Blackrock - Blackrock "Yeah, Yeah" / Bad Cloud Overhead. 1971 USA ~ Memphis, Tennessee

Two driving hard funk tracks, mostly instrumental, with some narrative singing on the b). Good guitar and organ. Solid rhythm with the bass work standing out. Not much psych unfortunately, purely funk rock. 

3/8/26 (new entry)

The Gale – Gotta Run Away / Make Up My Mind. 1972 USA ~ Birmingham, Alabama

A very interesting two sider here. The a) side starts with an excellent bass and drums groove. The song itself is a laid back organ rocker with excellent harmony vocals. The guitar and organ solos are clearly from the jazz school. The b) maintains the excellent groove though moves over to the soul funk genre, especially considering the addition of female vocals and wah wah rhythm guitar. At first I thought this was the weaker track, but here the guitar solo is based more in the psychedelic tradition. Obscure as they get.

4.0

1/5/26 (new entry)

Hercules & The Black Majic - War (Parts 1 and 2). 1970 USA ~ Des Moines, Iowa

The a) side is a fairly straightforward cover of the Edwin Starr classic. A little more rough and ready. More psych'd out I'd submit. Not really enough to call out on its own though. It's the b) side that captures the attention. While still the same song, it's a completely rearranged, improvised psychedelic funk instrumental with loads of killer fuzz. Good one here.

3.5 / 4.5

1/5/26 (new entry)

Pappys Hauted House - One More Time / Dude. 1972 USA ~ Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

One of those classic misspellings that that no doubt haunted (had to do it) the band for years to come. The a) side is mostly soul / jazz with the song belonging to the former and the organ to the latter. Nice wah wah rhythms and horns. It's the b) side that ignites the flame here. They add in wicked fuzz, and primarily go psychedelic with some hints of funk. 

The leader of the band was John Papi, who is the organ player, and led a jazz trio at one point. He's quite an interesting character. Much more info about him can be found here: https://oldmonmusic.blogspot.com/2010/01/john-papi.html

1/5/26 (new entry)

Parente Band – Tramp / New Day. 1971 USA ~ Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Both sides are high energy instrumental jazz funk tunes. Great grooves on this one. The only soloist is the tenor saxophonist. I like his style, busy, melodic, and never out of control. The horn section is tight, and one could call this big band rock. Oddly, there are two distinct pressings for this 45. I've included the more informative one.

3.5

12/11/25 (new entry)

Joe Glover & Chrome City – Sweet C C / Chrome City Funk. 1978 USA ~ Ohio

Now here's a goodie. From Warren, Ohio and best I can tell, this is all they did. There's some ghetto rant on YouTube if you want to learn more about them. Neither track has been comped to date. The a) side is disco with synthesized strings, a smooth groove, nice melodies, and some wicked guitar soloing. B) moves over to funk, also has a strong groove, and it doesn't take long for the guitar to start blasting out a cool solo. I want this.

4.0

12/10/25 (new entry)

Jesse Anderson - I Got a Problem / Mighty Mighty. 1969 USA ~ Wichita, Kansas

Heard of Marvin Gaye? So has Jesse Anderson. And that's the story of the a) side. But here we go again - it's the b) side that has those-in-the-know nabbing this one for a relatively cheap price. This has some of the heaviest beats and breaks one will ever hear. And with the slow wah wah rhythm guitar, it's about as smooth as it gets. Once the flute is introduced as the lead instrument, followed later by some psych guitar (not overly amplified), one can only wish it went on for ten more minutes. And that's the only flaw for the instrumental - it's way too short. 

Own.

7/21/25 (new entry)

Wes Henderson - In Bed / Rea Lity. 1969 Canada ~ Vancouver, British Columbia

Vancouver based musician Wes Henderson has this one release under his own name and it's a goodie. The a) side is a familiar type of 60s soul rock with a passionate chorus and some fine electric guitar. It's the b) side (known as 'Rea Lity' on my copy) that seems to have gone unnoticed so far. Excellent driving psychedelic funk, not too far from the label's namesake Rare Earth. More focused than that with some stinging guitar work. Great drum fills as well. To be discovered.

