Manifesto by James Lewis & the Case of Tyme

The magnificently monikered Case of Tyme produced one of the toughest and most original dancefloor workouts I have ever heard in 'Manifesto'. The propulsion is pure funk, even if the rhythm is firmly grounded in 16/4 time. The Wes Montgomeryesque octave runs on the guitar and the muscular saxophones are indebted to jazz, and over all this chants a sweat-laden James Lewis with all the intensity and rawness of a man singing for his life.

'Manifesto' reminds me of other tracks from this period (I would guess 67–69, there's no date on the 45), where groups were blending rock, jazz and soul with similarly interesting results. The ones who immediately come to mind are bands like the Chambers Brothers ('Time Has Come Today'), The Crow ('Your Autumn of Tomorrow'), and Johnny Jones & The King Casuals ('Purple Haze'), and I shall post some of these other tracks in future weeks.

Incidentally, I know nothing at all about this band or the record, save for the fact that it was a big northern soul track, so if anybody has any more to add, I'd be very interested to hear it.

The Bottle by Joe Bataan

As I write the skies are glowering, the rain is rattling against the pane and the wind is howling like a banshee. Yes, this is the English summer. To add a little sunshine to my life at this time of year I often turn to latin soul, and I can't think of a better example than Joe Bataan's cover of Gil Scot Heron's 'The Bottle'.

My taste in latin music usually predates this disc: my favourites are the boogaloos from the mid- to late-sixties , but this is undeniably a monster. Bataan takes Heron's cautionary tale and fashions a dance-floor juggernaut, practically inventing disco in the process. This was his first single on the new Salsoul label, and with it he really set the standard for years to come. So turn it up, pour yourself a Cuba Libre and open the window, it's getting hot in here!