Hell's Belles

Vintage sounds, dusty grooves, and 21st-century freaks.

Various house moves and the general stingy sizes of any affordable flats within the M25 have pretty much decimated my vinyl collection, so my quest to replace my favourite tunes on vinyl continues.  This time round I’ve been going for  45s rather than albums.  Not the most economical way to go about it, but a hell of a lot easier to carry.  So rock and roll.

I’ve always loved “The Magic Touch” by The Bobby Fuller Four (him of “I Fought The Law” fame) but this stripped-down cover by Melba Moore just kills it.  I always get that eye-tingling prickle of happy tears when the chorus kicks in.  Then again, I cry when I hear “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys, so make of that what you will.

I just got this 45 this week (reissue) and am looking forward to playing it out next weekend on vinyl for the first time.  It always seems to get some bums shaking on the dancefloor at the end of the early-doors part of the evening, even amongst the “play something we know the words to” types.

Melba Moore – The Magic Touch by hells-belles

The Magic Touch

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BLUES * SKA * GARAGE * SOUL * GIRLS

On Sunday, TT’s doing a vinyl set and scattering a frangrant pot pourri of quality ’60s sounds all over the dancefloor for about an hour around 6ish or 7ish at the Sunday afternoon/eve monthly at The Constitution, 42 St Pancras Way, Camden NW1.  It’s that lovely little boozer halfway between Camden and King’s Cross, set right on the canal.  £3 in and a great crowd.  Doors at 4.30, last orders at 10.30.

Your resident deck monkeys Jaybyrd Slim and Dapper D will be encouraging you to twist ‘n’ frug ‘n’ cut a rug, Simon, dame of the door will greet you with a wink and a smile and the cheap bar prices will leave some loot in your zoot suit.

In honour of the occasion, here’s a bit of Nitty Gritty – in French no less – from Marie Claire.  I ripped this from the Ultra Chicks CD series, long, long, deleted, but I’m sure it’s been comped elsewhere…

Marie Claire – Nitty Gritty by hells-belles

Marva Whitney, along with Lyn Collins and Vicki Anderson, was one of the singers with the James Brown Revue.  She’s one hell of a belter in her own right, and released a string of stormin’ 45s, including this funkity-ass slice of funk in 1969.

MP3: Marva Whitney – Things Got To Get Better