Anonymous Exuberance (Revisited): Interview With Ken Shipley, Numero Group Founder

Recent re-issues are constantly touted as “lost masterpieces” or “holy grails” of some sort. And surely, some are stunning discoveries. The recent flood of funk and soul re-issues are deserving of their allure, but like everything, some are just better than others. As Nate Nothing outlined, the Numero Group has had a remarkable recent show of success. While patterns emerge as to which labels uncover gems--and which make embellished assertions--Numero has done an outstanding job in a consistent, careful manner.
The label consists of founder Ken Shipley (above, right) and a dedicated team that scours the country for forgotten music. The forethought displayed in Numero’s releases are gleaming; The Eccentric Soul series [17 and counting] come with liner notes that contextualize the music and its makers, adding depth to the crackly recordings. Most of the records uncovered have rarely been heard, if ever. The silliness and sorrows are depicted with dignity and, almost always, add staggering perspective to the music.

I've been impressed by each Numero release, and the recognition they quietly gain. We’re lucky to have Mr. Shipley show us his "terribly unglamorous" operation and explain exactly how, and why, he does what he does. Thanks for humoring us Ken. Here's to your outstanding label.

Please introduce yourself for fans wondering who you are?
Ken Shipley, the Numero Group’s minister of information.

How many members are on your staff?
Six.

Take us through a typical day at Numero headquarters.
Doors open at 9, though typically bodies don’t cross the threshold until 10. There is no set schedule, other than that the mail needs to go out at noon and UPS comes at 5:30. Everything else in between can be shifted to earlier or later depending on its priority. 90% of what we do is terribly unglamorous. Books need to be kept, boxes get packed, purchase orders go out, just like any other workplace. Once a month we crunch hard and finish a project, and that’s generally the most interesting work. Rob and I lock our selves in our offices and write for hours, take it home, swish it around, argue, rewrite, take antacid.

How much of the year do you spend traveling, looking for records?
These days not nearly as much, as most of what we do is on the phone and through the mail. We generally do a few trips a year and get a handful of things lined up on the way. In the case of Grand Bahama Goombay, we actually got Recording Tap and Outskirts Of Deep City rolling at the same time.

Is your personal record collection insane or what?
Rob’s is probably the deepest, though we both have rooms dedicated to records at our houses.

How did the first release in the Eccentric Soul series come about?
I had just lost my job at Ryko Disc and wanted to start a new label. Rob and I had a mutual friend and ended up meeting in a bar. He had an idea for a compilation called Eccentric Soul; I took that idea, tinkered and came back with something bigger. The catalyst for taking it beyond the random compilation of 45s that Rob wanted to do was Bill Moss, who informed me that he had made a few dozen recordings, not just the two Rob was talking about. I thought labels would be much more interesting and could tell a nice tightly wrapped story.
What were the main motivating factors that made you want to start the label?
At Ryko I had a few projects I wanted to do that never happened and ended up taking one of them with me. Meeting our other partner Tom Lunt in a grocery store while we were both unemployed didn’t hurt either. At the same time I was spending a lot of time at Sheer Magic’s soul night in Chicago, just listening and talking to other soul aficionados. The music of those nights needed to be heard, and it seemed like there wasn’t enough people trying to make that a reality.

What was the first record you found for the label that blew you away?
Antena, though I found it for another label.

Can you tell us which are your favorite tracks off of some of these Eccentric Soul releases?

-Mighty Mike: "Loaded To The Gills", "I’ve Got To Have You", "Function Underground"

-Prix Label: "You Got Me (Demo)", "Mystic", "Wait A Minute"

-Home Schooled: "I’m Not Ready For Love", "Time", "Now That School Is Through"

-Deep City: "Am I A Good Man", "Someone To Fulfill My Needs", "I am Controlled By Your Love"

Where do you typically hear about these records and where do you normally find them?
The larger world of collecting is the best resource. Talking to people, listening to their mixes, bumming MP3s, and listening is the key. Finding the originals is rarely my goal as most of this stuff is impossibly rare. I collect masters these days.
How many records do you sift through before deciding on the ones that make it onto the comp?
With some compilations it seems like you’ve barely got enough! We like to find between 16-20 songs for a record, but it’s key to use only the best stuff. In the case of Twinight and Tragar we had to make a bunch of painful cuts because the material was so good.

