SCEPTOR RECORDS - OUT IN THE
STREETS AGAIN: THE SOUL SOUNDS OF SCEPTOR
Rare soul
from the Scepter label – the famous home to the early work of Dionne Warwick
and Burt Bacharach, but a very hip record company with a strong commitment to
underground soul in the 60s! The best of that stretch is presented here – in a
really well-done collection that's filled with obscure tracks that only every
appeared as 45s, including some obscure cuts by bigger names, including a few
that might surprise you! There's also a few blue-eyed soul tracks here too –
titles that might seem a bit surprising on paper, but really fit the groove of
the collection. Titles include "Work Song" by Tommy Hunt,
"Dearly Beloved" by Jack Montgomery, "Just One More Time"
by JJ Barnes, "The Change" by Ernestine Eady, "I'm Stepping Out
Of The Picture" by Johnny Maestro & The Crests, "Out In The
Streets Again" by Candy & The Kisses, "Lost Love" by Irma
& The Fascinators, "Hey Watcha Doin" by Jerry Tiffe,
"Marching" by The Camp, "Groovy Guy" by The Shirelles,
"Tonight's The Night" by Candy & The Kisses, and "Ain't No
Soul Left In These Old Shoes" by Ronnie Milsap. (Colored vinyl
pressing!) ~ Dusty Groove
HARVEY
MANDEL – SNAKE PIT
The cover
makes the record look like one of Harvey Mandel's classic albums from the early
70s – and the sound within is very much in the same spirit too – a noisy,
gritty set that really returns the guitar legend to the brilliance of his
younger career! The set's awash in the kind of fuzzy, freaky sounds that Mandel
could do so well – especially when working with producer Abe Voco Kesh – and
the record's got the same sort of trippy, echoey sound as their early
collaborations – but is maybe even more amazing, given that the whole thing was
recorded live in the studio, without any overdubs or added production tricks!
All tracks are instrumental – and there's a super-sweet combo, the band of
Ryley Walker, that gives Harvey some tasty funk at the bottom – and is perfect
for his guitar that was raised on blues, and schooled in psych. Titles include
"Snake Pit", "Space Monkeys"," Nightingail",
"Buckaroo", "Jackhammer", and a great new take on the Larry
Frazier tune "Before Six". ~ Dusty Groove
JIMI TENOR –
SAXENTRIC
Jimi Tenor
looks shrunken in size on the cover, but that certainly hasn't happened to his
music – which just seems bigger and more expansive on this wonderful release!
The set's still very much in the spiritual jazz mode that Tenor's been touching
for the past decade or so – but it also showcases some of the soulful strands
that have always been in his music, as Jimi finds a way to bring the cosmos
down to earth with some really wonderful tunes that mix up a variety of
different rhythmic and instrumental modes! The lineup shifts a bit on each
track – and includes a great guest appearance from Tony Allen – but most cuts
focus on core energy from Tenor, who not only plays tenor, percussion,
keyboards, flute, moog, and more – but also sings with a style that's
wonderfully soulful, and really holds the whole thing together. We always love
Jimi's music, but this set's got a really special "something extra" –
and a much deeper sound than you'd expect from the cover. Titles include
"Magick Of Choice", "Polygonal", "Peaceful
Maelstrom", "Four Corners Of The Earth", "Cap De
Creus", "Vortex", "My Baby Is Coming", "Ursa
Major", and "Baby Pharoah".
~ Dusty Groove
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