Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
He looked like a young, pimped-out Eddie Murphy and sang like a somewhat deranged disciple of Al Green, but that was just part of the reason a small but fervent cult of '70s soul aficionados considers Bay Area character Darondo one of the great lost artists of his generation. His story, which includes being a sharp (and young) real estate businessman, railroad electrician, well-known TV talk show host, world traveler, and even an experienced chess player, is rightly the stuff of legend. It's detailed by historian Alec Palao in the comprehensive book that accompanies this 16-track set of recently found songs from Darondo's short heyday. Only a few, including "Didn't I," a regional West Coast hit, have been previously released, the rest were thought lost to time due to the usual shady label shenanigans that are also explained in the notes. Even though these tunes are not totally finished, they are far from raw and some include backing vocals, harmonica, horns, flute, and strings to flesh out the basic rhythm tracks. The music, recorded in 1973-1974 and intended for the Music City imprint, is your basic Southern-tinged funk and soul, but it's Darondo's loose, often lascivious, and always committed vocals that push this from being pretty good to pretty great. He grunts like James Brown, shifts to falsetto when the energy calls for it (as on the tough "Gimme Some"), and generally leads the primarily unnamed batch of musicians through their paces with a sharp sense of dynamics. Some of Darondo's tunes have surprisingly turned up in the soundtracks to a handful of late-2000s television shows. He even performed at 2008's SXSW festival and 2012's Bonnaroo, further whetting soul fan's appetites for this collection and tentatively getting back to live shows. Based on his gutsy and sometimes slightly unhinged vocals on the stomping blues of "I'm Lonely," this is a treat for soul history fans and, if not quite essential listening, a key piece of R&B history that places Darondo as one of the many could-have-been greats of his generation.
© Hal Horowitz /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From $10.83/month
Darondo, MainArtist - Rockin' Music, MusicPublisher - John Al Tanner, Composer - William Darondo Pulliam, Composer - ROCKIN' MUSIC USA, MusicPublisher
(C) 2011 Ace Records (P) 2011 Ace Records
Darondo, MainArtist - Rockin' Music, MusicPublisher - John Al Tanner, Composer - William Darondo Pulliam, Composer - ROCKIN' MUSIC USA, MusicPublisher
(C) 2011 Ace Records (P) 2011 Ace Records
Darondo, MainArtist - Rockin' Music, MusicPublisher - John Al Tanner, Composer - Ubiquity, MusicPublisher - William Darondo Pulliam, Composer - ROCKIN' MUSIC USA, MusicPublisher
(C) 2011 Ace Records (P) 2011 Ace Records
Darondo, MainArtist - Rockin' Music, MusicPublisher - John Al Tanner, Composer - William Darondo Pulliam, Composer - ROCKIN' MUSIC USA, MusicPublisher
(C) 2011 Ace Records (P) 2011 Ace Records
Darondo, MainArtist - Rockin' Music, MusicPublisher - John Al Tanner, Composer - William Darondo Pulliam, Composer - ROCKIN' MUSIC USA, MusicPublisher
(C) 2011 Ace Records (P) 2011 Ace Records
Darondo, MainArtist - Rockin' Music, MusicPublisher - John Al Tanner, Composer - William Darondo Pulliam, Composer - ROCKIN' MUSIC USA, MusicPublisher
(C) 2011 Ace Records (P) 2011 Ace Records
Darondo, MainArtist - Rockin' Music, MusicPublisher - John Al Tanner, Composer - William Darondo Pulliam, Composer - ROCKIN' MUSIC USA, MusicPublisher
(C) 2011 Ace Records (P) 2011 Ace Records
Darondo, MainArtist - Rockin' Music, MusicPublisher - John Al Tanner, Composer - William Darondo Pulliam, Composer - ROCKIN' MUSIC USA, MusicPublisher
(C) 2011 Ace Records (P) 2011 Ace Records
Darondo, MainArtist - Rockin' Music, MusicPublisher - John Al Tanner, Composer - William Darondo Pulliam, Composer - ROCKIN' MUSIC USA, MusicPublisher
(C) 2011 Ace Records (P) 2011 Ace Records
