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Malaco Records (Mississippi-related)

dreskieboogiedreskieboogie 951 Posts
edited January 2009 in Strut Central
I have found a few things on the label over time but I feel there's must be some killer stuff Im missing out on. Whats good?Does it make sense if Malaco was one of the bigger labels in the Missisippi area? I think somebody told be that some time ago...Peace,Dress

  Comments

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    It is! That label practically OWNED the whole soul-blues market there for a while, what with Dorothy Moore ("Misty Blue"), Bobby Bland, Z.Z. Hill, Latimore, Denise LaSalle, and Little Milton.

    Question: what records have you found? I take it you weren't happy with what you got if you feel there's some stuff you are "missing."

    Some really good random 45's on Malaco: Deep South Wind's "Hello Love, Mr. Happiness" and (from the '80s) "Part Time Lover, Full Time Fool" by Formula V.
  • dreskieboogiedreskieboogie 951 Posts
    I found Sho Nuff 12" with "dont use me up" b/w "you got me workin'" and Dorothys "misty blue". Both of them are alright but Im sure there must be more.

    Thanks for the answer though.

    Peace,

    Dress
  • crazypoprockcrazypoprock 1,037 Posts
    i always get Malaco and Macola mixed up
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    Generally, "Misty Blue" is more typical of the label's output than that Sho Nuff 12", which I'm assuming is a modern soul-funk kinda thing. That's something the label dabbled in here and there, but never really became big in that field.

    Don't know if you're into CD's, but there is a Malaco box set, titled something like The Last Soul Company...
  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    Im fond of Bobby Bland "get your money where you spend your time" not really my sound but this song has a cool vibe about it.

    The flip to Dorothy Moore's "Misty Blue", "Here it is" is actually some pretty hard hitting funk...odd one for the label, no blues or 70s juke joint vibe...sounds like it could be on westbound or something...

    the shop actually has a lot of malaco LPs, if anyone is looking for a particular one, PM me...
  • JazzsuckaJazzsucka 720 Posts
    The records on Malaco that I have listened to now and then have usually been average at best. I would love to hear some recommendations as well.
  • SoulhawkSoulhawk 3,197 Posts
    "I got the low-down up-town Malaco blues, and baby you know thats the worst kind of blues you can get..."

    (insert lame blues guitar twiddle)
  • SupergoodSupergood 1,213 Posts
    I enjoy some of the early-80's Malaco stuff, which is a bit less blues-based.

    Sho-Nuff has a couple of great LPs on the label, though I'm able to find pics of any.


    This LP by Power is also pretty great:
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    "I got the low-down up-town Malaco blues, and baby you know thats the worst kind of blues you can get..."

    (insert lame blues guitar twiddle)

    Malaco doesn't do the white-guy guitar wank thing. They're mainly aimed at black audiences, so it's a little more soul-oriented.

    At one point they did have a subsidiary devoted to the white blues circuit (Waldoxy), but that seems to be inactive now.
  • SoulhawkSoulhawk 3,197 Posts
    they still have twiddle, it's like a veneer on top of some slick uptown crap

    ZZ Hill must have sold 10 billion albums of this shit back in the 80s

    proving that black people too, can make terrible blues
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    they still have twiddle, it's like a veneer on top of some slick uptown crap

    ZZ Hill must have sold 10 billion albums of this shit back in the 80s

    I don't hear any twiddle. Yes, there is a very audible guitar on Malaco's stuff, but it never sinks to Blues Hammer standards.

    I agree, Malaco (and other modern black blues labels) can be slick, but their slickness doesn't bother me like it would on a Buddy Guy album. Or from any of the umpteen Stevie Ray imitators (black AND white).
  • SoulhawkSoulhawk 3,197 Posts
    twiddle is different than shredding
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    twiddle is different than shredding

    twiddle is different than WANKING

    i can deal with twid, shred is cool in its place, but wank gotta go!!

    __________________________________________________________________________________

    to keep it on topic: ive never heard it, but Mighty Sam had a single on Malaco in 1971, a version of "Mr. & Mrs. Untrue"
  • holmesholmes 3,532 Posts
    Malaco sounds pretty middle of the road to me in their late 70s/early 80s stuff. I also really like the flip of the "Misty Blue" 45, I didn't think anyone else gave a shit about that song, so that's cool to know. They are just a bit too slick at times when they hit the late 70s/early 80s.
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    There is not much on Malaco that is funky enough, rare enough or sampled enough to get the soulstrut seal of approval. But they did pick up where Stax left off.

    There is some good (often 80s sounding) gospel.
    Jackson Southernaires
    Everreadys

    I like all the Denise LaSalle stuff. I think the one I like most is called Lady In The Street, I think it's the green cover.

    Eddie Floyd and Latimore both recorded for Malaco.

    ZZ's Down Home Blues and Bland's Members Only, were staples for a certain demographic. I sold lots of those back when I opened my shop. Blues fans who have no idea who Michael Bloomfield or SRV were, but know all about Bobby Rush.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    He might look like E.T. - As long as he's good to me!
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    Johnnie Taylor:
    "wall to wall,
    back to back,
    everywhere I looked
    I saw something that I liked!"
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