Various Artists 'SoulShaker Volume 2' Record Kicks
The opening track by The Voodoo Trombone Quartets 'Your Pleasure Is Our Pleasure' is not awful but reminds me too much of that 'Big Beat' Wall Of Sound/Skint Records mid 90's sound. Big Boss Man's 'Kevin Stardust' is surprisingly good for a band I usually consider well below par. Speedometer deliver a typical foot to the floor funk number, much better is band leader Leigh Gracies other offering on the compilation Sting Ray Davies & The Organites 'Upstairs On Boston Road' - that bitch is mighty frisky! Masterful and deeply soulful as usual is Sharon Jones performing her own take on the Kenny Jones classic 'Just Dropped In To See What Condition My Condition Was In'. While she does little to the Betty LaVette interpretation it does make the competition herre appear pale in comparison. That is until Spanky Wilson and Quantic pull the rug from underneath it with the mother of all new-funk tracks - 'Don't Joke With A Hungry Man' - James Black/Bobby Williams drums a go-go with Spanky sounding as good as she never did! This is a track they'll be still listening to in 10 years time. Next up is Lemon's 'Hell Yeah' a cool space-jazz groover that sits somewhere between Freakpower and Henry Mancini. From Jazzman Gerald's Stark Reality label comes Kahuna Kawentzmann's 'Gogo Star', an organ and sitar led number that would benefit immensely from having the sitar louder in the mix but nevertheless is absolutely stunning! Acid Jazz is represented with Smoove's 'Coming Back' an excitable and soulful stomper that won't blow your mind but should keep folk dancing on the floor. The Link Quartet mix things up a bit with the best track I've ever heard from them - the previously unreleased 'Sweet Little Apples' - imagine The Spencer Davis Group and The Small Faces knocking out a furious Hammond B3 soaked instrumental together. Nick Rossi Set's 'Foolkiller' takes the Mark Murphy mod-jazz sound and shoves a rocket up its arse. Sting Ray Davies & The Organites kindly donate a hysterical funky workout titled 'Upstairs On Boston Road', a definite highlight of the CD, and one to buy it for alone. This is the standard others should rise to! Next up is one of the best live bands in the UK - Scotland's The Boogaloo Investigators with a killer rhythm n' blues banger 'If You Reap', top stuff. A band that's a real hit or miss outfit is The Diplomats Of Solid Sound here they are represented with 'Loaf And Jug', clearly this is a tight competent band but they just seem to lack a magical spark to ignite their sound. Funxplosion's 'Love Jet' is barely even noticeable and leaves no lasting impression whatsoever. A real blast from the past is Sharon Jackson's 'Fakin' It', a storming funk beast with dynamite drumming from legendary funk collector Malcolm Catto. This band was extraordinarily good live, what happened to them!!! Nottingham's Stoned Soul Picnic draw us close to the end with 'Doctor Gonzo' a previously unreleased instrumental and to round the show off we have The Slow Slushy Boys quirky take on the Ike Turner track 'I Can't Believe What You Say'.

All in all a pretty strong compilation, one or two duff tracks here and there but packed with plenty of goodies and one or two real treats.

Johnny Guitar Watson 'Funk Anthology' Shout

Very few black artists can be said to have enjoyed so many successful periods of their career, equally as successful as the last but so far removed in terms of style and sound. Johnny 'Guitar' Watson is one such artist. There are three distinct phases to his recording career - in the fifties he unleashed a series of wild blues and rock n' roll songs on the public, (check out the original release of 'Gangster of Love' on the Keen label) winning fans among such musical giants as Lightnin' Hopkins. Then in the sixties he joined up with another wild man of Rock n' Roll - Larry Williams, to form the dynamite soul and Rn'B act Watson & Williams who put out quite a few great tracks worth hunting down, My favourite is the 'Wolfman' 45 before it all went too Northern Soul. However, the most successful period of Watson's career was in the mid seventies to early eighties, his 'soulful-disco-blues-funk' era which saw a prolific 4 year period in which he released seven LP's. During this time Johnny was pretty much a superstar, he not only had the slickest funkiest sounds in town but he also had the threads and boy was this cat sporting if fresh!

