Don Covay & The Jefferson Lemon Band - "If There's A Will There's A Way" (3:36)
Harvey Mandel - "Baby Batter" (3:40)
Review: Climactic, psychedelic soul and blues brilliance by Don Covay, co-written by Donny Hathaway and backed by a proto-Balearic sweetmeat on the B, Harvey Mandel's 'Baby Batter'. The A-side was originally released one year after (1972) the B-side (1971) on the American Janus label, and the tracks provide a palpable contrast, drawing on the same idiom yet approaching it with remarkable difference. Covay's lyrics are, thematically, overflowing with determination, despite the psychic conflict at the track's heart. Is there any resolution? "The sweeter you, look, mama... the bitterer you treat me..."
Carolyn Crawford - "It Takes A Lotta Teardrops" (2:47)
Hodges, James, Smith & Crawford - "I'm In Love" (2:26)
Review: It Takes A Lotta Teardrops showcases the refined touch of Mickey Stevenson, delivering a timeless Motown sound. This Leon Ware and Vicki Basemore composition, although unreleased until now, echoes the classic vibes that Kim Weston also interpreted, but like hers, it remained in the vaults. The decision to shelve this gem in 1972 may have been due to its retro style during a time of evolving musical tastes, yet it remains an essential listen for Motown and Northern Soul enthusiasts. On Side-2, 'I'm In Love', stems from Carolyn Crawford's work with Hodges, James and Smith in 1971. Released under the M'Pingo label, this track embraced a more contemporary feel for its era and continues to resonate in Modern and Crossover rooms today. This single is a fine addition for collectors and fans of classic soul.
Review: Expansion is pushing the boat out for Record Store Day 2020. Chief among the label's must-check RSD releases is this 12", which offers up fresh re-edits - courtesy of an un-credited re-editor - of two sought-after cuts by late-'70s and early '80s West Coast fusionists Halo. The headline attraction is undoubtedly the fresh edit of the ultra-rare extended mix of 1981's 'Let Me Do It', a warm and groovy modern soul/boogie jam primarily known for its' familiar "let me do until you're satisfied" vocal refrain. The band's shorter original version is also included in the package, alongside a shorter re-edit of their sparkling, synth-heavy 1988 single "Life". In keeping with the more celebrated A-side, it's an energetic, life-affirming earworm.
Music Makes The World Go 'Round (instrumental) (3:30)
Review: Numero's Hottest Sounds Around collection captures obscure late-70s grooves from the Greater Antilles. Trinidad's Stan Chaman's Semp label delivered Wilfred Luckie's quirky 'My Thing' and the Hamilton Brothers' calypso-disco hit 'Music Makes The World Go 'Round' in 1978. Meanwhile, across the sea, Frank Penn's G.B.I studio recorded Stephen Colebrook's Doobie Brothers-inspired 'Stay Away From Music,' appealing to cruise ship audiences. All three tracks are packaged in a custom Numero sleeve, echoing the design of Edward Seaga's influential Caribbean music label, WIRL (West Indies Records Ltd.). This compilation revives the vibrant, eclectic sounds of the late 70s, providing a fresh look at the music that once enlivened the Caribbean scene.
Review: Bobby Harden & The Soulful Saints are back with a new 7" that arrives in conjunction with their new album Bridge of Love with arrives in May. These two tunes exemplify what to expect from the long player with sleek seventies pop sounds. 'One Night of the Week' is led by Harden's voice with the dexterous Soulful Saints adding the buttery support next to Latin percussion, horns and even a string quartet. On the flip is the exuberant 'Rase Your Mind'. This outfit has performed live and recorded together with acts such as Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and The Wu-Tang Clan and it's easy to see why.
Review: American jazz pianist Gene Harris first released 'Losalamitoslatinfunklovesong' and its counterpart 'Summer' in 1974, when both initially appeared on the classic soul jazz album Astral Signal. Thereafter, it enjoyed a second bout of popularity after being picked up by the trailblazing rare groove scene in London. Now for a third: Selector Series now proffer another reissue of this rare groove workout, a Latin funk gem for an age not yet properly recorded or recognised. Snappy, pugilist drums, wowwing synths and filling choral counterpoints make this a real funk treat.
Review: Athens Of The North celebrate the longstanding contributions of host, presenter, writer, personality and occasional singer Bernard "Spider" Harrison. Recorded sometime around 1970, and fetching large triple figures between collectors, the feel good bluesy soul cut "Beautiful Day" first landed on Lulu Records and has barely seen the light of day since... Until now. And it's loaded with a never-before-released drum cut. Don't sleep, though. Only 500 of these have been pressed.
