Because so many of you are new to TVD since our relaunch, we’d like to introduce you to one of our occasional features. Every once in a long while, our man from the ‘70s – Jeff Ash from AM, Then FM – reaches back into a deep collection of ‘70s vinyl LPs, pulls one out and offers some familiar cuts and some deeper ones.
The records aren’t meant to represent the best of a particular year. It’s just fun to listen to them again. Together.
TVD Class of ’72 – Dennis Coffey “Goin’ For Myself” | Dennis Coffey, the great Detroit soul and funk guitarist, is coming out with a new record next month. The name doesn’t ring a bell? In the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, Dennis Coffey was one of the Funk Brothers, the driving session group that backed countless Motown hits. He played on hits by the Temptations, the Spinners, the Dramatics, Edwin Starr and the Isley Brothers.
Then he went solo. If you don’t know the smash instrumental single “Scorpio” from 1971 by name, you know it from being sampled on countless hip-hop records. Wiki lists 18. There must be more.
Coffey’s solo records are largely instrumental. They’re filled with staggeringly good soul and funk guitar riffs. So, emerging from the sweet blue haze of time, we’ve dropped Coffey’s 1972 LP, “Goin’ For Myself,” on the turntable. This was the follow-up to “Evolution,” Coffey’s smash debut on the Sussex label, the record that had “Scorpio” on it. It’s a solid mix of originals and inventive covers. Listen for yourself.
Dennis Coffey | Taurus
Dennis Coffey | Ride Sally Ride
Both of these cuts, written by Coffey and clearly crafted along the same lines as “Scorpio,” are credited to Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Band. They feature fellow Funk Brothers Bob Babbitt on bass, Andrew Smith on drums and Jack Ashford on percussion.
“Taurus” was Coffey’s second-biggest single, behind “Scorpio.” It reached the Top 20 in 1972.
Dennis Coffey | Never Can Say Goodbye
Coffey’s laid-back take on this Clifton Davis tune is backed by singers Telma Hopkins, Joyce Vincent and Pam Vincent. At the time, all three of them also were working with Tony Orlando as Tony Orlando and Dawn – Hopkins and Joyce Vincent in live shows and Pam Vincent in the studio.
Dennis Coffey “Goin’ For Myself” is currently out of print.
