Soul Strut 100: # 50 - Lyman Woodard Organization - Saturday Night Special
RAJ
tenacious local 7,783 Posts
I will slowly be unveiling the Top 100 Soul Strut Related Records as Voted by the Strutters Themselves.
# 50 - Lyman Woodard Organization - Saturday Night Special
About
The ???favorite songs featuring a mellotron??? forum thread on here a couple of days back, sparked my interest in pulling this one off the expedite. I was fortunate enough to get an original copy of this a few years back for a great price and it???s safe to say this record is going NOWHERE.
I must say, years and years ago before the days of widespread reissues and mp3 blogs, I had longed to hear this, thinking it was some funk soul break masterpiece with possibly one of the coolest cover art displays ever. My buddy finally paid an arm and a leg for an original copy and made some wav files, it was nothing like I had envisioned.
The music of the first two tunes were airy, emotional, spiritual, hardly the organ funk that I expected. In fact, the album moved me and took me to another place. This is a Detroit record from ex-Denis Coffey bandmate, organist Lyman Woodard. A who???s who from the Detroit scene helped him record this on Strat records and the result is nothing short of amazing. It???s gorgeous jazz music, but still gritty and raw enough to still remain hip and cool. The rest of the record falls under the early-70s Blue Note, Prestige sound of the day. But still, like I said, recorded in away that???s very organic.
Highlights include the title cut, my favorite ???Joy Road,??? and the guitar jazz funk of Ron English on ???On Your Mind.???
http://www.soulstrut.com/index.php/reviews/indepth/saturday_night_special/
Related Threads
Favorite Mellotron songs
LYMAN WOODARD ORGANIZATION ! ! !
Lyman Woodard - R.I.P.
Media
# 50 - Lyman Woodard Organization - Saturday Night Special
About
The ???favorite songs featuring a mellotron??? forum thread on here a couple of days back, sparked my interest in pulling this one off the expedite. I was fortunate enough to get an original copy of this a few years back for a great price and it???s safe to say this record is going NOWHERE.
I must say, years and years ago before the days of widespread reissues and mp3 blogs, I had longed to hear this, thinking it was some funk soul break masterpiece with possibly one of the coolest cover art displays ever. My buddy finally paid an arm and a leg for an original copy and made some wav files, it was nothing like I had envisioned.
The music of the first two tunes were airy, emotional, spiritual, hardly the organ funk that I expected. In fact, the album moved me and took me to another place. This is a Detroit record from ex-Denis Coffey bandmate, organist Lyman Woodard. A who???s who from the Detroit scene helped him record this on Strat records and the result is nothing short of amazing. It???s gorgeous jazz music, but still gritty and raw enough to still remain hip and cool. The rest of the record falls under the early-70s Blue Note, Prestige sound of the day. But still, like I said, recorded in away that???s very organic.
Highlights include the title cut, my favorite ???Joy Road,??? and the guitar jazz funk of Ron English on ???On Your Mind.???
http://www.soulstrut.com/index.php/reviews/indepth/saturday_night_special/
Related Threads
Favorite Mellotron songs
LYMAN WOODARD ORGANIZATION ! ! !
Lyman Woodard - R.I.P.
Media
Comments
Really? The title track is much better than anything else on that album. It is definitley debatable that this album may be a one tracker. You are just trying to uplay the "deep cuts" card.
i know some people think it's kind of weak, but when it clicks, it all makes sense.
:shit_yeah:
I was driving over a bridge at night when I first heard the title track and that intro line was so heavy it almost made me veer off the bridge!
Possibly a one tracker for me. Creative Musicians any day for me.
Not playing any cards, just stating my preference. The title track is great, too, I just really dig the vocals, solos, brevity, and overall dusty vibe of "Creative Musicians". Plus, isn't this entire LP technically a "deep cut" record?? This isn't Led Zeppelin IV. I don't know too many people outside of this circle (or others like it with music heads) that know of this album, or even Lyman Woodard. Just saying. I think the record has at least three standout tracks, and the rest is decent but doesn't shine quite as brightly (not a negative, I usually listen to the record from start to finish.)
this is why we do this collectroning
mellow as fuck sunday vibes
No, not me
this record is madness from beginning to end... love the lo fi recording: that tortured/distorted organ sound. You can hear Detroit bleed.
Ron English plays bass and guitar on the record
Some records are stand alone pieces that defy classifications and comparisons due to their originality and depth, this is one of them.
Now things start to get interesting at 50. Love this record. Not sure when I first heard it. At least 15 years ago. A masterpiece. A record that never tires, can be put on on any occasion and is universally appreciated, head nods and "what's this?" abound. So good! So effin good! This hit me with a kinda, shit what else is out there - how deep does the rabbit hole go for diggers?. A special record. No one listens to this without remarking and forging a memory for the words 'Lyman Woodard'. Unique words that I could mention in conversation and you instantly know that that dude has heard some good music and is on the level. NOT A 1-TRACKER. Flows beautifully from song to song as if sequenced by a greater intelligence. If this is at 50 then everything above it is gonna get some extra scrutiny. Fuck I love this record!!!!
I love this LP!!! I play "Saturday Night Special" on the regular, and "Joy Road" (featured on my mix "The Saturday Coolout") is my shizznit!!! I have other joints on this one as well (e.g., "Saturday Night Special" and Belle Isle Daze Parts 1 and 2"). I'm glad to see that "Saturday Night Special" earned its rightful recognition on the Soul Strut 100. Here's my joint, as I exit:
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak