Funk my Soul

Lou Raws - 1966 - Soulin’

One of the best albums that Lou cut with the HB Barnum/David Axelrod team! The record’s not as funky, so much as it’s a wonderfully conceived batch of tunes that has Lou singing in that super-hip pop soul mode that blasted him onto the charts back in the old days. Side two features a killer batch of songs and monologues that run together - including “Old Man’s Memories”, about a guy sitting on a bench in Washington Park on the south side of Chicago, which then rolls into an amazing version of “It Was A Very Good Year”. Other tunes have a great mix of soul and jazz.

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

Tracks
A1 A Whole Lotta Woman (2:37)
A2 Love Is A Hurtin’ Thing (2:15)
A3 So Hard To Laugh, So Easy To Cry (3:16)
A4 You’re The One (2:35)
A5 Don’t Explain (3:01)
A6 What Now My Love (3:56)
B1 Memory Lane (2:16)
B2 Old Man’s Memories (Monologue) (2:18)
B3 It Was A Very Good Year (2:51)
B4 Growing Old Gracefully (Monologue) (0:18)
B5 Old Folks (2:16)
B6 Autumn Leaves (2:37)
B7 On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever) (2:36)
B8 Breaking My Back (Instead Of Using My Mind) (2:23)

Review by Beverly Praiswater

My introduction to the voice of Lou Rawls was this very fine work. I was only in high school at the time, but my friend and I played this one over and over.

From the opening number “Whole Lotta Woman” you know that you are in for a swingin’ time. The ballad “Love Is a Hurtin’ Thing” and “Breakin’ My Back” were played on top 40 radio. (And with good reason.) “You’re The One” is a wild, soulful number. Lou’s “Don’t Explain” is one of the sassiest versions ever done! There is a little story as Lou sings “Memory Lane” and continues with a monologue followed by “It Was A Very Good Year”. Lou is very loose as he gives this song new definition and life. No one has ever sung “On A Clear Day” like this before or since. Instead of a ballad, Lou sings this song uptempo, but with conviction.

All of the songs on this LP were recorded flawlessly. The musicians on this work were very gifted as well as inspired. I only wish that they had been acknowledged in the liner notes as they deserved to be. They perfectly complete one of the best all-time greatest collection of songs.

If you are a Lou Rawls fan, this is a must for your collection. But if you love an excellent male “uptempo” jazz singer, this is a must for your collection as well. Get it before it is forever gone. You will want to play it over and over again “to satisfy your soul”.

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Lou Raws - 1976 - All Things In Time

The merging of Philly International & the strong vocal Pipes of Lou Rawls were gold to my ears. Lou Rawls was a Great fit to Gamble & Huff’s Creative vision along with the other in house Philly songwriters & producers. So many tight jams that still sound so smooth. A great collection. You always know Lou’s voice anywhere.

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

Tracks
A1 You’re The One (5:20)
A2 You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine (4:28)
A3 Time (2:55)
A4 Groovy People (3:20)
A5 Need You Forever (4:38)
B1 From Now On (4:57)
B2 Pure Imagination (3:43)
B3 This Song Will Last Forever (5:08)
B4 Let’s Fall In Love All Over Again (4:02)

Shortly before Rawls signed with Philadelphia International, his career had stalled. After a mostly successful stint with Capitol Records, he later signed with MGM and had a big hit with “Natural Man” in 1971. But the hits didn’t keep coming and his 1975 Bell album, She’s Gone, barely made a dent. His 1976 signing with Philadelphia International recharged his career and he immediately became one of the label’s most successful acts. All Things in Time is his label debut. Rawls was one of the few acts on the label who could do great work with a variety of the producers and arrangers. The biggest track here was the bravado-filled “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine.” With its subtle Latin rhythms and Rawls’ tongue-in-cheek intonations, the songs’ inherent nastiness was missed by legions of dancers. “Time” written by Jack Faith and Allan Felder has Rawls doing a pitch-perfect vocal that makes the song sound like a standard. On this album, Rawls also got a chance to do work with the quixotic Bunny Sigler. Both “Need You Forever” and “Frow Now On” have Sigler accentuating Rawls’ rougher edges. Unfortunately, all of the tracks aren’t great here. Despite Dexter Wansel’s imaginative arrangement, “Pure Imagination” could not be saved. All Things in Time does end on a great note. On “Let’s Fall in Love All Over Again,” a song previously done by Billy Paul and Nancy Wilson, Rawls’ take is arguably the best version. All Things in Time is not only one of Rawls’ best albums, it’s also one of the finest from Philadelphia International.