Throughout the sixties and seventies his music and style was a source of inspiration for the likes of George Clinton and Sly Stone, he was a mentor to Etta James teaching her and guiding her career, he was regarded as one of the real legends by contemporaries such as Al Green, Marvin Gaye etc, it seems no one had a bad word to say about the man. Nowadays all of his records, throughout his career, are equally sought after, the real early 1950's ones perhaps being the toughest, and in my opinion the best. Though saying that, the collection we have here, compiled as his 'Funk Anthology' makes for pretty cool listening, its funk in the most 'pimp' sense of the word, so get any thoughts of raw and demented funk grooves out of your head, this is slick and very smooth.

A great introduction to but one side of the man, however I am still crying out for a more detailed anthology, one that resurrects those tracks lost in the shadows of time that helped to shape and define black music in the fifties and sixties, someone out there must have the nerve to attempt it.

Ill Boogs "The Grump" / "Gypsy Rock" Breakin' Bread
"Gypsy Rock" is a sound typical of what you would expect from the Breakin' Bread stable - two sides of intense funky rhythms, seriously heavy on the break beats and horns blarin' a plenty. Ill Boogs is one of the UK's leading breakers and I guess he knows what makes a good record to get down to. "The Grump" is a great choppy cut and paste job, straight-up funk with more than a hint of blaxploitation influence.

Average White band 'Greatest & Latest' CNR
Riddled with the kind of sound that is most harrowing to a 'stuck in the sixties/seventies' soul fan like myself - the worst kind of eighties power soul and wet Stock Aitkin and Watermen sounding plop. I initially thought it was doomed from the start but as the CD rolls we do get 2 great jazz-funk tracks in 'Pick Up The Pieces' and 'Oh Maceo' So not an entire waste of time. Buy it if you like the bad side of soul music otherwise get yourself down to your local vinyl store and start digging for some classic AWB records if you want to hear just how good they used to be.

The Diplomats Of Solid Sound "Destination Get Down" Estrus
Try as much as I like to listen to this I just cannot get through more than 10 minutes without having to take it out and listen to the Sparkles or Nobody's Children to reset my mind!

For my tastes it's just too clean and polished, it sounds like modern day retro themed library music, intended for cheesy commercials or wacky multimedia presentations. Fourteen years ago this would have done quite well in the Acid Jazz heyday but I think now, even the most diehard cheese-meisters will have moved on. The playing is good but it just lacks anything to make me really get excited.

Various Artists 'Southern Funkin' Louisiana Funk & Soul 1967 - 1979' BGP
Being a predominantly New Orleans collector, this CD was something I was really excited about, so much so that I even agreed to loan BGP one of my rarer 45's (Tabby Thomas 'One Day') for inclusion. The music aside, Dean Rudland, assisted by John Broven, has expertly documented the story of the recordings in the CD's photo-illustrated booklet, which is worthy of purchase alone. Filled with the stories behind the labels and artists, it encapsulates the atmosphere and environment of the times, also giving a strong historical background to where the music came from. Label scans and artist photo's are plentiful.

The selection is a equal mix of obscure cuts with funk club classics like African Music Machine's "Back Water Gold" and Chester Randles "Soul Brothers Testify" and Eddy "G" Giles "Soul Feeling", the outstanding track is of course the thousand pound funk rarity "One Day" by Tabby Thomas, but for me there are several standout tracks worthy of purchasing alone for; Camille "Lil" Bob's superb version of Howard Tates classic "Stop", Katie Webster's awesome "Hell Or High Water" - a late seventies southern soul funker that sound like a classic Stevie production circa 'Innervisions', but with a real gritty southern soul leaning, the feverishly sought after JJ Callier's "I Got A Groove" - a heady mix of funk and swamp rock that is currently selling for big bucks.

