THE ARTISTICS - GET MY HANDS ON SOME LOVIN' (Okeh 1966) Jap DSD mastering cardboard sleeve

A Chicago R&B and soul group discovered by Major Lance, the Artistics were formed in 1958 at Marshall High School. They sang at the 1960 Democratic Convention and backed Lance before recording for Okeh in 1963. Original lead vocalist Robert Dobyne joined founding members Aaron Floyd, Curt Thomas, Laurence Johnson, and Jesse Bolian in 1963.
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Their early recordings for Okeh included the singles "Get My Hands on Some Lovin" and "This Heart of Mine" in 1964 and 1965. Former El Dorado Marvin Smith replaced Dobyne in 1964. The Artistics joined Brunswick in 1966, and scored their biggest hit with "I'm Gonna Miss You," which was also the title of their debut album for the label. They had three more moderate hits for Brunswick in the late '60s and early '70s. Smith left in 1967, though he continued singing on studio recordings. Tommy Green and Fred Pettis also served as lead vocalists until the group disbanded in 1973. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
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MAJOR LANCE - UM UM UM UM/BEST (OKeh 1963) Jap DSD mastering cardboard sleeve + 6 bonus

Blessed with a warm, sweet voice, Major Lance was one of the leading figures of Chicago soul during the '60s and the top-selling artist for OKeh Records during the decade. Lance not only had a lovely voice, but his material was excellent. During the height of his success, the majority of his songs were written by Curtis Mayfield and produced by Carl Davis, and the pair developed a smooth, Latin-flavored sound that was punctuated by brass and layered with vocal harmonies, usually from the Impressions. It was urban, uptown soul and while it was considerably less gritty than its Southern counterpart, its breezy rhythms and joyous melodies made songs like "The Monkey Time" and "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" some of the most popular good-time R&B of its era. Major Lance's career declined significantly after he parted ways with Mayfield and Davis in the late '60s, but his classic OKeh recordings remain some of the best-loved soul music of the decade.
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In 1962, Lance was signed to the revived OKeh Records, based on his connections with Otis Leavill and, especially, Curtis Mayfield, who signed with the Impressions to ABC Records and had hits with his own group. Later that year, Lance recorded his first single, "Delilah," for the label. Like most of the Major's material, the song was written by Mayfield who, along with OKeh president Carl Davis and arranger Johnny Pate, developed a distinctive, Latin-tinged sound for the record, filled with sliding trombones and a light-stepping rhythms in order to distinguish Chicago soul from its counterparts in the South, New York, Detroit, and California. Though "Delilah" wasn't a hit, Lance's second single, "The Monkey Time," was a monster. Released in the summer of 1963, "The Monkey Time" reached number two on the R&B charts and number eight pop, establishing not only Lance as a singer but the revitalized OKeh Records as a pop music force. "Hey Little Girl" was a Top 15 pop and R&B hit later that year, followed by the Top Ten "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" early in 1964.[allmusic]
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LEWIS SISTERS - WAY OUT...FAR (LIBERTY 1959) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve

Helen and Kay Lewis', two sisters from Michigan, names cropped up on Motown albums and some single releases in the '60s, such as Gladys Knight & the Pips' "Just Walk in My Shoes." But their careers didn't begin at Motown, rather, in the '50s as jazz singers and songwriters. After high school, Kay attended Michigan State University and earned a degree in music; Helen graduated from UCLA with the same degree.
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In 1955, Kay, whose primary instrument is guitar, moved to California to join her sister Helen who plays piano. They befriended jazz pianist Les McCann in 1958 and he got them a deal with Liberty Records where they recorded a jazz album entitled Way out...Far. McCann played piano on the session and Paul Horn played alto sax. Next came a few sides for Chess/Checker records, including "Come on Let's Stroll," which found its way onto the Checker LP Hits That Jumped in 1959. A year later they cut what Kay describes as a weird album for Verve Records. The Russ Garcia produced Voices, Strings and Percussions was quite odd, Garcia used the sisters' voices like violins on the 1960 album of Tchaikovsky songs.
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They met Hal Davis in California and through Davis' partner Marc Gordon, got them inked to Motown in 1963 as recording artists, but their only releases as artists came two years later on the company's VIP subsidiary. "He's an Oddball" b/w "By Some Chance" and "You Need Me" b/w "Moonlight on the Beach" were good records, different from their early jazz and voice albums, more mainstream. 11 days before the release on their final single, Kay's daughter Little Lisa emerged on VIP as well with "Hang on Bill" b/w "Puppet on a String" (August 20, 1965). The dynamic sisters appeared with Chris Clark on Clark's November, 1965, single "Do Right Baby, Do Right." Nothing hit with much authority and no more recordings were issued. Helen and Kay's songs were being snapped up mostly as album cuts by other artists including the Miracles' "Baby, Baby" and Edwin Starr and Blinky's LP Just We Two which featured "Can't We Be Strangers Again" and "I See a Rainbow."...[All Music Guide]
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LEE WILEY - NIGHT IN MANHATTAN (COLUMBIA 1951) Jap mastering

"Lee Wiley was one of the greatest and most neglected American vocalists. Wiley began in the early '30s as a torch singer and was a formative influence on the young Billie Holiday. Wiley also pioneered the concept of the "composer's songbook" with her 1939 Cole Porter and Gershwin sets for the specialized Liberty Music Shop label. Still, it wasn't until the early '50s that Wiley recorded again in a commercial setting worthy of her stature.
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Several disparate Columbia sessions make up NIGHT IN MANHATTAN. One session features a small string section, another the great trumpeter Bobby Hackett, and another the piano team of Stan Freeman and Cy Walter. Still, the eventual LP was held together by Wiley's stylistically consistent and utterly honest delivery, an approach to song (and life) both wistful and sophisticated at once. "I've Got a Crush on You" rivals Sinatra's celebrated 1945 version (again with Hackett providing the trumpet obligato), but it is the moving, emotionally stripped-down versions of "How Deep is the Ocean," "Time on my Hand" and "More Than you Know" that provide the key to her art."(Joe Sarno, Muze)
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AFRIQUE - SOUL MAKOSSA (MAINSTREAM 1973) Jap mastering

A killer album of Afro Funk -- with a very unusual origin! In the wake of Manu Dibango's big hit (and some kind of failure to register the copyright), many many versions of "Soul Makossa" were recorded and released, some good, some bad. This album is a good example of that situation -- kind of a quickie project issued by Mainstream Records to cash in on the hit -- but it's also an amazing bit of lost funk, and a record that's lasted for years in the hearts of beatheads! The group's a studio combo headed by Richard Fritz -- and includes funky drummer Paul Humphrey, organist Charles Kynard, and guitarist David T Walker -- all players we can trust to keep things groovy. The record does include a version of "Soul Makossa" that's pretty great -- but even better is the breakbeat classic "House Of The Rising Funk", apparently the same version of the track that was issued on a 45 under the name The Chubukos. Other nice ones include "Kissing My Love", "Hot Mud", "Get It", "Hot Doggin", and "Let Me Do My Thing".
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SUGAR BILLY - SUPER DUPER LOVE (FAST TRACK/MAINSTREAM 1975) Jap mastering cardboard sleve + 1 bonus

A classic indie cooker from Sugar Billy -- a bit funky, a bit clubby -- and a really great batch of grooves done in a pre-disco mode! The tracks are all pretty darn upbeat -- somewhat warmer than the funk of Fatback or Kool & The Gang, but still with a nicely rough-edged feel overall -- one that mixes snapping rhythms with Billy's slightly raspy vocals -- all in a groove that's somewhat unique, and which is almost a hybrid of southern soul modes and some of the indie styles bubbling out of the New York scene in the early 70s. Arrangements are by Jimmy Roach, who definitely helps the group groove -- and a young Marcus Belgrave is actually in the group on Trumpet! Titles include the classic "Super Duper Love (parts 1 & 2)", plus "Treat Me Like You Don't Know Me", "Love Bug", "Sugar Pie", "Too Much Too Soon", and "Believe In Me". CD also features a great bonus track -- the single-only "Freak & You Shall Find", presented in the long version!
.......A GREAT FUNK ALBUM!!! DON"T MISS IT.
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MARVIN GAYE - MOODS OF MARVIN GAYE (TAMLA 1966) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve + 3 bonus

