So Super Funk Is Back and I would venture to say that it is the best so far.
Now of course, I would say that, wouldn’t I! Just in case you are not convinced by my good word alone, let us run through some of the super rare, unreleased and classic funk that make up this new volume.
Let’s start with the Uniques. When Give Me Another Chance surfaced on auction site ebay last year, the seller assured everyone that there was only a solitary copy of the 200 press that has surfaced. The record was snaffled up by legendary collector and DJ Ian Wright, who has made it one of the biggest records of the year. We have taken the record from the original master so you can appreciate in your own home why it is so good.
Further crazily rare 45s on the collection include Hi Off Life by the Eternal Flames, an excellent slice of Funk produced by Fatback’s Bill Curtis (the band was a group of Queens teenagers aiming for their one shot at glory). Equally rare is Just Sitting by Smithstonian, which was only available on the issue version of their one Enterprise 45, not the slightly more common promo. Although nowhere near as rare as our first three releases, the Diplomats and the Phillips Brothers records both go for quite a large chunk of change these days. Not surprising when they would fill a floor anywhere. As a bonus the Phillips Brothers’ I Got Hurt comes in an extended part one and an unreleased part two, and we also have a frantic unreleased Little Boy Blue by them.
Other unreleased gems jostling for your attention include the likes of Lorenzo Holden, Jeanette Jones, and a wonderful San Francisco masterpiece by a band called 87th Off Broadway with a great tune called Can’t Get Enough. There are also some warped obscurities from Louisiana in the form of Lee Bernard’s Turn Around And Go and Who Done It? by Big Daddy Green.
Our final front is made up with a selection of classics ranging from the ‘£10 but it is always good to hear it’ Jackie Wilson Shake A Leg to the ‘can’t believe that cost me a ton – but hell it was worth it’ Twine Time by Alvin Cash, no not the 1964 Chicago hit, but rather the 1970 Memphis recut that burbles in a funky good way. There are others as well, but I suggest you get into the booklet to find out the full rundown. I’m guessing you won’t regret it, but again, I would say that!
By Dean Rudland
