Kashmere Stage Band - Texas Thunder Soul (1968-1974)

               "In Houston, Texas, Conrad O. Johnson pursued a lofty goal with his stage band at Kashmere High School, a predominantly black school located in the city’s north end (referred to in Houston as “Kashmere Gardens”). He wanted to lead not only the best high school stage band in Texas, but the best high school stage band in the world. Our opinion is that he succeeded, and we’re thankful that he thoroughly documented his band’s progress, so that we can present to you the Kashmere Stage Band’s musical legacy.

In the mid ’60s through the ’70s, in Houston’s bustling metropolis, Johnson (known by many as “Prof.”) made a career of producing leagues of musicians capable of playing competitively with any band in the nation, professional or otherwise. More than simply a product of the big band era (his childhood friends and early musical peers included legends like Illinois Jacquet and Arnette Cobb), Johnson bestowed a living history to his young students. And while many band directors simply tolerated the use of popular rhythms in their stage bands, Johnson embraced the funk movement that enveloped his kids. He encouraged composition – both by writing original funk songs for his band to perform and by allowing the Kashmere Band to play songs written by band members.

Never one to succumb to novelty, Johnson didn’t simply throw funk beats beneath a jazz song to please his kids. He instructed his band to play funk because he respected the funk idiom in the same way he respected jazz. Nor did he simply borrow charts from progressive big banders such as Herman, as was common amongst high school bandleaders from the era. He arranged nearly every one of his band’s songs himself, and those that he didn’t arrange he allowed his students to arrange. He worked year-round with his eager charges, constantly pushing the limits as to what their band could accomplish. He built the Kashmere Stage Band from scratch and his winning combination of powerful funk rhythms beneath expertly executed jazz solos quickly influenced those bandleaders directly within his sphere and those he met – and almost always bested – in competitions across the world."

http://www.nowagainrecords.com 

Tracklisting

1. Kashmere Stage Band - Boss City (3:40)
2. Kashmere Stage Band - Burning Spear (3:20)
3. Kashmere Stage Band - Take Five (3:44)
4. Kashmere Stage Band - Super Bad (1:47)
5. Kashmere Stage Band - Keep Doing It (3:04)
6. Kashmere Stage Band - Thunder Soul (3:23)
7. Kashmere Stage Band - Do You Dig It, Man? (3:54)
8. Kashmere Stage Band - Headwiggle (4:18)
9. Kashmere Stage Band - Al's Thing (5:23)
10. Kashmere Stage Band - Do Your Thing (4:39)
11. Kashmere Stage Band - Scorpio (5:01)
12. Kashmere Stage Band - All Praises (6:37)
13. Kashmere Stage Band - Shaft (5:04)
14. Kashmere Stage Band - Kashmere (4:57)
15. Kashmere Stage Band - $$ Kash Register $$ (4:28)
16. Kashmere Stage Band - Zero Point - Pt. 1 & Pt. 2 (45 Version) (5:36)
17. Kashmere Stage Band - Getting It Out Of My System (4:13)
18. Kashmere Stage Band - Intro (1:08)
19. Kashmere Stage Band - Zero Point (0:57)
20. Kashmere Stage Band - All Praises / Zero Point (Reprise) (6:14)
21. Kashmere Stage Band - Intro (0:20)
22. Kashmere Stage Band - Do You Dig It, Man? (3:46)
23. Kashmere Stage Band - Don't Mean A Thing (5:31)
24. Kashmere Stage Band - Thank You (5:59)
25. Kashmere Stage Band - Ain't No Sunshine (4:32)
26. Kashmere Stage Band - Do You Dig It, Man? (0:46)
27. Kashmere Stage Band - All Praises (7:03)
28. Kashmere Stage Band - Thank You (45 Version) (4:06)
29. Kashmere Stage Band - Thank You (2:54)
30. Kashmere Stage Band - Zero Point (LP Version) (4:22)
31. Kashmere Stage Band - Do Your Thing (Instrumental) (4:17)
32. Kashmere Stage Band - Getting It Out Of My System (4:14)

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Kashmere Stage Band - Shaft

Mickey And The Soul Generation - Iron Leg Studio and Live

"Mickey Foster and Emil Carter first played together in a Latino soul group called The Royal Tokens. The two split from the group to form a new band; picking up George Salas and Gilbert Rivera, they called themselves "The Fabulous Four". After further lineup changes, the group became "The Fabulous Five", "Mickey and the Fabulous Five" and lastly "Mickey and the Soul Generation". The group won several local talent shows and began recording in a local Tejano studio. Their 1969 single, "Iron Leg", was picked up for distribution nationwide by Maxwell Records, a New York label, and the 45 sold well regionally in Florida, California, and Texas. At the height of its popularity, it was used in a segment by Nipsey Russell on a routine he did for The Tonight Show.

