RARE FUNK ORIG. MACEO & All The King's Men- Doing Their Own Thing - Signed ?
$
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Description
Maceo & All The King's Men LP - Doing Their Own Thing
Label: House Of The Fox
Matrix Number: HOF-LP-1A [& B]
Vinyl Wear Visual Grade: EX+ (a few light scuffs and one mild scratch - some audible,
some not; otherwise glossy and in great condition)
Pressing Quality: 8- (thick, rigid, old-school vinyl with clean,
original fox-fur design labels; mostly quiet
but pressing issue causes some patches of
crackle on last 40 secs. of "Funky Women")
Loudness of Vinyl: Average-
Condition of Jacket: EX (signed by Maceo [see below]; mild wear to corners
& top edge; faint wear/soiling to surfaces; removed
sticker "ghost" in upper right corner of front; no splits)
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO THE RED PANEL BELOW TO VIEW GRADING STANDARDS
Side One:
Side Two:
SOUND SAMPLES TAKEN FROM ACTUAL RECORD AT FLAT RESPONSE
This is an original 1970 first pressing of the extremely rare early funk LP release "Doing Their Own Thing" by Maceo & All The King's Men, produced by B.B. Cunningham Jr. & Ray Riley on Lelan Rogers's Nashville-based House Of The Fox label. Judging by the catalog number, this was the label's first album release. The front cover is autographed by Parker and says "RAM [my nickname]: It's A Pleasure, thanks Maceo... sax". It's basically the original late-sixties James Brown band (hence they are "All The King's Men"). This period was frought with disputes between Brown and his band, and, fed up with the conflicts, Brown's control-freak behaviors or perhaps just wanting to "do their own thing", his backing musicians recorded this album on the sly. It yielded the modest hit soul single "Got To Get Cha". Recorded at Sounds Of Memphis Studio Inc. in Memphis, Tennessee, the personnel is: Bass – Bernard OdumDrums – Melvin Parker
Guitar – Alfonzo Kellum, Jimmy Nolan
Saxophone [Alto, Tenor] – Maceo Parker
Saxophone [Tenor] – Eldee Williams
Trumpet – Richard Griffith
Vocals – Maceo Parker (tracks: A2, A4, A5), Richard Griffith (track B2)
TRACK LISTING: Side One 1. Maceo
2. Got To Get Cha'
3. Southwick
4. Funky Women Side Two
1. Shake It Baby (Keep On Shakin It)
2. Better Half
3. Don't Waste This World Away
4. Mag Poo
5. (I Remember) Mr. Banks
In 1989, I had the pleasure of recording and co-writing several tracks in Massachusetts with Maceo Parker. One of them, "Pepper Pot", though still unreleased, was covered by a Boston area band called the Heavy Metal Horns; their version actually became a hit in Japan, and for several months was the theme song of a daytime game show on Japanese television. Both Parker and I received substantial royalties from it for a couple of years. I had spent several days with Parker and got to hear many fascinating details about his bittersweet career with James Brown. The story goes that Brown was so upset about Maceo and the guys "Doing Their Own Thing", that he actually paid soul disc jockeys in prominent markets around the country NOT to play the record (see below). I can confirm this because Maceo told me all about it over a seafood lunch! ********************* Excerpt From An Online Review By Dominique Leone, Pitchfork Media: "Son of a b*tch. What else do you call a guy willing to sabotage the futures and success of his children, the ones he helped bring in to the world, and the ones who presumably have the most to gain from his support? Of course, there are always two sides to every story, but I figure when the tale involves even a little of the supposed foul play this one does, somebody is going to come out dirty. So, what did the kids think of father, then? No, not father-- Godfather. And it could've been a breakout success if only his reach hadn't extended so far. This is the family feud that was James Brown's scene. Sometime in the spring of 1970, big brother Maceo Parker, Brown's main sax man since '64, got the idea that living under the funky thumb of the hardest working man in show-business was perhaps not a great deal. Some say he rebelled, others say that it was simply time for a change of scenery, but whatever the case, bad deeds were done, and the only stuff to come out on the sunny end were a few sides of classic funk. Father Brown had discovered Maceo (and his little brother, drummer Melvin) during a tour stop in North Carolina. The pair was only just out of high school, but Brown knew a good feeling when he heard it and quickly snatched up the duo. The brothers Parker joined the touring band, and were also featured on Brown's hit "I Got You (I Feel Good)," before getting picked up by another charismatic unit, the U.S. Army. So, they served a different kind of tour for a few years, but returned in the late sixties (Maceo in '67, Melvin in '69). Of course, going on the road with James Brown wasn't exactly all good times. Eating from papa's bag could be an infuriating exercise in humility. Brown had the nasty habit of accepting any and all credit for the music issued under his name, despite the fact that riffs, arrangements and sometimes even entire tunes were created by his sidemen soldiers. On top of that, he was never known as the highest paying bandleader. So, it came to pass in May of 1970 that Maceo led a mini-walkout, taking almost all of JB's band with him. The first record they made was under the moniker Maceo and All the King's Men, which is a good indication of the rebellion Maceo must have known he was committing. They cut nine songs for the album Doing Their Own Thing, and issued one single in 1970. Their music was tried-and-true funky soul and bar-band balladry, and not a lick of it was ever going to see the top 40 if