Fuzzy funk from some of the all-time greats – one of the key Westbound Records classics from the mighty Ohio Players! This album's got the Players working at their all-time best – a bit jazzy, with a more sophisticated undercurrent than some of their contemporaries – a righteous vibe that's light years ahead of the 45 crowd – with plenty of space on the album to try out a wide variety of ideas in their music! Junie Morrison did the arrangements for the record, and the album's a great blend of light and dark moments throughout – sometimes a sweet vocal, sometimes a heavy piano line – all wrapped up with a sense of focus, but still enough freedom to let the group do their thing! Features the incredible title cut "Ecstasy", the great instrumental "Not So Sad And Lonely", and the tracks "Do You Feel It", "Black Cat", "Sleep Talk", "Food Stamps Y'All", and "Short Change". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing sounds from The Ohio Players – the only live performance ever issued by the group, and a set that captures them right at the height of their mid 70s fame! The sound here is every bit as tight as on their classic studio albums for Mercury Records, but the music has a lot more bite, too – a sharpness that really comes through in the live setting, where the bass, drums, and other instruments come across with a raw power that's really incredible – a great reminder that groups like this could do everything they did, long before ever walking into a studio. Titles include "Alone", "Who'd She Coo", "Love Rollercoaster", "Skin Tight/Fopp", "Drum Solo", "Sweet Sticky Thing", and "Fire (parts 1 & 2)". LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing funk from The Ohio Players – the group's debut album for Westbound Records, and a landmark batch of tracks that never gets old! The sound here really has the group stretching out a lot – working on tunes that are extended, but never as overindulgent as their labelmates Funkadelic – always keeping to a groove that's focused, yet also free to explore its bad self in the new freedoms of the 70s. There's a strong undercurrent of funky jazz running through the set – mixing great riffing alongside the tight rhythms and tripped-out vocals – all brought together with that deep deep deep production sound that Westbound gave the world as its own legacy in the wake of Norman Whitfield's experiments at Motown. Titles include the wonderfully jamming "Players Balling", and the funky numbers "Reds" and "Singing In The Morning" – plus more soulful tracks "I Wanna Hear From You" and "Never Had A Dream". LP, Vinyl record album

A true pleasure indeed – easily one of the greatest records ever by the Ohio Players, and a perfect summation of all things great in their groove! The album's a landmark effort – even for the heady days of the early 70s – as the Players manage to bring together a fair bit of jazz with their famous guitar-driven funk – all in a blend that's a lot more sophisticated than most other funk combos of the time, from the rhythms at the bottom to the instrumentation on the top! There's a darkness here that's undeniable – but the album's also not just a head trip into the fuzziest reaches of the studio – as the jazzier inflections help illuminate the farthest corners, and really bring the whole album back to focus with a wonderfully redemptive groove! Psychedelic elements are still all over the place, but also used sparingly enough to be most effective – a brilliant balance that few groups of this type were ever able to muster. Titles include the classic "Funky Worm", with the wild moogy bit that's been sampled loads of times over the years by a gazillion hip hoppers – plus loads of other nice ones, like the slow bonking funker "Pride & Vanity", the wild "Walt's First Trip", and the groovy "Laid It" – as well as "Pleasure", "Paint Me", "Our Love Has Died", and "Walked Away From You". LP, Vinyl record album

Ohio Players bounce back for this late 80s album – coming across with a leaner groove than before, and a style that's right up there with the best mainstream funk of the time! Most instrumentation is electric – plenty of beats and keyboards here – but the group still seem to hang onto the looser, freakier style they brought to their Mercury work of the 70s – a mode that's definitely updated here with more 80s aesthetics that run through the vocals and production, but still in a way that doesn't have the Players straying far from their roots! Titles include "Get 2 The Good Part", "Show Off", "I'm Madd", "Vibe Alive", "Just A Minute", and "Try". LP, Vinyl record album

