Funk my Soul

One of the most unique soul records you’ll ever own  a tremendous little set from the mighty Milton Wright! Milton’s probably best known for his first album, Friends & Buddies, but this set is arguably even greater  an even more personal, unusual session that blends wonderfully written songs, heartfelt vocals, and some really offbeat production techniques! There’s a bit of an acoustic vibe to the set at times  guitar gently grooving alongside Milton’s vocals  but the set also has a jazzy tinge too, with hip inflections amidst the arrangements that created a really sophisticated pattern of sounds for the record. Things start somewhat mellow, but quickly get grooving  bringing in bits of keyboards and more electric guitar to warm things up, and hitting a sublime style that’s unlike anything else we can think of. Wright’s vocals often have a spaced out feel that’s in keeping with the album, but the album’s hardly laidback  and has a great sense of focus throughout.

Tracks
A1   She Can Have Anything She Wants 2.43
A2   Dance Have Fun 4.48
A3   Magic Music 3.39
A4   All I Know Is That I Have You 3.14
A5 Let’s Take A Break 1.48
B1   You Like To Dance 4.59
B2   You Don’t Even Know Me 3.13
B3  Leave Me Alone 3.40
B4   Be With Me 2.43
B5   Job 3.06

Review by Trakbuv

Had this been a blog cataloguing the history of manned flight, I would have had plenty to write (!).  As it happens, the father of the Wright Brothers may have shared his name with Milton, but not his compassion for our music.  As such, there appears to be only scant information about this elusive gent.  With respect to sharing his name, one Betty Wright does have the accolade of being his sister – is this further proof that soul music is a hereditary trait ?  Must be in them soul bones (thank you, The Trammps).  Anyhow, Milton Wright will be well known to many of you as the guy who gave us ‘Keep it up’, the sassy Moog-laden beat number that has blared out on numerous respectable dance halls.  Some of you may also be fortunate to be familiar with the long player from which this single was pulled: ‘Friends and Buddies’ from 1975 – a rich, beautifully crafted box of goodies.

Well, Nikos has kindly provided us with the extremely obscure follow-up to that masterpiece.  Released on the Alston subsidiary of TK Records (to whom his sis was also affiliated at the time), this was a commercial failure – but since when has that been a mark of a record’s longevity ?!!  Fate dealt a second blow when stacks of the unsold pressings were destroyed in a warehouse fire.  However, sufficient copies did survive to tell a wonderful tale – ten tales in total.  The set is written solely or jointly by Mr Wright and produced once again by Seth Snyder, with Milton presumably contributing his musicianship on the guitar.  Things push off with ‘She can have anything she wants’, a pleasant Modern Soul groover with curiously muffled (spaced-out ?) overdubbed vocals – maybe not the most captivating song to start an album with.  ‘Dance have fun’ is a great disco thumper with the Morse for SOS seemingly played throughout to give it an urgent edge, and that extended break to finish is a gas.  The next track reminds me how similar Milton and Leroy Hutson are in their slender vocal tones and adventurous production.  ‘Magic music’ has a lovely light and breezy quality.  A track I was familiar with is the warm, caressing ‘All I know is I have you’, a simple message drifting in a gentle sea of strings and flutes – beautiful.  Then it’s the funky, impudent, bass-driven ‘Let’s take a break’ – a precursor to Prince’s ‘Kiss’ ?  With some phat Tower Of Power sounding horns thrown in – this is waaay too brief.

That familiar sound of chattering guitars and sweeping strings herald the disco-orientated ‘You like to dance’.  Not bad, but unfortunately his vocals are exposed as particularly unsuitable for the genre.  Not sure why, but ‘You don’t even know me’ reminds me of ‘Keep it up’ – it has that same insistent quality.  Wisely introducing a female background vocalist for the first time, this is my highlight.  Although ‘Leave me alone’ sounds like a slowed down version of the preceding track, it has a charm all of its own.  Leroy Hutson comes back to mind here at his mighty midtempo best, hugging you like a warmed blanket.  Brilliant, and his best vocal performance.  The cheerful ‘Be with me’ again uses dual tracked vocals to provide a lilting, strangely hypnotic experience.  The spiritual ‘Job’ (the biblical figure) is a melodic closer that lacks a little something – maybe a female choir to give it a more wholesome feel.

