One of the reasons we’re buzzing about Omnivore Recordings here at TVD is not just for the stuff we know and love that they’ve reissued and repackaged, but for the records they’re putting on our collective radars that haven’t crossed our ears before. And wouldn’t you know it, we’ve got 2 of those gems to offer today in another giveaway!
Now, as I mentioned, today’s records are new to me, so we’re going to let the fine press folks over at Omnivore give you the spiel directly.
Listen To My Song: The Music City Sessions by Darondo is Omnivore’s first release in partnership with Ace Records UK. The 10-track LP version (limited to 1,200 copies), featuring two of the most well known Darondo songs “Didn’t I” and “Listen To My Song,” includes eight previously unissued recordings taken from sessions in 1973–1974. An outstanding musical anthology, assembled in full cooperation with the artist, Listen To My Song: The Music City Sessions is a virtual treasure trove of indispensable street funk and soul from one of the most fascinating San Francisco Bay Area music legends.
It was the early ’70s in Oakland, California, and streetwise hipster William “Darondo” Pulliam was a funky guitar slinger who could also deliver the sweetest soul west of Al Green. His approach was not imitative; he took to the melodic touch of Green with ease, imbued it with the street vibe of the East Bay and his own raw and unique style. The circle Darondo ran with at the time included notable Bay Area guitarist / singer Eddie Foster, bluesman Fillmore Slim (aka “The West Coast Godfather of the Game”) and John “Al” Tanner, a pianist of renown whose combos had boasted some of the region’s best jazz musicians. Alongside musical collaborator / pianist / arranger Tanner, Darondo proved to be an excellent songwriter, penning his own uncomplicated yet eminently soulful material, crooned with a distinctive street-savvy diction. Tanner became Darondo’s musical conduit, translating his song ideas into full-blooded arrangements.
Darondo released his debut single early in 1973 and performed sporadic live shows in the Bay Area. On the strength of the local radio support his music was receiving, he was even tapped to open for James Brown. It would not be until a few months later in the summer of 1973 that Darondo and Tanner started work at Ray Dobard’s Music City studio in Oakland, bringing with them a batch of original songs.
The material from these sessions is outstanding, and the performances sport a rough-hewn vivacity. “I’m Gonna Love You,” “Luscious Lady,” and “I Don’t Understand It” are all completely infectious, propelled by a funky rhythm section with judicious horn stabs. “Qualified” and “Thank You God” are more basic, yet retain the idiosyncratic appeal of Darondo’s style. “Do You Really Love Me” and “Saving My Love” in particular benefited from Tanner’s piano, as well as flute, additional horns, percussion, and string parts. The two songs the label focused on the most were those that had been earmarked for a single release “Didn’t I” and “Listen To My Song.”
Amazing Teenaged Funk / Rock / Soul Hybrid From the ’70s Bay Area
The Two Things In One is a band that by all rights should have been huge. The talented, soulful quintet, with an average age of 16 at the time these tracks were recorded, blended Stevie Wonder-like vocals alongside The Meters, and James Brown-inspired grooves transforming their music into deeply funky workouts.
Members would go on to later play with Tower of Power (lead vocalist Michael Jeffries sang with Tower of Power during the late 70s and early 80s), Maze, Sly & The Family Stone, among other notable groups of the era.
Johnnie Tucker from The Two Things in One signs Together Forever: The Music City Sessions for Omnivore’s Cheryl Pawelski. Photo: Yvonne Tucker
Produced in full cooperation with the band, Together Forever: The Music City Sessions gives props to an unheralded yet remarkably talented quintet. Pulling together the band’s recording output during their 1971-1973 stretch on the Bay Area based Music City label, Together Forever: The Music City Sessions includes the band’s three local hit singles, “Silly Song,” Together Forever,” and “Over Dose (Of Your Love),” alongside two unlikely cover choices of the Allman Brothers’ “Dreams” and CSNY’s “Ohio.”
We’re going to make winning both Darondo’s Listen To My Song: The Music City Sessions and The Two Things In One’s Together Forever: The Music City Sessions a breeze today. Both records are released on limited edition color vinyl and Together Forever is autographed per the above!
Enter to win both Omnivore releases by simply telling us in the comments to this post what’s brand new to your ears that you’re diggin’ on at the moment, and of course, why. The savviest listener/commenter grabs the vinyl!
We’ll choose one winner with a North American mailing address on Monday, 1/16!
