Los Impalas - Love Grows a Flower

Near as I can tell, Los Impalas were a Chicano psych-rock quintet. I gave the CD a shot because of the dated, garish artwork… I was floored to hear a tight LP of nasty fuzz and wah guitar, wicked riffs, and splendid pop harmonies. These guys knew their way around a single, and I’m pleased to drop a gem on ya.

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The Fabulous Mark III - Psycho (Pts. 1 & 2)

I can’t imagine how hard it would be to get six to ten guys together on the fringes of the chitlin circuit and form a well-drilled, funky band. But as the recent rare-funk reissues on Ubiquity and Now Again have proven, if you found a big enough town, it was a lock that there’d be players houserocking somewhere. A lot of these guys were still in high school! In high school I was an additional percussionist for the Amazing Skasmonauts. In the early seventies, the Fabulous Mark III could issue frenetic funk singles with the best of ‘em. From 2005’s Texas Funk: Black Gold From the Lone Star State.

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The Staple Singers - I See It

Did some light scouring this weekend. By no design, most of it ended up under category of “soul”. For instance, the album which hosts this song, 1968’s Soul Folk in Action. The Staples remain one of the finest family groups, gospel or otherwise. Anchored by Pops’ rhythm guitar, and graced by any of four sweet-singing siblings (this LP features Pervis and his sisters Mavis and Cleotha), the Staples were Memphis soul at its most hopeful, and most aware of the national mood. Prime example here, with Mavis leading the charge in a driving meter; her siblings make the words “damaged pride” sound like a hard-won victory. Ambiguously tacked onto the end is a multi-stringed rendition of the National Anthem. Make of it what you will.

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