Brown could help it. Now, I should add that there's a considerable amount of uncertainty (at least on record) as to the exact happenings regarding Brown and this band of upstarts. The prevailing story is that the Godfather actually paid disc jockeys across the land not to play tunes by Maceo's bunch. There's also the notion that the record was subject to merely bad distribution. Whatever the case, all the King's men only had the opportunity to make one more album before disbanding. Most of the guys went back to Brown, who seemingly welcomed them with open arms. It's a dicey story, but in any case, some pretty nice music was left behind by one of the best bands never to have had a chance. Fittingly, the album begins with "Maceo," a slow, churning piece of hard funk. It's basically an excuse to have this band's leader blow a few choruses of his patented razor-sharp vamp-jazz. He sticks to tenor here (Maceo didn't switch to alto until 1973), but there's no mistaking his tone and style for anyone else's. The tune features only the barest of melodies, and in fact, was probably the kind of thing that would've been stretched out to lather up a crowd in concert. "Got to Get 'Cha" is more classic groove, and is actually still in the touring book of Maceo's band today. This one actually features the sax man's distinctive vocals, owing much to Brown's guttural pounce. Brother Melvin lays down a tight, mid-tempo beat, and the horns (including L.D. Williams on tenor and trumpeters Richard Griffith and Joseph Davis) nail the punches harder than Kool's Gang or a Tower of Power ever dreamed possible. The band pays its respect to the Apollo showtune in jams like "Shake It Baby" (double time, rock-n-soul revue party fare) and "I Remember Mr. Banks" (jazzy, hard-blues ballad, in the style of Allen Toussaint's early organ trio sides). [Mr. Banks was one of Maceo's music teachers at school]. These are the kinds of tunes that sound best in a room of crowded, sweaty people. For the first, make room to shake everything you got; for the second, grab your girl and slow jam every waking second that Griffith's aching, muted trumpet wails. After the short stint on their own, most of the band's members would continue to perform with Brown, in addition to further solo ventures and stints with other acts (most notably the P-Funk mob). Today, Maceo leads his own soldiers across the world playing the same old funky music he's been playing over the course of the last few decades. And from what I've read, he doesn't hold any grudges against a certain mentor who may have stalled this initial effort. Of course, Parker has long since been given his due by a new generations of fans, but I still wonder what old JB thought of the kids who tried to branch out into their own thing. You know what they say about payback."
*********************
This record is from my personal collection; I'm not really a buy-and-sell-or-trade type of seller. I bought this record this record gently used in 1971, played it a few times, recorded it on reel-to-reel tape and then put it back in its sleeve for the next 41 years! Visually, the vinyl shows only a few signs of wear. It's been wet cleaned, then both sides archived to CD by me as part of the grading process. Guaranteed free of skips when I used a tonearm lightly weighted at 1.5 grams.
PRICE: this record, sometimes in lesser condition, usually brings from $150.00 to $200.00 at auction, but rather than put one of those annoying "secret reserves" on the price, bidding on this early funk classic simply starts at $38.99, or Buy It Now for $155.00. ATTENTION BIDDERS: Please carefully read this listing in its entirety, as I have no return policy: my record description is intended to be absolutely honest, accurate and thorough enough in the first place, so you can decide if you want to buy it AS DESCRIBED, AS HEARD in the sound samples and AS IS. RECORD GRADING STANDARDS
In grading the sound quality of a vinyl record (assuming it's been cleaned and there's no significant warpage), there are three main issues:
1.) Vinyl Visual Grade made by judging the visible wear from usage.
2.) Pressing quality after manufacture, which is the amount of surface noise such as pops/clicks/hisses/buzzes due to imperfections in the grooves of the record like small pits or bubbles. This is partially determined by vinyl quality/purity, temperature control and cleanliness of the record stamping machine. Other problems include the record being pressed off-center ("drunk") resulting in a wobbly, pitch-wavering sound.
TIP for off-center pressings: With 45's, you can compensate during playback for a drunk pressing by removing the centering "dome" from the turntable spindle, slowly turning the record by hand while observing in which direction the grooves are off center, and then pushing the record slightly off-center in the opposite direction until the grooves themselves are centered. It's an acquired skill.
3.) Loudness of Vinyl (Mastering volume) and the resulting Signal-to-Noise Ratio: how loudly ("hotly") or softly ("sleepily") the record was mastered to the stamper from the master tape of the music. With a hot pressing, the loudness of the music overpowers and masks the fainter sound of the surface noise. With a sleepy pressing, the music is dimmer and down closer to the level of surface noise; the listener has to turn up the volume, making the surface noise more audible along with the music. Other mastering problems include exaggerated tone settings and distortion, especially in high frequencies ("S" sounds) and upper midrange frequencies ("squawking" in the vocals or other tinny instruments). Too much bass and the needle will hop right out of the groove!