Which was the most difficult project in the series to put together?
They’re all tough in their own way. You forget how difficult it was after you finish. But if I had to pick, I’d say Twinight because it took us two years to finish and we kept getting better stuff. The record just never wanted to end.

Which was the easiest and why?
Lenaburg definitely. John Dixon handed us the entire thing and all we did was color in the story.

Who mainly gets to keep these discovered records?
We have library in our office for all the treasure. Like Alexandria meets Ft. Knox.

What are some future Numero releases you have in the works?
NUM020 Eccentric Soul: The Tragar & Note Labels
NUM021 Soul Messages From Dimona
NUM022 A Local Custom: Downriver Revival

Do you get a chance to listen to contemporary music?
There are people I like, but I don’t have as much time to listen to outside music as I’d like. It’s hard enough just listening to the stuff we’ve got on the whiteboard. That said, I enjoy the moody stylings of Cat Power and Hope Sandoval, cut and paste shit like the Avalanches or Dilla’s Donuts, and am eagerly anticipating GnR’s next album.

What advice, if any, would you give to others who want to start a label like Numero?
Now is clearly not the time. Save your money and go to business school.

What does the label envision for itself in the future?
We’re going to be the next Folkways. Wait and see.

**For more information on the Numero Group and their releases, please visit http://www.numerogroup.com/

Anonymous Exuberance: The Numero Group is Killing It

Chicago-based archival label The Numero Group has emerged as one of the most reliable record labels in the world in the past five years. This post will focus on their Eccentric Soul series, which is exactly what it sounds like; lovingly detailed reissues of below-the-radar soul sides that have never been widely available outside of their respective localities. My curiosity was initially piqued by their stark packaging (one picture on the front, a number, and a plain white back cover with no further info, track titles, or clues as to the contents) yet deterred by high price tags (generally $20 or so for CDs and around $25 for wax). However, now that I've had a taste, I feel like I'm addicted to these comps, scouring eBay for originals I can't afford, re-reading liner notes, and finding things to like about the tracks that didn't initially stand out. My personal history with the label goes a little something like this (hit it!):

I was lucky enough to find a used copy of this one, and it was the gateway drug for one simple reason. I had no idea that there was a funk scene in Phoenix, AZ in the 60's. It seemed incongruous, but the evidence is in the grooves (technically it's in the digits, sadly this one's CD & Mp3 only). Centering on the various productions of 'Mighty' Mike Lenauberg, this one really opened my senses to some desert heat. My pick of the litter has to be "Loaded to the Gills," by Michael Liggins and the Super Souls, which was also re-issued in 12" format by the good folks at Now-Again. It is one of several tracks that feature some tough flute laid over the top, and what sounds like vocal percussion (On a personal note, I tend to really like songs where people vocalize the instruments; see the Mills' Brothers' version of 'Caravan', late-era Tom Waits, and the entire catalog of Biz Markie.) clip-clopping along in the background. This and the sixteen other tracks are bold assertions of vitality that got me thinking about the wealth of undiscovered or merely previously unpopular music I have been privy to, and the common thread that tied them together was an undeniable openness that I termed "anonymous exuberance." The basic unscientific thesis goes something like this: The fact that these artists never developed a national profile only enhances my ability to relate to their joys and sorrows. Much like underground MCs who portray an everyman persona despite dizzying lyrical skills, these extraordinarily talented performers were real people with real problems, and expressed them in an unhinged manner that would only have been diminished by participation in the studio-dominated international music business. My next encounter with this remarkable label would only deepen these initial reactions.

