Donny Hathaway & June Conquest -- "Just Another Reason"

Ecstasy, Passion, and Pain -- "Don't Burn The Bridges Behind You" & "Good Things Don't Last Forever"

This is one of those songs that are a perfect blend of depth in lyrics, beautiful arrangement, great singing -- simply timeless.



Founded in 1973 in New York City, the group released only one album and a few singles for Roulette Records. The group's lead singer was Barbara Gaskins who also played guitar.
Read more about this group and Barbara Gaskins here.

Here's the group with a typical 70's disco piece. I just love it!

Hersey Taylor -- "We're Gonna Run Out Of Time"

How about some gritty northern soul on a Sunday?


 

Eddie Kendricks -- "Best Of Strangers"

Don't we all know such situations?

Gary Moore -- "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know"

Another grey and uninspiring Friday ... Nothing beats the haunting sound of a blues guitar on such a day.

Laurel Aitken -- "I Remember"

Easy going Thursday.

Hum along with Laurel Aitken and do those little hip moves you remember from way back in the day.

The Natural Four -- "Can This Be Real"

David Ruffin -- "Don't You Go Home"

Here's another one by "my" David Ruffin. He was such a great singer, and I can imagine that, had he only lived long enough, his voice would have aged like some full bodied red wine.

WRAG RADIO Raggedy -- Don't Want You On My Mind ... and so on

Track List

Don’t Want You On My Mind … and so on

Intro

Don’t Want You On My Mind — Bill Withers

Your Touch — David Sea

Stop, Look, And Listen — Soul Generation

Waiting For The Last Goodbye — The Ebonys

It Could Never Happen To Me —The Originals

Turn Out The Nightlight — Tavares

Too Little Too Long — Lamont Dozier

We Can’t Get Enough — Bingo

Outside Woman — Bloodstone

I Just Love You — Belita Woods

Outro

Melba Moore live -- "Lean On Me"

Melba Moore is one of the best live performers I can think of. Not only has she that wonderful voice but she also has the grace and charm and looks that make both listening and watching her a pleasure. Ready for some major goose-bumps?

The Triumphs -- "Bring It On Home To Me"

Don't you just love this take on the Sam Cooke classic? I, for my part, felll in love with it the very first time I heard it. It's far from Sam's typically refined, perfectionist style, but that's what makes this version so appealing to me.

If you're looking for more such rare treats, please visit Ben The Balladeer's Youtube channel.

Ali Ollie Woodson -- "Heaven Chose You To Be My Valentine"

And -- here's to another Valentines' Day! This year's choice is Ali Ollie Woodson, a singer with a powerful, soulful voice that has yet to meet its match.

Happy Valentine's, baby!

I would also like to say "Thanks" to all the people who make life and living better, more meaningful, and pleasant. Y'all have a wonderful Valentine's Day.

Sing Ali! 

Al Wilson -- "I've Got A Feeling We'll Be Seeing Each Other Again"

Al Wilson is best known for his 1974 hit "Show And Tell" which was actually first recorded by Johnny Mathis in 1973. I must say, compared to Al's take on the song, Johnny's sounds lame and bloodless ...





Now, here's today's pick, as announced in the headline, by Al Wilson. Although I wouldn't call the song exceptional, it bears that typical Al Wilson mark. That is all it takes to make it fun to listen to and has me hum it all day long.

The Independents -- "Leaving Me"

Darned, I cannot believe this song has been released in 1973! Best thing, though, I am still feeling the same when I hear it in 2019. The older I get, the more I believe that most of the changes in a person are external. Inside, we stay mostly the same ...

Al Green -- "God Blessed Our Love"

Here's a man who is able to put soul in every note he sings. I think God blessed us all with such a singer. Al Green sure turned some of the dreariest hours of my life into bright, enjoyable moments. He's earned some heartfelt thank yous for it.

I even turn to his music for therapy sometimes. Who doesn't know those days when this crazy old world just makes you want to give up and drop the towel? Of course, as a grown-up, you have to have an "acceptable" reason to just weep away. That's exactly when l play Al Green's "For The Good Times." I cannot think of a sadder song in the world. It never fails to put me in the "sigh, cry, and move on" mode.

Today's song, however, is dedicated to those good days in life when I feel blessed.

Greg Perry __ "Will She Meet The Train In The Rain"

This is a gem! The song is on his 1975 One For The Road album -- a great album.

Greg Perry was a songwriter, producer, as well as an impressive singer. He began his career as a musician in his teens at Chess Records where he worked with Billy Davis, who amongst others, was producer for The Dells. 

Greg Perry joined Holland-Dozier-Holland (Invictus, Hot Wax Records) after he had decided not to sign a deal with Motown. Together with General Johnson and Angelo Bond, he produced several hits that were fashioned after the typical Holland-Dozier-Holland sound. 

He released two solo albums, One For The Road (1975) and Smoking' (1977)

WRAG RadioRaggedy -- In My Opinion, Music's Never Been Better ...

