"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...

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"...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)