Wonderfully groovy soul from The Entertainers – a group who's recording here strongly for the beach music scene in the Carolinas, but who have an appeal that's much more universal! The tunes are mostly in an upbeat, midtempo mode – with a gentle bounce and a nice sort of step in the rhythms – that sweet groove that shows up in the best beach music classics – and which The Entertainers really have a lock on for this set! But there's also a warmer, more seductive feel going on too – a groove that fits in nicely with some of the early 80s modern soul work of the indie underground – and which helps get this album past any overdone cliches you might expect from the Carolinas – especially on some of the numbers that have a nicely compressed, almost poppish approach to the vocals. There's a depth here that makes the record way more than just a bunch of simple steppers for the dancefloor – and titles include "Hot On A Thang", "Pour Your Little Heart Out", "It's Not What You Got", "I'm Leavin", "In This Moment", "I Won't Cry Anymore", "What Are We Gonna Do", "Livin For The Summer", "Kidnapper", and "I'm In Love With You". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderfully groovy soul from The Entertainers – a group who's recording here strongly for the beach music scene in the Carolinas, but who have an appeal that's much more universal! The tunes are mostly in an upbeat, midtempo mode – with a gentle bounce and a nice sort of step in the rhythms – that sweet groove that shows up in the best beach music classics – and which The Entertainers really have a lock on for this set! But there's also a warmer, more seductive feel going on too – a groove that fits in nicely with some of the early 80s modern soul work of the indie underground – and which helps get this album past any overdone cliches you might expect from the Carolinas – especially on some of the numbers that have a nicely compressed, almost poppish approach to the vocals. There's a depth here that makes the record way more than just a bunch of simple steppers for the dancefloor – and titles include "Hot On A Thang", "Pour Your Little Heart Out", "It's Not What You Got", "I'm Leavin", "In This Moment", "I Won't Cry Anymore", "What Are We Gonna Do", "Livin For The Summer", "Kidnapper", and "I'm In Love With You". CD

French recordings from the group of alto saxophonist Willie Lewis – with players that include Bobby Martin on trumpet, Benny Carter on alto, Herman Chittison on piano, and Frank Big Boy Goodie on tenor! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A love letter to the legendary Fame Records – filled with unissued tracks and rare gems from the vaults! Fame was one of the great ones back in the day – the driving force behind Muscle Shoals soul music, and a company that helped really redefine the sound of the music in the 60s – thanks to incredible production, and a tight cast of studio musicians who knocked it out of the park on nearly every session! 21 of the set's 24 tracks have never been issued before – and, even more compelling, none were featured on the similar 7" box set from Ace – making the package a treasure trove of music, even for the serious soul collector. Titles include "Tell It Like It Is" by Big Ben Atkins, "Almost Persuaded" by Jackie, "You're So Fine" by James Barnett, "I Do" by June Conquest, "Your Helping Hand" by Otis Clay, "In The Heat Of Love" by Marjorie Ingram, "Steal Away 67" by Jimmy Hughes, "You Really Know How To Hurt A Guy" by Ralph Soul Jackson, "Let's Do It Over" by Travis Wammack, "For You" by George Jackson, "Baby Come Back" by Bobby Moore & The Rhythm Aces, "Keep On Talking" by Prince Phillip, "It Ain't No Harm" by George Byrd & The Dominoes, "Blind Can't See" by Richard Earl & The Corvettes, and "I Need Someone" by The Entertainers. CD

Damn funky work from the west coast scene of the late 60s and early 70s – just the kind of tracks to dispel the idea that too much sun or cannabis might have left the Cali scene a bit weak! Instead, these cuts are right on the money, stone funky throughout, and light years from any sort of California connotations you may have – no west coast jazz, smooth AOR, or breezy Bay Area – and much more of the grit and groove that was brewing up on funky 45s from all points east! Drums are heavy, guitars are sharp, and vocals are super-righteous – filled with the kind of messages that you could only get across on the sort of small label releases that make up most of this set – and which also include a few unreleased tracks appearing here for the first time ever. As usual with BGP, the package is as superb as the music – great sound, detailed notes, and a wonderful track selection that includes "Earthquake" by Rulie Garcia, "Hang Up (part 1)" by Warm Excursion, "Pickin Cotton" by Johnny Talbot & De-Thangs, "If She Wants To Go" by Choice Of Colors, "Just Ain't My Day" by The Entertainers IV, "The Git Down (parts 1 & 2)" by Little Johnny Hamilton & The Soul Pack, "Strike" by Union, "I'm Gonna Speak Out" by Eddie Horan, "The Man" by Jesse & Anita, "Check Me Out" by Little Denise, "The Sneak" by The Douzer, "You Don't Know The Damage You've Done" by Vernon Green & The Medallions, and "Tuned In Turned On" by Alvin Robinson. CD

Vintage recordings by Texas Troubadours, Roanoke Jug Band, Roanoke Entertainers, Johnnie Autrey, Dixie Playboys, Wanderers Of The Wasteland, Roy Hall & The Blue Ridge Entertainers, and Tommy Magness & The Orange Blossom Boys. LP, Vinyl record album

James Brown left a mighty legacy in soul music over the years – not just his own recordings, but a host of other great work inspired by his own genius – recorded by artists who all do a pretty darn good job of copping his groove! This excellent set looks at the prime years of that legacy – the late 60s/early 70s funky 45 underground, which was filled with James Brown-inspired tunes from a variety of artists from all over the country. Yet like most attempts to imitate genius, the real charm here is when the groups go slightly wrong – when they step out of line from straight JB copycatism, and bring either their own genius, or own mistakes into play on the tracks. Compiler Gilles Petard has done a wonderful job of pulling together the best of these tracks – tunes that start out sounding a lot like James Brown, but nicely take a left turn somewhere along the way – often with surprising results! And almost even better, many of these numbers veer into real James Brown jamming territory – that great "part 2" that was almost the better part of the James Brown legacy than part 1! As with the label's Absolute Funk series, there's full notes on the music, as well as dates and original single release information – on titles that include "I Found You" by James Hanns & The Soul Entertainers, "I Can't Stand Myself" by Mona Lisa, "Funk Line (parts 1 & 2)" by Fabulous Shalimars, "Sh'Mon" by Mr Dynamite, "Soul Brother's Testify (parts 1 & 2)" by Chester Randle's Soul Senders, "Sock A Poo Poo 69 (parts 1 & 2)" by Maurice McKinnies & The Champions, "Country Girl" by Gino & The Gentlemen, and "I'm A Love Man With A Love Plan" by Jules & The Dynamics. CD

With vintage recordings by The Dixie Ramblers, Grinnell Giggers, Shaw's Alabama Entertainers, Freeny Harmonizers, Scottdale String Band, McLaughlin Melody Makers, Rector Trio, Maddux Family, Walker's Corbin Ramblers, Johnson & Moore, Ray Brothers, and Bames Blue Ridge Ram. LP, Vinyl record album