clarify that by "one-hit-wonder," I merely meant chart-wise, though they had plenty more than "Give Me Just A Little More Time" on the charts. So I guess the term doesn't really apply.

Does anyone have any idea where the incredible "Life or Death Pts. 1 & 2" came from? It's supposedly a Sly Stone tune, but I can't find that anywhere else...

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 20:25 (twenty-three years ago)

There was a packed 3-CD set that came out at single-CD price last year called The Invictus Anthology, which includes all those mentioned and loads more. There is a tiny bit of filler, but really not much at all. I recommend it - they were great, a soul group absolutely in the league of the Motown giants.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 20:46 (twenty-three years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1573623601.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Classic!

― original bgm, Wednesday, 12 March 2003 20:54 (twenty-three years ago)

I like a lot of their stuff. "since the days of pigtails and fairytales" is, despite the title, one tough soul dance number.

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 20:59 (twenty-three years ago)

There's one of their songs that's called "Closet Queen" and is about exactly what you think it's about.

― Douglas (Douglas), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 21:38 (twenty-three years ago)

That's on the Invictus set too, Douglas.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 22:35 (twenty-three years ago)

i h8 'give me just a little more time'. even the kylie cover was probably her worst single ever.

― michael wells (michael w.), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 22:44 (twenty-three years ago)

Also good, the Intruders: "Love is Like a Baseball Game" ("I thought I hit a love run.")

― Jess Hill (jesshill), Thursday, 13 March 2003 22:12 (twenty-three years ago)

Hey we should start an "(over)extended metaphors in pop song" thread! (Or have we already?)

― Amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 14 March 2003 04:08 (twenty-three years ago)

whats that beach boys one..."matchpoint of our love"?

― gaz (gaz), Friday, 14 March 2003 04:13 (twenty-three years ago)

The Intruders were expert at this: "Win, Place or Show" is another such song.

Lots of double-entendre, super-raunchy blues and R&B numbers were hilariously extended metaphors, like "Laundromat Blues" and its variants. "Shave 'Em Dry" is probably the best of these.

― Amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 14 March 2003 04:25 (twenty-three years ago)

"Knock It Out of the Park" by Sam & Dave is good.

The extended-metaphor thread would be useful; I've always been interested in the origin of the tropes? metre-fillers? used in all those blues/r&b songs...Jewel King's "3 x 7=21" to James Brown's use of it, "3 x 7 and then some more" in "Talkin' Loud." Who used this first? Or "squeeze that dollar bill until the eagle grin"? Is that what Sonny Boy Williamson is saying in "Trying to Get Back on My Feet Again."

― Jess Hill (jesshill), Friday, 14 March 2003 12:45 (twenty-three years ago)

You want the best stretched metaphors and similes, including sports, go to Sister Wynona Carr's old gospel records. The Ball Game compares religion to baseball, 15 Round For Jesus features the glorious line "I bolo-punch for Jesus", and Dragnet For Jesus is a pastiche of the old TV show. She was a great singer too.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Friday, 14 March 2003 23:19 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

Skin I'm In is freakin' awe-sum-uh, esp. "Life and Death pt. 2" which plain flat out jams. These guys must've put on a sweat soaked live show. Anyone know?

― frankE (frankE), Wednesday, 18 August 2004 21:35 (twenty-one years ago)

eleven months pass...

Just busted the anthology out for a party I was DJ-ing the other day — must say, so very, very underrated, these fellas. "I Can't Find Myself" has been stuck in my head for 3 days.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 20:29 (twenty years ago)

five years pass...

"Give me just a little more time/And our love will surely grow...BRRRRRR!"

― village idiot (dog latin), Wednesday, 13 October 2010 10:40 (fifteen years ago)

Life and Death is one of my all-time favourites, though the band apparently disliked it because the label let Funkadelic take over. Good to finally hear the Sly Stone original on Ace's Listen to the Voices compilation.

― The baby boomers have defined everything once and for all (Dorianlynskey), Wednesday, 13 October 2010 11:10 (fifteen years ago)

Might have to check it out. I've been really really enjoying the "Can You Dig It?" comp (Soul Jazz, I think) these last few months, and it's making me want to hear a lot more Northern/Philly/Motown-type soul.

"Give Me..." song stands out to me because it appears Kevin Rowlands based his entire vocal style on the bit where he goes "BRRRR!" ;-)

― village idiot (dog latin), Wednesday, 13 October 2010 11:30 (fifteen years ago)

Listen to the Voices is amazing - full of demos, rarities and other productions. As Little Sister's Somebodys Watching You, Joe Hicks and Abaco Dream both doing Life & Death and loads of other brilliant bits and pieces.

― The baby boomers have defined everything once and for all (Dorianlynskey), Wednesday, 13 October 2010 11:45 (fifteen years ago)

thanks - will check!

― village idiot (dog latin), Wednesday, 13 October 2010 11:47 (fifteen years ago)

i agree with myself up there.

― These children will not kill my Gerrard for me oh, (or something), Wednesday, 13 October 2010 13:03 (fifteen years ago)

dorian, anything other than the three already-released Little Sister tracks on Listen To The Voices? i dream that someday an unreleased album's worth of tracks might surface...

