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7"
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FRY 025EP
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"Somewhere Down the Line" has been a huge mod/R&B essential spin for many years now, and it's not hard to see why. With its bluesy harmonica and guitar riff married to a full, swinging horn section, the production perfectly encapsulates the developing early '60s sound, where blues and R&B eventually gave way to soul. Little Johnny Taylor was obviously inspired by the blues sounds of his early childhood, but contemporary to the singers who were inspiring the new genre shift at the time. "What You Need Is a Ball" is perhaps closer still to a pure soul sound, but still with that earthy blues backbone and groove.
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FRY 024EP
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Great two-sider from one of the leading queens of rhythm and blues, Lavern Baker. "Bumble Bee" is an unusual uptempo early soul dancer with sharp backing vocals, nicely droning guitar chops and chime-like vibes -- and of course, a sassed-up vocal turn from Ms. Baker herself. Meanwhile, on the flip, there's the notorious X-rated version of "Think Twice," a duet with Jackie Wilson. Reportedly recorded at the end of a long session in which copious alcohol had been imbibed, here Baker and Wilson let rip, audibly stifling hysterics as they try and out-filth each other.
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FRY 023EP
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Baby Washington was born in Bamberg, South Carolina, and raised in Harlem, New York. In 1956, after recording with a couple of girl groups, she signed to Donald Shaw's Neptune Records as a solo soul performer. Fryers presents two favorite sides from this early era. "Move On" is a gritty rock 'n' roll R&B floorfiller that's been a tried and tested spin. With its car-racing lyrics, it's more rockabilly aesthetic still treads into soul. "Medicine Man" is another smash with sparse, moody instrumentation and backstreet sleaze. Played on the R&B and popcorn dancefloors --a perfect warm-up or warm-down to any good night.
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FRY 022EP
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Chocolate Snow were to be Wichita's answer to Earth, Wind & Fire or Sly & The Family Stone. This release (a take on the Wes Montgomery version of The Beatles' "A Day in the Life") broke new ground, yielding an almost unrecognizable take on the classic, but the 45 stiffed. They recorded the track again in L.A., but this time with a vocal on top, entitled "Inflation." Deep, deep music, way ahead of its time and presented here for the first time on 45.
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FRY 018EP
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Everybody knows the 1973 hit song for "That Lady" but few but the most avid collectors of soul music 45s are even aware that this record was actually a remake of a song recorded a decade earlier. This original version is a jazzy doo-wop workout clearly inspired by The Impressions. This wonderful version of the blues standard "St. Louis Blues" can only be found on an obscure Italian 45 that changes hands for big money. Here is a clean press right from the master.
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FRY 021EP
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Rockabilly, R&B or soul -- no matter what your bag, the one and only Elvis Presley has enough power, presence and panache to offer something for everyone, and here are two alternate takes from Elvis soundtracks, GI Blues and King Creole. "Pocketful of Rainbows" is a more dancefloor-friendly take with a stronger rhythm section, which was aching for 45 release, while on the flip we have an alternate take of "Crawfish" with Jean "Kitty" Bilbrew matching Elvis in the mix.
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FRY 020EP
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Fryers presents two of their favorite sides from "Queen of Rockabilly" Wanda Lavonne Jackson. "Funnel of Love," her ever-popular 1961 rock 'n' roll standard was recorded back in 1961 and covered by every half-decent rockabilly-influenced band ever since. "Whirlpool" has been getting recent spins on the European R&B and soul scene. As always, great care has been taken to make this the best-sounding press of these two tracks. Mastered in Finland where Timmion Cutting Laboratory cut loud, deep, and wide.
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FRY 019EP
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Annie Williams, practically unknown apart from within the deep soul record collector circuit, presents "I've Got a Man," a play on the Ray Charles original "I Got a Woman." With a rawkus R'n'B-style vocal, it smashes any dancefloor. On the flip we have Bronx-born girl group Baby Jane & The Rockabyes (Madelyn "Baby Jane" Moore, Yolanda Robinson, Yvonne DeMunn, Estelle McEwan) doing their girl-pop interpretation of another classic from Ray.
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FRY 017EP
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Gene Chandler takes the Godfather of Soul James Brown to task and knocks it out the fucking park. This IS the version of "There Was a Time." Barnstorming, pounding Northern soul of the highest calibre, nobody messes with Chandler's confidence as he takes control of the heavy orchestration and rises effortlessly above it, his precise vocal timing commanding the dancefloor to lose control.
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FRY 016EP
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Barbara Acklin's magnificent "Am I the Same Girl" was released in February 1969 and reached #33 in the R&B charts and crossed over to #79 in the pop charts. Despite its hit status, it remains an elusive record to find mint -- probably because most copies were played to death. On the flip, we have "Love Makes a Woman," Barbara's biggest solo hit, reaching #5 in the R&B charts and #15 in the pop charts. This version was re-recorded from the original master.
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FRY 013EP
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Sonny Rhodes' "You Better Stop" is an all-around post-deep-funk/soul crossover. First spun on the European cross-genre funk n' soul scenes by UK DJs like Ian Wright, now getting picked up on the UK Northern scene. Fryer managed to get to the tapes, which amazingly were still intact, and transferred them at half-speed for a truly explosive sound. On the flip is another cool instrumental track from the same period. The Right Kind whip up a funky R&B stormer with a slight mod edge.
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FRY 012EP
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Two jump and jive numbers from Little Esther, recorded with Johnny Otis' orchestra for the Federal label back in the early '50s, with two sides penned by the legendary Lieber & Stoller. "Hollerin' And Screamin'" features a rock steady jiving pattern while "Turn The Lamps Down" finds Esther performing a call and response duet with Little Willie Littlefield. Even though she was only 17 years old at the time, she delivers the vocals with a characteristically confident and assured delivery.
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FRY 011EP
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Two great female vocal sides from the King label. Elaine Armstrong's "Sad But True" is a hopelessly obscure and surely underplayed sister funk gem. The Vonns' "So Many Days" is a fantastic gospel-tinged R'n'B/soul number which has been on a lot of want-lists over the past few years. Sheer class.
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FRY 008EP
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Fryers presents the legitimately licensed reissue of The 6 Degree South's genre-defining deep funk jewel "Loving You 'Is To Far Out.'" This anthem is a masterpiece of its genre because they pulled off what so many R&B groups of the early '70s tried to do -- they combined the sinister "end-is-near" dark psychedelia of the late '60s with the funkiness and dancefloor punch of early '70s street funk, creating a weaponized hybrid brand of funk that sounds fresh and exiting.
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FRY 010EP
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Ann Cole began her all-too brief career with her family's gospel group The Colemanaires before going on to cut a batch of secular solo singles with the Baton label. From the Baton sides, Fryer has selected "Each Day" for this limited run reissue, a hot little number that swings, bops and boogies accompanied by sultry lead vocals from Miss Ann Cole herself. On the flip, "Have Fun" is a sweet, string-laden ballad-with-a-beat.
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FRY 009EP
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A well-placed RnB reissue which cheekily pairs two of the gems from Big Maybelle's '50s recordings for the Okeh label. "I've Got A Feelin'" has proven rather difficult to track down, especially on its 45rpm format. With congas, swinging horn patterns and Maybelle's dread-drenched vocals, this is one of those tracks that cuts through genres. "Ocean Of Tears" is a true rhythm and blues masterpiece. A deep gospel feel is offset by a swinging rhythm, while Maybelle's gut-wrenching vocal is the blues encapsulated.
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