Review: Soul fans hold Heart-Soul up there as one of the most mythical outfits of their era. Along with their band leader, drummer and producer Vine Howard they recorded just one album, their 1974 debut, but it was packed with buttery and heart melting gems. One of the enduring standouts is the epic 11-minute 'I'm Gonna Love You More' which reimagines Barry White's erotic classic from the year before. It's a steamy mix of slow grooves and baritone vocal brilliance. It is cut up across both sides here with some extended breaks meaning it is even more of a seductive funk workout.
Review: Here's something to excite those who dig quality 1970s funk, soul and disco: a tidy 7" containing two stone cold classics from the Rod Temperton-helmed, UK-based "international band" Heatwave. Side A boasts one of the standout moments from the group's much-loved 1977 album "Central Heating", seductive, string-laden love song "The Star Of A Story". It's superbly arranged and brilliantly produced, with warm keys, Spanish guitar solos and rich orchestration combining beautifully with the band's slick and smooth vocals. Side B is taken up by 1976 single "Ain't No Half Steppin'", a bolder and more dancefloor-friendly chunk of warm and woozy dancefloor soul.
Review: This single is taken from the only studio album from US soul/rare groove duo Heaven Sent & Ecstasy, originally released back in 1980. P-Vine reissued it as CD in 2006, but this is the first time it has been released on 7' format. Features the well known track 'I'm A Lady' newly edited as single version, in addition to 'The Greatest Love Story' on the flip which is taken from their only album of the same name. A highly treasured album with strong appeal to collectors.
Review: Ron Henderson is the North Carolina-based singer-songwriter who, along with his group Choice of Colour, released their sole album Soul Junction in 1976. This now mad rare record has fetched prices over $800 at auctions which prompted a 2020 reissue by P Vine which quickly sold out. Recently discovered, the 1983 hit single 'Gemini Lady' which was included as a bonus track on that reissue was an alternate take, not the original. Consequently, P-VINE decided to reissue the single in its authentic form. As such this formerly hard-to-find 7" single is reissued and replicates the original label design making it a must-cop.
Review: Discos Martos is a new division of Rocafort Records. The imprint takes its bow here with a cultured single from soul singer Glen Anthony Henry who is originally from Los Angeles but now based in Spain. His vibe is to blend the best bits from classic soul with a modern edge that hits different. The A-side, 'Thankful,' is an upbeat tribute to love and friendship featuring a catchy hook and an Al Green-style drum groove. The B-side, 'Fade Away', highlights Henry's falsetto in a deep, introspective ballad. Both tracks are produced by Oscar Martos using full analogue recording so they capture the warmth of 70s soul and make for an exciting start for Discos Martos.
The Heptones - "Love Has Really Got A Hold Of Me" (3:50)
Woodfield Rd Allstars - "Breezin' Up Brentford Road" (3:44)
Review: If you're reading this you will already be familiar with Jamaican rocksteady and reggae vocal trio The Heptones and their very many lovely tunes. This one with Woodfield Road All Stars is as smooth as they come. 'Love Has Got A Hold Of Me' has slow motion grooves and lazy drums with the most gently persuasive acoustic riffs next to soul drenched and warm vocals. On the flipside is 'Breezin' Up Brentford Road' which has some lovely hammond organ vibes and an evn more laid back swagger to it.
Review: Some labels deal only in pristine soul legitness - and Celestial Echo are one such set of aesthetes. A reissues label, Celestial Echo focuses on modern soul and boogie, and is curated by Miche (Michael Davies) and Stu Clark. Following three impressively chosen sonic chrisms, all reissued in 2024 - releases by Glenda McLeod, Brutal Force and Winfield Parker - comes this fourth foray into one of the best-loved and perhaps only publicly known tunes by the obscure boogie singer Lisa Hill: 'I Am On The Real Side'. New York's Qit Records were the original purveyors of this track, though its initial obscurity is so baffling to us that we'd guess some case of derelict nobility was at play here; either that, or there was just this much amazing soul music being made in the big city at the time! Here, Hill proclaims her place on the right side of love, with a lyrical emphasis on the object of her passions proving themself to her before she submits.
Review: There's a reason that original copies of Marcia Hines' 1976 single 'You Gotta Let Go' change hands for genuinely eye-watering sums online: it's genuinely brilliant. One of the 'Holy grails' of Australian soul and funk, the track was originally released on a tiny Sydney-based label and, bar plays from a few local DJs, largely sank without trace. Happily Selector Series has delivered this much-needed reissue. As with the original 45, it pairs the astonishingly good 'You Gotta Let Go' - a classic chunk of soaring, orchestra-sporting sing-along dancefloor soul from the era when disco had yet to be defined - with the sweet and cheery 'Don't Let The Grass Grow', which sounds like a long-lost Jacksons record featuring a very young Michael Jackson.
