Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Go ahead and laugh. He's everybody's clown.

The Smudge has Len Wade's Everybody's Clown (mp3), from Soul Resurrection Volume One: From Deep Inside the Playground Vault, ready to play at a whim, and the whims for this slow, patient burn come hard and often. Lord, how the brass hits that spot deep down inside in this one. So nice.

Fresh on the heels of Birmingham Sound: The Soul of Neal Hemphill Vol 1 [which The Smudge recently highly recommended], Rabbit Factory, Inc is preparing to release their second studio-based soul compilation. Soul Resurrection Volume One: From Deep Inside the Playground Vault collects material from Valparaiso, Florida’s Playground Studios, a stomping ground for numerous soul and funk artists associated with some of the top names in the genre (Minaret’s Big John Hamilton and Doris Allen, members of Roy Orbison’s band The Candymen, and more).

In 2005, Playground Studios and the masters produced there were purchased by Memphis producer Jim Lancaster (also known for his production on The Replacements’ Pleased to Meet Me) with plans to renovate the studio and again produce records in the spirit of former owner Finley Duncan, who built the studio in 1969. Lancaster was the impetus behind Soul Resurrection and plans to re-open the studio later this spring. In the meantime, the record, which collects 20 tracks recorded at Playground studios, will be available beginning April 24th. [It's available now at Dusty Groove.]


Dusty Groove says:
There's an approach here that's wonderfully sensitive, and free from cliche -- a way of adapting to each new talent with a level of sophistication that was still a bit rare for southern soul at the time. Some of the best known Playground work was issued on the Minaret and SSS International labels -- some of which has been compiled recently by Sundazed -- but this collection here is all unreissued work, with no crossover with other compilations -- a wonderfully fresh look at this under-recognized force in southern soul, presented with some really great liner notes and photos!

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