I've got a few Belgian b3 burners for the next few days. Belgium is a land of contrasts. Websters dictionary defines "Belgium" as... just kidding.
This is Roland Thyssen aka Bun Hunga, which I always thought was a hilarious name but never really felt the occasional bit I'd heard from him, but he was actually behind some pretty good Hammond tracks in the Euro-exploito vein. Weirdly he did organ instrumental covers of some of my favorite Nino Ferrer deep cuts. Why? I don't know.
les cornichons:
this one kinda sounds dangerously close to a james last cover of one of my top 3 nino ferrer french soul brother numero un songs, but "oh he hein bon" right?
Keeping it Belgian... let's get Belgian... Belge as fuck... Some Ace Tone or some shit, not a hammond, despite the record cover. It's Spencer Davis I'm A Man but they didn't bother to credit those guys. Fuck it dude, it's Belgium. It's the wild west. Composer credits don't mean shit on the hard knock streets of Brussels. The positive is the cornball organ tone and some really energetic drumming that does not sound very 1970 to me.
Belgian organ showcase continues with some Andre Brasseur psych. I can't remember where I first found this but the youtube channel that had Beat Fellows had this and I remembered Andre as an organist with some real corn in his oeuvre. He has tracks that will knock you out and wake up wearing identical pastel contrast-brim suits with whoever's around you like a Swedish bone cover. Special Orgue Hammond is what I imagine being in the lobby of some doggshit Brits only package holiday hotel in Spain in '78 was like.
But this one is kind of a heater. I don't really get the vocals. Weird constipated-sounding attempts at sexual moaning over the track? If that's what they were going for, I think we can all agree: someone with NO sexual experience did those vocals.
Rounding out Belgium week with a '69 psych fuzz instrumental. Thanks to this weird obsessive youtube channel guy who I can only hope is Belgian himself for uploading the bulk of these jawns/jernts.
Oh look! Some French guys called the Heaven Blues. That's right, we're still in Europe but have crossed the border. DJ Format sampled this some years back. The cover of their LP is pretty cool too.
The organist posted a comment on this video, which I liked. For a while there was a Salt - Hung Up youtube upload that had a bunch of comments from one of the band telling stories of recording it and getting told off by cosimo matassa (? I think!) for playing it in that loose garagey style etc. I like when that happens. Here's what Luis Paya Gomez has to say:
gracias por la parte que me toca, soy el organista del tema, aunque en aquellas épocas las grabaciones en España eran bastante malas, quedó decentemente, lástima que las caras B en general se oían poco
I don't speak Spanish but it's something along the lines of: Thanks for uploading this, it touched me, I'm the organist on this, although at that time recordings in Spain were pretty bad, this one was decently done, pity that the B part was generally too soft.
Charles Kynard, Melvin Sparks, Idris Muhammad, Jimmy Lewis, Rusty Bryant. Some of the same lineup to the "Who's Gonna Take The Weight" I posted ages ago but with Kynard in for Spencer. He waits patiently to take the final solo but it's a good one. The definition of solid soul jazz, if you ask me. Muhammad was made to play beats like this.
Man, Irma La Douce had a real moment in the early 2000s didn't they. Loads of compilations that helped introduce me to Italian soundtracks, library and the intersection between instrumental lounge and funk, for what that's worth. I was deep into that for a while. Mo'Plen, Suono Libero, Sound Book, hell I was even into the modern sample/breaks/lounge frankenstein abomination genre artists.
That track still kicks ass, too, nice drum solo too.
Here's a 2019 release, a 45 from "Espadrille" which I know nothing about. Mod hammond stuff on 45 though which is all I need.
Yes it's liquidator, but it's Tommy McCook's version - who's on organ? Is Winston playing on a cover of his own song? Also does a little Cissy Strut riffing in there.
Bringing it back to post 1 with a poets of rhythm joint. Discern/Define is a great album, one I wish I had not warped in my hot car the day I bought it from a weird now-defunct shop in King City, Lake Tahoe. Glad I eventually got to hear it without the needle jumping over a half-inch high bump on the record.
