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Rotary Connection w/ Minnie Riperton - Respect/ Love Has Fallen On Me/Hey Love/ I am The Black Gold Of The Sun/Memory ...
"Respect"(1969) "I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun"(1970) "Love Has Fallen On Me"(1970) "Hey Love"(1970) "Memory Band"(1968) "Peace At Least Once A Year" (1968) ... [Edited 5/23/08 6:58am] " I've got six things on my mind --you're no longer one of them." - Paddy McAloon, Prefab Sprout | |
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"Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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...
 The one that really trips me out is the last tune, "Peace At least once A Year",  They were trippin' hard on that one:
"Every year, I have The same question, something that puts me very uptight, Where did Santa get all those gifts from, Why is he riding so late at Night? I know why! The cat is High! He's stoned out Of His Mind! He smokes mistletoe...."
... [Edited 5/23/08 6:00am] " I've got six things on my mind --you're no longer one of them." - Paddy McAloon, Prefab Sprout | |
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paligap said: "Memory Band"(1968) My all-time favorite song by this group. I have their two-fers but not the first album on cd. | |
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paligap said: ...
The one that really trips me out is the last tune, "Peace At least once A Year", They were trippin' hard on that one:
"Every year, I have The same question, something that puts me very uptight, Where did Santa dget all those gifts from, Why is he riding so late at Night? I know why! The cat is High! He's stoned out Of His Mind! He smokes mistletoe...."
... I mean how much toke do you have to do to put that on wax, and put strings behind it?
Stepney's my man, though!! ... " I've got six things on my mind --you're no longer one of them." - Paddy McAloon, Prefab Sprout | |
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Great picks pali. My mom had all of this stuff so I got hipped to this when I was REALLY little. I now have these from my mother's collection. SynthiaRose said "I'm in love with blackguitaristz. Especially when he talks about Hendrix."
nammie "What BGZ says I believe. I have the biggest crush on him." http://ccoshea19.googlepa...ssanctuary http://ccoshea19.googlepages.com | |
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paligap said: I mean how much toke do you have to do to put that on wax, and put strings behind it?
Stepney's my man, though!! ... That was what was so cool about their music. First, they had the skills. Second, they just let it all hang out. 
tA  Tribal Disorder
http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 "Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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Paligap, my man, you been makin' like Santa yourself lately with all the little video gifts you been leavin' for us on the forum.
As I scan down the list of new posts each morning I see certain (mostly cool jazz) posts and I don't really have to even look across at the thread starter's name. I'm feelin' ya brother. Nice. Very nice. Well ya know I got a soft spot for Rotary Connection related stuff so thanks for these latest "gems." (That's a kind of left haded pun re: Minnie as she was in a Supremes type girl group called The Gems on the Chess label before RC). And although Charles Stepney was definitely the man in the studio with RC it was their live performances that really ruled (for me anyway) back in the day. Being from Chicago I got to see them many times in small clubs and the psychedelic palaces of the times- the Aragon Ballroom and Aaron Russo's Electric Playground (or was it the Kinetic Playground? Those memory cells are on strike at the moment. Too much mistletoe, I guess). RC had entirely different arrangements of all their tunes for the live shows because they couldn't really reproduce their lush signature studio sound in person. Instead of the symphonic sound we got the funk versions! And they totally kicked ass. Fatback bass, wailing saxes and trumpets instead of the piccolos and mellow woodwinds and lots of conga drums to weave a trancey groove over the top of the funky back beat and grittier vocals to match the clubby mood. I've heard a rumor that there is a tape floating around out there in bootleg collector-land of a live show from a college tour in Texas somewhere but I've never been able to locate a copy. That Center of Attention sample that Cinnie posted gives a tiny hint of what it was like but I have to say that some of my most fond musical memories from the late 60's were those funky RC shows. It was transcendent stuff. [Edited 5/22/08 22:00pm] | |
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DakutiusMaximus said: Paligap, my man, you been makin' like Santa yourself lately with all the little video gifts you been leavin' for us on the forum.
