Dionne Warwick “The April Fools” (Scepter 12249, R&B#33 Pop#37, 1969) I think sincerely, the biggest joke I can think of this morning is that this holiday referencing Dionne Warwick record was actually released in May of 1969, not in April as would literally make sense. Anyways, what stands here is one of the prettier and more…
Author: Laurence Jones
Time Capsule or actual human being, who knows. Laurence Jones has been sifting through ephemera of the past seemingly forever, spinning vinyl for you, taking film photography and entertaining you with instagram posts of the decrepit old cars they own. You can find previous writing by them at djlarsupreme.com and medium.com
Anita Humes “Just For The Boy” (Roulette 4575-B, 1964)
Anita Humes “Just For The Boy” (Roulette 4575-B, 1964) She’s perhaps one of the most innocent and earnest voices in Soul Music. So it’s no surprise that Anita Humes got singled out to give audiences some of the most angst-ridden pop perfections of the early 1960s. Balancing the strife of love, affections and societal expectations…
Diana Ross “Surrender” (Motown 1188, R&B#16 Pop#38, 1971)
Diana Ross “Surrender” (Motown 1188, R&B#16 Pop#38, 1971) Icon, legendary, mystery and controversy, where would the world be without Diana Ross, who celebrates her 71st Birthday today. 56 years of performing and still touring strong and gracefully, she has a remarkably vast catalog of popular song that one can barely begin to dissect and analyze and…
Uranus-Pluto & The Girl Group Explosion: A Playlist
As you may know, this past Sunday I presented at the Queer Astrology Conference on Girl Group archetypes during the before and culminating with Uranus/Pluto Conjunction in Virgo years culminating in 1965-66. In the afterglow of that, and waiting for the audio recording of that talk to surface in the next month, I’ve culled the…
Martha & The Vandellas “No More Tear Stained Make – Up” (From the LP Watchout! 1966)
Martha & The Vandellas “No More Tear Stained Make – Up” (From the LP Watchout! 1966) Where would I exactly be in making a presentation on girl groups without thinking of Martha & The Vandellas? Pretty much nowhere, since, after the super obvious case of The Supremes, Martha Reeves and her singing partner’s catalog is…
The Marvelettes “Learning To Forget You” (1965, Unreleased. From The Marvelettes: Forever More, 2011)
The Marvelettes “Learning To Forget You” (1965, Unreleased. From The Marvelettes: Forever More, 2011) The Marvelettes are in heavy rotation as the hours wind down to me taking the microphone at the 2nd ever Queer Astrology Conference where their songs and story will figure prominently in the proto-feminist discussions of the Astrology of the early to mid-1960s….
The Shirelles “What Is Love?” (From The Shirelles Greatest Hits Vol II, 1967).
The Shirelles “What Is Love?” (From the LP The Shirelles Greatest Hits Vol II, 1967). As I get ready for my first ever lecture on girl groups, I’m combing through powerpoint slides and notes and MP3 of who and what mattered most in the girl group era, and I’m humbled that I get to bring Women’s…
Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles “Danny Boy” (Parkway 935 Pop#76, 1965)
Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles “Danny Boy” (Parkway 935 Pop#76, 1965) It seems appropriate for St. Patricks day to post this song long associated with “Irishness” or whatever, and take a glimpse into the long road that is Patti LaBelle (and her fellow BlueBelles) career. There’s numerous covers of this song, and it’s not too…
The Fascinations “Mama Didn’t Lie” (ABC Paramount 10387, Pop #108, 1962)
The Fascinations “Mama Didn’t Lie” (ABC Paramount 10387, Pop #108, 1962) We’re just about halfway through our Women’s History Month tour through soul music, so it’s perhaps time to score one of the best advice songs that made it to the airwaves during the 1960’s. But not the best known version. The Fascinations were actually another…
The Sweet Inspirations “Always David” (From the LP Sweets For My Sweet, 1969)
The Sweet Inspirations “Always David” (From the LP Sweets For My Sweet, 1969) After the momentary detour for Erma Franklin’s birthday, I wanted to finalize our visit to the East Coast and spend a little bit of time with my favorite women to toil in the background: The dynasty of women of clan Drinkard and…
DJ Larsupreme 