Bob Coswell

This label isn’t the tax dodge off shoot of Hugh Hefner unpleasant empire. And the producer Al King isn’t the excellent West Coast based bluesman either. This Mr King was a New Yorker whose labels included this one and others like Moondog and the eponymous Al King, and who is probably best known in soul circles for his discs on funkster Larry Ellis & Black Hammer. The two rare 45s by the obscure Bob Coswell were probably cut at the same sessions in the early/mid 60s and both of them feature a ballad side and an uptempo side. I suppose you can guess which tracks I’m going to feature.

Coswell and his intriguingly named group “The Dynamice” (a misprint for “Dynamics" on the first 45) are a very small combo – just guitar, organ, bass and drums – but they make a powerful noise. The sound on both Please Let Me Love You and My Love Is Too Strong is as about as lo fi as you can get – muddied, no dynamics to speak of, lowest of the low mix, indistinct vocals – but despite these handicaps Coswell’s emotional strength is still apparent. Check out his desperate wailing as he’s egged on by the band – just super! Even though the numbers are vamps rather than true songs.

 

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