DAVID BATISTE AND THE GLADIATORS – FUNKY SOUL PT. 1 / FUNKY SOUL PT. 2
Release date: May 14th
David Batiste And The Gladiators: Funky Soul Pt.1 / Funky Soul Pt.2 7″
Funky Soul (originally titled “Going To See The Man”) was a routine crowd pleaser during live shows that even had its own dance “rock the ship.” This was the part two of the song. It was part one that was created in the studio as a riff off of part two. The raw energy of this song when performed live created hysteria and drove spectators into a frenzy. It didn’t take long for word to get around and catch the attention of the famous WYLD DJ Larry McKinley. McKinley wanted to capture this magic onto record and helped arrange the session at Cosimo Matassa’s studio. He drove Isaac Hayes down from Memphis to New Orleans in 1968 and organized Issac Hayes to arrange the horn section on this record while he was working with the Okeh label and developing an emerging artist named Margie Joseph. It was during this time that Margie recorded two singles Why Does A Man Have To Lie/See (Okeh, 4-7304) and Show Me/A Matter Of Life Or Death (Okeh, 4-7313).
David Batiste & The Gladiators were a band David Batiste and several of his brothers formed while they were in High School in New Orleans back in 1961. The band won a talent show in 1965 at Harlem’s famous Apollo Theater and are the pioneers of what is now known as “Funk.” David Batiste & The Gladiators were legendary mainstays of every bar in New Orleans that every band was hustling trying to get booked at.
It’s no wonder that this song was famously complied on BBE Records and Ubiquity in the 1990’s, rediscovered and performed by Miles Tackett & The Breakestra in the early 2000’s. Those compilations contained audio sourced only from the vinyl record originally pressed up twice in the early 1970s and sought after by collectors and DJs for years and years. This version is from a direct master tape transfer from recently discovered NOLA tapes. But wait… The party’s just started. An entire album’s worth of 1960s previously unreleased David Batiste & The Gladiators material from recently discovered master tapes is in the works and forthcoming on Family Groove Records.
EUGENE SYNEGAL – WORLD OF LOVE / SAVE THE WORLD
Eugene Synegal’s early career as a teenager was the guitarist of Sam & The Soul Machine before moving to Los Angeles to join the group Sage and later in the 1970s recording on Lee Dorsey’s Night People and The Neville Brothers records.
These previously unreleased recordings were birthed in the early 1970s, sometime during Eugene’s trips back and forth between Los Angeles and New Orleans. A couple years after these recordings were immortalized onto 1/4” reel-to-reel tape an unusual crime scene involving Eugene and his girlfriend reads as if it was a chapter taken directly out of a pulp fiction novel. An Australian socialite named Patrica Galea, remained unsolved for 30 years. The robbers took $400, two diamond rings, a $1,400 cigarette lighter and two mink coats. They failed to collect Galea’s $6,402 which was hidden in her freezer. This was the life of Eugene. Playboy extraordinaire, jet-setter and guitar chops that would turn the head of Hendrix!! Around 2006 the owner of the West Hollywood apartment expressed a desire to learn more about its history and met with detectives who were unable to locate the file since it was buried in the cold cases section.
These recently unearthed 1970s recordings by Eugene are a reflection of his pure soul as well as a blend of psychedelia and funk that the band Sage was experimenting with in Los Angeles during that time period.
From a historical sense, these two recordings are significant because it bridges the historical and influential New Orleans music scene during the early 70’s with the psychedelic rock and folk scene that was emerging just walking distance from the West Hollywood apartment that Eugene was living in with Galea during that time.
Eugene’s unique guitar style paired with a deep-rooted gospel sensibility is a window into the artistry and songwriting capability of this incredibly talented man.
SUPERIOR ELEVATION – FREAKY WITH YOU / WELCOME TO MY WORLD
Pre Order: Release date: November 13th
Previously Unreleased material recorded in 1979 at Allen Toussaint’s legendary Sea-Saint Recording Studio in New Orleans, LA.
Freaky With You is a Six-and-a-half minute Psychedelic Disco Funk excursion taking you on a wild mojo trip with a four on the floor backbeat and extended conga breakdown peppered with some New Orleans Voodoo that reaches for the Bondye Celestial Heavens.
On the B-Side, Welcome To My World is a Modern Soul Steppers masterpiece. A version was also recorded by Joe Chopper for the Lanor Records label.