After Marvin Gaye recorded tributes to Broadway and Nat King Cole in the previous two years, Motown fans may have had their suspicions raised by an LP titled Moods of Marvin Gaye. Yes, there are a few supper-club standards to be found here, but Gaye moves smoothly between good-time soul and adult pop. Most important are his first two R&B number ones, "I'll Be Doggone" and "Ain't That Particular," both from 1965 and both produced by Smokey Robinson. Berry Gordy's right-hand man also helmed "Take This Heart of Mine" and "One More Heartache," another pair of big R&B scores, and just as good as the better-known hits. As for the copyrights not owned by Jobete, the chestnut "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)" certainly didn't need another reading, but Gaye's take on Willie Nelson's after-hours classic "Night Life" was inspired. Marvin Gaye was improving with every record, gaining in character and strength of performance, and Moods of Marvin Gaye is a radically better record than its predecessors. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
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MARVIN GAYE - HOW SWEET IT IS TO BE LOVED BY YOU (TAMLA 1964) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve + 3 bonus

Another great album; Gaye was at this time Motown's finest solo vocalist (Smokey Robinson, Eddie Kendricks, David Ruffin, and Levi Stubbs were all heading groups). His vocal on the title track was both smooth and churning, celebratory and introspective. He could do no wrong during this period, regardless of content, tempo, or arrangement. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
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The title track,was his best-selling single at the time. Other hits include "Try It Baby" (which features David Ruffin of The Temptations) and "Baby Don't You Do It" (with backing vocals provided by The Andantes).
Also the song "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" is featured in the first American Pie movie, and has been covered by many notable musicians, including James Taylor, Joan Osborne, Michael McDonald and Michael Buble.
The song "You Are a Wonderful One" is featured in the film Bowfinger.
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MARVIN GAYE - THAT STUBBORN KINDA FELLA (TAMLA 1962) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve

Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and instrumentalist with a three-octave vocal range. Starting as a member of the doo-wop group The Moonglows in the late fifties, he ventured into a solo career after the group disbanded in 1960 signing with the Tamla subsidiary of Motown Records. After starting off as a session drummer, Gaye ranked as the label's top-selling solo artist during the sixties.
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"That Stubborn Kinda Fellow" released on the Tamla label in 1962. The LP yielded several hit singles including "Stubborn Kind of Fellow", "Hitch Hike" and "Pride and Joy" and helped to establish Marvin as a rising star on the R&B music scene.
An unreleased single, "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)", became a popular standard and was later covered by British singer Paul Young and his version became a hit in the UK in 1982...
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MARVIN GAYE - RECORDED LIVE ON STAGE (TAMLA 1963) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve

Marvin Gaye's "Recorded Live on Stage" was the first glimpse of a live Marvin Gaye show. Released as an album on September 9, 1963, it firmly stamped Gaye's place as Motown's leading male hitmaker with only Mary Wells outselling him. And though he would often complain of stage fright, when Gaye sang, it seemed like all the fear went away as he took control of the audience especially during the hit numbers. Gaye wouldn't record another live album until 1974 when he was making his comeback on stage after nearly a three-year exile following the death of his beloved duet partner, Tammi Terrell. This album was released in 2009 only in japan...
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While the selections and overall production are spotty, there's nothing erratic or uneven about Gaye's vocals. This was his third Motown album and first live date, and he sounded refreshed, energetic, and triumphant. This came close to equaling his late '70s live set done in London and is among the best '60s live albums that Motown released.[allmusic]
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