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Brother Raphy always brings the hot stuff and here he is with his own words about his latest contribution :

SIMPLY HOT!!!!!

Need not to say anything more….This album is known by almost everyone, but yet still able to elude as many.
Now it’s finally HERE!….although it’s an old worn-out lp, with an equally diplorable cover, it sure gets an F for presentation…

Nevertheless, What counts it is content, and we all know the big tune from it…

So my friends, GET IT WHILE IT IS HOT!!!

Hot was a vocal trio from Los Angeles, California, United States, formed in 1976. Its members were Gwen Owens, Cathy Carson, and Juanita Curiel.They released three albums for Big Tree Records, and scored a Top Ten hit single in 1977 with “Angel in Your Arms”, which peaked at #6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

This is a @256 vinyl rip (supplied by Raphy) of the original LP including covers.

Tracks
A1. Angel In Your Arms 2.51
A2. The Right Feeling At The Wrong Time 2.48
A3. You Brought The Woman Out Of Me 3.06
A4. If You Don’t Love Her (When You Gonna Leave Her?) 2.55
A5. Who’s Gonna Love You 3.01
A6. Mama’s Girl 2.49
B1. You Can Do It 3.13
B2. You’re The Reason For All The Songs 2.49
B3. Why Don’t You Believe In Your Man 2.43
B4. Don’t Let Me Leave You Behind 3.29
B5. Just ‘Cause I’m Guilty 3.43

Information from Gwen Owens Myspace Address:

Gwen Owens Born and raised in Detroit, Gwen started singing in church and school. She became a professional singer while in her mid-teens when she recorded her first record “Mystery of Love,” followed by “Mystery Man,” “I Lost a Good Thing,” and “Just Say You’re Wanted and Needed.” Two more recordings were made, “Make Him Mine,” and “Keep On Living,” before moving to Los Angeles. While still in Detroit, she appeared on stage with Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Edwin Starr, Al Green and The Originals. After moving to Los Angeles, Gwen worked with Jose Feliciano, Ann Margret, Raquel Welch, Bill Cosby, Ed McMahon, Wolfman Jack, Nancy Sinatra, The Ojays, and Lou Rawls to name a few. She was on Diahann Carroll’s television show, Bill Cosby’s Variety Show as well as background studio recordings for Billy Preston, Al Wilson, Donny Osmond, Wayne Newton, Sammy Davis, Jr., Randy Crawford, Stanley Clarke and many more. She has recorded for Motown Records, Casablanca Records, and Atlantic (Big Tree) Records. While an artist on Casablanca Records, Gwen recorded “You Better Watch Out.” which became her first UK release. In 1971, Gwen was invited to the VI Festival Internacional Da Cancao Popular in Rio De Janeiro Brazil as a guest singer, and won the “Best Singer” and “Best Lyricist” award for the song “Song Without Love,” with composer and now an Academy Award winner Gabriel Yared. She is a dynamite vocalist as well as a strong lyricist as can be heard from the songs she has written on the albums recorded by her singing group HOT. In 1977 Record World Magazine named HOT Top New Female Group. As lead singer for the popular 70’s group HOT, Gwen received a certified gold record award from RIAA for the groups million selling single “Angel In Your Arms,” which was nominated for Song Of The Year on the Billboard 1 award show. She co-starred with the other members of HOT in the movie Smokey and The Judge (Running Hot) and was a finalist on the TV show “Star Search.” For the past fifteen years, she has been working as a musician as well as a singer.

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Never released on CD. You can buy a copy from Discogs or Groove Collector.

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We have the pleasure of introducing the debut by the Chicago Gangsters, “I Choose You” on the Gold Plate label.  This was also issued as “Blind Over You”, possibly re-named to capitalise on the minor success of ‘I Choose You’ on the Billboard Black Music Charts (utilising the same cover model as their sophomore set).  Either way, we have a choice delicacy that will please sweet soul and funk lovers alike.  Of course, ‘Gangster Boogie’ has been lifted for several samples on the hip-hop scene, but this is certainly no one track wonder.  The quartet followed up this goodie with the similarly styled “Gangster Love” delivering once again a shrewd mixture of ballads and funk numbers, which can be found here.  Their final release as simply The Gangsters was released in 1979 on Heat, “Life Is Not Easy”.

This is a @192 vinyl rip (supplied by Nikos) of the original LP including covers.

