"Doremi Fasol Latido" by HAWKWIND – November 1972 UK Third Studio Album on United Artists (December 1972 in the USA) – featuring Dave Brock, Nik Turner, Del Dettmar, Lemmy (later with Motorhead) and Simon King (March 1996 UK EMI Premier Expanded Edition CD Original with Four Bonus Tracks in A Foldout Card Digipak - Followed by an August 2001 UK EMI Records Expanded Edition CD Reissue of the 1996 Variant in a Jewel Case – Paul Cobbold, Peter Mew and Kevin Reeve Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

<iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=mabasreofcdbl-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B00005MCX1&asins=B00005MCX1&linkId=0b288702a0195bf92ee03b31e7f30373&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true"></iframe>

This Review And Over 300 More Like It 

Are Available In my e-Book on AMAZON 

TUMBLING DICE - 1972

Your All-Genres Guide To Exceptional 

CD Reissues and Remasters 

Classic Albums, Compilations, 45s...

All Detailed Reviews Taken From The Discs Themselves 

(No Cut and Paste Crap) 

<iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=mabasreofcdbl-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B07RVD6R4N&asins=B07RVD6R4N&linkId=afd41f9623c42d3131c498d0f94f62cd&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true"></iframe>

"...Greetings From Space Mother..."

Following on from the breakthrough of October 1971's "X In Search Of Space" LP and June 1972's 45-single "Silver Machine" (a worldwide hit) was always going to be difficult for a band as uncompromising as London's Space Rockers HAWKWIND. But our favourite flavoursome five reprobates delivered a worthy successor in the November 1972 sonic mayhem that was and is "Doremi Fasol Latido" – even if countries outside of Blighty didn't seem to notice much.

But if I'm truthful - "Doremi Fasol Latido" is a four-star Hawkwind album - all sonically drunk and Production disorderly and falling over itself on the way to an undoubtedly rank toilet. It's a wee beastie for sure (probably why I like it so much). But this March 1996 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster elevates that four-star scamp into a five-star rocking thoroughbred, especially given four bonuses actually worthy of the name. 

So, let's go forth my Thorasin Blood Brothers because our Space Mother is calling her Hawklord offspring into the sorcerer’s cauldron for a bit of a brainstorm (if you catch my stellar drift)...

UK released 20 August 2001 - "Doremi Fasol Latido" by HAWKWIND on EMI Records 530 0312 / 7243 5 30031 2 8 (Barcode 724353003128) is an 'Expanded Edition' CD Reissue and Remaster with Four Bonus Tracks that plays out as follows (59:06 minutes):

1. Brainstorm [Side 1]

2. Space is Deep 

3. One Change 

4. Lord Of Light [Side 2]

5. Down Through The Night 

6. Time We Left This World Today 

7. The Watcher 

Tracks 1 to 7 are their third studio album "Doremi Fasol Latido" - released November 1972 in the UK on United Artists UAG 29364 and December 1972 in the USA on United Artists UA-LA001-F. Produced by DAVE BROCK and DEL DETTMAR - it peaked at No. 14 in the UK (didn't chart USA). 

BONUS TRACKS: 

8. Urban Guerrilla

9. Brainbox Pollution 

Tracks 8 and 9 are the non-album A&B-sides of a 22 June 1973 UK 45-single on United Artists UP 35566

10. Lord of Light (Single Version Edit) 

Track 10 was not a 45 in the UK; however, Amon Duul's Peter Kramper and Stefan Michel remixed it January 1973 in a Munich studio for the German market, reducing the LP cut of 6:59 minutes to 3:59 minutes. United Artists UA 35 492 was issued around about March 1973 in a picture sleeve with a remixed and edited version of "Born To Go" from "The Greasy Truckers Party" double-album on the B-side. 