More soulful/dance and less jazz-orientated than its predecessor, and arguably less successful because of it, this is still an enchanting episode that was a real pleasure to sit through.  The quality is undeniable and another extremely worthy and rare addition to these hallowed pages.

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Buy the cd here and listen the wonderful “Leave Me Alone”

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One of the all-time soul classics from Atlantic  the fantastic debut of singer Arthur Conley, introduced as a protege of Otis Redding, who also produced the record! The sound is similar to Otis’ own work, but often a fair bit rawer and Redding works here with both Jim Stewart of Stax and Rick Hall of Fame Studios, ensuring that the album has equal doses of Memphis and Muscle Shoals in the mix! Otis also wrote some great tracks for the album, along with Conley and the legendary Dan Penn  and although the title track is Conley’s huge single “Sweet Soul Music”, the album is filled with loads of other great original tracks.

This is a @320 vinyl rip of the original Atco LP including covers.

Tracks
A1 Sweet Soul Music 2.20
A2 Take Me (Just as I Am) 2.57
A3 Who’s Foolin’ Who 2.32
A4 There’s a Place for Us 2.45
A5 I Can’t Stop (No, No, No) 2.29
B1 Wholesale Love 2.18
B2 I’m a Lonely Stranger 2.44
B3 I’m Gonna Forget About You 2.11
B4 Let Nothing Separate Us 3.05
B5 Where You Lead Me 2.30

Arthur Conley was being groomed to be the next big thing in southern soul by none other than Otis Redding.  Sweet Soul Music, Conley’s debut, was released as a vehicle for the wildly successful single of the same name.  The other 9 tracks are earlier material from Conley that failed to chart in its time, but should be regarded as essential deep soul today - sung by a voice that could clearly and honestly express the darkest emotions on one take, and whoop out the dance anthems on the next.  “Let Nothing Separate Us” and “Take Me (Just As I Am)” are two fantastic highlights.  Half the songs on Sweet Soul Music were written or co-written by Otis Redding, who also produced the entire album (heck, Redding even wrote the liner notes) and so it should come as no surprise that Conley never really recovered (both professionally and personally) when Redding tragically died just as Conley was making a name for himself.  We still have Sweet Soul Music though, and it truly is what it advertises itself as.

Fans of Wilson Picket, Eddie Floyd, Sam & Dave, James Brown, Sam Cooke, William Bell or Otis Redding will enjoy every bit of this album.

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Recorded at Rick Hall’s Muscle Shoals studios, this set embodies the essence of Southern soul — a hybrid of country, R&B and the blues. This long-out-of-print set features the novelty tune “I’d Rather Be An Old Man’s Sweetheart (Than A Young One’s Fool)” and a killer cover of O.V. Wright’s “That’s How Strong My Love Is.”

It’s groovy, It’s smooth, excellent  vocal line…definitely one of my top all time albums.

Tracks
A1 Someone You Use 2:32
A2 I’d Rather Be an Old Man’s Sweetheart (Than a Young Man’s Fool) 2:05
A3 You Don’t Love Me No More 2:19
A4 Evidence 2:35
A5 Sweet Feeling 2:45
B1 Do Your Duty 2:32
B2 That’s How Strong My Love Is 3:25
B3 I’m Just a Prisoner (of Your Good Lovin’) 3:09
B4 Another Man’s Woman, Another Woman’s Man 2:30
B5 Get It When I Want It 2:25

Review by Soulmakossa

Candi Staton was one of the hardest, grittiest ambassadors of downhome, ‘Bama-drenched Southern Soul, recording three highly acclaimed LPs for the FAME label between 1969 and 1972. Her first effort is an incredibly raw and at times ridiculously funky tour de force of sweat-inducing, fatback Southern Soul.

Opening procedures is the wistful, bluesy romp “Someone You Use”, a fine country-soul tune from the pen of her then husband Clarence Carter. Old timey piano and infectious backing vocals guide Staton through this tale of despair.
The hard socking “I’d Rather Be an Old Man’s Sweetheart (Than a Young Man’s Fool)” was also co-written by Carter, and knowing the latter’s tongue-in-cheekiness, it must have been a blast recording this track. The Muscle Shoals band is in full force, check out Roger Hawkin’s tight beats, especially in the outro.
Next up is the achingly beautiful ballad “You Don’t Love Me No More”, a tune sung with the Deep Soul style of conviction (and sense of doom akin to James Carr’s darkest excursions). The weeping horns and the biting guitar fills ad perfectly to the gloomy atmosphere. Truly a showstopper. “Evidence” without a doubt is the hardest and funkiest tune here. The lazy backbeat and slithering bass are augmented by a ‘Pops Staples’-styled heavily reverberated guitar, bursts of brass and in-your-face backup voc’s. The horn-heavy coda is sheer funky soul heaven…

