1978 WL promo Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly “Golden Time Of Day” on Capitol

Posted the first Maze a few weeks ago, so had to swing back around to this one eventually, and just like its predecessor, this action hits hard. I really don’t understand why Frankie Beverly isn’t a bigger name in the world of funky if slightly mellow soul, it’s like they never really crossed over into the wider consciousness, and listening to these records, which are a more emotive, sort of gutbucket version of Kool or E,W & F, I think maybe the vocals and lyrics are a bit too vulnerable for widespread appeal. These aren’t radio songs to be sure, or at least not corporate ones, and although full of lovely washes of sound, aren’t particularly catchy, although I say that as a compliment. Maybe they just got caught in the seventies, as the music is a praying mantis suspended in amber of the hot Philly summer of 1978. I mentioned on the last post how you can catch the video of Raw Soul, their earlier incarnation, playing live in San Francisco, and they are FANTASTIC. It’s one of the best music clips on the internet, perhaps only beaten out by that MC5 show at Detroit Community College or wherever. Oh, and also that Can video, and also James Gang doing “Walk Away” on German tv. Oh and that Monks live show, and…anyway, this record is top action if you dig a certain kind of action, which we over here at Castle Wax most certainly do.