Review: Japanese nu-jazz doesn't get any more smouldering than this deep cut from Yusuke Hirado featuring Lil Summer on vocal duties. 'Fly Away' is a mellow melter thanks in no small part to the moody strings lingering behind Hirado's fluid funk production. It's a downtempo vibe which calls to mind the UK street soul sound, contrasted by B-side joint 'Dear Limmertz' which has a more jazz funk oriented flavour. Both joints won't let you down when you want to set the mood as smooth as possible - with a seasoned pro like Hirado at the controls, what else would you expect?
Review: Brand new sub-label from the Favorite camp, SOL Discos launches with an absolute reissue gem that has previously passed hands for well over a L100. Hiram & Direct's Detroit-recorded, Hirome-released double-A sets up the new label's stall really well as we're treated to frenetic jazz boogie on "Love Flight" which hasn't lost so much as an ounce of dancefloor focus in its 30+ years while "Turn It Around" is a classic torch ballad Faze-O style. One for getting freaky on the floor, one for getting freaky elsewhere. More please.
Review: Defiant, spruce and intractable, Hodges James Smith & Crawford's 'Nobody' marks this brilliant new funk reissue with a caustic grip-quip after at the slippery satins of love: "nobody's gonna tell me that you don't love me, baby. They just don't know that you're an angel..." Walking a universal tightrope of ambivalence - this is a situation that we'd wager everyone of one stripe or another is familiar with - this record could function either as a tell of blind infatuation with a ne'er-do-well, or a real statement of loving intention for a misunderstood penitent. 'It Cracks Me Up' backs up the B with an ensouled, ensemble-armoured musing on "girls with shiny faces" and "superdudes", resolving on a tonic note of equal sexual charge. The West Coast vocal group outdid themselves back in 1971, so much that original copies of this fetch unholily exorbitant prices; high time for a repress!
Review: Two super rare takes on verified northern soul anthems from Tamla Motown singer/songwriting legend Brenda Holloway on Eight Mile: Her biggest track - a cover of Prince Philip Mitchell's "I'm So Happy" - is thrown down in true Tamla style with big orchestration and belting backing vocals while the highly sought after "Love Me For All The Right Reasons" digs deep in the heart with more of a contemporary soul touch. Heaven sent.
Review: A crunchy and honest reissue of Loleatta Holloway's 'I Can't Help Myself', which has only seen a smidgen of recognition compared to what it deserves so far. Originally featured on the 'Cry To Me' LP for DJs, the song is a strutting ode to dashed expectations in love. The B-side, 'Mrs So & So's Daughter', meanwhile, meditates through dry, electric funk. Astonishing remaster from Kent Dance.
Review: The Athens of the North label is a blessing for those whose tastes in soul, funk, disco and boogie tend towards the obscure and ludicrously hard-to-find. Their latest re-issue fits into both categories. Seemingly the only single they ever released, "Confrontation" came out in 1981 on Arista but copies have since proved incredibly hard to find; so hard, in fact, that original 7" singles now change hands online for nearly L300. The title track, produced by A Taste of Honey's Perry Kibble, is brilliant, though, delivering a soulful, heartfelt disco-funk jam full of smooth backing vocals, bubbling clavinet lines and deliciously righteous horns.
Review: Guerssen Records specialise in reissuing obscure psychedelic music from the past, and here they home in on two early British psychedelic bands, Hopscotch and Andwella. 'Look At The Lights Go Up' is Hopscotch's contribution, with the band made up of former members of the Eyes and Tomorrow, and the track comes as a rare and unreleased demo of melodic trip-sat illumination and lyrical nonsensicality ("This lady from the forest of Manhattan...". Andwella's 'Felix' comes to the B-side, and is a formerly unreleased outtake from their second album World's End.
Review: Freddie Hubbard's 1979 version of 'Little Sunflower' is a soul-jazz classic. Since the full version of Hubbard's vocal re-make (the trumpeter first recorded an instrumental take in 1968) only ever appeared on a hard-to-find promo 12", this Record Store Day reissue should be an essential purchase. It remains a gentle, breezy and sunset-ready jazz-dance gem, with Hubbard's emotion-rich vocals and mazy trumpet solos riding Latin-tinged percussion, elastic double bass and some suitably jammed-out jazz pianos.
Review: 'Foolish Man Part 1' and 'Part 2' by The Huck Daniels Co is one of several 45rpms the BGP label is dropping at the moment and weirdly many of them are also in two parts. This one features guitarist Daniels who was a key part of the B.B. King band ahead of later setting in Los Angeles and becoming a respected leader in his own right. He wrote just one for Kent Records and that was in 1973 as the label headed into its final days. 'Part 1' on the A-side is a driving funk cut aimed squarely at the club and heavy on inspiration from James Brown and the version on the flip levels up with organ playing from Earl Foster.
