Sugar Pie DeSanto – “In The Basement (Pt. 1)”

 Click here to play the episode
"In The Basement (Part 1)" (Billy Davis, Raynard Miner & Carl Smith) Copyright 1966 Chevis Music Inc BMI

Sugar Pie DeSanto (born Umpeylia Marsema Balinton) was a ton of dynamite in a tiny 4′ 11″ frame… and still is, at the time of this recording. Let’s have a listen to this super-fun classic track, recorded with the great Etta James in 1966.

“In The Basement (Part 1)” (Billy Davis, Raynard Miner & Carl Smith) Copyright 1966 Chevis Music Inc BMI

TRANSCRIPT:
Welcome to the party, friends! This is the “I’m In Love With That Song” podcast, coming to you on the Pantheon Podcast Network. I’m your Master of Ceremonies, Brad Page, and on this episode we’re tossing out all the pretensions and going to the place where we can dance to any music we choose– “In The Basement” with Sugar Pie DeSanto

Umpeylia Marsema Balinton was born in Brooklyn New York in 1935, to a Filipino father and an African-American mother. Her mom had been a concert pianist, so she had music in her blood. Her family moved to San Francisco when she was four. She was close friends with Jamesetta Hawkins, who was discovered by Johnny Otis and renamed Etta James. Umpeylia won a number of talent contests in San Francisco and LA, and eventually Johnny Otis turned his sights to her, signing her in 1955 and changing her name to Sugar Pie DeSanto.

Sugar Pie stood only 4 feet 11 inches tall, but she packed an explosive amount of talent in that small frame. She had a giant voice and boundless energy, doing backflips on stage. Her first hit came in 1960 with “I Want To Know”, which reached number 4 on Billboard’s R&B chart.

[Music]

Sugar Pie moved to Chicago and signed with Chess Records, where she recorded more singles. Her biggest hit with Chess was a track called “Soulful Dress” in 1964.

[Music]

In 1966, she reunited with her friend Etta James for a duet called “Do I Make Myself Clear”:

[Music]

After the success of that single, Sugar Pie and Etta James went back into the studio in ’66 to cut another song together: “In The Basement”.

“In The Basement” didn’t turn out to be a big hit, but I think it’s one of the all-time great dance party songs– right up there with “Dancing In The Street”. “In The Basement” was written and produced by Billy Davis, Raynard Miner and Carl Smith. The song kicks off with a snare drum hit, then a classic bass guitar riff, doubled on the piano:

[Music]

You can tell the party’s already started with the crowd noise in the background. After two bars of the intro riff, there’s a short one-beat pause then the intro riff transitions into the main riff. It is a bit of a different riff, and that’s where the guitar joins in.

[Music]

This is where the first verse comes in, and to set the stage, here’s what Etta James said about the recording of this track:

“I flew up to Chicago where I recorded with my old friend from San Francisco, nutty wild-ass Sugar Pie DeSanto. I dug singing “Into The Basement”, a song that took us back to when we were kids; cutting up, smearing on lipstick, kissing on boys, being bad gang girls with our homemade tattoos and floppy jeans. With happy voices chattering in the background, the record is an all-night-long party, with funky music blaring.”

That pretty much says it all. Here’s the first verse:

[Music]

“Where can you go when the money gets low? In the basement.” Kids with no money, no transportation, too young for the clubs… what do you do? You get together in a friend’s basement where you can turn up the music and have a space of your own.

Now, granted, we were suburban white kids, far from the inner city where I grew up, but we did basically the same thing; hanging out in the basement, playing tunes. A couple times a year, we’d set up our guitars and drums in a friend’s basement and play a show for a dozen of our closest friends. Those moments of escape, freedom and promise… pretty universal experience for most American teenagers, I think.

"Where can you dance to any music you choose, 
you got the comforts of home and a nightclub, too.  
There's no cover charge or fee, 
and the food and drinks are free, 
down in the basement."

That’s the second verse.

[Music]

I love the scream and the backing vocals here.

