Funky 45's — All Formats  

Stunning stuff – and one of the few reissues we've ever seen to really do justice to this legendary New Orleans soul label! The Ric and Ron imprints were a key indie force in the development of Crescent City soul music – home to some of the better artists who didn't get scooped up by the bigger companies – still working for the hometown label to really serve up the real New Orleans vibe! This special package is put together by the joint forces of Rounder, Ace, and Numero – three labels that have already turned us onto a wealth of great music over the years – and it's a limited edition of 1500 copies, with a host of previously unreleased tracks – all pressed up as 10 funky 45s, in a sweet box with a booklet! Essential stuff for any fan of New Orleans soul – or 60s soul in general – with previously unissued tracks that include "Lena Come What May (demo)" by Al Johnson, "Found My Good Thing" and "Question Of Love" by Barbara Lynn, "I Won't Cry (audition)" and "Walking The Floor Over You" by Johnny Adams, "Blues Cha Cha" by Edgar Blanchard & The Gondoliers, "Goofer" by Paul Marvin", and "Nothing Withotu You", "Satisfied With Your Love", and "Ain't You Ashamed" by Eddie Bo.

A great 80s groove from AM & Shawn Lee – heavy on these Casio-like keyboards at the start, then given a dubby finish as it moves on – all to set the scene for the cool spacey lyrics in the middle! Slow funky, with a nice retro vibe – and "Dancing Heart" follows in a similar mode, with a cool dark groove that blends piano, guitar, and electronics in a very post-punk way!

A funky funky riffer from Charles Bradley and his Bullets! "Now That I'm Gone" is one of the best pieces of new deep funk we've heard in a long time – with searing guitars that rip through the whole thing, and give the tune a really sinister edge that seems to push Charles' vocals even farther than on any of his other singles! The flip's got a very similar feel – with all the right elements in place – just slowed down a few notches, for a sly slow funk groove!

Tripped-out spacey guitar by Billy Butler – two tracks lifted from his Via Galactica album, and produced by Galt MacDermot, who handled the whole project with a slightly stoner edge! "400 Girls" has this nice slow-stepping groove – really hanging in space and moving slowly in a really great way – as Billy slowly plucks out a sweet melody that builds as the tune rolls on! "Up" is a bit more uptempo, but kind of a weird wah wah bluesy number too – with these chords by Butler that are unlike most of his other records at the time!

Gene Chandler takes on James Brown – doing an amazing job with the Godfather's classic "There Was A Time" – served up at the same frenetic pace as the original! The tune's easily one of the hardest-grooving ever from Chandler, and really gets a new sort of spin from Gene's wonderful vocals too. "Those Were The Good Old Days" is a sweet Chicago swinger – done with that wicked rocking energy that you find in the best Brunswick soul of the time – an even better setting for the Chandler magic to unfold!

Beautiful Chisoul harmonies! "Beginning Of My Life" starts with a catchy jangly guitar, courtesy of the Soul Crusaders Orchestra, then rolls into a great little groover with harmonies that soar and keep pace wonderfully with the song's positive message and great hooks! "Coming Changes" is an instrumental version – with the same group, minus the vocals!

Two spiritual jazz gems – back to back, and both from the excellent Deep Jazz combo! "Spirits Up Above" is that great Roland Kirk classic – taken here at a tightly swinging pace, and with a female lead vocal duo that really gives it a great flavor – putting the lyrics upfront even more than before, almost like the Bey Sisters – yet still leaving some room for a nice solo in the middle! "No Doubt" is an original by the group – resplendent with acoustic basslines right from the start, which set the tune off in a modal waltz mode that's mighty nice!

A fantastic early reggae hit – and a classic bit of rocksteady that never grows old! Desmond was one of the first artists to really crack the global charts, and this American pressing of "Israelites" is more than proof of his popularity – as well as a great little tune!

