Various Artists - Streetsounds Edition 12 (1985)LP Only - Rare Soul/Funk/Disco

 Continuing on with this super series.........

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                                                                   Artists & Tracks Below

Various Artists - Streetsounds Edition 13 (1985)LP Only - Rare Soul/Funk/Disco

 

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                                                                  Artists & Tracks Below

Various Artists - Streetsounds Edition 14 (1985)LP Only - Rare Soul/Funk/Disco

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                                                                    Artists & Tracks Below

Various Artists - Rare Soul, Groove & Grind 1963-1973 (2015)4 CD,s - Rock Beat

Another Set i was requested to post long ago,so finally got round to this great 4 x CD set split into Urban.Group,Southern,& Funky Catergories..Not a Dud track on here all knockout soul across the board!...112 Dynamite Tracks!

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                                                                   Artists & Tracks Below

SUNDAY DOCUMENTARY - Standing In The Shadows Of Motown (2002) POSTING EARLY AS BUSY TOMORROW

I,m sure most of you have seen this but perhaps not all of you...if not your in for a treat!..My good friend from Japan Hakase San was kind enough to send this to me. i remember watching it and not keeping a copy.The subtitle of the movie states "They played on more #1 records than  the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, and Elvis combined..."  The producers went into great detail about the musicians behind the"Motown Sound". The film confirned my views about the music business in general. It's an enlightening movie, and one that any fan of popular music can appreciate. On a sad & Disgusting note The Funk Brothers were dismissed in 1972, when Berry Gordy moved the entire Motown label to Los Angeles, a development some of the musicians discovered only from a notice pinned on the studio door!!!?. A few members, including Jamerson, followed to the West Coast, but found the environment uncomfortable & non-productive....I,m not a fan of berry gordy and knew the man was more fond of money than the guys who earned it for him...what,s that old saying "there,s no such thing as i decent businessman".....well enough said....watch the credits at the end for some very well known names linked to Detroit Soul!.......Link Good For 7 Days Only Below Poster

AMM

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                                           Courtesy Of Hakase San,Japans Number 1 Soul Fan

Don Sebesky & The Jazz-Rock Syndrone (1968) Verve - Rare Soul/Jazz(FLAC)...*****.UPGRADE*****

Dont be fooled by the title of this extremely Rare Album..back in the day it had soul fans as well as jazz/funk lovers scrambling to find copies for the great Northern dancers it contains.An Instumental album from Don Sebesky. Don is an American multi instrumentalist, composer and arranger who through time emerged as a driving force in jazz fusion & other genres.This was the only time when he appealed to both soul and jazz lovers....RESENDING OUT NEW COPY MINT SOUND...thanks to moxy for the upgrade  and USMAN47 for the offer.what a great bunch of guys!

AMM

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Line Up


Clavinet [Solos], Piano [Solos], Organ [Solos], Harpsichord [Solos], Arranged By, Conductor – Don Sebesky
Electric Bass – Chuck Rainey
Flute (Solos) – Hubert Laws
Guitar (Solos) – Joe Beck
Alto Saxophone (Solos) – Richard Spencer
Drums – Donald MacDonald
Vocals – Janet Sebesky

                                                              Tracks Below(FLAC)

 

                                    

Don Downing - Doctor Boogie(1978-Roadshow)Expanded Edition(2016- Octave Lab) - Soul

Though singer Don Downing's lone charting single was the Memphis soul-tinged "Lonely Days, Lonely Nights," which charted at number 65 R&B in summer 1973, he's a longtime favourite of dance music devotees for "Dream World" The pumping number was a huge hit in Northern Soul clubs in the uk,where as "Doctor Boogie" found its way onto the play list of major market radio stations in Chicago and elsewhere in 1978. Downing is the brother of singer Al Downing who had a double-sided Billboard-charting hit on Chess Records with "I'll Be Holding On." From Texas,The Doctor Boogie album featured some top New York session musicians: drummers Jimmy Young and Alan Schwartzberg, bassists Bob Babbitt and Wilbur Bascomb, guitarist Jeff Mironov, pianist Pat Rebillot, and percussionist Jimmy Maelan.The Doctor Boogie LP cover is vintage '70s with Downing and two of the three lovelies draped around him sporting huge Afros amid a dark and silvery disco club background with multi-colored star-bursting floodlights. Although this is fairly well known to old soulies some may be in for a pleasant surprise!...defying its age still a very good solid album with strong vocals from Don.Rather than post the Roadshow LP here,s the japanese release with 4 Bonus tracks.