James Dumaine remembers the studio session well. After having oral surgery that morning, a grotesque, theatre of the absurd incident followed causing him to bleed onto the microphone as he was singing. That combined with the miscommunication with the audio engineer to watch the volume levels on his new synthesizer: The Engineer decided not to take heed to the warning… Half way into the recording all the band could see from the other side of the glass were heads frantically rushing to the mixing board. The synthesizer levels had caused the monitors in the control room to blow up. Superior Elevation wasn’t invited back to record at Sea-Saint. 40 years later, with all that chaos, hoodoo and gris-gris enveloped into the magnetic tape, it magically survived the catastrophic 2005 floods during Hurricane Katrina and ended up in the hands of Mike Nishita along with many other Reel to Reel Tapes of Allen Toussaints’ masters of The Meters albums he produced and recorded. It’s available now, preserved with Family Groove Records.
BRIEF ENCOUNTER – I JUST WANNA DANCE / MAKING LOVE
Pre Order: Release date: November 13th
The Brief Encounter: I Just Wanna Dance / Making Love 7″
Both Tracks Previously Unreleased, I Just Wanna Dance is a 1976 recording from recently discovered tape.
Making Love was recorded in 1984 — forthcoming on Brief Encounter’s Grand Finale album.
Sky High Blue Vinyl limited pressing of 150 copies (Only available on the Family Groove site – 1 per customer)
THE FOUR M COMPANY EP
Limited Edition Pressing Hand-Stamped 12″ 500 copies
(low stock: 1 per customer)
Cut to Vinyl at 45rpm from original Master Tape
6 songs, previously unreleased Modern Soul & Funk recorded in 1979 at Paul Serrano’s P.S. Studio in Chicago. The songs carry lush vocal harmonies together with syncopated synthesizers and masterful arrangements. Band members in these recordings are David & Wendel Sudduth (The Eight Minutes, Perception Records), Terri Johnson, Paul Ramey & Duane Faulkner.
After The Eight Minutes, David formed The Four M Company in High School. His brother Wendel joined and they played every prom every year from 1974-1978 on the north and Northwest side of Chicago. Approximately 35 members have played with The Four M Company at one point in time.
WE THREE – SUNDAY DO, RIGHT DAY / YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE SET MY SOUL ON FIRE
Limited Edition Hand-Stamped pressing of 300 copies.
Previously Unreleased track from 1971 recorded at Scepter Studios, New York and penned by Clark/Williams/Bailey. These Deep Soul tracks were from a demo reel-to-reel tape by We Three, the Stax/Volt songwriting team that comprised Bettye Crutcher, Homer Banks and Raymond Jackson. “You Shouldn’t Have Set My Soul On Fire” was recorded by Inez Foxx in 1970 & Rock Flowers in 1971.
FRONT PAGE SCANDAL – FALLIN’ FOR THE SAME OLE LIE / IF YOU CAN’T UNDO THE WRONG
Limited Edition Hand-Stamped pressing of 300 copies.
Previously Unreleased tracks from 1971 recorded at Scepter Studios, New York, and penned by Clark/Williams/Bailey. “Fallin’ For The Same Ole Lie” is a Deep-Soulful Downtempo Cross-over stepper. The B-Side, “If You Can’t Undo The Wrong” is another beautiful Crossover Soul tune. Both songs were found on a demo reel-to-reel tape by Front Page Scandal. No other information about the band or members is known.
BILLY “BASSMAN” JENKINS – FLY WOUNDED BIRD / GRANDMA’S CHILI
This Limited Edition hand-stamped extended 7″ at 33 1/3rpm.
Two selections of previously unreleased tracks featuring spacey ambient synths and that boogie-funk heat. This is 1985 at it’s finest! Billy Jenkins was a member of the Youngstown, Ohio group Babie Brother that released one 45 single on the Rock-A-Bye Label in 1984. “Trance” even had a music video with it that is so strange and funky it’s difficult to describe. The group consisted of members of the group from the Baby Brother band that released one album on Atlantic Records.
LATRELL – 1984
Latrell recorded a full length album in North Hollywood, CA circa 1983/84 . He was never able to get a record deal with these songs but luckily the tapes survived. Serious Prince-influenced Boogie/Funk bangers here.
Limited edition of 500 copies on Smoke Wax vinyl