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A great mix of modes – and a set that represents a real turning point in the career of Otis Clay! The rougher edges of Clay's Chicago soul are warmed up here substantially by producer Willie Mitchell – bubbling up some Memphis soul for Otis, in a style that's similar to some of his backings for other singers on the Hi Records label – in a style that makes for a great step forward from Clay's singles of the 60s! The shift is a big one – the sort that helped make Otis one of the standout singers of his generation – really knocking it out of the park on tracks that include "House Ain't A Home", "Slow & Easy", "Born To Be With You", "Home Is Where The Heart Is", "Pussy Footing Around", and "Too Much Mystery".

A great mix of modes – and a set that represents a real turning point in the career of Otis Clay! The rougher edges of Clay's Chicago soul are warmed up here substantially by producer Willie Mitchell – bubbling up some Memphis soul for Otis, in a style that's similar to some of his backings for other singers on the Hi Records label – in a style that makes for a great step forward from Clay's singles of the 60s! The shift is a big one – the sort that helped make Otis one of the standout singers of his generation – really knocking it out of the park on tracks that include "House Ain't A Home", "Slow & Easy", "Born To Be With You", "Home Is Where The Heart Is", "Pussy Footing Around", and "Too Much Mystery".

Otis Clay recorded live in Japan – working before a very appreciative audience, and hitting grooves that are right up there with his best 70s work on Hi Records! The sound is a bit looser than Hi – which is a nice change – and Clay's really in command on the set, leading the group with a strong sense of personality, and serving up great vocals with a strong deep soul feel. The grooves are filled with classic Memphis soul moments – and titles titles include "Hard Working Woman", "Ellie", "Trying To Live My Life Without You", "His Precious Love", "Love & Happiness", "Here I Am Baby", and "Love Don't Love Nobody".

Otis Clay, still going strong – stepping out here on a sweet new recording from the Chicago scene – done with that warm mix of modern modes and deep soul roots we really love from his work of the late 70s! Clay's vocals have, if anything, only gotten better with age – really able to find the right notes and inflections to make the music sparkle – even more so than some of Otis records from back in the day! Instrumentation is relatively laidback – done in a mode that's a bit like some of the Jackson or Memphis styles at the start of the 80s, but without any of the bluesy inflections that might get in the way of the sort of solid soul performance that Clay delivers here. The legendary Tom Tom 84 handled many of the arrangements on the set – and although most of the material is new, Otis also tweaked a few older favorites for the set – to make for a nice long album, too. Titles include "Love's After Me", "All That's Missing Is You", "Walk A Mile In My Shoes", "Even Now", "I Thought You Knew", "Truth Is", "I Know I'm Over You", "Even When I Win", "I Keep Trying", "Steal Away To The Hideaway", and "The Only Way Is Up".

Otis Clay in a gospel setting – yet still working with all the deep soul we've come to love in his secular work! And in fact, given the style of the album, Otis is more paying tribute to gospel's influence on soul instead of serving up a straight gospel session – really recalling the mix of modes that were strongest in the early days of soul music – captured beautifully here by Clay's southern-styled vocals. Backings are relatively light, and have less of the bluesy tones of some of Otis' other recent recordings – and the set also features guest appearances from Carla Thomas, and Arthur and Leroy Crume. Titles include a great remake of "Walk A Mile In My Shoes" – plus "God Is Standing By", "His Love", "Heaven Is My Home", "Love's In Need Of Love Today", "If I Could Reach Out & Help", and a great "Soul Stirrers Medley".

A great mix of modes – and a set that represents a real turning point in the career of Otis Clay! The rougher edges of Clay's Chicago soul are warmed up here substantially by producer Willie Mitchell – bubbling up some Memphis soul for Otis, in a style that's similar to some of his backings for other singers on the Hi Records label – in a style that makes for a great step forward from Clay's singles of the 60s! The shift is a big one – the sort that helped make Otis one of the standout singers of his generation – really knocking it out of the park on tracks that include "House Ain't A Home", "Slow & Easy", "Born To Be With You", "Home Is Where The Heart Is", "Pussy Footing Around", and "Too Much Mystery".

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.

Quite possibly the most successful record Otis Clay ever cut – and a wonderful little set that recasts his bluesy Chicago vocals with a sweeter Memphis soul approach! Willie Mitchell is very firmly in the house for the record – and the approach he uses here with Otis is similar to that he used with Al Green on his biggest hits – slow-burning, slinkily soulful – in a way that infuses older modes of singing with a new level of sophistication and adult appeal! Backing is by the Memphis Horns – shimmering nicely in a trademark Hi sort of way – and titles include the classic "Trying To Live My Life Without You", plus "I Love You, I Need You", "Holding Onto A Dying Love", "I Die A Little Each Day", and "That's How It Is".

