Funky 45's — All Formats  

A totally amazing look at Lee Hazlewood's late 60s record label – served up in a host of rare singles by other artists who were working with Lee at the time! The range of styles is wide, but there's a really focused feel to the whole thing – given Hazlewood's key touches in the studio behind the singers, and his undeniable sense of wit and warmth, which makes just about all these artists sound way better with Lee than they would on their own! This limited-edition box is totally beautifully – with eleven individual 7" singles, each with original label and sleeve art – plus the rare "Woodchucks" pic sleeve, a special Hazlewood puzzle, an LHI 45 adapter, and even a download card for all the music – packaged in a heavy-duty magnetic flip-top box! Titles include "Lady Barber" by Lynn Castle, "Invisible People" by Hamilton Streetcar, "Come Down" by Honey LTD, "The Street Song" by The Kitchen Cinq, "Trouble Maker" by Lee Hazlewood, "Valentine Grey" by Danny Michaels, "It's A Nice World To Visit" by Ann Margret, "Bo-Dacious" by The Woodchucks, "Anyone Who Had A Heart" by Eve, and "Nobody Like You" by Lee Hazlewood & Suzi Jane Hokum.

A wild original – and a mighty nice cover, too! The original "Baby" by Donnie & Joe Emerson is a weird bit of obscurity from the late 70s – this very slow, very mellow ballad that slinks along like some late nite soul harmony track from the decade before – even though the duo were probably trying more for a tighter AOR sound in the end! The track is wonderful – sad and sweet at the same time – and Dam Funk and Ariel Pink do a great job on their remake – sliding a bit of funk in at the bottom, yet still keeping their cool – as the dreamy vocals tipple wonderfully over the top!

A wild remake of the Betty Davis classic – and a tune that may well be one of Iggy Pop's funkiest recordings ever! The guitars are way more up in the mix than on Betty's original – lots of fuzz from the Zig Zags, cut through by Iggy's dark vocals – all in a fuzzy wave of sound that steps out with a really badass feel right from the start. The flipside features Betty's original version – just in case you forgot how great that one is too!

Sugarman Three take on The Standells – and serve up a killer Hammond/tenor version of their classic "Dirty Water"! The tune's got all the grit of the vocal original – but cooks in a really different way – a soul jazz gem we wouldn't have expected! "Bushwacked" features lots more organ and saxophone – a really badass little groove with a hard-edged sound that's more early 60s Prestige Records than some of the trio's usual work!

Some great funky organ work from Reuben Wilson! "Cisco Kid" is Reuben's funky cover of the War track – done with that tightly rolling sound of the original, and made even better as an instrumental! "Groove Grease" is a tasty number too – lots of nice tight organ funk licks!

2 killers by the JBs! "Doing It To Death" is one of their best tracks from the early days – with a funky riffing sound you'll know immediately. "Everybody Got Soul" is an excellent party track with a great Maceo solo – lots of grooves, and the band is tight tight tight! Original People single, and you'll never find a louder version!

Two takes on the classic soul tune "After Laughter Comes Tears" – the sublime original by Wendy Rene, from the vaults of Stax Records – and another version by Sweet Tea – done with an equally classic sound! The tune's a stone heartbreaker – and both versions are totally great – almost making the record feel like a two-part funky 45 from years back – instead of a limited contemporary offering!

Cali funk revivalists The Incredible Say Whats! pay tribute to a rare late 60s treasure by Leon Haywood's group The Soul Machine – covering both sides of funky 45 from 1968! Each demonstrates real love for the original versions, ably replicating the vibe, without mimicking it – a tricky thing to pull off, but the fresh funky life breathed into these too little heard gems is, well. . .kinda incredible! "Twitchie Feet" is built around a stable, funky drummer and wicked guitar and bass sound, nicely cooking organ and really great use of a solid horn section – that latter element may be even a bit more prominent than the version that inspired it! "Bag Of Goodies" is, natch, another goodie – again with some great use of jazz funk organs, guitar and horns. Recorded in San Francisco with vintage mic & amps, giving it the wholly classic vibe the group was shooting for. Direct hit!