Anyway, in this magical time, there was a programme launched to try and get some great talent into the company. One day I stepped into Ed’s office and he had just been listening to a demo tape of a group called Torino. I thought it was a new Jamiroquai track, it was really very good. I went to some live shows by them to promote the band at nights like The Magic Bus. It was exciting. Then, they disappeared. I’ve never quite been sure about the full story, but I think the singer 2E left and there was a cock up with the master tapes leaving the original demo that I had heard with 2 songs. I always listen to these songs and think what could have been. Searching for them usually brings up some other lesser group with the same name. Oh well.

Torino – Sun is on my mind: [audio:http://blog.whoisfrancisgilbert.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/14-Sun-Is-On-My-Mind.mp3|titles=Torino Sun Is On My Mind]
(15 years of lost and found rarities)

Torino – It don’t bother me: [audio:http://blog.whoisfrancisgilbert.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/10-It-Dont-Bother-Me.mp3|titles=10 It Dont Bother Me]
(Totally Wired Series 2 Vol 2)

Retro has a tendency to become tacky. A lot of things from the 70s or any other decade are difficult to re-create without seeming out of place or out of time. Some get it right though. I recently went to see Raphael Saadiq at the Jazz Cafe who laid on a great performance from his new album “The way I see it” where he has taken an influence from the Motown days of old and very very slightly updated it. To the point where it looks great again. See what you think below.

Raphael Saadiq – Love That Girl from Artists Den on Vimeo.

One of my favourite music blogs is called Soul Sides, it covers more than just what its URL suggests. It delves into funk, prog rock etc. and is well worth a look. Today they posted about a fairly little known artist called Donnie. He’s been around for quite a while now. I heard about him in about 2001 on the then Jazz FM soul show. He sounded like Stevie Wonder and Donnie Hathaway (he even started singing at his church, like so many others). I managed to get my hands on some early releases of his music (which had different production for most songs) and managed to get to a gig at the Jazz Cafe in Camden. I waited for an album, and about a year later it finally reared up as a release on Giant Step records (later signing to Motown).

This boy has some serious talent. It took a few listens to fully appreciate. But the album just keeps giving, even 7/8 years later. It’s very socially conscious, but intelligently so. You can hear samples at: http://soul-sides.com/2009/05/donnie-soul-brother-from-another.html. His album “The Colored Section” is also on Spotify.

There have been a few groups set up to sound similar to 60s funk and soul (Sharon Jones & the Dap kings and The New Mastersounds, to name a couple), but none for the 70s as yet.

Anyway, something that lacks from a lot of music nowadays is the money spent. In disco, there would be whole orchestras created for any kind of music to make a rich sounding type of music. Disco was big for this, but there are few people who use a whole orchestra any more.

Enter Al Kent. A house producer who decided, after yet another re-edit, to try and create a disco album as it would have been made back in the day, including analogue recording techniques and making a track in 1 take, rather than taking the best bits. The result? A fantastic look into the past with a sound which could have been recorded in 1979. The album, which is called Better Days (also the name of a soul/funk night I DJ at) is a great achievement, and shows how rich it all sounded. I’d recommend a listen (it is available at emusic).

I watched “In pursuit of happiness” over the weekend, which I thought was a fantastic film, especially as it was based on a true story, you really wanted something to go right for this guy and Will Smith pulled off the serious roll perfectly, hopefully, long gone are the typical black quips like “I’ve gotta get me one of these” that he is now known (and sometimes hated) for.

Something that really made goose bumps stand up was the soundtrack, 2 songs from Stevie Wonder’s album “Innervisions” (there may have been more actually), which were “Jesus children of America” and “Higher ground” (also covered and, may I add, killed by the Red Hot Chili Peppers), both were used at a point in the film when they should be used and it worked, very very well, it’s the pain in Stevie’s voice.

Now if anyone hasn’t had the opportunity to listen to this masterpiece, I’d recommend it, it’s a grower, you listen once and think “what?”, then after a while it becomes clear what has happened and it’s something beautiful. I’m not going to go on about how he plays pretty much all of the instruments because we all know that, it’s the songs, they blend into each other and take you on a journey. Just have a listen, even if soul isn’t your bag.

I’ll try and not post too many videos from last.fm, but this, apparently directed by Spike Lee, but I have no back up for that, is remarkable, it looks a bit strange until you realise the whole thing is backwards, not the story, the whole thing, shot, backwards, serious fun.

Now I could be wrong here with the history etc. but if it is true about bands getting not very much and/or getting screwed, no wonder bands like Radiohead are starting to do exactly this, screwing their record companies. Getting a full cut of what they should courtesy of t’interweb. And here is the article:
Radio head offers new album

Good on you lads. I know I’d pay good money for groups I like, I already do. Maybe its time for record companies to start changing their business models rather than suing people and screwing their bands.

Crazy P who hail from Nottingham, right here in blighty. Fantastic live, and really damn good on CD, vinyl or download (will they abbreviate this to dnld, dwnld or something so we can have CD, LP, DNLD? please?). I have been listening to their latest album “A Night On Earth” a lot recently. It’s difficult to say who they sound like, but here goes. Think a more sane Moloko I guess it the best description. It’s relaxed, or dancy, depending on your mood. Recommended. Some of their stuff has been remixed to some good house classics so chances you’ve heard some of their stuff without noticing.

I saw a guy called Seasick Steve at The Big Chill festival this year (when people introduce him, it sounds like C-16, beware). He’s played there before, but this year was my first time there. An old guy came on stage and played some seriously good blues, hobo style, and was very funny. In fact, part of his set he played with a 3 string guitar, and still sounded great, he even brought out a 1 string instrument he made (diddley bow) and played that. For his drum, he had a box with a microphone in it (Mississippi drum machine) and yes, it sounded like a drum. Excellent stuff.

His album “Dog house music” is great, but it doesn’t come close to his live act.