May 10, 2004 | Posted by mark at 12:24 PM

Diggin' the Scene with a Gangster Lean, woo hoo

William DeVaughn - Be Thankful for What You Got part 1. Sometimes you have a song in your collection that you don't really appreciate until someone else plays it. I had this track on a blacksploitation compilation for a year or two, and never really paid much attention to it. Then, on my second trip to England I sat at a pub, catching up with some old friends. There was a dj in the corner but he was playing mostly mellow stuff, kinda like what Blair does now at Flute (....plug plug...). He put this on as the last song of the night, and it fit just perfectly with the vibe of the entire bar-- so much so that we were all inclined to clap at the end, which is something I've never seen before or since. It's just a wonderful smooth, mellow song with a nice little bongo line. I have no idea who William DeVaughn is, and frankly I don't really care. I just have this one song of his on 45, and that's all I really need.


Comments

Ahh man. A few years back I discovered this song through a comp that a coworker lent me--it was kind of funny because she seemed to be absolutely not the sort of person who would be into this kind of music. I listened to it incessantly for a few weeks. It really got to me.

A year or two later, Yo La Tengo (my all-time favorite indie band) did a version of it on their Little Honda "all covers" EP, but I like the original the best. :D :D

diamond in the back, sunroof top, diggin' the scene with the gangster lean, woo hoo.... :D

Posted by: moerex at May 10, 2004 2:18 PM

Just to mention that many of us cats discovered this gem via Massive Attacks cover version on their Blue Lines album

Q-Ken

Posted by: Q-Ken at May 10, 2004 3:22 PM

Right-- I've heard both the covers, and while they have their merits I definitely prefer the original. The yo la tengo I thought was a weird choice, since this definitely fits in more with the trip hop scene than their indy niche.

By the way, thanks for stopping by and commenting. We love to hear feedback about what we post.

Posted by: mark at May 10, 2004 4:09 PM

Yo La Tengo has made a great little side-career out of covering songs you wouldn't expect. It's one of the things they're best at.

But more importantly, I want to plug my favorite version of "Be Thankful" - Donovan Carless does a nice little reggae version that is definitely worth hearing. Check it out if you've not heard it.

Posted by: Paz at May 10, 2004 7:55 PM

yep... that song does it all doesn't it? its one of those funky soul songs who's beauty can bring a tear to the eye while your head is bobbing along

Posted by: robot blair at May 11, 2004 9:39 AM
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