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A sweet little album of funky instrumental guitar! The record's one of the most obscure on the Westbound label – and it features guitar player Donald Austin going to town on 13 short little cuts with a tripped-out funky groove – sometimes fuzzy, usually funky, and always with that... read more

Funky disco work from CJ & Co – one of those groups that really seemed to make the best transition from the earlier Westbound years into the storming disco sound of the later 70s! The group's working here under key production from Mike Theodore and Dennis Coffey – storming to the... read more

Later Dennis Coffey, but still with some groovy tracks, even though the production's a bit smoother and a little faster than his early stuff. With "Funk Connection", "Back Home", and "Wings of Fire". The guitar's still out front, and the whole thing's written and... read more

Like many of their Detroit contemporaries, the Detroit Emeralds made a move to up-tempo club sounds towards the end of the 70s – but also like some of the better groups in the city (like the Fantastic Four), the Emeralds had the vocal strength to make the move and still keep a bit of soul in... read more

As the title implies, the Fantastic Four get a bit funky on this one – stepping up the bass in the way that a lot of other ensemble groups were using at the time – almost a shift to pre-80s groove modes from the more disco sound of the Alvin Stone set. The overall approach isn't bad,... read more

An insane classic from one of the wildest funk bands ever! According to reports, George Clinton and the band cut this set in a marathon 48-hour stretch in the studio – working like mad all night and day long, after dropping a motherlode of some mighty fine acid! We don't know if that story's... read more

One of the darkest records to ever come out of the Detroit soul scene! As you might guess from the title, the album is Funkadelic's first – and it's a swirling mass of psychedelic guitars, echoey drums, and bass-heavy riffing, all topped off by the band's harmony vocals, which sound like a... read more

Amazing stuff – and arguably the greatest early Funkadelic album ever! The set moves past the simple fuzzy style of the group's debut, and the overly-stoned sound of Free Your Mind – and rockets into a heady funk style that's filled with sly social commentary and an incredibly dark... read more

Amazing stuff – and arguably the greatest early Funkadelic album ever! The set moves past the simple fuzzy style of the group's debut, and the overly-stoned sound of Free Your Mind – and rockets into a heady funk style that's filled with sly social commentary and an incredibly dark... read more

A blistering little set from Funkadelic – one that features the return of Eddie Hazel's guitar, finely honed to the leaner, more soul-based sound of the group in the mid 70s! The title is prophetic, as the group are really "standing on the verge" here – working hard to... read more

An oft-overlooked gem by Funkadelic – the group's last album for Westbound, and a record that really has them growing into a great new groove! Bootsy and Eddie Hazel have stepped aside for the set, but that gives Bernie Worrell plenty of room to work his magic on keyboards – in a way... read more

A legendary record – and one that's well worth all the anticipation it's gotten over the years! The set features rare, previously unreleased material done by Funkadelic during their classic years at Westbound Records – some songs, and some studio jams – of the sort the group were... read more

It's a bit far from the early P-Funk days on the club groover "Not Yet", but "I Think I Got My Thang Together" has an excellent Bootsy-esque groove – with midtempo drums, fuzzy guitar, and some super-slick lyrics with a good hook!... read more

Mike's come a long way from his early soul days with Dennis Coffey – working here to lay down a set of spacious disco tunes with a dreamy finish – really stretching out with the same sort of glide you'd find in the best Philly club at the time! The record's actually quite strong on the... read more

A dramatic disco classic from Detroit legend Mike Theodore – stepping out here with all the force you'd expect from the title! "High On Mad Mountain" is a symphonic disco classic – using strings, congas, and lots of percussion to set up the groove – as guitar and... read more

One of the sweetest little jazz funk albums of the early 70s – and a masterful blend of vibes, guitar, and organ from this legendary Indianapolis combo! The group are probably best known for their backing work behind Grant Green on some of his funky Blue Note sides – or for vibes... read more

Fuzzy funk from some of the all-time greats – one of the key Westbound Records classics from the mighty Ohio Players! This album's got the Players working at their all-time best – a bit jazzy, with a more sophisticated undercurrent than some of their contemporaries – a righteous... read more

A massive batch of stoned-out funk from the Ohio Players – recorded here during their legendary years at Detroit soul powerhouse Westbound Records! At this point, the band have a style that's a mix of psychedelia, funk, and harmony soul – similar to labelmates Funkadelic, but perhaps... read more

A true pleasure indeed – easily one of the greatest records ever by the Ohio Players, and a perfect summation of all things great in their groove! The album's a landmark effort – even for the heady days of the early 70s – as the Players manage to bring together a fair bit of jazz... read more

Houston hits a funky groove for Westbound – not as hard, heavy, and Prestige-sounding as his work on the now-dead Eastbound label, but also not too bad either. The overall sound is more produced, and there's some cuts that have a smoother tenor sound than you're used to with Houston. Titles... read more

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Very cool compilation featuring a whole mess of great lost funk tracks from the legendary Westbound label – including a few unreleased cuts! There's a number of tracks on here that we just about never see, and some more that you'll only find on rare funky 45s. Tracks include "Getting... read more

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... read more