Soul — All Formats  

The wild first album from Bloodstone – a much trippier affair than some of the group's later work, as you might guess from the image on the cover! There's a really heavy vibe going on with some of the tracks here – almost an echo of psychedelic soul from the Norman Whitfield camp, with perhaps some of the fuzzy guitars of the Westbound scene too – all a very different change from the sweeter harmonies Bloodstone would drop later in the 70s still a bit rough around the edges here, but in a great way! The album's got plenty of appeal for fans of heavy funk, and there's a definite righteous undercurrent to the music – as you'll hear on tracks like "This Thing Is Heavy", "Dumb Dude", "Lady Of The Night", "Friendship", and "Take These Chains".

An amazing full length collection of work from Rickey Calloway – an artist we've really only known from individual singles, but one who packs a hell of a punch in the space of this rock-solid CD! Rickey's groove is right out of the James Brown camp of the glory days – tight tight tight instrumentation, filled with lots of riffing grooves that are right on the beat – topped with Rickey's amazing vocals, which feel like they're lifted from some obscure funky 45s from back in the day! Production is nice and raw on most numbers and there's a few mellower deep soul tracks which help round out the sound wonderfully – giving the set the full scope you might normally expect to hear from Lee Fields. The packaging on this one's a bit slim, but the music's totally great – and the set features 16 killer cuts that include "Tell Me", "Lose It", "Shed A Tear", "Groove Master", "Get The Groove", "That's The Way", "Paying My Dues", "Get It Right", "A Letter", "I'm In Love", and "The Feeling".

Stellar grooves from Charles Earland – a great mix of jazz, soul, and funk – put together in a way that's quite different from his previous records on Prestige or Mercury Records! The sound here is tight 80s soul – put together by Tom Tom Washington, who gives the whole thing a sophisticated Chicago vibe – and one that matches Charles' sweet keyboard solos with wickedly sharp rhythms, and some occasional vocal bits too. Singers include Larry Blackmon, TC Campell, and Charles himself – but there's still a focus that seems to be more on the instrumentation overall – served up with some mighty nice organ lines from Earland. Titles include "The Only One", "Marcia's Waltz", "You Belong To Me", "Never Knew Love Like This Before", "Guilty", "Laser Lips", "Earland's Jam", and "Animal". CD features "Never Knew Love Like This Before (single)", "Guilty (single)", "Animal (12" version)", and "The Only One (12" version)".

Grand Slam take plenty of inspiration from the P-Funk universe – and as proof of that fact, they've got Gary Mudbone Cooper on vocals for a few tracks on this sweet little set – a record that definitely offers up a 21st Century evolution of the original P-Funk groove! The combo are heavy on basslines and keyboards – often used with that best slinky style that the George Clinton groups hit at the end of the 70s – and occasionally touched by some modern rhythms, although overall the group have a very live funky mode! Vocals are often layered together nicely, and sometimes vocoded too – as a few cuts echo that early 80s shift to more electric funk, particularly from the Zapp generation. Lige Curry sings lead on a few other numbers – and titles include "Long Term Ticket", "You Can't Nickname The Truth", "Camp Down", "Elemelemel", "Streets Of Harlem", and "The Fog".

The first compilation to really do justice to jazz funk legend Eddie Henderson – and a great one, too! Henderson's spacey trumpet style graced some of the best Blue Note and Capitol jazz sides to come out during the 70s – and his open-ended snakey way of playing was very different than many of his 70s contemporaries on the instrument. Plus, Eddie never minded a little bit of smooth production, and was certainly one of the more soulful players of his generation – forging a unique style that was in the same camp as Donald Byrd's sweet fusion work for Blue Note in the mid 70s, but with a spacey style that's really great. Nearly every cut on the CD features production work by Skip Drinkwater – who was to Eddie what Larry Mizell was to Donald Byrd – and most of this work has been long unavailable for years! Titles include "Kudu", "Explodition", "Involuntary Bliss", "Inside You", "Galaxy", "Butterfly", "Say You Will", "Amoroso", "Open Eyes", "Prance On", and "Hopscotch". Excellent work throughout – performed in the company of some of the 70s best funky fusion players!

