ERIC AND THE VIKINGS + SECOND COMING: REQUIEM FOR RAINY STREETS posted by O.W.

Eric and the Vikings: Get Off the Streets Ya'll
From "Vibrations" 7" (Soulhawk, 197?)

Second Coming: Requiem For a Rainy Day
From Second Coming (Mercury, 1970)

Two more cuts from the vaults - almost connected (read to end).

Eric and the Vikings were lead by Eryke McClinton and had a million-seller with their song, "Vibrations" back in 1970. The single came out on Soulhawk, a Detroit-based label started by Richard "Popcorn" Wylie and I'm assuming that the success of the single lead to the Vikings to get signed to Gordy Records later in the '70s. The flip of "Vibrations" is "Get Off the Streets Ya'll" and honestly, given how popular this 45 was, I'm surprised more folks haven't been rocking this cut out. It's dumb funky with those conga drums then the power drill piano stabs (rather reminiscent of Billy Joel's "Stiletto" no?), then some chicken scratch guitars for good measure. Wicked instrumental. (Thanks to Monkeyfunk for research help).

Meanwhile, Second Coming was a Bay Area group (by way of Chicago)...somehow connected to the Grateful Dead (though I'm not sure how) who released one album on Mercury, plus a few singles (including this one). The group was lead by keyboardist Dave Miller who wrote the bulk of their songs, notably "Requiem For a Rainy Day" which is one of my favorite recent tracks (thanks to Joel for putting me up on this): not the best vocals ever, but such a wonderfully soulful and funky track, especially when Miller lets loose on the organ.

Strangely, in the process of doing research, I discovered that Eryke McClinton has a new album out called...Second Coming. For a moment, I thought McClinton had fronted Second Coming back in the day but later realized, ah, just a coincidence.