11. Ejection (Previously Unreleased Version) - Written by Dave Brock, Produced by Roy Baker 

There are two variants of this release – the first appeared 22 March 1996 in a multi-flap card digipak on EMI Premier HAWKS 3 / 7243 8 37554 2 4 (Barcode 724383755424). If you want that version, you will need to seek it out in a separate entry. That was in turn replaced with this more common 20 August 2001 reissue that comes in a standard jewel case (EMI Records 530 0312 is easily available for about a fiver or less – new or used). 

Fan nerds will know that the original Barney Bubbles-designed LP famously came with a silver foil on black card design and a space art inner sleeve. The gobbledygook commentary printed on the back sleeve which starts with “Blood greetings O brother, from our great space mother...” is reproduced in the 1996 foldout card digipak version, as is the inner sleeve. But so also is the rare ‘Street Rats’ poster that only came with some original vinyl LPs in England. I mention this poster because although the 2001 reissue has exactly the same liner notes and credit details as before (same 1996 Remaster too) – someone forgot to display the poster in the 12-page booklet of the 2001 reissue. It’s a small mishap, but one worth mentioning. 

The 1996 Audio Remaster (carried over into the 2001 reissue) is care of long-time Abbey Road associate PETER MEW aided by PAUL COBBOLD and a name many will know from Universal Remasters – KEVIN REEVE. Those expecting Supertramp or Dark Side Of The Moon will need to look elsewhere. This is sloppy, grungy, heads down Space Rock with a grandiose dollop of Rock Psych thrown in. At times the band seems to be fighting to be heard in the heady mix – lead vocals distant, backing vocals in another room altogether. But this Remaster delivers the power and the muscle. And then just when you think you have Hawkwind pigeonholed to a wall of sound and volume – they whomp you with Acoustic beauty like Dave Brock’s "Space Is Deep" or Lemmy’s ethereal and eerie "The Watcher". Suddenly it feels beautifully produced even if the later half of the song might again descend into that drum vs. guitar drone. The transfer is grubby and dirty when it needs to be and soft as a baby's bum-bum when restraint is called for. I love it.

The dirtiest grittiest guitar ever greets the listener as Side 1 begins with "Brainstorm" - standing on the runway for 11:32 minutes of heads down Space Rock. The vocals are still lost but the gutbucket wallop of it is undeniable and a hoot. After the sheer eardrum assault of "Brainstorm" - the six-minutes of Dave Brock's "Space Is Deep" comes across as pretty - like an Acoustic Yes session mated with an exploratory Uriah Head whig-out, leaving both exhausted but proud Hawklord parents beaming down at their new gangly offspring. "Into the void we have to travel..." – he sings. Fairly sure I’m not alone in saying that "Space Is Deep" is my fave track on the album - a great vibe and now a fabulous remaster that fills the room as the crescendo builds. Fifty seconds of "One Change" ends Side 1 - a very cool piano instrumental that feels like it should be featured on the soundtrack to "Baby Driver 2: Second Gear" – the babe drives again – etc.

Side 2 opens with "Lord Of Light", a seven-minute Dave Brock guitar-shimmer accompanied by panned cymbals. It soon melts into a guitar riff similar in some ways to the might "Silver Machine" - probably why it was remixed in Germany in early 1973 and issued as a 7" single there. And again with another surprising acoustic opening to "Down Through The Night" - space vibes with echoed Nik Turner flute moments. Surely another fan crave is "Time We Left This World Today" - 8:43 minutes of pure Hawkwind grind. With other room vocals and whacking drums anchoring the wall of guitars, synths and flute warbling - you can just so see that 'strapping cohort Stacia' (as she is described in the commentary) giving it some bounce for the boys on stage as he singer chants 'today' like a mantra. Future Motorhead legend and Bass player Lemmy gets his moment as he finishes the album with the surprisingly restrained "The Watcher". 

But the extras have me jumping up and down in the living room with a Spalding tennis racquet - my missus with yet another worried look and the Nurse Ratched cast on speed-dial. I've always liked "Urban Guerrilla" but my poison is the fantastic 5:42 minutes of its B-side "Brainbox Pollution" - a track that I'm certain should have been the "Silver Machine" follow-up. What a tune. Throw in two great extras in the tighter single edit for "Lord Of Light" and a cool unreleased Rock tune in "Ejection" - and it’s a groovy listen overall. 

