The legend around Archie Bell & The Drells' song "Tighten Up" is that it became an unexpected hit while Archie Bell was serving as a soldier in Vietnam. He tried to convince his commanding officers that the song being played on the radio was indeed by him.
By the time he was allowed to return to the States, a number of counterfeit bands claiming to be Archie Bell & The Drells were already touring.
On this mix from five years ago I have the original hit single as well as the "part 2" which is essentially an extended vamp of the single.
Other stuff: Tom Waits' shaggy dog tale "Singapore", Kalyanji & Anandji's spacey "Satchidananda", Andy Gibb's atmospheric "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water", Bjork sensuous "The Pleasure Is All Mine", the gorgeous "Pale Blue Eyes" by The Velvet Underground, Kathryn Williams' cover of Big Star's "Thirteen", the sweet "Brass In Pocket (I'm Special)" by The Pretenders, the wry "A Well Respected Man" by The Kinks, ELO's witty "Mr. Blue Sky", a live cover of Nilsson's "Everybody's Talking" by Stevie Wonder, Tavares' Saturday Night Fever theme "More Than A Woman", a cover of Seals & Crofts' "Summer Breeze" by The Isley Brothers, a live cover of The Beatles' "Day Tripper" by Jimi Hendrix at the BBC, R.E.M.'s chugging "Driver 8", the funky "Talkin' Loud & Saying Nothing" by James Brown, the Paul Simon reunion duet with Art Garfunkel called "My Little Town" and a cover of Gene Chandler's "Duke Of Earl" by ex-Pixie Frank Black.
