LEW HANSON / ELEMENTS "Soul Safari / Rainy Day" 70s DISCO MODERN SWEET SOUL REISSUE 7"

PPU / GLADSOME EXCLUSIVE 

Be quick!  We tried to get as many of these as we could but most are already spoken for.  If we are sold out check the Gladsome Shop. They will be listing more copies today, celebrating release day for the first record & webstore launch.

Gladsome Records is proud to present GLAD-001 featuring Lew Hanson & The Islanders "Soul Safari" and Elements "Save It For A Rainy Day".

Lew Hanson was a Jamaican-born writer, producer and performer who made his way to Hartford, CT in the early 1950s. He got his start in music performing with local Caribbean groups playing traditional calypso numbers. After years of playing with calypso groups he began writing and producing records in the '60s before locking into his groove in the '70s. The A-side, "Soul Safari," is from his 1974 LP with his group The Islanders, Just for You... from Home and Abroad. A wailing flute funk jam with a bellowing chant begging you to stand up. Play it loud!  The flip is from Elements, a mystery group. Were they a studio band? Were they a band at all?  According to Mary Mundy, she wrote the song "Save It for a Rainy Day" and recorded it (you can find this version online) around the same time she was working on her LP "Mother Nature" which was the early '80s. The original 45 has a date of 1977. Did Lew have Mary's vocals replaced without her knowledge? Where did the 1977 date come from? Was this version released after Lew's passing? Sadly Lew is no longer with us to give any answers to this mystery. Regardless, this slow-burning sweet soul harmony has been given Mary's blessing, even though she has no idea who Elements are. Enjoy :)

Condition: NEW