NO OTHER LOVE : MiDWEST GOSPEL (1965-1978) via Tompkins Square Records

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LiSTEN! to Journey by Joanne & Sonny! 

This collection of rare black gospel from the Midwest—featuring church congregations, basement recordings sessions, family bands and children’s choirs—is drawn together by two threads. The first—hope—which holds fast and unchanging, even in the most trying of circumstances. The second—circumstance—the way these recordings fell into the hands of producer, Ramona Stout, in Chicago at the dawn of the Obama era, when she had just about lost hope in her American Dream.

Over the course of five years (2006-2011) of vinyl hustling in Chicago’s South and West Sides, these 45s came into Ramona’s hands, mixed up in milk-crates stacked with Northern Soul, water-damaged jazz and Hall & Oates LPs. After much travel and time, Ramona has articulated the spirit that drove this music forward. In this collection, she writes of this music and its relationship to the struggling communities where the records were found.

Sourced from exceedingly rare 45s—many of which were vanity pressings of less than 100 copies—all but one of the tracks found on this collection appear for the first time since their original release. Remastered by Grammy-winning producer Christopher King, these recordings have been resurrected for a new generation of listeners. With art direction by Grammy-winning graphic designer Susan Archie, this collection is a tangible, immersive experience in the struggles—the victories, the failures and the lingering hope—that defined Chicago in the post-Civil Rights era.

No Other Love is a singular, impressionistic journey into music that expresses faith, despair and exuberance. It is also a profound exploration of the very meaning of hope.

All tracks used by permission.

Tracks :

1. It’s Going to Pay
Bro. Randy Wilson
2. I Want You to Help Me
The Travelers of Zion
3. No Other Love
Messiahs of Glory
4. Christmas in Heaven
Rev. H.H. Harrington
5. Try Jesus
Gospel Carolets
6. The Number
Wondering Gails
7. Journey
Joanne & Sonny
8. You Can’t Make It
The Georgia Brooks Singers
9. God is Using Me
The Harmony Five
10. Christ Rose
Rev. John Thomas and the New Christian Fellowship Church Choirs
11. Black Pride
Rev. H.H. Harrington
12. I’m Gonna Stand Still and Do My Master’s Will
Sunday Night Service, New Home Baptist Church
Rev. Mack McCollum w/ Combined Choirs
13. Rocky Road
Joanne & Sonny
14. Why
Sister Mary Lucas and The Harambee Singers of Sacred Heart School

No Other Love : Midwest Gospel (1965-1978)
Available November 8, 2019
CD : TSQ 5661 / LP : TSQ5678
Distributed by INgrooves in NA, Cargo UK for Europe

TompkinsSquare.com

ARiZONA DRANE'S He Is My Story : The Sanctified Soul of Arizona Dranes

This wonderful book w/ cd was in my mail today. It's a book about Arizona Dranes, a woman believed to be the first person to record gospel piano. She was also blind. It contains a CD with all of her known recordings.

Sadly, it didn't come with a download code so I was forced to find a non-Chris King produced copy, and I'm really curious about his mix. I'd imagine there's only so much that can be done with it, but he's done a terrific job with what he's got to work with on other recordings. Dranes' sound is a raw, rollicking, barrelhouse piano propelling Drane's tough, high plaint cutting through her strident, raw boogie, and setting the stage for those who came after, notably her fellow Church of God in Christ congregant Sister Rosetta Tharpe (who begat Chuck Berry, who begat etc etc) who Dranes must have mentored, as well as Thomas A. Dorsey, and later on Clara Ward, Jerry Lee Lewis, and any other washed in the blood gospel musician.

Only recording 16 sides between 1926-1928, Arizona Drane (sic) had been all but forgotten to history, but this recording, which has actually been out since 2012, revived her enough for another pass. Thanks to Tompkins Square Records, she lives again. #YesLord!

If you like serious old-timey gospel, and weird old American music in general you need to give Tompkins Square your money. Any of the gospel recordings are real shouters, and their award winning collection of disaster songs and murder ballads People Take Warning! is essential, as is Arizona Dranes' He Is My Story : The Sanctified Soul of Arizona Dranes. Get hit in your soul.

HARVEY MANDEL - Snake Pit (2016)

// TOMPKiNS SQUARE RECORDS //

The new Harvey Mandel album - Snake Pit, on Tompkins Square Records is dynamite. Featuring six new songs (and a couple of old ones) Snake Pit is Harvey Mandel's fifteenth album and his first to be widely distributed in twenty years.

If you've heard Mr. Mandel's guitar work with Canned Heat you'll have an idea of his sound. Blues-infected and dirty...physical...muscular... with a strong bottom end, but it's also often ornate, elegant, and heady. 

