No Condition Is Permanent

Pictured: James Brown.

The joint’s band drifted in and started tootling and blowing a few practice riffs on a bandstand beside the bar.

Single mud-kickers, black players and their interracial stables, started to park far-out pimpmobiles up and down the block. They peacocked into Pretty Phil’s all decked out in psychedelic threads.

Phil introduced me to the strangers. Many of the players I knew. The inside of my mitts were flaming from the palms I slapped. It was phantasmagoria. They wantonly danced to the funky band’s erotic pound. In the red-lit murk, there was the counterpoint bedlam of profane ribaldry as they loaded their skulls with cocaine and the bubbly. The mirrored globes revolving in the ceiling speckled their faces with flashing light. The meld of their perfumes was a near suffocating cloud. It was like Dante’s Inferno updated.

By four A.M. the joint was claustrophobic. I had gotten several ho licks and birthday wishes galore. But I felt lonely and blue, like a joker in a haunted house. I was in the basement of a pit. The superfox ho target hadn’t shown, and I was still just a welfare case of Phil’s.

— Icebeg Slim, Airtight Willie & Me.

Ordinarily, ‘themes’ don’t figure into No Condition Is Permanent. We document the atmosphere within the Purple Bat Lounge — a reality-averse zone in an especially bad part of downtown Detroit — on a given Saturday evening, whatever that might be, for better or worse. And that’s it. Having said as much, the events of the past fortnight couldn’t help but influence the most recent broadcast, and should our listeners detect as much in the evening’s playlist, so be it. Judge for yourself. It’s only a few pixels to the south of these words, awaiting your click…

 

LISTEN TO EPISODE 229 OF NO CONDITION IS PERMANENT  HERE:

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Here’s what we played in Ep. 229 of No Condition Is Permanent:

THE FIRST SET

The Impressions — “Make A Resolution (from Three The Hard Way, 1974)” — Can You Dig It? The Music and Politics of Black Action Films 1968-75

Blo — “Beware” — Chapters and Phases (The Complete Albums 1973-1975)

The Royaltones — “Black Lightning” — Sleazy Surf! Vol. 1

Culture — “Black Starliner Must Come” — Two Sevens Clash

Joe Simon & the Eugene Blacknells Band — “Just Like Yesterday” — Souvenirs of the Soul Clap Vol. 3

Lisandro Meza — “Shacalao” — Black Man’s Cry: The Inspiration of Fela Kuti

S.O.U.L. — “Tell It Like It Is” — Black & Proud: The Soul of the Black Panther Era Vol. 1

Marijata — “Black Beautiful Race” — Pat Thomas Introduces Marijata

IT’S MADISON TIME…

The Brothers of Hope — “Nickol Nickol” — Funky Crimes

THE SECOND SET

Bill Paul — “Am I Black Enough for You?” — 360 Degrees of Billy Paul

The Equals — “Police On My Back” — Greatest Hits

The Bobby Fuller Four — “I Fought The Law (mono version)” — Never To Be Forgotten

Yol Aularong & Liev Tuk — “Sou Slarp Kroam Kombut Srey” (Rather Die Under The Woman’s Sword)” — Cambodian Rocks

Link Wray And The Raymen — “Law Of The Jungle” — Mr. Guitar

Jah Lion & Junior Murvin — “Soldier And Police War” — Colombia Colly

Boris Policeband — “Tow Away” — New York Noise Vol. 3: Music From The New York Underground 1979-1984

Guido & Maurizio De Angelis — “New Special Squad” — Beretta 70: Roaring Themes from Thrilling Italian Police Films

The Last Poets — “Black Thighs” — The Last Poets

THE THIRD SET

James Brown — “Soul Power Pts. 1 & 2” — Star Time: Soul Brother No.1

The Upsetters (& The Heptones) — “Serious Time (Dub)” — Party Time [Deluxe Edition]

Henry Flynt & The Insurrections — “Goodbye Wall St.” — I Don’t Wanna

The New Swing Sextet — “Revolucionando” — Monkey See, Monkey Do

Black Merda — “Cynthy-Ruth” — Black Merda

Peace — “Black Power” — Can’t You Hear Me? 70’s African Nuggets & Garage Rock from Nigeria, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

The Winners — “Cops And Rodders” — Boss Drag ’64

Duongdao And Chailai — “Mia Rai Duen” — Thai Pop Spectacular 1960s–1980s

Danny “Run Joe” Taylor — “You Look Bad” — Stompin’ 15

THE FINAL SET

Black Rock — “Yeah Yeah” — Chains & Black Exhaust

Jimmy Sabater — “Times Are Changing” — El Barrio: Sounds From The Spanish Harlem Streets

Sly & Family Stone — “Family Affair” — There’s a Riot Goin’ On

Kako Y Su Combo — “Cool Jerk” — Boogaloo Pow Wow: Dancefloor Rendez-Vous In Young Nuyorica

Wire — “Fragile” — Pink Flag

Fela Kuti — “Ako” — The ’69 Los Angeles Sessions

MC5 — “Over And Over” — High Time

  LORD BUCKLEY’S WEEKLY BENEDICTION…

Marvin Gaye — “What’s Going On (Rhythm & Strings Mix)” — What’s Going On [2001 Deluxe Edition]