All in all, a very strong release with only one or two duff tracks here and there, but abundant with must-have additions to any soulful collection.

Natural Self 'The Ritual' Breakin' Bread
Natural Self, otherwise known as Keno 1 has for a while now been making quite a name for himself through his numerous releases for Breakin' Bread and Tru Thoughts, here he lays down some of his favourite tracks that form the inspiration for his beat heavy, funky sound. The selection is impeccable as he picks choice artists and tunes from across the board, Sabu Martinez, Nico Gomez, Red Astaire, Black Sheep... even the gospel funk rarity 'God's All Over Me' by The Shackleford Singers is included. As stand alone tracks they are all classics, mixed together by someone who knows what he's doing, it makes for very essential listening.

David Robinson "I'm A Carpenter pts 1&2" Tramp
Well, one part of me is irritated that this has been re-issued as now any Tom, Dick or Harry can get their unworthy paws on it without the slightest of difficulties or effort. Then the less selfish side of me thinks - is that such a bad thing? After all Eddie put David in the studio for a reason, not just for an obsessive few to covet in private and occasionally play in a club, no he wanted the track to be heard by as many people as possible so why hamper that second chance.

David Robinson was a singer in Dave Bartholomew's band who one day found himself in the studio with the great Eddie Bo around 1970; together they cut four incredible songs, all original compositions by Eddie, the scorching soul song "I Like It Like That" and the funk opus "I'm A Carpenter". Seemingly the tracks did very little in New Orleans, ("I Like It Like That" certainly had at least two pressings) and faded into obscurity only to be picked up in the mid 90's by a new breed of funk collector who actively sought out the rare and overlooked masterpieces that were lost in the shadows.

The record is not only one of Eddie's finest moments, it also happens to be one of the best southern funk recordings of all time in my opinion, a perfect fusion of all Eddie's ideas with a voice that just blows your mind. Buy it and understand that this is just the tip of the iceberg so get yourself down to your local funk club night to hear more great music like it.

Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators "If This Ain't Love (Don't Know What Is)" Soul Pick
"If This Ain't Love" kick starts the summer season with a throbbing bass line as deep as the Jesus & Mary Chains "Just Like Honey" then opens up into a fresh sweet-soul dancer with Nicole Willis singing an upbeat ode to love and relationships, extolling the splendour she feels in her personal situation. The Soul Investigators with Jimi Tenor provide a wonderful 'Richard Evans meets Mike Terry' backing - a solid backbeat and soaring melodies that effortlessly transcends and elevates you from the now and takes you on a short visit to soul heaven.

A perfect record that you wont be able to take off your turntable, previously released as the long deleted Timmion #11 but thankfully available once more. At the time of writing this it has just been realised and is shooting up the charts in its native country of Finland.

Raison D'Etre Volume 1 www.reason2b.net
Raison D'Etre has firmly established itself as London's premier rendezvous for music lovers in the know, a serious musical happening renowned for pulling together the worlds leading underground acoustic folk crooners, world musicians and off kilter live acts, it attracts creative media types, factory-working music lovers, film stars and pop stars alike.

There are some great acts on the CD and some maybe not so great; all the performances were captured during live shows over the last few years. John Lester's quirky acoustic folk; tells of the benefits of simple minded folk, Kyo Tribe have a wonderful sound slightly akin to Beth Orton, only with bollocks! Iroko are purely and simply a percussive onslaught, batacuda at its most fiery. There's a great 11 and a half minute eclectic 45 mix from the Healer Selecta, resident DJ and host for the night.

Well worth spending a few pounds on, and if you are in or a traveller to 'the smoke' then hopefully an invitation to future fun spent in the capable hands of the Healer Selecta and friends.

