A rock-solid set from the Drifters, maybe their best for Atlantic in the 60s! The album's heavy on those lightly loping tunes that the group virtually invented a few years before – that slightly-sweetened approach to soul that became known as the uptown sound and which still had The Drifters as one of its key proponents at the time of this set. Production is by the great Bert Berns, who really knows how to balance all elements perfectly – and many of the lead vocals are by Johnny Moore, whose crackling vocals bring in a nice sense of feeling, even when the tunes are pretty darn catchy. 6 tracks from the LP: "I'll Take You Where The Music's Playing", "I've Got Sand In My Shoes", "Follow Me", "Answer The Phone", "Chains Of Love" and "Far From The Maddening Crowd". 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

An old school break from way back! "Put the Music" begins with this riffed bass guitar part – rumbling a bit as the notes fall on each other, chugging in a style that was a huge inspiration for the BDP sound! "Do it Over" is a pretty nice one too – with a clavinet groove that chops along in a smooth funky mode! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Fantastic early work from George Clinton! "Time" is classic late 60s Parliaments – with a fuzzy Detroit soul sound that shows a lot of Clinton's psychedelic influences. "Good Old Music" is even better though – and is a monster funky number that begins with a stone drumbreak that is extremely tasty! The rest of the cut's great, too – and it's got a great mix of funk and guitars, with a really tight sound! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A wild one from the Chicago scene of the early 70s! The track features little kid vocals, over production music quality backing tracks from the Teddy Vann Production Company – with a holiday Black Consciousness sort of message. Maybe not the funkiest Christmas record you'll come across, but certainly unique! (Holiday Music, Funky 45's) 7-inch, Vinyl record

Tenorist Nat Birchall takes on the great Coltrane tune "Tunji" – a perfect fit for Nat, given how much spiritual jazz he's got in his music! The tune has a great modal groove – thanks to a quartet that includes John Ellis on piano, Michael Bardon on bass, and Andy Hay on drums – but it's Birchall who really blows us away, as he packs a lot into his soulful solo! "Mode For Trane" is on the flip – a great Billy Gault tune that's perfect for the group too! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Two rare groovers from Bobby Boyd! "Love Goddess" has this great sort of building vibe at the start – a bit like the way the "Shaft" theme rolls in, but totally different too – especially when Bobby hits the great lyric in the lead! "Good News" is as upbeat as you might expect – with these bright horns over a romping groove that has plenty of bass at the bottom – all to support Bobby's fantastic vocals, which have a message that's as positive as the music! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Always-great 70s music from Stelvio Cipriani – the Italian soundtrack maestro who got his start a bit later than some of his contemporaries, but followed through with a range of amazing sounds in the decade! This single brings together two of the best tracks from the film Bersaglio Altezza Uomo – great late 70s funk from Cipriani, with lots of riffing guitar and moogy keyboards on the title – which has a way of sounding spacey, yet still keeping in the groove! "Caccia Mortale" has almost a clubby vibe at the start – strong bassline and tight snare – but the keyboards get all moogy again, and really add a lot of rich energy to the tune – a great extension of the 70s keyboard modes that made Cipriani one of the soundtrack giants of the decade! 7-inch, Vinyl record