My Third and Last LP From the Harlem Record Store (1984)
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Artist:
Early last year I devoted two posts to two of the three LPs that a Harlem record store clerk showed me in 1984 when I asked her if there was any great gospel with a newer, more contemporary sound. The first post (1/18/09) was about an LP by A Special Blend. The second post was about an LP by the Winans, but today I realized that that post has disappeared mysteriously, so I inserted its content into my earlier (2/6/07) Winans post.
The third and last LP that that nice and wise record store clerk offered up to me was the Clark Sisters' "You Brought the Sunshine" (1981). I liked its new contemporary sound, very different from the 1950s formula. Turns out it had been a very popular album in the gospel world. Its title cut had made the R&B charts and had been heard in clubs like Studio 54.
"You Brought the Sunshine":
Top left in red is Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark, who played keyboard, wrote the album's songs and helped arrange and produce the album.
Here are three other keepers:
"Center of Thy Will" This song's shape has an odd beauty.
"He Keeps Me Company"
"Crown Him Lord of All"
Locating MOG account...
Comments (13)
I was working in a Wiz Store Record dept when That Clark Sisters album was released and the 12" sold like crazy. Gigantic club record and heavy rotation on WBLS FM, treated no differently that a pop record. Still sounds great.
Communicating with someone else who has appreciated that song was not something I ever imagined, which doesn't say much for my imagination. Wiz probably resembled the 125th St. store I mentioned above, in that the one time ever went there, it was a warm sunny afternoon and as I approached the store some current wonderful R&B hit I can't remember was blasting out onto the street from the store's speakers, and I imagined that the people walking ahead of me were all heading inside to buy that R&B single, so the store seemed like a musical power plant energizing all of Harlem, making it more alive. Like Wiz, right?
God, i miss real record stores.
amen
I miss real record stores too. I used to hang out at Harmony Records in the Bronx (which is still there) and made at least a weekly trip to Bleecker Bob's all through the '70s and early '80s. When I moved to Miami, Blue Note Records on 163rd became my hang out. And when I say hang out I mean I knew everyone who worked there by name and had coffee with the owner whenever he was around. They were all second homes to me
I worked for The Wiz for many years and it was generally known as the "Urban" record chain. In 1982 when Michael Jackson had "Thriller" out and Marvin Gaye had "Sexual Healing" I was the record dept manager of the store on Canal St in Brooklyn. We had both albums on sale for $4.99 and people waited on line for 20 minutes to pay for their purchases. We always had great music on, always R&B and rap, a little gospel when there was a hit like "You Bought The Sunshine (I think there was even a Larry Levan remix ) and we were a really happening store. When I managed the Bronx store, about 2 years earlier, we had instore appearances by Cold Crush Brothers, Rock Steady Crew and lots of other. Bambatta and Afrika Islam were regular shoppers at the Bronx store. I loved working at The Wiz and looked forward to going in.
Haven't said that about a job for awhile
the interwebs is nice but it has created a huge disconnect
When life gets 5% worse, we notice it more than when life gets 5% better. It's a survival mechanism. At least we each still have our own little screen that we're now in front of and looking at. Memories of crowded record stores are better than no memories of crowded record stores. Maybe Heaven has crowded record stores.
oh yeah!
create heaven as you would create life
Maybe Heaven has crowded record stores.
Well, we know they got a helluva band...
sadsongssaysomuch and fairportfan, looks like we all suggest, "Like it is now, except for..." Creating it in one's head seems like an exciting and always relevant task.
pray, how do you mean a post disappeared mysteriously? in the uncharted cosmic ether unbeknownst to you kind of mysteriously? bummer. i remember reading at least one post concerning the generous Harlem record store clerk in question.
your sunshine is impaling my rain with these songs so that's a very good thing. i suppose Twinkie Clark is the real keeper. mayhap she recorded solo at some point? to add to the thread, there were two real record stores i frequented in which the clerks genuinely knew their stuff and offered suggestions. i should post about that sometime.
Impale I must, always the altruist. The quintet went solo and reunited. There were music experts behind the counter I now wish I had befriended. I hope your stuff wasn't flooded. My lame dog is barking for a late night ham-rolled pill and sidewalk walk.