CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

1969 would see Toussaint move from the ingrained funk of New Orleans to out and out deep funk with records by the Meters, Betty Harris and Holmes. Holmes’s first 45 on the newly remade Deesu label was (perhaps the first 45 on the “coin” label) was ‘The Book’ b/w ‘No Substitute’ (Deesu 300). Penned by Leo Nocentelli (and likely with the instrumental backing of the Meters) ‘The Book’ is a heavy funk number with crazy lyrics and some hard, hard drums. I’m shocked that with all the New Orleans funk being comped ‘The Book’ has yet to be reissued. The flip side ‘No Substitute’ (a Holmes composition) is a slower number with another tour de force vocal. The high quality of the tune is illustrated by the fact that it appeared a second time as the b-side to his next Deesu release. The a-side of that 45, ‘If I Were A Carpenter’ (Deesu 303) may be the finest record that Toussaint and Holmes made together. A stellar vocal by Holmes is matched against a dynamic Toussaint arrangement. The lead instrument is acoustic guitar, which runs in counterpoint to the horn section. It’s one of the finest versions of the Tim Hardin classic. It ought to be much better known.

The a-side of his third Deesu 45 from this period, ‘Lovely Woman’ (Deesu 305) is a stylistic throwback to his last ALON side. There’s a smoother soul sound here that while pleasant, seems out of place at this stage in his discography. The b-side, an ill-advised and fairly by-the-book cover of Don & Juan’s ‘What’s Your Name’ is  - despite an excellent vocal by Holmes – decidedly out of place.

  Holmes next 45 was released by Atco in 1970, and not only featured the Meters, but was actually recorded at the sessions for their ‘Look A Py Py’ album. ‘Pop Popcorn Children’ b/w ‘Cheating Woman’ (Atco 6701) is sought after by funk collectors for it’s hard-hitting a-side. Holmes gives shout-outs to a number of funky dances (and places) over some super hard Zigaboo Modeliste drums, and one of the weirdest bridges in the history of funk (it sounds like the horn section is on acid). ‘Cheating Woman’ is a dark blues with a great vocal and excellent guitar and organ backing from Leo Nocentelli and Art Neville respectively. Ironically the song was one of the first Eldridge Holmes tracks to be reissued, in 1986 as part of an Atlantic Records blues anthology.

It would appear that after the ATCO 45, Holmes didn’t return to the studio until 1972, and then for some reason it was at the Reflection Sound Studios in Charlotte, NC. Toussaint was still at the controls, with none other than Wardell Quezerque doing the arrangements. The group would record three tracks at the sessions, two of which ‘Love Affair’ and ‘Selfish Woman’ (Brown Sugar 0101) would be released as a 45 on the Brown Sugar label.

‘Love Affair’ is a gospel inflected ballad with some great piano and organ interplay. While not one of the more distinctive Holmes/Toussaint collaborations, it holds up well against other southern soul of the time. ‘Selfish Woman’ has a beat reminiscent of ‘Until The End’ and a nice melody. The third (unissued) track from this session, ‘Ooh Baby’ (written by North Carolina musician/producer Wayne Jernigan) is a funky, uptempo number that might have carried the Brown Sugar 45 closer to the charts if it had been substituted for ‘Selfish Woman’. The track was recently reissued on the Grapevine comp ‘Crescent City Funk and more…’.I  can now confirm the existence of one other 45, ‘Let’s Go

45 Courtesy collection of Matt Weingarden

Many thanks to Dante Carfagna who sent along this scan of a trade ad for the release of 'Pop Popcorn Children'.

.Eldridge Holmes is long overdue for a proper tribute in the form of a compilation of his recordings. His work has been comped here and there in small bits (three of his Sansu tracks, the Atco 45) but nothing comprehensive has been assembled.

When I was starting to work on this article I posted an inquiry on an internet message board, and received replies from Eldridge Holmes’s daughter Elonda, as well as Allen Toussaint himself.

Here’s what he had to say about Eldridge Holmes:

DISCOGRAPHY