Radio Exile | Tuned In

Tuned In – Dock It

By Elie Z. Perler - June 2, 2008 | Email the author

The cocktail crowd can rejoice yet again. Despite a recent history devoid of hipness, Dockers is in revival mode, strategically positioning themselves as the practical choice for “Work, weekend, dress, and golf.” It is a calculated move to finally shed the “old person trousers” image in favor of the questionably fashionable yuppie demographic. So discard your aging wardrobe of khakis and jump on the proverbial bandwagon. As for me, I’ll stick with denim.

Choosing carefree summer fun as an underlying theme, their most recent commercial is a bird’s eye view portrayal of San Francisco city life. Set to the tune of “California Soul,” recorded by Marlena Shaw, it duly promotes an oft-overlooked gem while simultaneously asserting Dockers as the true essence of the Golden State. The gall of such a proclamation is no doubt in line with the company’s ehtos. Such resurging interest has breathed new life into the song with alternative interpretations now in the marketplace. The latest is a remix by Diplo [Myspace, Wiki] which can be found on Verve Remixed 4 (Verve, 2008).

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEcR-5x8xwI[/youtube]

But Shaw’s version was not the original. Striking fame on the mid-60’s New York City club circuit, as well as the Borscht Belt in the Catskills, the Jazz vocalist broke through with “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” for Chess subsidiary, Cadet Records. Made famous by the 5th Dimension in 1969, her much improved take on “California Soul,” written by Motown scribes Ashford & Simpson, followed later that year (Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrel also recorded the song). Then in 1972, she became the first woman to sign with the Blue Note imprint, three decades before Norah Jones would flush the label with further success.

“California Soul” [mp3]

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