Welcome to the Runout February edition, were we have a real privilege for our subscribers this month as we are offering the lost album by Leo Nocentelli - Another Side in a limited edition bright yellow coloured vinyl limited to 500 copies as our curated choice (This does mean that new subscribers prior to our monthly cut off might miss out).
Leo is most famous as a founding member of the legendary funk outfit The Meters and is attributed with writing the group's most famous songs including “Hey Pocky A–Way” and “Cissy Strut”. Another Side was Leo’s first solo release and saw him accompanied by a stellar backing band which included Allen Toussaint (piano), and both George Porter Jr. (bass) and Zigaboo Modeliste (drums) of The Meters. The bayou brotherhood of The Meters and their surrounding cast of amazing musical fellows which included the likes of Dr. John, Lee Dorsey (whom The Meters played backing for), and Solomon Burke could not have been a better basis for Leo’s future success with The Meters, which sidelined his solo work.
Inexplicably Another Side was recorded in 1971, but was lost for almost 50 years only to be released in 2021 by Light In The Attic Records, what is even more amazing is that the album, which would have been a stone-cold classic in the singer-songwriter heyday of the early 1970s, managed to survive the catastrophic Hurricane Katrina which devastated New Orleans in 2005 and the Sea-Saint studios where it was recorded and which were co-owned by Allen Toussaint.
It was a Southern Californian swap-meet called The Roadium where the a lucky crate digger, Mike Nishita, brother of Money Mark of The Beastie Boys collaboration fame uncovered the reel-to-reel tapes, and found what can only be described as a magical and fragile record, providing an insight into the other side of the Nocentelli psyche away from the more familiar funky styling of The Meters.
The album has a folky sensibility which was key in the success of singer-songwriters of the late 60s and early 70s who followed in the footsteps of Dylan, like James Taylor, Jackson Browne, John Prine, or Randy Newman. However there is something different about Nocentelli, perhaps it is the amazing story which led to the discovery of the album, or the sense of intimacy that his voice conveys and the story he weaves through the album.
Tracks such as “Thinking Of The Day” show a modest Nocentelli who had put down his electric guitar and moved to acoustic, he then created a simple and unassuming tune which moves along as if shuffling through the track, but exploding with a sense of quiet reflection. “Tell Me Why” has a feel that could only be described as Laurel Canyonesqe rocking through it, and I am sure if it had been released in 1971 would have made the whole Laurel Canyon singer-songwriter community jealous.
On tracks like “I Want To Cry” the backing of Allen Toussaint on piano only helps to boost the sense of warmth from the track which is a study of melancholy from Nocentelli, Toussaint also contributes to “Riverfront” a blues inflected track which paints a vivid picture of Mississippi workers toiling away looking forward to their weekends. The album finishes on a cover of Elton John’s “Your Song” which Nocentelli makes his own, but doesn’t stray away from the uplifting design of Elton's original.
We hope you enjoy the February curated choice from RRC and we are privileged to offer this lost gem to you and hope it brings you the same pleasure we have received in discovering it.
RRC - Stu
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