A totally cool little album from DJ Harrison – one that offers up a whole host of unusual cover versions – these soulful re-styles of a host of well-chosen cuts – all given a lean, funky sort of style – lots of jazzy keyboards in the background, and raspy vocals from Harrison up top! This is almost bedroom soul at its best, but there's also an ear for a wider range of music – no surprise, given that the mix of original sources here runs from the Ohio Players to Donald Fagan to Vince Guaraldi – a wide reach that DJ handles beautifully, on titles that include "Little Birdie", "Together", "Tomorrow Never Knows", "Contusion", "Sweet Sticky Thing", "Galaxy", "IGY", and "Ebony Moonbeams". LP, Vinyl record album

Never-heard live work from the legendary Junie Morrison – a funky legend who worked both in the Ohio Players and in the P-Funk empire of George Clinton – heard here in a smoking live setting in Michigan, right around the time of his classic solo records for Westbound! The format is great – really open and freewheeling, and nicely different than some of Junie's records in the studio – as Junie works with the Crowd Pleasers group, in a blistering blend of funk, soul, and jazz – with solos that evoke some of the latter, and which remind us of the unearthed Lyman Woodard concerts from around the same time! Tracks are mostly nice and long, very jamming – and the small combo vibe is a really different change from some of the arena funk of the period. Titles include a great version of Junie's classic "Granny's Funky Rolls Royce" – plus "Super J", "Tight Rope/Super Groupie", "Shakey Ground", "Fopp", "Musical Son", "Oh Me Oh My", "Surrender", and an Ohio Players medley of "Pain/Cookies Will Get You/Pleasure/Ecstasy". LP, Vinyl record album

Freeze is a wonderful set from Junie – a record that has all the offbeat funk he was crafting with the Ohio Players during their Westbound years – and the same sort of heady sound that would make Morrison a perfect match with the P-Funk empire! The record contains the legendary track "Granny's Funky Rolls Royce", which features a meeting between the Funky Granny (a near folklorish character from the early 70s, who'd appeared on records by Kool & The Gang and Ohio Players) and an alien, who tells urges to "buy this record, buy this record, buy this record" in a very silly voice! The funky comedy of this track is nicely matched by a range of other odd numbers and straighter soul cuts – and titles include "Freeze", "Super J", "Musical Son", "Junie II", "World of Woe", and "Cookies Will Get You". LP, Vinyl record album

The solo debut of Junie Morrison – a crazy little album recorded for Westbound in the time after he split company with The Ohio Players – and a set that's definitely got the weirdly wonderful mix of music that group was known for in their pre-Mercury years! Junie effortlessly moves between a number of styles, all with a great degree of wit – still keeping things funky in all the best ways, but also really experimenting with larger sounds and unusual arrangements – which come into play here in a really wonderful way! The album's an overlooked funk treasure from the 70s – far too sophisticated for its own time – and titles include "Walt's Third Trip", "Tight Rope", "Johnny Carson Samba", "Anna", "Loving Arms", "Married Him", and "The Place". LP, Vinyl record album

The deepest of the deep from the American scene at the start of the 70s – groups so hip they weren't quite soul, weren't quite rock – and instead kind of a funky hybrid of both! After opening our ears to countless underground sounds from around the globe, the Now Again label turn back to some of the territory of its roots – the hinterland of groups who labored mostly in obscurity, but left behind a few funky 45s that have become the stuff of legend – and which show us that there was a much bigger psychedelic funk underground out there besides groups like Funkadelic or the early Ohio Players! As always with the label, the history is really given its due, thanks to very detailed notes – alongside titles that include "Down By The River" by Purple Snow, "There's A Wrinkle In Our Time" by 1984, "Function Underground" by We The People, "Corruption Is The Thng" by Creations Unlimited, "Jimi's Guitar Raps With The Bass" by Jimi Macon, "I'm A Man" by Cisneros & Garza Group, "Just Got To Be Free" by Black Conspirators, "BL Movement" by Blaclites, and "The Siesta Is Over" by The Revolution. LP, Vinyl record album