Darondo, MainArtist - Rockin' Music, MusicPublisher - John Al Tanner, Composer - William Darondo Pulliam, Composer - ROCKIN' MUSIC USA, MusicPublisher
(C) 2011 Ace Records (P) 2011 Ace Records
Darondo, MainArtist - Rockin' Music, MusicPublisher - John Al Tanner, Composer - Ubiquity, MusicPublisher - William Darondo Pulliam, Composer - ROCKIN' MUSIC USA, MusicPublisher
(C) 2011 Ace Records (P) 2011 Ace Records
Darondo, MainArtist - Rockin' Music, MusicPublisher - John Al Tanner, Composer - William Darondo Pulliam, Composer - ROCKIN' MUSIC USA, MusicPublisher
(C) 2011 Ace Records (P) 2011 Ace Records
Darondo, MainArtist - Rockin' Music, MusicPublisher - John Al Tanner, Composer - William Darondo Pulliam, Composer - ROCKIN' MUSIC USA, MusicPublisher
(C) 2011 Ace Records (P) 2011 Ace Records
Darondo, MainArtist - Rockin' Music, MusicPublisher - John Al Tanner, Composer - William Darondo Pulliam, Composer - ROCKIN' MUSIC USA, MusicPublisher
(C) 2011 Ace Records (P) 2011 Ace Records
Darondo, MainArtist - Rockin' Music, MusicPublisher - John Al Tanner, Composer - William Darondo Pulliam, Composer - ROCKIN' MUSIC USA, MusicPublisher
(C) 2011 Ace Records (P) 2011 Ace Records
Darondo, MainArtist - Rockin' Music, MusicPublisher - John Al Tanner, Composer - William Darondo Pulliam, Composer - ROCKIN' MUSIC USA, MusicPublisher
(C) 2011 Ace Records (P) 2011 Ace Records
Album review
He looked like a young, pimped-out Eddie Murphy and sang like a somewhat deranged disciple of Al Green, but that was just part of the reason a small but fervent cult of '70s soul aficionados considers Bay Area character Darondo one of the great lost artists of his generation. His story, which includes being a sharp (and young) real estate businessman, railroad electrician, well-known TV talk show host, world traveler, and even an experienced chess player, is rightly the stuff of legend. It's detailed by historian Alec Palao in the comprehensive book that accompanies this 16-track set of recently found songs from Darondo's short heyday. Only a few, including "Didn't I," a regional West Coast hit, have been previously released, the rest were thought lost to time due to the usual shady label shenanigans that are also explained in the notes. Even though these tunes are not totally finished, they are far from raw and some include backing vocals, harmonica, horns, flute, and strings to flesh out the basic rhythm tracks. The music, recorded in 1973-1974 and intended for the Music City imprint, is your basic Southern-tinged funk and soul, but it's Darondo's loose, often lascivious, and always committed vocals that push this from being pretty good to pretty great. He grunts like James Brown, shifts to falsetto when the energy calls for it (as on the tough "Gimme Some"), and generally leads the primarily unnamed batch of musicians through their paces with a sharp sense of dynamics. Some of Darondo's tunes have surprisingly turned up in the soundtracks to a handful of late-2000s television shows. He even performed at 2008's SXSW festival and 2012's Bonnaroo, further whetting soul fan's appetites for this collection and tentatively getting back to live shows. Based on his gutsy and sometimes slightly unhinged vocals on the stomping blues of "I'm Lonely," this is a treat for soul history fans and, if not quite essential listening, a key piece of R&B history that places Darondo as one of the many could-have-been greats of his generation.
© Hal Horowitz /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 16 track(s)
- Total length: 01:01:02
- Main artists: Darondo
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: ACE RECORDS
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B Funk
(C) 2011 Ace Records (P) 2011 Ace Records - This product is protected by a registered watermark patent. All copying prohibited.
Distinctions:
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz?
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalog with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets, and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.