More Timmion Records 45s: Jonny Benavidez - Let's Get Together and Thee Baby Cuffs - My My My Baby

 

My exploration of the Timmion Records catalog continues with two more great 45s from the label. Thee Baby Cuffs with My My My Baby further shows that Timmion Records puts out consistently great output. This release is from 2019 and has a great classic Chicano soul sound. The Jonny Benavidez 45 is no slouch either with Let's Get Together. Jonny was born in El Paso but grew up in San Diego (my home town!).  Both of these should be in your soul box. This is from 2018. 

Menahan Street Band - There's A New Day Coming/Tommy Don't 7" (Dunham Records)(2019)

 

Menahan Street Band with another great release but it is way too short! It left me wanting more. Check out There's A New Day Coming. Top shelf. This is released in conjunction with Daptone Records. So, you know it is good. B side is good as well.

Thee Illusions - Baby Don't (Waste My Time)/Will You Love My Child 7" (Black Bird Records)(2022)

 

Thee Illusions with a solid release. Not as catchy as I hoped but worth exploring more. The B side, Will You Love My Child is the better side. Need to explore this label more.

Willie West & The Soul Investigators/The Soul Investigators - After the Storm/Instrumental 7" (Timmion Records)(2016)

 

This is the second 7" 45 from Timmion Records out of Helsinki, Finland that i have tried out and it is a cracker. Original release in 2016. If you like soul music, you are going to like this 45. The B-side is an instrumental of the A-side featuring the The Soul Investigators which may be the Timmion Records house band(?). Check out the song here.

Various - Penrose Showcase Vol. II (Penrose)(2024)(LP)

 

If you are not keeping up with the Penrose 45s as they come out, then get this compilation from one of the premier soul labels in the U.S. Classic soul music made today! This is from 2024. I picked up mine a while ago but I decided to open this up and put on the turntable. 

Thee Sacred Souls - Running Away/Loves Comes Easy 7" (Penrose)(2023)

 

Thee Sacred Souls are world class in the new soul scene. Running Away is an uptempo song with sweet vocals on top. Love the sharp back-up vocals. The B side is a slow burn soul lament of the old school type. Great single. From 2023. Listen to Love Comes Easy is here

Various - Lost Deep Soul Treasures Volume 4 (Sounds of Soul) (CD)(2001)

 

Random purchase from Norton Records during one of their sales. I saw this title and I immediately wanted to buy it. According to Discogs this is listed as an 'unofficial' release. There is no booklet, no information on the artists, no credits of any sort. This compilation just contains 23 tracks of great soul music. Based on what I hear,  I would agree that this is a deep soul compilation. That is, the songs are more heartfelt cries and laments. Lots of songs to slow dance to with your partner. For example, give a listen to Blues Brothers No. 1's Letter of Regret. This was released in 1976. Another representative record is Freddie Watson's It's All Over Now. This was a B side from 1970! I really think it is worth trying to find all the volumes of this great series. If you like soul music, get this..Great soul music for all that love this genre.

Various Artists - East Side Story Limited Edition CD Box Set

While the picture is of Volume 1, I actually purchased the 12 CD box set. This collection is legendary, especially on the West Coast, as it is dedicated to the low riders and the low rider culture. Over the years it has become more a symbol of the East LA Latino population and Latinos in general. For more background, please go to here to see the article written up in the LA Weekly. Here is a good description from that article on what you are listening to:

These were the songs often associated with Mexican-American lowrider culture, the types of songs one could expect to hear floating from the windows of a car like Ruiz's, cruising down Whittier Boulevard or similar thoroughfares in San Jose, San Antonio or Chicago circa 1978. The songs on the records weren't necessarily from L.A., but the East Side Story records originated here, and were particularly cherished for their covers, which featured snapshots of East L.A. Chicanos and Chicanas and their cars.

The music contained over these 12 CDs is really a type of  sad, sweet soul music best represented by bands like The Delfonics or The Four Tops. The songs mostly deal with a love-lost, and are moody and melodic; The songs here are the type of soul music that you would listen to when driving around late at night, on the boulevard, reminiscing about a lost love. Initially released in the 70s and the 80s, if you like your soul music sweet and love to cruise on the boulevard, this set is for you. Here is a sample from Vol. 4. Mr Garland Green with Jealous Kind of Fella. Also, check out the beautiful song by Baby Washington, That is How Heartaches Are Made.  Both of these are on Vol. 4 which I am listening to as I type this.