AMM

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                                                                      Tracks Below

                                               

Darondo - Let My People Go (2006)Lun N Haight - Rare Soul(FLAC)+++Full Artwork

William Daron Pulliam Born 1946 passed 2013, who performed in the 1970s under the name Darondo, was an American soul singer from the San Francisco Bay Area
A mystery to most, Darondo records are high on the wants lists of many collectors. He is spoken about in hushed-tones by other Bay Area musicians. Back in the day he was seen cruising around town in a white Rolls Royce (with a "Darondo" license plate). He opened-up for James Brown and lived a colorful lifestyle hanging with folks like the notorious Fillmore Slim. Take a listen to these tracks, released for the first time together on this cd, and you may agree that he could have been the next Al Green or Sly Stone. But about 25 years ago Darondo disappeared. Releasing three singles in the early 1970s (as Darondo, Darondo Pulliam, or the miss-spelled Dorando) he mixed low-rider soul with blues and R&B. He delivered in a variety of styles from the socially-charged "Let My People Go" to the sexually-driven funk of "Legs". All three singles were recorded in the San Francisco Bay Area, and both sides of each of the singles are fantastic productions. "You can hear a little bit of everything," says Darondo about his music style. "There's a little jazz and a little soul. They say if you Black you supposed to have soul. I got Latin flavor in me so there's some Latin in it. Definitely got the Blues in it. I sound kinda' country but I grew up in the Bay Area," he adds.
But after the release of his three 45s Darondo stopped recording. "It was mostly me, just having a good time with a real good hobby" he says. "It wasn?t about money but about having fun. Something I just liked to do. Maybe your dream is to be a James Brown or Frank Sinatra but those were just mostly dreams to me" Outside of the music business Darondo was living life to the full, and it eventually caught up with him. Folks would say "Daron got that dough,Daron Do this & that..."Thats how I got the name. I used to get my suits tailor made, one of a kind, like my rings. A player cant have the same ring as someone else. Got my rings specially made with diamonds and stones. But in order to get yourself together you had to get away from all the fastness. I was driving around in a Rolls Royce, I was a fast young man," adds Darondo". Darondo now lived in Northern California with his wife and family and was delighted to hear his music is getting a second wind courtesy of DJs and collectors like the UK based Gilles Peterson who recently picked "Didn't I" for his "Digs America" compilation.
The six tracks from the three original singles are featured here, along with three previously unreleased songs that were recently discovered on a demo reel. The demo reel was sitting in a box of VHS copies of his cable TV shows which Luv N Haight had requested to use for images in the CD booklet. Recorded in the early 1970s, tracks from the demo reel were taken into a San Francisco studio in the summer of 2005 for enhancement. Darondo over dubbed missing background vocals and guitar parts alongside up and coming San Francisco soul man Bing Ji Ling. Darondo warmed up quickly, he had,nt lost his touch. After the session Darondo confessed that he was inspired to start playing again.He did gig around the bay area till his death in 2013. A true soul man in every sense of the word...Brilliant!

AMM

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                                                                    Tracks Below(FLAC)

The Legendary Henry Stone Presents - Bobby Byrd - Back From The Dead(2005)Henry Stone Music - Rare Soul

Bobby Byrd was born Bobby Day (a.k.a. Robert Howard Byrd)some say in Toccoa,Georgia,some say South carolina ,so this is unclear.Born to a religiously devout family, where they were respected members of the church congregation and active in their neighborhood there.Byrd started being active in his local church choir with the group, the Zioneers, later making a name for himself as member of the Gospel Starlighters,which included his sister Sarah. At a time when church elders disapproved of secular singing, the band members would leave their home and perform in South Carolina as the R&B group the Avons, eventually they left gospel behind and went on as R&B Performers the Avons. The original group consisted of Byrd, who played piano, organ and sang lead vocals, and Nafloyd Scott, Fred Pulliam and Doyle Oglesby.Bobby Byrd formed the Gospel Starlighters in 1952-1953 who became the Avons who became the Flames. He also played in the Gospel group the 3 Swanee's with James Brown and Johnny Terry. Bobby met James in Toccoa, where he was serving time in a juvenile facility for burglary. James pitched for the prison baseball team, and his team played against Byrd's team.During the early '50s, Bobby and his family sponsored James Brown's parole from prison. Bobby performed with the groups, the Hollywood Flames (with David Ford, Willie Ray Rockwell, Curlee Dinkins, and Bobby), The Jets, The Pelicans, The Tangiers, before starting his own group, Bobby Day and the Satellites (1957-1958) (with Earl Nelson(Jackie Lee), David Ford, Curlee Dinkins). The Avons then changed their name to The Famous Flames, who became James Brown And The Famous Flames during the late Fifties.Bobby's first hit came for the Smash imprint, a duet with Anna King entitled 'Baby Baby Baby', which made number 52 in Billboard's soul chart in 1964.The following year 'We Are In Love' reached number 14 in the same chart.Bobby later enjoyed a further Top 20 hit, 'I Need Help (I Can't Do It Alone)', for King Records.His voice can later be heard on James Brown's 'Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine.'Bobby's Seventies output was fairly low key, however his career enjoyed a renaissance with the onset of sampling, mainly pioneered by the hip hop artists.The most famous example was Eric B And Rakim's 1987 single 'I Know You Got Soul', which sampled Bobby's 1971 track of the same title.Bobby left the James Brown line up in 1973 and recorded and performed regularly (particularly in Europe).Bobby embarked on several concert tours with his wife, Vicki Anderson, and the family.As a solo artist Bobby is probably best remembered for the, previously mentioned, James Brown produced, 'I Know You Got Soul' (1971) and 'If You Got A Love You Better Hold On To It' (1972), popular on the U.K. 'rare groove' scene in the mid-'80's.He is the stepfather of the U.K. based soul singer Carleen Anderson. Bobby sang at James Brown's 2006 funeral along with his wife, Vicki Anderson, who was also in James' touring band.Bobby died on Wednesday the 12th of September 2007, of cancer at his Loganville home in Georgia. He was 73.Bobby performed his final show with the Soulpower Allstars in July 2005 at the Supernatural Festival in Holland.Its well known that james brown was hard to deal with and Bobby was one of the very few guys he actually had respect for & listened too.

