Carl Bradney — “Slipping Into Darkness”

,

The James Last Orchestra — “I Can’t Give You Anything (But My Love)” and “Brazil”

In case you're not ready for the weekend yet, I thought this 1976 live performance by The James Last Orchestra should be a great way to ring in the best part of the week. The fun the musicians have is contagious and mirrors the influence happy music has on us all.

Al Downing -- "I'll Be Holding On" and “I Love To Love”

Greetings from your old Raggedy's patio. I spent the afternoon outside listening to birdsong and my favorite music. What else does one need to be happy? Today's songs have been lingering around in the "new posts" section for quite a while. Al Downing embraced many different genres: Rhythm and blues, rock 'n' roll, country and soul. His take on "I Love To Love" added a totally different dimension to the better known Tina Charles version, in my opinion.  

  - '.
 

 

Al Green — “Let’s Stay Together” 1975 live on The Midnight Special

Today, while I was in a kind of a heavy-heart mood, I was looking for some of Al Green's soul stirring singing. And I found a live performance I had not seen before. Hard to believe, I know. I thought I had seen all of Al Green's live performances -- on Youtube that is. So, that made me feel better right away. I guess all I needed was to escape to a time that was chock full of joy.

Stevie Ray Vaughn & Johnny Copeland -- "Tin Pan Alley" live

There used to be a time when I was blogging on a regular basis and Blues Thursdays were a stable on SOTS. So, last night, when I was listening to my severely neglected Blues playlist, SRV and Johnny Copeland's "Tin Pan Alley" came up. And of all the great pieces, it is the one that never fails to captivate me. 

I do envy the folks that were able to see this performance live. Thank God for Youtube. Really. Watching and listening to these fantastic guitarists restores my believe in His creation. 

Bill Brandon -- "Can'tWe Just Sit Down and Talk It Over” and "A Special Occasion"

Bill Brandon is one of those unlucky artists who, despite possessing an enormous amount of talent, never got the recognition they deserve. He was an accomplished vocalist and one of the very few artists who managed to merge Deep Soul and Disco music to a distinct sound. 

He began his career in 1967 with the release of “Self Preservation for Quin Ivy’s Quinvy recordings. He also  recorded with Tower Records and Prelude Records. Unfortunately, after his 1978 release “Special Occasion”/"Get It While It’s Hot” he had no other releases. 

According to Discogs, Bill Brandon “left the music business behind in 1987 to take up truck driving …” and began singing for a church in Harvest, Alabama.

I like all his songs — I really do. My favorite, however,  would be  “Tag, Tag.” 

“Can’t We Just Sit Down And Talk It Over” was released in 1977 for Prelude Records. 

"A Special Occasion" (1978)

Richmond Extension -- "Everything's Coming Up Love" (1974) and "Let's Get Into Something"

The Richmond Extension's version was released two years before David Ruffin's. 

It's the perfect song for a spring Sunday. 

   

Having listened to both songs for a while now, I really, really like "Let

's Get Into Something" best.  There's more pep in the performance, in my opinion. 

John Holt — “Stealing”

It’s that time of the year again. Texas blue skies, a soft breeze, noisy kids playing in the neighbor’s backyard — and your old Raggedy having her afternoon coffee on the patio. Life is good and the music that seems to match such days best is Reggae, of course. 

David Ruffin — “Bring Her Back”

Just listen and appreciate David’s greatness. He’ll always be my favorite — with or without The Temptations. 

Simply Red — “You Make Me Feel Brandnew” live

Okay people, you really have to sit down and watch this video. I always loved the original sung by The Stylistics. But when I heard this version, I had to hold back the tears. How much more emotions can you put into a song? How much more convincing can an interpretation of the original be? In a nutshell, how much more soulful can a song be presented? 

Enjoy!

I came across this gem on Wings of Pegasus  If you don’t already know this channel, I would like to recommend you check it out. The host, Fil,  analyses vocal performances using top technology that basically makes a voice visible, so to speak. (That’s how a not tech savvy person like me would describe it.) He has many more interesting shows to offer.