A turning point for Loleatta Holloway – as she makes the move from dreamy southern soul diva to club queen of the late 70s! Norman Harris is producing, and the record has a soaring Philly disco sound that proves to be just as great for Loleatta's soulful vocals as the stripped-down southern modes of earlier albums! Gone are the sad tears of earlier weepies, and in their place is a strong sense of joy and power – Loleatta's very positive, very progressive, and very dedicated to standing her own ground! Includes the big single "Hit & Run", plus "Dreamin", "We're Getting Stronger", "Ripped Off", and versions of "That's How Heartaches Are Made" and Curtis Mayfield's "What Now". CD features 5 bonus tracks too – "Hit & Run (orig Walter Gibbons 12" mix)", "We're Getting Stronger (orig Walter Gibbons 12" mix)", "Hit & Run (single version)", "Hit & Run (Paul Simpson hit mix)", and "Hit & Run (acapella)". CD

Two wonderful albums from Loleatta Holloway – both a strong full-length document of her early genius in the Atlanta studios! First up is the Loleatta album from 1973 – and if you only know Loleatta Holloway as a disco singer, you'll be really amazed at this debut album – because Loleatta emerges first as deep soul singer with a strong southern vibe – very much in the mode the Atlanta scene did best, before picking up the pace a bit more as the 70s moved on! There's a mellow, blue sort of vibe to the record – but still plenty of that pride and power that made Holloway an equally great singer on an upbeat tune – served up here on tunes by Sam Dees, Ashford & Simpson, and other hip songwriters of the period – set to strong arrangements by Mike Terry, who does a great job of bringing out the lady at her best. Titles include "We Did It", "Mother Of Shame", "Only A Fool", "So Can I", "Our Love", and "Love Woke Me Up". Cry To Me is a wonderful album of southern soul from Loleatta Holloway! The record was her last in the deep soul mode – and it's a gem that should have made her as big as her later disco records – a really well-crafted extension of styles that Stax and Atlantic had done in the 60s, but given a smoother, more sophisticated vibe for the 70s! The record was produced by Floyd Smith, and it's got some of the most sophisticated production we've heard on a southern diva album from the 70s – with instrumentation that still boggles us with its brilliance. Case in point is the amazing cut "Cry To Me", which has these insane banks of "weeping" guitar that send chills down our spine! The cut was written by Sam Dees, who also penned some other fine material for the album – and titles include "I Know Where You're Coming From", "Just Be True To Me", "Something About The Way I Feel", and a cover of Ruby Andrews' "Casanova". CD

A Philly soul legend finally gets his time in the spotlight – as drummer Earl Young played on countless classic sessions back in the day, but rarely even got his name in the liner notes! That lack of recognition is corrected here – in a great package that puts Young's face on the cover, details his genius on the drums in the notes, and then presents a motherlode of killer soul tunes from the late 60s through the 70s! Young's maybe best known for his work at Sigma Sound Studios, and on famous sessions for the Philadelphia International label – but here, he's heard on an even wider range of cuts – including late 60s Northern Soul numbers, and great album work by artists you might not normally associate with Philly. Titles include "Storm Warning" by The Volcanos, "Silly Silly Fool" by Dusty Springfield, "Hit & Run" by Loleatta Holloway, "I Just Can't Say Goodbye" by Philly Devotions, "Please Give Me One More Chance" by Clyde McPhatter, "Do The Hand Jive" by Archie Bell & The Drells, "Penguin At The Big Apple/Zing" by The Trammps, "I Can't Fight Your Love" by The Modulations, "Touch & Go (12" mix)" by Ecstasy Passion & Pain, "I Like To Live The Love" by BB King, "I'm Doin Fine Now" by New York City, "Ain't Got The Love Of One Girl" by The Ambassadors, "Just Can't Get You Out Of My Mind" by The Spinners, "Do It Again" by Charles Mann, and "Be Truthful To Me" by Billy Paul. CD

An even tighter album than Debbie Jacobs' first for MCA – really wrapped around the strutting club guitar sound of producer Paul Sabu, and filled with tracks that bounce along with a tight little bottom! Debbie's vocals really push the range of the tracks a lot – belting out with the force of Loleatta Holloway one minute, but also coming across with a sound that's a lot colder than the Salsoul groove – almost a darkness that points the way towards more post-disco work to come. Titles include "Lovin Spree", "High On Your Love", "What Goes Up", "Make It Love", and "I Can Never Forget A Friend". CD also features a bonus mix of "Hot Hot". CD

