Artist: Andre Williams
Album: Movin' on with...
Label: Vampi Soul
Year: 2007 (releases from 1956-1970)
Reviewed by: Woodstock Slim
Well now as hard as it may seem... I guess, to say that a single album is one's favorite out of all the albums in your collection is hard, if not impossible. Some are good sometimes others are good in different genres etc and so on, you know what I mean. Now, let say the house was on fire and I get to save one album. It will undoubtedly be this one.
If I was allowed only one album on my desert island... it would be this one! If ever I had to choose between an album and my wife, it would be this one...
It would be impossible to try and feel my way through all 28 tracks on this great collection of Andrew Williams. It just goes every where, man. And as shown above it's collected greats from
1956-1970. Say no more. I mean, what do you say to that. The other great part of this record is the inner sleeve, it contains the true history of Andre Williams, in his own words. This has to be read man, flip! It will blow your mind. It made me redefine my life. I never saw my life the way he did. I guess I defined my life with time lines and the women I loved and the places I worked. Nothing like this.
Most people believe he is the Godfather of Hip hip. I guess he is... I believe he is the Godfather of mind blowing music!
The Godfather of Funk!
The Godfather!
The greatest musician to have ever lived!
“This is obligatory stuff for anyone into raw rock´n´roll and soul”
LOWCUT MAGAZINE (Denmark)
"I guess I have to explain at some point what it is to those who don't know Williams. It's Soul, Funk, Pre-rock, Country, Black Tonk,fire in the hole type stuff, Electric madness, can't stop funking my shoes off! Hell!"We have reached an agreement with “Mr. Bacon Fat” to release
some of his more funky soul tracks from the 60s, originally released by Fortune, Avin, Sport, Wingate, Ric-Tic, Checker, Chess etc.
(Featuring previously unreleased songs – tracks # 6, 7, 8, 16, 23, 27 and 28.) Andre recorded over 50 songs for Fortune including: Bacon Fat, JailBait, Pass The Biscuits and The Greasy Chicken.Andre began recording under various pseudonyms such as The Five Dollars and the Don Juans. He became known as a record producer and songwriter, composing such tunes as: Shake A Tailfeather, Cadillac Jack, Funky Judge and Twine Time. He was hired and fired
as staff producer and A&R man numerous times by Barry Gordy at Motown. Mr. Rhythm (as he was nick named by Redd Foxx) produced records for Mary Wells, Stevie Wonder, The Dramatics, The Chi-Lites, Ike & Tina Turner, and even penned material for George Clinton’s Funkadelic! Andre was always a wild man with the ladies and never said no to
a party and by the 1980’s Andre Williams found himself down and out – living on the streets and at the end of a crack pipe. In 1996 Andre bounced back in a big way – he cleaned up his act and began making music again. His comeback album, "Greasy", was recorded for the St. George and Norton labels which put him back on the live performing circuit and back in the conscious of the music buying public. In 1998 Andre released his sleaze-rock masterpiece, "Silky", on In The Red Records which proved to be a commercial and critical smash for Andre. Since the release of "Silky", Andre has toured the US and Europe numerous times and his following has grown larger
and larger. He toured a number of times with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion who wound up recording with Andre as well as crediting him executive producer on their "Acme" album.
In 1999 he recorded a country album for the Bloodshot label backed by The Sadies as well as working furiously on his manifesto of macho energy, "The Black Godfather" which finds Andre taking his raunchy rock n’ R&B stylings to new extremes. Joining him on this album is a cast of rock n’ roll luminaries that even the most jaded music fan will find impressive: The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The Countdowns, Mick Collins’ Dirtbombs, The Compulsive Gamblers
(formerly know to y’all as the Oblivians), Cheater Slicks and some truly inspired saxophone wailing from Steve Mackay (sax player on The Stooges legendary "Funhouse"). "Silky" producer and former Gorie Mick Collins handled production chores on "The Black Godfather".
This record is going to be as good as it gets and so is Andre
Williams. Lord have mercy! "
clipped from Vampi Soul
