Tags: 70s

Novelty band names rarely get this good. Black Blood and The Chocolate Pickles cut their somber down-tempo funk number, “Mississippi Mud” in Baton Rouge, LA, on what I presume to be their own custom label, Black Blood Records. I was waiting to gather some more info on the group but they seem to be largely unknown, even in meticulous discography circles.

Black Blood went on to distribute and re-release their 45 with Stax subsidiary Enterprise Records, changing their band name to ‘Smithstonian’ before disbanding and leaving behind a trail of mystery for those seeking answers of their origins. I can only assume the name Black Blood and the Chocolate Pickles didn’t sit well with some of the higher ups at Enterprise, perhaps they were coerced to change it up to something more radio (ahem, white)-friendly. Enterprise released their version of Mississippi Mud under the Smithstonian tutelage, changing the b-side to an equally superb song entitled ‘Just Sitting’, both of which were featured on bootleg funk compilations.

With its haunting message and moody bass-heavy instrumentation, its story is eerily foretelling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster that struck the Mississippi basin in August of 2005, and thematically applies to the oil disaster that devastated the Gulf Coast earlier this year. Mississippi Mud is prime cut Gulf Coast music culture; a funereal song of the region’s largest natural resource with a rich yet often brutal history, and a deep-rooted Americana narrative as long as its furthest extensions.

LISTEN: Black Blood and the Chocolate Pickles-Mississippi Mud

Sometimes you can gather inklings of information (false, rumored, or otherwise) regarding a particularly obscure artist, record label, or producer, and other (most) times you strike out completely. I can’t call today’s post a strike out on all fronts, but there’s not much out there regarding Laurence Thomas or his funky ghetto consciousness 7″ single, entitled “Why Young Kids Stray”. It’s minimally unfortunate though, considering that this particular record is a new edition to my collection, and one of my favorites at that. I was hoping there might be something out there regarding the origins of the record/artist, but such is not the case, so I’ll just dig in some certain lovable production aspects if you don’t mind.

Well, there’s no going around the enormous drum break that opens up top, is there? Nor should we go around it, it’s one of my favorite facets of this recording, amongst the many of many. Now, prototypical funk drums generally maintain a 4/4 time signature, with an emphasis on the ONE, but my ticker really starts to flutter when I come across odd and varying time signatures on funk songs, particularly if the hi hat hits are somewhere in the 16th to 32nd note patterns. Why Young Kids Stray opens up with a large tom roll into a 1/16th note hi hat pattern, with crystal clean kick drums leading the bass guitar in a groove laden funky rhythm. Musical structure aside, the production is purely magnanimous for a small, independent record label. From the heartbeat of Americana soul music, this Detroit-based label is a drop in the well of label independents claiming the Motor City home. From my understanding, Soul “O” Sonic issued records from the mid 70s to early 80s, which is considerably past the watermark for classic funk recordings, again making this 7″ unique in the herd of ‘74 record releases. I speculate that they may have been active a tad bit earlier than mid 70s, but it looks like most of their material came from this era.

There seems to be a smattering of delicately warm reverb on the drum kit and on Laurence’s vocals, almost earthy and organic to the point that one could suspect that it’s just the sound of good analog preamps and a big ol roomy studio, but one never knows. Either way, it made for a top-notch recording, and is ethereal fodder for the gear heads and drum sample kings. The layering of bass guitar, rhythm guitar, organ and vocals by bar progression flow seamlessly as the song teeters into the first verse, truly a stroke of quality composition and thoughtful production married in harmony. I could spend a lifetime documenting tiny record labels and their one-off artists, and as long as I have the medium to do so, then so be it! There is something uncannily assuaging in discovering unknown labels that put out records like these, and I’ll do anything I can to expose them to an audience willing to lend an ear. Hope you dig it too!

LISTEN: Laurence Thomas-Why Young Kids Stray