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Gradings for visually detectable wear on vinyl records
MINT (M) The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.
NEAR MINT (NM+/-) As above, but only played a few times. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in nearly perfect condition.
EXCELLENT (EX+/-) The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and/or creasing.
VERY GOOD (VG+/-) The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.
GOOD (G+/-) The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discoloration, etc.
FAIR (F+/-) The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and/or defaced.
POOR (P+/-) The record will not play properly due to scratches, uncleanable dirt etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.
BAD (+/-) The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler.
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RATINGS FOR PRESSING QUALITY ON A SCALE OF 10 DOWN TO 1
10: No audible surface noise (nearly impossible to achieve). Example: Classical or audiophile music pressings on "virgin" high-quality vinyl and manufactured under "laboratory" conditions, often of European or Japanese origin. Most really good pressings will only rate a 9 anyway.
9: Very few barely audible clicks. No pops at all.
8: Frequent softly audible clicks and no pops.
7: More frequent audible clicks and occasional pops.
6: Frequent audible clicks and pops.
5: Frequent noticable clicks and pops.
4: Very frequent noticable clicks and loud pops.
3: Extremely frequent loud clicks and loud pops, possibly with occasional hisses/buzzes.
2. Constant loud clicks and loud pops, with frequent hisses/buzzes
1: Virtually unlistenable, might as well've been pressed on peanut-brittle!
Go buy the re-issue of the song on CD made directly from the master
tapes.
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STANDARDS FOR RATING MASTERING VOLUME
HOT (+/-)
AVERAGE (+/-)
SLEEPY (+/-)
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HOW I GRADE RECORDS FOR SALE:
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For records with a visual wear rating between VG and NM++ , additional ratings for pressing quality and signal-to-noise ratio are included. It's entirely possible for an M or barely played NM record to sound pretty bad because it was poorly pressed in the first place.
For records with a visual wear rating below VG , it is often too difficult to tell the difference between surface noises due to wear and those due to pressing quality, so only a single condition grading is offered.
About grading integrity : it is my strict policy to grade these records as carefully and truthfully as possible. It's a common complaint that many record sellers tend to overgrade their stock: more than once, I've purchased a few "VG+" or "EX" records on Ebay, and eagerly put one on the turntable only to find it's a nearly unlistenable mess. Yuck! This is why I have no return policy: my record description is intended to be honest and thorough enough in the first place, so you can decide if you want to buy it AS DESCRIBED and AS IS.
About Shipping/Handling Fees & Seller Ratings Shipping Fees I have selected the cheapest possible shipping rates available to me for customers. Please be aware that the United States Post Office sets these prices, NOT me! Unfortunately, Ebay combines both the shipping & handling charges on the invoices that sellers send to buyers, giving the impression that the shipping rate is too high. Please keep this in mind when receiving my invoices. With 45's sent within the United States, it's actually a bit cheaper by weight to send one 45 by First Class than by Media Mail. Media Mail works better for multiple items sent in the same package and I'm very happy to combine shipping for both domestic & overseas customers. Unlike the bigger, high-volume sellers on Ebay who are rewarded substantial discounts on their fees from shippers and from Ebay, I am only a collector gradually selling off my records and thus not in a position to offer free or discounted shipping. High bidders may want to consider insuring their purchases, since even the best packed records do occasionally arrive broken, and you can only get all your money back if you fully insure your purchase.Within the continental US:
SINGLES are shipped by USPS Priority Mail (partial insurance included, full insurance optional) or First Class Mail (cheaper, insurance optional).
ALBUMS are shipped by USPS Priority Mail (partial insurance included, full insurance optional) or Media Mail (cheaper, insurance optional).
To preview a USPS Mail option for shipments to your area, please use the Shipping Calculator provided by Ebay.
International purchases:
Records are usually shipped by USPS International First Class Mail (no insurance available), or USPS Priority Mail International (partial insurance included).
To preview a USPS International Mail option for shipments to your country, please use the Shipping Calculator provided by Ebay.
Handling fees:
To maximize the safety of records, I cut & fold custom-made mailers from clean, recycled corrugated cardboard for each shipment (see photo below) --- fairly time-consuming work! I now include a heavy-duty clear vinyl protector with each 45; LP's are placed inside clean recycled plastic shopping bags. For shipments within the U.S., there is a flat $3.00 handling fee, and $0.70-0.80 of this goes to USPS Delivery Confirmation with a tracking number which lets me know the buyer has received the shipment. For foreign shipments, there is a flat $3.50 handling fee, and customs forms have to be filled out which provides the buyer and me with a form number useful in tracing the package if it gets hung up in customs.Weights: One 45 in cardboard mailer = approx. 6 oz.
Each additional 45 = approx. 1.2 oz.
LP in cardboard mailer = approx. 1 lb. 3 oz.
Each additional LP = approx. 8 oz.
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