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Various Artists – Motown Floorshakers – Spectrum XX2084

Contours - Just A Little Misunderstanding / Edwin Starr - My Weakness Is You / Kim Weston - I'm Gonna Make It Up To You / Martha Reeves & The Vandellas - One Way Out / Martha Reeves & The Vandellas - Show Me The Way / Temptations - I Want A Love I Can See / Reuben Howell - You Can't Stop A Man In Love / Barbara Mcnair - Baby A Go – Go / Diana Ross - Something On My Mind / Earl Van Dyke & The Soul Brothers - Nowhere To Run / Four Tops - Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over) / Four Tops - Gotta Say It, Gonna Tell It Like It Is / Marvin Gaye - This Love Starved Heart Of Mine (It's Killing Me) / Marvin Gaye - Ain't No Mountain High Enough / Marvin Gaye - Lucky Lucky Me / Mary Wells - Shop Around / O.C. Smith - I'm Glad I Fell In Love With You / Supremes - Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart / Tammi Terrell - That's How It Is (Since You've Been Gone) / Thelma Houston - Nothing Left To Give / Odyssey & Rotary Connection - Battend Ships Of Black Gold / Edwin Starr - Stop Her On The Sight (S.O.S.) / Frank Wilson - 'Til You Were Gone / Gladys Knight & The Pips - Here Are The Pieces Of My Broken Heart / Jr. Walker & The All Stars - Tune Up / Shorty Long - Out To Get You / Brenda Holloway - Think It Over (Before You Break My Heart) / Brenda Holloway - When I'm Gone / Gino Parks - For This I Thank You / Hattie Littles - Love Trouble Heartache & Misery / Isley Brothers - My Love Is Your Love (Forever) / Kim Weston - I'm Still Loving You / Marvelettes - I'll Keep Holding On / Smokey Robinson - Whole Lot Of Shakin' In My Heart (Since I Met You) / Stevie Wonder - Nothing's Too Good For My Baby / Chris Clark - Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) / Dalton Boys - I've Been Cheated / Hearts Of Stone - If I Could Give You The World / Velvelettes - Lonely, Lonely Girl Am I / Velvelettes - These Things Will Keep Me Loving You

A double CD compiled by the inimitable Jo Wallace. You’re probably thinking the same as I do so often; Do we really need another Motown compilation ? Well in this case yes. Jo has managed to compile a wonderful mixture of well known singles, obscure album tracks, and some of the best previously unreleased tracks, and there are several that are new to Cd for the first time as well ! As a whole it works well, and is a joy to listen to. Let’s face it, we all to some extent grew up listening to ‘The Motown Sound’. This CD showcases the very best of that period when Motown was recording music on a daily basis that has been the soundtrack to my life for the past forty years. Go out and buy it now, that way, Jo will get the chance to compile more CDs for us !

Various Artists – Manhattan Soul – Volume 2 – Kent CDKEND 379

Tracks: Lois Lane - No Jealous Lover / Joe Perkins - Runaway Slave / Nella Dodds - I Just Gotta Have You / Jimmy Radcliffe - Deep In The Heart Of Harlem / Masqueraders - I Don't Want Nobody To Lead Me On / Lou Lawton - Knick Knack, Patti Whack / Tommy Hunt - New Neighbourhood / Shep Grant - You Found My Lonely Heart A Home / Sylvia Jenkins - It's Gonna Be Alright / Porgy & The Monarchs - That Girl / Something New - You Babe / Roscoe Robinson - Lonesome Guy / Soul Brothers - The Parade Of Broken Hearts / Willie Hatcher - Who Am I Without You Baby / Billy T Soul - Call On Billy / Catalinas - Who Knows Better / Benny Gordon & The Soul Brothers - Horsin' Around / Big Maybelle - How Do You Feel Now / Chris Bartley - A Man, A Woman / Inspirations - Kiss And Make Up / Jerry Tiffe - Hey Whatcha Doin / Ed Bruce - I'm Gonna Have A Party / Irma & The Fascinators - Lost Love / Freddie Hughes - I Gotta Keep My Bluff In

Following on swiftly from the first volume, this is just as good. Classy, orchestrated big city soul. From the dancers to the gut wrenching ballads it’s all good ! What can I say that does justice to this CD ? Some of the finest exponents of Soul music, putting in some of their finest performances. You can just see the guys on the stage now, looking sharp in a silver suit, and charming the birds from the trees, and the ladies in the audience as well of course. Whilst the girls have their best ball gowns on, and sing as sweetly as the very same birds in the trees. Oh, enough of the verbosity from me, just buy the damn CD !