Tracks
A1. Blind Over you 302
A2. I Choose You 8.36
A3. Your Self-Conscious Mind 3.01
A4. Don’t Be Gone 3.06
B1. Gangster Boogie 5.22
B2. Why Did You Do It 3.50
B3. We’ve Been Together 3.33
B4. Let Me Go 2.44
B5. My Ship 3.14

Review by Trakbuv

Roaring Twenties Chicago was riddled with unscrupulous activities, spearheaded by the notorious Chicago Gangsters - with Al Capone probably the most famous of the bunch.  In the late 20s, violence was a daily occurrence where 227 gangsters were killed in the space of just 4 years.  In honour of this dubious reputation, the Chicago Gangsters burst on the scene in 1975 -  soul stylie - with an album cover riddled with machine gun fire.  Although originally hailing from Ohio, the brothers McCant - James, Sam, Chris and Leroy - paired up with the Gold Plate label in Chicago for this dream debut album.  They hooked up with several high calibre musicians like Phil Upchurch and the busy songwriter/arranger/bassist Richard Evans giving the LP a rich, confident aroma.  The album was produced by ‘Mac & Mac’ which I will assume to be two of the brothers in the absence of any information.  This being so, 6 of the 9 tracks came from within the band demonstrating that the outfit were talented both in front and behind the mic.

The LP decides to take Willie Hutch’s ‘I Choose You’ and make an 8 and a half minute epic centrepiece for the album.  With a shuffling instrumental intro that is delicately spiced with Tennyson Stephens’ ivories and Phil’s guitar licks, a warm rap and probably the best vocals on the platter, this really does make that decision an inspired one.  Top drawer.  And a long sought after track on the rare groove circuit, ‘Blind Over You’ has a much deserved reputation.  Again the production is a multi-layered gateaux where the individuals flavours all combine to a lush consistency that is so addictive, with the zest of a female chorus giving that glorious contrast to an adorable ballad.  For me, the album could end right there and still be worth its weight in gold.  But the guys really treat us to several more exquisite heart pleasers.  The falsetto-lead, plaintive ‘We’ve been together’, a Richard Evans original, ever so gently buries the knife such that the subtleness of the pain is there long after the final crescendos.  Arguably my favourite track.  And the arrangement on ‘Don’t be gone’ reminds me of something The New Birth excelled at - the ballad with a beat.  A stunning intro to ‘Let me go’ is somewhat let down by the more ordinary doo-wop approach of the remainder of the song, but still very competent and provides another dimension to the band.

You can probably tell that the core of my enjoyment of this album almost exclusively wallows in the mellow side.  However, the funk ain’t forsaken dear readers - how could it - this is 1975 !!  ‘Gangster Boogie’ is one of the more memorable tracks (particularly with the rap fraternity) mixing Kool & the Gang chants with a Billy Preston-esque jam to yield a vibrant instrumental.  The potential of the fabulous rocking riff intro to ‘Why did you do it’ is never really is met by the remainder of the production, but is another solid funk attack.  The funking plodder ‘Self-conscious mind’ and the brisk ‘My Ship’ both remind me of Norman Whitfield, complete with Temptations-like harmonies.  Mmm - nicety.

(GP 1011 LP released under 2 different front covers and titles - However this is the most recognised one)

Yet another album that never left the shores of its native land on release, save for those fortunate few who could afford to trade with their local imports dealer.  It’s albums like this that are now a dream come true for those of us outside the USA - maybe a colleague can inform me as to how difficult these LPs were to grab back in the day in the States - I’d be very interested - as I imagine it wasn’t that much easier (Laf ?).  Getting to see the cover of such an album is almost as much a revelation as listening to the grooves.  There is almost something to be said about the relative unavailability and lack of information of these albums that gave them a mystical quality that is slightly lost in today’s more immediate world.

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Buy their vinyl on Discogs or Groove Collector and listen up the wonderful “I Choose You”

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I welcome to our family a new contributor, Toma from Belgium. And what a great record to begin with : The hard to find wonderful Executive Suite debut from 1974.

A Philadelphia quartet with deep Philly roots, the members were part of various recording entities before Executive Suite. When the Philly sound took off, old friends Bunny Sigler, Norman Harris, and Phil Hurtt decided to give them a shot. The seven tracks come from their four singles on Babylon Records, two of which are part two’s, so there are really only five songs. The album is essential listening because of the lovely “I’m a Winner Now” and “Your Love Is Paradise”; they got some run with the disco-ish “When the Fuel Runs Out,” but more serious efforts like “You Believed in Me” defined Executive Suite’s sound.

This is a @320 vinyl rip(supplied by Toma) of the original Polydor LP including covers.