Own.

7/21/25 (new entry)

The Main Attraction - I Got Love For My Baby / What Do I Wish For. 1973 USA ~ Flint, Michigan

This was the crown jewel of our recent trip to Detroit. Dug this one out of a thrift shop for 25 cents! And it's in almost perfect shape. Even better is the sleeve has a handwritten note from someone in the band. Crystal Steele maybe? There is a phone number, but no such luck. Out of service and even an internet search turned up an unrelated name from the past. It was 52 years ago after all.

The music is what I'd call funky soul. The background is definitely funk but the two tunes are soul in nature. Female vocals dominate and there are no significant instrumental breaks. No matter, this one is special to me given the backstory.

Own.

3.5 / 3.5

Matrix - Comin' Home / Slam Dunk. 1982 USA ~ Wisconsin

From Appleton, Matrix had a relatively successful career, obtaining major label releases on both RCA and Warner Bros. I've heard a couple of them, but don't recall the contents and didn't keep either around. On this single, Matrix mixes two entirely different styles. The a) is smooth soul with crooning vocals and horns. The b) is hard funk with tight charts. The bassist really puts in a strong performance here. This would be Matrix's last effort and neither of these are on LP.

Own. Label is more orange than the photo suggests.

2.5 / 3.5

5/19/25

The Fabulous Raindrops - People Need A Beat / El Putty. USA ~ Denver, Colorado

Now this is something special. I bought a milk crate full of 45s for $5 last weekend from an old Hispanic lady. I took them home and sorted through them. Most in bad condition and about 98% of them were donated to a thrift shop and a few found their way to my $2 show bin. There were two gems in there: The Mod Squad and... by far and away the big one: The Fabulous Raindrops. This was the heavy hitter. And hyper rare. That's how 45 buys go. 200 nickel records and one $500+ treasure.

The labels aren't very telling. One side says "Soul" the other "Ranchera". Do you know what Ranchera is? Think Mexican country music. The label, from the Denver industrial suburb of Commerce City, specialized in Latin music. Hence the style typed on each side. That's just what Latin labels do. If one was to just hear the Ranchera side first, you'd already be in for a surprise. It's instrumental and barely Mexican in construct. 

It's the A) side that is a... banger. And a half (I'm such a hipster now). It's as if someone made it recently as the perfect example of late 60s (or early 70s - who knows?) heavy psychedelic funk. So much phased acid guitar and heavy beats. Separated perfectly for those who love to sample. And what a groove the organ sets. It's not Soul as you would typically associate the term with. And I don't think the label had any idea what they were putting out. With names like Spike and Ricky Martinez, it's interesting that the music sounds more like a private Detroit or Philly ghetto release.

Seeing some dates of 1966 thrown around. No chance. Way too psychedelic for that. I'd go '67 but probably later than that.

Brilliant I tell ya. It's on YouTube so check it out. You can also hear this track on Gear Fab's Psychedelic States: Colorado in the 60s. 

Own.

4/4/25 (new entry)

The Mods - Dry My Eyes / Rosalie. 1967 USA ~ Lincoln, Nebraska

Excellent blue eyed soul that yields to early funk. Good horn charts, solid melodies, high energy, and makes you want to hop around. Great organ too.

The song 'Dry My Eyes' was written by a well known band called The Fabulous Flippers, a group from Genius Hans' favorite town of Hays, Kansas. And the single was released on Fona. There are allegations that The Mods were a pseudonym for The Fabulous Flippers. However it's documented they were "The Modds" and were from Lincoln, Nebraska. They are in the Nebraska Music Hall of Fame in fact. So they grabbed the tune from their label mates is all there is to the story.

Own.

3.5 / 3.5

4/4/25 (new entry)

The Mod Squad - Charge / Mod Squad You All. 1970 USA

This is my kind of funk. Tight, heavy sound, great horn charts, nice vocals. Excellent bottom end. No ripping solos but otherwise a good seat jammer that will have you movin and groovin.