Stunning Miami grooves from the legendary Jimmy Bo Horne – one of the key figures in the southern club scene of the 70s! Jimmy's got a groove that's very much his own on the set – a snapping, almost clapping sort of rhythm picked up from the George McCrae and KC camps at TK Records – but one that's honed into a tighter, smoother, almost sexier sort of approach overall. This sound's heard to best effect on Jimmy's super-huge hit "Dance Across The Floor" – but it's also pretty well adapted to just about any number, and kept Mr Horne going strong through the biggest years of the TK Miami scene. The set features a total of 19 tracks in all – including "Dance Across The Floor", "Get Happy", "Gimme Some (part 1)", "Spank (1980 rmx)", "Ask The Birds And The Bees", "Goin' Home For Love", "Rocket In The Pocket", "You Get Me Hot", "Music To Make Love By", "Don't Worry About It", and "I Get Lifted".

The great Syl Johnson – doing his thing for Hi Records on a record that's more shiny diamond than it is rough – his second album for the label and a truly underappreciated gem from the Chi soul great! Diamond In The Rough is a much sweeter set of tunes than Syl's Chicago work on Twinight, with warmer production by southern soul guru Willie Mitchell to keep his sound much more in the Memphis soul camp – but still a nice album of bluesy stoked sweetness, and proof that Syl was one of the better talents on the Hi label. Titles include "Keeping Down Confusion", "Let Yourself Go", "Could I Be Falling In Love", "Stuck In Chicago", and "I Hear The Love Chimes", "Please, Don't Give Up On Me" and "Diamond In The Rough".

The great Syl Johnson – doing his thing for Hi Records on a record that's more shiny diamond than it is rough – his second album for the label and a truly underappreciated gem from the Chi soul great! Diamond In The Rough is a much sweeter set of tunes than Syl's Chicago work on Twinight, with warmer production by southern soul guru Willie Mitchell to keep his sound much more in the Memphis soul camp – but still a nice album of bluesy stoked sweetness, and proof that Syl was one of the better talents on the Hi label. Titles include "Keeping Down Confusion", "Let Yourself Go", "Could I Be Falling In Love", "Stuck In Chicago", and "I Hear The Love Chimes", "Please, Don't Give Up On Me" and "Diamond In The Rough".

An excellent batch of hard soul grooves from the great Laura Lee! This one was her first for the Hot Wax label – and it's got the raw quality of her earlier singles for labels like Chess, with a hard vocal style that's very much in the Aretha Franklin/Fontella Bass camp – plus some arrangements that have that bouncing soulful quality that the Staple Singers were using on Stax at the time! There's lots of horns in the mix, and some congas as well, which gives the album a bit of a different twist – kind of an earthy undercurrent that works great with the vocals. Includes the great title cut "Women's Love Rights" – plus "I Don't Want Nothin' Old (But Money)", "Wedlock Is a Padlock", "Her Picture Matches Mine", and "Two Lovely Pillows". CD features a bonus track – "Since I Fell For You (mono commercial single edit)".

The amazing legacy of Alicia Myers – two classic MCA albums, back to back on a single CD! First up is the self-titled Alicia – a set that's right up there with Myer's recordings with the group One Way, but with some deeper, more personal touches as well! Production is by Kevin McCord and Al Perkins from the One Way camp – and they bring in a nice mix of the funkier numbers that group was known for, and some warmer, mellower cuts that really show Myers maturing as a soul singer – a depth that might not have been expected a few years before, and which should have made her a bigger act for years to come after this wonderful set! The setting really lets Alicia open up on vocals, singing with a power and presence that's really great – and titles include "We Can't Stay In Bed Forever", "Don't Stop What You're Doin", "I Want To Thank You", "If You Play Your Cards Right", "Reggae Funky Dance", "Reservation For One", and "Life Joy & Happiness". Alicia Again is equally great – and has a strong smooth midtempo groove – with the beat toned down a bit from earlier days, in a style that works perfectly for Alicia's voice. A perfect bit of soul for that warm Sunday afternoon in the fall – king of similar to Chaka Khan's great solo work on Warner from the same time. Titles include "When Love Starts To Go", "I'm So Lonely", "Love Me Or Leave Me Alone", and "Do Your Kind Of Dance".