Tracks
A1 When The Fuel Runs Out 3.37
A2 When The Fuel Runs Out (Instrumental) 4.55
A3 You Believed In Me (Part 1 & 2) 5.58
B1 I’m A Winner Now 3.57
B2 Your Love Is Paradise 3.11
B3 You Got It (Part 1) 2.46
B4 You Got It (Part 2) 3.02

Review by Toma

A few weeks ago i went recordshopping at my favorite recordstore (in Brussels , Belgium) As always first thing i do is go dig in the cheap section, without big expectations, (a few crates of 2.50 euro a record),
I came across this album of Executive Suite 1, never saw it, never heard of it, but as a soul lover (and Hip Hop producer digging for samples), I just had to buy it out of curiousity. And I must say it was a great buy! When I played it I was stunned with the soulfull vocals and the harmony in these great songs, behind every expectations.
Ballads like ‘I’m a winner now’ and ‘Your love is paradise’ , are simply beautifull, I mean tracks like these are the reason why I love Soul music so much.
More uptempo tracks like ‘When the fuel runs out’ and ‘You believed in me’ are just crazy, the arragments are amazing, great horn sections, excellent psychedelic guitar and ‘wahwah’ guitar combined with the soulfull vocals are stunning also at the end of ‘You believed in me’ check out the conga’s coming in, just perfect. Each track is a masterpiece.
I still can’t believe I never heard of this record or artists before, this should have been a classic album in my opinion ,a shame it appears to be overlooked at the time it came out.
After listening to it I went to do some research of it on the web, sadly there was very little to find about it, Though I noticed it was pretty rare and wanted by many, (150 euros and up). So imagining me paying 2.50 euro, that’s just being lucky.
I enjoy this record very much and i’m sure any soul or music lover in general will do too.
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Bio from All Music Guide

Executive Suite was the Philly group that Daryl Hall contributed vocals to on their first single (”Christine,” for Jubilee Records) in 1970. The members were Vincent Unto, Henry Tuten, William Tyler, and Charles Conyers. Their next release, a smooth, Philly ballad named “I’m a Winner Now” from 1972, remains the jewel of their career. Babylon Records picked it up for national distribution in 1973, but the move didn’t help much as the record never expanded beyond the Philly/New York area. A 1974 release, “When the Fuel Runs Out,” embraced disco, Philly style, and achieved some club notoriety. Two more singles “Your Love Is Paradise” and “You Believed in Me,” suffered from indifferent promotion. Polydor released an LP, Executive Suite 1, in 1974 that contains the North Bay singles, produced at Sigma Sound Studios by an assortment of Philly’s finest: Norman Harris, Phil Hurtt, Bunny Sigler, and the Harris Machine. They released one final single “Hey Pearl” on United Artists but the results didn’t change. Unto and Tyler previously sang with the Millionaires on Castle Records; Tyler also sang with the Jewels, and Conyer with the Lovenotes.
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Buy a copy from Groove Collector for 151Euro. While downloading this treasure, listen up the killer “Your Love is Paradise”

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Joining forces in Washington, DC, in 1963, Tony Washington, George Spann, George Wesley Peterbank Jnr., Michael McCalpin and Maurice Washington had to wait a decade to win a recording contract. Motown Records president Ewart Abner saw them performing at a talent show in Atlanta, Georgia, and signed them to the label in 1974. They were teamed with the Ashford And Simpson writing and production team, and their debut album was a collection of romantic soul ballads that produced two hits, “Shoe Shoe Shine” and “Leave It Alone’. Their second album, Pure Pleasure, added a disco feel to the Superiors” sound, and spawned two further chart entries. In 1977, the group enjoyed some success with a disco rearrangement of the Martha And The Vandellas’ hit, “Nowhere To Run”, but they subsequently left Motown, and attempts to secure a major label recording contract elsewhere proved unsuccessful.

The Dynamic Superiors - 1975 - The Dynamic Superiors

Michael McCalpin, George Wesley Peterbark Jr., George Spann and brothers Maurice and Toni Washington grew up in the same Washington, D.C. housing project.  The five went to school together, singing on street corners and playing in various talent contests along the way.  By the time they were in high school they’d formed The Superiors and were lying about their ages in order to play D.C. niteclubs.