Not sure where they're from. Recorded in Los Angeles and no doubt influenced by the show. Especially brother Linc.

Own.

4/4/25 (new entry)

The TKO's – Dancing With My Baby / Getting Into Something. 1966 USA

I believe this is what they call "a dancer". All instrumental soul funk with wonderful fuzzy organ and jazz tone guitar. The flip side is more Latin influenced. 1966 is the year everything began to turn, and this is another one of those transitional 45s.

Own.

3.5 / 3.0

4/1/25 (new entry)

The Fun Band - Welcome To The Circle / It's Good. 1968 USA ~ Connecticut

One of those under the radar singles you'd think would be more well known and sought after. First side is high energy fuzzy funk, and you long for the guitarist to rip a solo. The b) side is even better, focusing primarily on Hammond with some horns and fuzz in the background. This one let's loose on the organ, and even features a couple of proggy breaks. Who were these guys anyway? And why isn't anyone into them? It's got the right sound. You can pick this 45 up dirt cheap online.

Own. My copy is the other promo but there's not a good photo of it on Discogs.

2/24/25 (review)

Vimana - Zebra / Masquerade. 1977 Brazil

If you arrived at Vimana's sole release with the idea that you were going to hear prog rock, then I think 'Zebra' will have you scratching your head. It's mostly a funk / disco hybrid, common for the 1977 era, though it does sport fine keyboard and guitar solos with some nice percussion sprinkled in. 'Masquerade' is, of course, the overt progressive rock track here. A real beauty, calling on the softer side of classic Yes, with a Mediterranean flair similar to the French and Spanish bands of the time. Some fine bass and flute propel the track to great heights. I can't think of another Brazilian band doing this kind of music in the late 70s.

2/23/20 (first listen / review); 1/21/25 (new entry)

Leong Lau - Late Night Flyer / One Dimensional Man. 1977 Australia

If you're already familiar with the album Dragon Man, then you know what to expect here. Psychedelic funk of the highest order, though in compact single form.

I almost let this get away. They are bonus tracks on the Strawberry Rain CD reissue, but are hidden (I was going to keep the LP reissue instead). Discogs didn't mention them (I just corrected the entry), only RYM did but without a track history. But I couldn't figure out why it said bonus tracks. Further investigation turns out it was my entry (I stopped contributing releases to RYM years ago, so this may have been one of my last ones). So I saved myself. lol.

Own as noted above.

3/1/14 (first listen); 1/18/25 (review / new entry)

The Mousetrap – Spinning Wheel / Rhymetyme. USA-Miami

Label is from Miami, so just a guess that's where these guys are from. A) side is a cover of the famous track by Blood Sweat and Tears, done funky psych. It's not overtly psych though, just a bit electrified. B) is more original and features some nice organ and guitar soloing, though again closer to the jazz school than rock. Soulful vocals.

I was going through some old notes, and this was the second time for me to hear this. Not sure of the date but probably 2020 - 2021.

3 / 3.5

1/2/25

Spaceark - Don't Stop (vocal & instrumental). 1976 USA-Los Angeles

From Los Angeles, Spaceark is a super example of funk and early disco with fine horns, sax, and organ. Strong jazz undertone. It's the same track on each side, with one featuring female vocals that makes the song that much better. This has some of the smoothest grooves you can hear. Excellent. This is the original black label. There's another pressing of these two tracks, on the same imprint, with a blue label under the name of Dolly Way & Space Ship Earth.

Own. Found at a local estate sale (2024).

8/4/24

American Soul Train - Can You Dig It / Tennessee Waltz. 1968 USA-Louisiana

A) side is horn driven funky soul with period lyrics. B) side is a slow dancer with gospel like crooning. Picks up nicely at the end with a faster beat and horns. Apparently the band name is a nom de plume for The Boogie Kings.

Used to own. Found at a local estate sale.

7/14/24