Sayeth Cosmo Baker:
That’s right, it’s been renamed to match the new day I’m going to be dropping the jawns on. Considering that 2 out of the 3 days I’ve done “Breakbeat Monday” on have been Tuesday, it’s only right. Okay let’s get to it.
Everyday People “I Live What I Like” (GRT Canada, 1971)
Everyday People was the brainchild of Canadian guitarist Bruce Wheaton, and “I Like What I Like” is the leadoff song of their self-titled debut and only record, released in 1971. I don’t think this record is “rare” per se, nor is it really a full-fledged “break beat” in the truest sense of the word. However I thought this would be a cool addition considering the the lane I’ve been in for the past few weeks.
I used to have a ritual which was, on Friday nights before my gig, go down to Philadelphia Record Exchange off of South Street, drink a beer or two with the dudes, while they played records – and pulled joints specifically for me. One Friday night in the summer, Tony V passed this record off to me saying “Hey Cos this is something you might like.” I did, and I gripped it, only to have it get lost within the 15,000+ records that I had spread out between Brooklyn and my mom’s house. This summer though, me and the wife were heading to Costco and we were listening to a Hot 97 all-mix weekend and Grandmaster Flash was in a live all-breaks mix. He played this record, and it was the only time that I’ve heard it played out before, or since, other than when I’ve played it. Guess me and Flash were on to something haha…
Apparently “I Like What I Like” was actually a pretty big record in the gay disco scene back in 1972, which predates the “four on the floor” innovations of Baker, Harris & Young and lends itself more to the Mancuso / Siano school of “party music.” Anyway, enjoy!
BONUS BEAT
Lee Michaels “Tell Me How Do You Feel / (Don’t Want No) Woman / My Friends / Frosty’s / Think I’ll Go Back”
One of my favorite dollar-bin records of all time. I have a tendency to always buy this for a dollar when I see it, and then give it away to someone who doesn’t have it or who has never heard it, only to buy it again, repeat, rinse, etc… It’s the musical equivalent to what I always end up doing with this book.
– Cosmo