... LP, Vinyl record album

Three full albums from heavy rocker Bob "Catfish" Hodge – a great underground talent on the Detroit scene of the late 60s and early 70s – and one who recorded for the same Westbound label as Funkadelic! Hodge shares a lot with some of the best Detroit talents of the time – namely a real genre-crossing sound that's very color blind – one that mixes in equal parts blues, rock, and soul – and which sometimes hits some funkier edges too – no surprise, given the Westbound recording style at the time. The guitar is great – often fuzzy, but never too freaky – and nicely focused on the rhythms on most tunes, until it takes off in some sweetly expressive solos. Hodge's vocals have a nice degree of grit, and a quality that's a bit like Dr John – in which he's referencing older modes and styles, but manages to come off without any hoke at all. The 2CD set features all three albums recorded for the Westbound/Eastbound label – Soap Operas, Dinosaurs & Alleycats, and Boogie Man Gonna Get Ya – plus b-sides and a few unreleased tracks too. Titles include "Train To Detroit", "Boogie Man", "Different Strokes", "Ghetto", "Hungry Love", "Big Boss Man", "Oscar Teo", "For Free", "Des Woman", "Sweet Cocaine", and "We Got Love In Our House". CD

Maybe the best-known of the two classic Catfish albums from the start of the 70s – a searing live set recorded in the group's hometown of Detroit, with a raw, ragged style that sets them up with all of their other hip contemporaries in the Motor City! This time around, Dallas Hodge handles the guitar with a mix of blues roots and freaky fuzz – a perfect match for the rough-edged vocals of Bob "Catfish" Hodge – as the group starts the set with Motown material, the moves into some even headier tunes of their own! Titles include "Money", "Nowhere To Run", "Letter To Nixon", "Mississippi River", and "Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On". LP, Vinyl record album