Let’s bring up the vocals on this last verse

[Music]

“In The Basement” by Sugar Pie DeSanto and Etta James.

Sugar Pie, like so many artists, never made it to the big-time commercially. She’s had to eke out a career over 50 years now, but she kept on going. In 2008, she received the Pioneer Award by the Rhythm And Blues Foundation. At the ceremony, she performed “I Want To Know”, her first hit. And in the middle of the song, she got down on the floor and did a backward somersault.

At the time of this recording, Sugar Pie DeSanto is 85 years old, still going strong. She’s overcome a lot in her life: drugs, alcohol, and tragedy– she was married five times, twice to the same man, Jesse Davis, who died in a fire at their apartment in 2006. Sugar Pie said “He saved my life, but he couldn’t save his own”.

If you’d like to hear more of Sugar Pie DeSanto, there’s a great compilation CD called “Go Go Power: The Complete Chess Singles” that I highly recommend.

Thank you for being a part of this episode. The “I’m In Love With That Song” podcast will be back again soon! Find us on Facebook, where you can write a review or leave a comment; you can find all of our previous episodes on our website, lovethatsongpodcast.com.

This show is part of the Pantheon Network of podcasts, where you’ll find discussions and conversations on all the great bands and artists. Thanks again for listening, and let’s keep the party going with “In The Basement” by Sugar Pie de Santo.

Ohio Players – “Fire”

 Click here to play the episode
"Fire" (Ralph Middlebrooks, Marshall Jones, Leroy Bonner, Clarence Satchell, Willie Beck & Marvin Pierce) Copyright 1974 Play One Music and Segundo Suenos Music

The Ohio Players paid their dues for 15 years before their first #1 Top 100 hit, but by then, they were on fire (pun intended). Built on an incessant groove that won’t quit, they brought heavy funk to the top of the pop charts. On this episode, we take a look at all the elements that make up this funky classic.

“Fire” (Ralph Middlebrooks, Marshall Jones, Leroy Bonner, Clarence Satchell, Willie Beck & Marvin Pierce) Copyright 1974 Play One Music and Segundo Suenos Music

– This show is one of many great podcasts on the Pantheon Podcasts network. Check ’em all out!

Merry Clayton – “Country Road”

 Click here to play the episode
"Country Road" (James Taylor) Copyright 1970 Blackwood Music Inc./Country Road Music Inc. (BMI)

Merry Clayton never had a big hit, but her voice can be heard in dozens of songs you know (we’ve listened to one of them here before– see episode #42). One of the legendary background singers profiled in the documentary 20 Feet From Stardom, most of her solo work is largely unknown– which is a shame, because there’s some great music on those albums. Take this example from her first album, Gimme Shelter. Merry takes this James Taylor classic to a whole new place, one of my favorite cover songs of all time.

“Country Road” (James Taylor) Copyright 1970 Blackwood Music Inc./Country Road Music Inc. (BMI)

— This show is just one of many great podcasts on the Pantheon network–THE home for music podcasts!

Marvin Gaye – “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”

"I Heard It Through The Grapevine" (Norman Whitfield & Barrett Strong) Copyright 1966 Jobette Music Co, Inc., BMI

Hard to believe now, but Motown resisted releasing this song as a single. Marvin’s version sat on a shelf for months before being relegated to an album track– until some DJ’s discovered it, and the rest is history. It became Motown’s biggest selling hit at that time. And it’s a true classic. In this episode, we’ll look at how the track was put together and marvel at Marvin’s performance. One of the greats.

“I Heard It Through The Grapevine” (Norman Whitfield & Barrett Strong) Copyright 1966 Jobette Music Co, Inc., BMI

Use discount code “lovethatsong” to get 15% all kinds of cool music merch at OldGlory.com

Earth Wind & Fire – “Shining Star”

 Click here to play the episode
Earth Wind & Fire - "Shining Star" (Maurice White, Philip Bailey and Larry Dunn) Copyright 1975 (Renewed 2003) EMI April Music Inc.