Various Artists – King Northern Soul Volume 3 – Kent CDKEND 381

Tracks: Willie Hatcher - Who's Got A Woman Like Mine / Toni Williams - Tearing Down My Mind / Freddie Williams - Name In Lights / Charles Spurling - Popcorn Charlie / James Duncan - Please, Johnny, Don't You Take My Life / Mike Williams - Something You Didn't Done / Robert Moore - Searching For Your Love / Dan Brantley - You Got To Prove It / L.H. & The Memphis Sounds - Out Of Control / Brownettes - Baby, Don't You Know / William Patton - It Hurts Me / Lord Thunder - Thunder / Hal Hardy With The Billy Cox Band - House Of Broken Hearts / Presidents Band - Our Meeting / Royal Flush - Mama's Baby / Mary Johnson - You Have My Blessings / Oscar Toney Jr - Keep On Loving Me / Little Willie John - Until Again My Love / Otis Williams & His Charms - When We Get Together / Charles Spurling - That's My Zone (He's Pickin' On ) / Marva Whitney - Unwind Yourself / Dave & Vee - Do You Love Me / Mill Evans - Right Now / Hank Ballard - I'm Just A Fool (And Everybody Knows)

It’s very rare that I’m critical of a Kent CD, mostly because they are compiled with enthusiasm by people who love the music as much as I do. I just get the feeling that this, the third volume in the series is just one too many. To me it feels like there were two great CDs and just about enough left over for a third. However, that’s only my view, and you may find this collection of dancers, beat ballads, R & B, and a couple of oddities is right up your street, so don’t dismiss it without giving it a chance.

Darrow Fletcher - Crossover Soul 1975-1979 – The Los Angeles Sessions – Kent CDKEND 382

Tracks: (What Are We Gonna Do About) This Mess / How Can You Live Without Love / (People Are Not) Wind Up Toys / Improve / Together / Election Day / It's No Mistake / Let's Get Together / We've Got To Get An Understanding / Sunny / (And A) Love Song / This Time (I'll Be The Fool) / Honey Can I / (Love Is My) Secret Weapon / The Rising Cost Of Love / Try Something New / Fever

Three released singles, both sides of each, two on the Crossover label and one on Atlantic, and a completely unreleased album recorded for Crossover. Combine that with the usual high standard of Kent liner notes / booklet and you have yet another sure fire winner. I know that there is also a CD of Darrow’s Sixties recordings due, and I’m just a little puzzled as to why the Seventies recordings have been released first.

George Jackson - Let The Best Man Win – The Fame Recordings Volume 2 – Kent CDKEND 380

Tracks: Hold That Feeling / My Nerves Fail / Ain't That Some Good Lovin / I'm Living Good / Darkest Hour Is Before Dawn / Your Love Lifted Me / Soul Lovin' / Love Came Knocking At Your Door / It's Not Safe To Mess On Me / Pollution / You Got A Lot To Like / Victim Of A Foolish Heart / Mini Skirt Minnie / Get It When I Want It / Forbidden Love / I'm Just A Prisoner / I Lived  Through A Losing Battle / Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right / I Bit Off More Than I Can Chew / Let Me Comfort You / Looking For Some Action / Save Me / Hit & Run / Let The Best Man Win

For a guy who only had a couple of singles released by Fame, geiorge Jackson did a hell of a lot of recording at the studios! This is the second CD his Fame recordings, and whilst some are clearly unfinished demos of songs, the vast majority stand up as almost perfect Southern Soul. It’s amazing that recordings of the calibre were being made, and then just filed away, only for the nice people at Kent to re-discover them forty years on. Great stuff.