There will be those who listen to "Doremi Fasol Latido" and wonder did Daddy and Mummy take too many magic mushrooms in 1972 when they assure their already alarmed sprogs in 2020 that Hawkwind is the dogs bollox. I miss them and the sheer couldn't give a cobblers freedom of it all. Enjoy, you children of Nik Turner, Dave Brock, Del Dettmar, Simon King and the mighty Kilmister Kid...

"Live At The Apollo Volume II" by JAMES BROWN and HIS FAMOUS FLAMES featuring Marva Whitney, Bobby Byrd, Pee Wee Ellis and more June 2001 Polydor 2CD 'Deluxe Edition' Expanded Reissue - Kevin Reeves Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

This Review and over 184 More Are Available In My

SOUNDS GOOD Music Books Series - An Amazon E-Book

SOUL GALORE! 
 

60ts Soul, R'n'B, Mod, Northern Soul, New Breed and More
Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters  

Also Includes Harmony Soul, Rare Groove and Funk...
Just Click Below To Purchase for £6.95 (December 2021 Update)
Thousands of E-Pages - All Details and In-Depth Reviews From Discs 
(No Cut and Paste Crap)

 

<iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=mabasreofcdbl-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B08YQR7ZW2&asins=B08YQR7ZW2&linkId=f4622ebcffdb7aa3fc1fd0d03ef4f143&show_border=t

 

"...Get The Feeling...HUH!"

Mr. Dynamite returned to his natural stomping ground for live opus numero duo - 24 August 1968's double-album on King Records 1022 - "Live At The Apollo Volume II". 

But what puts this very cool 2CD Deluxe Edition reissue into the must-own territory (especially for JB fans and lovers of primo 60ts Soul) is the 'extras' and the stunning remaster re-construction of the tapes courtesy of one of Universal’s Tape Supremo engineers - Kevin Reeves. Details of the reissue first...

UK released 26 June 2001 - "Live At The Apollo Volume II" by JAMES BROWN and HIS FAMOUS FLAMES on Polydor 549 884-2 (Barcode 731454988421) is an Expanded 2CD Deluxe Edition of the 24 August 1968 2LP classic on King Records 1022 (USA) and Polydor Records 583 729/30 (UK) in Stereo. The DE Version plays out as follows…

Disc 1 (42:10 minutes):

1. Introduction To The James Brown Show (MC Frankie Crocker)

2. Think (Vocal Duet with Marva Whitney)

3. I Wanna Be Around

4 James Brown (Thanks)

5. That's Life

6. Kansas City

7. Sweet Soul Music (Bobby Byrd)

8. It's A Man's Man's Man's World (19:05 minutes)

This performance incorporates elements of:

 (a) Lost Someone (b) When A Man Loves A Woman

9. Caravan (James Brown Band featuring The J.B. Dancers)

INTERMISSION

Disc 2 (50:51 minutes):

1. Introduction To 'Startime' (MC Frankie Crocker with Sad Sam)

2. Money Won't Change You/Out Of Sight

3. Bring It Up

4. Try Me

5. Let Yourself Go

6. There Was A Time

7. I Feel All Right

8. Cold Sweat

9. Prisoner Of Love

10. My Girl (Instrumental Interlude)

11. Maybe The Last Time

12. I Got You (I Feel Good)

13. Please, Please, Please

14. Bring It Up (Finale)

The Original 2LP running order was…

Side 1:

1. Think

2. I Wanna Be Around

3. That's Life

4. Kansas City

Side 2:

1. Let Yourself Go

2. There Was A Time

3. I Feel All Right

4. Cold Sweat

Side 3:

1. It May Be The Last Time

2. I Got You (I Feel Good)

3. Prisoner Of Love

4. Try Me

5. Bring It Up

Side 4:

1. It's A Man's Man's Man's World

2. Medley

3. Please, Please, Please

As you can see from the two track-lists, the original 2LP set had omissions and edits galore most of which have been returned into this 2CD DE Full Monty running order. A word about that – the original was a lickety-splitly tight as a sumo wrestler's jocks four-sided sucker and the sprawling 2CD set actually isn't – a case of less was indeed more in the first place. You can of course just edit out what you don't want. But right from the off though, it has to be said that some of the inclusions are good – but some aren’t and it's easy to see why show filler like "Caravan" was left off the final vinyl product.

Very much on the upside however is the fab Audio - which for 60ts live tapes is incredibly good. The separation and sheer live-cooking vibe inside say "It's A Man's Man's Man's World" is fantastic. You can hear how tight they were – the sympatico between Brown and his players as he teases and raps with the audience in sexy innuendo is amazing and it's an expert ear indeed that can spot-the-join.

Once the outer DE plastic slipcase is off, the four-way foldout flaps of the DE show James in his late 60ts prime while the 28-page HARRY WEINGER and ALAN LEEDS compiled booklet is the usual class act from him. There are trade adverts from the period, band and tour member lists and colour photos of Godfather Of Soul doing his hysterical Please, Please, Please thing – cape and all. Leeds went on to compile and co-ordinate the stunning 2CD sets "The Singles" from Volume 1 to 11 (I've reviewed from 6 to 11). The Famous Flames band has Bobby Byrd, Bobby Bennett, Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis giving it some Saxophone righteousness, while Waymon Reed, Joe Dupars and Levi Rasbury back them up with even tighter Trombones (they're pictured on Pages 3 and 27). To the music…

Here’s a list of the new stuff: Disc One gives us a short 32-second MC introduction by Frankie Crocker as the show begins and Bobby Byrd's 2:38 minute between sets straddler "Sweet Soul Music" - a wicked uptempo cover of Arthur Conley's then new 1967 hit on Atlantic Records. That newbie comes in as JB ends a fabulous kicking version of Lieber and Stoller’s Little Willie Littlefield R&B classic “Kansas City”. Portions are inserted into "It's A Man's Man's Man's World" turning it into a 19-minute stop-start monster (do you know what I’m talking about – yeah!). Within that showstopper you get portions of “Lost Someone” and the Percy Sledge gem “When A Man Loves A Woman”. A final insert on Disc One includes the Duke Ellington song “Caravan” which accompanies the JB Dancers – an awful instrumental in my opinion and one where the tightest band in the world seem to be all at sea with its Jazz syncopations. It’s not something I ever want to hear again and it kind of sours the final moments of CD1 for me (the covers of I Wanna Be Around most famously associated with Tony Bennett and the smooch standard That’s Life also felt out of place to me too).

Disc Two offers us another Startime intro from MC Frankie Croker but this time with Sad Sam (34 seconds), followed by a 42-second snippet of “Money Won’t Change You/Out Of Sight”. CD2 flips the Side 3 running order of “Try Me” and “Bring It Up” and it works – the get-in-the-groove hit-it Funk of “Bring It Up” first, followed by the smooch of “Try Me” instead (the saxophone break features Eldee Williams and St. Clair Pinckney). This cleverly sets up the guitar-flicking huh-huh funkiness of “Let Yourself Go”.

Both “There Was A Time” (8:55 minutes) and “I Feel All Right” (8:52 minutes) are now extended versions on here that segue seamlessly into each other and the wall-to-wall sweat of the band in a mash potatoes groove on the first is astonishing while the second track elicits the joy of the crowd in a hey-hey call and response – it really cooks (Jimmy “Chank” Nolen and Alfonzo “Country” Starks on Guitars). Brown even puts in a brief drum solo and bit of organ work after the end of “I Feel All Right”. As drummer Clyde Stubblefield goes into their latest hit “Cold Sweat” – there is no doubt that this is magic.