The Salsoul Orchestra at its finest, with Vince Montana at the helm, crafting some superb arrangements that have all of the positivity of the best funky club groove the band can come up with, and little of the campy disco sound that other soundalike bands were starting to hit! The group's format is still head and shoulders above most of its imitators here – a perfect balance of larger orchestrations and tighter rhythms for the club – handled with all the best Philly elements that Montana brings to play. Titles include the superb soul track "Run Away", which features excellent lead vocals by Loleatta Holloway – one of her best tracks ever – and other instrumental titles include the funky "Getaway", plus "Magic Bird Of Fire", "It's A New Day", and "Alpha Centuri".

Genius work from Denice Williams – a singer who'd cracked the charts a bit as Denice Chandler, with a little girl soul sound, way back in the 60s – but who's grown up considerably by this essential 70s set! Chandler's voice is still a bit high – almost in a Minnie Riperton sort of mode – and she's working with some great help from the Earth Wind & Fire camp, considering that production is by Maurice White and Charles Stepney! Like the best EWF work of the 70s, the album's polished, but has a tremendous sense of depth – feelings that are mature and massively soulful, and which are quite different than Williams later pop from the 80s. Titles include her standout classic "Free", plus "It's Important to Me", "Watching Over", "Cause You Love Me Baby", "How'd I Know That Love Would Slip Away", "That's What Friends Are For", and "Slip Away". Includes a bonus track of the single version of "Free".

Genius work from Denice Williams – a singer who'd cracked the charts a bit as Denice Chandler, with a little girl soul sound, way back in the 60s – but who's grown up considerably by this essential 70s set! Chandler's voice is still a bit high – almost in a Minnie Riperton sort of mode – and she's working with some great help from the Earth Wind & Fire camp, considering that production is by Maurice White and Charles Stepney! Like the best EWF work of the 70s, the album's polished, but has a tremendous sense of depth – feelings that are mature and massively soulful, and which are quite different than Williams later pop from the 80s. Titles include her standout classic "Free", plus "It's Important to Me", "Watching Over", "Cause You Love Me Baby", "How'd I Know That Love Would Slip Away", "That's What Friends Are For", and "Slip Away". This Big Break UK remastered edition has 3 bonus tracks: "Free (Short Single Version)", "That's What Friends Are For (Single Version)" and "Free (Long Single Version)".

A massive amount of rare Northern Soul cuts – almost all of them from the Heritage Records empire of producer Jerry Ross! There's plenty of Philly elements in the mix, but the set also shows Jerry's good ear for crossing over into other camps too – and some of these tunes also have a sound that would have been right at home in the Detroit scene of the late 60s. A few numbers are even rock/pop cuts, but still work very well in the context of the soul material – and the CD features 20 titles that include "Green Grow the Lilacs" by The Festivals, "Ain't Nothin' But A House Party" by The Showstoppers, "I Dig Everything About You" by The Mob, "You Gave Me Somebody To Love" by The Dreamlovers, "Loan Shark" by Chapter One, "I Get By Without You" by Kenny Gamble & Tommy Bell, "Baby Show It" by The Festivals, "Bok To Bach" by Father's Angels, "Eeny Meeny" by The Showstoppers, "Pick Up My Toys" by The Devonnes, "I've Been Hurt" by Bill Deal & The Rhondels, and "You Aint' Sayin' Nothin' New" by Virgil Henry.