Side A ends on a boogie ‘n’ bouncin’ note with the soulful blues-inspired “Sweet Feeling” - Staton’s vocal here is deliciously raw, rough and completely unrestrained.
Candi delves back into the funk bag on the flip with the stupidly rocking “Do Your Duty”, with its rat-tat-tat drum pattern on the chorus, perfectly juxtaposed with the razor sharp flurries of brass. When she belts out ‘DO! Do your duty!’, you sit up and listen, jack.
Roosevelt Jamison’s classic “That’s How Strong My Love Is” follows, and while, to me, no version surpasses Little Milton’s 1973 take, this traditionally executed ballad does feature some eerie, ’50s-styled backing vocals. And hearing Staton build up to the vocal climax in the middle as well as the end of the song, truly is a goosebump inducing experience. Brilliant.
A funky stew is served once more with the dynamic “I’m Just a Prisoner (Of Your Good Lovin’)”, which rides on the back of Hawkin’s busy drums and Spooner Oldham’s thick-as-gravy keyboard workout. Clarence Carter would record an almost exact version of this tune for his last FAME album ‘Patches’ in 1970.
“Another Man’s Woman, Another Woman’s Man”, in contrast, is the most sensitive, delicate track here. Another feast of soulful vocal bliss, the song slightly resembles the make-up of Aretha Franklin’s “Do Right Man, Do Right Woman”.
Candi Staton’s first full length LP ends on a thumpin’ note with the funk ‘n’ roll of “Get It When I Want It”, which saddles a superlative groove, further enhanced by a healthy dose of greasy, soul-powered horns.

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You can buy the vinyl here and listen “I’m Just A Prisoner”

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Wicked uptempo funky instrumentals from the great Hamilton Bohannon! The record captures him at a perfect point  when he was taking advantage of the changing dancefloor scene to open up his groove a bit, but before he got lost in some of the triple-time tempos that ruined later albums.

This is a @320 vinyl rip of the original Dakar Records LP including covers.

Tracks
A1   Bohannon’s Beat Party (7:49)
A2   The Funky Reggae (6:08)
A3  The Bohannon Walk (4:49)
A4   Can You Feel It (8:25)
B1   Gentle Breeze (8:29)
B2   Think Of Me (9:08)
B3   The Day To Remember (6:00)

Review by Trakbuv

The music phenomenon that is Hamilton Bohannon, plain Bohannon, or ‘HamBo’ as I like to call him.  Born in Newman, Georgie with apparently a drumstick in each hand, he had his own band by the age of 13 (‘The Bop Dads’) and went on to perform with numerous acts while getting through college.  This included a stint with Hank Moore of ‘Hank Ballard & the Midnighters’ fame, backing touring acts such as Jerry Butler and Patti Labelle & the Blue Belles that were playing locally.  In 1964, armed with a degree in Music, he started teaching Liberal Arts at college, but the chalk stick was no replacement for the drum stick.  Soon he found himself packing a suitcase and hitting the road, and while on tour with Jackie Wilson, he met a certain 14 year-old genius.  Stevie Wonder had already had 5 hits, and instantly took a liking to HamBo.  Stevie asked him to join his touring band, a trip that went on to last 2 and a half years.  More importantly, he got exposed to the Motown machinery and duly ended up as bandleader for the company.  As you can imagine, the experience must have been a musician’s paradise, working with the cream of the soul industry in charge of the likes of Dennis Coffey, Ray Parker Jr, Wah Wah Watson, and Michael Henderson.