A killer groove! "Fallin In Debt" is a chunky, funky monster that feels like some lost southern funk cut from the end of the 60s – razor sharp drums that move surprisingly fast, tight horns that pepper the groove but never overwhelm, and great vocals from DeRobert that set the pace of the cut nicely! Guitar riffs quickly alongside the triple-time groove – and the whole thing's backed by "Stay On Point" – another wickedly funky tune with an offbeat sense of rhythm!

Mindblowing punk and free jazz collision from Dissipated Face – with alto sax behemoth Daniel Carter blowing fiercely out front – a fast, brutal, yet defiantly musical quartet of songs recorded live in 1986 at the legendary Bowery club! This great 7-inch, 33 1/3 RPM EP has four killer tracks – with fast, bashed out guitars, furious rhythms and angry, aggro vocals – really cool underground stuff just on that level, but Carter's brilliant sax truly blows it into on amazing level. Titles include "Rock Is Dead, S**thead", "Nazi With A New Name", "Streets Of New York" and "My Life Is Like An Alligator".

A spacey one from The Dynamites for producer Clancy Eccles! "Red Moon" is a great instrumental with an unshakable rhythm and a horn line that's clearly a riff on "Blue Moon" – and some eerie keyboards in the backgroup. The King Tubbys version wisely keeps the otherwordly aspects of the other side – and actually highlights the spacier, eerier vibe in a cool way.

Damn! We sure dug the previous Fantastic Souls funky 45 on Kay Dee, but this one's a straight up monster! An eight piece combo, the Fantastic Souls are a deep enough roster bring a furiously paced, heated intensity as well have enough space for solos and more dynamic interplay. The drums are nice and heavy, the guitars vamp nicely, the horns are perfectly punchy, plus a nice bit with some bongos. On Part 2, it's stripped down and driven even more by the incredible percussion.

Two Detroit gems – back to back on a single 45! "Set My Heart At Ease" is an upbeat groove from Mikki Farrow – produced perfectly by the Pied Piper team, who build things wonderfully in a very short space – and really out-Motown Motown with the groove! "I'm Coming Home" is a very cool number from September Jones – a tune that's as dark as the namesake month of its singer – with a vibe that's cool and righteous, while the groove still hits some strong Detroit 60s modes!

Timeless Detroit hip hop from Fatt Father on this limited single for Funk Night – featuring Guilty Simpson & Phat Kat and tight production by Black Milk! On one side is tight, beat heavy contempory Detroit underground hip hop gem – led strongly by Fatt Father and supported by Motor City mainstays guilty and Phat Kat – plus stellar Black Milk production. That last facet gets the spotlight on the B-side instrumental.

One of Art Blakey's first true moments of genius! This transitional version of the Jazz Messengers included two parts – Lee Morgan and Bobby Timmons – of the holy Morgan/Shorter/Timmons trilogy, and it's also got the added bonus of Benny Golson on tenor, who was at the height of his power at this point. The record really shines in ways that few Blakey albums shone since his days with Horace Silver – in that it's a forum for fresh new writing, most importantly Golson's landmark composition "Blues March" and Timmons' instant classic "Moanin" – both of which make up the abbreviated version of this 7" ep version of the full LP.

Shouting storming uptempo funk from JB – and a track that really hints at his work at the end of the 70s! The cut screams dancefloor all over the place – and believe us, when James has bugs in his pants, he sure knows how to scream! Plus, this single also includes the oddly-numbered "parts 15 & 16" on the flipside!

Funky Donald Byrd from his landmark Black Byrd LP – recorded with Larry Mizell at the production helm, and that cool spacey funky sound that made him a monster at the start of the 70s! Nice groove, mellow feel, and lots of funky trumpet!

Some of the deepest soul ever to be cut in Chicago. "That's How It Is" has stunning vocals by Clay, with production that sounds more like it's from Memphis than from the south side. "Show Place" is a pretty good hard uptempo groover, too.