Caston And Majors - Caston And Majors - 1974 - Motown

This is a FANTASTIC album which was sadly overlooked at the time. Mainly, I think, as it was simply different, a step to the left for many, and I think it would be fair to say that Motown did not have a clue how to promote such a ground-breaking album. For me, given the right exposure today the album could become quite a cult favourite. However, those that did did indulge their time in the album were soon to realise what genius this set was. Indeed, I have not found anyone EVER who has not loved this set when I have played it to them. My ex-sister-in-law is, I fear, a product of the R&B/Hip-Hop generation but even her ears pricked up when she heard this LP. Again, my 7 year old daughter adores it and I have to keep it playing if she is in the vicinity! This LP is essentially a Gospel set produced, arranged and sung by Leonard Caston, a multi-talented musician and producer and veteran writer, producer and musician of the great Chess label, and he is joined by his wife Carolyn as well as Syreeta, on a set of tunes that are in a class of their own. This was, after all, the time of 'Godspell' and the album fits in nicely with this genre. The most well-known of all the tracks, “Child Of Love”, was a classic then and it remains a classic now. Fans of Eddie Kendricks solo work will already appreciate Caston's unique production style. If you love songs such as “Keep On Truckin'”, “Boogie Down”, “Then Came You” and “I Want To Live My Life With You” or “I Can't Quit Your Love” (check out the killer version by the Four Tops!) then you will know what to expect from this epic LP. “Child Of Love” rates as one of my all-time favourites.

The following song, “There's Fear”, is a very dramatic, almost operatic effort and one can easily see where the likes of Meatloaf (who was on Motown's Morocco roster at the time) got their ideas from! The excellent “Satisfied Mind (Sing)” is a more straight-ahead soulful pop effort, the song in two parts segueing into a righteous stomper. The song “Let There Be Love” is very much in the spirit of the Book of Genesis – if you're into that sort of thing – and is excellent as it builds up into a soulful crescendo. You have probably heard “I'll Keep A Light In My Window” before. The Temptations covered it admirably on their awesome “Truly For You” set back in 1984 and Smokey Robinson updated it again in 1994 on the “Motown Comes Home” set. Here is the rollicking original version which is, for me, the best. Lovers of Kendricks' later Motown years will appreciate this, the definitive version. “No One Will Know”, contains a great Norman Whitfield-styled groove complete with bass line and strings; the vocals too are of the same quality as throughout the album. “Everything Is Alright Now” is a crackin' tune and more akin to the Motown sound of the very early 70s. Indeed, legendary bassist James Jamerson appears, as does a young man called Jay Graydon! If you do not know this album, then I implore you to seek it out and try it. For some it may be an acquired taste but I can assure you that it is a superb album, something different and wholly unique. Motown should be credited for releasing it at all, and I think that this is one gem in black music history that has been hidden way too long. A limited CD release, please, Motown?

Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe

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Wood, Brass and Steel - Wood, Brass and Steel - 1976 - Turbo

What a fantastic cover on this LP! Turbo records was a subsidiary of the great All-Platinum label and is, I fear, not available on CD. Such a pity as it's a great little album and would benefit from a proper reissue. Wood, Brass and Steel were a funky eight-piece outfit comprising the well-known Doug Wimbush on Bass, Otha Stokes on sax, flute and vocals, Randy Bost on trumpet and Flugel Horn, Craig Derry on congas and vocals, and Bernard "Skip" McDonald on lead guitar and backing vocals. On piano we have Hubert Powell as well as strings, clavinet and synth, Harold Sergeant on drums and percussion and Barton Campbell on lead and rhythm guitars. An accomplished and well contained outfit that deserved a greater piece of the action in the 1970s. You will be very familiar with one track in particular on here and that is the instrumental, "Funkanova".

This track hit big again during the Rare Groove scene in the late 1980s, and a cracking powerhouse of 70s synth and horn-driven jazzy funk fusion. The synth is superb and right in the bag of the Mizell Brothers or Roy Ayers. An essential track as you will hear below - a real 'get up and go' record! The track I bought this LP for was the sublime Roy Ayers-like "My Darling Baby". The synth is a dream and the percussion is excellent - the drums courtesy of Harold Sargent. This is summer captured in 4 minutes of jazzy soul heaven! The lead vocal here is Craig Derry. "Without You" is a lot more relaxed, chilled and mellow. Craig Derry vocalises and gets into the vibe, managing to hit a few Marvin Gaye cum Donny Hathaway spots to boot! For funky 70s heads "Theme Song" will raise a smile and get the flares flapping as the horn section kicks in. Very Kool and The Gang! Another vocal cut, "My Lady", should appeal to you if you like the Futures a la "Ain't Got Time Fa Nothin'". This LP has something for everyone - so well worth picking up.

Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe

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Seawind - Light The Light - 1979 - A+M

Seawind have, on the quiet, turned out some phenomenal tunes throughout the 70s and 80s and never to my mind get the attention they deserve. Best known for their 1976 CTI cut, "He Loves You", they moved to Herb Alpert's brilliantly eclectic A+M label and issued this superb soulful jazz-fusion set in 1979. With horns led by Jerry Hey - who is still VERY active today, and lead vocals by the very talented Pauline Wilson, "Light The Light" should be an album that you own on CD. As far as I am concerned most of this album is essential, so when it was re-issued on CD in Japan it wasn't a case of whether I would order a copy. The Brazilian samba rhythms on "Free" are punchy and suit Pauline's voice so well. The rhythm is almost like Eddie Russ' "See The Light" and the vocals border on Angela Bofill.

"Sound Rainbow" is a very mellow funker with some subtle yet alluring synth and a funky bass line. This is great, and the piano-led "Light The Light" owes a lot to what Melissa Manchester was giving us on "Don't Cry Out Loud". Brilliant. If you like more of a jazz-0fusion flavour then "Morning Star" will definitely be your cup of tea. More soulful, however, is "Imagine" which has a Minnie Riperton / Ricard Rudolph feel and vocals reminiscent of Carole Bayer-Sager. "Enchanted Dance" has some cool flute work, reminding me of Dave Valentin's contemporaneous work such as "Pied Piper" or "We'll make Love", so if you like your jazz-fusion with a smattering of flute, Jerry Hey's trumpet and a summery vibe then this track is for you. Sadly we don't get sets like this any more. It's about time we did.

Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe

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David Ruffin - So Soon We Change - 1979 - Warner Brothers

Who can doubt that David Ruffin is one of THE voices of our time. He ranks with such giants as James Ingram and Peabo Bryson for possessing one of the best voices ever to grace the music scene. His troubled personal life make it a wonder in itself that he was able to record as much material as he did, and one can only wonder what he could have brought to us had he not passed away so tragically and needlessly back in 1991. It's not the Motown era we look at here, but the first of 2 albums he scored for Warner Brothers. This album, released in 1979 is possibly, by a whisker, the weaker of the two but still very much an essential album. If you take into account the opening track, "Let Your Love Rain Down" then you are not going to turn this down. The track simply oozes quality, class and dance floor sophistication. The irresistible mellow disco groove with slap bass, swirling strings and soulful sax is a fine match for David's ultra-soulful voice and along with tracks such as "Don't It Feel Good" by Booker T. Jones (see review) would make up a brilliant dance floor couplet today.

If you love quality ballads from this great era then "Break My Heart" is going to really appeal to you. Not far in style from what the likes of Michael Stokes was producing at the time. In fact, this album was produced by Detroit's very own Don Davis, and if tracks such as "Welcome Back Home" from the Dramatics are to your liking then so, too, will this be. The clomping hand clapper could work well in a modern room today. In a similar vein to the great "Caught Up In A Whirlwind" by Richard Stepp (also 1979) this could still prove a monster. The track that I really dig for it's lyrics and vocal style is "Morning Sun Looks Blue". This man really was a giant, and I miss him so much. The grand upbeat "Let's Stay Together" is a Don Davis-penned dancer and not the Al Green song. This is another candidate for a modern dancefloor. The melancholic title track is a good'un and sees the Man let rip fantastically over a horn-based downtempo number. Slightly schmatzy but still a good example of the man.

Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe

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Johnny Bristol - Bristol's Creme - 1977 - Atlantic

Johnny Bristol is, in my mind, very much an unsung hero when his name should be a household name. Many people, many households own music from the pen of this great, great man yet do not know he existed. I suppose where quality 'black' artists go that's no surprise. 'Twas always thus, sadly. Following a glittering writing career with Motown in the 60s and early 70s, Bristol sided with MGM, Polydor then Atlantic in the mid 70s and created a whole series of quality albums that are, at least, cherished by the connoisseurs of the soul world. He's another artists that a "Best Of" compilation, however valiant the attempt, could in no way represent the man's work. To get a taste of Johnny Bristol, we got to have it all. Thankfully, Universal Japan along with P-Vine have covered the man's 1970s solo albums for Polydor and Atlantic, and Hip-O have compiled his complete MGM work so between them all you can acquire a huge slice of one of the greatest all-round artists ever to grace our beloved music scene.

