A great set of groovers from the Cameo/Parkway label – a company that gave the world the biggest twist record of the 60s, but which also was perfectly poised to deliver all sorts of other upbeat tracks as well! The label was in Philly – a huge dance town in the early days of soul and rock – and the set list here is filled with the kind of cuts that were Philadelphia's answer to the rising sound of Motown – the roots of the Northern Soul sound that would be followed by soul collectors for decades! These aren't novelty hits, but upbeat cuts that groove plenty – most by soul artists, a few by pop singers – but all given the kind of tight instrumentation and strong studio handling that made the Philly scene such a standout. 22 tracks in all – including "Shimmy Shimmy" and "The Wah Watusi" by The Orlons, "Bristol Stomp" and "You Can't Sit Down" by the Dovells, "Mashed Potato Time" and "Do The Bird" by Dee Dee Sharp, "The 81" by Candy & The Kisses, "The Mash" by Tony Young & The Hippies, "Mexican Hat Rock" by The Applejacks, "Baby Do The Frog" by The Dardenelles, "The Swim (part 1)" by The Marlins, "Slow Twistin" by Chubby Checker & Dee Dee Sharp, "The Third House" by Bobby Rydell, "When You Dance" by The Turbans, "Everybody South Street" by The Taffys, "The Popeye Waddle" by Don Covay, and yes, "The Twist" by Chubby Checker. (Soul, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A title that seems to take off from Chubby Checker's bit trademark hit, but the overall groove is a lot better than you might expect – set for twisting, sure, but in a nicely rough and ready style that's almost equal parts soul and R&B! Some tunes are familiar, but twist-ified – and others are standout originals that really make the album sparkle. Titles include "The Ray Charles-ton", "Dance A Long", "Takes Two To Tango", "Continental Walk", "The Jet", "I Could Have Danced All Night", and "Peanut Butter". (Soul, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from Question Mark & The Mysterians – even more obscure than the first, and harder and heavier too! There's an energy and brashness here that's undeniable – like the group have really gotten their isht together – and found a way to push past the simple melodic groove of their debut! All the best elements from that set are still in place – the cool organ, Question Mark's almost-conversational vocals – and the garagey production that makes the guitars sound great. But there's also a focus that comes through strongly – like the combo were really finding the right way to interact – no doubt after a string of club performances on the strength of their singles! Titles include a long take on "Shout", plus "Do You Feel It", "Smokes", "Hangin On A String", "Got To", "I'll Be Back", and "Girl". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A killer from Terry Knight & The Pack – with Don Brewer and Mark Farner who would later form Grand Funk Railroad – a set that has them coming together more tightly than before, at least from a musical perspective – but losing none of the rough edge that first made them great! Titles include "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show", "Love Love Love Love Love", "Come With Me", "This Precious Time", "Forever & A Day", and "Dirty Lady". LP, Vinyl record album

An overdue look at the 50s work of Charlie Gracie – a singer who could rock when he wanted, but also step back into a mellower pop ballad too – both of which are featured strongly on this set! Charlie cut a lot of material in Philly, at a time when the city was a real laboratory for new styles of music in the postwar years – and the production on most of these cuts is nice and lean, with great use of echo and other early pop styles to bring the most out of Gracie's surprisingly strong vocal style. There's occasional echoes of hillbilly and rockabilly modes at times – and the CD features material from the Cameo, Cadillac, and 20th Century labels – with 32 tracks in all, including the titles "Cool Baby", "Ninety Nine Ways", "Say What You Mean", "Wandering Eyes", "Crazy Girl", "Rock The Joint", "Butterfly", "Guitar Boogie", "Fabulous", "I Love You So Much It Hurts", and "A Heart Like A Rock". CD

The final volume in this fantastic collection of rare female soul from the 60s – and one that's maybe even better than the earlier entries in the series! The tracks here are totally great, and totally well-chosen – not big girl group hits of the time, but instead a treasure trove of under-appreciated singles on labels that include Excello, Dionne, Cameo/Parkway, Fairmount, Musicor, and other indies of the time – mix with a few 60s gems that weren't even issued back in the day! As always with Ace/Kent, the track list is superb – completely wonderful music that we never would have discovered otherwise – track after track of new discoveries for our ears, all presented with fantastic sound, very detailed notes, and enough tracks to make the whole thing a hell of a deal for the price. Many of these cuts have much more of a deep soul vibe than the lighter style you might be expecting for 60s female soul – and titles include "This Heart Is Haunted" by Kelly Garrett, "Hot Spot" by The Bronzettes, "Top Twenty" by The Delicates, "He's My Hero" by The Avons, "It's The Loving Season" by The Vareeations, "Just A Little Touch Of Your Love" by Saundra Franklin, "Sir Galahad" by The Elites, "That's How It Goes" by Jackie & Gayle, "That Guy Of Mine" by The Sherrys, "Everybody South Street" by The Taffys, "I Would If I Could" by The Sweet Three, "That Kind Of Love" by Diana King, "Nothing Can Go Wrong" by The Beas, and "False Alarm" by Tari Stevens. (Soul, Rock) CD

A wide ranging collection that's actually a lot better than any of the regular US "Now" releases – with tracks byKate Bush, Level 42, UB40, the Bangles, Simple Minds, Talk Talk, Billy Ocean, Cameo, Spandau Ballet, New Order, Berlin, Tina Turner, Duran Duran, and the Damned. 80 tracks total. CD