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The Ikettes - Can’t Sit Down - Kent CDKEND 276 

A reissue of sorts from Kent. This CD was originally released by Kent as ‘Fine Fine Fine’, however, this version is re-mastered, has improved and updated liner notes, and six previously unreleased, or alternate takes that weren’t on the original CD. In addition it actually has a photograph of the ‘right’ Ikettes on the cover ! Storming Sixties Soul all the way through with the vast majority being uptempo dancers that would not be out of place on the dance floor of any Northern venue. 

Can’t Sit Down Cos I Feel So Good / Fine Fine Fine / Don’t Feel Sorry For Me / Through With You / You Can’t Have Your Cake And Eat It Too / I’m So Thankful / You’re Trying To Make Me Lose My Mind / Cheater / Sally Go Round The Roses / Blue With A Broken Heart Aka Blue On Blue / Peaches ‘N’ Cream / I’m Leaving You / (Never More) Lonely For You / The Biggest Players / Camel Walk / Give Me A Chance (Try  Me) / Not That I Recall / How Come / Your Love Is Mine / You’re Still My Baby / Nobody Leaves Me / It’s Been So Long / The Loco-Motion / Sha La La / Do Door On Ron / (Never More) Lonely For You (Alt) / Camel Walk (Alt)

Marvin Gaye - In Our Lifetime - Motown (Hip-O-Select)  B000808202

Marvin Gaye’s last recording for Motown, and the one which allegedly finished the relationship. The story that unfolds is that Marvin Gaye spent months recording and re-recording these tracks, the first set of tracks provided to Motown were unacceptable. So marvin set about re-recording them, and submitted them again. Although Motown accepted them, overall they were too long to fit on analbum. So Motown, without referring back to Marvin Gaye edited and remixed the tracks into the album that was released. This so incensed Marvin Gaye that he never recorded for the label again. Here, on this limited edition double CD you have not only the original released version, but also the unreleased longer version of all the tracks, a series of previously unreleased recordings, ranging from alternate versions to complete, previously unreleased tracks by Marvin Gaye. Overall, quite a significant release if you are a Marvin Gaye fan. 

Disc 1

Praise / Life Is For Learning / Love Party / Funk Me / Far Cry / Love Me Now Or Love Me Later / Heavy Love Affair / In Our Lifetime / Nuclear Juice / Ego Tripping Out / Far Cry (Alt) 

Disc 2

Praise (Alt) / Life Is For Learning (Alt) / Heavy Love Affair (Alt) / Love Me Now Or Love Me Later (Alt) / Ego Tripping Out / Funk Me (Alt) / In Our Lifetime (Alt) / Love Party (Alt) / Life’s A Game Of Give And Take / Life Is Now In Session / I Offer You Nothing But Love / Just Because You’re So Pretty / Dance ‘N’ Be Happy / Funk Me Funk Me Funk Me / A Lover’s Plea

Various Artists - East Coast Soul Connection - Castle CMEDD 1502

A double CD compiled by Glenn Gunton that travels a journey up and down the East coast of America in the late Sixties and early to mid Seventies. Nearly all the tracks are dancers, and many have seen action on the Northern scene. The labels featured cover virtually every one that Castle, as part of the huge Sanctury Group have access to, and although some of the tracks are being compiled for the umpteenth time, there are a whole host of tracks that are new to CD, so that makes this worth searching for. 

Disc 1
Benny Johnson - Baby I Love You / The Moments - My Thing / Velvet - It’s The Right Thing To Do / Odds & Ends - Love Makes The World Go Round / The Philly Ambassadors - Girl (Love Everything About You) / Reggie Sadler Revue - So Long Little Sweet Girl / Crown Heights Affair - Love Me / The Kay-Gees - Be Real / George Kerr - Takin’ It (To The Max) / Black Ivory - Surrender / Street People - Never Get Enough Of Your Love / Continental 4 - The Way I Love You Baby / The Whatnauts - I Dig Your Act / Larry Saunders - Sweet Sweet Lady / Bunny Sigler - Take A Little Time (To Know Her) / Tommy Keith - Loving You Comes Easy / Barbara Jean English - He Knows My Key (Is Always In The Mailbox) / Charen Cotton - A Little Bit Of Love / De-Lite-Ful - Forget That Girl / First Class - Me And My Gemini / Chicago Gangsters - I Choose You  