A treasure trove of rare spoken word material, plus a few songs as well – all pulled together with the same Civil Rights vibe as the first volume in the series! The package is an amazing historical document – and features a lot of key parts from 60s speeches, plus earlier political moments, righteous religious messages, and a few songs that help put the whole thing in perspective! The audio presentation works strongly almost as a sound collage – although each passage is very discreet – and titles include "The Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison, "Brown V Board Of Education" by Thurgood Marshall, "Sticks & Stones" by Sugarchile Robinson, "Black Pilots Mission To Italy" by William Campbell, "Don't Let Me Be Wrong" by Eloise Wilson, "Address To Congress 1939" by Mary McLeod Bethune, "Father I Stretch Forth My Hands" by Rev CL Franklin, "Blacks Vote In South Carolina 1948", "These New York Neighbors" by Babs Gonzalez, and "The Day Of Registration" by Fannie Lou Hamer.

Amazing work from one of Chicago's best indie labels of the 60s – a wealth of wonderful soul that easily ranks with some of the best work at Chess or Vee Jay at the time! USA's a label that's also known for work in the rock and blues field, but the company had a marvelous ear for soul back in the day – and was often able to grab key Windy City talents before they broke big – or others who were already great, but finally found the right sort of treatment they needed at USA – a care with production and presentation that often rivals some of the beautiful presentation that Curtis Mayfield was bringing to his Impressions recordings or work with other artists – lots of deep soul roots, but also the tightness and sophistication that made Chicago so great at the time. The package features 36 rock-solid tracks – and titles include "Hot Spring Water" by Billy The Kid Emerson, "Come On In" by Detroit Jr, "A Lonely Boy" by Lee Wilson, "Step It Up" by Al Perkins, "I'll Wait For You" by LC Cooke, "No Appreciation" by Tut Sutton, "Taunting Love" by Frankie Newsom, "Just Being Careful" by Baby Huey & The Baby Sitters, "What You Don't Know" by Oscar & Anita, "Sweet Little Woman" by McKinley Sandifer, and "You Gotta Pay Dues" by Chris Campbell.

Groovy soul from Westbound Records – the Detroit imprint that's best known for its heavy funk from groups like Funkadelic or The Counts, but which also cut some killer Northern numbers in their early years too! The package features loads of under-discovered Westbound nuggets, including a few unreleased tracks too – and the overall feel is almost in the same territory as the HDH/Invictus camp of the early 70s – soaring soul that's clearly informed by the Motown generation, but which comes across with a lot more righteous overtones, thanks to some heady production work! A few names here are familiar, but most of the work should be pretty darn fresh, even if you've got other collections of Westbound work – and as usual, Kent have really knocked it out of the park with a great job on the notes and overall packaging. Titles include "Third World" by Joe Matthews, "Love Love Love" by Damon Shawn, "Till Another Day (Tom Moulton 7" edit)" by Caesar Frazier, "Ain't No Telling" by Houston Outlaws, "Happy Days" by The Magictones, "Gonna Spread The News" by Unique Blend, "Ain't That Lovin" by Denise & Abe, "Lonely In A Crowd" by Superlatives, "My Baby Ain't No Plaything" by The New Holidays, "Can't Shake It Loose" by Funkadelic, "I Can't See Myself Doing Without You" by Bob & Harold, "Never My Love" by Emanuel Laskey, "I'm Slowly Moulding" by The Magictones, and "I Am So Thankful" by Eddie Hill.

Classic club from Karen Young – definitely one of the campier talents on the West End label, but still pretty soulful overall! The album's almost more in the mode of work on Prelude than West End – as tracks are all long, and roll along with a fair bit of instrumentation in the mix – still lots of vocals from Karen, but more of a focus on the overall groove too. The tracks are long, with titles like "God Knows I'm Just A Woman", "Where Is He", and "Bring On The Boys" – which should give you a feel for the set!

Killer stuff from Gene! After recording a few sadly overlooked albums for Brunwsick, Gene hit big big big with this killer record on Mercury! The record virtually defines the Chicago soul sound of the late 60s – with arrangements by Tom Tom, production by Gene, and a great loping soul groove – but the best part of all is Gene, who's an amazing singer with a maturity that stretches years beyond his earlier hits, and which put him in a camp with the best of his generation. The songwriting is excellent throughout, with a great mix of uptempo numbers and heartbreakingly personal ones. Titles include "Groovy Situation", "Simply Call It Love", "Not The Marrying Kind", "Give Me a Chance", and "Hey, Little Angel".

