"Psychedelic Soul Produced by Norman Whitfield" by VARIOUS ARTISTS – Featuring Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Edwin Starr, The Undisputed Truth, David Ruffin, Gladys Knights, Mammatapee, Masterpiece, Rose Royce, Willie Hutch, Rare Earth, Spyder Turner, Stargard and more (August 2021 UK Ace Records CD Compilation – Duncan Cowell Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Mama Hung Her Head..."

Bit of a misnomer this one (three stars out of five). Should really be called Normal Whitfield does smooch Soul schlock. 

The words 'Psychedelic Soul' combined with the name Norman Whitfield was enough to get more than a tad excited, but this August 2021 UK Ace Records CD compilation (Ace CDTOP 504 - Barcode 029667103121 - 77:28 minutes - 18 Tracks) falls flat on its face more than it lifts you up. More than half of the cuts are mid Seventies to early Eighties smoochers that have little to do with the Funk meets Psych meets Soul that the title hints at. 

The most famous tracks associated with Whitfield are of course "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye (the first of two Mono single mixes on the CD, the other is "Psychedelic Shack" by The Temptations - PS with the listen intro), "War" by Edwin Starr and "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone" by The Temptations. The Gaye classic somehow sounds wrong to me (not sure why), but Starr's "War" has lost none of its astonishing power musically or lyrically. The Temps version of "Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone" is the single edit - a clever choice, as it’s down to 6:57 minutes and damn near NW perfection in this form (it stands out like a beacon of arrangement and musical brilliance compared to all of the others). But stuff like "The Look Of Love" by Gladys Knight, the preacher shuffler "It Should Have Been Me" by Yvonne Fair and especially "Good Lovin'" by Mammatapee (with its talk verses) feel clunky and terribly dated.

Better is David Ruffin's fabulous brass-funky groove of "Me And Rock & Roll (Are Here To Stay)" - a track I would have started this set with - blistering and what fans are looking for. Another gem comes in the shape of The Undisputed Truth and their 1975 slink-paced "I Saw You When You Met Her" - all wild fuzzed-up guitars, brass and bass and accusation echoed lyrics (great stuff). They deliver again with the single version of "You + Me = Love" from 1976 - a gettin' it on funk marathon aimed firmly at the newly emerging Disco dancing floorboards of America and Europe. 

But tracks like "Love Is What You Make It" by Masterpiece, "Ooh Boy" by Rose Royce and "I've Been Waitin'" by Spyder Turner feel like they should be on a 70ts Disco Divas Box Set. Far cooler is guitarist Willie Hutch giving it initial sexy slither on "And All Hell Broke Loose" before he launches (two-minutes in) into slap-bass Funk and takes it like the DJ requested to the floor. "Wishing On A Star" is always lovely to me, but by the time you get to Stargard giving it some elevator saxophone instrumental smooch in "Just One Love" and Rare Earth's unnervingly ordinary soft Soul of "Come With Me" - the play is already is lost to you. 

Inside this 18-track 77-and-a-half-minute muddle is a great CD compilation trying desperately to get out. There are quality moments dotted about the Various Artists CD compilation "Psychedelic Shack: Produced by NORMAN WHITFIELD" (it sports a fact-filled 20-page booklet by Bob Stanley and Duncan Cowell Remasters too). 

But those expecting a Psych-Funk marathon with some rollin' papa layin' his hat wherever he roams and callin' it home - should grab a listen first. Sadly this effort to chronicle one of Motown's true Production/Writing geniuses just isn't that brilliant...