Category Archives: Funk
PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL RECORDS-THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY BOX SET.
PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL RECORDS-THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY BOX SET. One of the most eagerly awaited and much anticipated box sets finally hits the shops on 21st May 2012. In case anyone doesn’t realize what I’m talking about, this is the Philadelphia International Records-The 40th Anniversary Box Set, a mammoth ten disc box set, released by Harmless Records …
NONA HENDRYX-NONA.
NONA HENDRYX-NONA. After recently reviewing the ZE Records Story 1979-2009, which featured Bustin’ Out by Material featuring Nona Hendryx, one of the highlights of the compilation, I decided that I’d review Nona’s 1983 album Nona, released on RCA. This was Nona’s second album since leaving Labelle, an all-girl group which featured Patti La Belle, Sarah …
THE STAPLE SINGERS-TURNING POINT.
THE STAPLE SINGERS-TURNING POINT. The last time I reviewed an album by The Staple Singers was their 1972 album, Be Altitude: Respect Yourself, their most successful album, which included I’ll Take You There. It reached number one in both the US Billboard 100 and US R&B Charts, giving them their second US R&B number one …
LINDA LEWIS-A TEAR AND A SMILE.
LINDA LEWIS-A TEAR AND A SMILE. Twelve years after the release of her debut album Say No More released on Reprise in 1971, Linda Lewis was preparing to record her eighth studio album A Tear and A Smile, which will be rereleased on 2nd April 2012 by BBR Records. This would be Linda’s first album …
CHERYL LYNN-IN THE NIGHT.
CHERYL LYNN-IN THE NIGHT. Although many people will remember Cheryl Lynn for her debut single Got To Be Real, a real disco classic, which reached number one in the US R&B Charts in 1978, there’s much more to Cheryl’s career than just one song. Quite the opposite, Cheryl’s career has spanned five decades, releasing nine …
BRYAN LOREN-BRYAN LOREN.
BRYAN LOREN-BRYAN LOREN. Bryan Loren, whose eponymous debut album Bryan Loren was rereleased on 26 March 2012 on BBR Records, is much more than a singer, he’s also a talented multi-instrumentalist, arranger, producer and songwriter. Some people would call Bryan a prodigy, learning and mastering various instruments, and then writing songs while still in his …
LATIN CONCRETE: A MODERN LATIN RHYTHM SUITE-MIXED AND COMPILED BY CHRIS READ.
LATIN CONCRETE: A MODERN LATIN RHYTHM SUITE-MIXED AND COMPILED BY CHRIS READ. So far this year, BBE Music have continued their policy of releasing an eclectic selection of quality music, starting with Al Kent’s The Best of DIsco Demands, a five disc box set crammed full of disco delights. This was followed by the classic …
THE DEFINITIVE SALSOUL MIXES.
THE DEFINITIVE SALSOUL MIXES. For some time, I’ve been meaning to write about one of my favorite, and without doubt, one of the greatest labels of the disco era, Salsoul Records. They were one of the most influential and innovative disco labels, releasing over three-hundred tracks between 1974 and 1985. Along with Casablanca, SAM, Prelude, …
LOOSE ENDS-SO WHERE ARE YOU?
LOOSE ENDS-SO WHERE ARE YOU? Having released their debut album A Little Spice in 1984, which had reached number forty-six in the UK, Loose Ends were ready to record their second album, which would become So Where Are You?, which was rereleased by Soul.Music.com in December 2011. Little did they realize then, that 1985 would …
LOOSE ENDS-A LITTLE SPICE.
LOOSE ENDS-A LITTLE SPICE. After Carl McIntosh, Jane Eugene and Steve Nichol founded Loose Ends in 1981, the group went on to record five albums between 1984 and 1990. During this time, they also released nearly twenty singles, two of which Hanging On A String(Contemplating) in 1985 and Slow Down in 1986 reached number one …
CASHMERE-LET THE MUSIC TURN YOU ON.
CASHMERE-LET THE MUSIC TURN YOU ON. Back in 1983, Cashmere released their debut album Let the Music Turn You On, on Philly Groove Records. The album went on to become a boogie classic, featuring the singles Do It Anyway You Wanna and Try Your Lovin.’ Featuring lead vocalist Dwight Dukes whose voice has an uncanny …
DEXTER WANSEL-CAPTURED.
DEXTER WANSEL-CAPTURED. After releasing a quartet of albums on Philadelphia International Records, where Dexter Wansel was a pivotal figure in the label’s success, Dexter left Philadelphia International, signing for 10 Records, where he’d release Captured in 1986. This was Dexter’s first album since Time Is Slipping Away in 1979 and only his fifth solo album …
THE POINTER SISTERS-ENERGY.
THE POINTER SISTERS-ENERGY. All too often, when a group lose one of their members, this can prove fatal, resulting in their career being over. Often, if somehow the group survive, then their music is never the same again. Obviously, there are exceptions to this rule, with The O’Jays, Rolling Stones and Temptations all having successful …
ELBOW BONES AND THE RACKETEERS-NEW YORK AT DAWN.
ELBOW BONES AND THE RACKETEERS-NEW YORK AT DAWN. Back in 1983, when Elbow Bones and The Racketeers released their debut single A Night In Yew York it sounded like the soundtrack for a forties nightclub, with its big band sound given a contemporary eighties twist. You could imagine the smokey atmosphere where movie stars, hustlers …
CERRONE-LOVE IN C MINOR.
CERRONE-LOVE IN C MINOR. Recently, I wrote about Cerrone’s second album Cerrone’s Paradise, released in 1977. The album that inadvertently started Marc Cerrone’s solo career was Love In C Minor, released the year before, in 1976. After this, Marc Cerrone would go on to become one of the biggest selling artists of the disco era, …
JOHN MORALES THE M AND M MIXES VOLUME 2.
JOHN MORALES THE M AND M MIXES VOLUME 2. One compilation I was really excited about last year, was John Morales The M and M Mixes Volume 2, released in March 2011 by BBE Music. Here was double album featuring eighteen previously unreleased mixes from John Morales that had never been released before. Previously, the …
LINDA LEWIS-SAY NO MORE.
LINDA LEWIS-SAY NO MORE. When Linda Lewis released her debut album Say No More for Reprise in 1971, many people were wowed by Linda’s ability to seamlessly combine musical genres. Whether folk or funk, or rock and soul, Linda was equally comfortable and accomplished. Using her five octave vocal range, something few singers are blessed …
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