It sure didn't take disco long to get kitschy – as you'll hear in this campy retro project put together by Bob Crewe! Includes the hit "I Wanna Dance Wit Choo (Doo Dat Dance)", plus "Love Is A Killer", "Boogie Flap", "Outrageous", and "Jam Band".

A great example of why Little Milton was always one of the few Chicago blues artists who could also break strongly in the soul camp at the time – and a beautifully balanced set that perfectly shows both sides of the Chicago scene of the time! Production is by old Vee Jay maestro Calvin Carter, and arrangements by Gene Barge, who manages to slide effortlessly between blues and soul on the set – almost pushing Milton into Tyrone Davis territory, but keeping things a bit more rougher and down home on some of the other numbers. The sound is wonderful – very deep and rich, and with a sound that's head and shoulders above most other albums of this type in the late 60s. Titles include "Baby I Love You", "If Walls Could Talk", "Things That I Used to Do", "Let's Get Together", "I Play Dirty", "Blues Get Off My Shoulder", "I Don't Know", and "Poor Man".

Pure crossover genius from Buddy Miles – a great mix of funky soul and rockish touches – and the kind of record that easily put Buddy in the same camp as Sly Stone or The Isley Brothers with mainstream audiences of the time! Tracks here are a bit longer and more jamming than work by either of those two artists – with the kind of heavy guitar and horns that played heavily to the Fillmore crowd – but the overall sound of the record is a fair bit more soulful and even funkier than some other Miles' efforts from the earlier years too, with plenty of his tight drums in the mix! Titles include a great 12 minute reading of the title track "We Got To Live Together" – plus "Take It Off Him & Put It On Me", "Runaway Child", "Walking Down The Highway", and "Easy Greasy".

Stunning – an overloaded set of grooves by one of the greatest Philly soul talents ever! Vince Montana's probably had a hand in more records than you'd think – either playing vibes, which he did on countless Philly classics, or arranging and producing, which he did with a freewheeling soulful style, influencing club music for years with his unique talents! Vince has mostly preferred to work in the background – hiding out under the names of groups like Philly Sound Works, Montana, or Goody Goody, and laboring endlessly in the biggest factory of modern soul ever, the landmark Sigma Sound Studios in Philly. This set's one of the first to ever do him justice – a huge sampling of work recorded in the late 70s and 1980s, when Vince's talents were still riding very high, and in some ways, he was working as a one-man campaign to keep alive the MSFB style of the 70s – still working in a very classic mode, a blend of soul, jazz, disco, and funk – augmented with the sorts of quality touches that were rarely turning up in music at the time. CD features 22 titles on 2 CDs – including "It Looks Like Love (new club)", "Esto Parese Amor (love vibes)", "Heavy Vibes (club mix)", "It Looks Like Love", "Do It Any Way You Wanna", "What Happened To The Music", "Make Me Hot (dub)", "I Wanna Know", and "South Soul Party (club mix)". Great package, with a nice book on Vince, too!

A fantastic bit of space age funk – and maybe one of the greatest moments ever from Philly Soul maestro Dexter Wansel! The album goes way beyond any of Wansel's other work – and blends his warm soulful styles with some of the more keyboard-oriented funk that was coming out of the Herbie Hancock camp during the mid 70s – a vibe that's every bit as electric and spacey as you'd guess from the cover! Some cuts have a bit more of a soul focus, but others have loads of jazzy keyboards from Dexter – driven on by some great drums at points too. Titles include Wansel's legendary version of "Theme From the Planets" with the much sampled breakbeat at the beginning – plus the funky "Life On Mars", and the tracks "One Million Miles From The Ground", "You Can Be What You Wanna Be", "Prophet Named KG", "Rings Of Saturn", and "Stargazer".

