Showing posts with label Duke Williams And The Extremes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Duke Williams And The Extremes. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Duke Williams & The Extremes - Fantastic Fedora (1974)



"Fantastic Fedora" is the second and last (?) album by Capricorn recordings artists Duke Williams & The Extremes. Like the first album, it's another steamroller. Though this time around the band assumed more of an identity of their own. Less of a Soul cover band, more rocking out this time. And man, they're on fire here.
This is not the rip that's already circulating, though it's pretty close in quality. The other rip had some clicks/scratches that I could not repair, so I redid it myself. I listen to my music with in-ear plugs, so you'll notice any click and pop.
Back to the music, well, what can I say. This is classic stuff. I love the songs, I love the playing, I love the production and I love the vocals. Does anybody have any additional information on Duke Williams? Did they/he really only release two albums? I find that hard to believe, but I couldn't find any information about any follow-ups. I promise, if you don't know this, you won't be disappointed. So just grab it. Quick!

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Duke Williams & The Extremes - A Monkey In A Silk Suit Is Still A Monkey (1973)



This album gets in by the Capricorn connection. I don't know much about Duke Williams & The Extremes, but I don't think they were actually from the South. They did however move to Macon to record two albums for the Capricorn label, this one being the first.
Released in 1973, this album is quite a soulful and funky experience. I hadn't heard this album before, and when I noticed there were some Soul classics covered here I was anxious this would be a lame Blue-Eyed attempt at playing Soul music. Well, thankfully I was wrong. This is one of the nicer surprises I had, while I have been blogging. No bland reproductions of classics here. They make it their own and get away with it very well. And there are some great originals. I'm really happy with this album. Makes me curious what the man has been doing after their second album. And if there are more recordings since. My first high of the day, today.