Trip To Your Mind (Chris Hill & Robbie Vincent remix) (9:02)
Review: Second time around for Hudson People's most celebrated single, 1979's obscure and suitably hard to find 'Trip To Your Mind'. The track was originally released on a couple of different labels, and mixes from both 12-inches are featured on this reissue. The 'Hit House' version, which we think was mixed by the band's leader and in-house producer, is a superb dancefloor jazz-funk epic rich in disco-funk licks, a driving groove, jammed-out electric piano lines, punchy horns, occasional vocal refrains and duelling rock and jazz style guitar solos. On the flip you'll find the breezier and arguably more club-focused remix by UK jazz-funk legends (and Funk Mafia members) Chris Hill and Robbie Vincent, a version that dubs out the vocals a little, prioritises the percussion and adds some superb sax solos.
Review: Al Hudson & The Soul Partners' 'Spread Love' remains a cornerstone of Disco, emerging as a highlight from their 1978 album Spreading Love on ABC Records. This track, which has seen numerous covers and samples over the decades, is now officially licensed and remastered for the first time in 46 years by South Street Disco. The release offers a fresh perspective on this classic, with the A-side presenting the extended intro version as heard on the original album, while the B-side features the 1978 12" single version that plunges directly into the groove. This remastered edition not only celebrates the track's enduring legacy but also provides an opportunity for both new listeners and long-time fans to experience it anew.
Review: This more than handy 7" single brings together two classic disco-era cuts from soul legend Willie Hutch. A-side "Easy Does It", which was originally featured on 1978's In Tune album, features Hutch in full-on Curtis Mayfield mode, singing passionately over a jaunty, jazz-funk influenced backing track laden with swirling strings, choral backing vocals (think Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" album) and Dexter Wansel style synthesizer solos. It's undoubtedly one of Hutch's finest moments and deserves to be in any serious soul head's collection. Flip for 1979's "Kelly Green", a sumptuous soul slow jam in which Hutch pines over a lost lover.
Loving You, Needing You, Loving You, Wanting You (3:47)
Watch Where You're Going (3:27)
Review: Detroit native Bobby Hutton made history by performing on the first nationally televised Soul Train episode in 1971. His journey in music led him to record with Phillips, producing many sought after tracks.
The two tracks on this 7" were originally released back-to-back in 1974 on the ABC label. Both songs were co-written and produced by McKinley Jackson, who played a significant role in crafting hits for Lamont Dozier, Freda Payne, and The Four Tops at ABC during the early to mid-70s. Grammy Award-winning Reggie Dozier, Lamont Dozier's brother, also contributed as a co-writer. This 7" has not been reissued in 40 years, and original copies are highly prized in the UK. Northern Soul music is one of the most in-demand genres for rare 45 diggers. This is a great example.
Review: Bobby Hutton, the first singer featured on Soul Train in 1971, sees his rare soul classic 'Lend A Hand' reissued by Expansion. Originally released in 1973, this track is a soulful gem that resonates with fans and collectors alike. On Side-1, 'Lend A Hand' stands out as an impressive track, showcasing Hutton's powerful vocals and emotional depth. Side-2 features 'Come See What's Left Of Me,' originally from 1969. A soulful and elegant experience, highlighting Hutton's early work. Both songs are certified rare and classic soul, making this reissue an appealing one for those who appreciate timeless, heartfelt music.
Review: Two Arista classics from 79/78 respectively, the cult (not to mention heavily sampled) charms of Pittsburgh soul queen Hyman are presented immaculately right here on this heavyweight vinyl double-A. "You Know How To Love Me", taken from the 79 album of the same name, is a straight up disco stomper that should be recognisable to all with its distinctive horn fill and rousing backing vocals while "Living Inside Your Love" (from her 78 album Somewhere In My Lifetime) is a slinkier, sultry affair with some sizzling scat vocal flare and harmonies that will have you weak at the knees. It's all love.
Lost Girl (Marc Hype & Jim Dunloop Late Night rework) (3:32)
Special Technique Of Love (Jim Dunloop Shaolin Soul edit) (3:08)
Review: The mighty Dusty Donuts return to Queensbridge where they encounter a 'Lost Girl' featured on a legendary mixtape by one of QB's finest. This bouncy, choppy Marc Hype & Jim Dunloop Late Night Remix is sure to ignite any gathering. On the flipside, the vibes shift from Queensbridge to Staten Island and bring a special sound to work the crowd - this heavy soul classic arrives in true Shaolin style with choppy, dark soul chords and classic hip-hop beats. It's a track that commands attention with the drums but also locks in head and heart.
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