Deep deep funk from the legendary Westbound label – the important early home to Ohio Players and Funkadelic, but also host to some other great funky groups too! In keeping with the name, the cuts here focus on the kind of Westbound tracks that have great drum breaks in their groove – or which stand out as great selections for sampling, too – but all presented with the same sort of care, research, and attention to detail that the Ace label brings to all of their famous soul collections! In other words, the whole thing's got all the sharp edges and funky beats as one of those dodgy sample collections – but the sound is better, the tracks are legit, and the whole thing features detailed notes as well. Titles include "Kissing My Love" by Spanky Wilson, "Funky Worm" by Ohio Players, "Suzie Thundertussy" by Junie, "You & Your Folks Me & My Folks" by Funkadelic, "Music Man (part 2)" by Pleasure Web, "Back From The Dead" by King Errisson, "You're Gettin A Little Too Smart" by The Detroit Emeralds, "Pack Of Lies" by The Counts, "Funk It Down" by Caesar Frazier, "Good Old Music" by Mgictones, "The Fuz & Da Boog" by Fuzzy Haskins, "Heartbreaker Of The Year" by Denise LaSalle, "Does He Treat You Better" by Unique Blend, "Baby Let Me Take You In My Arms" by Detroit Emeralds, "Mixed Up Moods & Attitudes (Tom Moulton mix)" by Fantastic Four, "Tightrope (single mix)" by Junie, and "I'll Bet You" by Funkadelic. LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning early moment in the long career of reedman Idris Ackamoor – music that predates his famous 70s work with The Pyramids, but which came from the same Ohio scene – an early collective of spiritual jazz players who are captured here in an amazing live performance! Unlike work by The Pyramids, The Collective were never issued on record at the time – yet they've got a tremendously powerful blend of spiritual currents and avant ideas – always skating the line between inside and out, structure and freedom – with work from Ackamoor on alto, Margaux Simmons on flute, Steve Rumboat on French Horn, Lester Knibbs on piano, Greg LaMont Wright on soprano, and Steve Maniscoso on percussion. Titles include "Beginning Roots", "The Shepherd's Tune", "Idrissa's Dream", "Black Queen", and "Veil Of Solitude". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer collection of reggae remakes of famous soul and funk tunes – all served up from a later generation of the scene, which makes a nice change from some of the more ska and rocksteady collections of this nature! It's no secret that Jamaican music was initially given a strong inspiration from American soul – and even in this generation, when the Kingston scene had really found its own groove, other influences would still come into the music in a really great way – as you'll hear on these really cool reworkings of themes from Ohio Players, McFadden & Whitehead, Barry White, and others! The production of most of these cuts is great – different than some of the more disco-oriented material that would copy American work – more laidback, with some currents of lovers rock as well – and funky, but in a laidback way. Titles include "Midnight" by Willie Lindo, "Skin Tight" by Lloyd Charmers, "Strange Compulsion" by Sheila Hylton, "Moving On" by Leslie Butler, "Funky Rasta" by Ronnie Butler, "Crowded City" by The Messengers, "Chemistry Of Love" by Susan Cadogan, "Can't Stop Rasta Now" by Ras Midas, and "Deeper & Deeper" by Lloyd Charmers. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few rare albums on the Maple label – a 70s imprint that's known for some incredible funk and soul! Despite the title, the set's a record that sounds a lot more down-home than uptown – thanks to hard-wailing vocals from Gloria Barnes herself, and a nicely rough-edged quality to the instrumentation overall – supposedly handled by Lee Moses and The Ohio Players – the latter of whom wrote a few of the songs too! The album's one of the few on Maple – and in a way, it's almost a female soul counterpart to the Lee Moses record on the same label – done in a similar mix of rootsy modes and east coast indie soul – occasionally sweet at points, but mostly deep soul overall. Titles include "Gotta Get Away", "I Found Myself", "Old Before My Time", "I'll Go All The Way", "She Wants A Stand In", and "You Don't Mean It". LP, Vinyl record album

