Sly "Buttermilk Part One" Autumn 14

An early 45 by Sylvester Stewart aka Sly Stone of Sly & the Family Stone, 'Buttermilk' was cut in 1964 for the Autumn label after he joined as a songwriter & producer. Part 1 features a bass heavy groove with a swinging organ & a wailing harp. And the slighly jarbled vocals of "Have a glass of Buttermilk" where he seems to exhale on the 'milk' syllable. This song always ends much too quickly. Part 2 throws the drumbeat and the bass in your face - there's actually some bass soloing going on - before returning to the groove featured on side one. I don't recall side 2 being this good. That big beat and the nutty bass playing are allright.

As for how to define the sound - proto-funk? mod instrumental? soul instrumental? - I have absolutely no idea how to classify it. Which is exactly why I like it so much. It's good fun.

I've actually owned this 45 for a few years, but recently came across a better copy for $3 so I had to upgrade. Part One of this 45 has a special place in my heart, as I used it as my theme song when I was a DJ....DJ Buttermilk, as a matter of fact (I somehow got to Buttermilk through some odd logic coupled with my twisted sense of humor). It was great starting off the set with a 45 saying 'Have a glass of Buttermilk'.....