The Charmels / Jeanne & The Darlings – We’re The Soul Girls! The Complete Volt Recordings – CDLUX 009

Charmels - Something Sweet About My Baby / Charmels - As Long As I've Got You / Charmels - A-Tisket, A-Tasket / Charmels - Let's Exchange Hearts / Charmels - I've Done It Again / Charmels - Oo-Oh A-A-A-H / Charmels - I'll Gladly Take You Back / Charmels - Loving Material / Charmels - Peace Maker / Charmels - Please Uncle Sam (Send Back My Man) / Charmels - Someone Made You For Me / Charmels - Baby Come And Get It / Charmels - Baby Hurry / Charmels - Sea Shell / Charmels - You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling / Jeanne And The Darlings - Standing In The Need Of Your Love / Jeanne And The Darlings - What Will Later On Be Like / Jeanne And The Darlings - I'm In Love With You / Jeanne And The Darlings – Changes / Jeanne And The Darlings - What's Gonna Happen To Me / Jeanne And The Darlings - Soul Girl / Jeanne And The Darlings - That Man Of Mine / Jeanne And The Darlings - How Can You Mistreat The One You Love / Jeanne And The Darlings - It's Unbelievable (How You Control My Soul) / Jeanne And The Darlings - I Like What You're Doing To Me / Jeanne And The Darlings - It's Time To Pay For The Fun (We've Had) / Jeanne And The Darlings - Hang Me Now / Jeanne And The Darlings - Let Them See In Me / Jeanne And The Darlings - Singing About Love

So you take two of the girl groups that recorded, to be honest, with little success, for the Volt label, and then add in all their previously unreleased recordings for the label, and what have you got ? Well, you’ve actually got a very good CD, that shows off the girl group sound to perfection, but with that added Stax / Volt / Memphis twist to it. Proper Soul music, albeit on the poppier end, songs of love, happiness, rejection and unrequited love, and in the case of the Charmels’ ‘Please Uncle Sam(Send Back My man) political comment as well ! Another great addition to the collection.

Various Artists – Hard To Handle: Black America Sings Otis Redding – Ace CDCHD 1352

James & Bobby Purify - Keep Pushing Me / Arthur Conley - A Year, A Month And A Day / Etta James - I Got The Will / The Staple Singers - (Sittin' On The) Dock Of The Bay / Donald Height - Good To Me / Mickey Murray - Shout Bamalama / Patti Drew - Hard To Handle / Otis Redding - Loving By The Pound (Take 2) / Tina Britt - Hawg For You / Arthur Conley - Wholesale Love / Clarence Carter - Just One More Day / Bettye Swann - Chained And Bound / James Carr - I Can't Turn You Loose / Mitty Collier - I'm Missing You / Buddy Miles - Give Away None Of My Love / Percy Sledge - I've Got Dreams To Remember / Aretha Franklin - Respect / Irma Thomas - Security / King Floyd - Think About It / Maxine Brown - Baby Cakes / William Bell - I've Been  Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now) / Judy Clay - Sister Pitiful / Albert Washington & The Kings - These Arms Of Mine / Lou Rawls - Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa (Sad Song) / Jackie Hairston - Monkey On My Back

Here’s a different look at Otis Redding! Instead of just recycling his own performances, those clever people at Ace have recognised that he was quite a gifted song writer in his own right. So they have compiled a whole CD of Otis Redding compositions. But being those clever people at Ace, they have not picked the obvious covers of his songs. There are A sides, B sides, unreleased tracks from Chess and Atco, LP tracks, and even what appears to be a CD only release from Percy Sledge. There are some superb performances here as well, not least the on track by Otis himself, the different take on ‘Loving My The Pound’. Another one you should go out and buy straight away.