Ammoncontact "New Birth" Ninja Tune
Released the same day as Dwight Tribble's teaser EP "Equipoise" and only six months after the first Ammoncontact long player "One In An Infinity Of Ways" Carlos Nino and partner Fabian Ammon are clearly people with plenty of ideas and sounds to share.
A notable collection of minimal yet complex electronic grooves that occupy the territory between Pierre Bastien and The Art Ensemble OF Chicago, fans of Metro Area, Prefuse 73, Fourtet etc should be more than happy to add this to their collections. Almost wholly instrumental, the only exception being "My People" with Lil Sci from Science of Life spitting lyrical over a marimba fuelled Latin American beat. Check out the last track on the LP "Temple Jam" for some Barry Miles style of way-out organ madness over free jazz playing reminiscent of late John Coltrane or classic Pharaoh Sanders.

Chips For The Poor "L.S.D Who Said That?" Invisible Spies Records
What can you say about Chips For The Poor? He sorts of sounds a bit of a cross between early Wire and Throbbing Gristle but is significantly stranger than the latter - if that's possible! The music is provided by Kid Acne's partner in the Zebra Face comic book strips - the Supreme Vagabond Craftsman. On the few times that he has performed live he has been disguised as a mute tiger confined to a wheelchair and pelted the riotous, confused audience with teeth!

This is the sound of running headfirst into a brick wall or doing forward rolls off motorway bridges wearing nothing but a crash helmet and angel wings. Brain melting, off-kilter, punk-rock excitement that's the perfect summer anthem for those who aspire to droog status.

Speedometer "This Is Speedometer Vol II"   Blow It Hard
The second long player from one of the UK's oldest funk outfits, very little has changed from their first long player, they are still playing their sophisticated mix of hard as nails funk with elements of Latin jazz-dance with very strong leanings to the stripped back sound of the Meters.

There's some nice new funk worthy of dance floor action here "Dapper Dan" sounds like a lost outtake from the JB's circa "Pass The Peas", "Work It Out" while not as downright saucy as the original Beyonce sung classic it should nevertheless get some fun kicking off! A very welcome return from one of the UK's leading live funk acts.

The Boogaloo Investigators "Dynamighty!" Saagaloo Records
All too often new 'retro' recordings as most like to call them - be they funk, soul, Hammond Beat or whatever, suffer from the same problems; while the playing is strong and the compositions good they often fall down in the recording process, which can render the sound too clean, too polished, too modern! Early on in their career, the Boogaloo Investigators worked this one out and wisely chose to record this LP live, using a standard set-up, as it would have been done back in the day of a room filled with mics to capture the band playing together. Recorded over 3 sessions between 2002 and 2003 in their practice room - the elegant surroundings of one of the band member's garage! They rehearsed solidly prior to recording in order to tighten up their playing and perfect the songs first.

The sound that came out of these garage sessions has already won the hearts of many funkaphiles and sixties beatfreaks alike through the two storming 45's released in 2003 - "Let The Groove Move You" and "Let's Work A While". Both were established sixties deepfunk anthems, given a wild, sixties garage-beat treatment. Since then, aside from a bit of gigging up and down the country there has been nothing other than the persistent rumour of a completed LP.

So after 2 years of waiting I finally have the finished article in my hands, the culmination of numerous years of persistent hard work against all odds, created with passion and a genuine love for the music.