Never-heard live work from the legendary Junie Morrison – a funky legend who worked both in the Ohio Players and in the P-Funk empire of George Clinton – heard here in a smoking live setting in Michigan, right around the time of his classic solo records for Westbound! The format is great – really open and freewheeling, and nicely different than some of Junie's records in the studio – as Junie works with the Crowd Pleasers group, in a blistering blend of funk, soul, and jazz – with solos that evoke some of the latter, and which remind us of the unearthed Lyman Woodard concerts from around the same time! Tracks are mostly nice and long, very jamming – and the small combo vibe is a really different change from some of the arena funk of the period. Titles include a great version of Junie's classic "Granny's Funky Rolls Royce" – plus "Super J", "Tight Rope/Super Groupie", "Shakey Ground", "Fopp", "Musical Son", "Junie II", "Surrender", and an Ohio Players medley of "Pain/Cookies Will Get You/Pleasure/Ecstasy". LP, Vinyl record album

The Deep South Band definitely hail from the part of the country you'd expect – yet their groove here is very much the sharp ensemble funk that you'd hear from the best scenes up north – especially the growing world of groups in Ohio! The group state their case with the wonderfully catchy "Deep South Is" on the a-side – then let loose instrumentally even more on the flipside, "Touch Of Soul" – which has plenty of freewheeling keyboards and guitar, and some lively vocals egging the players on! 7-inch, Vinyl record

The title's almost redundant – as the words "Westbound" and "Funk" mean virtually the same thing! From the late 60s through the mid 70s, Westbound was one of the key record labels in the sound of raw heavy funk – working with hit groups like Funkadelic and the Ohio Players to craft a sound that laid the blueprint for countless other groups of the time, and also featuring a wealth of obscurer artists with an even harder-hitting sound! The key styles of Westbound and related jazz label Eastbound were heavy and fuzzy ones – picking up off the heady and trippy styles of the late 60s Detroit scene, mixing things up with MC5 guitars, Norman Whitfield bass, and deep underground Tribe-styled jazz touches. This 20 track masterpiece is a brilliant summation of the important Westbound sound – and includes a few hits, some funky 45 classics, and an even bigger number of tracks we might not have heard otherwise! The notes are great, the tunes are super-funky, and the whole thing's one of the best funky collections you could ever hope to purchase. Titles include "You're Messing Up My Mind" by Albert Washington, "Back To Funk" by Robert Lowe, "You Caught Me Smilin" by The 19th Whole, "Conga Man" by King Errison, "Shake Your Head" by Spanky Wilson, "I Love You" by The Motivations, "I Don't Know What It Is But It Sure Is Funky" by Mighty Elegant, "Crazy Legs" by Donald Austin, "Stone Thing (part 1)" by Alvin Cash, "RPM" by Boots, "Funky World (part 1)" by Silky Vincent, "Get Funky Sweet A Little Bit" by Jackie Harris & The Exciters, "I'll Bet You" by Funkadelic, and "Why Not Start All Over Again" by The Counts. LP, Vinyl record album

Never-heard live work from the legendary Junie Morrison – a funky legend who worked both in the Ohio Players and in the P-Funk empire of George Clinton – heard here in a smoking live setting in Michigan, right around the time of his classic solo records for Westbound! The format is great – really open and freewheeling, and nicely different than some of Junie's records in the studio – as Junie works with the Crowd Pleasers group, in a blistering blend of funk, soul, and jazz – with solos that evoke some of the latter, and which remind us of the unearthed Lyman Woodard concerts from around the same time! Tracks are mostly nice and long, very jamming – and the small combo vibe is a really different change from some of the arena funk of the period. Titles include a great version of Junie's classic "Granny's Funky Rolls Royce" – plus "Super J", "Tight Rope/Super Groupie", "Shakey Ground", "Fopp", "Musical Son", "Oh Me Oh My", "Surrender", and an Ohio Players medley of "Pain/Cookies Will Get You/Pleasure/Ecstasy". LP, Vinyl record album