Various Artists - Lost Soul Gems From The Sounds Of Memphis - XL Records - Kent 378 CDKEND 378

Tracks: Barbara & The Browns - So Cruel / Barbara & The Browns - I Don't Want To Have To Wait / Billy Cee & The Freedom  Express - Save My Love / Carl Sims - Pity A Fool / Caroll Lloyd - I Can't Fight It No Longer / Dan Greer - I Don't Want No One Way Love / Demetrius (Dee Harvey) - Make It Easy On Yourself / Erma Shaw - Mr Candyman / Fran Farley - Stop Boy / George Jackson - Things Are Gettin' Better / George Jackson And Linda Lucchesi - It's Hard To Say No / Jacksonians - Vehicle / Louis Williams - Stars Are Out Tonight / Marjorie Ingram - Take A Look At Another Fool / Otis Wheat - Tennessee Waltz / Rudolph  Taylor - What's That You Got / Rudolph Taylor - Big City Lights / Takelia Kelly - When I Look Inside / Vision - Play The Game (Version 2) / Vision - Play The Game (Pt 2) / William Bollinger - Your Arms Around Him / William Bollinger - Teardrops

Just when Kent thought they had completely cleaned out the Sounds Of Memphis and XL tapes they got a call saying a whole bunch more had been found, and they were all previously unreleased, and in perfect condition. So, this CD represents the first of the new finds. ‘70s Soul at it’s sophisticated best, and don’t get me wrong, although some are dancers, they are not necessarily Disco, this is Soul music.

The Spinners – Truly Yours – Their First Motown Album With Bonus Tracks, 1963-1968 – Kent CDTOP370

That's What Girls Are Made For / I'll Always Love You / Truly Yours / For All We Know / It Hurts To Be In Love / Tomorrow May Never Come / Sweet Thing / I Cross My Heart / Where Is That Girl / Like A Good Man Should / How Can I / I Just Can't Help But Feel The Pain / Darling / Words Can't Describe / 12 O'Clock / Lonely Tomorrow / I Want My Baby Back / Nobody Else But You / Just Another Guy / This Feeling In My Heart / Memories Of Her Love (Keep Haunting Me) / What More Could A Boy Ask For / Head Over Heels In Love With You Baby / Too Late I Learned / Tea House In China Town / We're Gonna Be More Than Friends

I can’t think of another company that could produce such a complete package on one CD. Even the best that Motown come up with don’t match Ace / Kent records. This is truly a magnificent release. All of the first album by The Spinners, plus an additional fourteen tracks, of which an amazing ten are previously unreleased. The CD booklet is well up to the usual standard, and contains probably the definitive essay on the group based on a new interview with Bobby Smith. So, if you have ever enjoyed listening to just one of The Spinner’s Motown recordings, this CD is in the ‘must buy’ category !

Various Artists – The Detroit Funk Vaults – BGP CDBGPD 251

Barrino Brothers - The Bad Things (You Said To Me) / Barrino Brothers - I'll Take My Flowers Right Now / Billy Garner Band - Brand New Girl (Instrumental) / Bolton Brothers - Native Rhythm / Charmaine - Mister Superstar / Chico & Buddy - A Thing Called The Jones / Chico & Buddy - Let's Have A Ball / Chico & Buddy - You Won't Miss The Water / Dave Hamilton - Ghetto Stride / Dave Hamilton - Party Time / Deacons - A Drop In The Bucket / Future Kind - Simon Says / Jackie Dee – Who / James Carpenter - (Marriage Is Only) A State Of Mind / Little Ann – Possession / O.C. Tolbert - Love Bandit / O.C. Tolbert - Hard Times / Peppers - Bringing It Down / Prophet & His Disciples - You Fool, You Fool Part 1 / Prophet & His Disciples - You Fool, You Fool Part 2 / Tokays - Clap Your Hands / Webb People - I'm Sending Vibrations

OK, I’m familiar with most of the names, but only a couple of the tracks (And that’s only because they have been released previously on Kent CDs !) Overall though, this is Funk, with a Jazz tinge, simply because Dave Hamilton, under whose patronage all these tracks were recorded, was a Jazz musician at heart. Don’t get me wrong, there are out and out Funk dancers, with a bass line that just blasts out of the speakers, but there are also slightly more sophisticated tunes that heralded the birth of Jazz Funk in many ways. Many of the tracks are previously unreleased, (which goes a long way to explaining why I didn’t know them !!), and there are some horrendously rare singles on show here as well. Perhaps not my first choice of listening, but certainly worth more than one play through.