Disc 2
The Carstairs - It Really Hurts Me Girl / Brother To Brother - In The Bottle / The Escorts - All We Need Is Another Chance / Black Ivory - One Way Ticket To Loveland / Patrick Adams Initiative /- Kings And Queens / The Kay-Gees - My Favourite Song / Velvet - Bet You If You Ask Around / Janice Saddler & Jammers - My Baby’s Coming Home To Saty / Benny Troy - I Wanna Give You Tomorrow / Chuck Jackson - Needing You Wanting You / The Moments - Dolly My Love / Continental 4 - Heaven Must Have Sent You / Otis Smith - Let Her Go / Lonnie Youngblood - Sweet Sweet Tootie / Felton Burkes - I’ll Always Love You / Appointments & Others - Keep Away / Hank Sample - So In Love With You / Street People - Some Day We’ll Be Together / Derek Martin - How Can I Get Away / Darryl Carter - Crying

Barbara & The Browns - Can’t Find Happiness - Kent CDKEND 278

I must admit with my liking for male vocal groups I tend to overlook a lot of recordings by female groups. My loss, I understand that, and when I do find something good it tends to stop me in my tracks and make me wonder how could I have missed something this good. That’s pretty much what this whole CD did ! Searing, aching, heart wrenching Southern Soul, with a lead vocal by Barbara Brown that stands out a mile as superb. In fact, although these tracks are all credited to Barbara and The Browns they might as well be solo performances because Barbara’s sisters only provide back up duties on almost every track. As with nearly all Kent CDs, the obligatory previously unreleased tracks are here in abundance, and excellent liner notes from Dean Rudland tell the story nicely. I have to say that Kent have hit a real purple patch recently, everything they release has been great !

Can’t Find No Happiness / It Hurts Me So Much (To Be Able To Look And Know I Can’t Touch) / If I Can’t Run To You I’ll Crawl / I Don’t Want To Have To Wait / Pity A Fool / Big Party / Plenty Of Room / I’m Gonna Start A War / You Don’t Love Me / Watch Dog / Man Around The House / Got To Be Somebody / Things Have Gone To Pieces / Play Thing / Great Big Thing Aka Till You Came / There’s A Look On Your Face / If It’s Good To You (It’s Good For You) / Watch Dog (Alt) / It Hurts Me So Much (To Be Able To Look And Know I Can’t Touch) (Alt)

 J J Barnes & Debbie Taylor - Soul Twins Vol 1 - Castle CMOCD1501 

Not duets as you might imagine from the title, but J J’s ‘Born Again’ album on Perception, and Debbie’s ‘Comin’ Down On You’ album on Today (Plus three Black Ivory tracks). The connection between all three artists is that the tracks were all produced by Patrick Adams, which accounts for the three versions of ‘No If’s And’s or But’s’. Coming from the early Seventies the tracks range (From all the artists) from ballads to mid-tempo, to what can only be described as Modern Soul as the term was used in the late Seventies in the UK. Does that make sense ? Excellently packaged with Glenn Gunton showing off his skills as a designed again, this is actually a re-packaging of a previous release by Sanctuary, but still worthwhile in my opinion. 

J J Barnes - Can’t See Me Leaving You / Time Is Love / Good Men Don’t Grow On Trees/ You Are Just A Living Doll / Wishful Thinking / You Owe It To Yourself Part 1 / You Owe It To Yourself Part 2 / No If’s And’s Or But’s / I Just Make Believe (I’m Touching You) / Debbie Taylor - No If’s And’s Or But’s /  I Just Make Believe (I’m Touching You) / Too Sad To Tell / Second To None / Romance Without Finance / Leaving Him Tomorrow / No Deposit No Return / Eye Doctor / Jeramiah / Black Ivory - Time Is Love / No If’s And’s Or But’s / Wishful Thinking