... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Classic Chicago soul from Mamie Galore! "It Ain't Necessary" has a rolling party groove that fits Mamie's husky vocal style really well. Monk Higgins is leading the arrangements, and the tracks' got a soaring northern groove that's very nice! "Don't Think" shows off Mamie's work on a ballad number – with slow horns vamping behind her, and some additional femal vocals on the chorus. 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Some of Bobby Byrd's best work ever! "If You Don't Work" is a hard funky killer – done in a tight James Brown way, with lots of choppy guitar, and Bobby's vocals coming off at breakneck speed, just to keep up with the band. Nice simple message, too! "You've Got To Change Your Mind" is a great duet between Bobby and James. It's got a totally catchy hook, and a nice rolling groove that's extremely satisfying. James beats Bobby in the vocal department, but Bobby adds a nice bit of soul in the mix. 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

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Although he doesn't always get the same sort of coverage as Otis Clay, Johnny Sayles was another one of the great underground deep soul singers of the Chicago scene of the 60's. This excellent single on Mar V Lus features two nice ones – the bluesy "You Told A Lie", with screaming that would put Screamin' Jay to shame; and the excellent uptempo "Don't Turn Your Back On Me", which has a good mid 60's James Brown sort of groove. 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A great little soul number from James! "Don't Be A Drop Out" begins with these riffing horns, going high then dropping low, almost in a "Monkey Time" mode. James comes in with a great little vocal, a bit moralistic, perhaps, but also an admission of his own loss of a good chance earlier in life! "Tell Me" is a frenetic screamer – one that begins with a strange spoken introduction, crowd noise, then a rising volume on the band's instrumentation before they rip loose with James like they're the Dead Kennedys or something! The cut's totally insane – sounds as if it was dropped from space to drive the youth of America crazy – and really wild, even for James! 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of James Brown's all-time greats from the early 70s – an extended funky romp that's as great as anything on The Payback or Doing It To Death – and played in a similar stretched-out jamming style! The cut's long, lean, and very mean – with a vamping funky groove that's outta site! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A great one from this lost Chicago group! "I Don't Want To Loose You" is an excellent harmony soul cut – with deep harmonies that descend nicely on the chorus, and send a real chill down our spine! "Free Yourself" is a rolling heavy soul number, with a political message, and a nice bass-heavy groove! 7-inch, Vinyl record

The Classic Sullivans were one of those great lost groups to record for a Warner Brother subsidiary in the late 60s/early 70s – and like all those groups, they never got the attention they deserved. "Paint Yourself In the Corner", despite the clunky title, is a great soul track with a real Impressions-esque approach to harmony, and a very catchy hook! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Great stuff! "Wear It On Our Face" is one of their wildest cuts, and starts out with this crazy prepared piano introduction that sounds like it was just lifted from a John Cage record! 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

An amazing groover from Michael's first big adult years – a hard-grooving dancefloor anthem that never gets old – and which proves that when he was on the money, he could be pretty darn amazing! 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record