Stellar grooves from Charles Earland – a great mix of jazz, soul, and funk – put together in a way that's quite different from his previous records on Prestige or Mercury Records! The sound here is tight 80s soul – put together by Tom Tom Washington, who gives the whole thing a sophisticated Chicago vibe – and one that matches Charles' sweet keyboard solos with wickedly sharp rhythms, and some occasional vocal bits too. Singers include Larry Blackmon, TC Campell, and Charles himself – but there's still a focus that seems to be more on the instrumentation overall – served up with some mighty nice organ lines from Earland. Titles include "The Only One", "Marcia's Waltz", "You Belong To Me", "Never Knew Love Like This Before", "Guilty", "Laser Lips", "Earland's Jam", and "Animal".

A special limited edition counterpart to Bettye Lavette's Thankful/Thoughtful album – one that features her takes on tunes by The Black Crowes, Bon Jovi, John Mellencamp, and Julie Miller! Titles include "Long Time", "Old", "Save Some Time To Dream", "Whole Lotta Lonely", and "Welcome To The Good Times".

Excellent underground disco with a groovy French touch! The cover's a bit campy, but the record's got plenty of nice keyboard work, and offsets the coldness of the keys with some soaring strings and warm basslines. The standout cut is "Disco Circus", a 14 minute romp that's pretty darn great, and which has electronics that are a lot weirder than you'd expect. The other two tracks are "Ite Missa Est" and "Before It Gets Dark", both pretty nice too.

Damn great work from Allen Toussaint – a record that was cut at a time when he'd really made his way into the mainstream of American music, yet could still come across with a hard New Orleans groove! The title cut, "Southern Nights", is a perfect illustration of this fact – as it was written by Toussaint, but became a big hit for Glen Campbell, who recorded a very soppy version of the number. Yet here, Allen turns it into a weird trippy tune – produced with great Sansu production, and backing by New Orleans legends like Leo Nocentelli, George Porter, and Art Neville – all of whom help the tune bristle with new energy, and a really sinister groove. The rest of the record continues in a similar vein – with a spacey LA mellow sound that actually works great for Toussaint's vocals, and gives them a wild flanged-out sound that's pretty amazing – and downright spooky at points! Titles include "Southern Nights", "Basic Lady", "Last Train", "Worldwide", "You Will Not Lose", "When The Party's Over", and "What Do You Want The Girl To Do".

A lost little gem from the Rick James camp – a bit obscure, despite the fact that Val's a former Bride Of Funkenstein! Val's not as well known as some of the other artists that Rick James worked with back in the 80s – but given her resume, she's got a solidly soulful sound that works perfectly with the hook-heavy tunes on the set! The style's a great blend of 80s groove and some of the more mainstream soul modes of the time – bouncy little tunes that are heavy on keyboards and rasping guitar – served up with a tight sound, but still a few shades to the left of chart soul – in a way that keeps things pretty darn fresh throughout! Rick James "conceived" the album, and arranged, produced, and mixed a number of tracks – and titles include "Mind Games", "Seduction", "Make Up Your Mind","Tellin' Me Lies", "If You Should Ever Be Lonely", and "Come Hang Out".

Features tracks by R Kelly, Aaliyah, Tevin Campbell, Souls Of Michief & others.

Heavy funk, deep soul, and lots lots more – an amazing testament to the songwriting skills of New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint! Allen was a heck of a singer on his own – but he also worked plenty behind the scenes in the 60s and 70s – lending his tunes to many others, and producing a good number of recordings as well – some of the best of which are featured in this sweet little set! The package features two dozen smoking tunes from the pen of Toussaint – songs that are heavy on influences from New Orleans soul and funk – already sounding great in the hands of other soul singers in the collection, and really helping transform the style of other artists in ways you might not expect. The whole thing's got the same righteous vibe as Allen's best records from the 70s – and titles include "I'll Be Rolling" by Millie Jackson, "Hercules" by Boz Scaggs, "Occapella" by Lee Dorsey, "Get Out Of My Life Woman" by Solomon Burke, "Sweet Touch Of Love" by Irma Thomas, "Sneakin Sally Thru The Alley" by Robert Palmer, "What Do You Want The Girl To Do" by Lowell George, "Shoo Rah" by Frankie Miller, "Fortune Teller" by Benny Spellman, "Freedom For The Stallion" by Bill Medley, "Whoever's Thrilling You" by ZZ Hill, "Tampin" by The Rhine Oaks, "A Certain Girl" by Warren Zevon, and even "Southern Nights" by Glen Campell.

