Archie Bell and the Drells "Tighten Up" C/D

Naw, course not, just making sure you were paying attention. I can never resist those "Dance To The Music"-style introduce-the-instruments soul numbers. (Partly because they remind us of a time when the R&B charts featured hits played by actual musicians on actual instruments...but nevermind)

I remember that Simpsons episode! ("I'm Archie Bell, and I'm also the Drells!") If memory serves, Homer was actually attacked by an Italian organ grinder's monkey.

Oh man, you're right. It doesn't get funnier than that.

Classic.

I always thought that guy was none other than Joe Dolce (of "Shaddap You Face" fame). He says "What'sa matta you, you crazy kid?" just like in the song, and Homer's response is "Buzz off, Giuseppe." just like in the song.

WHO'S WITH ME?

my favorite thing is that they play this all the time in the grocery store, so i'm like tightening up in the store as i'm shopping.

simpsons reference noted and appreciated.

all pre-1999 simpsons references=totally classic.

maybe me! "here i go again" is great. so is "there's gonna be a showdown."

that record, strangely enough, was the soundtrack to a few days i spent in nyc ca. 1997. i bought it for 50 cents somewhere in manhattan and kept playing it over and over again while making thanksgiving dinner in a friend's apartment.

the live James Brown version and The Bamboos version are both great

love that part where he forgoes his lunchtime cheeseburger & malt in favor of hitting the dancefloor.

"Tighten Up" is deathless, but my fave AB&TD is "Soul City Walk."

JAPANESE GENTLEMEN STAND UP PLEASE!!!

Hi everybody
I'm Archie Bell AND the Drells
From Houston, Texas

Which is why I used to laugh hysterically at the Simpson's flashback that had Homer playing the one-man-band contraption while singing this.

Sad day when I found out the real lyrics.

c/d Missy Mist - Make it Mellow

And he keeps playing the riff while he's being attacked by the monkey! God, what a great scene. "Dad, we're talking about whether I can get a job." "Gig, son. When you're a musician, a job is called a gig!"

'I Can't Stop Dancin' and 'Can't Take My Eyes off of You' (ie-- Eddy Arnold, Frankie Valli, Lauryn Hill) are SO SIMILAR that it blows my mind. Does anybody else hear this? I just can't figure out which came first, though it seems like it might be too close to call-- that is, Bob Crewe & co. had their composition of 'Can't Take My Eyes...' performed first in 1969 or thereabouts. Whereas Archie Bell & the Drells came out with 'I Can't Stop Dancin' in summer of 1968, from what I can tell. What's the deal?

Other "recipe funk" tracks:

King Curtis - Memphis Soul Stew
Sly Stone - Dance to the Music

And my obligatory Miami Bass post - Tighten Up was the base sample for Missy Mist's Make it Mellow.

I'm crying:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f31rmzASTKU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIdug40ZM-M&feature=related

JAPANESE GENTLEMEN STAND UP PLEASE!!!

― snowballing (snowballing), Wednesday, September 21, 2005 12:39 PM (5 years ago)

"Gig, son. When you're a musician, a job is called a gig!"

I'm scared by the thought that a generation is growing up thinking "Tighten Up" is merely just the title of a Black Keys song.

The drum break on the James Brown version of this is amazingly drum n' bass. Not, like, a breakbeat that's all set for chopping and speeding up, it's ALREADY THERE.
― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, March 30, 2006 3:53 PM (10 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Went to the local monthly All-Vinyl Soul Night last night, and a good way into the evening they dropped this in with an already fever-pitch dance floor going, and holy hell is this track straight fire.

On a related note, earlier in the day I picked up a copy of the TSU Toronados (the backing band on the original "TU") comp One Flight Too Many on CD--it's quite terrific!

i'm archie bell and i'm also the drells

I thought you were just a fill-in Drell

http://www.houstonpress.com/music/archie-bell-on-tighten-up-i-hear-it-in-my-sleep-8861023

White guys from Nashville? You mean that weird cover song on Hit Records? I’ve been curious about that.

Yeah, man! There were nine white boys from Nashville putting out records pretending to be Archie Bell and the Drells! This is before the Internet; no one knew what we looked like. [Points at Tighten Up LP cover on table.] See, that was one of the first records to show a picture of a black band, but you notice we’re on the backside. They had those cartoons on the front. I didn’t know anything about the cartoons. I mean, at least they’re black…

http://images1.houstonpress.com/imager/u/745xauto/8868458/tighten-up-oct18.png

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVirwnskCtw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMBu2eFIHXg

Saw Archie do a nice quick set last night as part a local vinyl Soul weekender. Not only can he still sing, he also can dance as good as he walks!

Very jealous! I’ve heard of him doing the odd set like that in recent years, never been able to catch him

Tasty Looking CD Box from a Cherry Red sister label:

https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/archie-bell-the-drells-the-albums-1968-1979-5cd-box-set/