Hot Wax Appreciation Thread (Laura Lee related)

spelunk

My favorite record off the label, but you really can't go wrong here. I was sorting through my records last night and realized that the other records I have off the label are all heat, especailly the Laura Lee stuff, in my mind it sounds like the Hot Wax sound was what Holland & Dozier always wanted to make. The congas & guitar at the end of "It's not what You Fall for, It's what You Stand for" are Any other favorites off the label?

Swayze

I like that record and especially that song as well. Nice record, easy enough to find. When I used to play out I would play that song.

mandrew

honeycone's "want ads" 45 including b-side - i think its "we belong together" but i may be mistaken

either way

pickwick33

I'm a huge Hot Wax fan myself. The "rockist" in me digs the fact that distorted guitars are about 100x more prominent on Hot Wax records than on most soul records of the time, making even the Honey Cone sound like a heavy metal band. I like that album by the Politicians, one of the greatest black-rock albums ever (and they were probably the Hot Wax house band). I'm also feelin' the Flaming Ember (white soul band from Detroit that was like Hot Wax's answer to Motown's Rare Earth). But as far as...

...for some reason, I never liked Laura Lee on Hot Wax. The earlier stuff on Chess and Cotillion is gold all the way, but her Hot Wax sides are all trying way too hard to tackle controversial issues (Millie Jackson did that better, but that's just my opinion). However, there is one track that never fails to do it for me...

The congas & guitar at the end of "It's not what You Fall for, It's what You Stand for" are

For real. The only reason I bought that elpee in the first place.

And while you're celebrating Hot Wax, may as well show some love to Invictus as well - same stable of musicians, writers and producers, same owners, and in one case the same song. ("It's Instrumental To Be Free" by the Eighth Day on Invictus later showed up as the Politicians'"Free Your Mind" on Hot Wax.)

noz

Lazer

The real question is which label is better -- the early or late one. I still can't decide. I only have one Laura Lee side and I don't mind it. I think I'm partial to the 100 Proof Aged In Soul sides I gots. "One Monkey" is cool. I really like the "Innocent till Proven Guilty" song. Till Kanye and Common raped it. Shit, saul good!!!!!

Lazer

And while you're celebrating Hot Wax, may as well show some love to Invictus as well - same stable of musicians, writers and producers, same owners, and in one case the same song. ("It's Instrumental To Be Free" by the Eighth Day on Invictus later showed up as the Politicians'"Free Your Mind" on Hot Wax.)

shit, i was just thinking about that!!!!

pickwick33

The real question is which label is better -- the early or late one.

If you mean the label design, both were classy, but I do have a slight preference for the first one, with the vinyl erupting in flames right there on the turntable.

If you mean the label itself, the later Hot Wax singles from 1976 (when it was revived and distributed by CBS) weren't bad, but the earlier singles and albums from 1969-73 (when it was a Buddah sub-label) really defined the sound.

I still can't decide. I only have one Laura Lee side and I don't mind it. I think I'm partial to the 100 Proof Aged In Soul sides I gots. "One Monkey" is cool. I really like the "Innocent till Proven Guilty" song. Till Kanye and Common raped it. Shit, saul good!!!!!

I like the way a lot of those 100 Proof sides were all titled after some old saying, advertising slogan or metaphor - "One Man's Leftovers Is Another Man's Feast," "Don't Scratch Where It Don't Itch," "I'm Mad As Hell & I'm Not Gonna Take It Anymore," "My Piece Of The Rock," "Too Many Cooks Spoil The Soup," etc.. I don't remember HDH getting this downhome with their titles when they were with Motown.

DJ_Enki

I don't trip off vocal performances all that often, but Laura Lee's performance on "Crumbs On the Table" is amazing. I also dig Flaming Ember's "Filet of Soul" as a nice instrumental groove.