KOSMO's VINYL of the Week

"The Deacon's Hop" by Big Jay McNeely

1/31/2020

KOSMO's VINYL of the Week:
This week we are in Los Angeles on the 13th December, 1948, for the Ralph Bass produced "The Deacon's Hop" by Big Jay McNeely, first released as a 78RPM record on Savoy in January 1949...

"Legendary A&R man/producer Ralph Bass first witnessed the 21-year-old tenor saxophonist Cecil McNeely at Johnny Otis Barrelhouse Club in Watts and signed him then and there. As many can testify, McNeely was a no-holds-barred, full-on, live performer and he was also not a jazz musician slumming it - he was what he he was - a prototype rocker. Savoy Records boss Herman Lubinsky convinced Cecil on a tougher stage name of "Big Jay" and from then until at least 2009, Big Jay kept on honkin'. He left us in 2018, aged 91." - KV

0 Comments

"Wounds" by Little Simz (feat. Chronixx)

1/24/2020

0 Comments

KOSMO's VINYL of the Week:
This week we are in the London of late 2018 for the Inflo-produced "Wounds" by Little Simz and featuring Chronixx, from the album "Grey Area", released 1st March, 2019 on AGE 101....

"It was number#2 son Charlie who hipped me to this - "you're gonna like this one Dad", he told me, and he was right. Gunmen and gunplay have long been a theme in Jamaican music and "Wounds' is a very powerful addition to a cannon that can sadly still be called "social realism". Little Simz is a 25 year old, London-born, British rapper/singer/actress of Nigerian descent and has been releasing music since at least 2013. Chronixx is a reggae artist from Spanish Town, Jamaica. That's about all I know."
- KV

0 Comments

The Stooges, "No Fun"

1/17/2020

0 Comments

KOSMO's VINYL of the Week:
Although this week we are at The Hit Factory Studio, New York City, mentally we are in Detroit - either way it's April 1969, for The Stooges' John Cale produced "No Fun", first released on their debut "The Stooges" LP on Elektra on August 5th, 1969...

"Like many in the U.K. it was the Sex Pistols who first introduced me to "No Fun". The Stooges were one of the holy trinity of American Punk Rock - in 1976 everyone seemed to be citing them, MC5 and
New York Dolls as their inspiration. Whether you think you know it all, or know nothing about The Stooges, I strongly recommend Jim Jarmusch's documentary "Gimme Danger". Of the 3 LPs they made 'back in the day', their first one remains my favourite - still kick's ass over 50 years later !" - KV

0 Comments

"Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley

1/10/2020

0 Comments

KOSMO's VINYL of the Week:
This week we are in the U.S.A. (L.A.? Atlanta ?) of 2005 for "Crazy", the debut single from Gnarls Barkley, first released on the Downtown label in 2006...

"Gnarls Barkley is/was the duo of singer CeeLo Green and musician/dj/producer Danger Mouse. CeeLo had been part of the "Dirty South" Atlanta Hip Hop scene and Mouse had spent time in Georgia, London and Los Angeles. They had known each other for many years before they made this record. "Crazy" is not only Spaghetti Western inspired, the writers of "Last Man Standing" from the 1968 flick "Django, Prepare a Coffin" receive co-writers credits. Undoubtedly one of the great soul records of the 21st Century - play loud." - KV

0 Comments

Jake Thackray, "Lah-Di-Dah"

1/3/2020

0 Comments

KOSMO's VINYL of the Week:
This week we are in the England of 1967 for Jake Thackray's "Lah-Di-Dah", first released on his EMI debut LP, "The Last Will & Testimony of Jake Thackray"...

'No winter season would be complete round my home without the the sound of the satirical Yorkshireman, Jake Thackray - an acquired taste to be sure. As a kid, Jake would appear regularly on the more informed TV shows and at that time, I would have described him as a bit of a Northern Nut Job. I picked up a used compilation LP at a charity shop in the late 1980s and I've been listening ever since. Although for me he will always represent rural England, his biggest influence was in fact the French singer-songwriter George Brassens." - KV

0 Comments