Soul Strut 100: # 24 - The Baby Huey Story - The Living Legend

RAJ

I will slowly be unveiling the Top 100 Soul Strut Related Records as Voted by the Strutters Themselves.

# 24 - The Baby Huey Story - The Living Legend



The list so far:

# 100 - Jr. and His Soulettes - Psychodelic Sounds
# 99 - Sir Joe Quarterman & Free Soul
# 98 - Donny Hathaway - S/T (1971)
# 97 - Bernard Wright - ???Nard
# 96 - Tom Scott - Honeysuckle Breeze
# 95 - People Under the Stairs - Question in the Form of an Answer
# 94 - Harlem River Drive
# 93 - Black Moon - Enta Da Stage
# 92 - Marvin Gaye - Here, My Dear
# 91 - Muddy Waters - Electric Mud
# 90 - Les McCann - Layers
# 89 - Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
# 88 - Leroy Hutson - Hutson (1975)
# 87 - ESG - S/T (1981)
# 86 - Can - Tago Mago
# 85 - Bohannon - Stop & Go
# 84 - WILLIAM DEVAUGHN - Be Thankful For What You Got
# 83 - Power of Zeus - The Gospel According to Zeus
# 82 - Gang Starr - Hard To Earn
# 81 - The J.B.???s - Doing It to Death
# 80 - Parliament - Osmium
# 79 - McNeal & Niles - Thrust
# 78 - The Lafayette Afro Rock Band - Malik
# 77 - Earth, Wind, and Fire (1971)
# 76 - Dr. Dre - The Chronic
# 75 - Black Sabbath (1970)
# 74 - Trap Door / An International Psychedelic Mystery Mix (2006)
# 73 - Bob James - One
# 72 - Matthew Larkin Cassell - Pieces
# 71 - The Beginning Of The End - Funky Nassau
# 70 - Big Bear - Doin??? Thangs
# 69 - Steely Dan - Aja
# 68 - Quasimoto - The Unseen
# 67 - Curtis Mayfield - Curtis/Live! (1971)
# 66 - Al Green - Im still in love with you
# 65 - The Beatnuts - Street Level
# 64 - Archie Whitewater - Archie Whitewater (1970)
# 63 - Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - Mecca & the Soul Brother
# 62 - Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die
# 61 - The J.B.???s - Food For Thought
# 60 - Don Blackman (1982)
# 59 - Niagara - (Tiddies)
# 58 - Can - Ege Bamyasi
# 57 - Whatnauts - On the Rocks
# 56 - The Mohawks - Champ
# 55 - McDonald and Giles (1971)
# 54 - Darondo - Let My People Go
# 53 - Dorothy Ashby - Afro Harping
# 52 - Beastie Boys - Paul???s Boutique
# 51 - Mulatu Astatke - Mulatu of Ethiopia
# 50 - Lyman Woodard Organization - Saturday Night Special
# 49 - Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul
# 48 - Lyn Collins - Think (About It)
# 47 - James Brown - In The Jungle Groove
# 46 - Bill Withers - Still Bill
# 45 - Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
# 44 - Silver Apples - S/T
# 43 - Mobb Deep - The Infamous
# 42 - Lyn Christopher (1973)
# 41 - Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson
# 40 - Gang Starr - Step in the Arena
# 39 - Diamond D - Stunts, Blunts, & Hip Hop
# 38 - Terry Callier - What Color is Love
# 37 - David Axelrod - Song of Innocence
# 36 - The Invaders - Spacing Out
# 35 - Leo Sayer - Endless Flight
# 34 - Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
# 33 - DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist - Brainfreeze (Mix)
# 32 - Michael Jackson - Thriller
# 31 - DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
# 30 - De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising
# 29 - Ray Barretto - Acid
# 28 - The Sylvers - II
# 27 - Donald Byrd - Places and Spaces
# 26 - Shuggie Otis - Inspiration Information
# 25 - Nas - Illmatic

Please discuss your reactions to this record. The thread will be archived later here.

