Soulful Saturday ~ Nein!

Oh ja, ja, ja mein lieblings! Now in it's new-nice-and-shiny ninth edition, here's this weeks dish of Soulful goodness.

Initially, this week I thought I might take a turn for the roots-funk and jazz side of things when I stumbled acorss a pretty good video of Manu Dibango playing Soul Markosa (also spelled Mokassa?). Unfortunately the video doesn't have the best sound quality, and while worthy of a mention, I thought I'd keep looking for something else.

Bugger me, did I find it.

Now, at first listen you'd be forgiven for thinking I've lost my mind, my hearing, or at the very least, my sense of decency and taste. Fear not. You see, this song is so bad it trancends it's noxious beats and over-lubricated bas-line to become a classic. The woeful lyrics and hyperbolic story, detailing the discovery of some skany trist, are worthy of Lorenzo Da Ponte. More than that though, it's so tragically trashy - "How the xxxx is she your friend, if you don't know if she got kids?" - that it becomes both excruiating and devilishly compelling. Picture Eastenders, but with nicer houses and swankier cars.

On a more serious note though, I feel like this video highlights, rather perfectly, everything that's wrong with what passes for Soul and R'n'B nowadays. But enough of this build-up. Now, without further ado, I present to to you, for your viewing displeasure but great amusement, The Isley Brothers and Busted:

[update: let the video load completely before playing it - trust me, it's worth it. No, no, really it is.]




Shudder.

- Mr. Ed