NO NOS PARARAN (AIN'T NO STOPPING US NOW)

Listen to NO NOS PARARAN (AIN'T NO STOPPING US NOW) by Charanga 76.

Ain't no stopping this tune. NO STOPPING IT. Easily the longest track we've ever posted on the blog, it still competes on a thrill-a-minute basis. I've been playing it in New York, in California, in Oklahoma, in Mustique...and that's just this year. If I had had my way, it would've been played at my wedding. Play it every day. For those of you that get bored before its nine and a half minutes are up, you FAIL.

I believe we'll have John back guesting tomorrow (Jason is attending an awards ceremony in his honor (update: it even made the Daily Mirror!) and will be in no condition to blog), so we'll see you next week!

Photo: Subway station.

STONED OUT OF MY MIND

Listen to STONED OUT OF MY MIND by The Chi-Lites.

I think I saw somewhere that this track had caught on a soundtrack recently released, or maybe a car commercial or something, which is too bad, because I've been sitting on this one for years, waiting for the right moment to unleash it on the rest of you.

With such a provocative song title, you'd expect this tune to be full of little winks and double entendres. But it's not--it's just a brilliant, shiny, sweet, Chicago soul groover. In and out in three minutes.

This song is really the last gasp of the original Chi-Lites line-up, released in 1973, and what a way to go out.

Photo: Windward wading pool.

TOUCH ME TAKE ME

Listen to TOUCH ME TAKE ME by Rita Wright.

Someone made a comment on this song on imeem the other day and I thought to myself, "why haven't I ever posted this totally killer song on the blog?" The answer is, I'm a bad person.

But getting better, because here is one of the better unknown floor fillers you'll ever hear. You're welcome (for making your day much better than it was). See you Wednesday.

Photo: Bananas.

PLAY WITH FIRE

Listen to PLAY WITH FIRE by Barbara & Ernie.

That low rumbling is the sound of me pulling out the big guns today. Play With Fire is the most well known cut from an album reissued last year for the first time since it was released (and mostly ignored).

Barbara (Cat Stevens) & Ernie (Harry Belafonte) were both session musicians who for reasons obscured by time and space, recorded this one album together. It's soul, jazz, folk all rolled into one.

For those of you that have never had Play With Fire appear on one of your compilations or otherwise, you're in for such a treat. It's a great song, and the performance and recording is brilliant. On the performance, my single favorite thing is how the drummer plays these over-simple turnarounds leading into the choruses. He leaves so much space so that the snares and toms come down like hammers.

...You'll note that the banner this week is a little funkier this week too. That's what a digital camera does when it no longer works right! We got a good run out of that little guy, but it's time to go camera shopping.

Photo: Prop plane.