 

AMM

 

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                                            Tracks Below ...Cover Courtesy Of Moxysoulandjazz

Bobby Byrd - Help For My Brother · The Pre-Funk Singles 1963-68 (2017)BGP - Rare Soul

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                                                   Album Review Courtesy Of Moxysoulandjazz
                                                           

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                                                                       Tracks Below

The Mizell Brothers - Mizell - Various Artists(2005)Blue Note - Jazz Funk(FLAC)+++Full Artwork

The sibling duo of Larry and Alphonso “Fonce” Mizell revolutionized the sound and shape of jazz-funk–fusing the commercial sensibilities of Motown with the virtuoso musicianship of the Blue Note stable, the brothers (collaborating under their Sky High Productions name) produced a series of now-classic LPs of uncommon beauty and elegance, characterized by soaring horns, cosmic synths, celestial string arrangements and sublime rhythms. While jazz purists reviled their efforts, time has conclusively proven the Mizells’ singular genius, and their records remain some of the most sampled and celebrated within contemporary hip-hop culture. Fonce (born January 15, 1943) and Larry (born February 17, 1944) spent their adolescence in Englewood, New Jersey–as teens both were given trumpets, joining their school band and mimicking the horn lines they heard on their parents’ records. In time the Mizells and classmate Freddie Perren formed a doo-wop group dubbed the Nikons, cutting a handful of demo sides before graduating high school–both siblings and Perren later attended Howard University, in late 1961 forming the jazz-harmony quartet the Vanlords with friend John Butler. The group won a number of campus talent contests, and for a time featured a young Donny Hathaway on piano–at Howard, Fonce also studied under trumpet great Donald Byrd, with whom the Mizells would later the greatest creative and commercial success of their career. Prior to graduation, the siblings founded their first record label, Hog, making their debut as producers with the imprint’s first and only release, the Moments’ “Baby, I Want You”–without money for marketing, the single went nowhere but today routinely commands sums in excess of $2500 from record collectors. Upon graduating Howard, Larry Mizell accepted an engineering position with Grumman Aerospace while Fonce and Perren relocated to Los Angeles, both landing with the short-lived independent label LARCO. A mutual friend soon put Fonce in contact with Motown producer Deke Richards, and in 1969 he and Perren were signed to the label as staff songwriters. Together with Richards and Motown chief Berry Gordy Jr., they formed the writing and production team dubbed the Corporation–after writing a proposed Gladys Knight and the Pips song titled “I Wanna Be Free,” Gordy suggested they rework the song for Motown’s latest signing, a sibling group from Gary, Indiana dubbed the Jackson 5. Retitled “I Want You Back,” the Jackson 5 version remains one of the signature Motown classics, rocketing the group to international fame; the Corporation also emerged as reliable hitmakers, creating the Jacksons’ smash follow-ups “ABC” and “The Love You Save” as well as Martha Reeves and the Vandellas’ 1971’s effort “Bless You.” Meanwhile, after earning his master’s degree from New York University, Larry resigned from Grumman and finally joined his brother in L.A., working as a session player on a handful of Corporation-helmed projects. But despite their success, Mizell and Perren both grew disenchanted with Motown–despite Gordy’s promises, a proposed Corporation LP never materialized, so when Donald Byrd traveled to the West Coast to work on his latest Blue Note LP, 1972’s Ethiopian Knights, Fonce leaped at the opportunity to contribute to the session. He and Larry also acquired an ARP Soloist synthesizer and began composing demo material, eventually founding their own production concern.Byrd’s 1973 LP Black Byrd was the first official Sky High effort–the best-selling Blue Note release in the company’s long and storied history, it earned a Grammy nomination and immediately established the Mizells’ signature approach to jazz, which drew heavily on the sleek sensibility now dominating mainstream R&B. In addition to their work in the production booth, the siblings regularly played on Sky High sessions as well, with Fonce typically contributing clavinet and trumpet while Larry added piano and synthesizer–they also arranged and performed the distinctive harmony vocals that remain a trademark of their sound. The Mizells’ acknowledged masterpiece, Byrd’s concept album Street Lady, followed in late 1973–flutist Bobbi Humphrey’s landmark Blacks and Blues was cut just weeks later, and the siblings maintained their frenetic creative pace across much of the decade, helming sessions including Johnny Hammond’s 1974 Salvation label effort Gambler’s Life, Byrd’s 1975 date Places and Spaces and Gary Bartz’s 1977 release Music Is My Sanctuary. The Mizells also crossed back into commercial R&B with the 1978 release of A Taste of Honey’s self-titled debut LP, notching the disco classic “Boogie Oogie Oogie.” Although the brothers signed their own recording deal with Warner Bros., they preferred the anonymity of writing and producing, and with the dawn of 1980s the Mizells entered an extended creative hiatus that continues to this day. Their classic productions remain a fertile source of hip-hop samples, however, and in 2005 Blue Note released the compilation Mizell Brothers at Blue Note Records: 1973 to 1977 and Beyond.