'Dynamighty' kicks off with the raucous Yardbirds-esque "If You Reap" a huge and growling filthy n' funky Rhythm n' Blues beastie that takes me back to the scene in Blow Up where our man stumbles upon the aforementioned band performing. A dirty and nasty start to the LP, which gets better and better on each spin - lets get this on a 45!!!! "Volcano" slows things down to a moody, and slightly saucy blues about blowin' your top when the pressure rises too high. "These Day's" is a mid-tempo, soulful-blues, wailer in the style of Stevie Winwood before the bullet in the skull was long overdue. "I Got The Feelin'" is a straight-up instrumental interpretation of the JB original with an added amphetamine fuelled pace and those famous vocals substituted for harmonica. "SleepWalk" is an eye opening exercise in how to take a run of the mill deepfunk classic and turn it into a seven minute heavy funk workout. From a typical deepfunk standard; hip hop friendly drums, choppy guitar, thumping bass... you don't really notice the shift until you are in it. In my opinion some of the best funk is the kind that gradually takes you to a higher plane without really being conscious of how you got there, just a building, dirty, fat, hog of a rhythm that grows and grows till the next moment you realise you are truly wigging out or lying on the floor with your legs in knots. "Let The groove Move You" is a standard cover version of the Gus "The Groove" Lewis New Orleans funk classic, which has already had it's day so we won't dwell on it here. "The Sloth" is one of my favourites here, a killer organ and harmonica driven blues beat - the kind of sound you always wanted Acid Jazz to put out but only rarely got, this should be a wakeup call to Hammond Bands around the world in how quality beat should sound, ditch those over produced sounds and get it back to the raw. "Gambit" is a cool southern bluesy number with a healthy splash of Nino Ferrer weirdness, which leads nicely into the jazzy; Francis Lai-tinged "Frenchy Frenchy", a slow and dreamy excursion into sixties/seventies French soundtrack sounds. To round up all this loveliness the CD closes with the raw funk of Bobby Williams "Let's Work A While" which should appease those unlucky enough to have missed this first time around on its limited 7" issue.

All in all a damned good release, as one would expect from the Boogaloo Investigators, one that is not exclusive to any one sub-cult of collectors/music aficionados, instead a well balanced excursion into the funky side of the tracks. Buy it here

The Slow Slushy Boys "Love & Affection" B-Soul
A fun and cheeky romp through sixties funky and more straight up mod grooves, sort of like a live soul review, there are several cover versions but most of the tracks are original scores, There are a couple of highlights; "When Will We Get The Power" a nice freaky funky powerhouse with more than a hint of indiepop cheekiness, and "Slush Puppy" is a bit of a wild tittyshaker europop beastie. Released on a smart 10" piece of vinyl, buy it if groovy sixties pop is your thing.

Really recommend this as a must have record for anyone who has every considered themselves as a lover of great music. That's YOU!!!!!

Ray Charles "Ray Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" Rhino
Ok, so really all I need to do is tell you that this is out, there is very little point in trying to analyse the music contained within, yaw'l will know how good this is when I mention the tracks contained within... "Mess Around", "I've Got A Woman", "Hallelujah I Love Her So", "Drown In My Own Tears", "Night Time Is The Right Time" - and thats just the first 5!!! Over the 20 tracks featured we also have "Hit The Road Jack", "What'd I Say", "Unchain My Heart", "Georgia On My Mind", sooooo many more good ones. The incredible Margie Hendrix is almost always present, whether screamin' "BAAAAAAABEEEEE", cussin' dirty ol' Ray in her unmistakeble sassy way or simply harmonising with the other Raelettes, I just can't get enough of this womans voice.

All the recordings are either original versions or classic live recordings taken from the important eras, this really is a must have if you are new to Ray or just looking to own some of his best recordings on CD format.
Order it here

Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings "Naturally" Daptone Records
The second long player from the undisputed kings and queen of modern day funk has arrived and was the anticipation worth the wait? Of course it was, this is an album full of masterfully sung soul and funk recordings played by a band that simply cannot be rivalled in the authentic soulful sounds they produce. This is real soul music for people who feel, and look for something from the heart and soul.

Daptone is a label synonymous with genuine soulful excellence, their highly collectable catalogue of 45's continue to set a new standard in modern day funk recordings, a catalogue of modern day soul classics equally coveted by hip hop, Nu-Jazz dj's and northern soul fanatics as they were funk enthusiasts - quite a first. As one of the leading stars from the Daptone stable Sharon Jones very quickly became a highly regarded singer through the wider soul/groove communities, discussed with the same auspicious tones as one would use when speaking of the likes of Betty LaVette or Marva Whitney. Instead of performing the usual out and out 100mph funk stormers most modern day funksters opt for Sharon is more likely to sing her heart out at a more relaxed mid-paced groove, probably the reason why she crosses over to so many different tastes. But boy when she catches a fast groove - watch out!