A pair of albums from one of the most creative club acts of the 70s – the mighty Dr Buzzard's Original Savannah Band – back-to-back! Before starting his Kid Creole & the Coconuts combo, August Darnell worked to great fame with Dr Buzzard's Original Savannah Band – kind of a campy, jazzy ensemble – one that worked with a 20s aesthetic over a disco groove on the self-titled set! There's a fair bit of acoustic instrumentation in the rhythms, and lots of those choppy, scratchy lines that we love so much in the Kid Creole work – all of which makes for a very nice change from the usual, especially in the late 70s mainstream. Darnell and Cory Daye are the main vocalists, and Darnell wrote all the lyrics for this album – on titles that include "Cherchez La Femme", "I'll Play The Fool", "Sour And Sweet", "We Got It Made", "Hard Times", "Sunshower", and "Betcha The Love Bug Bitcha". Dr Buzzard's Original Savannah Band Meets King Penett is more unique work from the group – a set that bears all the unmistakeable touches of group leader August Darnell! The set's definitely got the older aesthetic that Darnell brought to his work at the time – possibly even more so than the group's first album – and it's also got a wonderfully acoustic approach to the music, one that uses older jazz inflections mixed with rootsier percussion – almost a late 70s club update of older swing and Latin modes! The tunes are beautifully penned too – most often starting out with a real sort of 30s or 40s style, then sweeping nicely into more of a 70s groove – but always without any sense of gimmick or trickery. Vocals are by the lovely Cory Daye, with a bit of help from Darnell – and titles include "Transistor Madness", "Organ Grinder's Tale", "Mister Love", "The Gigolo & I", "Nocturnal Interludes", and "I'll Always Have A Smile For You".

A fitting title to this one – as it virtually describes the standard that the blues business was operating on during the early 70s – as artists came out of the shadows and found big audiences on college campuses, rock clubs, and other crossover scenes! The concept is carried to the Nth degree on the cover – which has a front image of a young Asian boy eating a big watermelon, Sambo-style – and the back cover features notes that say things like "Chinese kids like watermelon, Irish like bagels, black people like Jewish rye, and today everybody loves the Blues." Fortunately, this comic packaging doesn't affect the album too much – as Junior's still in the fine form he was at the end of the 60s, cruising between blues and soul, with a slight touch of jazz, in a unique way that sounds better to our ears than the work of most of his contemporaries. Titles include "Five Long Years", "That's Alright", "Way Back Home", "Man Or Mouse", and "I Like Your Style".

A P&P funky disco "best of" Michael Campbell – featuring standout stormers by his groups High Fidelity and High Voltage – plus a couple of Campbell's best productions for others! The heart of this tight compilation are the monster club cuts by the High. . . .groups – High Fidelity, High Voltage and Michael Campbell & High Volt – all heavily percussive jams that'll shake dance floors for as long as DJs play them – and we'd recommend forever for that! It kicks off with the 11-minute "Rock, Spank, Freak" by High Voltage and the nearly 7-minute "We Are Making Music (Part 1)" by Michael Campbell & High Volt – and includes "Life Time", "Dedicated", "Love Champ", "From Us To You", "Destiny" and "Magic Carpet" by High Fidelity. Last, but not least – instrumental versions of "Going To A Disco To-Night" by Little Scotty and "Dance To The Beat Freakout" by Wayne Ford. It's not a mix set, either – it's got 10 full length versions from P&P – and 68 minutes of club-scorching genius!