irwinloy

... in which Aretha Franklin finds a session guitarist named Duane Allman, some Staple folk get down to action and Ben E. King (yes, that Ben E. King) gets street.

> Aretha Franklin - The Weight (w/ Duane Allman) .mp3

> The Staple Singers - We've Got to Get Ourselves Together .mp3

> Ben E. King - Street Tough .mp3

In recognition of Vancouver Coun. Raymond Louie's birthday today, irwinloy.com resident DJ dj ill is proud to present three versions of the minor 70s hit, Brother Louie.

Hot Chocolate may be better known for its repertoire of camp classics, but several years before and an octave or two lower, singer Errol Brown's band released this not quite classic ditty about a forbidden, interracial love. Danger! Danger!

> Hot Chocolate - Brother Louie .mp3

Just a few months after Hot Chocolate's charting, American band Stories continued the fine rock'n'roll tradition of opportunistic white musicians copping black artists to great success. Brother Louie, complete with a wicked backing strings track and vocals from Rod Stewart's long lost twin brother, reached No. 1.

> Stories - Brother Louie .mp3

And of course, the obligatory reggae version.

> Matumbi - Brother Louie .mp3

Brother Louie: I can't think of a case in which the chorus is so piercingly annoying yet the song itself isn't half bad.

Bonus Drinking Game: Take a swig every time the singer says "Louie."

With its sedated rhythm, meandering baseline and a lurking string section that floats just behind Marvin Gaye's falsetto, Inner City Blues is one of the baddest songs on earth. That's why I nearly flipped when I heard this version. I flipped again when I learned it was the brainchild of a white Belgian guy, the incredibly versatile pianist Marc Moulin. This version by his jazz outfit, Placebo (no, not the androgynous Brit band), plays like the perfect stripped down DJ remix, peeling back the skin and leaving only the ominous, thumping core. Bad. Very bad. Even with the somewhat mispronounced Euro vocals.

Moulin passed away in September after a battle with cancer.
> Placebo - Inner City Blues .mp3

I reckon this is what a computer sounds like when it's horny.
> Hot Chip - Sexual Healing .mp3

Live at Montreux captures the great Marlena Shaw at her soaring, soulful best. And can you really argue with saving babies? Bonus: Some marvelous Rhodes piano work in the background.
> Marlena Shaw - Save the Children .mp3

If Marvin Gaye was the technician, then Donny Hathaway was the showy virtuoso. His live version of What's Going On presents a wonderful contrast in styles. Bonus: Hathaway's splashy flourishes on his Wurlitzer piano. Where can I buy one of those in Vancouver?
> Donny Hathaway - What's Going On (Live) .mp3

This bare bones version sounds like a stripped down DJ re-edit... because it is. I wish I could remember where I got this track.
> Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (Shhhhh Reconstruction) .mp3

Mr. Doucet's been getting some press lately for his ode to the American election process. Check out his new-ish album, Blood's Too Rich.
> Luke Doucet - I Wish I Was American .mp3

Bettye Lavette possesses one of the most lethal voices in soul music. I still can't understand how she never became a star. But here you go.
> Bettye Lavette - You'll Never Change .mp3

Cynical? Perhaps. The only rock song on Radiohead's first non-Rock-n-roll record.
> Radiohead - Electioneering .mp3

> Sunset Rubdown - They Took a Vote and Said No .mp3

Belizean musician Andy Palacio has died. The respected musical figurehead of the Central American Garifuna community was felled this weekend at age 47 by "a massive and extensive stroke to the brain," according to an e-mail from his producer and manager, Ivan Duran.

When I interviewed Palacio in Belize just over a year ago, I found him in his windowless office at the National Institute for Culture and History in the Belizean capital, Belmopan. He was fretting over tour dates and logistics for the pending release of his new album, Wátina.

But he may as well have been planning the album for decades.

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