There aren’t many occasions when a cover can equal or, perhaps, slightly outdo the original, but today’s song comes close to both! Originally recorded by Herbie Mann and featuring as the title track to his 1969 record, Memphis Underground (listen below), this groovy rendition was recorded two years later by a band called The Vampires.
The Vampires were a quintet of Indian expats from Durban in South Africa who made weird, fuzzy psych-out garage tracks with plenty of funky flute! They played covers, but covers that don’t really sound like the originals, including tracks by the likes of Wilson Pickett, Glen Campbell, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple.
Vampires Underground was their second out of only two records that the band released, which was originally recorded and released in South Africa in 1971. Though their sound is described as ‘garagy/psych’, today’s cover is tinged with a reggae sound and then there’s those shimmering soul touches! Add to the mix some real cool wah-wah effects and a cool funk melody and what you get is this magic hybrid fusion of sounds that just ‘work’.. It’s a great track and though I’m not too familiar with the rest of the album, that is something I am going to investigate soon! Enjoy!
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