"Man, You Come Right Out A Comic Book!"

If you've been passin' through this joint for a while, then you know that I occasionally like to break up the monotony by throwing a guest writer into the mix. In the past, I've invited a vast array of DJs, producers, MCs, musicians, and fellow bloggers/writers to share some of their unique talents with the squadron of soul children who frequent this spot.

Today I offer you a glimpse into the mind of the almighty Styler. Styler became a celebrity 'round here by throwin' down some mad intelligent discourse in the comments section. His random, stream-of-consciousness utterings are more insightful, informative, and humorous than the average blogger, so I couldn't resist extending an invitation for him to take a stab at serving up an official post. Thanks for making your world debut here, mi amico...and all you soul babies in the house, be easy...Scholar


Greetings Scholar and all you Scholettes out there in radio land! Or internets land as it is now these days.

Well, our most fine and informed host has seen fit to allow yours truly to open up one's internets machine and allow some musings and music to spew out of my brain and fingers (not forgetting my hard drive) and speak with you, the great and the good who frequent this snazziest of jazziest little site dedicated to the music we all love, through the magic medium of the webs.

First up, I'm slighty inebriated with the vino and I am getting my bad self down to the fantastic damage that is Cannibal Ox, while I type this 'ere prose.

Secondly, being from the "Dear Green Place" that we call Glasgow, the original one in Scotland, not the Montana one or the one from the Bluegrass State, the original greycloud state that I call home, you know the one where that twat John "Smeato" Smeaton kicked a man in the head after everyone else had done their bit to calm the failed terror attack at the airport, and then claimed all the glory when the world's news cameras were on him...that Glasgow.

Anyway I digress. Yes being from here the temptation to speak about and share the music of Simple Minds, Wet Wet Wet, Deacon Blue, Franz Ferdinand and of course former Prince conquest Sheena Easton, was thankfully for all, never, ever, ever there. However, I must give a mention to good old Hamish Stuart, the Glasgow born member of Glasgow and Scotland's very best blue eyed soul and funk disco combo known as the Average White Band---"Pick Up the Pieces" etc., or if you don't like Scottish funkateers, you may prefer "Pick Up The Pieces, One By One" by Fred Wesley/James Brown as A.A.B.B (Above Average Black Band), a cheeking wee moniker they gave themselves which can be found on James Brown's Funky People vol.3...but I'm sure that many of you are aware of this little ditty, so on with the show.

First mp3 for your listening pleasure is the vocal talents of a wee lassie from the mean streets of Glasgow who made her name in the '60s at the age of 16 or 17, Lulu. Her first and probably most famous hit, the bombastic pop screamer cover of The Isley Brothers' "Shout", definitely got her noticed and set her on the way to '60s superstardom and marriage to a Bee Gee. She also had a successful T.V. show in the '60s with a famous guest appearance from the Jimi Hendrix Experience, where Jimi and the boys decided to run over their allotted time and went into a tribute version of "Sunshine Of You Love" for Cream. All good stuff and worth a check on the youtubes, etc.

Anyway, this track is a good example of late '60s British Pop, obviously influenced by the R&B and Psychedelic Bop Pop of the time. I think it may even have had the guitar talents of Mr. Led Zeppelin himself, Jimmy Page, although of course I may be wrong on that one and I am willing to stand corrected if that is the case.

Lulu - "Love Loves To Love Love" (zShare)

Lulu - "Love Loves To Love Love" (savefile)

Those of you who are familiar with "UK Big Beat" dance music, pioneered by the likes of Fatboy Slim, will maybe recognise the fuzzy guitar sample from this track being used by Mr. Norman Cook for "Santa Cruz" on his first Fatboy Slim album, Better Living Through Chemistry.

Speaking of Big Beat, another fine exponent of it can be found in some earlier releases from Scottish born DJ, producer, composer Damon Baxter a.k.a Deadly Avenger. DA started out as an experimental electronic soundtracky type thang, and has since returned to that genre influenced in the main by Lalo Schifrin, John Carpenter, Barry Gray, etc. However, in between (approx. 1995 - 2000), he released some absolute killer 12" and EPs of bangin' block party beats and some downtempo sleazy funky laidback groovers, not unlike really good porn music!

The block party breakbeats records where made up in the most by sampling the likes of The Jimmy Castor Bunch, Jimmy 'Bo' Horne and some classic old school hip hop as well as some familiar TV cop show music, all good stuff for hittin' the floor and cuttin' some rug! But don't take my word for it, after all you don't even know me.

I nearly forgot, I cannot be talking about Deadly Avenger without including the classic "We Took Pelham (original)" that was on the very limited and rare The Illicit EP (1998), not the rehashed and frankly rather tame version he included on his 2002 album Deep Red, which although all very nice with the Hungarian Orchestra's strings and horns, lacked the real dirty raw kick ass funky hip hop edge of the original, which samples Bill Conti's "Going The Distance" Rocky music to great effect.