Signed by the Sue label, they made their recording debut with an instantly obscure 1969 single:
- ‘Heavenly Angel’ b/w ‘I’d rather Die’ (Sue catalog number 12)

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

Tracks
A1 Shoe Shoe Shine 3:45
A2 Soon 3:44
A3 Leave It Alone 3:40
A4 Don’t Send Nobody Else 3:39
A5 Romeo 3:45
B1 Star Of My Life 3:44
B2 Cry When You Want To 4:17
B3 I Got Away 2:18
B4 One-Nighter 4:00
B5 Release Me 3:28

Two years later they got their big break when they were discovered Motown executive Ewart Abner at a 1972 dj convention in Atlanta and signed to the label.  It apparently took Motown management awhile to figure out how to deal with the group, eventually teaming them with the writing and production team of Nikolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson.  To Motown’s credit the label made no attempt to hide lead singer Tony Washington’s openly gay lifestyle - a fact underscored by one quick look at “The Dynamic Superiors” cover art.  Not that it mattered …  Washington may have worn false eye lashes, rouge, lipstick, and occasionally performed in drag, but he had a killer voice.  On tracks like ‘Shoe Shine Shine’ and ‘Star of My Life’ he was more than capable of hitting high notes a-la Russell Tompkins Jr..  At the other end of the spectrum Washington’s falsetto was nicely offset by tenors Peterbark Jr and Spann. With Ashford and Simpson bringing their top-shelf material to the recording sessions (they were responsible for nine of the ten songs), this was simply one of the best old school vocal group LPs I’ve ever heard.   With the exception of the overly sensitive ‘Cry When You Want To’ virtually every one of these songs would have made a dandy single and was worth hearing.  With so many standout tracks highlights were hard to pick up, but included ‘Leave It Alone’, the blazing ‘Don’t Send Nobody Else’ and ‘I Got Awat’.  Elsewhere Motown tapped the album for a pair of singles:

- 1974’s ‘Shoe Shine Shine’ b/w ‘Release Me’ (Motown catalog number M 1324F) # 6 pop; # 16 R&B
- 1975’s ‘Leave It Alone’ b/w ‘One-Nighter’ (Motown catalog number M 1342F) # 102 pop; # 13 R&B

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The Dynamic Superiors - 1975 - Pure Pleasure

A sweet set of vocal group tunes from the Dynamic Superiors — arranged with a bit more of a high stepping groove than some of the other Motown work of the time. Backings are handled by a range of talents that includes Paul Riser, William Eaton, Al Gorgoni, and Horace Ott — but the real charm is the way the group’s innocent harmony style puts over the lyrics, all of which are very strong tunes written by the team of Ashford & Simpson.

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

Tracks
A1 Deception 4:49
A2 Pleasure 3:19
A3 Nobody’s Gonna Change Me 5:30
A4 Feeling Mellow 4:13
B1 Face the Music 3:08
B2 Hit And Run Lovers 4:06
B3 A Better Way 3:38
B4 Don’t Give Up On Me Baby 3:03
B5 Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing 4.13

1975’s “Pure Pleasure” found The Dynamic Superiors continuing their collaboration with producers/writers Nicholas Ashford and Valerie Simpson.  Like the debut, Ashford and Simpson wrote nine of the ten songs which meant the group was 100% dependent on the quality of the material being brought to them.  In most cases that spells bad news for non-writing acts and the first couple of times I listened to this set I felt it was very good, but a shade below the debut.  Pulling it out for the first time in a couple of years I’ll tell you I was just plain wrong and their sophomore album was every bit as good as the debut.  Side one was near perfect.  Four great songs with great arrangements, courtesy of Horace Ott, Al Gorgonia and William Eaton, and a series of great performances.

Motown also tapped the album for a pair of singles: -

1975’s ‘Nobody’s Gonna Change Me’ b/w ‘I Got Away’ (Motown catalog number M 1359F)

- 1975’s ‘Deception’ b/w ‘One-Nighter’ (Motown catalog number M 1365F

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The Dynamic Superiors - 1977 - Give and Take

Though it lacked the hit singles of their early work, the disco-oriented Give and Take was the best work the Dynamic Superiors ever did for Motown. 1977’s Give & Take, produced by Brian Holland for Holland-Dozier-Holland Productions, included spirited material along with covers of “Nowhere To Run” and Stevie wonder’s “All In Love Is Fair.”

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

Tracks
A1 Happy Song 6:07
A2 Give It All Up 3:51
A3 Nowhere To Run 9:07
B1 You’re What I Need 4:47
B2 All In Love Is Fair 4:31
B3 All You Can Do With Love 3:33
B4 Here Comes That Feeling Again 4:22
B5 Once Is Just Not Enough 5:03

I decided to search more of The Dynamic Superiors when i heard the beautiful cover of “All In Love Is Fair”, last Sunday morning, on my ipod.  I had those 3 albums in my collection for years and I immediately started ripping them. I think every Soul/Funk lover should have them. They’ve never been released on CD.

So enjoy and tell us your opinion about the group and the albums.

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