Her duet with the legendary Lee fields - the uplifting ballad "Stranded In Your Love" will blow your mind, the pair sound like James Brown and Marva Whitney at their very best, Lee Fields voice is stunning alongside Sharon's - I'd love to hear more from the pair. Throughout, the Dap-Kings arrangements are staggering, they switch moods effortlessly, they will tear your soul apart with orchestral beat laden ballads only to purify and rebuild it the way it should be over the next few songs. Always a sucker for food themes in my soul, the track "Fish In My Dish" should get you hungry enough to get over to my soul food recipe section for some tasty inspiration. The highlights of this for me are the aforementioned duet with Lee Fields "Stranded In Your Love" and the gorgeous ballad "All Over Again" which closes the LP, an unexpected and essential funk reworking of woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land", the 'Genuine'-esque "How Do You Let A Good Man Down" and the disco-tastic "How long Do I Have To Wait For Your Love".

The Otis And Carla Band "Tramp" / Louise McCord "Better Get A Move On" BGP
Now I am just not sure about this at all, certainly an intersting thing to have - an instrumental of Tramp and possibly useful for those interested in scratching records back and forth and the likes. But if a serious Tramp style instrumental is required we already have the unbeatable "Pico" by Lowell Fulsom or even the Mohawks LSD infused take on it - "Champ" nevertheless it is a great backing track to a classic song so for those new to the funk it will be a real treat for your ears. The flipside "Better Get A Move On" by Louise McCord is a corker and should have been the main side really, a Lynne Collins style sisterfunk stormer taken from the WattStax festival.

The Soul Blenders "Bending Soul" / "Funky Night Club" BGP
"Bending Soul" is a previously unreleased track from Pheonix City's The Soul Blenders, recorded in 1968 and only recently unearthed by Dean Rudland. It has that classic pounding sixties bold soul sound that everyone is still looking for, essential for that crazy guitar breakdown alone! Hard to believe something this good was never issued! The flipside is a bit of a run of the milll "funky funky nightclub on a funky funky street" type affair which is probably not a bad 45 at all but flipped with "Bending Soull" it doesn't stand a chance at ever getting a spin - even with its two breakdowns!

Ray Charles And The Raelettes "O-Genio: Ray Charles Live In Brazil 1963" Rhino DVD
A discovery that will leave fans of this undisputed master old and new alike stunned to their very core! It really is like a dream come true - trust me on this! Filmed for Brazilian television one day before his 33rd birthday this amazing discovery captures one of music's most seminal innovators at his peak. This lost concert has only survived the ravages of time due to a unique contractual demand that Ray insisted on - to own the master tapes to everything he recorded. In this case the concert was only aired on Brazilian television once before being handed over to Mr Charles in full. So for the last 40 years these tapes have sat in his personal archives until he sadly passed away earlier this year. His office contacted Rhinos James Austin with a view to putting together the music for his funeral, it was whilst going through his own archives that he stumbled upon a copy of the tapes Ray had done for him a few years earlier.

The DVD consists of two shows, the first is a full studio rehearsal followed by the live show. Unfortunately the live show did not survive quite so well, the sound and picture quality are not 100% (the studio show is) but this should not deter in any way. The content contained within this latter performance is of exceptional standards, things really do get cookin' - think of your most far-fetched Ray Charles fantasy and you have it! This was Ray in his prime, performing alongside the true queen of sassy soul, lead Raelet and Cookies leader - Margie Hendrix who by rights should be regarded in much higher esteem than she is, this girl put even Aretha to shame! I had never seen Margie before and was pleased to see that she also has the attitude to match that feisty voice of hers. Margie is nearly every bit as important as Ray for me; check out the chemistry between them on the jaw dropping rendition of "Hit The Road Jack" and the effortless cool of their call and response on "You Are My Sunshine" and "Don't Set Me Free" then watch the live version of "What'd I Say" - this is primal stuff.  

