It's a new day (and a better day is coming)

Wood, Brass & Steel ‎– Hey, What's That You Say / Always There

Soul Brother Records ‎– SB7023

Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Remastered, UK, 2016

Info

Much to be thankful for? Yes. But as a friend recently said to me, "2020 can kick rocks."

I haven't posted anything here in months, but decided Thanksgiving would be the day I made some time. I prepared this record late last night, before finding out about a friend passing this morning.

Chorus on Side A: "Hey, what's that you say? It's a new day. And a better day is coming." Doing my best to try to take that one to heart.

I'm thankful for those who struggle despite everything in our way. My forgiving friends and family. I'm reeling a little today- heartbroken and furious about losing someone that this world needs... and confident that she'll keep inspiring us to stick with our fights, be deeply committed, and take care of each other like family.

________________________________________________________

Before they were helping piece together the hip-hop vocabulary as the Sugar Hill Records backing band, Doug Wimbish (bass) and Skip McDonald (aka Bernard Alexander, guitar) were laying down funk and disco tracks as part of Wood, Brass & Steel. WB&S was working with Sylvia Robinson's pre-Sugar Hill labels Turbo and All-Platinum, backing other artists in her camp as well as releasing two albums and a clutch of singles scattered across the '70s under their own name.

Pre-Sugar Hill Gang and The Sequence, years before Tackhead, Little Axe, Living Colour or African Head Charge, Wimbish and McDonald were already recording classics with Wood, Brass and Steel that can still make it into the crates of DJs that matter, filling dancefloors and sample fodder.

This single, released by the UK's Soul Brother Records in 2016, repackaged a couple of those WB&S classics. The A side, "Hey, What's That You Say," was first released as a 1973 Wood, Brass & Steel single. It was repackaged a year later as a song by Brother To Brother when WB&S backed them on their excellent "In The Bottle" album. These days, the song is best known though under another name by another artist, "It's A New Day" by the Skull Snaps. The Skull Snaps' version went on to become one of the most sampled breakbeats in all of hip-hop: Black Moon, PE, Gang Starr, Stezo... But the members of Wood, Brass & Steel who served as the backing band for much of that album were uncredited. Soul Brother replaced the original B side here with a nice instrumental cut pulled from their self titled 1976 LP.

Not sure if it's a pressing flaw or if I ripped up my copy at some point that I just don't remember, but there's a persistent crackle in one channel of pretty much the entire record. I worked to clean up only the very worst of it, but not much. Hopefully it doesn't distract too badly from you enjoying an otherwise decent sounding rip-- especially since I'm choosing to think this track is somehow on a mission to give back a little optimism today.

_____________________________________________________________

A new day in FLAC:

https://mega.nz/file/4W42mSAB#316h2hs1toRyXlCqnw_uzWvIaa36ZPbUwIQQyL2UsHg

A better day in MP3:

https://mega.nz/folder/IH4STCAL#UQnWKHlZKM2vSDh7pO9cYg