R.I.P. Levi Stubbs

Levi Stubbs (1936 - 2008)

I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of my friend, Levi Stubbs. It is not only a tremendous personal loss for me, but for the Motown family, and people all over the world who were touched by his rare voice and remarkable spirit.

Read more about Levi Stubbs @ Fullundie

Train Ride to Hollywood Aka Night Train (1975)

Starring:

• Willis Draffen Jr.
• Charles Love 
• Charles McCormick 
• Harry Williams 
• Michael Payne 
• Roberta Collins 
• Tracy Reed

Storyline
Harry Williams, member of the rhythm & blues band, Bloodstone, is about to go onstage for a concert when he is hit on the head. The rest that follows is his dream. The four band members become conductors on a train filled with characters and (impersonated) actors from the 1930s, such as W.C. Fields, Dracula, and Scarlett O'Hara. Various songs are featured. The singing conductors are obliged to solve a mystery; Marlon Brando is murdering Nelson Eddy, Jeanette McDonald and others by suffocating them in his armpits. A wacky funeral, a fight with a gorilla, and the threat of being turned into a wax museum figure are all part of Harry's dream. 

Tom Scott & The L.A. Express - The Nine Lives Of Fritz The Cat OST (Single)

Blaxploitation.com:
Ever wondered what Tom Scott's LA Express, the masterful LA session band he played with in the 70s and sometime backing band to Joni Mitchell, would have sounded like if they got seriously funky? Well, wonder no more because this obscure soundtrack 45 will really hit the spot. Originally scheduled for an LP release, the full LP got canned when the second Fritz The Cat movie bombed, but luckily this 45 was released in limited quantities. It's a cracker - wicked mid 70s jazz-funk, super tight and with a monstrous funky vocal. Killer horn and rhythm section work means that this 45 is hot enough to melt your turntable. Absolutely brilliant.

And luckily for us comet01 over at My Jazz World decided to share this with the rest of us so we can enjoy it. Ain't life sweet?

The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat (1974)

Voices/Cast:

• Skip Hinnant ... Fritz (voice)
• Reva Rose ... Fritz' Old Lady (voice)
• Bob Holt ... Many voices (voice)
• Robert Ridgely... (voice)
• Fred Smoot... (voice)
• 'Sweet' Dick Whittington... (voice)
• Luke Walker... (voice)
• Peter Leeds... Juan / Various Characters (voice)
• Louisa Moritz... Chita (Juan's Sister) (voice)

IMDb.com:
Fritz the Cat may have lost one of his lives in the comics, but in his new movie, he has eight more lives left to go! While his wife screams at him, Fritz lights up a joint and reminiscences about what could have been. Fritz, now married and with a son, is desperate to escape from the domestic hell he now finds himself in. Lighting up a joint, he begins to dream about his eight other lives, hoping to find one that will provide a pleasant distraction. The drug-induced journeys he takes include spells as an astronaut, Hitler's psychiatrist, a courier travelling in hostile territory during a race war, and as a pupil of an Indian guru living in the sewers of New York.

Link to soundtrack rewiew:
Tom Scott & The L.A. Express - T.C.B. in E (Main Title Theme From Nine Lives Of Fritz The Cat) / Jump Back (Vocal By Merry Clayton)