"Nothing But The Truth: 3 Motown Albums On 2CDs Plus Bonus Tracks" by THE UNDISPUTED TRUTH – Includes Their First, Third and Fourth Albums on Gordy Records (USA) and Tamla Motown (UK) - "The Undisputed Truth" (July 1971 USA, February 1972 UK), "Law Of The Land" (June 1973 USA, September 1973 UK), "Down To Earth" (August 1974 USA, January 1975 UK) Plus Six Bonus Single Sides – Featuring Joe Harris, Billie Rae Calvin and Brenda Evans with Production, Arrangements and Musical Direction from Norman Whitfield (25 August 2017 Ace Records/Kent Soul 2CD Anthology – Duncan Cowell Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Just My Speed..."

INCLUDING THE ALBUMS 
"The Undisputed Truth" (US Debut Album, US 1971, UK 1972)
"Law Of The Land" (Third Album, US and UK 1973)
"Down To Earth" (Fourth Album, 1974 USA, 1975 UK)

Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah!

Amidst my coveted original vinyl LPs lies the rear sleeve of a debut album from 1971 with a cool duderino and his two hipster girl-cats walking in some American park - all multi-coloured jackets, leather onesies, bellbottoms and satellite-receiving afros looking so damn right on man - it hurts. The album is "The Undisputed Truth" by The Undisputed Truth and the bodies are the three lead vocalists - Joe Harris, Billie Rae Calvin and Brenda Evans. 


The two ladies of TUT (Calvin and Evans) emerged from a Sixties Girl Group called The Delicates while Harris had been on the scene since 1962 - first with The Fabulous Peps and later joining The Ohio Untouchables who would go on to become the hugely successful Ohio Players - major Soul players in the Seventies. The other key element came in the shape of Motown's rebel-child Writer, Producer and Arranger Norman Whitfield and his work with The Temptations as they re-wrote the R 'n' B playbook by practically inventing Psychedelic Soul/Funk With A Message For The People. Let the music take me higher indeed...

Ace Records of the UK have used their Kent-Soul label imprint for some seriously revered releases before - the 2008 "Take Me To The River" Book Set for instance and its two 3CD Book sequels "The Fame Studio..." from 2011 and "Back To The River - More Southern Soul" from 2015. Or even the five compilations in their Dave Godin Soul Treasures Tribute Series for instance. But if I'm to be a truthful Christmas bunny, then this little twofer from 2017 is the peach I return to most. The Temptations were fabulous too throughout this period - but there's just something cooler about The Undisputed Truth that makes me want to seek out everything they ever did. There's a lot of smiling faces (sometimes) to get through, so here goes...

UK released Friday, 25 August 2017 - "Nothing But The Truth: 3 Motown Albums On 2CDs Plus Bonus Tracks" by THE UNDISPUTED TRUTH on Ace/Kent-Soul CDTOP2 469 (Barcode 029667084628) is a 2CD Anthology offering three American Gordy Records albums from 1971, 1973 and 1974 (1972, 1973 and 1975 UK on Tamla Motown) plus Six Bonus Tracks that plays out as follows:

CD1 (69:38 minutes):

1. You Got The Love I Need [Side 1]

2. Save My Love For A Rainy Day

3. California Soul

4. Aquarius

5. Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today)

6. Smiling Faces Sometimes [Side 2]

7. We've Got A Way Out Love

8. Since I've Lost You

9. Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone

10. I Heard It Through The Grapevine

11. Like A Rolling Stone

Tracks 1 to 11 are their debut album "The Undisputed Truth" - released July 1971 in the USA on Gordy G-955L and February 1972 in the UK on Tamla Motown STML 11197 (Stereo). Produced by NORMAN WHITFIELD - it peaked at No. 7 on the US R&B charts (didn't chart UK)

12. Law Of The Land [Side 1]

13. Papa Was A Rollin' Stone

14. Girl You're Alright

15. Killing Me Softly With His Song

16. Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)

17. This Child Needs Its Father

Tracks 12 to 17 are Side 1 of their third album "Law Of The Land" - released June 1973 in the USA on Gordy G 963L and September 1973 in the UK on Tamla Motown STML 11240 (Stereo) - peaked at No. 52 in the US R&B charts (didn't chart UK). Their second album "Face To Face With The Undisputed Truth" released February 1972 in the USA on Gordy G-959L and July 1972 in the UK on Tamla Motown STMA 8004 is not covered by this 2017 Ace release (is available separately - see my review).