As you will soon gather from the great tune below, "Do It To My Mind" is inescapably brilliant. This cool midtempo number is one that should already have won a place in your heart and it's great to own this on CD. This remains one of my favourites from the 1970s. Simply magic. "I Sure Like Groovin' With Ya" is also a fantastic track which should be appreciated at the same level. Play this loud. The strings, almost Barry White in orientation are simply superb on this two-step monster. I NEVER tire of tracks like these two. The rest of the album is on an equal footing, I assure you, although much more downtempo. The smooth, sax-drenched plodder "I Love Talking About Baby" borrows a lighter Barry White style, especially with regard to the strings and the gentle, yet sturdily pounding rhythm recounts an erotic liaison between Johnny and his Lady. Lucky whatsit! LOL. Young RnB artists please take note how subtle, poetic and erudite this is handled. Think you can match this? No, me neither. That aside, the superb "She Came Into My Life" is very fresh indeed, and could have been recorded at the turn on the 1980s. This is the best thing about timeless music - it ALWAYS sounds new, so the relevance of these tracks will never escape us.

Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe

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Bunny Sigler - My Music - 1976 - Philadelphia International

This is my favourite album from Bunny Sigler, and I was absolutely over the moon when it was released on CD here in the UK courtesy of the good folks at Edsel. I have to be honest that Bunny's music either grabs me or leaves me stone cold. This album from 1976 is a mixed bag and is, I suppose, nicely representative of all of his 1970s work. I love his vocals, his writing and production from the 70s ‘til today and this album contains some of his best 70s output for Philadelphia International. Disco was really kicking in and it was a time of change. Some artists managed this well; others disappeared without trace. This album traversed the minefield of 'come fly with me' collars, hairy chests, medallions and dodgy movies with John Travolta well and managed to succeed enough for the album still to be heavily sought after today.

I can pick out four tracks that really do it for me. These commence with the anthemic "My Music" which is Philly through and through. It’s climatic, clever and descriptive. Bunny wrestles his yearning vocals over the vibrant percussion, guitar and horns and strikes a hot track in doing so. The CLASSIC "Come On And Dance, Dance, Dance" was featured on Philadelphia Uncovered a number of years ago, and rightly so too. Here it is in its original place. This is a superb dancer where the horns punch with real vigour, as Bunny gets smooth and gruff with his delivery. This is classic Philly soul at its best. My ultimate favourite is the gorgeous ballad “Somebody Loves You”. The intro is so amazing, that if the rest of the song were diabolical then it would still be worth it for this alone!!! The tinkling piano scale, the blowing wind, harp, bells, strings and flute lead us gently into an impassioned ballad of monster proportions. The Philly sound simply does not get any better than this. In the CD reissue, Tony Rounce has written an extensive essay well worth reading, but unfortunately failed to include Bunny’s recent recording with Larry Gold. I consider “Can I?” from 2003 to be the best thing that Bunny has EVER recorded and is CLASSIC Philly in every sense of the word - PLEASE check out my Y2K review of that here: http://soulchoonzreviews.blogspot.com/search/label/Larry%20Gold. This is a very welcome release, and big thanks to Edsel for this.

Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe

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Wilson Pickett - In Philadelphia - 1970 - Atlantic

On this 1970 album Wilson Pickett's rough, tough and wicked Southern gritty soul met the sweet soul of Philadelphia head on. The lovechild of this mighty love fest of soul was Wilson Pickett's "In Philadelphia". Not unlike Dusty Springfield's equally essential "A Brand New Me", also from 1970, this album really laid down the foundation for what was to become the golden age of Philly Soul. Prior to his untimely passing, Wilson stated "I had this reputation for being 'The Wicked" in the studio. Man, Leon Huff sat in the booth and stared at me for about three days before I found out he was just waiting for me to do something wicked!" I'm not sure what Leon Huff was expecting but what you hear on this classic album is most certainly what I would call 'wicked'.

The outset track here is a bit more than Philly. I hear the great Southern mettle of Atlantic / Stax and the psychedelic guitar sound of early 70s Music Merchant or Hot Wax. The Philly sound is there - most notably in the backing vocals which comprise of the Sweethearts. If Thom Bell is as much a God to you as he is me then you won't be disappointed with the superb string-filled "Help The Needy" which really is the prototype of many great songs from the Philadelphia International stable. Wilson Pickett is really comfortable within this setting and I wish he had hopped on the Philly bandwagon. I reckon the result would have not turned out with the disappointing "Funky Situation" LP from 1978. What he could have done with the backing of Thom Bell, Gamble, Huff and MFSB! A Joe Simon feel comes along with "Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You", quite a tricky arrangement with contrasting emotions within it. Pickett picks up the gauntlet and rises to the challenge brilliantly. My final choice features a mighty slice of early 70s psychedelia..."Get Me Back On Time, Engine No. 9" would easily have been a great Ronald Dunbar (aka Lamont Dozier) production and the screaming guitars and funky bass do not overpower this most 'Wicked Pickett'. Superb soul from 1970.

Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe

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Dee Dee Sharp - Happy Bout The Whole Thing - 1975 - Philadelphia International

More Philadelphia magic from 1975. I was overjoyed when this was released on CD back in the 90s, and to see it deleted so soon and become rare was so sad. thankfully Amazon have the album available as an MP3 download. It's weird and wonderful what crops up these days isn't it?!The album is my favourite of Dee Dee's and the sheer beauty, finesse and timelessness of the arrangements, instrumentation, production everything in fact, will not be lost on you. The man to mainly thank here is the legendary Bobby Martin (please also check out his NEW album and in particular the Tom Moulton mix of "Funky Train"!!!) along with Gamble and Huff. This set is a real must and the change to click and download is a real boon. If you don't get swayed by the Billy Paul-ish groove of "Love Buddies" then I suggest a lie down, a few mouthfuls of soul food and some serious counselling from Mille Jackson!

A mighty fine midtempo groove with strings, organ and a brilliant rhythm section will greet you on "Touch My Life" - a blinder of a track, and I think you will also be amazed at the brilliant version of 10 CC's "I'm Not In Love". A very strong version and although it cannot better the original, it certainly compliments it. Her version of "Ooh Child" is magnificent and paves the way for the AWESOME Philly stomper "Happy Bout The Whole Thing". This really is Philly, PA at it's swirling '70s best. Norman Harris, Don Renaldo and the Sweethearts at the top of their game. The brassy "Share My Love" really is prototype Disco - but much better - and the classy "The Best Thing You Did For Me" draws down the curtain on this wonderful 1975 album. It's a pity that apart from hunting down the LP on MusicStack that you can only get this as a Download. However, this is the future so...get used to it, folks! Quality Soul is quality soul, whatever format it's on.

Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe

The Temptations - 1990 - 1973 - Gordy

1990 was the last album which the Temptations liaised with the late, great Norman Whitfield. The single release, "Heavenly" deserved to be a huge smash for the guys but due to Berry Gordy not acknowledging the input of US DJ's in the support of Motown at the AMA's it was boycotted and the single stalled. One would have thought that by now the public would have known about the group and would listen for themselves...sadly this public malaise still operates today and ensures that the real talent which doesn't get promotion falls to the side and the latest TV talent show wailer gets top billing and top sales. Criminal. Still, we know wheat's what don't we and tracks such as "Heavenly" did not come under our radar screens. Whitfield, as we know, was soon to move onto a lucrative deal with Warner Brothers and his own Whitfield label, taking from Motown the Undisputed Truth and introducing us the huge Rose Royce. Incidentally, on this album the backing music comes from not only the Funk Brothers but also...Rose Royce!

I have 2 favourites on this album - the aforementioned "Heavenly" and the epic-length "Zoom". The single release, "Heavenly" is CLASSIC Temptations in a "Just My Imagination" kind of way, and on this song the lead on this item is Ex-Monitors vocalist Richard Street who gives a very competent and sweet 70s styled performance. An excellent singer, I would like to see something by way of a solo album from him. The squeezebox, strings and full orchestration combine with Richard to create a very special sound indeed. "Zoom", on the other hand is sheer magnificence! Fourteen minutes of psychedelic soul, a real piece of extravagant self-indulgence for Mr. Norman Whitfield, but so what?! I love his style and tracks like this are Epic even by today's standards. On the cut the theme are UFOs, a theme that Norman would return to a lot with the Undisputed Truth on their "Higher Than High" album. Not dissimilar in style from the classic sounds laid down on "Masterpiece" and "All Directions" this is a real treat. Bass vocalist Melvin Franklin counts down and allows Dennis Edwards to let his soulful vocal tear strips and the combined Temptations are heaven with their perfect harmonies. Add dramatic strings, wah-wah guitar, harp and funky bass line then the song is a real winner. I also like other funky efforts such as "Let Your Hair Down" and "You've Got My Soul On Fire". This is CLASSIC early 70s Temptations and thanks to Hip-O for releasing it on CD.

Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe

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