Various Artists - King New Breed R & B Volume 2 - Kent CDKEND373

Love Man - Hal Hardy / I'm Tore Down - Freddy King / When You Move, You Lose - Lee "Shot" Williams / Send Me A Picture, Baby - Mel Williams / Let's Have A Good Time - The Hi Tones / Two Hearts - The King Pins / All Around The World - Little Willie John / You're Gonna Drive Me Crazy - Dolph Prince / Why Oh Why - Guitar Crusher / It Hurts Inside - The "5" Royales / Slooptime Usa - Bobby & The Expressions / Stop Talking To Your Child (Mother-In-Law) - James Duncan / Geneva - Eugene Church / Why Did We Have To Part - Herb Hardesty And His Band - Vocal By Walter "Papoose" Nelson / Gangster Of Love - Johnny "Guitar" Watson / I'm A Cool Teenager - El Pauling & The Royalton / Wild Child - Donnie Elbert / I'm So In Love - Lee Williams & The Moonrays / You'd Better Come Home - The Five Fabulous Demons / I Promise You (I Won't Mention Your Name) - Billy Conn / Say Hey Pretty Baby - Lula Reed & Her Little Teeners W Sonny Thompson & Orch / Your Letter - Willie Wright & His Sparklers / Let Me Walk With You - Eddie Kirk / What Makes You So Tough - Teddy Humphries

I was really surprised to find that it had been ten years since the first volume of King New Breed R & B, but it has, and although I love this genre of music, it shows how inadequate my knowledge is in that I think I only knew two or three of these tracks before this CD. Ranging across the King, Federal, Hollywood, and Deluxe labels, this collection starts out in the mid Fifties through to the mid Sixties, and is packed full of great tunes. And in the same way that a couple of the tracks on the first volume ended up being pressed on vinyl due to demand I can see several tracks from this CD going the same way. If you like your R & B, buy this CD, you won’t like all the tracks, but you’ll love some, so that makes it a well worthwhile purchase.

Various Artists - Hall Of Fame: Rare And Unissued Gems From The Fame Vaults - Kent  CDKEND372

You're So Fine - James Barnett / I Worship The Ground You Walk On - Jimmy Hughes / I Do - June Conquest / Blind Can't See - Richard Earl & The Corvettes / Tell It Like It Is - Big Ben Atkins / Almost Persuaded - Jackie / When It Comes To Dancing - Joe Simon / It Ain't No Harm - George Byrd & The Dominoes / Keep On Talking - Prince Phillip / I Need Someone - The Entertainers / Hand Shakin' - Ben & Spence / Meet Me Tonight - James Gilreath / Tell Daddy - Clarence Carter / You Really Know How To Hurt A Guy - Ralph "Soul" Jackson / Steal Away '67 Part 1 - Jimmy Hughes / I'm Qualified - Otis Clay / In The Heat Of Love - Marjorie Ingram / Love Changes A Man -  Unknown / Too Weak To Fight - Clarence Carter / Your Helping Hand - Otis Clay / Two Big Legs And A Short Red Dress - O.B. Mcclinton / Baby Come Back - Bobby Moore & The Rhythm Aces / Let's Do It Over - Travis Wammack / For You - George Jackson

Apparently this is the first of a series of CDs of previously unreleased things from the Fame vaults (Just how much stuff did they record and never release ?), consequently all the tracks (Even the three that did see a release) are new to me. The whole mix is here they, uptempo, midtempo, dancers, Deep, and classy Southern Soul in abundance.. Very much like the New Breed R & B CD, if you like the Southern Soul genre, buy this, you will find something you love.