Deadly Avenger - "We Took Pelham" (zShare)
Deadly Avenger - "We Took Pelham" (savefile)

Deadly Avenger - "Charlie Don't Surf" (zShare)
Deadly Avenger - "Charlie Don't Surf" (savefile)

Deadly Avenger - "Lawrence Of A Labia" (zShare)
Deadly Avenger - "Lawrence Of A Labia" (savefile)

Most of DA's output from this period can be found on the 2004 compilation The Last Time I Do This For Free, along with some of his stable mates who were on DC Recordings and Illicit Recordings roster at that time.

OK, I have now probably bored you all silly with the Glasgow/Scotland thing so I shall try and steer clear of my cultural references, and hopefully with this next mp3 will be posting a wee gem of a jazzy rarity in the form of a great tune by New Orleans horn blower and Dom DeLuise tribute, Al Hirt. His 1967 album Soul In The Horn is, as far as I'm aware, unavailable on CD and is very hard to come by, although the De La boys found a copy and sampled this tune.

Al Hirt - "Harlem Hendoo" (zShare)
Al Hirt - "Harlem Hendoo" (savefile)

Next up, another 'classic' and a favourite of mine by South African jazz singer Letta Mbulu. Some of you may know this as it has been on a couple of compilations and has been reissued on the excellent Jazzman (UK) 45's. In my humble opinion, there is absolutly nothing wrong with groovin.


Letta Mbulu - "What's Wrong With Groovin" (zShare)
Letta Mbulu - "What's Wrong With Groovin" (savefile)

Next up, a killer remix of a DJ Krush (feat. Mos Def) tune, remixed by DJ Krush himself, from a CD I picked up in a bargain bin for only 2 of my earth pounds. A quality collection of self-remixed bombs by Japan's finest, it features many great vocal talents, including Aesop Rock, Mr Lif, Company Flow, Anticon, and the aforementioned sooper dooper emcee, Mos Def.


DJ Krush feat. Mos Def - "Shinjiro (Harsh Mix)" (zShare)
DJ Krush feat. Mos Def - "Shinjiro (Harsh Mix)" (savefile)

Many of you may be familiar with the popular sample from "The Champ" by The Mohawks, used in many hip hop joints over the years. It was composed by Alan Hawkshaw, who was a very much in-demand session and library musician. Along with the likes of Keith Mansfield and others, they produced great groovy, swinging cheesy '60s Hammond instrumentals that would go down well at any Austin Powers party. Hawkshaw also composed many theme tunes for British television, the best by far would have to be "Blarney's Stoned", the theme tune to the very funny Irish comedian Dave Allen's sketch shows in the '70s.

Allen has been labelled the father of alternative comedy and was certainly a refreshing change from the tired (and very occasionally bigoted and ignorant) comedy on the box at the time, although I was just a snotty nosed kid at the time, so I have a blurred reminiscence of it.

I do remember that good ol' Dave always had a whiskey in his hand ( I do not know what malt he favoured but I put the "e" in the whisk'e'y as that is the prefered Irish spelling and I believe you American chaps have adopted that preference also) and a very dapper suit on as he delivered his closing monologue, with the very right on "May your God go with you."

Alan Hawkshaw - "Dave Allen At Large Theme Tune ( Blarney's Stoned)" (zShare)
Alan Hawkshaw - "Dave Allen At Large Theme Tune ( Blarney's Stoned)" (savefile)

My last selection is by the UK's finest, Mr. Rodney Smith, a.k.a Roots Manuva. Ooh yes, this London boy is the daddy and this track is from his debut album, 1999's Brand New Second Hand on the Big Dada label. It is one of my most favourite, so if you have not (or even if you have) heard this before, I'm sure you will enjoy.


Roots Manuva - "Motion 5000" (zShare)
Roots Manuva - "Motion 5000" (savefile)

Fundamental Supplementals:

This is a nice remix of Mr. Lif by one DJ Hype. Now, the only DJ Hype I know of is a drum and bass, jungle type guy, so if this is the same dude, then nice one.


Here is a vid of Gary "Mudbone" Cooper of Parliament/ Funkadelic/Bootsy's Rubber Band and original Funkadelic bass player and all round bad ass, Mr Billy "Bass" Nelson, joined by my boys Numboy (guitar) and Shug (drums), as well as MC Nadirah X and DJ Scratchadelic when they were supporting Pink on her UK tour a couple years ago. Good Times!


Well...many thanks to our mutual friend for allowing my time to encroach on his time, and thank you all for reading and listening. I hope that it has not been too much of a chore and maybe a couple of you will have heard a tune or two that you enjoyed.

Styler's Word From Someone's Mother:

"Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes. After that, who cares?.... he's a mile away and you've got his shoes!"---Billy Connolly