An overlooked gem from the equally-overlooked Clay Hammond – a sweet 70s groover that offers up a great mix of modern and deep soul modes! Clay's vocals are still every bit as great as on some of his earlier soul singles, but the arrangements push things into tighter territory that's mighty nice – a lot like some of the later Hi Records work from Al Green – or even better, like that great sound that Otis Clay hit at the end of the 70s! Like Otis Clay's best records from the time, Clay's vocals stay nice and real – wrapped up in a sweet mix of blues and soul – and although the backings often hit a warmer midtempo groove, they're never overdone or commercial at all – just a maturation of southern soul modes – in ways that kind of point towards the later Malaco scene, while avoiding any of its cliches. Titles include "Tuning Up", "Rap On Wood", "Don't Stop Your Love", "Come Into These Arms Of Love", "Part Time Love", "Love Won't Let Me Stay Away From You", and "Women Are Human".

A love letter to the legendary Fame Records – filled with unissued tracks and rare gems from the vaults! Fame was one of the great ones back in the day – the driving force behind Muscle Shoals soul music, and a company that helped really redefine the sound of the music in the 60s – thanks to incredible production, and a tight cast of studio musicians who knocked it out of the park on nearly every session! 21 of the set's 24 tracks have never been issued before – and, even more compelling, none were featured on the similar 7" box set from Ace – making the package a treasure trove of music, even for the serious soul collector. Titles include "Tell It Like It Is" by Big Ben Atkins, "Almost Persuaded" by Jackie, "You're So Fine" by James Barnett, "I Do" by June Conquest, "Your Helping Hand" by Otis Clay, "In The Heat Of Love" by Marjorie Ingram, "Steal Away 67" by Jimmy Hughes, "You Really Know How To Hurt A Guy" by Ralph Soul Jackson, "Let's Do It Over" by Travis Wammack, "For You" by George Jackson, "Baby Come Back" by Bobby Moore & The Rhythm Aces, "Keep On Talking" by Prince Phillip, "It Ain't No Harm" by George Byrd & The Dominoes, "Blind Can't See" by Richard Earl & The Corvettes, and "I Need Someone" by The Entertainers.

Seminal soul from one of Chicago's greatest labels in the 60s – the One-Der-Ful/Mar-V-Lus imprints, plus tracks from related Toddlin Town too – home to some of the best indie work at the time! The quality here is right up there with the best you'd hear from Chess, Okeh, or Brunswick in the 60s – no surprise, since the pair of labels shared lots of similar talents with the bigger companies – as well as session men, songwriters, and producers too! The full scope of Chicago soul is really covered here – upbeat groovers for the dancefloor, heartfelt ballads with great harmonies, and some of the harder-edged bluesy numbers that really helped put One-Der-Ful on the map! There's also some key early examples of funk – proof that in the 60s, Chicago was one of the hippest scenes in the world – and the set comes with 2 CDs, nestled in a hardback booklet of notes and photos – with a whopping 50 tracks in all. Titles include "Tired Of Being Lonely" by The Sharpees, "Without You" by The Ulti-Mations, "That's How It Is" by Otis Clay, "Keep On Dancin" by Alvin Cash, "The Funky Judge" by Bull & The Matadors, "I Get A Groove" by Thomas East & The Fabulous Playboys, "Damper Down" by Bobby Davis, "The Town I Live In" by McKinley Mitchell, "Come Back Home" by Beny Turner, "Master Key" by Harold Burrage, "If I Could Live My Life All Over" by Dorothy Prince, "You Told A Lie" by Johnny Sayles, "New Girl" by The Accents, and "Don't You Worry" by Joe & Mack.