― you forged the Finnish guy....in Americanese! (stevie), Wednesday, 13 October 2010 14:02 (fifteen years ago)

Just Somebody's Watching You, Stanga and You're the One (Pts 1 & 2). There are eight previously unreleased songs on the compilation but not Little Sister ones.

― The baby boomers have defined everything once and for all (Dorianlynskey), Wednesday, 13 October 2010 14:09 (fifteen years ago)

it looks pretty tasty, regardless!

― you forged the Finnish guy....in Americanese! (stevie), Wednesday, 13 October 2010 14:55 (fifteen years ago)

Scary this thread got revived yesterday:

Now this

http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-music-scene/2010/10/14/beach-music-great-general-johnson-dies/?cxntlid=thbz_hm

General Johnson RIP

― sonofstan, Thursday, 14 October 2010 21:27 (fifteen years ago)

aww damn RIP

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Thursday, 14 October 2010 22:00 (fifteen years ago)

Seems likes the ideal RIP choice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTAg7JDE1-M

― The baby boomers have defined everything once and for all (Dorianlynskey), Friday, 15 October 2010 08:19 (fifteen years ago)

love Skin I'm In so much. and, of course, 'give me just a little more time'...

― you forged the Finnish guy....in Americanese! (stevie), Friday, 15 October 2010 09:57 (fifteen years ago)

i love this song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsH_xec7rjg

― dude (del), Friday, 15 October 2010 15:51 (fifteen years ago)

Damn, how'd this get revived 2 DAYS ago?! Weird timing, even weirder than the tv-listings channel blurb referring to the Chairmen as "beach music", a term I've never heard used by anybody but hardcore music nerds...anyways, RIP, General. Skin I'm In is massive indeed, one of the highlights of pfunkboy's listening club this past summer.

― Myonga Vön Bontee, Saturday, 16 October 2010 04:45 (fifteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH-OekzmVFs

― lol @ dog w/ sunglasses (Pillbox), Saturday, 16 October 2010 05:03 (fifteen years ago)

"beach music", a term I've never heard used by anybody but hardcore music nerds.

Wasn't it pretty much common parlance for dance-y soul in the Carolinas and Georgia?

― sonofstan, Saturday, 16 October 2010 08:13 (fifteen years ago)

Still is.. I can't imagine calling it anything else.

― Kerm, Saturday, 16 October 2010 08:35 (fifteen years ago)

xpost - I've only ever encountered the phrase "beach music" a few times in print and never heard anybody mention it irl. But I've never been to the Carolinas or Georgia, so...

― Canadian Club & Dr. Pepper (Myonga Vön Bontee), Saturday, 16 October 2010 15:05 (fifteen years ago)

Yeah you don't have to go far before people are all "huh? like Dick Dale?"

― Kerm, Saturday, 16 October 2010 16:14 (fifteen years ago)

I recently got the first COTB album and the Invictus 3-disc comp and was actually listening to them when I saw that General Johnson had died. I really like them and the song I can't quit listening to right now is one of their more rock-oriented numbers, "Saginaw County Line." An amazing record.

What I've always understood is that "beach music" is a real common term and has been around since the '60s. I have this old Atlantic LP with that in the title. The term covers that kind of lite soul that used to be on the AM, oddball stuff like Willie Tee's "Thank You John" and "Walking Up a One-Way Street" and Brenton Wood and "Give Me Just a Little More Time," for sure...

― ebbjunior, Monday, 18 October 2010 15:57 (fifteen years ago)

xpost - I've only ever encountered the phrase "beach music" a few times in print and never heard anybody mention it irl. But I've never been to the Carolinas or Georgia, so...

Nor have I, but the point was the story I linked to re: the General's passing was on an Atlanta based site....

― sonofstan, Monday, 18 October 2010 19:07 (fifteen years ago)

OMG that Listen to the Voices tracklisting?!? when did that come out? WANT

― the first Asian legislator in our Nevada State Assembly (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 18 October 2010 19:09 (fifteen years ago)

It came out last year on the aptly named Ace Records. It should have got more coverage - it's a treasure trove, especially the previously unreleased demos.

― The baby boomers have defined everything once and for all (Dorianlynskey), Monday, 18 October 2010 19:33 (fifteen years ago)

I'm listening to Skin I'm In, including Lynskey's fave, Life and Death. Sublime!

― village idiot (dog latin), Sunday, 24 October 2010 17:37 (fifteen years ago)

Wish I could find their "So Glad You're Mine" online..

― Kerm, Sunday, 24 October 2010 19:48 (fifteen years ago)

"give me just a little more time" is one of my favorite songs ever

offtopic, but inspired by the carrot top poster upthread:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoLm-vD89SQ

― jeff, Sunday, 24 October 2010 19:55 (fifteen years ago)

"give me just a little more time" is one of my favorite songs ever

2nded. 'skin i'm in' is ace, but this song just fills me with loveliness and happiness every time i hear it. and i think its all in the vocal delivery, impassioned but tentative at the same time.

― The Boondog Taints II: All Taints Day (stevie), Sunday, 24 October 2010 21:52 (fifteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.