After the release of a second single, "Football", the group went on tour, opening for Sam & Dave, The Supremes, Clarence Carter, and Kool & the Gang in the American South and Midwest. After moving to New York to fill an opening slot for fellow Maxwell artists Faith, Hope & Charity, the group split with its label over monetary disputes and returned to Texas. Further recording ensued at local studios, but the group soon splintered, recording its last singles in 1973.

Mickey & the Soul Generation saw little widespread success while active as a band. However, the group became better known when Josh Davis (DJ Shadow) began interpolating their music into his records and mixes. Davis, who called the group his 'favorite funk band',collected the group's recordings and had them reissued on Cali-Tex records in 2002 in the double LP and double CD formats. The reissue, Iron Leg, won highly positive reviews from many press outlets. Since then, the group's material has also shown up on funk compilations on record labels such as Jazzman Records."

Wikipedia

Traclkisting

(Studio)

1. Mickey & The Soul Generation - Football (2:43)
2. Mickey & The Soul Generation - Up The Stairs And Around The Bend (3:51)
3. Mickey & The Soul Generation - Give Everybody Some (7:04)
4. Mickey & The Soul Generation - Joint Session (2:44)
5. Mickey & The Soul Generation - The Whatzit (3:11)
6. Mickey & The Soul Generation - Get Down Brother (3:22)
7. Mickey & The Soul Generation - Mystery Girl (4:23)
8. Mickey & The Soul Generation - Message From A Black Man (6:02)
9. Mickey & The Soul Generation - Chocolate (2:22)
10. Mickey & The Soul Generation - How Good Is Good (2:51)
11. Mickey & The Soul Generation - We Got To Make A Change (3:08)
12. Mickey & The Soul Generation - Soulful Sickness (3:47)
13. Mickey & The Soul Generation - U.F.O. (Original Version) (3:23)
14. Mickey & The Soul Generation - Hey Brother Man (2:56)
15. Mickey & The Soul Generation - Southern Fried Funk (1st Movement) (3:04)
16. Mickey & The Soul Generation - Southern Fried Funk (2nd Movement) (2:46)
17. Mickey & The Soul Generation - Hey Brother Man (Demo Session) (4:08)
18. Mickey & The Soul Generation - U.F.O. (Demo Session) (3:15)
19. Mickey & The Soul Generation - Iron Leg (2:14)

(Live)

1. Mickey & The Soul Generation - The Get Down (4:37)
2. Mickey & The Soul Generation - Working on Your Love (2:37)
3. Mickey & The Soul Generation - Help (I Need Your Love) (3:53)
4. Mickey & The Soul Generation - Why You Wanna Leave Me (3:38)
5. Mickey & The Soul Generation - Life's A Mystery (7:30)
6. Mickey & The Soul Generation - Live Demo -- Hey Brother Man (6:09)

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Mickey & The Soul Generation - Chocolate





Mickey & The Soul Generation - Life's A Mystery (live)

Hard Texas Funk (1968 - 1975)

Tracklisting:

1. Mickey & the Soul Generation - Give Everybody Some (7:03)
2. Road Runners - Every Man For Himself (3:02)
3. Vern Blair Debate - Super Funk (3:14)
4. Soul Ones - Soul Pot (3:15)
5. Little Jimmy Tyson & the Highway Robbers - Who Will Be the Next Fool (3:10)
6. Joe Bravo - Sissy Strut (2:36)
7. Booker T. Averheart - Heart 'N Soul (2:29)
8. James Polk & the Brothers - Power Struggle (3:26)
9. Bobby & the Premiers - I Got the Feeling (1:45)
10. Kashmere Stage Band - Super Bad (2:50)
11. Eddie Finley & the Cincinatti Show Band - Clean Up Man (2:50)
12. The Fabulous Mark III - Psycho (Pts. 1 & 2) (5:22)
13. Latin Breed - I Turn You On (2:23)
14. Tickled Pink - Reach Out (And Give Me Your Hand) (2:59)
15. Sunny & the Sunliners - Get Down (2:46)
16. The Majestics - Funky Chick (3:29)
17. Little Jr. Jesse & His Teardrops & The Tears - Funky Stuff (2:35)
18. Timothy McNealy - Sagittarius Black (2:52)
19. The Brothers Seven - Evil Ways (3:12)
20. Zapata - Do Your Thing (Pts. 1 & 2) (4:21)
21. The Groove Merchants - There's Got To Be Someone For Me (2:13)

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Little Jimmy Tyson & the Highway Robbers
- Who Will Be the Next Fool