CD2 (70:20 minutes):

1. Mama I Gotta Brand New Thing (Don't Say No) [Side 2]

2. Feelin' Alright?

3. Love And Happiness

4. With A Little Help From my Friends

5. If I Die

6. Walk On By

Tracks 1 to 6 are Side 2 of their third album "Law Of The Land" (see Disc 1)

7. Help Yourself [Side 1]

8. Big John Is My Name

9. Brother Louie

10. I'm A Fool For You

11. Our Day Will Come

12. Just You 'N' Me [Side 2 - see Notes below]

13. The Girl's Alright With Me

Tracks 7 to 13 are their fourth studio album "Down To Earth" - released August 1974 in the USA on Gordy G6-968S1 and January 1975 in the UK on Tamla Motown STML 11277 - peaked at No. 35 in the US R&B charts (didn't chart UK). Probably dues to a lack of songs at the time of release - Side 2 of the US "Down To Earth" LP on Gordy Records reissued two songs from the "Law Of The Land" LP and one from the debut - so Side 2's US 5-track running order is "Just You 'N' Me", "Love And Happiness", "Law Of The Land", "This Girl's Alright With Me" and "Save My Love For A Rainy Day". This 2CD obviously doesn't duplicate them on Disc 2. Just to confuse matters further, the February 1975 British LP for "Down To Earth" ran differently also - to 12 Tracks instead of 10. The first added song is "Gonna Keep On Tryin' Till I Win Your Love" as Track 6 on Side 1 - while Side 2 saw "Let's Go Back To Day One" mixed into its six songs in this order - "Just You 'N' Me", "Love And Happiness", "Law Of The Land", "The Girl's Alright With Me", "Save My Love For A Rainy Day" and "Let's Go Back To Day One".   

BONUS TRACKS:

14. Let's Go Back To Day One – appeared only on the January 1975 UK variant of the "Down To Earth" LP on Tamla Motown STML 11277

15. What It Is (Single Version) – A-side of a 25 January 1972 US 7” single on Gordy G 7114F – B-side was "California Soul"

16. What's Going On (Edit) – B-side to "Help Yourself", a 14 February 1974 US 7” single on Gordy G 7134F. The single edit is 4:58 minutes while the full album version of 9:25 minutes can be found on their second LP "Face To Face With The Undisputed Truth" (February 1972 on Gordy G-959L)

17. You Make Your Own Heaven And Hell Right Here On Earth (Single Edit) – A-side of a 16 November 1971 US 7” single on Gordy G 7112F – B-side was a 7:03 minute edit of the 10:46 minute album track "Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today)" on the debut LP

18. Gonna Keep On Tryin' Till I Win Your Love – first issued as the B-side to "Mama I Got A Brand New Thing (Don't Say No)", a 15 February 1973 US 45 on Gordy G 7124F. Also used as the last track on Side 1 of the UK variant of the "Down To Earth" LP in January 1975 (not on the US album)

19. Law Of The Land (Single Version) – A-side of a 5 May 1973 US 45 on Gordy G 7130F

The chockers 24-page booklet features typically superb detailed liner notes from long-time Ace Records contributor TONY ROUNCE – clearly enthused by a band he digs. You get the front cover artwork to the three LPs (not the rears) – rare Euro picture sleeves to stuff like "Help Yourself", "Law Of The Land" and "Mama I Gotta Brand New Thing..." – a 9-single page worth of US and UK demos on Gordy and Tamla Motown - complimented by sheet music for "Smiling Faces Sometimes" and pictures of our groovy threesome giving it some righteous shuffle on some Soul Train bandstand. The Remasters by DUNCAN COWELL are absolutely cracking even when the hiss of the early 1971 stuff is amplified – it’s not overdone – and besides the music quickly drowns out any quibbles. By the time you get to the "Law Of The Land" album – Joe Harris and his ladies are clear as a bell. To the music...