AMM

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                                                              Artists & Tracks Below(FLAC)

The Chapparrals - Shake Your Head(1978)Maximillion - Rare Soul

Out of Atlanta comes this incredibly Rare one off album from the nine piece Chapparrals. Very hard to obtain now on vinyl on the Atlanta Maximillion Label and very little info on them anywhere on the web...This is such a good all round soul album..Superb!..sadly again another obscure group fade away into the mists of time.

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Line Up

Bass,Backing Vocals – Sandy Allen
Congas,Lead Vocals – Cecil Sparks
Drums,Backing Vocals – Timothy Steed
Guitar – Robert Rawles
Horns,Backing Vocals – Horace C. Henry
Keyboards – Leroy Dunlap
Saxophone,Backing Vocals – Andrew Stephens
Timbales,Lead Vocals – Larry Powell
Trumpet,Backing Vocals – Jay Nation
Producers – The Chapparrals

                                                                  Tracks Below

                                                            

Gwen McCrae - Psychic Hot Line (1996) Goldwax - Rare Soul(FLAC)

After more than a decade out of the music business spent in the nursing profession, Gwen McCrae came back with this gem!...with her sinewy vocals and raspy edges she's the perfect candidate for this, her first soul/blues album. She opens up with a rocking juke joint rendition of Solomon Burke's country ballad "Cry to Me," and does a near-exact cover of her hit "Rocking Chair" with only minor changes in the background vocal arrangement. Since this album was recorded at Sam Phillips' studios in Memphis, it's no surprise that the instrumentation is heavy on rhythm and brass. McCrae gives KoKo Taylor and all the other blues queens a run for their money with her lowdown, dirty renditions of hard blues like Mitty Collier's "The Soul of a Man" and Aretha Franklin's "Today, I Sing The Blues." Perhaps the most heartfelt tracks here are the ballads, "Loving Peter to Pay Back Paul" (about loving on the rebound) and "Your Love Keeps Turning Me Around" (about a woman who keeps returning to an abusive man). A welcome return to the music scene. Ex-wife of George McCrae, Gwen McCrae was born as Gwen Mosley in Pensacola, Florida, U.S.A., in late 1943.
She sang, as many Black Children did at the time, in the Church. Gwen attended a Pentecostal Church. Gwen first met George in Pensacola and the pair married in 1964, after a relationship that was only a week old! George was in the Navy at the time and, after leaving the services, he reformed his old group The Jiving Jets, and offered Gwen a role within the group. They duo soon left the group to perform as a husband and wife team, with Gwen later relocating to West Palm Beach, Florida, up until 1975. Along with George, Gwen was part of the Miami based T.K. Records operation during the Seventies. The duo were, originally discovered by the singer Betty Wright back in 1967. Betty aided the duo, by helping them get a deal with the Henry Stone owned Alston imprint. In 1969, they released their debut single 'Three Hearts In A Tangle'. This was followed up by 'Like Yesterday Our Love Is Gone'.
The duo had now collaborated with Clarence Reid and Willie Clarke, a team that was later to blossom under the T.K. umbrella. A third single entitled 'No One Left To Come Home' was released and the pair began session work alongside Betty Wright. Gwen first found solo success in 1970, remake of the old Bobby Bland gospel-blues song, 'Lead Me On' (R & B number 32). She recorded it for TK Records.  Contrary to reports, George never retired or managed Gwen during this period. Alston leased her contract to Columbia where she recorded several more singles over the next few years.Columbia then declined to renew Gwen's contract in 1973, and she was signed to a different Henry Stone label, the T.K. subsidiary, Cat.
At that imprint, she followed with a remake of the Ed Townsend oldie, 'For Your Love' (R & B number 17). Gwen had a minor 1974 hit with the song 'It's Worth the Hurt', however, the song's success was overshadowed by George's recording, namely, the enormous pop hit 'Rock Your Baby'. Gwen had her only pop hit with the song 'Rockin' Chair' in 1975, with the number 1 R & B hit crossing over to reach the U.S. Top 10. During this period, George and Gwen's marriage went through some turbulent times, with George, allegedly, beating his wife, however, they did record the album 'Together' as a duo. After a 1976 duet single, 'Winners Together, Losers Apart', the couple seperated. The same year Gwen scored what turned out to be her last chart hit for the Cat imprint, 'Damn Right, It's Good' and released the album 'Something So Right'. 1978 saw the release of the album 'Let's Straighten It Out', the title song being a fine cover of the Latimore original. 'Love Insurance' (R & B number 16) followed with 'Cradle Of Love' in 1978, both taken from the 'Let's Straighten It Out' album, additionally.
Back at the CAT label, Gwen released the, much in demand, album 'Melody Of Life'.
The set included the excellent dancer 'All This Love That I'm Giving' and the floater 'I Can Only Think Of You'. TK folded in 1980, and Gwen relocated to New Jersey, and while there signed with Atlantic, after which she entered the charts with 'Funky Sensation' (number 22 R & B) in 1981, produced by Kinton Knix. 1982 saw the release of the album 'On My Way', containing the excellent, Willie Hutch penned, Webster Lewis produced 'Keep The Fire's Burning'. Gwen then relocated back to Florida, and recorded a single for the Black Jack label in 1984 entitled 'Do You Know What I Mean,' and then retired from the music business.
Her last U.S. chart record was in 1984, however, in the U.K. she had a hit with the re-released, 'All This Love That I'm Giving' (number 63), in 1988. In 1990 the U.K. based Expansion label released 'I Can Only Think Of You' from the 'Melody Of Life' album as a single. Gwen then recorded an album for the British Homegrown label in 1996, entitled 'Girlfriend's Boyfriend'. After returning home, Gwen then signed for the Goldwax label, distributed by Ichiban, and recorded another album later that year, entitled 'Psychic Hot Line'.
 In 1998 FEATURED HERE TODAY, Ichiban reissued 'Girlfriend's Boyfriend' in the U.S.
In 1999, she issued the album 'Still Rockin' for the Phat Sound imprint, which was well received. Gwen then recorded a gospel album entitled 'I'm Not Worried' in 2004, for the U.S. Lewmar label. Gwen returned to the recording studio, and, along with several veteran TK artists, recorded the album 'Gwen McCrae Sings TK'.She continues to live in Florida today. This lady can belt out a tune and should have attained superstar status IMHO..DYNAMITE SOUL!!!...This Is One hard Album to locate!


