Amen, Brother by The Winstons

It's been a couple of months since my last post, but what better way to return after a break than with 'Amen, Brother', by the Winstons? The Winston's were a Washington DC group formed by refugees from Otis Redding's band. You'll immediately hear the influence of The Impressions in this side, and indeed they first signed to Curtis Mayfield's Curtom label before moving to Metromedia to record this disc.

The A-side to this tune was 'Color Him Father', a homage to paternal values not unlike Clarence Carter's 'Patches'. It was a top ten r&b and pop hit, earning the Winston's a Grammy in 1968. The B-side must always have enjoyed good club play with its driving beat, Memphis style horn line and funky breakdown, but with the advent of sampling it was given a new lease of life, indeed I've even read somewhere that it has a legitimate claim to being the most sampled track of all time. I don't know about that, but I do know that with this one single The Winston's assured their place in soul history.

It's Your Thing by Senor Soul

I knew nothing about Senor Soul when I picked this single up the other day. It's a latin-flavoured take on the Isley Brothers' proto-funk track 'It's Your Thing', with some crisp drumming and funky Hammmond propelling things along. Research reveals that Senor Soul were none other than the precursor to WAR, the funk-rock outfit soon to jam and record with the Animals' Eric Burdon.

It seems there is an Ace Records comp out there which brings together the cream of their two LP's and few singles, including such curios as covers of 'Sunshine Superman', 'Psychotic Reaction' and 'Pata Pata'. I picked up two more of their singles when I got 'Your Thing': a cover of Lee Dorsey's 'Working in a Coalmine' and the self-penned (I think) 'Don't Lay Your Funky Trip On Me'. All good stuff. The sample below is of an extract from the A and B sides, but I'll post the whole A side when I get time.