Raising Hell indeed – as Fatback were really burning up the dancefloor by the time of this set, well earning the demonic sexy image on the cover! All the sharp funk elements of the group's roots are still in place, but they're also given more focus for the rising club scene of the east coast underground of the mid 70s – not in a slick disco way, but with a style that shows just how much the tight instrumentation of these earlier funk groups had an impact on the direction of soul in the late 70s! The set's brimming over with great funky disco numbers – and includes the group's two classics "Do The Bus Stop" and "Spanish Hustle" – plus the excellent numbers "Party Time", and "Groovy Kind Of Day". LP, Vinyl record album

Yum Yum indeed – because the groove on here is pretty darn tasty! Fatback are definitely shaking off the rougher edges of their funkiest years on this set, but the sound is still plenty great – a jamming dancefloor groove that's still filled with plenty of tight live instrumentation, all in a mode that's a lot more harder-hitting than most of the groups of the disco years! There's a bit more horns than before – showing a bit of a BT Express influence, it seems – but the rhythms are very firmly at the core, and have plenty of those rumbling basslines that first put the Fatback name on the map. Drums get nice and tight on some tracks too – making for some nicely breaking tracks on the record, almost in a street funk mode – and titles include "Put The Funk On You", "Let The Drums Speak", "Feed Me Your Love", "Trompin", "Boogie With Fatback", and "Gotta Learn How To Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

From "Night Fever". 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of three amazing albums the Fatback Band cut for the Perception label in the early 70s – and a set that's definitely the most soulful of the bunch! The difference here is that the group opens up some space for lead vocals from the great Johnny King – a singer with a really unique sound, and one whose special touch brings plenty to the already-great funky instrumentation of the group – deepening their sound in all the right ways! The set features both vocal and instrumental versions of Weldon Irvine's great cut "Feeling Mellow" – done even better than the original – and other cuts include "Makin' Love", "Sketches of Life", "Meet Me Over My House", and "Three Dimensional World". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite possibly the last really hard-hitting funk album from The Fatback Band – and although their first record on the Event label, a set that cooks every bit as hard as their first few for Perception! The style here is funky 45 soul at its best – lots of hard crackling drums, funky rumpling bass, and enough choppy guitar to level a whole forest in one swoop! Lyrics are part of most numbers, but they're often in the bad-rapping or call and response mode of the People Music album – except for a few sweeter numbers which also sound pretty nice too! "Keep On Stepping" is a great little funky number – as are "Wicky Wacky", "Mr. Bass Man", and "New York Style". We also love the sweet soul track "Love", which has some great vocals, a great hook, and which sounds like a tune from their Feel My Soul LP! Other tracks include "Can't Stop The Flame", "Feeling", and "Breaking Up With Someone You Love Is Hard To Do". LP, Vinyl record album

Man, it must have been something to hear this record blasting out of a boombox back in the old days – especially if it was the magenta-hued one on the cover! The groove here is strong and loud – plenty of bass and beats at the bottom, and even a few surprising early electro touches that really stand out and make the album something special. And as with other records from this time, Fatback also show their ballad skills on one number – "Come & Get the Love" – but it's the more jamming tracks we really love, and they include "Street Band", "Hot Box", "Love Spell", "Gotta Get My Hands On Some Money", and the fat 80s jam "Backstrokin". LP, Vinyl record album

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

Definitely the high point of the Fatback band's later career, after they'd abbreviated their name, and adopted a slicker sound. One of our favorite bottom heavy 80s jams, from the cusp of the era. 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of the most beautiful records to come out of the early 70s – a tremendous indie effort from a young Weldon Irvine! Irvine put this album together as sort of a musical "time capsule" of his generation – an effort to capture the era's thoughts, feelings, and emotions through a mix of music, vocals, and a few spoken bits – all woven together in a way that changes moods nicely, but always keeps the same righteously spiritual vibe! Weldon plays keys that are both electric and acoustic throughout – and he's joined by a very hip batch of players who include Jimmy Owens, Lenny White, Alex Blake, George Cables, and others – all working here in a very rough-edged and soulful mode. Titles include the classic break track "Bananas", the sweet vocal number "Deja Vu",and the soul classic "Feelin' Mellow" – also covered by Fatback Band, but even better here in the original! Other tracks include "Soul Sisters", "Watergate Don't Bug Me", "Spontaneous Interaction", and "I Am". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most beautiful records to come out of the early 70s – a tremendous indie effort from a young Weldon Irvine! Irvine put this album together as sort of a musical "time capsule" of his generation – an effort to capture the era's thoughts, feelings, and emotions through a mix of music, vocals, and a few spoken bits – all woven together in a way that changes moods nicely, but always keeps the same righteously spiritual vibe! Weldon plays keys that are both electric and acoustic throughout – and he's joined by a very hip batch of players who include Jimmy Owens, Lenny White, Alex Blake, George Cables, and others – all working here in a very rough-edged and soulful mode. Titles include the classic break track "Bananas", the sweet vocal number "Deja Vu",and the soul classic "Feelin' Mellow" – also covered by Fatback Band, but even better here in the original! Other tracks include "Soul Sisters", "Watergate Don't Bug Me", "Spontaneous Interaction", and "I Am". LP, Vinyl record album

