UNDER THE INFLUENCE VOLUME 2-COMPILED BY PAUL PHILLIPS.

dereksmusicblog ♦ October 16, 2012 ♦ 9 Comments

UNDER THE INFLUENCE VOLUME 2-COMPILED BY PAUL PHILLIPS.

It doesn’t seem like a year since Red Greg compiled the first installment in the Under The Influence series. Time it seems, does go far too quickly. During that time, I’ve reviewed many compilations, but Red Greg’s was one of my favorites of 2011. Given how good Red Greg’s choices were, I’d hoped that Red Greg would be compiling the second volume of Under The Influence. Sadly, that isn’t the case. Instead, another prodigious crate-digger is given that honor, Paul Phillips. There is another difference with Under The Influence Volume 2-Compiled By Paul Phillips which was recently released by ZR Records. Whereas Under The Influence Volume 1-Compiled By Red Greg featured Red Greg’s reedits, Under The Influence Volume 2-Compiled By Paul Phillips features just the original tracks. That’s a good and bad thing. Why I hear you ask?

Since reviewing Under The Influence Volume 1-Compiled By Red Greg I’ve come across and reviewed numerous compilations of reedits. Some of these compilations have featured some innovative reedits, that bring something new to the original track. Two of the best by far were Al Kent’s The Best Of Disco Demands and Johnny D’s Johnny D Presents Disco Jamms Volume 1. They were like rays of sunshine and are among my favourite compilations of reedits. However, not all reedits are as good as the ones I’ve mentioned. 

All too often, I come across reedits that absolutely destroy the original song. These aren’t just reedits made by bedroom wannabes. Not at all. Many of these reedits are made by supposedly respected DJs, who make money out of this. Regular readers of this blog will realize that this is something of a bugbear of mine. I make no bones about it though. Sometimes, someone within a record company needs to grow a pair and stop such inferior reedits being released. Now every time I come across a compilation of reedits, I approach it with a sense of trepidation. Especially if it contains some of my favorite songs. Then it almost gets personal. I’m not the only person fed up of inferior reedits. Many record buyers are just as dissatisfied. So, that’s why I say maybe it’s no bad thing that rather than Under The Influence Volume 2-Compiled By Paul Phillips featuring reedits, it just contains the original versions of the twenty-four tracks. However, Red Greg set the bar high with Under The Influence Volume 1-Compiled By Red Greg. Will Under The Influence Volume 2-Compiled By Paul Phillips match the quality of Under The Influence Volume 1-Compiled By Red Greg.That’s what I’ll now tell you, when I pick the highlights of Under The Influence Volume 2-Compiled By Paul Phillips.

DISC ONE.

My first choice from Disc One of Under The Influence Volume 2-Compiled By Paul Phillips is Phylliss Bailey’s Focus, which is a track from her 1978 album Phylliss, released on Americon Records. Produced by Marlo Henderson and featuring string and horns produced by McKinley Jackson it’s a track that straightaway, grabs your attention. With an uber funky rhythm section combining with chiming guitars and piano, blazing horns and sweeping, swirling strings accompany Phylliss’s vocal. It’s powerful and heartfelt, delivered with emotion. Her vocal cascades, always in control, as the arrangement grows in power and drama. When combined with Marlo’s polished, dramatic production, this results in a real hidden gem of a track, one where funk, soul and disco are fused. Why is slipped through the net is something of a mystery? If it had been released on a bigger label, it might have been a huge hit.

Another mystery is State Department’s Slow Love was only ever released as a promo back in 1977. Written, arranged and produced by Van McCoy, it never saw light of day…until now. It’s a track with a contemporary sound, pounding drums, bursts of rasping horns and percussion combining before the vocal enters. The vocal is soulful, accompanied by tight, equally soulful harmonies. Lush strings dance while the rhythm section add drama and the vocal is impassioned. WIth a glorious combination of swirling strings, punchy horns and a powerhouse of a rhythm section driving the arrangement along, it’s a track that’s full of hooks and impossible not to love. One play and you’re smitten.

24 Karat Gold’s New Love is best described as an explosive slice of joyous and uplifting music. Released in 1981, on Desert Bone Records, it’s a post-disco track, where disco and boogie are combined.  As the track opens, a tender vocal is accompanied by a lone piano. Then a curve ball is thrown. Synths, braying horns and a pounding, driving rhythm section accompany a feisty, sassy vocal. Brief bursts of harmonies drift in and out, adding a contrast to the vocal and arrangement. By then, you’ve realised it’s almost impossible to keep still. With the bass helping drive the track along, a mass of blazing horns, harmonies and synths play their part in this joyous, uplifting track.

My last choice from Disc One of Under The Influence Volume 2-Compiled By Paul Phillips, is The New York Disco Orchestra’s It’s True, a track from their 1978 album Reverie. This was the age of the disco orchestra, with The Salsoul Orchestra the finest. Having said that, The New York Disco Orchestra are pretty good. Percussion and hissing hi-hats build up the tension, before punchy harmonies give way to growling horns and lush, swirling strings. Harmonies sweep in, introducing a tender vocal. It grows in power and passion, as harmonies cascade as soul, funk and disco unite as one. Beautiful, dramatic, soulful and dance-floor friendly, this track is all this and more. if only a record company would rerelease The New York Disco Orchestra’s 1978 album Reverie, that would be something to celebrate.

