Another year, another Christmas, another shitty gift from your uncle (who knew strip clubs sold gift certificates?). Time to upgrade and get something nice for yourself to keep your mind off the cold weather outside. My suggestion – take a trip to the South Side of Chicago circa 1976 with Light: On the South Side, the new photography book and music compilation of the from the collectors at the Numero Group label. The slick 132-page hard cover book features the beautiful black and white photos by Michael Abramson, who worked the black Chicago music clubs like Pepper’s Lounge and Perv’s House from 1975-1977, along with an essay from Nick Hornsby (High Fidelity). Light also features Pepper’s Jukebox, an 18-track CD that recreates an hour’s worth of tunes from the club. The music is outrageously good – Hornsby writes it exhibits “not only the past, but also the present and the future of American black music culture, all mixed together” – and Pepper’s showcases blues, funk and soul, often all in the same song. Some highlights – “It’s a Dream” by Little Ed somehow perfectly captures the feeling you get after getting really high on really bad weed; the grooving, hypnotic “California Lady” from James Kind gets in your head and doesn’t leave; Arelean Brown flaunts her body with the should-be-classic line “I’m built like an outhouse / with not a brick out of place” on “I’m a Streaker;” and Hugh Hawkins’s “Bring It Down Front” is a shit-hot funky number that might kill someone with heart problems. Get some unfiltered menthol cigarettes, cheap bourbon, Original Pimp Oil and Light: On the South Side, and start the decade off right.