Earth, Wind & Fire’s 6th album, That’s The Way of The World, was ostensibly a soundtrack album; when the film bombed, the album was on the verge of fading away, too– until “Shining Star” was released as a single and it became their first (and surprisingly only) #1 Top 10 Hit. The whole band is on fire here; beneath the pop sheen is the heaviest of funk grooves, with particularly tasty guitar & bass work. Let’s climb inside this funk machine & see what it took to create this stellar track.

Earth Wind & Fire – “Shining Star” (Maurice White, Philip Bailey and Larry Dunn) Copyright 1975 (Renewed 2003) EMI April Music Inc. 

TRANSCRIPT:

There are only twelve notes in Western music. A total of only twelve potential notes in virtually every song you’ve ever heard. Less than that, really, because the combination of some notes just don’t work together. The combinations are not infinite. And yet, there are millions of songs out there, each with their own unique listening experience. A song is more than just the individual notes that go into it. This is the I’m in Love with that Song podcast, where we explore a different song each episode to discover what makes it tick beyond just the notes. What goes into making a song great? So let’s listen to one of my favorite songs, “Shining Star” by Earth, Wind & Fire.

I’m your host, Brad Page, and we are all musical explorers here. I try not to use words like “dissect” or “analyze” for what we do on this podcast because, well, that’s just too clinical. What we’re doing here is some in-depth listening, trying to get inside of a song and focus on the moments and the performances that make a song really work. This time, we’re listening to one of the great funk tracks of all time, “Shining Star” by Earth, Wind & Fire.

Maurice White started Earth, Wind & Fire in Chicago in 1969. Their sound combined jazz, Latin rhythms, and African beats built on a foundation of solid funk: bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, an incredibly tight horn section, and the contrasting vocals of Maurice White and Philip Bailey. What a band! Earth, Wind & Fire signed to Warner Brothers Records and released their first album in 1971. That same year, they worked with Melvin Van Peebles to create the soundtrack to Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, a classic movie and the first of the so-called blaxploitation films.

In March of 1975, Earth, Wind & Fire released album number six, That’s the Way of the World. And it’s a soundtrack album, too. Sig Shore, the director of the classic film Super Fly, was working on a new film about a band trying to make it in the cutthroat music business. The movie starred Harvey Keitel as a record producer, and Earth, Wind & Fire not only created the music for the film, they were cast in the movie as the band known only as “The Group.” The movie, called That’s the Way of the World, was a flop, but the soundtrack album by Earth, Wind & Fire was a hit, featuring three classic Earth, Wind & Fire songs: “That’s the Way of the World”, “Reasons”, and “Shining Star”.

The track features Verdine White on bass, Fred White on drums, Al McKay and Johnny Graham on guitars, Larry Dunn on keyboards, and Andrew Woolfolk, George Bohanon, and Oscar Brashear on horns. Maurice White and Philip Bailey trade off on the lead vocals. The song was produced by Maurice White and Charles Stepney. Stepney was a pretty important producer in the ’70s; he worked with everyone from Minnie Riperton and Ramsey Lewis to Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, and I think he’s pretty important to the sound of these early Earth, Wind & Fire albums.

“Shining Star” was written by Maurice White, Philip Bailey, and Larry Dunn. Maurice had the initial idea for the song while they were recording at the Caribou Ranch studios in Colorado. Outside at night in the Rocky Mountains with that huge sky overhead, he was inspired by all those shining stars. The first rough demos of the song sounded like this:

[Audio Clip]

That’s a pretty cool groove, but once the guitars, the horns, and the percussion come together, then the track really takes off. Let’s start with the intro.

[Audio Clip]

One of the things I love about funk is the interaction between instruments—the interplay. You can take a bunch of instruments and have them play different parts that may not seem like much on their own, but when you weave them together, you get these amazing grooves and rhythms. The way the instruments intertwine and bounce off of each other. This intro is a great example. You’ve got one guitar playing this:

[Audio Clip]

While a second guitar plays this:

[Audio Clip]

The effect on that guitar is a phase shifter. Then, after two measures, the bass comes in.

