COBIE T. - "Sweet Thang"/"Brother Man"

pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
edited January 2009 in Strut Central
I'm going straight from memory here, as I cannot find the 45 in my stacks at the moment, so pardon me if the artist name is a little off...but does anybody have any info on this obscure funk single? It's from 1978, but it sounds way earlier...green label, with the song titles printed in unusually large lettering...both sides are funk workouts, no disco influence at all, and a singer that is moaning in an offbeat Charles Wright-ish voice? Info please! The label has a Wisconsin address, although I know damn well by now that label location does not = band location...

  Comments


  • You're thinking of Cobie Joe Payne on Sweet Thang.
    A Milwaukee artist (who I believe is deceased), he had these releases:

    "The Cobies Dance/ Hot Pants" (Gibbs 103)
    "I???m Hanging Up My Rock & Roll Shoes/ I Hear You Knocking On The Doors Of My Heart" (Vera 102971)
    "Sweet Thang/ Sweet Thang (Inst.)" (New World NW-7710) 1977
    "Brother Man/ Sweet Thing" (Sweet Thang AMS-CM-7968-01) 1978

    The Sweet Thang label also put out a great disco/modern 45 by C On The Funk.

  • nrichnrich 932 Posts
    Fantastic 45! not too many people seem to have it.

    The other 45 version is nothing like the '78 release

  • buttonbutton 1,475 Posts


    http://tufftunes.wordpress.com/2008/12/08/cobie-joe-payne-sweet-thing/

    Also, from what I know, a UK collector turned up maybe a dozen or so a few years back. Those were promptly sold. Only a handful, 6 or 7 maybe, have turned up locally by diggers. Def. not a 45 I'd want to misplace!

  • discos_almadiscos_alma discos_alma 2,164 Posts
    I had the mp3 floating around already:



    http://www.divshare.com/download/6228239-8ec

    Killer song!

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts

    THANK YOU![/b]

    Yeah, that's the single. I believe somebody else is co-credited as artist on the other side.

    Also, from what I know, a UK collector turned up maybe a dozen or so a few years back. Those were promptly sold. Only a handful, 6 or 7 maybe, have turned up locally by diggers. Def. not a 45 I'd want to misplace!
    Yeah, I didn't misplace it per se - I know it's still in my stacks. See, the thing about it is, I file about half of my singles by labels (Atlantic, One-Derful, Buddah, Dud Sound, Twinight, etc.), and the other half is just "miscellaneous." Cobie T. resides in the miscellaneous pile and I didn't feel like looking through it (it's not like I have a whole bunch of 45's on Sweet Thang Records), but I figured enough of you would know what I was talking about. Nice, weird record!!

  • finelikewinefinelikewine "ONCE UPON A TIME, I HAD A VINYL." http://www.discogs.com/user/permabulker 1,416 Posts
    the backing sounds ok, but the vocals?
    This the worst singing i probably ever heard on a record. Makes me cringe like the sound of fingernails scratching a blackboard.
    That people seem to be craving for this is beyond me.
    This must be the epitome of collecting for the sake of rarity.
    Stamp collecting to the fullest

  • nrichnrich 932 Posts
    the backing sounds ok, but the vocals?
    This the worst singing i probably ever heard on a record. Makes me cringe like the sound of fingernails scratching a blackboard.
    That people seem to be craving for this is beyond me.
    This must be the epitome of collecting for the sake of rarity.
    Stamp collecting to the fullest

    Different strokes for different folks. I feel the same way from the opposite end of the spectrum shocked that anyone would think it's horrible. Off kilter delivery, yes, but I think it is a killer tune.

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    the backing sounds ok, but the vocals?
    This the worst singing i probably ever heard on a record. Makes me cringe like the sound of fingernails scratching a blackboard.

    DUDE, THOSE OFFKEY VOCALS WERE THE f*cking POINT!!![/b]

    That's EXACTLY what the cherry on top of the sundae is to me. Weird Amerikana at its' finest. I played this on the turntable at the store and I was all about it from the moment he started (trying to) sing. No, he ain't got no "adagios in his fortissimos" or whatever the hell you wanna call it, he's not conservatory-trained, but then again he's not pretending to be. For me, eccentric touches like this are half the fun. Not everything has to be a million-dollar production. If funk this raw doesn't get it for you, go back to your Michael Franks records...

  • hmmm...somebody had funky nassau playing over and overandoverandover when they decided to go for this one.

  • finelikewinefinelikewine "ONCE UPON A TIME, I HAD A VINYL." http://www.discogs.com/user/permabulker 1,416 Posts
    the backing sounds ok, but the vocals?
    This the worst singing i probably ever heard on a record. Makes me cringe like the sound of fingernails scratching a blackboard.

