VA - Midwest Funk

This time collector Malcolm Catto and I drove 1000s of miles across the endless cornfields of the American Midwest, a vast expanse of farm land that covers the region between the Rockies in the West and the Appalachians in the East. Summer is typically stifling hot and winter extremely harsh - Tornado Alley also runs through the entire region. We worked hard but were lucky too - not only did we avoid the tornadoes, but we also found some incredibly rare 45s and some amazing unreleased master tapes! And we've presented the best of them here in this CD/double LP.

It was great to be the first people to meet and hang out with the often-bootlegged Soul Toranodoes, guzzle whiskey in Henry Peters’ basement, and chill out in one of Jessie Wallace's vintage white Cadillacs. We chatted about their wild gigs and gruelling recording sessions in the ‘60s & ‘70s, they gave us amazing photos, told us fascinating stories and shared priceless anecdotes filled with their inspirations and their failures. Their life story in music was often captured on one solitary, but brilliant, 45, and that musical story is told here.

1 “Let’s Do it Today” The Us (previously unreleased full length version)
2 “Pushin’ To The Top” Markus Kelly & the Impassions
3 “Soul & Sunshine” Harvey & the Phenomenals
4 “Whip It Pt. 1” The New Establishment In Soul
5 “Sissy Walk” Billy Ball & the Upsetters
6 “The Hatch” The T.M.G.’s
7 “Tell Her” Fred Williams & the Jewels Band
8 “Save Me” Wanda Davis
9 “It Ain’t Fair, But It’s Fun Pts 1 & 2” Fabulous Originals
10 “I Don’t Want Your Love” Barbara Howard
11 “Future II” The Personations & Organization
12 “A Day in the Life” Chocolate Snow
13 “Master Groove" Henry Peters
14 “Color Me” People in the News
15 “Mr. Machine Pts 1 & 2” Chefs
16 “Soulful Proclamation” Messengers Incorporated
17 “Funky In Here” Dayton Sidewinders
18 “Boots’ Groove” Soul Toronadoes
19 “What-cha Feel Is What-cha Get” Wallace Brothers
20 “Trying to Make Ends Meet” Earl English & the Apachies
21 “Epitaph Movement” Epitaph
22 “Kool is Back” Billy Joe Holloman (vinyl only)
23 “Po Boy’s Dream” Illinois Connection (previously unreleased)
http://rapidshare.com/files/108920955/VA_-_Midwest_funk.rar