A surprisingly hip easy-listening orchestral version from the decidedly unhip Kirshner. Very funky drumming and a cool girl chorus make this my favorite version of this song.
This one really has everything, to me. I'm not a connoisseur of the Beatles's 'White album', but I'm completely crazy about Ramsey Lewis's superb LP in tribute to it. The entire album has a delicious balance of crisp beats, electric piano, strings, and subtle touches of moog, played by the album's producer, Charles Stepney. I've chosen 'Julia' to recommend because I enjoy the way it changes mood - opening mournful and slow, and then getting very funky. But the entire album is really packed with winners; other highlights are a wacky and extremely funky 'back in the USSR', a superb 'Dear Prudence', and a great 'cry baby cry'.
vince: Is there any way to get the whole album Mother Nature's Son on CD? delicado: yes, there's a Japanese CD, which you could probably get via www.dustygroove.com. It really is a wonderful album (for those that like this kind of thing!)
A very funky track from Astrud's final US album. Very bass-heavy and percussive, just an excellent song. Stanley Turrentine's tenor sax doesn't meld with Gilberto's voice nearly as well as Stan Getz' warmer tones did, but that's a minor flaw that doesn't detract from the overall song too much.
from Gilberto with Turrentine (CTI), available on CD (CTI)
One of the coolest-sounding things from the past couple of years! A very funky breakbeat, odd sound effects, wordless vocals and an organ sample come together in this very chic (and very Japanese) melting pot. This comes to us from Masanori Ikeda, who was a longtime resident DJ at Blow-Up in London (DJ Nori) and also records under the guises of Mansfield and the High Yummies.
from Escalator Records, Tokyo, available on CD (Bungalow)