About


Baby Huey was in the midst of recording tracks for his debut album when he died as a result of a heart attack in 1970. Some time lapsed before his manager Marv Stuart aka Marv Heinman and Curtis Mayfield took what had been already been recorded, added some instrumental tracks that had been recorded previously and managed to gather up enough for the albums release. It is quite likely that some of the tracks feature Curtom Records session men and not the Babysitters as Mayfield wanted to sign Ramey and not the rest of the band.
A quarter century after its release, The Baby Huey Story went on to become a cult classic among soul musicians and hip-hop fans. Its single "Hard Times" in particular has been sampled many times, by artists such as Ice Cube, A Tribe Called Quest, and Ghostface Killah, and was covered by John Legend & The Roots in 2010 for the album Wake Up!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Baby_Huey_Story:_The_Living_Legend

Related Threads

Baby Huey- hard times question

HARD TIMES: BABY HUEY VS CURTIS VERSION

Media

Possum Slim

One of the first albums I started listening to a lot when getting into soul/funk after years of buying hip hop. Hard Times is still one of my favourite tracks from anyone.

toby.d

Stone cold classic. There's three kind of people in this world.......

The expression on his face makes me smile every time I see the cover!

white_tea

**DELETED***

stratasphere

Still need an og. I haven't ran across a copy in the field yet.

Dawhud

I did... and phawking passed on it. (because that was back in the day when I was a noob) I'd punch myself if I had a time machine.

Casteneda

Maybe this is an album I need to revisit. I remember being psyched at picking this up five years ago, and I think I've only listened to it 4 or 5 times all the way through. Other than "Hard Times" not many other tracks stood out for me.

Guzzo

Casteneda said:

Other than "Hard Times" not many other tracks stood out for me.

you sir are really fucking wrong. His version of "It's Been A Long Time Coming" with its insane horn buildups and psychedelic breakdown complete with a monologue about "funny looking cigarettes" is incredible. There's also a great version of Curtis Mayfield's "Mighty Mighty" which plays like a feel good party jam and a instrumental flute-led version of "California Dreaming" that ain't half bad either.

Maybe this is an album I need to revisit.

yes

Casteneda

Guzzo said:

Casteneda said:

Other than "Hard Times" not many other tracks stood out for me.

you sir are really fucking wrong. His version of "It's Been A Long Time Coming" with its insane horn buildups and psychedelic breakdown complete with a monologue about "funny looking cigarettes" is incredible. There's also a great version of Curtis Mayfield's "Mighty Mighty" which plays like a feel good party jam and a instrumental flute-led version of "California Dreaming" that ain't half bad either.

Maybe this is an album I need to revisit.

yes

I'll take your word for it, and pull it out tonight. It wasn't like I didn't enjoy it--it just didn't blow me away like I thought it would.

Jonny_Paycheck

I've always stood by this LP. Fended off the "it's just not that great as an album" mahmbajahambo.

"Change Is Gonna Come" he has a scream on there that's out of this world.

Phill Most Chill once noted that "Listen To Me" was theee udd stick-up jam back in the park days. I always liked how those horns were re-purposed for Eric B. & Rakim's "Follow The Leader".

I have a 45 bootleg of "Listen To Me" on Downstairs Records, I think....

Guzzo

Jonny_Paycheck said:

"Change Is Gonna Come" he has a scream on there that's out of this world.

yeah, that too. Funny I don't think I've ever called the song by its correct title.

stratasphere

That Running track is dope also, a well rounded album unless you bought it expecting most of it to sound like Hard Times.

pcmr

This album as unique because every song is a gem that stands on its own and whose sequence and construction is completely original, much like the Baby Huey himself. Baby Huey???s monologues and heart wrenching howls make you feel the man???s formidable presence throughout the album.It's amazing what a true larger than life artist can create in a limited amount of time and how one amazing (posthumous) release can shine brighter and represent an artist better than a whole discography.

kala

had a repress for 15+ years.
finally found an og in 09 in a garage in east orange buried under a pile of car parts and other old lp's
somehow it happened to be un-played and clean amidst a record holocaust.
i love this album and this along with hot buttered soul/pieces are early in my soul/funk education.

cai

I've got the Mighty Mighty 45 and a very beat up copy of the album. I've always just played the 45 cause listening to the beat up LP just depresses me that i paid too much for it in the condition its in. Maybe i should give it another listen.

Rishan

thought this would have received more poasts. this is an utterly superb record and one of those that u can safely recommend to anyone into any kind of music, knowing that they will get back to you with a dropped jaw. hard times was my first ringtone, when i gave a shit about that sort of thing

DJ_Enki

cai said:

I've got the Mighty Mighty 45 and a very beat up copy of the album. I've always just played the 45 cause listening to the beat up LP just depresses me that i paid too much for it in the condition its in. Maybe i should give it another listen.

I've got the "Hard Times" 45 and the reissue LP. Would love to find an OG of the LP at some point, but for now, I'm just glad I can throw it on the turntable and listen because it's an outstanding album.

LaserWolf

This is what I like.