However in 1972, the Gordy Dreamboat shipped out of Detroit bound for Los Angeles.  At this point, Bohannon and Motown parted, and he went back to teaching.  Still working in a band, he began recording demotapes of his own compositions.  Two of those demos, the funky ‘Stop & Go’ and bluesy ‘Save their souls’ caught the attention of Carl Davis over at Brunswick Records in Chicago, and were both included on his debut in 1973, ‘Stop & Go’, released on Dakar.  The album cover clearly boasts Bohannon’s glee at finally getting the spotlight with a very competent mix of funk and blues instrumentals employing warm females harmonies.  For his next project, he decided to let his wispy vocals provide a vehicle for his growing expertise as producer/arranger.  And in ‘South African man’, they found a huge dancefloor hit, that I’m surprised to discover only reached #78 in the R&B charts.  Further hits followed in ‘Disco stomp’ and ‘Foot stompin’ music’, the latter being his biggest hit during his Dakar tenure (#39 R&B charts).  Fresh from this deserved success, he titled his next long player ‘Bohannon (The Mighty)’.

After the commerciality of his previous outing ‘Insides Out’, he seems to take some risk in going back to his roots.  The opener, ‘Bohannon’s Beat’ is clear inspiration for Dennis Coffey’s brilliant ‘Free Spirit’, and was the albums lead single, attaining #85 spot on the R&B charts.  ‘Funky reggae’ is an insidious blast that casts an ire ‘skanga’ groove, that the likes of Rupie Edwards were tripping on at that time, from a funky mould.  Then it’s ‘The Bohannon Walk’, a blatant challenge to anything with a pulse.  Hell, even the ‘walking’ dead won’t be able to resist shaking their decaying tail feather to this joint.  With his trademark duelling guitars and that bass riff that sounds like a car backfiring, this is one of HamBo’s truly remarkable gifts to the dancefloor.  Urgent, insistent, essential !!  Then it’s back to Kingston, Jamaica for ‘Can you feel it’, an impertinent marriage of blues and roots reggae, with a fabulous background synth lazily soaking up those Caribbean rays before a bluesy wah wah heats up that bar-B-Q with some rich, tasty, spicy, oh-so-nicey chops.  Yeah, and mama seems to like it too, as Carolyn Crawford duets with Bo in a chant of ‘hold the groove’.  (Is this Carolyn’s first outing with the man ? –  she of course went to become a regular and was central to his biggest hit, ‘Let’s start to dance’).  This is as addictive as our music gets and I struggle to get past this track !!

After dancing straight through to sunset, I’m relieved to rest my aching bones to the cool and aptly titled ‘Gentle breeze’.  Those conjured swaying palms and dying waves seem to rock in harmony with its undeniable charm.  Eight and a half minutes of watching the sun go down.  The next nine minutes are spent watching the stars poking their noses out with the fragile, delicate ‘Think of me’ and its understated piano frills.  Mr Bohannon then bows out with a fabulous organ grinder that’s smoking the blues - ‘The day to remember’ is yet another string to his brimming bow.

Anyone who really wants to find out about the phenomenon that is Hamilton Bohannon, throw out any ‘Best Of’ CDs you may have.  Just get to this and get to a day to remember.

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Since there’s no video available enjoy “Save Their Souls”

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“Spread Love” was originally released in 1976 on the Detroit based Sunstar label. Largely ignored when it was first issued, it has since gained cult status among soul collectors worldwide. Inspired by the musical vision of Quincy Jones, Michael Orr and bass player Carey Harris assembled a cast of musicians and vocalists to create a timeless masterpiece which effortlessly blends soul, jazz, funk and gospel influences.

This is a @320 vinyl rip of the Counterpoint reissue LP including covers.

Tracks
A1  Ecstasy, Fantasy & Dreamland 3.32
A2   Let Me Be With You Awhile 4.12
A3  Here I Go (Through These Changes Again) 3.08
A4  Feelings 5.06
A5   A Piece Of Mine 5.34
B1   Spread Love 5.21
B2   Keep My Fire Burning 5.24
B3   You Opened My Eyes To The World 6.38
B4   Afterwhile 3.05

A gem of a smooth soul album  completely rare in the original, and a completely honest soul testament from singer/songwriter Michael Orr and Chris Harris! The record’s got a sound that reminds us of a lot of the tracks you’ll hear on the Modern Soul comps on the Goldmine label  a smooth approach at the base, with touches of soul jazz, and handled with a bit of roughness that makes things sound a lot more real than some of the other soul coming out at the time. Orr’s got a real talent for a song  and his commitment to strong vocals can be heard in his mix of styles that recall bits of Andy Bey, bits of Jon Lucien, bits of Gil Scott-Heron, and bits of DJ Rogers.

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Love is the message…finally: Musician Michael Orr has waited 25 years to Spread Love.