Overall, most of the tracks on Under The Influence Volume 2-Compiled By Paul Phillips by work. After all, I could just as easily have mentioned Jesse Gomez’s Baby I’m Coming At You, Brenda Cuffari’s My Music Says It All, Pike’s Good Feelings or Hearts Of Fire’s slow-burner Let’s Party All Night. However, a couple of tracks don’t quite work, especially Midnight Energy’s Saving All My Love. Released in 1984, it hasn’t aged well. With its combination of drum machines and synths, it’s a track that makes you realise that the eighties weren’t music’s finest hour. The other track that didn’t work for me, was by a group who have two tracks on Under The Influence Volume 2-Compiled By Paul Phillips. This is Freeway and their first contribution Get The Feelin’ has a somewhat derivative sound. Putting it plainly, they sound as if they were huge fans of Pleasure, given the slap bass at the front of the arrangement. Although it isn’t a bad track, it just isn’t new or original. Tony Gregory’s soulful and emotive I ‘m Gonna Break You Down is a good enough track, but seems almost out of place on this compilation. While many of the tracks are much more dance-floor friendly or funky, this seems as if it belongs on another compilation. Apart from these three tracks, there’s some quality soul, funk and disco in-store for listeners on Disc One of Under The Influence Volume 2-Compiled By Paul Phillips. Will the quality continue on Disc Two though?

DISC TWO.

Special Touch’s This Party Is Just For You is a driving slice of funk that was released on Brackett Records. Of the funky cuts on Disc Two of Under The Influence Volume 2-Compiled By Paul Phillips this is one of the best. Stabs of brass, chiming guitars and pounding, funky rhythm section combine with a vocal that’s equal parts soulful, funky and hip hop. Later sizzling, rocky guitars join the pounding bass and keyboards join the rapped vocal. Together, they play their part in making something new and innovative, by fusing elements of soul, funk, rock and hip hop. In doing so, they create a hugely catchy track, that unlike other tracks on Disc Two is innovative.

Wardell Piper’s The Power of Love was the B-side of her 1980 single Gimme Something Real, penned by Ashford and Simpson. This is easily the best track on Disc Two and is three minutes of soulful, funky and dance-floor friendly music. The funky rhythm section and guitars drive the arrangement along, while washes of synths and stabs of keyboards accompany Wardell’s powerful, passionate vocal. Backing vocalists and lush strings accompany her as she delivers one of the best vocals on the compilation. Not only that, but it’s a truly irresistible, hook-laden track. Mind you, it’s arranged and produced by John Davis, so that’s no surprise.

Michelle Lamb’s Natural High was produced by Tommy Stewart. It features a breathy, sensual cascading vocal from Michelle set against an arrangement that’s fast, funky and uplifting. Chiming guitars, keyboards and the rhythm section accompany Michelle’s vocal, while stabs of horns punctuate the arrangement. A pounding, funky rhythm section create the track’s heartbeat, while Michelle’s vocal soars above the arrangement, mixing power and passion. 

My final choice from Disc Two of Under The Influence Volume 2-Compiled By Paul Phillips is The Underground Band’s Time Is Running Out. Straight away, I notice a real similarity to The Blackbyrds’ music. Although slightly derivative, this is good-time funky music. After the shakers and rhythm section drive the tracks along, percussion signals the arrival of what sounds like a party in a studio. Quickly, they get down to business and creating a driving slice of funk. The vocal drops in and out, as keyboards, rhythm section and percussion combine to create a track that although has a rawness, is uber funky and full of energy. However, given the similarities to The Blackbyrds, the track is somewhat derivative.

Having wondered whether Disc Two of Under The Influence Volume 2-Compiled By Paul Phillips would match the quality of Disc One, that isn’t the case. The music on Disc Two just isn’t as good. Disc Two is very much a mixed bag of tracks. There are some quality cuts on Disc Two, but some tracks just don’t work. This is the case with four tracks in particular. Like their contribution to Disc One, Freeway’s Help Yourself is a track that left me cold, given its derivative sound, Ron Richardson’s Ooh Wee Babe is a track that hasn’t aged well. Released in 1983 on T.C.I. Productions, it’s the musical equivalent of an aging film star after one too many facelifts. Again, it’s an example of eighties music not aging well. C.B And Just Us’ Won’t You sounds promising, but doesn’t live up to its early promise. You thing that something special is in store, but sadly, it misses the mark. It seems to loses focus and the plot and after two-minutes. While things improve, it’s a track that could’ve been something special with the right producer. This isn’t helped by the poor sound quality, which really doesn’t do the track any favors. Probably the worst track is The Thompsons’ Message. Much of this is down to the production. Its primitive quality lets the track down with shrill strings and instruments almost dropped in at random.  Making things even worse was the sound quality, which was poor to say the least. These four tracks particularly disappointed, while a couple of other tracks have a slightly derivative sound.

Paul Phillips had a lot to live up to after the quality of music on Under The Influence Volume 1-Compiled By Red Greg. Sadly, his choices didn’t rival Red Greg’s. Maybe Under The Influence Volume 2-Compiled By Paul Phillips shouldn’t have been a double-album. Instead, there was more than enough quality music for a single disc chock full of great tracks. Having stretched it out to a double album, the quality suffered. Of the twenty-four tracks, fourteen or fifteen worked. The rest were a pretty mixed bag. What was especially disappointing was the sound quality on several tracks. While these were rare tracks, either white labels or promos, the quality of sound let things down. Having looked forward to reviewing Under The Influence Volume 1-Compiled By Red Greg, I’ve found it a somewhat disappointing compilation. If there’s a third volume in the Under The Influence series, then I for one would think very carefully before buying it, unless of course it sees a return of Red Greg rides to the rescue. Standout Tracks: Phylliss Bailey Focus, State Department Slow Love, The New York Disco Orchestra It’s True and Wardell Piper The Power of Love.

UNDER THE INFLUENCE VOLUME 2-COMPILED BY PAUL PHILLIPS.