Hearing lost recordings from Columbus, Ohio's Prix label was a revelation. It's one thing for a song to move my head to nod or my feet to tap, but a few of these tracks genuinely moved me on an emotional level. The entire selection is uniformly excellent, but there are a few tracks toward the end that really stand out. After a truly intriguing tape-spliced outtake of "studio moves" by the Harmonic Sounds Band comes a stripped down demo version of Eddie Ray's "You Got Me." Though the completed version is included on the release, I am partial to the rough outtake. It is the sound of a man alone with a guitar really singing his heart out, vocalizing all of the pain and elation that love can bring. The completed version, though a more full and polished arrangement, really loses something by the addition of the other players. I smooths off the rough edges of vulnerability that make the demo so endearing. Next up is the beautiful ballad "You and Me" performed by Penny & the Quarters. Atop the pillow-soft bed of the Quarters' harmonized backing vocals, Penny's voice cuts right to the heart of the matter; "If the stars don't shine, if the moon won't rise, if I never see the setting sun again, you won't hear me cry, this I testify, please believe me boy you know I won't lie, as long as there is you and me." It is the perfect encapsulation of young love at its most naive and triumphant. Though I have come to love this song deeply, the final track on the album somehow tops it. The sublime "You Got Me" (starting to notice a pattern with these titles?) once again by Eddie Ray, accompanied by a very funky hand drummer and Joe King's serpentine guitar, is one of the most unrestrained, passionate vocal performances I have ever heard. Halfway between and gospel shout and Otis-esque growl, he wrings the truth out of lines that in the hands of a lesser performer would come across as mere platitudes. I have come to regard this "throwaway" demo as one of the best songs in the world, and that's usually how I introduce it to people when I play it for them.

Home Schooled: The ABCs of Kid Soul is as close to a novelty record as these guys have come to releasing, and while it's organized around an adolescent theme, it can be a rewarding listen for the discerning soul-obsessed adult. More so than any other set in the series, this comp is a lot of fun. Initially, hearing kids sing about matters of the heart is a bit disconcerting, and the first night I brought it home, the roomies and I spent a lot of time wondering where the songs came from, and how many of these kids were "Joe Jackson-ed" into playing and recording them. My cut on this one is the boisterous "I'm Not Ready For Love." by Promise, a paean to the perils of precociousness with a world-class breakdown. Hearing the sweetly-sung assertions, "I'm not ready to fuss and fight, I'm not ready to cry all night, love is a thing I'm not ready to face, so you just better go your way," I can only smile, nod and agree. Me neither, kids. This one's a great party album, primo mixtape fodder, and a curious musical artifact all wrapped in one beautiful, lovingly assembled package. The pictures contained in the gate fold are easily worth the price of admission.

Though I've only recently become acquainted with Numero 007, The Deep City label, it's already revealing itself as one of the finest releases of this young year. The album opens with the haunting "Am I a Good Man" by Them Two. Penned by label founder Willie Clarke and the immortal Clarence Reid, the lush organ-fuelled arrangement and strong lead vocals recall Phil Spector-era Righteous Brothers. Further along, there are a few tracks by the secret weapon of the Miami soul scene, Helene Smith. Though none of them rival her performance on the stunning "You Got To Be a Man," (not included on this comp but recently reissued on 45) she provides backing vocals on 'good man' and contributes several strong solo tracks. A really nice feature about this album is that they close out the set with a full side of instrumental versions of some of the best cuts on the album, a practice normally reserved for hip-hop records that I'd love to see become standard practice in all genres.
Check back in a few weeks, we're preparing an interview with the hard-working founders of the Numero Group where we'll get to ask them about the process of discovering and re-issuing these and other lost gems.

--ed note: instead of posting these songs, we want to encourage you to peruse the numero website, where you can listen to snippets, purchase CDs, mp3s, and vinyl directly from the label at www.numerogroup.com