He's a thoughtful player, who can play a barrage of notes if needed but might just choose to kill you with a single-note solo instead. He's no show-off, rather, like all greats, he does his thing and hopes that you catch up to it.
 

Mandel can be slyly futuristic, and at the same time primitive. At times recalling the work of Trower, Hendrix, Page, Nelson, Carlos, etc...the usual gang...yet he remains wholly himself, and like Willy and the other gentlemen Mandel isn't afraid to take chances with jazz, funk, blues phrasings, and like Santana (or McLaughlin) he soars as he solos straight through your soul. Sustain set to Eternity, baby. 

Deeply southern funky, 
hard diving west coast blues, 
upholstered in Detroit, 
Mandel's guitar like a Cadillac, 
floating. 

Raised in Chicago, Mandel made a name for himself in San Francisco in the late sixties, jamming with the likes of the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia, later he went on to join John Mayall's band, and later found The Pure Food and Drug Act.

Harvey "The Snake" Mandel's third gig with Canned Heat was at Woodstock. His first was at Fillmore West when Canned Heat's guitarist quit. Mike Bloomfield played one set, Mandel the other.

You might have heard him on two songs on the Rolling Stones 1975 album, Black and Blue. He auditioned to be replacement for Mick Taylor, but that gig went to Ronnie Wood, which only makes sense. Snake Pit is the culmination of all that. It's an impressive career, that was nearly severely shortened by cancer. But #FuckCancer. Harvey Mandel's back with Snake Pit.

In reading about Mandel, the most common descriptor I came across was searing. That's perfectly accurate, but it's also very personal music, heavy, flying, dancing, crawling, feeling, leading, caressing, hammering music... metaljazzbluesrockfunksoulsomethingorothermusic. Whatever it is, it's alive, and it is powerful.

I don't know what his current health status is. I believe he's on the mend, but I do know he's had some serious ugliness, health wise, and I read had to pawn his guitars and sell his publishing to pay for healthcare.

We both know you haven't heard a good, serious, electric, virtuosically dirty guitar album in ages.
Fix that.

Snake Pit is Harvey Mandel's blues. His music should be heard by you. He's not like everyone else. Check him out, then give him your money. Thank-You!

TOMPKiNS SQUARE RECORDS Set To Release Line of new 78s!

One of my fave record labels, Tompkins Square is releasing a line of 78s:

"San Francisco-based record label Tompkins Square announces the first in a series of releases in the 78 rpm 10" vinyl format.

The first two will feature previously unreleased recordings from Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars), and Ralph Stanley. Both 78's will be released as a limited edition of 500 copies on Record Store Day, April 21, 2012.

Luther Dickinson plays medleys of Southern melodies on his 78, including "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah/Beautiful Dreamer" on the A side and "Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen/Peace in the Valley" on the B side. Ralph Stanley's 78 features "Single Girl", with "Little Birdie" on the B side.

Tompkins Square owner Josh Rosenthal comments, "A lot of new turntables play 78's, and many 78 collectors listen to their records on modern equipment. Tom Waits, Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe have all recently released 78's. So I thought it would be fun to start a line of them."

THiS MAY BE MY LAST TiME SiNGiNG - Raw African-American Gospel on 45 - 1957-1982

Tompkins Square Records @ Facebook // Twitter // OnLine // 

Willie Cotton - Stop Now ~ mp3

Elder Robert McMurray - Walk With Me ~ mp3

Prophet G Lusk - The Devil's Trying To Steal My Joy ~ mp3

With this straight up golden era,  hard,  raw,  local gospel collection ( all tracks collected from 45s ) Tompkins Square cements their footing as one of the coolest labels in the country ( yeah, there are still some record labels around that matter. ) 

 Just when you think it's all been mined, that America has given up the last Holy Ghost of gospel groups and testifying Deacons, along comes THiS MAY BE MY LAST TiME SiNGiNG - Raw African-American Gospel on 45 - 1957-1982.  It's a thrilling three-disc  collection that will knock out and rock out the hardcore fan, just as deeply as it will the virgin Gospel newcomer. 

It's exciting to me as a total music geek that we still have some record labels that you can trust to put out a quality product.  Tompkins Square Records is as well known  known for their gorgeous packaging design as they are for their release of Frank Fairfield albums,  a Polk Miller collection ( which I need! ), some acclaimed Charlie Louvin albums, and the amazing collection People Take Warning: Murder Ballads and Songs of Disaster 1913-1938, plus a bunch of other cool, eclectic stuff. 

This beautiful set includes an incredibly broad variety of  gospel styles within 72 tracks, a 23 page booklet that includes information about how the set was compiled, photos, and track by track annotation. What else could you want?

Do you find yourself sometimes needing
the healing power of serious gospel ? 

Go HERE and get some! 
Say Amen somebody.