Playlist

Intro 

Alfreda Brockinton -- I’ll Wait For You 

Blue Magic -- Talking To Myself 

The Four Tops -- Turn On The Light Of Your Love 

The Trammps -- If You Don’t Know Me By Now 

The Vandals -- In My Opinion 

The Temprees -- Dedicated To The One I Love 

Homer Banks -- Up To My Neck In Love 

John Edwards -- Ain’t That Good Enough 

Blue Magic -- Looking For A Friend 

Jimmy “Soul” Clark -- If I Only Knew Then  

George Jackson -- Love Without A Future 

True Movement -- What A Lovely Way To Meet 

Outro

My two favorites from this set are “In My Opinion” and The Trammps’ version of “If You Don’t Know Me By Now.” 

The latter one, I love because of its freshness despite the somewhat tinny instrumentation. Jimmy Ellis kind of brought some zesty ZING to the table with his unmistakable tenor. In other words: I just love the sound of the Trammps. Compared to the best known versions by Teddy Pendergrass and Simply Red, this one has an aura of defiance; Jimmy Ellis seems to signal that he can do it quite as well as the others — despite the shortcomings of a rather cheap production. Hat’s off to Jimmy Ellis!

“In My Opinion,” just touched me inside. Damon Harris’s sweet falsetto reminds me of — don’t laugh — Tiramisu. It’s creamy all around, dusted with rich chocolate on top and has a good portion of espresso taste inside. Damon’s voice, I dare say, seemed to have had more richness and fullness than most of the other Temptations’ falsettos. In this 1969 recording, Damon was only 19. 

The Trammps -- "Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart" L.O.V.E

To be honest, this song is one of my all-time  favorites. Each time I hear it, I can feel that "zinnnnnng" in my heart, just as it felt way back in the day when music touched every fiber of the body. Just so so good -- and the right song to ring in the weekend.

From the unforgettable, incomparable 70's: a priceless jewel. "A rhapsody divine," indeed ...


 

Just to prove that a good melody and timeless lyrics never go out of style, here is one of the early versions of the song by the Coasters. From doo-wop to disco without losing its appeal: "Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart." 

Lover's Rock Friday

 LOL!!!! How funny is this.
This post was scheduled for Friday ... but an apparent malfunction posted it on Monday. So, consider this one a gift from yours old Raggedy: Friday on Monday. Wouldn’t that be fantastic? Friday, Saturday, Sunday — and Friday again. Yayyyyy!


Friday! Time to throw that tie into the next best corner or leave those high heels where you took them off -- two steps into the hall way. Now all that's missing is an ice-cold drink and some Reggae music. 

Tracks:

Moonlight Groover -- Winston Wright 
Teenager In Love -- Bob Marley & The Wailers, 1965 
All My Loving -- Prince Buster & All Stars 
What Does It Take -- Alton Ellis 
Spanish Lace -- Byron Lee & Dragonaires 
My Precious Love -- Desmond Dekker & The Aces, 1969, heartbreakingly beautiful.

Two additions on the MUST SEES page!

http://raggedy-quitefrankly.blogspot.com/p/must-sees.html

The Temptations -- "Heavenly"

Once a Tempts fan, always a Tempts fan. At least that's true for me. It never takes me long to play one of their songs.  "Heavenly" was another master piece composed by the great Norman Whitfiled and arranged by Paul Riser. The guys were perfectionists through and through. Motown's finest ...

Richard Street singing lead here. The sweet falsetto belongs to Damon Harris. Sadly, both are no longer with us.

Blue Magic -- "Talking To Myself"

I wonder if there's anyone who doesn't like the Blue Magic sound. It is kind of magic indeed. So relaxing and dreamy and romantic. "Talking To Myself" is from their 1974 album The Magic of the Blue.

Harold Melvin & The Blue Noters -- "Reaching for the World"

Todays pick is the title track from the 1976 Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes album Reaching For The World. I really do like this track.

From My Desktop

Playlist

0:15 I'll Stop Loving You -- The Service Men
2:35 What A Way To Love -- Billy Paul
6:49 Hold On To Love -- William DeVaughn
11:40 Make Me Twice The Man -- The Notations

The Dramatics -- "Things Are Changing"

From the 1975 album Drama V.  There's definitely some truth in that song ...

The Originals & The Andantes -- "Baby, I'm For Real"

Unfortunately, there is not much info on this clip, but it is so very beautiful to listen to and watch.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.



I actually came across it when I was searching for a version of the song I've heard the other day. I didn't think that this said version was by the Originals ... But, alas, I couldn't find out much.
Maybe some of you experts out there know more. If you do, just let me know, please.

Jimmy Jackson -- "Footsteps (In The Shadows)"

Jimmy Jackson, the singing cop, is still on my playlists with songs like "Rolling Dice," or "Without You." Read more about him here on my blog.
I love the intensity in his songs.
Today's track is heavily influenced by The Four Tops sound -- and I dare say, Levi Stubbs would wholeheartedly approve of Jimmy's approach to this song.

Howling Wolf -- "Tell Me What I've Done"

Music by two immortals: Howling Wolf and Hubert Sumlin.

Listen on Youtube