As I scan down the list of new posts each morning I see certain (mostly cool jazz) posts and I don't really have to even look across at the thread starter's name. I'm feelin' ya brother. Nice. Very nice. Well ya know I got a soft spot for Rotary Connection related stuff so thanks for these latest "gems." (That's a kind of left haded pun re: Minnie as she was in a Supremes type girl group called The Gems on the Chess label before RC). And although Charles Stepney was definitely the man in the studio with RC it was their live performances that really ruled (for me anyway) back in the day. Being from Chicago I got to see them many times in small clubs and the psychedelic palaces of the times- the Aragon Ballroom and Aaron Russo's Electric Playground (or was it the Kinetic Playground? Those memory cells are on strike at the moment. Too much mistletoe, I guess). RC had entirely different arrangements of all their tunes for the live shows because they couldn't really reproduce their lush signature studio sound in person. Instead of the symphonic sound we got the funk versions! And they totally kicked ass. Fatback bass, wailing saxes and trumpets instead of the piccolos and mellow woodwinds and lots of conga drums to weave a trancey groove over the top of the funky back beat and grittier vocals to match the clubby mood. I've heard a rumor that there is a tape floating around out there in bootleg collector-land of a live show from a college tour in Texas somewhere but I've never been able to locate a copy. That Center of Attention sample that Cinnie posted gives a tiny hint of what it was like but I have to say that some of my most fond musical memories from the late 60's were those funky RC shows. It was transcendent stuff. [Edited 5/22/08 22:00pm] "too much mistletoe" 
Man, I'm jealous!!! I would've loved to have seen that('course, I was only 3 at the time, though, so )
I do have the audio of their Texas Pop Festival performance, and that's smokin' (so to speak, )...but I'd love to find some more....
I also have a scopitone (early version of video)of their version of "Soul Man", but the promo doesn't show the group, just some go-go dancers... 
... [Edited 5/23/08 7:58am] " I've got six things on my mind --you're no longer one of them." - Paddy McAloon, Prefab Sprout | |
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Memory Band
That was something! And I just found out about them not too long ago. I still havetn heard any black band sound like this to this day. I dont think I ever will. It takes you musically to a place I didnt know exsisted. It's odd, crafty and makes me want to listen to it again because I keep discovering soemthing new about it. Straight Jacket Funk Affair
Album plays and love for vinyl records. | |
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paisleypark4 said: Memory Band
That was something! And I just found out about them not too long ago. I still havetn heard any black band sound like this to this day. I dont think I ever will. It takes you musically to a place I didnt know exsisted. It's odd, crafty and makes me want to listen to it again because I keep discovering soemthing new about it. thats the sound of "Cadet/Concept" | |
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IAintTheOne said: paisleypark4 said: Memory Band
That was something! And I just found out about them not too long ago. I still havetn heard any black band sound like this to this day. I dont think I ever will. It takes you musically to a place I didnt know exsisted. It's odd, crafty and makes me want to listen to it again because I keep discovering soemthing new about it. thats the sound of "Cadet/Concept" That record logo used to look scary to me when I was little. Straight Jacket Funk Affair
Album plays and love for vinyl records. | |
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IAintTheOne said: paisleypark4 said: Memory Band
That was something! And I just found out about them not too long ago. I still havetn heard any black band sound like this to this day. I dont think I ever will. It takes you musically to a place I didnt know exsisted. It's odd, crafty and makes me want to listen to it again because I keep discovering soemthing new about it. thats the sound of "Cadet/Concept" 
True-- Leonard Chess' son, Marshall wanted to put together a group to reach the late sixties youth market, and wanted a group that would be a combination of the soul and the pyschedelia of the period. He got Chess label vocalists Minnie Riperton and Sydney Barnes together with a little known rock group called the Proper Strangers: Mitch Aliotta, Bobby Simms and Ken Venegas. vocalist Judy Hauff also joined. At the helm would be classically trained producer/writer arranger Charles Stepney (later the master arranger/producer for Earth, Wind and Fire), who also brought in Chess session players like guitarist Phil Upchurch , and drummer Morris Jennings, as well as guitarist Pete Cosey (who would later be part of Miles Davis's electric brew). Stepney would also bring in The Chicago Symphony Orchestra to help bring his arrangements to life. On their last album, Hey Love, singer Dave Scott, Kitty Hayward and Shirley Wahls would join, along with Percussionist Henry Gibson... Apparently the group was a modest success in the midwest and some east coast areas at the time, but didn't make much of an impact nationally. It's a shame, because I think they're much more recognized on an international level these days, and I think it has a lot to do with all the DJ's, crate diggers, and samplers who've been seeking out this stuff worldwide over the years. Charles Stepney and Rotary have certainly been an influence on the nu-jazz/ downtempo/ broken beat/electronica scene(Especially 4Hero and Masters At Work) ... [Edited 5/23/08 9:03am] " I've got six things on my mind --you're no longer one of them." - Paddy McAloon, Prefab Sprout | |