[Audio Clip]

Put that together, and you get this:

[Audio Clip]

When they hit that groove, I am all in. Let’s go back and listen to the two guitar parts here, too. Here’s guitar number one, laying down the rhythm with a classic funk guitar chord:

[Audio Clip]

Guitar number two is playing single notes, bobbing and weaving around the rhythm laid down by guitar one.

[Audio Clip]

Now let’s listen to those two parts together.

[Audio Clip]

Man, I love this stuff. Let’s go back and listen to all the parts together with the whole band rocking. You know, I’m going to say something here that some of you probably just aren’t going to get, and that’s okay, but hear me out: when the whole band comes in, horns and all, and they hit that groove, I think this is just as heavy as any metal band. It’s a different kind of heavy, I guess, but that thick, heavy funk hits just as hard.

[Audio Clip]

Maurice White sings the first part of the verse.

[Audio Clip]

Let’s listen to Verdine White’s bass part there.

[Audio Clip]

Now Philip Bailey takes over the vocals.

[Audio Clip]

Now we’ve reached the chorus, and there are some shifts in the arrangement. The guitars, which were up front during the verses, move to the back, and the keyboards come forward. The horns shift from playing short stabs to more fluid, longer notes.

[Audio Clip]

Let’s break down the chorus. Here’s what the horns are playing:

[Audio Clip]

The vocals are doubled and recorded in stereo.

[Audio Clip]

I think that part is all Maurice White. Then, Philip Bailey lays down a harmony vocal on top, also doubled and in stereo.

[Audio Clip]

Here are both parts together.

[Audio Clip]

After the chorus, they play that jazzy section that was part of the original demo. Then, there’s a hot little guitar solo.

[Audio Clip]

Let’s check out that guitar solo.

[Audio Clip]

There’s that pause for dramatic effect, and then they hit us hard with another verse. Again, Maurice and Philip share the vocals.

[Audio Clip]

There’s a cool little guitar lick here.

[Audio Clip]

And let’s spend a little time with the bass as it heads into the chorus.

[Audio Clip]

The music drops out at the end, leaving the vocals almost by themselves. The first two passes have a lot of reverb on them, but the final chorus is completely dry. It’s a stark contrast.

[Audio Clip]

“Shining Star”, Earth, Wind & Fire. Maurice White was the heart and soul of Earth, Wind & Fire. He grew up in Memphis and played with Booker T. for a while. He moved to Chicago and spent some time as a session drummer at Chess Records. Maurice was also a deeply spiritual man. Earth, Wind & Fire’s albums are rich with mysticism and spirituality; it’s right there in the band’s name. When he sings “You’re a shining star, no matter who you are, shining bright to see what you could truly be,” he means it. His lyrics aren’t just platitudes; he really believed in them, and he wanted to inspire you.

Maurice suffered from Parkinson’s disease in his later years. He died in his sleep on February 4, 2016. He was 74. But his music continues to inspire me. Thanks for checking out this episode, and I hope you’ll join us again here on the I’m in Love with that Song podcast. As always, if you’d like to leave feedback, we really do appreciate it. You can find us on Facebook—just search for the I’m in Love with that Song podcast—or tweet at us @popstafftweets. And we love it when you leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever it is you listen to the show. I will be back again in two weeks with another episode. Until then, I hope you find some inspiration in “Shining Star” by Earth, Wind & Fire.

Edwin Starr – “War”

 Click here to play the episode
"War" (Norman Whitfield & Barrett Strong) Copyright 1970 Jobette Music Co, Inc.

“War” was originally written for The Temptations, but when Motown was too squeamish to have one of their top acts release an overtly anti-Vietnam song, Edwin Starr stepped up and secured his place in history. His no-holds-barred delivery of “War” resulted in one of the most commercially successful protest songs ever recorded. Though Edwin Starr never reached these heights again, he left his mark with a song that transcended its Vietnam-era roots: It was one of the songs on Clear Channel’s no-play list after September 11, 2001.