Brown then slows it all down and adds strings to the croon of “Prisoner Of Love” – a surprisingly touching shuffle – looking for someone to share with. There is a brief instrumental interlude with 20 seconds of the Motown smash “My Girl” which then slides into a very cool groove with “Maybe The Last Time” – the crowd joining in the oh-I chants.

The hardest workingman in show business proved it all night between the 16th and 25th of June 1967 at The Apollo Theatre in Harlem, NYC – and despite the ever so slight oddness of CD1 – CD2 is a stone to the bone monster. It only remains for any of us to say, hit it bobby and take us to the bridge…

"Turnin' On" by HIGH INERGY - Album from 1977 on Gordy (USA) and Tamla Motown (UK) (August 2014 Big Break Records 'Expanded Edition' CD Reissue and Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

This Review Along With Over 300 Others Is Available in my

SOUNDS GOOD E-Book on all Amazon sites
HIGHER GROUND

SOUL, FUNK and JAZZ FUSION 
Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters  

Just Click Below To Purchase for £6.95

Thousands of E-Pages - All Details and In-Depth Reviews From Discs 

(No Cut and Paste Crap)

"…In The Middle Of Turning Me On…"

The four all-singing, all-dancing Mitchell sisters from Pasadena in California that made up HIGH INERGY were touted at the time by none other than Motown Head Honcho himself Berry Gordy as America's 'new' Supremes. And with songwriters like James Ingram, Bobby Womack, Al Willis and Clay Drayton lining up the catchy tunes – they certainly had what it took to put their debut album to the No. 6 slot in the American R&B charts (No. 28 in Pop).

And this typically superb sounding CD reissue by Britain’s BBR (Big Break Records) of their 1977 Motown debut will give fans the perfect excuse to indulge one more time. Here are the hi steppin' details…

Released 25 August 2014 in the UK (7 October in the USA) – "Turnin' On" by HIGH INERGY on Big Break Records CDBBRX 0304 (Barcode 5013929060432) is an 'Expanded Edition' CD Reissue and Remaster with Two Bonus Tracks that plays out as follows (43:05 minutes):

1. Love Is All You Need [Side 1]

2. You Can't Turn Me Off (In The Middle Of Turning Me On)

3. Some Kinda Magic

4. Searchin' (I've Got To Find My Love)

5. Ain't No Love Left (In My Heart For You) [Side 2]

6. Let Me Get Close To You 

7. Save It For A Rainy Day

8. Could This Be Love

9. High School

Tracks 1 to 9 are the album "Turnin' On" – released October 1977 in the USA on Gordy G6-978S1 and December 1977 in the UK on Tamla Motown STML 12074

BONUS TRACKS: 

9. You Can't Turn Me Off (In The Middle Of Turning Me On) (Single Version)

10. Love Is All You Need (Single Version)

SINGLES: Using the two bonuses and Tracks 7 and 3 - this BBR CD release will allow fans to sequence High Inergy's two US and UK 7" singles from the album as follows:

1. "You Can't Turn Me Off (In The Middle Of Turning Me On)" b/w "Let Me Get Close To You" - August 1977 on Gordy G-7155F in the USA and October 1977 on Tamla Motown TMG 1087 in the UK

2. "Love Is All You Need" b/w "Some Kinda Magic" - January 1978 on Gordy G-7157F in the USA and March 1978 on Tamla Motown TMG 1103 in the UK

The 12-page booklet has colour photos of the sisters, rare American picture sleeves, label facsimiles and liner notes by RICO 'Superbizzee' WASHINGTON (as well as album credits). But the big news as always with BBR is a KEVIN REEVES and NICK ROBBINS remaster from Universal tapes and it sounds just amazing – clear, punchy and full of life.

Highlights include steppers like "Love Is All You Need" and the sexy slink of "You Can't Turn Me Off…" - while "Let Me Get Close To You" is a Supremes-type smoocher (written by Faye Usher). James Ingram makes his songwriting presence known on both "Save It For A Rainy Day" and "Could This Be Love" – mid-tempo funkers. They went on to make a whopping further 7 albums for Gordy - but their debut album is now remembered more as a beginning of High Energy Disco and Soul.

