I think we all need at least one
really nice positive thing about the entertainment business every single
day of the year, including weekends. Sometimes it may be something
simple, like a video that showcases something fun and sometimes it may
be a movie poster that embraces the aesthetic we all want Hollywood to
aspire to. Sometimes it may be a long-winded diatribe. Sometimes it’ll
be from the staff and extended family of CHUD.com. Maybe even you
readers can get in on it. So, take this to the bank. Every day, you will
get a little bit of positivity from one column a day here. Take it with
you. Maybe it’ll help you through a bad day or give folks some fun
things to hunt down in their busy celluloid digesting day.
9.28.10
By David Oliver: Author Page
What I’m Thankful For
I had what I hoped would have been a pretty affecting tribute to one of my favorite groups, The O’Jays, for today’s piece. It touched on how my musical preferences had to evolve from my sister’s music collection (basically ’80s Top 40 and Pop) when I was a kid to its current state of old school R&B, Soul and Funk. I went into how I think The O’Jays are frequently an overlooked group that come from the same mold as The Temptations, Earth Wind & Fire, The Four Tops and the Isley Brothers among many others, most of whom usually get more credit and more press.
The term stank was used at some point to described the quality of Funk and Soul the group can slather, and how the two-pronged attack of very different lead singers Walter Williams and Eddie Levert, father of the late Gerald Levert, give the group a sound all their own. Basically Williams is a smooth-voiced crooner, while Levert will come in with a lyrical sledgehammer and just wreck shit. It was what I think would have been about six or seven good or paragraphs on my sincere appreciation for the group.
But due to technical difficulties, it’s all gone and I’m just a bit pressed with other things to recreate it, unfortunately. Things are busy here at CHUD lately. There are deadlines to meet and responsibilities to see to and I’m doing good to just keep up with it all. But if you’re well versed with The O’Jays, and I mean more than just their well-known songs like For the Love of Money and Love Train, then I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir. If you’d like to learn a bit more about them, I’ve included a few of performances from their heyday, courtesy of YouTube. They’re really worth a look if you like good soul music.
So I’m thankful very much for The O’Jays. And extremely not thankful for the glitch that lost my real WITF in honor of them.