AMM 

                The 2 Great Dancers On Here Are Not On Youtube Along With Most tracks!? So The Taster!

                                                                 Tracks Listed Below(FLAC)

 

Zenith - Freedom Vibrations(1981)Lynx - Rare Soul LP Only Release

Zenith hailed also from Brooklyn New York & was Cliff Dawson,s first foray into the recording studio. This was their one and only album recorded. Dawson was the lead singer for a band called Pleasure House of Detention", later called Zenith. Nothing by "Pleasure House Of Detension" exists on youtube or any recorded material. So i have to assume they just giged around the New York Area till they changed their name to Zenith. only a few tracks are up on youtube as Zenith, but its an excellent album of good solid soul music,and very hard to obtain as never released on CD which is a crying shame!...Incredible harmonies!..A Truly Lost Gem !

AMM

                                                 Album Review Courtesy Of Moxysoulandjazz
                                                         

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                                                               Tracks & Line Up Below

Cliff Dawson - Cliff Dawson(1982)Boardwalk - Rare Soul

The next 4 posts are intertwined by this great singer....Cliff Dawson. Cliff hailed from Brooklyn New York.He recorded 3 solo albums...this his debut was redone under the title "Never Say I Do (If You Don't Mean It)" a year later. The only difference between the albums is both have a track thats not on the other.But included today as a Bonus track with one other. It would be 31 years before he recorded his final album. This is a Rare offering with a superb duet with Renee Diggs who fronted STARPOINT who also recorded one album that i shall be reviewing later...Prior to this album Cliff was the lead singer for a band called ...Pleasure House Of Detention... which then went on to change it’s name to ZENITH. They only had the one release for CBS thats coming up. In addition to collaborating with numerous major label artists, he was signed to Famous Music and JellyBean's Funhouse Music labels. .....Fabulous Soul!

AMM

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                                                          Tracks,Line Up & Bonus Tracks Below

 08 - Bonus - Feat Renee Diggs - Never Say I Do (If You Don't Mean It)

 09 - Bonus - I Can Love You Better (John Morales Extended Re-Edit)

Cliff Dawson - Turn It Up (2014)Saph - Rare Soul

After an absence of 31 years Cliff entered the studio,s to record this album for the French label Saph records.

                                                                         The Taster!

