Hard wailing early 60s Isleys, with "Spanish Twist" being the instrumental version. 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of the rarer JBs singles on People, and one that has 2 great tracks that weren't on any of the LPs by them. "Back Stabbers" is their funky cover of the O'Jays' hit, and "JB Shout" is a good instrumental, with a stunning solo by Fred Wesley. 7-inch, Vinyl record

Produced by George Kerr. 7-inch, Vinyl record

Excellent psychedelic soul from the Chicago scene that circulated around Gene Chandler at the end of the 60s. Gene produced this one for his Mister Chand label, and Richard Evans provided some nice deep bass-y arrangements – while Simtec & Wylie shout and groove along in their best style! 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of the last of Alvin's 70s singles – and a tasty bit of smooth dancefloor funk with the same infectious quality of his 60s dance numbers! There's a bit of a "Shaft" approach to the funky backings here, and Alvin and some ladies shout out the calls on the chorus, directing you around the dancefloor with little bits of vocals. 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of the best versions of "Funky Four Corners" we've ever heard! The bass is rattling along at a level so loud and heavy that it's bound to pop the top off your speaker – while Jerry screams and shouts his way through the lyrics in a way that would make James Brown proud, a fact that he even acknowledges when he shouts "Sorry JB!" at one point in the cut! "Soul Lover" is fantastic too – a funky answer song to "Tramp", with a similar hard sock beat, and a hard break at the intro, which is augmented here by conga work! Both cuts are great – and one of the best singles ever by Jerry O! 7-inch, Vinyl record

"Give It Up Or Turnit Loose" is far and away one of the best James Brown singles of all times! The bassline on the intro is amazing – one of those moments where you sit up and go "DANG! That sound is incredible!" – good reason why the cut's been sampled countless times over the years! But the whole thing is great too – with tight, sharp, shouted vocals by James – and some razor-sharp work by the rest of the band . The flipside's a nice rare instrumental! 7-inch, Vinyl record

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! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A monster – and one of the most anthemic cuts that James ever cut! Begins with a monster drumbeat, kicks into a stone groove with loads of guitar, horn, and funky bass – while James shouts the whole thing through without faltering! The track became the motto of a generation – and it's a heck of a lot funkier than "We Shall Overcome"! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Killer James Brown! This late King classic is done up in 3 parts – and weren't there only 2 parts on the LP? Even more of a reason to buy this funky 45. It's so hot, it goes all the way to part 3! That third part is the super-duper killer – done in a fast funk style that's so incredible you'll be hard pressed to believe that the group's actually playing the instruments without help from tapes or overdubs – and James shouts along with the whole thing, driving the tune into a frenzy! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A great little single from Carl Carlton – billed here as "Little Carl Carlton, the 14 year old sensation". Don't let Carl's age put you off, though – because the cut's a great little funky soul number, with a drum breakdown in the middle, which Carl shouts and sings over in a great way! The flip's a sweet little love number – not bad, and with a strongish groove thanks to drums, bass, and horns. 7-inch, Vinyl record

Alvin's in fine fine form here! Both tracks have a tight funky uptempo sound – with the usual bass-heavy grooves you'll find on Alvin's 60s work, plus raw shouted vocal bits in Alvin's standard "call and response" style. Both groovy! 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of James' best funky cuts from the early 70s – a monster hard-hitting track with all the intensity of the best JBs sides from the same time, and one that begins with James shouting the legendary lines "Que pasa people? Que pasa? Hit me!" The changes are excellent, and the cut's got a very nice breakdown! 7-inch, Vinyl record

An early one from James – with a raw R&B groove on both tracks, and shouted vocals that strike right at the core of the songs! "Crazy" has kind of a "Night Train" beat to it – and "Lost Someone" is slower, with a bluesy slow vamp kind of approach that lets James get all sad and mellow on the vocals. 7-inch, Vinyl record

Nice one by JB! "Nobody Knows" is a bit standard soul, but "Bring It Up" is a nice groover with a different sound, and features a rolling conga groove, with James shouting "Bring It Up" over the top! 7-inch, Vinyl record

An oft-forgotten funky classic from James! The track's a monster – with this wah-wah beat that's flanged all over the place, yet is still as tight as a pair of pants with a 26 inch waist! The groove is prime JBs early 70s – and James is shoutin and callin the groove over the top! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Two killer early funky cuts from Fatback Band! "Dance Girl" is an incredible skittish groover – recorded with snapping drums, strumming guitar, and this shouted vocal that hangs the whole thing together. (And oddly, this version seems to have a second voice dubbed in, making some comments underneath the whole thing!) "Keep On Brother" has a massive drum break at the start – and the young Johnny King sings with this raw, raspy style that really fits the groove! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Great grooves from Burundi – two very rare tracks! "Shoreza Inyange" begins with a keyboard flow, then takes a break for a spoken/shouted part from the lead singer – before the whole group rolls into the mix, and soars up the tune with tight horns and rhythms, ensemble vocals, and lots of strange sonic touches along the way! The flipside is even funkier – a great bassline and lots of tight riffing guitar! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Probably the best-ever funky cut by this obscure group from the early 70s! The track begins with a voice shouting "Hey Y'all!" – then rolls into a tight sax-honking groove that's a bit like Oliver Sain in his "Bus Stop" mode! The track's definitely a party, and has plenty of crowd noises next to the vocals, making for a nice live in studio feel! 7-inch, Vinyl record

The single's a great lost pre-People single by The JBs – and it's sort of an introduction to the group, as James shouts "These Are The JBs" at the beginning, then the band launches into a nice sinister loping funky groove that's quite different from some of their later work. A real gem. 7-inch, Vinyl record

Fast and funky from Harvey! "Broadway Freeze" is a sock-soul number that begins with a rolling drum approach and Harvey stating that the band's from Milwaukee – then rolls into a storming groove that's pure Alvin Cash, with Harvey shouting "sockit sockit" along with the group! "Can't Cry" is more of a southern-tinged number – starts slow, then picks up the pace with a groove that's a bit Memphis-y, or almost in a Wicked Pickett mode! 7-inch, Vinyl record

"Do Your Thing" is a great one from Charles Wright and the group! The cut's got that messed-up funky groove they hit so well – with lots of tight funky playing, some great shouted lyrics, and a hook that drives the whole thing home. "A Dance" is more conventional soul – but still pretty nice! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Bobby Williams' classic hard funky soul cut from the early 70's! The track's a killer all the way through – with Bobby shouting "Funky Superfly" in a tone that would make James Brown back into a corner – and the band ripping away in a hard, heavy, very tight groove! A mindblower – and a must-own for any funky 45 fan! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Funky funky Philly! Not only is this single one of the most obscure on Philadelphia International, it's also one of the hardest – as Johnny sounds more like a Memphis or Macon soul singer than anyone who ever recorded in the city of Brotherly Love. "Slow Motion" begins with pounding tribal drums, and Johnny shouting out in kind of an Otis Redding mode – before organ and horns come in and make the whole groove nice and funky. Really nice stuff – and we wish we knew more about him! 7-inch, Vinyl record