A killer collection of singles from the legendary Cotillion arm of Atlantic Records – all presented as individual 7" records with original labels, served up in a hip limited edition package! The work here would already be great as a CD compilation – but it's extra special when served up in this stunning format – like finding a pile of rare soul singles in the back of a rack in an overlooked record store – still in great shape, and ready to explode anew on your turntable! The music is very well-chosen – and includes cuts by some key artists who only worked briefly for Cotillion, and never cut a full album for the label – such as Baby Washington, Otis Clay, or Walter Jackson. Other artists are ones who really hit their height at Cotillion, but still remain relatively obscure – and the singles here easily represent some of their best work ever. All cuts are right from the hippest tail end of the 60s – and titles include "Do Right Woman" and "That Kind Of Lovin" by Otis Clay, "Keep On Striving" and "Come On Let Me Love You" by Moses Smith, "Night After Night" and "The Love That I Needed" by The Blendells, "The Love Of My Woman" and "I Wanna Go Home" by Darrell Banks, "I've Fallen In Love" and "You Are The Circus" by C & The Shells, "Any Way That You Want Me" and "Life Has Its Ups & Downs" by Walter Jackson, "I Gotta Get Back To Lovin You" and "LA/USA" by Hollywood Spectrum, "I Don't Know" and "I Can't Afford To Lose Him" by Baby Washington, "Don't Play That Song" and "People In Love" by Lou Johnson, and "Ain't No Sun" and "Murder IN The First Degree" by The Dynamics.

Memphis soul legend Percy Wiggins joins the Bo-Keys – who help him cut one of his greatest records in years! The Keys drop their groove nicely for Percy's vocals – hitting this sweet compressed sound that's almost like Hi Records in the 70s – a perfect fit for the snakey lyrics of "Handwriting On The Wall"! The slow burn continues on "I'm Still In Need" – the kind of track that feels like it might have been lifted from some lost Otis Clay session of the 70s!

Raw southern soul from Hermon Hitson – a howler in the tradition of Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Otis Clay and Bobby Bland! This collection of singles originally cut for Atco, Minit and other smaller labels is bit of a sprawl – from the early 60s on through the mid 70s – which is great, because it gives you a real feel for Hitson's depth! The earlier tracks rock in the Pickett, Bland school of invigorating soul shouters, but as the years progressed Hitson adapted with some occasional ballads and strains of funk – all of it compellingly raw! 21 tracks in all: "You Are Too Much For The Human Heart", "I Got That Will", "Show Me Some Sign", "Bad Girl", "Georgia Grind". "Why Is It Taking So Long", "Where Can I Find My Baby", "Please", "Been So Long", "Sweeter", "A Dream I Had (I Love Her)", "They Kept On Laughin'" and more – including a few unreleased gems!

Way more than just a simple "survey" of Chicago soul – and instead, a whopping collection of work from the vaults of Dakar Records – nearly all of it produced by Chi-soul genius Carl Davis! Back in the 60s, Davis' work was a seminal force in shaping the sound of the Windy City – particularly that lightly stepping, sometimes loping groove that showed up in Carl's productions for Okeh and Brunswick, and which was used even more heavily once he launched Dakar! And while Dakar was kind of a partner label to Brunswick for many years, the company also had much firmer Chicago roots – and mostly issued a variety of rare singles by artists who never cut full LPs – either for the bigger labels at the time, or at all! This extremely well-done package digs through the finest Dakar work of the late 60s and early 70s – tracing a groove that starts with the trademark Chicago sound of the 60s, then moves into a much more righteous style as the 70s move in. CD features 28 titles in all – including "Love Had To Be You" by Jean Shy, "Forever & A Day" by Wales Wallace, "Cowboys To Girls" by Jalynne Sound, "Just To Make You Happy" by Shirley Karol, "Baby Jane" by Otis Clay, "I'm In Danger" by The Visitors, "You're So Right For Me" by Johnny Sayles, "You Babe" by Carl Davis, "Love Uprising" by Mister T, "You Brought Out The Good In Me" by Otis Leavill, "Follow The Leader" by Major Lance, "I Choose You" by Donald Height, "Broken Home" by Ben Monroe, and "It's All Over Between Us" by Lee Charles.

A different side of the stepper's scene in Chicago – the more bluesy, southern soul-inflected one – kind of a criss-cross of two different modes in the Windy City! The tracks here are from a variety of sources, but all echo kind of a down home mode – often a modern take on older southern styles that comes off with a sweet little groove – one that's almost a musical illustration of the regional shifts that have taken place as folks from points south moved up to Chicago over the years. That's not to say that all the tunes here have Chicago origins, just that they play well in a side of the city's scene – and the track list includes "Hard Road To Travel" by Shakey Jake, "Wrapped Up In Your Love" by Joe Perkins, "That's When The Crying Begins" by Kip Anderson, "A Good Date" by Charles Earland, "Man To Woman" by Lonnie Youngblood, "Too Many Hands" by Otis Clay, "I'm At The Crossroad" by Vernon Garrett, "Blues For Gerry" by Mark III Trio, "Stone Hearted Woman" by Andrew Tibbs, and "Give It Back" by Lee Roberts.