                                                                  Tracks & Line Up Below

Renee Diggs - Oasis(1993)Expansion LP- Rare Soul

I first became a massive fan of Renee Diggs amazing voice when i came across STARPOINT,S records in the club,s years ago.STARPOINT recorded 11 albums before they broke up in 1990. Renee recorded this her only album in 1993...again,what a gem it is!..Released on Vinyl & CD the latter had 2 Bonus tracks ...But i,m giving you 3 with a track from her days with STARPOINT, as this review is the LP.. A native of Annapolis, Maryland, Diggs was lead singer of the group. The group which formed in New York City in 1969, also included Lionel Job, Kayode Adeyemo, George Phillips, Gregory Phillips, Orlando Phillips, and the late Ernesto Phillips (Renee's longtime companion). The group were originally called "Lieyndiana" before Diggs joined  & included only the Phillips brothers.The group met Renee early in there career and after hearing her wonderful singing voice, they immediately installed her as the group's lead singer, and changed there name to "Starpoint." The group began doing rehearsals, writing sessions, and eventually touring and doing other performances, sometimes with the likes of Isley O'Kelly and Luther Vandross. The group were signed to the Polygram sub Label, Casablanca/Chocolate City Records in 1980, and together the group recorded four albums on that label as well as 5 for Elektra,1 for Boardwalk & a last album(Live) for Grephill. There seventh album, and single, 'Object Of My Desire,' were released in 1985. The album which was recorded on the Elektra/Asylum Label (Warner Brothers Label) sold over 600,000 copies while the single for 'Object Of My Desire,' went Gold. They soon followed this up with there Restless tour, but there success and joy was short-lived. During the tour Renee was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, and the rest of the tour was cancelled. The band eventually disbanded. In 1990, Renee returned to music as a solo artist recording her debut album, "Oasis" on Capitol. The album wasn't released by the Capitol Label, but it was eventually released in Europe on Expansion Records. Diggs who also worked with the likes of Michael Franks, Cliff Dawson, and James Ingram, founded the Renee Diggs Foundation for Multiple Sclerosis. The longtime companion of fellow bandmate Ernesto Phillips, the two often wrote songs together, Sadly Ernesto Phillips passed away in 2004. On March 18, 2005, Renee Diggs herself passed away in her hometown of Annapolis, Maryland, at the age of 50, from complications with her heart.

AMM 

 

                                    Be Blown Away With The Taster...Please Listen Till The End!

 

 

                                                        Tracks Below With Bonus Tracks

11 Bonus - Rising Above It All

12 Bonus (Feat Starpoint) - All Night Long

13 Bonus - Oasis (Island Mix)

 

 

Various Artists - Lamp Records - It Glowed Like The Sun The Story Of Naptown's Motown 1969-1972 (Now-Again, 2019) - Rare Soul/Funk/Gospel

For those of you who dont know anything about the Midwest, “Naptown” is a nickname created by local jazz musicians back in the day to describe the sometimes sleepy city of Indianapolis. Bringing some old Naptown soul and funk to light, the anthology LAMP Records: It Glowed Like the Sun: The Story of Naptown’s Motown offers an overview of the city’s fabled record label, little known outside of hardcore soul collectors. Now, current and former Indianapolis natives can reminisce while the rest of the world can finally hear the soulful sounds that sprung from Naptown during the years 1969-1972. In the 1930’s and early ’40s, Naptown was known as the capitol of jazz in the Midwest. During this period, Indiana Avenue was the Broadway of Black Indianapolis. Stretching from New York Street northwest to the old City Hospital near the White River, Indiana Avenue was the center of black business and cultural life. Some of the era’s greatest jazz musicians and singers came to perform at the many clubs lining the Avenue, including Wes Montgomery, Freddie Hubbard and Earl Walker.
By the 1960s it was assumed by many around the nation that the Indianapolis music scene had died along with its clubs during the first stages of gentrification around the Indiana Avenue district. But Naptown had a successful black middle class that was thriving despite the institutionalized racism faced by many on their jobs, and they were still involved in the local music scene. During the rise of soul and emergence of funk in the ‘60s and early ‘70s, Naptown’s black community invested in clubs and record stores as patrons. Many also decided to record their own talents with the visionary founder of LAMP records, Herb Miller.  Herb Miller signed local acts such as the Vanguards, the label’s only charting group whose songs “Somebody Please” and “The Thought of Losing Your Love” hit the Billboard R&B Hot 100. While a few of LAMP’s artist gained some small measure of success, the label primarily catered to people who worked 9-to-5 jobs five days a week in middle class, Black America. Their focus was not on gaining fame as national recording artists; they were everyday people from the neighborhood who just wanted to cut a record.Among those signed to LAMP was Pam Tanner and the Pearls. There were not many female acts on the label, but the Pearls were a strong creative group that made their mark in 1970 with the single “Can I Call You Baby” and “Shooting High.” Although this record did not get national airplay, it which quickly became a regional favorite on the WTLC radio station. Perhaps best known due to recent reissues, the Ebony Rhythm Band served as LAMP Records’ house band and were they featured on the Vanguards and the Pearls releases. The group recorded many different songs for LAMP, including their own tunes such as “Soul Heart Transplant.”  The Ebony Rhythm Band left LAMP to tour the country and moved their home base to California, eventually changing their name to Ebony Rhythm Funk Campaign and taking singer Pam Tanner along for the ride. They were later signed by both Uni Records and Chi-Sound, but to Indianapolis natives, they will forever be known as a hometown success story. Herb Miller served a critical role in the city’s burgeoning soul and funk scene, providing not only financial backing, but acting as a one-stop, record-making shop for artists that had, to that point, been doing it all themselves. He’s the Berry Gordy you’ve never heard of.” Lamp Records was a special place for Indianapolis locals and acted as the bridge for Naptown musicians who followed in the ‘80s and ‘90s such as Manchild, a band that would birth the stardom of music legend Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds. Highly recommended!

AMM

 

                                                                        The Taster!