Honey drips from Michael Orr’s rich baritone voice much like that of his musical idol, Lou Rawls. And that baritone sweet and smooth is omnipresent on Mr. Orr’s album Spread Love, originally released in 1976.

Many remember the `70s as the platinum age of R&B. Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind and Fire, The Spinners, Curtis Mayfield and Norman Connors were among a myriad of musicians at peak power. Indeed, it was a great time for beautiful Black music.

Michael Orr probably should have been part of that party too, but it wasn’t meant to be-at least not then.

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Original copies sold from 85$ to 380$ here. You can buy the original vinyl here and the cd here.

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I guess you all know Mr.Moo and his great What Da Funk private blog. This is another great contribution of his.

A classic set by The Originals  one of Motown’s best second-generation soul groups, with a sound that rivalled the best of the indie sweet soul groups of the late 60s and early 70s! The album’s a delight throughout with a crackling, honest approach to group soul that was a refreshing change from some of Motown’s too-tight, more famous groups of the 60s. This set was probably the group’s biggest album, and it includes the hit slowjam title cut “Baby I’m For Real”, plus “Green Grow the Lilacs”, “Moment Of Truth”, “One Life We Live”, and “Love Is A Wonder”. For some reason this album was also called “Green Grow The Lilacs” in other pressings!

Tracks
A1   We’ve Got A Way Out Of Love 3.03
A2   Green Grow The Lilacs 2.45
A3   Baby I’m For Real 3.21
A4   I’ve Never Begged Before 2.43
A5   Red Sails In The Sunset 2.28
A6   One Life We Live 3.13
B1   Moment Of Truth 3.15
B2   Why When Love Is Gone 2.47
B3   When Will We Learn 2.31
B4   You’re The One 3.15
B5   Love Is A Wonder 2.50
B6   You, Mysterious You 3.09

A Detroit soul vocal group led by Freddie Gorman, the Originals took the RB world by storm in 1969, although they had worked at Motown for years as invaluable background vocalists. Gorman recorded as a solo for Berry Gordy in 1961 and co-wrote “Please Mr. Postman” for the Marvelettes, and the Originals cut a version of Leadbelly’s “Goodnight Irene” for Gordy’s Soul subsidiary in 1966 with ex-Falcon Joe Stubbs as lead. But Stubbs had split to form 100 Proof (Aged in Soul) by the time the quartet waxed the beautiful doo wop throwback “Baby I’m for Real,” an RB chart-topper in 1969 that was co-written and lushly produced by Marvin Gaye. The same combination also produced “The Bells,” another major hit in 1970. Former solo act Ty Hunter joined the group in 1971, and the Originals continued to chart into the next decade.

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The group found modest success in the latter half of the 60s, often working as backup singers for recordings by artists such as Jimmy Ruffin (”What Becomes of the Brokenhearted”, 1966), Stevie Wonder’s “For Once In My Life” in 1968 and David Ruffin (”My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)”, 1969). The Originals found their biggest success under the guidance of Motown legend Marvin Gaye, who co-wrote and produced two of the group’s biggest singles, “Baby I’m For Real”, and “The Bells”. This latter disc sold over one million copies, and received a gold disc awarded by the R.I.A.A.[1] Both songs became seminal soul music recordings, and both songs have since been covered: 1990s R&B group After 7 re-recorded “Baby I’m For Real” and made it a hit again in 1992, while another 1990s R&B group Color Me Badd re-recorded “The Bells” for one of their albums. While the group went on to have more modest success in both the soul and disco fields near the end of the decade, including “Down To Love Town,” a #1 dance chart hit, the songs they made with Marvin Gaye are their most memorable and notable.

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One of the most legendary funk albums of the 70s a real gem through and through, and filled with the best range of sounds the east coast scene had to offer at the time! The Skull Snaps only ever cut this one album during the early 70s and it’s a masterful blend of hard funk, sweet soul, and soaring group grooving  a mix that hangs together perfectly over the years, and which has the group sounding equally great on heavy funk and more club-oriented tunes! The group grew out of the earlier Diplomats group  and are working here with great production from George Kerr and arrangements from Bert Keyes both talents who help keep the sound top-shelf throughout. Titles include the monster break track “It’s A New Day” (which virtually became the blueprint for hip hop at the end of the 90s!), the uptempo groover “Trespassing”, and the righteous funky soul cut “I’m Your Pimp”!

