My take on I Don't Need Help is that it concerns the high school days of Mr. Kidneys, a time when he was just starting to realize his potential as a smooth-talking scam artist. One of his friends remarks that they've been buddies for a long long time, and the K-man has always been like a saint. He gave him bread, rubbed my aching head, always showed up when he was needed. But now, his friend says, I see you watching my baby, I see you giving her the eye, and he's pushing their friendship to the limit.
The opening horns play a backwards In the Midnight Hour hook, and the verses are an uptempo R&B guitar groove. But then at the chorus, the intro horn riff accelerates into the gravitational pull of the massive with her I don't need help, and together they cross the neutral zone into Popland, meeting potential neighbors like Got To Get You Into My Life and Speed Racer. This song coulda been a contender. Shoulda been huge.
This is the cover of the Numero Group album Eccentric Soul: The Deep City Label. I have been unable to locate an image of Johnny K Killens & the Dynamites. There must be one out there someplace...in space.
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