For Colemine Records and The Jive Turkeys it’s the perfect time to start thinking about Christmas, it’s getting hotter, summer is here and Santa needs a funky time soundtrack on 45, you know who else needs one? Jesus. It’s his birthday and he’s going to shake his ass if Colemine Records has anything to say about it.
A-Side’s "Get Down Santa" brings back memories of the first single I reviewed from these guys with this signature smooth organ grove. I found an old xerox article recently about creating monster funk 45s (found it at stevemalkmus online of all things) by Gabriel Roth. The thing that stood out was how perfect his advice was, in every way this essay is genius. You have to record SHITTY and have musicians who ignore the past 30 years of music and “…will do exactly what the fuck you tell them to do.” There’s no room for the showboating, or individuality, you just have to nail that groove, hit the simple raw sound and stick with it. If you need to keep adding your own flourishes then this isn't the style for you. Advice that the Jive Turkeys follow every measure, they take a holiday classic and hint around at it, at the end of verses, the cracks between notes. The heavy groove separates for a split second and you immediately recognize this. The make it alright to be blasting this juicy track around the holiday, deck the halls and sleigh bells are mandatory but are now delivered in a groove, almost blues sound that in the hands of these guys, breaks off into their heavy funk. Only the Jive Turkeys would to be able to work this (or probably anything I'm sure) into their particular jazz funk. It’s like they’ve been given this funk problem and turn it right into an opportunity. An old worn out holiday standard? Give it here sucka.
B-Side’s "Funky Jesus" - At least with this track title they make no bones about being a little tongue in cheek. They LEAN into this throwback church organ sound and come out the other side into an uplifting spiritual place. You can see the opening credits to a '70s sitcom just starting to fade with its solid bass line and heavy on the snare, meticulous fills. Seriously, if anyone is looking for a period soundtrack, look these guys up. They trade down to the guitar looping around a bluesy bent melody, but that organ is scooting its way into the gospel side of the funk, acceptable any Sunday, I was honestly always jealous to see those churches that made service look like fun, as a kid. Actually being able to rock out in church? With a band? It seemed like they were having a good time and making music - sure it was for Jesus on Sunday but it was for themselves as well. This slows to a stop comes back in with new beats and goes into a full freak out dance spazz party. When everyone gets a little bit louder now and a little bit LOUDER NOW. The kind of abandonment that made fanatics ban dancing because you can hear the frenzy it whipped up - Real Grapes of Wrath stuff. Proving that the funk is everywhere, there’s nothing The Jive Turkeys aren’t able to make funky and like Mr. Roth says “Two hands on the hi-hat, unless you are actually in Ghana and it's still 1970”
Colemine Records has just started to repress his first releases on color vinyl and talks about it in this latest article in Blues and Soul mag. Pick up this record now before you forget and then try to get it in December and it's long gone.
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