KOSMO's VINYL of the Week

Moodymann, "Just Stay A While"

3/26/2021

KOSMO's VINYL of the Week:
This week we are in the Detroit of early 2020 for Moodymann's "Just Stay A While", first released on his "Taken Away" album by KDJ Records on 21st May 2020...
"Born Kenny Dixon Jr, to parents from Detroit, Moodymann has been releasing music since the early 1990s. He is fiercely loyal to his beloved but battered Detroit, saying "If Detroit's a dying city, I'm going to stay right here and die with it !", and that's about all l I know about him.
Another one that has come my way via my #2 son Charlie, when he plays something I like, I ask about it." - KV

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Junior Byles, "Fade Away"

3/19/2021

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KOSMO's VINYL of the Week:
This week we are in Channel One Studios, Maxfield Ave, West Kingston, Jamaica, some time in 1975 for Junior Byles' "Fade Away", produced by Joe Hoo Kim and first released (I think) on the Well Charge label...

"Kerrie Byles Jr. was born in Kingston in 1948 and formed a vocal group, The Versatiles, in 1967, while working as a firefighter. They were soon discovered by Lee "Scratch" Perry and although they split up in 1970, Junior would continue to record for Perry until some time in the mid-1970s.

"Fade Away" was recorded at the Famous Channel One Studios and was an enormous hit in JA in 1975 and popular in London the following year. I never owned a copy until it was released as part of the soundtrack to the reggae film "Rockers" in 1978. Since then, Byles has suffered increasingly from Mental Health issues, sometimes living as a homeless person - a great talent who has been dealt a bad hand." - KV

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"Jock-A-Mo", by Sugar Boy and his Cane Cutters

3/12/2021

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KOSMO's VINYL of the Week:
This week we are back in Cosimo Mattasa's J&M Studios, 840 N.Rampart St., New Orleans, in November 1953 for James "Sugar Boy" Crawford & His Cane Cutters' "Jock-A-Mo" (later known as "Iko Iko"), first released on 10" 78RPM on Checker...

"New Orleans born James Crawford would have been 19 when he cut what would become the original version of "Iko Iko", an international hit for the Dixie Cups some ten years later. Crawford had to sue for a piece of the Dixie Cups action and, although there was a settlement, it was far from fair.

Crawford said that he had combined two Mardi Gras Indian chants he knew, and there are numerous serious theories as to what these phrases and title mean but, for me, there is no explanation required." - KV

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Marcus King, "Beautiful Stranger"

3/5/2021

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KOSMO's VINYL of the Week:
This week we are in Easy Eye Sound Studio, Nashville for Marcus King's "Beautiful Stranger", produced and co-written by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys and first released on the "El Dorado" album on Fantasy Records in 2020...

"Greenville, South Carolina born, Marcus is the son of blues guitarist Marvin King, and he started playing on stage with his Dad at the age of eight!

This record was introduced to me last year by 'My Man in Manchester', Dave Bennett. There's nothing new here, just a fine country soul ballad well executed, and, for me, it hits that spot. There's also a nice acoustic version, easily found online, by Marcus and Dan Auerbach - worth checking out too." - KV

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