MARVIN GAYE - HELLO BROADWAY
Nothing too Broadway here – as the album's a warmly soulful
set that shows a mellower side of Marvin Gaye for the 60s – the deeper, more
jazz-inclined side of his vocals, which makes for a nice contrast to his bigger
hits of the time! Gene Page handled most of the arrangements, so you can bet
that the sound is mighty solid – a groove that gets past standard Motown modes
of the time, and opens up with a hint of the more sophisticated Marvin to come
in the 70s! It's great to hear Gaye take his own turn with familiar tunes like
these – and titles include "Walk On The Wild Side", "Hello
Broadway", "My Way", "What Kind Of Fool Am I",
"People", "The Party's Over", "Days Of Wine &
Roses", and "This Is The Life". ~ Dusty Groove
WILSON PICKETT - MR. MAGIC MAN: THE COMPLETE RCA STUDIO RECORDINGS
Between 1964 and 1972, Wilson Pickett established himself as
one of the greatest soul men of all time with a string of incendiary pop and
R&B smashes like “In the Midnight Hour,” “Land of 1,000 Dances,” “Mustang
Sally” and “Funky Broadway.” But the Wicked Pickett’s scorching career didn’t
stop when he left Atlantic Records.
Beginning with 1973’s Mr. Magic Man, Pickett recorded four soulful studio
albums for RCA Records, where, in an extremely productive two years, he notched
his final Hot 100 hits as well as a string of R&B chart successes. Yet, Pickett’s RCA discography has been all
but ignored in the compact disc era. Now, Real Gone Music and Second Disc
Records are proud to present the first-ever appearance on CD of all four of
Wilson Pickett’s sizzling, funky RCA studio platters on Mr. Magic Man: The
Complete RCA Studio Recordings. This 2-CD package includes Mr. Magic Man
(1973), Miz Lena’s Boy (1973), Pickett in the Pocket (1974) and Join Me and
Let’s Be Free (1975) plus four rare, never-on-CD bonus singles to paint a full
portrait of this exciting era. For these sessions, Pickett teamed with
producers including Brad Shapiro, Dave Crawford and Yusuf Rahman, and recorded
at legendary venues including Muscle Shoals Sound and Philadelphia’s Sigma
Sound Studios, where Pickett had recorded some of his most indelible Atlantic
sides. The collection takes its title from the hit single written by the team
of Bobby Eli and Vinnie Barrett (“Sideshow,” “Love Won’t Let Me Wait”) which
captured Pickett in a smooth Philly groove. Vic Anesini at Sony’s Battery
Studios has remastered this first-of-its-kind collection, while Joe Marchese
has penned the liner notes. Mr. Magic Man: The Complete RCA Studio Albums adds
up to 42 tracks and 148 minutes of wicked good—and wickedly rare—soul from the
iconic voice of Wilson Pickett!
JAY DEE - COME ON IN LOVE (EXPANDED EDITION)
With production by Barry White, and seven of its nine songs
written or co-written by the Walrus of Love, you d think that this one-off
release from Jay Dee was in reality all but a solo album from White. And you
know what? You d be right...almost. For while Come On In Love sports the
trademark lush orchestration (with arrangements by Gene Page) and funky rhythms
that made Barry White a superstar during the 70s, the artist Jay Dee was, if
not an equal partner, a worthy front man. Born Earl Nelson, he first surfaced
in 1963 as half of Bob & Earl on the hit Harlem Shuffle (which was arranged
by you guessed it a young Barry White)! Then, as Jackie Lee he scored a huge
novelty hit two years later with The Duck, which again had Barry in the
background (the two co-composed the single s flip, Ooh Honey Baby ). So, this
1977 album was actually a collaboration between two seasoned pros, and it
showed it with a number of slow-burning jams spearheaded by excellent soulful
vocals from Jay/Earl/Jackie. Our Expanded Edition includes two bonus tracks,
both sides of the Strange Funky Games and Things single featuring the single
edit and a long instrumental version under the name Games and Funky Things,
with liner notes by Gene Sculatti that explore the background behind this lost
classic of 70s soul. If you missed this one the first time around, don t miss
it again!
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