 

Tracks

CD 1
01. Words of Wisdom - Truth Revue - You Made Me Everything
02. P.H.D.'s - It Swells My Desire
03. Tony Black & Revolution Compared to What - Huh
04. Montiques - Fool Am I
05. Pearls - Can I Call You Baby
06. Embers - I'm Only Human
07. Moonlighters -  Just Like She Said She Would
08. Words of Wisdom - Truth Revue - Do You Understand Me Now
09. Pearls - Shooting High
10. Montiques - Take Another Look
11. Moonlighters - More Than I Can Stand
12. P.H.D.'s - The Way It Used to Be
13. Indy's - Another Weekend
14. Indys - Come See About Her
15. Funder Cooper - I've Got to Get Around
16. Funder Cooper - I Didn't Know (Don't Shoot Me)
17. Embers - I'm Only Human (Instrumental)
CD 2
01. Ebony Rhythm Band - Intro
02. Fabulous Souls - Take Me
03. Moonlighters - Right On Brother
04. Moonlighters - Lonely Baby
05. Ebony Rhythm Band - Interlude
06. Ebony Rhythm Band - Drugs Ain't Cool
07. Squidd - Mystic Confusion
08. Squidd - High on the Hill
09. Ebony Rhythm Band - Soul Heart Transplant
10. Amnesty - Everybody Who Wants to Be Free
11. Diplomatics - Hum-Bug
12. Revolution Compared to What - Go to Work
13. Ebony Rhythm Band - Outro
CD 3
01. Vanguards - Somebody Please
02. Vanguards - Woman Come Home
03. Vanguards - It's Too Late for Love
04. Vanguards - Girl Go Away (It's Wrong to Love Two)
05. Vanguards - The Ground that You're Walking On (Is Mighty Shakey)
06. Vanguards - Before You Take Another Step Girl
07. Vanguards - Man Without Knowledge
08. Vanguards - The Thought of Losing Your Love
09. Vanguards - I Can't Use You Girl
10. Vanguards - Falling Out Of Love
11. Vanguards - Gott'a Have Love
12. Vanguards - Good Times Bad Times (Stereo)
13. Vanguards - You're Breaking My Heart
13. Vanguards - Good Times Bad Times (Mono)
15. Vanguards - All the Women I've Wanted
16. Vanguards - Blue Star Rising
CD 4
01. Mighty Indiana Travelers - Anywhere in Glory
02. Mighty Indiana Travelers - Then They Will Know
03. Mighty Indiana Travelers - I'll Be Satisfied
04. Mighty Indiana Travelers - See the Lord
05. Mighty Indiana Travelers - Rock Me Jesus
06. Mighty Indiana Travelers - Did You Stop To Pray
07. Mighty Indiana Travelers - Jesus Is with Me
08. Mighty Indiana Travelers - Let's Go Home
09. Mighty Indiana Travelers - Since My Soul's Been Saved
10. Mighty Indiana Travelers - I Found a New Home

OFF FOR SOME ME TIME...LATERS

catch you all later ,got some pc problems to sort out then off fishing.. 

Ralph Graham - Differently (1974)Sussex - Rare Soul

Here we have another gem from Clarence Avant.s Sussex Records stable.Iv,e also included his 3 Northern tracks as a Bonus.The history of Soul Music over the past 40 years is full of stories of talented artists like Ralph Graham having brief moments of popularity, but never reaching the level of success to make a lifelong career of music. Fortunately, there are stories of second chances where talent ultimately found an audience, and that is the developing story of Ralph Graham. Known more as a songwriter than as a singer, Graham had a couple of moderately successful albums on RCA in the early 70s. This album ,his debut did nothing at all which is crazy hearing the quality of the album ! However, other artists, from Thelma Houston to Patti LaBelle found meaning in the subtle melodies and deep, introspective lyrics of Graham's work, with a half dozen artists covering his biggest song, "Differently." Unfortunately, tragedy struck Graham's family, as the death of his wife to cancer led him to give up the music business to raise his children. That appeared to be the last we'd hear of Ralph Graham. Buoyed by friends and fans, after a 15 year absence, Graham returned to music. He began again playing various nightclubs in Boston his home town & New England over the course of the last few years, and has since started to write and record again. lets hope he gets the success he well deserves.The first impression left by Differently...is that it stands up to any decent soul album recorded today.

AMM 

                                                                        Tthe Taster!

                                                          Tracks & Bonus Tracks Below

Bonus Tracks

11 She Just Sits There

12 You Had to Hurt Someone

13 Changing Up My Life

Ernie Johnson - In The Mood(1995)Waldoxy - Rare Blues/Soul

Soul blues man Ernie Johnson was born in Winnsboro, Louisiana. He didn't begin singing professionally until after moving to Dallas where he formed the band, The Soul Blenders. He recorded his first single, "Lovin You" b/w "Cold Cold Heart," for Movin' Records in 1968. Johnson has played the blues festivals in San Francisco and Monterey, California and has released numerous albums.Not to be confused with the other Ernie from Eddie & Ernie the phoenix duo.this album was recorded at muscle shoals and malaco. A great album where Blues & Deep soul Collide..This should bring a smile to a certain gent from South Africa!