In a similar vein to the above, Ill Mondo, some SF hip hop production duo, had this as a free download in the early 10s - it's the very surprising sounding 11 minute B-side to a much more conventional 11 minute cut and paste breaks megamix type track. I can't find the full jam online but here's half of it:
it gets the klezmer electro thug beats seal of approval™
Triumphs "Burnt Biscuits"... Rufus Thomas' son Marvell on organ here. '61. Not as good song titles as "Walkin' the Duck" but nice thematic unity going on the B-side ("Raw Dough").
the French Tele Music library is still kicking around as part of BMG to this day and getting used on TV shows and so on. Library is clearly some of the longest-lasting royalty income for any musician/composer who isn't a megastar. I myself have used 60s era library tracks in productions, thus sending some tiny amount of aggregate money to these old fogeys. Cool. Nice.
hammond burner thread usual suspect Bernard Estardy with another Tele Music library track, showing that with the right arrangement you CAN mix Moog with Hammond and not sound schizophrenic or anachronistic. Does this guy get his due for doing the many seemingly unique things he did with organs? I have no idea, I just see his name pop up on compilations or wherever and assume there's something interesting going on keyboardwise.
meters-adjacent unreleased until 2002, I think cyril neville was in this band after the brothers' band split and half became the Meters. But apparently it was zigaboo modeliste on drums for the record. it's not art neville on organ, but sam henry, so it's got a different feel hammondwise
britischer swine wynder k frog. I approve of how he plays the organ, I think he's got a distinctive style with the hammond, but I've never wanted to rush out and buy his records. too british?
Comments
This is Roland Thyssen aka Bun Hunga, which I always thought was a hilarious name but never really felt the occasional bit I'd heard from him, but he was actually behind some pretty good Hammond tracks in the Euro-exploito vein. Weirdly he did organ instrumental covers of some of my favorite Nino Ferrer deep cuts. Why? I don't know.
les cornichons:
this one kinda sounds dangerously close to a james last cover of one of my top 3 nino ferrer french soul brother numero un songs, but "oh he hein bon" right?
Some Ace Tone or some shit, not a hammond, despite the record cover. It's Spencer Davis I'm A Man but they didn't bother to credit those guys. Fuck it dude, it's Belgium. It's the wild west. Composer credits don't mean shit on the hard knock streets of Brussels. The positive is the cornball organ tone and some really energetic drumming that does not sound very 1970 to me.
But this one is kind of a heater. I don't really get the vocals. Weird constipated-sounding attempts at sexual moaning over the track? If that's what they were going for, I think we can all agree: someone with NO sexual experience did those vocals.
mo' belge with nice breaks too, and some weird western touches
Oh look! Some French guys called the Heaven Blues. That's right, we're still in Europe but have crossed the border. DJ Format sampled this some years back. The cover of their LP is pretty cool too.
The organist posted a comment on this video, which I liked. For a while there was a Salt - Hung Up youtube upload that had a bunch of comments from one of the band telling stories of recording it and getting told off by cosimo matassa (? I think!) for playing it in that loose garagey style etc. I like when that happens. Here's what Luis Paya Gomez has to say:
lluispayagomez4 years ago
I don't speak Spanish but it's something along the lines of:
Thanks for uploading this, it touched me, I'm the organist on this, although at that time recordings in Spain were pretty bad, this one was decently done, pity that the B part was generally too soft.
I agree on all points!
Charles Kynard, Melvin Sparks, Idris Muhammad, Jimmy Lewis, Rusty Bryant. Some of the same lineup to the "Who's Gonna Take The Weight" I posted ages ago but with Kynard in for Spencer. He waits patiently to take the final solo but it's a good one. The definition of solid soul jazz, if you ask me. Muhammad was made to play beats like this.
That track still kicks ass, too, nice drum solo too.
Here's a 2019 release, a 45 from "Espadrille" which I know nothing about. Mod hammond stuff on 45 though which is all I need.
it gets the klezmer electro thug beats seal of approval™