Groove On 24

Episode 24 features twenty-five songs that span a wide range of styles and periods. So it’s back to normal for Groove On. We begin with three songs in a row, starting with ’Little Green Bag’ by Dutch pop group the George Baker Selection, best known from its inclusion on the Reservoir Dogs soundtrack. Next up is the stoned groove of ‘God’s Cop’ by the Happy Mondays from their shiniest moment, Pills, Thrills and Bellyaches. For the last of the three, we swing over to Eartha Kitt for her 1959 single ‘Love Is A Gamble’.

Those were three funky tracks, but nowhere near as funky as ’People Get Up And Drive Your Funky Soul’, performed by James Brown & The J.B.’s at their laid back best on the Slaughter’s Big Rip Off soundtrack. The groove stays relaxed but gets a Latin twist for ‘Watusi Boogaloo’ by Willie Rosario & His Orchestra from 1968.

After that it’s time for three more dissimilar songs in a row. First up is a ska version of the James Bond theme ‘From Russia With Love’ by Jackie Mittoo & The Soul Brothers. It’s followed by Bo Diddley’s 1956 dark rock ’n’ roll classic, ‘Who Do You Love?’, and then an outright obscurity oddity in ‘Camel Walk’ by the Saxons.

Continuing with the theme of songs that don’t go with the previous one is a piece of Balkan brass called ’Golden Days’ by Fanfare Ciocărlia, from their 2005 album Gili Garabdi. That’s followed by an odd wee number by The Bees called ’End Of The Street’ from their album Octopus, which features a wonderful selection curious sounds.

We come closer to home for ‘The Devil’s Tail’, a lovely piece of rockin’ Americana by East Lothian band Quixote, from their 2008 On the Antler EP. You might want to drop them a line and see if they’ll released the song online somewhere.

Classic sixties pop is next, with a wee sliver of falsetto singing, in ‘Stay’ by Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs. Then we head back into oddities for ’Trouble Asunder (Oedipus Returns)’ by Barry Adamson, from his Can’t Get Loose single, and then some funky prog rock (no, really) by King Crimson called ‘Catfood’.

We return to grooviness for ‘Burning Spear’, a slightly unusual piece by jazz organ legend Jimmy Smith, and stay there for two soulful Carters. First is Clarence Carter with a cover of Tony Joe White’s ‘Willie And Laura Mae Jones’, and then funky Wayne Carter wails his single ‘Wahoo, Wahoo, Wahoo’.

Next is a jump into more songs that don’t go with the last one, first ’Mehndi / Madhorama Pencha’ by Madan Bala Sindhu from the soundtrack to the 2002 film

Monsoon Wedding and then the folk romp ‘Drunken Sailor’ by the Irish Rovers.

‘Sneakin’ Up On You’ is a swinging soul tune by Elaine Delmar that is pretty hard to track down, much like ‘Mato Grasso’ by Italian library musicians I Marc 4. In contrast ‘Movin’ On Up’ by Primal Scream is the probably most well-kent of the songs in this episode and can be found on their landmark album Screamadelica, which no home should be without.

The episode winds down with ’Je M’Suis Fait Tout Petit’ by iconic French singer and poet Georges Brassens, then a cute wee song from 1992 by The Lemonheads called ‘Being Around’ and finally a 1963 rendition of the gospel standard ’Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen’ by The Malcolm Dodds Singers.