                                                          **********REQUEST**********

                                                                           The Taster!      

                                                                  Line Up & Tracks Below

 

                                      

Johnny Adams - Ultimate Johnny Adams (2020) Mardi Gras - Soul(FLAC)

A wonderful collection of Johnny Adams material taken from his singles and albums lovingly put together by Mardi Gras Records out of New Orleans.To me the King of Deep Soul. Born Laten John Adams Jr. in New orleans 1932 passed in Baton Rouge 1998 was an American blues, jazz and gospel singer, for those not in the know... Renowned around his Crescent City home base as "the Tan Canary" for his extraordinary set of soulfully soaring pipes, veteran R&B vocalist Johnny Adams tackled an exceptionally wide variety of material for Rounder in his later years elegantly rendered tribute albums to legendary songwriters Doc Pomus and Percy Mayfield preceded forays into mellow, jazzier pastures. But then, Adams was never particularly into the parade-beat grooves that traditionally define the New Orleans R&B sound, preferring to deliver sophisticated soul ballads draped in strings.His biggest hits were his versions of "Release Me" and "Reconsider Me" in the late 1960s. 
He was the oldest of 10 children. He became a professional musician on leaving school. He began his career singing gospel with the Soul Revivers and Bessie Griffin's Consolators, but crossed over to secular music in 1959.His neighbour, the songwriter Dorothy LaBostrie, supposedly persuaded him to start performing secular music after hearing him sing in Bars. He recorded LaBostrie's ballad "I Won't Cry" for Joe Ruffino's Ric label. Produced by the teenaged Mac Rebennack (later known as Dr. John), the record became a local hit. Adams recorded several more singles for the label over the next three years, most of them produced by Rebennack or Eddie Bo. His first national hit came in 1962, when "A Losing Battle", written by Rebennack, reached number 27 on the Billboard R&B chart.
After Ruffino's death in 1963, Adams left Ric and recorded for a succession of labels, including Eddie Bo's Gone Records, the Los Angeles Modern Records, and Wardell Quezergue's Watch label. His records had little success until he signed with Shelby Singleton's Nashville SSS International Records in 1968. A reissue of "Release Me", originally released by Watch, reached number 34 on the R&B chart and number 82 on the pop chart. Its follow-up, "Reconsider Me", a country song produced by Singleton, became his biggest hit, reaching number 8 on the R&B chart and number 28 on the pop chart in 1969. Two more singles, "I Can't Be All Bad" and "I Won't Cry" (a reissue of the Ric recording), were lesser hits later the same year, and the label released an album "Heart and Soul"
Adams left SSS International in 1971 and recorded unsuccessfully for several labels, including Atlantic and Ariola, over the next few years. At the same time, he began performing regularly at Dorothy's Medallion Lounge in New Orleans and touring nightclubs in the south.
In 1983, he signed with Rounder Records, for which he recorded nine critically acclaimed albums produced by Scott Billington, beginning with "From the Heart" in 1984.These records encompassed a wide range of jazz, blues and R&B styles and highlighted Adams's voice. These recordings earned him a number of awards, including a W.C. Handy Award. He also toured internationally, with frequent trips to Europe, and worked and recorded with such musicians as Aaron Neville, Harry Connick Jr., Lonnie Smith, and Dr. John.
He died in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1998 after a long battle with prostate cancer. His legacy was recording over 20 albums and nearly 60 singles in the style that only he could do...LEGEND!

AMM

                                                 Album Review Courtesy Of Hakase Akunomiya

                                                                        The Taster!

Tracks(FLAC)

CD 1
01 Release Me
02 Reconsider Me
03 I Believe I'll Find Happiness
04 Hell Yes I Cheated
05 You Made A New Man Out Of Me
06 Tell It Like It Is
07 Part Of Me
08 Love Me Now
09 Stay With Me
10 Share Your Love
11 Who Will The Next Fool Be
12 Baby I Love You
13 I'll Never Fall In Love Again
14 After All The Good Is Gone
15 Stairway To Heaven
16 The Greatest Love
17 It's You Baby It's You
18 Spanish Harlem
CD 2
01 You Can Depend On Me
02 It's Got To Be Something
03 In A Moment Of Weakness
04 Let Me Be Myself
05 Chasing Rainbows
06 Your Love Is All I Need
07 Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You
08 Nothing Takes The Place Of You
09 Give Me A Chance
10 One Fine Day
11 I Only Want To Be With You
12 Stand By Me
13 Our Day Will Come
14 Some Day
15 Baby I Want You
16 Best Of Luck To You
17 Feelings
18 Love Letters
CD 3
01 Working On The River
02 Thinking About You
03 Strutting On A Sunday
04 Sharing You
05 Performance
06 Cry, Cry Darling
07 I Believe In You
08 I Brought It All On Myself
09 I'm Afraid To Let You Into My Life
10 It Only Rains On Me
11 Memories
12 Night People
13 Put It Off Till Tomorrow
14 When I Need You