Funky madness from the legendary Rhythm Makers – a dancefloor combo with a really incredible groove! The group has an approach that's a lot like Kool & The Gang at their best, or like some of the best mid 70s albums by the Kay Gees or Fatback – lots of bass at the bottom, very tight vamping by the band, and a wikki-wikki funky sound that's totally great! Many of the tracks on the set make good use of moog or keyboards – never too much, but just the right dose to spook things up a bit – and although many of the cuts have vocals, the overall focus is still in the instrumentation – which always comes across pretty darn great, and which is played with incredible precision throughout! The combo later morphed into GQ, but they've got a much rawer sound here – and titles include "Can You Feel It (parts 1 & 2)", "You Better Believe It", "Soul On Your Side", "Zone", "Funk N You", and "Street Dreamin". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes edits of "Misdemeanor" by Foster Sylvers, "Goin' To See My Baby" by Fatback Band, "For Your Love" by Fats Gaines, "Rapid Fire" by Black Heat, "Who's Gonna Take The Weight" and "Let The Music Take Your Mind" by Kool & The Gang, "Sing A Happy Song" by Miz Davis, "Honeydripper" by Deloris Ealy & The Kenyattas, "Why Not Start All Over Again" by The Counts, and "Yum Yum" by Fatback Band. 7-inch, Vinyl record

A raw early cooker from Mongo Santamaria – a real standout album from the Riverside years, thanks to a live performance that goes far beyond his studio work of the time! The set was caught live at the Village Gate – in a way that lets the band open up and really jam on the tunes – an especially great thing, given that players include Pat Patrick, Marty Sheller, and Bobby Capers on horns, all of whom bring a lot of fire to the session. Mongo's great on congas, as you might expect – and the album's even got a cool little introduction of the group by Symphony Sid! Tracks include "Mongo's Groove", "The Jungle Bit", "Fatback", and "Nothing For Nothing", a nice long track written by Patrick! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the classic early comps in this series, and one of the first to become unavailable. 8 tracks, including a few with the re-edits where the break's extended: "Parade Strut" by JJ Johnson from the Willie Dynamite soundtrack, "Midnight Theme" by Manzel and "Burning Bridges" by the Michael Curb Congregation, plus "Sing, Sing, Sing" by the Incredible Bongo Band, "Sesame Street" by Blowfly, "Two Pigs & A Hog" off the Cooley High Soundtrack, "Fatbackin" by the Fatback Band and "Flip" by Jesse Green. LP, Vinyl record album

Funky madness from the legendary Rhythm Makers – a dancefloor combo with a really incredible groove! The group has an approach that's a lot like Kool & The Gang at their best, or like some of the best mid 70s albums by the Kay Gees or Fatback – lots of bass at the bottom, very tight vamping by the band, and a wikki-wikki funky sound that's totally great! Many of the tracks on the set make good use of moog or keyboards – never too much, but just the right dose to spook things up a bit – and although many of the cuts have vocals, the overall focus is still in the instrumentation – which always comes across pretty darn great, and which is played with incredible precision throughout! The combo later morphed into GQ, but they've got a much rawer sound here – and titles include "Can You Feel It (parts 1 & 2)", "You Better Believe It", "Soul On Your Side", "Zone", "Funk N You", and "Street Dreamin". LP, Vinyl record album

Funky madness from the legendary Rhythm Makers – a dancefloor combo with a really incredible groove! The group has an approach that's a lot like Kool & The Gang at their best, or like some of the best mid 70s albums by the Kay Gees or Fatback – lots of bass at the bottom, very tight vamping by the band, and a wikki-wikki funky sound that's totally great! Many of the tracks on the set make good use of moog or keyboards – never too much, but just the right dose to spook things up a bit – and although many of the cuts have vocals, the overall focus is still in the instrumentation – which always comes across pretty darn great, and which is played with incredible precision throughout! The combo later morphed into GQ, but they've got a much rawer sound here – and titles include "Can You Feel It (parts 1 & 2)", "You Better Believe It", "Soul On Your Side", "Zone", "Funk N You", and "Street Dreamin". LP, Vinyl record album

Mongo Santamaria at the height of his Latin Soul years – working on a cool Columbia session titled after an earlier hit, but served up with his new lean sound of the late 60s! The album's got that perfect Santamaria combo from the time – a group that features trumpet and these wonderfully sharp arrangements from the great Marty Sheller – plus very smoking reed work from a young Hubert Laws, wailing away on flute and tenor, and Bobby Capers on alto and baritone – both players who mix jazz and soul instrumental modes, to bring a hell of a lot of feeling to the overall sound of the band – in ways that really get past more familiar use of trumpet or trombone in other Latin combos. The band grooves nicely on original material like "Streak O Lean", "Ricky Tick", "Do It To It", "Fatback", "Coconut Milk", and "Jose Outside" – and they also reprise Mongo's big hit "Watermelon Man". LP, Vinyl record album