As much as I treasure owning it and being top heavy with other people's hip songs – the debut is not all Soul-Funk genius for damn sure and could have easily condemned The Undisputed Truth to being a glorified covers band and vanity project for Norman Whitfield. Some of the covers must undoubtedly have felt cheesy even at the time they were released and are almost unlistenable now – a terrible version of Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" is one culprit while the Hair Musical and 5th Dimension hit "Aquarius" just about aligns with Mars. But these are saved by fabulous Northern Soul shufflers like the Barrett Strong/Norman Whitfield opener "You Got The Love I Need" - actually a Temptations tune from 1966 called "I Got Heaven Right Here On Earth" with The Undisputed Truth's lead vocals laid down in March 1971. It was issued as US 45 flipside in May 1971 to the band-breaker "Smiling Faces Sometimes" on the A (Gordy G 7108). Prior to that, their debut US 45 came in the shape of another talcum powder shuffler called "Save My Love For A Rainy Day". Issued February 1971 on Gordy G 7106 (USA) - it was paired with Side 2's "Since I've Lost You" - another Barrett Strong/Norman Whitfield catchy hit. Hell, they liked it so much and obviously out of viable material, "Save My Love..." got used yet again to flesh out the tracks on their fourth platter "Down To Earth" in 1974 and 1975 (see discography notes below).

Ashford & Simpson's lovely "California Soul" still holds up but my fave (and I suspect I'm not alone in this) is the heavy-heavy Psych-Soul of "Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today)" - a stunning 10-minutes-plus cover of the Temptations "Puzzle People" track from 1970. It's all echoed fuzz and shouted chants (right on honey) and leads into the masterpiece that Side 2's opener and defining moment for the band - "Smiling Faces Sometimes". While UK fans had to wait until February 1972 for an actual album, the October 1971 British 45 on Tamla Motown TMG 789 set pulses racing even if it didn't chart (inexplicable giving its utter brilliance). No such problem Stateside where after a steady DJ and Radio build up from its May 13th release on Gordy G 7108, it finally entered the US R&B charts in early July 1971 and promptly charged all the way up to No. 2 - impressive for only their second single-release there.

I've always felt that "Law Of The Land" to be one of 'the' great forgotten Soul/Funk LPs. Their cover of the Roberta Flack hit "Killing Me Softly With His Song" just about stays on the right side and while the ladies take lead on the Temps masterpiece "Just My Imagination..." – a cosy little home out in the country – what a gorgeous melody and sentiment. The social conscience of "This Child Needs Its Father" urges Joe to come back home – a mother walking with her baby – holding her head up high even if she is aching - dying down inside - those strings and brass arrangements making you feel her tired loneliness. Undisputed Truth tackle the Dave Mason Traffic belter "Feelin' Alright?" by slowing it down to a cool-as-ice groove - but then sexy up Al Green's "Love And Happiness" in that battling brass/strings Norman Whitfield way (sounds kinda good y'all).

But more impressive is the trio's fabulous vocals on the stunning Funk of "Mama I Got A Brand New Thing (Don't Say No)". What a tune – your son and his guitar are going to go far...well they did in my book. He tackles a barnstorming "With A Little Help From My Friends" (possibly his best ever vocal) while "If I Die" is a funky black-man's burden declaration that's brilliant both lyrically and musically. "Big John Is My Name" continues the cool on the "Down To Earth" album and how good is it to have those exclusive British tracks at last.

A genuinely great anthology from Kent-Soul – keeps me smiling faces all the ruddy time. Buy it and I envy you the right on...