This is Part II in a three part series of graffiti found around the streets of Yokohma Japan, all captured on camera recently by Amoeba Music fan ACCO, who is a diehard hip-hop fan. Note the many stylistic differences between Japanese and American graffiti -- both subtle and distinct -- including the common recurring influence of Anime (Japanese animation) in many of these Tokyo pieces.

Trans World Entertainment 0675

In 1967 Tintern Abbey released their only single on Deram, Beeside b/w Vacuum Cleaner. It has since become one of the most sought after 45’s for British psychedelia collectors. But unlike many of these obscure collectable singles, this one is actually great: cool mellotron, a slightly distorted vocal track, a touch of melancholy, a vaguely off kilter arrangement … what else could you want!

There was suppose to be a follow-up single and album but nothing else was ever released and the band disbanded in 1968. The Holy Grail of British psych? … well, one of the Holy Grail’s of British psych!

We certainly don't mind little plugs like this. Check him out at the 1:55 mark.

Singer, pianist and songwriter Bobby Byrd, who is credited with discovering James Brown in the 1950's and consequently was one of the Godfather of Soul's main collaborators for twenty years, died September 12th of lung cancer at his home in Georgia. He was 73 years of age.

Byrd, who many may know from shouting that famous refrain "Get on Up" on the James Brown hit "Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine," also co-wrote that song. He is additionally credited with co-writing several other James Brown hits that included "Talkin Loud and Sayin' Nothin," "Get Up, Get into It and Get Involved," and "Licking Stick." And at James Brown's funeral late last year he sang "Sex Machine" and "I Know You Got Soul." In fact, it was an ugly dispute over the the authorship credits of this latter song (1971 hit single) that led to the parting of ways between the two artists.

How Byrd originally met Brown in the early 1950's is a pretty interesting story in and of itself. Reportedly Byrd's religious and ever-charitable family helped secure Brown's early release from a juvenile detention facility in Georgia. This was after Byrd, as part of an outside visiting baseball team, met Brown behind the detention walls. The two young men first bonded over baseball and then later music. After Juvenile Hall Bobby Byrd's family providied a home for the young James Brown. While there James joined Bobby's gospel group, the Gospel Starlighters, which soon after became more of a secular/RnB group and  called themselves the Famous Flames. By this stage Brown's superior talents were obvious and he became the group leader and later a huge star. However Bobby Byrd stuck with him as part of that group and later the JBs for a total of twenty years, including such performances as the famous Live at the Apollo recording.