Another superb reissue from BBR and kicking where it matters – sound and presentation…

PS: Big Break Records (BBR) CD Remasters I've reviewed:

1. Send It – ASHFORD & SIMPSON (1977)

2. Is It Still Good To Ya – ASHFORD and SIMPSON (1978)

3. Stay Free – ASHFORD and SIMPSON (1979)

4. Central Heating – HEATWAVE (1977)

5. Hot Property - HEATWAVE (1979)

6. Candles - HEATWAVE (1980)

7. Turnin' On - HIGH INERGY (1977)

8. Harvest For The World - THE ISLEY BROTHERS (1976)

9. Go For Your Guns - THE ISLEY BROTHERS (1977)

10. In The Heart – KOOL & THE GANG (1983)

11. I Hope We Get To Love On Time - MARILYN McCOO & BILLY DAVIS (1976)

12. I Miss You [known as "Harold Melvin The Blue Notes" in the UK] - HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES (1972)

13. Black & Blue - HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES (1973)

14. Love Is The Message - MFSB (1973)

15. Universal Love – MFSB (1975)

16. All The Faces Of... - BUDDY MILES (1974)

17. For The First Time – STEPHANIE MILLS (1975)

18. I Can See Clearly Now - JOHNNY NASH (1972)

19. In Philadelphia - O'JAYS (1969)

20. Back Stabbers - O'JAYS (1972)

21. Ship Ahoy - O'JAYS (1973)

22. Down To Love Town – THE ORIGINALS (1977)

23. Ebony Woman - BILLY PAUL (1970 and 1973)

24. 360 Degrees Of Billy Paul - BILLY PAUL (1972)

25. War Of The Gods - BILLY PAUL (1973)

26. Platinum Hook – PLATINUM HOOK (1978)

27. Love For What It Is - ANITA POINTER (of The Pointer Sisters) (1987)

28. Live: Stompin’ At The Savoy – RUFUS and CHAKA KHAN (1983)

29. Summernights – SILVER CONVENTION (1977)

30. Smoked Sugar - SMOKED SUGAR (1975)

31. Spinners – SPINNERS (1973)

32. Soul Master – EDWIN STARR (1968)

33. Involved - EDWIN STARR (1971)

34. Switch - SWITCH (1978)

35. Watercolors – THE WATERS (1980)

36. Just As I Am - BILL WITHERS (1971)

37. Heartbeats – YARBROUGH & PEOPLES (1983)

"Down To Love Town" by THE ORIGINALS (August 2014 Big Break Records (BBR) Expanded Edition CD Reissue – Kevin Reeves and Wayne A. Dickson Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

This Review Along With Over 300 Others Is Available in my

SOUNDS GOOD E-Book on all Amazon sites
HIGHER GROUND

SOUL, FUNK and JAZZ FUSION 
Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters  

Just Click Below To Purchase for £6.95

Thousands of E-Pages - All Details and In-Depth Reviews From Discs 

(No Cut and Paste Crap)

"...I'm Going Down To Love Town..."

A high–energy Disco dancer - Down To Love Town on Soul Records (USA) was in fact their 8th album (The Originals had formed in 1966) and this amazing-sounding 2014 CD reissue and remaster from BBR of the UK (Big Break Records) adds on a Previously Unreleased "Alternate Take" for good measure. Here are body beautiful details…

UK released August 2014 - "Down To Love Town" by THE ORIGINALS on Big Break Records CDBBRX 0303 (Barcode 5013929060333) is an 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster with One Bonus Track and plays out as follows (42:33 minutes):

1. Hurry Up And Wait [Side 1]

2. Down To Love Town

3. You Are A Blessing To Me

4. Call On Your Six Million Dollar Man [Side 2]

5. Mother Nature's Best

6. Sunrise

8. Been Decided

Tracks 1 to 7 are the album "Down To Love Town" released February 1977 in the USA on Soul S6-74951.

