Sunday, June 22, 2008

Eccentric Soul CD Tragar and Note

I had a message through from my e-friend Brian Poust of Georgia Soul fame to tell me about a radio show to promote the new Eccentric Soul CD Tragar and Note:

At 9pm, I'll be a guest on WUGA's 'Just Off the Radar' show.
WUGA-FM does stream on their site, http://wuga. org/ and the show can be heard as an archive for the next couple of weeks at http://www. justofftheradar. com


The Numero Uno Group publicity shot says:

Lost for thirty years among the kudzu and Coke bottles of central Georgia, the Tragar & Note labels are the latest Numero Group unearthings to join our landmark Eccentric Soul series. Spread out over two discs, Eccentric Soul: The Tragar & Note Labels is a ridiculously thorough survey of Jesse Jones' twin labels that operated out of Atlanta between 1968-1977. Ranging from southern to northern soul, classic R&B to modern, dancers to romancers, the 50 track collection chronicles nearly every sub-genre of popular black music being made at the time.

Researched with leading Georgia soul expert Brian Poust, the accompanying 32 page booklet features a dozen unpublished photos, memorabilia, label scans, and a 7000 word essay that gives a rich overview of not just these two labels, but the Atlanta soul scene as a whole.


The tracklisting for the 2 CD set:

1. Down in the Country - Tee Fletcher
2. You Got a Spell on Me - Bill Wright
3. Heavenly Father - Cooper, Eula
4. Clown - Chuck Wilder
5. Now That I'm Wise - Nathan Wilkes
6. Nitecap - L. Daniels
7. I'll Be There - Franciene Thomas
8. Sweet Thing - Frankie & Robert
9. Shake Daddy Shake - Cooper, Eula
10. What Can the Matter Be - Tokay Lewis
11. Love Is So Mean - Richard Cook
12. Tumbling Down - Langston & French
13. Love Makes Me Do Foolish Things - Cooper, Eula
14. Too Beautiful to Be Good - Franciene Thomas
15. Tipping Strings - The Knights
16. Someboyd Got'a Help Me - Richard Cook
17. Love (It's Been So Long) - Frankie & Robert
18. Strange Feeling - Nathan Wilkes
19. I Can't Help It If I Love You - Cooper, Eula
20. Why - Chuck Wilder
21. Who Wants Me Now - Tokay Lewis
22. You're the Only Thing I've Got Going for Me - Bill Wright
23. Let Me Be Free - Sonia Ross
24. Would You Do It for Me - Tee Fletcher
25. Try - Cooper, Eula

1. Watch the Dog That Bring the Bone - Sandy Gaye
2. All Because of You - Tee Fletcher
3. Messing Around - Bobby Owens & The Diplomats
4. Loet Our Love Grow Higher - Cooper, Eula
5. Ain't That Sharp - The Young Divines
6. Charade - The Four Tracks
7. Breaking My Heart - Sonia Ross
8. Love Is Gone - Cherry Blend
9. I Need You More - Cooper, Eula
10. I Think It's Time (You Were Mine) - Alice Swoboda
11. Hump - The Knights
12. Beggars Can't Be Choosey - Cooper, Eula
13. Standing by Love - Cooper, Eula
14. Deep in Your Heart - The Young Divines
15. You Mean Everything to Me - The Four Tracks
16. I'll Show You with Love - The Young Divines
17. Every Now and Then - Sonia Ross
18. Love Makes Me Do Foolish Things - Andrea Williams
19. Have Faith in Me - Cooper, Eula
20. Talk Is Cheap - Sandy Gaye
21. I Can't Stand It - J.J. Jones
22. Let's Get Funky - Langston & French
23. That's How Much I Love You - Cooper, Eula
24. Black Midnight - J.J. Jones
25. Potters Field - Alice Swoboda

A double-length collection of work from two obscure Atlanta soul labels -- the Tragar and Note imprints, both run by local producer Jesse Jones! Back in the day, Atlanta wasn't nearly as big of an outlet for soul records as it's become in recent years -- so Jones' labels were key in showcasing under-exposed local talent in the city, a range of soul groups, solo singers, and funk combos -- all produced here with a really fresh sound! Nearly every track here is super-obscure -- and there's few southern soul cliches to get in the way of the music -- no overdone blues, no Hotlanta disco, no Muscle Shoals copies -- just honest-to-goodness indie soul at its best -- full of life, vitality, and personality -- all presented with the usual deep-digging Numero look at the artists in the notes. The package features a whopping 50 tracks in all -- one of the biggest Numero collections so far -- and together, they really tell the tale of this crucially overlooked scene -- a key link between more familiar southern styles and rising Northern modes, all with a personality of its own. Titles include "All Because of You" and "Down In The Country" by Tee Fletcher, "The Hump" and "Tipping Strings" by The Knights, "Somebody Got A Help Me" and "Love is So Mean" by Richard Cook, "I'll Show You With Love" by Young Divines, "Watch The Dog That Bring The Bone" by Sandy Gaye, "Messing Around" by Bobby Owens & The Diplomats, "I Think It's Time" by Alice Swoboda, "Black Midnight" by JJ Jones, "That's How Much I Love You" by Eula Cooper, "Let's Get Funky" by Langston & French, "You Got A Spell On Me" by Bill Wright, "Strange Feeling" by Nathan Wilkes, "Shake Daddy Shake" by Eula Cooper, and "Nitecap" by L Daniels.
Dusty Groove

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