Original vinyl copies of Skull Snaps’ one and only LP continue to exchange hands on the rare groove market for three figures. So, this is a @320 vinyl rip of the reissue LP including original covers.

Tracks
A1 My Hang Up Is You (4:02)
A2   Having You Around (4:30)
A3  Didn’t I Do It To You (3:15)
A4   All Of A Sudden (3:23)
A5   It’s A New Day (3:04)
B1  I’m Your Pimp (4:03)
B2  I Turn My Back On Love (2:45)
B3  Trespassing (4:03)
B4   I’m Falling Out Of Love (2:46)

Review by Trakbuv

Now here’s a surprise.  I was well versed with the funk of ‘It’s a new day’, a track that has been lifted and moulded for the purposes of a seemingly never-ending queue of hip hop attacks.  The band brand itself conjures up a brutal charge of threatening beats and hussling guitars where no prisoners are taken.  Well, a certain man had other ideas, and that genius is George Kerr.  Synonymous with the fabric of these pages, he is responsible for producing the likes of Linda Jones, The Whatnauts, Escorts, O’Jays, and Debbie Taylor.  However, for me this is his ultimate triumph.  Any wannabe producerheads out there, you only need to look at the previous two posts and this pearl to realise how sterile music has become.  George is firing on all canons, ably assisted by arranger Bert Keyes.

And what an act he has to work with: Erv Littleton Waters, Sam O Culley, and George Bragg.  Their roots can be dated back to 1958 as a quintet, ‘Tiny Tim & The Hits’ – classic title right there.  Their founder, William Collier then re-grouped in 1963 to form The Diplomats, now joined by Mr Waters and Culley.  They had a relatively solid output as a trio throughout most of the sixties for various labels, including Arock, Wand and Minit.  Built around solid harmonies, but sadly poor sales, they struggled to get that important breakthrough at national level. In 1973, Sam and Erv were united with George, transforming themselves into the Skull Snaps, a trio of formidable vocalists, none of whom were shy at taking the spotlight.  And those harmonies are sublime.

Inside Gatefold LP

Signed to Lloyd Price’s GSF label, they set about to work at Venture Studios, Somerville, NJ.  The LP kicks off assuredly with the driving ‘My hang up is you’ that could easily be mistaken for a huge hit on the Invictus label.  It has H-D-H stamped all over it.  Glorious.  For the next track, the tempo drops as we switch to something sounding like it was cut for the Brunswick label.  George stages a dramatic Chi-Liteseque atmosphere that the guys grab with open hands - surely this is the hit they were searching for as The Diplomats.  Heartfelt.  Where is George taking us next I’m starting to think.  Well, ‘Didn’t I do it to you’ is glorious two-step territory with a hint of JR Bailey.  This has everything that genre yearns for, lush hooks, sterling vocals, and that infectious sway – this is my favourite and surely a major omission off any self-respecting rare groove compilation.  Oh my.  And the calibre doesn’t let up.  ‘All of a sudden’ is a fantastic tribute to George Kerr’s skills – what he manages to cram into this track is breathtaking.  Then it’s THE track – ‘It’s a new day’ – needing no introduction.  Anyone not knowing this song – ‘just step to the back of the bus’.  The Meters meets Ray Charles – perfection.

I’m stunned momentarily by the brilliance of it all.  I get up from my awe and turn the record over.  And I’m thrown back to my seat – with the thrust of the opening bars of ‘I’m your pimp’.  It seems that every fabulous Norman Whitfield trick has been mustered to create this gem, and that line ‘I wear my hat to the side ……..and walk with a limp’ – audacious in the extreme.  Brilliant brilliant.  Next up - ‘I turned my back on love’ has the funky soulfulness of The Meters/Nevilles at their mellifluous best, with a great lead and harmonies, and cracking drum and horn intrusions, this is another corker.  And yet more funk in ‘Trespassing’, once again it’s the production that pulls this above the mass of similarly sounding ditties – great bluesy guitar licks peppering this ‘un.  Almost as a nod of respect to their long travelled journey through the 60s, they close proceedings with the sunny and soulful ‘I’m falling out of love’ - a wonderful and fitting conclusion.

This is one the best LPs to ever grace my eardrums – which just goes to show that there is still plenty of lost gold in them thar hills.  This is a sumptuous journey through sound, exploring the best of the early 70s and all its glory.  Magnificent!

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Listen up  the killer “It’s A New Day”

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