Grooves & Samples #25: Lee Moses – Reach Out, I’ll Be There/Day Tripper (1967)
Grooves & Samples is a weekly dive into old dusty crates of jazz, funk, soul and beyond.
Within the community of vinyl record enthusiasts, there is a further subculture of collectors who focus primarily on 7″ 45rpm records. Since it was a lot cheaper to press 45s, a lot of music ended up only being released on 7″ singles. Some lesser known groups even recorded only a couple 45s in their musical careers, and then disappeared into obscurity after dismal record sales.
In addition to the exclusivity of much music on 45, if the song was indeed also released on a 12″ LP, it would generally feature a much more dynamic and better mixed track on the 45 version. On top of all that, a lot of people just find 45s to be a damn cool way to listen to and collect music.
Instead of a single track, this week we will feature both sides of a killer 1967 single by Lee Moses on Musicor Records. Nicknamed “The Duke of Soul”, Moses was a guitarist from Atlanta, Georgia who had a very brief and unsuccessful career in music. He started as a session musician in New York City and went on to record a string of singles before releasing his only full length album, the now classic Time and Place.
His album was a commercial failure and some think the discouraging response to his music led to him never recording another album. His very small discography is now highly revered and sought after among record collectors and fans of deep soul. It is a huge shame we did not get more music from this southern soul legend, his style of heady psychedelic soul is a sweet and heavy attack on your emotions and dancing bones.
His first ever release was a 7″ featuring two slamming covers of popular songs of the time. On the A-side you have Lee’s rendition of The Four Tops’ “Reach Out, I’ll Be There”, and on the B-side lies one of the best Beatles covers ever; a funkified version of “Day Tripper”. This original single now goes for well above $100 if you can get your hands on it. However, Jazzman Records released a reissue that can save your pocket. Be sure to check out more of Lee Moses’ music, there are a few reissues out there, and of course if you are a collector, then you should try and pick up some original pressings.