An odd little groover from Chicago – but a great one! "Have Some Fun" has this incredible groove – stop/start, with lots of scratchy guitar underneath the female vocals of the track – sung in ensemble mode, almost with this weird "call" type style! Then, the flipside takes the tune into instrumental territory with the Mod Lads – lots and lots of vamping, peppered with raw guitar work instead of the vocals! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A slow-building monster – nice bass that rumbles around in a cool wavy pattern, topped with this gently cascading electric piano line that builds in a really cool way, and tangled with these echoey guitar lines – as the whole thing builds and rises, ebbs then flows! "Catching Stars" has a similar slow funk vibe, but more break in the drums this time around – peppered by great Fender Rhodes – and production on both tracks has almost a Johnny Harris sort of vibe! 7-inch, Vinyl record

It's hardly just another Christmas song – at least with Sharon Jones singing the lead, and the Dap-Kings providing some great funky backup! And instead, this cut may well rise to the top of your Holiday listening pile – as Sharon blends her usual mode with a warmer, more festive vibe that's mighty mighty nice! "Big Bulbs" has guest vocals from Saun & Starr – who have this great sing-song, criss-cross way of adding in their lyrics – which makes for one of the most playful Christmas cuts we've heard in years! 7-inch, Vinyl record

An unreleased gem from deeply soulful singer Carolyn Crawford – a cut that's got these slightly funky drums that really set the tone right from the start – this nice snapping groove that seems to have Carolyn's vocals soar even more! And those vocals take on a nicely different vibe on "Sugar Boy" – a warmer, sweeter tune that has this stepping groove that's really compelling – topped with some great female backing vocals next to Crawford's lead! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Heavenly soul from The Ultimates – a tune that soars with wonderful harmonies right from the start! The title's a bit misleading, as the track's not really a gospel number – but it does have this uplifting quality that's really wonderful, and which tells about secular love with a heck of a lot of spirit! "Girl I've Been Trying To Tell You" has an equally warm and captivating approach – nice conga kicking a slight groove in the background, while the harmonies do all sorts of great things over the top! 7-inch, Vinyl record

An old track – redone as a funky 70s killer from James Brown! The track starts out in a JBs party mode – with some dialogue before the band starts playing, then hitting a "Funky Good Time" groove. Over the top, you'll get some hard raw guitar soloing – very much in the classic mode from the Bill Doggett original – and the "part 2" features some great sax work, probably from Maceo! Originally issued only on single, before appearing on a greatest hits LP. 7-inch, Vinyl record