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paligap said: Apparently the group was a modest success in the midwest and some east coast areas at the time, but didn't make much of an impact nationally. It's a shame, because I think they're much more recognized on an international level these days, and I think it has a lot to do with all the DJ's, crate diggers, and samplers who've been seeking out this stuff worldwide over the years. [/b])
... They got major play on Free-Form FM radio during the late 60s in NYC. Rosko (Finess will know who he is) had them on heavy rotation during his show. tA Tribal Disorder
http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 "Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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theAudience said: paligap said: Apparently the group was a modest success in the midwest and some east coast areas at the time, but didn't make much of an impact nationally. It's a shame, because I think they're much more recognized on an international level these days, and I think it has a lot to do with all the DJ's, crate diggers, and samplers who've been seeking out this stuff worldwide over the years. [/b])
They got major play on Free-Form FM radio during the late 60s in NYC. Rosko (Finess will know who he is) had them on heavy rotation during his show. Kool!! I wonder who was playin' them in DC--somehow, my parents got hip to that first album, around '67-68--that's actually some of the first music I ever heard in my life,
Man, DakutiusMaximus actually caught'em live in Chi-town--must've been amazing... between this, and tA's stories--man, I missed out on some serious shit!! ... " I've got six things on my mind --you're no longer one of them." - Paddy McAloon, Prefab Sprout | |
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paligap said: Man, DakutiusMaximus actually caught'em live in Chi-town--must've been amazing...
between this, and tA's stories--man, I missed out on some serious shit!! ... As soon as I get a response from Mr.Peabody & Sherman... 
...we're gonna borrow the Wayback Machine and do some serious musical time traveling.
tA Tribal Disorder
http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 "Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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I thought Love Has Fallen On Me was a Bette Midler original 
Love what Chaka done with it. | |
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...
"Love Has Fallen On Me"(1970) Chaka Khan did a remake of this on her first solo album, Chaka (1978)... BTW, the song's writing credits say, "Stepney, Lloyd Webber"...since the tune kinda has that "Jesus Christ, Superstar" vibe to it I always wondered if Stepney could have actually collaborated with The Andrew Lloyd Webber? So far, I've been unable to find anymore documentation on it..... Hey, Harle, just saw your post, we must've been writing at the same time, --it was originally done for Rotary, but I've been wondering about the Charles Stepney - Lloyd Webber" thing ....
... [Edited 5/23/08 8:53am] " I've got six things on my mind --you're no longer one of them." - Paddy McAloon, Prefab Sprout | |
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My favorite part of "Love Has Fallen On Me" sounds a lot like "Les Fleur", another Stepney sure-shot.
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Cinnie said: My favorite part of "Love Has Fallen On Me" sounds a lot like "Les Fleur", another Stepney sure-shot.
Another favorite!!
... " I've got six things on my mind --you're no longer one of them." - Paddy McAloon, Prefab Sprout | |
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theAudience said: paligap said: Apparently the group was a modest success in the midwest and some east coast areas at the time, but didn't make much of an impact nationally. It's a shame, because I think they're much more recognized on an international level these days, and I think it has a lot to do with all the DJ's, crate diggers, and samplers who've been seeking out this stuff worldwide over the years. [/b])
... They got major play on Free-Form FM radio during the late 60s in NYC. Rosko (Finess will know who he is) had them on heavy rotation during his show. tA Tribal Disorder
http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 Man i miss Rosko... this brotha had a voice like silk,.,, | |
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IAintTheOne said: Man i miss Rosko... this brotha had a voice like silk,.,,  
...This is Rosko, in STEREO, for you. tA Tribal Disorder
http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 "Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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