BONUS TRACK:

9. Down To Love Town (Alternate Take) 

The 12-page booklet has excellent and detailed liner notes by JUSTIN COBER LAKE that include band photos, the US Motown artwork and rare 12" single sleeves as well as very detailed recording/discography info. But the big news as always with BBR releases is the stunning remaster. KEVIN REEVES (whose been involved in huge numbers in the Universal Soul and Jazz "Originals" series) did the initial remaster with more touches by BBR's resident tape wizard WAYNE A. DICKSON after the fact.

The sound is wonderful especially on the Number 1 Disco hit "Down To Love Town" - Jeff Porcaro of Toto whacking those Drums with Ray Parker, Jr. and Jay Graydon on Guitars (Graydon did the stunning solo on Steely Day's "Peg" from "Aja"). Funky breaks galore come at ya in "You Are A Blessing To Me" - major sessionman David T. Walker taking over the guitars for that one. The ballad "Mother Nature's Best" turned up as the B-side to the other album hit - "(Call On Your) Six Million Dollar Man". It ends on the funky "Been Decided" (surely another potential single). The "Alternate Take" of "Down To Love Town" runs to 3:51 minutes and ups the Disco high-hat beat even more…

Great sound and presentation – fans should also make a way to the Lamont Dozier produced "California Sunset" from 1975 - BBR reissued that a few years back…

PS: Big Break Records (BBR) CD Remasters I’ve reviewed:

1. Is It Still Good To Ya – ASHFORD and SIMPSON (1978)

2. Stay Free – ASHFORD and SIMPSON (1979)

3. Central Heating – HEATWAVE (1977)

4. Hot Property - HEATWAVE (1979)

5. Candles - HEATWAVE (1980)

6. Turnin' On - HIGH INERGY (1977)

7. Harvest For The World - THE ISLEY BROTHERS (1976)

8. Go For Your Guns - THE ISLEY BROTHERS (1977)

9. In The Heart – KOOL & THE GANG (1983)

10. Let Me Be Your Angel – STACY LATTISAW (1980)

11. I Hope We Get To Love On Time - MARILYN McCOO & BILLY DAVIS (1976)

12.  I Miss You - HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES (1972) [known as "Harold Melvin The Blue Notes" in the UK]

13. Black & Blue - HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES (1973)

14. Love Is The Message - MFSB (1973)

15. Universal Love – MFSB (1975)

16. All The Faces Of... - BUDDY MILES (1974)

17. For The First Time – STEPHANIE MILLS (1975)

18. I Can See Clearly Now - JOHNNY NASH (1972)

19. Back Stabbers - O'JAYS (1972)

20. Ship Ahoy - O'JAYS (1973)

21. Down To Love Town – THE ORIGINALS (1977)

22. Ebony Woman - BILLY PAUL (1970 and 1973)

23. 360 Degrees Of Billy Paul - BILLY PAUL (1972)

24. War Of The Gods - BILLY PAUL (1973)

25. Platinum Hook – PLATINUM HOOK (1978)

26. Love For What It Is - ANITA POINTER (of The Pointer Sisters) (1987)

27. Live: Stompin’ At The Savoy – RUFUS and CHAKA KHAN (1983)

28. Madhouse – SILVER CONVENTION (1976)

29. Summernights – SILVER CONVENTION (1977)

30. Smoked Sugar - SMOKED SUGAR (1975)

31. Spinners – SPINNERS (1973)

32. Soul Master – EDWIN STARR (1968)

33. Involved - EDWIN STARR (1971)

34. Switch - SWITCH (1978)

35. Watercolors – THE WATERS (1980)

36. Just As I Am - BILL WITHERS (1971 Debut LP on Sussex/A&M Records)

37. Heartbeats – YARBROUGH & PEOPLES (1983)