“War” (Norman Whitfield & Barrett Strong) Copyright 1970 Jobette Music Co, Inc.

The Temptations – “I Can’t Get Next To You”

 Click here to play the podcast
"I Can't Get Next To You" (Barret Strong & Norman Whitfield) Copyright 1969 Jobette Music Co., Inc. All rights controlled and administered by EMI Blackwood Music Inc. on behalf of Stone Agate Music (A division of Jobette Music Co., Inc.)

The Temptations’ first #1 Hit on the Billboard “Hot 100” chart was “My Girl” in 1965. 4 years later, they had their 2nd #1 with “I Can’t Get Next To You”, and the difference between these 2 songs tells you a lot about the 1960’s. “I Can’t Get Next To You” features a different lead vocalist, a more aggressive, funky beat and a trippy vibe courtesy of producer & songwriter Norman Whitfield. The early Temptations songs are great, but for my money, they were never better than when they teamed up with Whitfield and created “psychedelic soul”. Let’s listen to each piece of the puzzle that created this masterpiece.

“I Can’t Get Next To You” (Barret Strong & Norman Whitfield) Copyright 1969 Jobette Music Co., Inc. All rights controlled and administered by EMI Blackwood Music Inc. on behalf of Stone Agate Music (A division of Jobette Music Co., Inc.)

Stevie Wonder – “I Wish”

 Click here to play the podcast
"I Wish" (Stevie Wonder) Copyright 1976 Jobette Music Co. Inc, and Black Bull Music c/o EMI April Music Inc.

Stevie Wonder was on an unrivaled creative streak starting in 1972, releasing 5 brilliant albums in a row, culminating with Songs In The Key Of Life in 1976. That album spawned 2 hit singles, including “I Wish”, the subject of this episode.  A masterpiece blending funk with pop sensibilities, it’s a celebration of youthful innocence and simpler times.  How does this song make *you* feel?  Let me know on Facebook, write a review on iTunes or wherever you listen to this show.  And share it with your friends!

“I Wish” (Stevie Wonder) Copyright 1976 Jobette Music Co. Inc, and Black Bull Music c/o EMI April Music Inc.

B.B. King – “There Must Be A Better World Somewhere”

 Click here to play the podcast
"There Must Be A Better World Somewhere" (Doc Pomus & Dr. John) Copyright 1981 Daremolby Music/Stazybo Music, Inc. (BMI)

His career spanned over 60 years; he toured around the world (playing 200 shows a year, well into his 70’s), and released more than 50 albums.  But B.B. King will be remembered primarily as one of the most influential guitarists in history.  His impact is so embedded in the DNA of the guitar that no player is untouched by his influence.

This is one of many great songs in his vast catalog; a great example of his powerful voice, his ability to embody a song, and his mastery as a guitar soloist.

“There Must Be A Better World Somewhere” (Doc Pomus & Dr. John) Copyright 1981 Daremolby Music/Stazybo Music, Inc. (BMI)

Aretha Franklin – “A Change Is Gonna Come”

 Click here to play the podcast
"A Change Is Gonna Come" (Sam Cooke) Copyright Kags, BMI

Aretha Franklin recorded over 40 albums during her career; this episode, we revisit a song from her breakthrough album, “I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You” from 1967. This was actually her 11th album (!), but it was the first one recorded for Atlantic Records and it’s the one that made her a legend. Aretha Franklin was probably the single most influential singer of our time– just listen to any episode of American Idol for proof.

Aretha was not only a great vocalist, she was one of the greatest interpreters of songs in history. She didn’t just cover a song, she made it her own. “A Change Is Gonna Come” was Sam Cooke’s finest moment, but Aretha strips it down to its purest form and imbues it with pain, world-weariness, and hope – one of the greatest emotionally cathartic moments on record.

“A Change Is Gonna Come” (Sam Cooke) Copyright Kags, BMI