If Jazz is your bag then you have 2 performances of Quincy Jones "Birth Of A Band" - check David "Fathead" Newman's Tenor Sax playing - and that drum breakdown! Wow this was a really wild sound. "Moanin" will be familiar to most on this site - always sounds like it's gonna go into "Wade In The Water" but then puts a smile on your face when you twig what it is. The studio show is rounded off with an untitled jazz instrumental where ray leaves his piano to take the lead on Alto Sax, this is real good and leaves you wondering why they didn't perform it in the concert and why ray didn't play Alto Sax more often? The entire DVD should appease those ever-fickle mod purists - come on I challenge any of you to not like one single moment! (Other than the end) Those interested in funks origins will find great interest in the more raucous moments - most of these centre around Margie Hendrix marking her territory, and I think you'll definitely dig the drums on some of the jazz numbers. There are numerous 'classic' Ray Charles moments, most notably the two performances of "Hallelujah I Love Her So".

http://www.raycharles.com http://www.rhino.com

Various Artists "Instrumental Explosion (Incendiary Funk And R&B Instrumentals 1966-1973)" BGP
Dean Rudland must have one of the top jobs in the country, he spends all his time listening to music, talking about music and compiling music, he even gets a pay check for it when the month is over. We should hate him by rights or at least sneak him a crafty kick in his shins when we see him on the street. But envy aside, what we have here is, in my humble opinion, perhaps the most together and essential compilation LP of any genre yet released, at least the best I've ever heard, undoubtedly a benchmark for future releases. Every single track is an unconditional guaranteed orgasm. There are a small number of reasonably well known funk classics alongside an abundance of out and out rarities and unknown obscurities - so something for every kind of collector / dj / music lover be what you will. Twenty instrumentals may sound like overkill but with plenty of background grunting, hoopin', hollerin' and wailin' you barely even notice the lack of vocals.

So to the music highlights... well side one is a real work of art - every track is like Kylie Minogue in a rubber gimp suit telling you she has a twin sister and they are both feeling naughty! It starts with the tough in every sense of the word Detroit City Limits late night classic "Ninety Eight Cents Plus Tax" - god damn it - that's out and out raw funk! One of my constant wants and a record that just seems to always evade me is Gene Bowlegs Millers incredible funk blues "What Time Ye Got" - how good is that track? Side 2 sees "Stuck in the Mud" by Miles Grayson kick things off in a Meters style that soon turns dirty when the filthy JB's style horns kick in. New to me is a wild party funk recording by The Untouchable Machine Shop originally titled "Machine Shop"! This will get the hardcore funk fanatics twitching like my mate Dave watching a Bittern doing its 'jizz'. Another new one for me is killer funk of "The Point" by Aaron (Chico) Bailey & The family Affair Band that sounds like one of Ian Wright's numerous mystery instrumentals - where the hell did they find this? Side 3 gives us "Roly Poly Mickey Lolich" - kind of like the Jackson Five on a sesame street tip until the bad ass break kicks in and turns the kids party inside out sending the square kids running home to their mummies. Those of you who aren't old enough to remember U.F.O. will be in for a treat with the inclusion of Prettie Purdies 'Soul Drums' but then you may know it from one of Beck's better tracks. Side 4 rounds it off with more of the same high quality... the incredible "Put Your Weight On It" by the Fillmore Street Soul Rebellion is one of my favourite late night sweaty jams and a real treat for you lucky buggers to be included on here. There is not one but two great jazz dancers here in the form of "Sunshine" by the Afro Blues Quintet and "Sundance" from Lorenzo Holden both will give a good initiation into the seedier underbelly of Jazz music and for those of you well versed another 2 great records to add to the collection.