    DUDE, THOSE OFFKEY VOCALS WERE THE f*cking POINT!!![/b]

    That's EXACTLY what the cherry on top of the sundae is to me. Weird Amerikana at its' finest. I played this on the turntable at the store and I was all about it from the moment he started (trying to) sing. No, he ain't got no "adagios in his fortissimos" or whatever the hell you wanna call it, he's not conservatory-trained, but then again he's not pretending to be. For me, eccentric touches like this are half the fun. Not everything has to be a million-dollar production. If funk this raw doesn't get it for you, go back to your Michael Franks records...

    Dude, calm down.I guess the reason I don't like that song is because I'm still not that iluminated and far away from your level of knowledge about "real funky blackman soul".
    one person's turd is another person's treasure

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    the backing sounds ok, but the vocals?
    This the worst singing i probably ever heard on a record. Makes me cringe like the sound of fingernails scratching a blackboard.

    DUDE, THOSE OFFKEY VOCALS WERE THE f*cking POINT!!![/b]

    That's EXACTLY what the cherry on top of the sundae is to me. Weird Amerikana at its' finest. I played this on the turntable at the store and I was all about it from the moment he started (trying to) sing. No, he ain't got no "adagios in his fortissimos" or whatever the hell you wanna call it, he's not conservatory-trained, but then again he's not pretending to be. For me, eccentric touches like this are half the fun. Not everything has to be a million-dollar production. If funk this raw doesn't get it for you, go back to your Michael Franks records...

    Dude, calm down.I guess the reason I don't like that song is because I'm still not that iluminated and far away from your level of knowledge about "real funky blackman soul".
    one person's turd is another person's treasure

    What I like is that this 45 is a turd AND a treasure, so guess we're both right!

  • adagios in his fortissimos

  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts
    Hey Pickwick, so where did the gospel 'singer' clip disappear to?

    It was a most uncharacteristic post for sure.

    But entertaining.

  • buttonbutton 1,475 Posts
    Where did you get your copy Pickwick?

  • luckluck 4,077 Posts
    the backing sounds ok, but the vocals?

    Yes, sir.

  • luckluck 4,077 Posts
    The other 45 version is nothing like the '78 release

    THIS one?

  • someone sell me there copy please

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    Where did you get your copy Pickwick?

    At Beverly Records, a collectors' store in Chicago, ca. 1998 or so.

  • luckluck 4,077 Posts
    someone sell me there copy please

    All hail the new breed: Lower, Slower, Weaker.

  • buttonbutton 1,475 Posts
    The other 45 version is nothing like the '78 release

    THIS one?

    Yeah, that version = sheer poop. Before I obtained the good version I had that one. I would put it on occasionally and pretend it was OK out of utter denial.

    I wonder how many of these traveled to Chicago. I'm sure Beverley's had a box or two.

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    The other 45 version is nothing like the '78 release

    THIS one?

    Yeah, that version = sheer poop. Before I obtained the good version I had that one. I would put it on occasionally and pretend it was OK out of utter denial.

    I wonder how many of these traveled to Chicago. I'm sure Beverley's had a box or two.

    IIRC, this was the only copy they had, by the time I got to it.

  • I bought no less than five copies of the Sweet Thang 45 from the back shack at Beverly in 2002.
    Two copies of the C On The Funk 45 came out of there around the same time.

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    Well, thanx to Dante (and others) for the info.

    Now who here knows about Nature's "Do Your Own Thing" on Alithia?

  • buttonbutton 1,475 Posts

    C On The Funk

    If anyone is interested they can hear C on the Funk here. The tune is called "In the Disco".

  • The Sweet Thang label also put out a great disco/modern 45 by C On The Funk.

    Who were also connected to Dazzle who put out an LP called Layin' In The Shade on Sweet Thing. Recorded in Chicago in '81 and produced by CJP... with the brilliant Disco's Out.

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    The Sweet Thang label also put out a great disco/modern 45 by C On The Funk.

    Who were also connected to Dazzle who put out an LP called Layin' In The Shade on Sweet Thing. Recorded in Chicago in '81 and produced by CJP... with the brilliant Disco's Out.[/b]

    Was this an anti-disco number?

  • The Sweet Thang label also put out a great disco/modern 45 by C On The Funk.

    Who were also connected to Dazzle who put out an LP called Layin' In The Shade on Sweet Thing. Recorded in Chicago in '81 and produced by CJP... with the brilliant Disco's Out.[/b]

    Was this an anti-disco number?

    More of a funky modern soulish instro.


  • DCarfagna said:
    You're thinking of Cobie Joe Payne on Sweet Thang.
    A Milwaukee artist (who I believe is deceased), he had these releases:

    "The Cobies Dance/ Hot Pants" (Gibbs 103)
    "I???m Hanging Up My Rock & Roll Shoes/ I Hear You Knocking On The Doors Of My Heart" (Vera 102971)
    "Sweet Thang/ Sweet Thang (Inst.)" (New World NW-7710) 1977
    "Brother Man/ Sweet Thing" (Sweet Thang AMS-CM-7968-01) 1978

    The Sweet Thang label also put out a great disco/modern 45 by C On The Funk.

    I've been looking for someone else who knew this record existed.



    Photobucket
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