Over the weekend I had my 45th birthday. As with virtually everyone around the world, the birthday I had was far different than the birthday I had dreamed about at the beginning of 2020. As a fairly textbook INFJ, most of my birthdays are solitary affairs, but I’d actually been looking forward to having my birthday on the weekend and thought perhaps I’d be able to find some place to invite a few friends and DJs to sling 45s with me. Alas, it simply wasn’t meant to be, but with the way 2020 has gone thus far, I’m honestly just thankful to even be able to celebrate my birthday this year. And so, from my present fortress of solitude, I put together a mix of 45s that runs the gamut of the many many styles of music that I love.
The mix begins with an extremely well known, instantly (at least for me) smile inducing theme song, that debuted less than three weeks after my own debut, and ends with one of the sweetest soul tunes I’ve ever heard, originally from the collection of the dearly departed Matthew Africa. Some of these 45s are all-time favorites, some are newly discovered obsessions, some were chosen because they remind me of friends and family and great times I’ve had with them, some of them are songs that I’m probably the only person who thinks they are amazing. I didn’t plan the set at all, it was mostly put together stream of consciousness in the moment, though there’s a good long stretch that became a kind of tribute inspired by nights at the Ruby Room in Oakland for Soulvation and also by Funky Sole at the Echo here in Los Angeles. Playing all these tunes led to the most dancing I’ve done during this whole lockdown era, and it really was a joy putting this together. I hope you enjoy hearing it as much as I enjoyed creating it…Peace and Bright Moments to you all.
45…45s…45th Playlist:
1. John Sebastian – Welcome Back Kotter – 7” (Reprise)
2. Marva Whitney – We Want To Party – 7” (People)
3. The Inner Drive – Party Man – 7” (Zodiac)
4. Thom Macke – Lonely Weekends – 7” (Omega)
5. The Derek Lawrence Statement – I Am The Preacher – 7” (Bell)
6. Yukio Hashi – Shikaku Dou (Thug Road) – 7” (Victor)
7. Edip Akbayram & Dolstlar – Dağlar Dağladı Beni – 7” (Sayan)
8. Orchestre Poly Rhythmo De Cotonou Dahomey – Malin Kpon O – 7” (Albarika Store)
9. Shamaizadeh – Hard Groove – 7” (Ahang Rooz)
10. The Steve Karmen Big Band feat. Jimmy Radcliffe – Breakaway Pt. 1 – 7” (United Artists)
11. Lee Dorsey – A Lover Was Born – 7” (Amy)
12. Rodger Collins – Foxy Girls In Oakland – 7” (Galaxy)
13. Billy Garner – Brand New Girl – 7” (BGP)
14. Rufus Thomas – Itch And Scratch – 7” (Stax)
15. All The People – Cramp Your Style – 7” (Blue Candle)
16. Franciene Thomas – I’ll Be There – 7” (Tragar)
17. The Jackson Sisters – I Believe In Miracles – 7” (Mums)
18. The Unemployed – They Won’t Let Me – 7” (Cotillion)
19. Johnny Tolbert – Check Your Battery – 7” (Jasman)
20. Alvin Cash & the Registers – The Philly Freeze – 7” (Mar-V-Lus)
21. Vera Hamilton – But I Ain’t No More (G.S.T.S.K.D.T.S.) – 7” (Epic)
22. Bull & the Matadors – The Funky Judge – 7” (Toddlin’ Town)
23. Ohio Players – Ecstasy (Matthew Africa Edit) – 7” (Dub Plate)
24. The New Holidays – Maybe So, Maybe No – 7” (Soul Hawk)
25. John Edwards – If I Don’t Use My Head – 7” (Weis)
26. Eddie Bo – Hook & Sling Part 1 – 7” (Scram)
27. Gloria Walker & the Chevelles – You Hit The Spot – 7” (Flaming Arrow)
28. Jun Mayuzumi – Black Room – 7” (Capitol)
29. The Odd Squad & the Soulistics – The Row Part 1 – 7” (Al-Pa)
30. Los Lazos – It’s A New Day – 7” (RCA Victor)
31. Irakere – Bacalao Con Pan – 7” (Arieto)
32. Caffe – Falcon – 7” (Godo)
33. Ricardo Marrero and the Group – Babalonia – 7” (YuQuiYu)
34. Derrick Harriot – Candy – 7” (Crystal)
35. Hopeton Lewis – Sound & Pressure – 7” (K&K)
36. MFQ – Every Minute Of Every Day – 7” (WB)
37. The Fabulistics – Absence – 7” (Scorpion)
38. Willie Hutch – I Choose You – 7” (Motown)
39. Sass – I Only Wanted To Love You – 7” (20th Century)
40. Doris & Kelley – You Don’t Have To Worry – 7” (Brunswick)
41. The Lumpen – No More – 7” (Seize The Time)
42. Gloria Taylor – World That’s Not Real – 7” (Selector Sound)
43. The Significants – One Kindness Deserves Another – 7” (Alesver’s Records)
44. The Monkees – As We Go Along – 7” (Colgems)
45. Betty & Angel – Everlasting Love – 7” (Every Day)