G. Love and Special Sauce have put out a bunch of records since this 1994 debut. Even though I love this album I never bought any of their other stuff. I don’t know why, and I’m not very familiar with their later work. This self-titled debut is a classic in my opinion. I love the combination of blues, beats and hip hop. The musicianship is crazy good, and so are G. Love’s singing and lyrics. The big hit was “Cold Beverage” but my favorite is “Garbage Man.”

I never beg ba-by
I never get down, on my knees
I’m gonna get you just the same
I’ll get you just the same

“Garbage Man” — G. Love and Special Sauce

G. Love and Special Sauce Wikipedia article
G. Love and Special Sauce at MySpace
“Cold Beverage” video

• Artist: The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
• Title: Orange
• Year: 1994
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 9
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1994 – Maybe Plan 9 in Richmond, VA
• Keeper: Yes

“The Blues is number one. The Blues… is number one.”

Oh man I love this record. I can thank Bob Schick for turning me on to Orange. He told me to listen to the “fast violins” in the extended intro to “Bell Bottoms.” And the violins do indeed make it special. It sounds like an intense orchestral score in lockstep with a minimalist art rock blues trio, complete with some chanting, shouting gang vocals near the end. That’s how the album opens and I can’t imagine it being any better, but my favorite song on the record is the second one, “Ditch.” It has a great guitar hook that makes me want to get down in the ditch with them and start digging.

The band shortened their name to just Blues Explosion a few years ago, but I keep this record under “S.” Jon Spencer’s earlier band Pussy Galore did nothing for me, and to some degree I’m still surprised that the smart-ass vibe of JSBX doesn’t take the steam out of music. But believe me it doesn’t.

Check out some songs from The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion at their MySpace, especially “Bell Bottoms.”