A sweet collection of grooves from the legendary Salsoul label – easily one of the hippest imprints on the New York scene of the 70s! Salsoul's grooves go way beyond the usual disco – crafted with roots that go back to soul and salsa of the earlier part of the decade – and often mixed to perfection with a sound that holds up strongly, even on a crowded dancefloor! This package features ten of the best-remembered gems from the label – most in long mixes that echo their strong popularity as 12" single – titles that include "Doctor Love" by First Choice, "Runaway" by The Salsoul Orchestra with Loleatta Holloway, "Jingo" by Candido, "Dreamin" by Loleatta Holloway, "By The Way You Dance" by Bunny Sigler, "Love Is You" by Carol Williams, "Dance A Little Bit Closer" by Charo, "I Love New York" by Metropolis, and "Rio De Janeiro" by Gary Criss. CD

Funky soul from one of the less-discovered scenes in the south – the hotbed of small labels that were making some mighty great grooves in Atlanta during the 70s! The Peachtree city isn't nearly as well-cited as a soul music source in comparison to places like Memphis, Muscle Shoals, and even Miami – but back in the mid 70s, there was something really special going on – and for a strong moment, a few different labels really gave the city some great music! Much of the work here represents the changing character of Atlanta itself – deep soul vocals that were forged in a longer southern tradition, mixed with well-crafted grooves that show all the modern elements coming into play as the city grew and matured. Most of this work has a pre-disco vibe – with rhythms that are similar to the early work of Fatback or Kool & The Gang – with the difference that the singers in the lead are all pretty darn great on their own. BGP did an excellent job of choosing the tracks for the set, and the notes, as always, are great – and the package features 22 titles that include "Let's Dance" by Family Plann, "Seeds Of Life" by East LA Car Pool, "Down At The Disco" by Maggabrain, "Ain't It Funky" by Johnny Jacobs, "The Bump" by Floyd Smith, "Help Me (parts 1 & 2)" by Archie Russell, "I Don't Know What It Is But It Sure Is Funky" by Ripple, "Funk Pump" by The Counts, "Claim Jumpin" by Bill Brandon, "Checkmate" by The Ebony Godfather, "Shouldn't I Be Given The Right To Be Wrong" by Joe Hinton, "Husband In Law" by CL Blast, "Only A Fool" by Loleatta Holloway, "When I Build My World" by Jimmy Lewis, and "Complain To The Clouds" by Deep Velvet. CD

A massive batch of mixes from dancefloor maestro John Luongo – a set that's heavy on cuts from the 80s in many styles, and which has some other surprises in the mix as well! Luongo was one of those talents who did a great job of bringing underground dancefloor modes to a more mainstream audience – and he finds grooves in cuts that might not normally have gotten such strong club treatment on their own, or in the hands of another remix talent! This 2LP set features some of the best work that Luongo did back in the day – titles that include "The Best (ext mighty mix)" by Tina Turner, "Suspicious Minds (suspicious mix)" by Fine Young Cannibals, "The Chinese Way (New York rmx)" by Level 42, "Out In The Night (12" version)" by Serge Ponsar, "Give It Up (12" version)" by KC & The Sunshine Band, "Missing You (ext version)" by John Waite, "Eyes Without A Face (full length version)" by Billy Idol, "Look Of Love (part 3 – dance version)" by ABC, "Fade To Grey (US 12" version)" by Visage, "Blind Vision (ext version)" by Blancmange, "Shy Boy (US ext version)" by Bananarama, "Tarzan Boy (ext dance version)" by Baltimora, "Relight My Fire (historical 1979 rmx)" by Dan Hartman with Loleatta Holloway, "You Stepped Into My Life (John Luongo rmx)" by Melba Moore, and "Music Is My Way Of Life (John Luongo rmx)" by Patti Labelle – plus more from Soft Cell, Bill Nelson, Sharon Ridley, Fantasy, Material, Cabaret Voltaire, Cher, ZZ Top, Gonzalez, Marlena Shaw, Jackie Moore, and others. 4CD set features 43 tracks in all – and includes a 32 page booklet, with rare photos, track annotations, and an essay on Luongo's music! CD

This great little series gets even better – as it breaks past the early 80s focus of previous volumes, to include some great 70s gems as well! As before, the focus is less disco than you'd expect – more uptempo soul, which includes some 70s mellow movers and early 80s boogie tracks – all brought together with a great ear for a mostly under-discovered cut! The package features 20 tunes in all – and titles include "Don't You Wanna Make Love" by Carl Carlton, "Do You Really Love Me" by Bryan Loren, "Let's Start The Dance (rmx)" by Bohannon with Perri Johnson, "Friends" by Shalamar, "Keep On Doin Whatcha Doin (12" long version)" by Ty Karim & George Griffin, "Don't Stop" by Asso, "Taj Mahal" by Paulina DaCosta, "Wet My Whistle" by Midnight Star, "Pack Up Your Things & Get Out Of My Life" by TC Curtis, "Way Out" by Dynasty, "Dreamin" by Loleatta Holloway, "Let Love Shine" by Skyy, "Now I'm Fine" by Grey & Hanks, "Make It Up To Me In Love" by Odia Coates, "Half The Day's Gone" by Kenny Lynch, "Stand Up" by Delegation, and "Single Handed" by Haywoode. CD