The Movement recorded two 45s at Hemphill Recording Studios in Midfield, Alabama, just southwest of Birmingham. The two singles were released within two months of each other, in July and August, 1968.
The first 45, “Green Knight” is a solid garage number with a good organ sound and rhythm section. The vocalist’s sputtering, garbled delivery as he says “I can’t keep from crying in the green night” is classic. There’s a fine harmonica break and a buzzing guitar solo takes the song to the fade-out.
It’s a shame that every copy of the 45 has a serious tape glitch (or mastering error) about 30 seconds into the song. The sound warbles just for a split-second, but it’s very noticeable.
The flip, “Stinking Peanut Butter Love” is one of the better nonsense b-sides I’ve heard, a parody of hippie Love-In chants with mantras like “tallyanna meat loaf”, repetitive piano, random drumming and a flushing toilet. It has it’s own minor mastering problem, a sudden rise in volume at the start of the song.
Both sides written by the Movement. There are no names on this Tinker Records label, but their second 45, released on Hemphill Studio’s own label gives Buck Williams as the writer of both sides. I don’t know who else was in the band.
“Just-a-Driftin'” has an echoing lead vocal over acoustic guitar, piano and organ, with whistling instead of harmonica. This doesn’t sound like a promising formula, but the results are good and lightly psychedelic. I haven’t heard the flip, “Dear Abby” but I’ve been told it’s a ballad.
Neal Hemphill owned Hemphill Studios, also known as the Sound of Birmingham, operating from 1966-1985. Hemphill released a couple 45s by the Mishaps, “Under My Thumb” / “One Too Many Mornings” and “Come On Up”, produced by Frank Lewis. A two-volume set, The Birmingham Sound: The Soul of Neal Hemphill compiles the soul and funk sounds of the studio.
Thank you to Rich Strauss for the scan of “Just-a-Driftin'”.
“Green Knight” is a slight rewrite of Al Kooper’s “I Can’t Keep From Crying Sometimes” (which is itself a rewritten Blind Willie Johnson song, I think). I assume that they learned from the Blues Project’s version.
“Just A Driftin” and “Dear Abby” are remakes, but I can’t recall the performer’s name (quite sure it was a solo performer).
“Dear Abby” is a waltz time midtempo early ’60s patterned tune, lots of organ. Still sounds “in the garage”. The only female vocal is the spoken word “reply” from the pretend Dear Abby – the singer pleads his case to the famed advice to the love-lorn newspaper columnist.
I am pleased to tell you that “Dear Abby” and “Just-a-Driftin'” are not remakes. They are both originals, written by my father, Buck Williams. I don’t know the man’s name who sang “Dear Abby” (I think his name was Lawrence?), but the voice of “Abby” is my mother, the former Connie Williams. She was 20 years old at the time. My father played guitar and sang “Just-A-Driftin'”, and he is the whistler as well. He was about 26 I think. We recently discovered a stash of his records, and so they are suddenly alive and well in our family. His grandchildren only recently heard these songs for the first time, which was pretty exciting for them. I remember listening to these records with my sister when we were very young, listening for hours…
I would love to hear it! My mother tells me that my father “Freddy Engle” was the drummer in ‘stinking peanut butter love” he passed in 1998 but loved music. It would be awesome to have confirmation for myself & children.
The singer on this record is Buck Williams (Burley Young Williams, II). He is my father and is still alive and well in Birmingham, AL.
The female spoken word is my mother, Constance Dial, who is also alive and well and lives in McDonough, GA.
Theresa Gaffney is my sister. She posted a comment also.
The group features three different vocalists on “Green Knight”. The third singer for the last verse is the lead goofball warbling “Italiano Meatloaf” on the throw-a-way flipside. That tune(?) has been a staple at my place for decades, used whenever I wish to annoy people (rather frequently).
The Mishaps recorded more than two singles at Hemphill’s Midfield based studios. They cut six tunes (all remakes) that were issued on Hemphill in the second half of 1968, and four sides issued on the Crown Ltd. label in 1969. The last Crown Ltd. single is credited as Eugene & The Mishaps.
Can someone please give a list of all the members of the Movement? Also, where they were from (high school, etc.)