The rootsier side of the Chicago steppers scene – and a collection that shows the strong cultural ties between the Windy City and the south! There's plenty of bluesy currents going on here – even if all the music isn't blues – and the set's a great mix of soulful styles and modern modes that really shows the way that Northern scenes like Chicago helped take sounds from back home, and tighten them up for an urban audience. And by that, we hardly mean the kids in the north side blues clubs – we mean the folks down at places like Mr G's Supper Club or East Of The Ryan – both favorite haunts of ours, back in the day. Titles include "How Can I Say Goodbye" by Sidney Joe Qualls, "I Truly Love You" by Tony Troutman, "Good Lovin" by Otis Clay, "Tell Em I Heard It" by Sandra Feva, "Sugar" by Kenny Doss, "Leanin Tree" by Artie White, "Baby You're Ready" by Willie Clayton, and "My Money Ain't Long Enough" by Al King.

The great second album from The Bo-Keys – the stellar Memphis combo that's a mix of younger players and veteran session musicians from of the vaunted Hi Records scene of the classic era – who deliver a straight up knockout with Got To Get Back! We dug the group's earlier work, but this one really raises the bar. It's not so much a throwback to the late 60s and 70s golden era of Memphis and other points southern soul as it is a modern statement on the sounds longevity – committed with the purest authenticity. There's funky and smouldering soul instrumentals and vocal numbers with an incredible lineup of guests – including the great Otis Clay, plus Percy Wiggins, William Bell and Charlie Musselwhite. They work equally great in a number of modes, too. Titles include "Hi Roller", "Jack And Ginger", "Sundown On Beale", "90 Days Same As Cash", "Cauley Flower", "Got To Get Back (To My Baby)" with Otis Clay, "Weak Spot" with William Bell, "Catch This Teardrop" with Percy Wiggins and more.

The music of Otis Redding – sung by some of his hippest contemporaries, and by a whole new generation inspired by his talents! The tunes here are all numbers you'd know from Redding's famous recordings for Stax and Atlantic – yet the versions are nice and fresh – some done with a gritty down-home feel that's rougher than any of Redding's records, others done with an inventive style that pushes the music forward into new modes – possibly those that Otis might have explored on his own, had he not been taken from us so soon! The package is a great testament to the Otis Redding legacy in soul music – and is filled with a whopping 25 tracks, all of them well-chosen – including "Baby Cakes" by Maxine Brown, "Just One More Day" by Clarence Carter, "Give Away None Of My Love" by Buddy Miles, "Wholesale Love" by Arthur Conley, "Hawg For You" by Tina Britt, "Hard To Handle" by Patti Drew, "Chained & Bound" by Bettye Swann, "I'm Missing You" by Mitty Collier, "Sister Pitiful" by Judy Clay, "These Arms Of Mine" by Albert Washington & The Kings, "Monkey On My BacK" by Jackie Hairston – plus the previously unreleased "Loving By The Pound (part 2)" by Otis Redding himself!

20 super rare killer funk tracks! Like the first volume, not only are there hard to find songs from funky 45s on labels like Westbound and Twinight, but the nice folks at BGP have also included never before released tunes to get your mouth watering. Tracks include "Brand New Girl" by Billy Garner, "Jelly Roll" by Granby Street Development, "Put It Where You Want It" by Pee Wee Clayton, "What You See Is What You Get" by Brenda George, "Soul Strokes" by Sidney Pinchback & the Schiller Street Gang, "Jaws" from Johnny Otis, "Freddy Wilson's "Promised Land", "Pass It On" by Pieces Of Peace, "I Need Money" by Ruth Davis, "Warm The Pot ('Til It's Good And Hot)" by Willard Buron & the Pacifiers, "Mr Big H" by Joe Houston, and "Funky Bongo" by Preston Epps.

20 super rare killer funk tracks! Like the first volume, not only are there hard to find songs from funky 45s on labels like Westbound and Twinight, but the nice folks at BGP have also included never before released tunes to get your mouth watering! Tracks include "Brand New Girl" by Billy Garner, "Jelly Roll" by Granby Street Development, "Put It Where You Want It" by Pee Wee Clayton, "What You See Is What You Get" by Brenda George, "Soul Strokes" by Sidney Pinchback & the Schiller Street Gang, "Jaws" from Johnny Otis, "Freddy Wilson's "Promised Land", "Pass It On" by Pieces Of Peace, "I Need Money" by Ruth Davis, "Warm The Pot ('Til It's Good And Hot)" by Willard Buron & the Pacifiers, "Mr Big H" by Joe Houston, and "Funky Bongo" by Preston Epps.