new Salsoul compilations..

[neonlights]

Has anyone purchased any of these new Salsoul compilations?.. Someone posted here earlier about their new licencees- Suss'd records in the UK relaunching the Salsoul label with a bunch of slick, stylish new compilations. I bought one of the compilations recently, one of the shops here had Disco Funk Flavas 2 - some really good stuff, some not so good, but the sound quality on some selections just doesn't seem really "full" to me..
EDIT: I probably shouldn't be too picky, cause the 2nd disc sounds great, and compared to other disco compilations, the quality is decent, since sound quality tends to be a tad uneven on most of them anyway.. I'd put it down to some of those selections being mastered from vinyl..

Anyway I was just wondering what's the verdict from those of you who have bought any of them.. The compilations of Larry Levan and Walter Gibbons mixes sound interesting..

New Salsoul here...

[Salsoul1975]

Neonlights,

I have a number of these Suss'd UK Salsoul releases. I have the one you mentioned "Disco Funk Flavas 2", along with "My Salsoul: Marshall Jefferson" and the Walter Gibbons and Larry Levan reissues.

The Gibbons package is a 3-disc set. Only if you are a bonafide Gibbons Salsoul-era afficianado will you find absolutely nothing wrong with this compilation. Not all of Gibbons' work with Salsoul was memorable; the spacey songs on the third disc have good orchestrations but the vocals are detestable. For the people who always criticize Denise LaPage's singing style; get a listen to the vocalists from Cellophane. The last two songs from this same disc are truly out of left field; discofied country and western. "Stand By Your Man" is surprisingly catchy and a personal favorite; "Your Cheating Heart" is too long and uninteresting. Both were recorded by the Robin Hooker Band. The bets cuts are the R&B-oriented ones, such as "Cheaters Never Win" by Love Committee and "Love Is Finally Coming My Way" by True Example. Some songs are over-represented here; "Catch Me On The Rebound" by Loleatta Holloway is included three times on this compilation. The definitve version (10:48) would have sufficed.

The Larry Levan compilation is a fantastic release overall. It contains all of the songs from the previously released "Larry Levan's Paradise Garage" on Salsoul. It also contains the full-length versions of songs like "Crying" and "Slap Slap Lickedy Lap" by Instant Funk, and "By The Way You Dance" by Bunny Sigler.

"Disco Funk Flavas 2" takes a while to get used to because I'm not a real big fan of funk as I am with disco. "Dance Dance Dance" by Claudja Barry, "Something's Up" by Wayne St. John, "Voyage Of No Return" (a/k/a "Primitive Man") by Silvetti and "Baby Love" by Aurra are standouts here. "Big Fat Juicy Fun" by Hambone (on the second disc) is a good instrumental but there is no way this record could have come out in 1981, as it says in the liner notes. This has 1975 written all over it.

"My Salsoul: Marshall Jefferson" is a two-disc set of mixed Salsoul. Subtitled "The Foundations Of House", it uses the spoken acapella tracks to good use throughout, especially with Loleatta Holloway's vocals. Some surprise songs here include: "Thousand Finger Man" by Candido and "Sing Sing" by Gaz. "Hold Your Horses" by First Choice gets the least play on this set; it lasts for maybe a minute and a half.

[neonlights]

Thanks for the detailed overview Salsoul1975! :)

well then I'm definitely going to buy the Gibbons CD sometime soon, maybe after I download some of those tracks you mentioned, to see how i feel about them..... I'm not familiar with too many of his mixes, but I've heard he and his mixes have a tendency to be a little eccentric.. and I can't believe they'd include the same song (albeit maybe slightly different mixes) 3 times.. They should save it for an album reissue (although I'm not sure Suss'd will be doing any of those anytime soon)

I'm glad the Levan compilation is good. I have the original Bethlehem US CD, and I thought they should have done better than the 7 tracks and the ugly artwork they included.. I'd really love to hear the full version of the Bunny Sigler track - one of my faves!

I'm starting to enjoy much of The Disco Funk Flavas 2 CDs.. The Tom Moulton mix of the Claudja Barry track has long been a fav. of mine, as are all the others you mentioned.. The only ones I don't care for are the selections by Cream De Coco, Edwin Birdsong (this one's particularly tedius :x ) and Logg

The Marshall Jefferson mix CD sounds good too.. I was hesitant with the mix CDs at first, but it might be a nice change, since i generally find some of these unmixed disco comps to be a little bit uneven in general.....thanks again for the suggestions! :)

[Salsoul1975]

Neonlights,

Glad you appreciated my "reviews". In my case, anything Salsoul I am prone to pick up, even if I have the same song in at least 20 compilations.

Yes, Gibbons' works are a rollercoaster of sorts. His remix of "It's Good For The Soul" captures his eccentricity quite nicely.

I had that Levan reissue on CD (Bethlehem) years ago, but gave it away. The Suss'd reissue is much superior, and I agree with you about the original artwork of the CD. The Suss'd reissues are much better, visually.

The Marshall Jefferson mixes are good, but there's plenty of studio magic here, of course. That tends to be a pet peeve of mine when it comes to mixed CD's. It doesn't sound "natural", so to speak. Still, a mix is a mix is a mix... If you can get past the self-promotion quips ("Behold the true Godfather...) throughout the mixes, then this 2-disc set is worth your money. There are other deejays that also have collections via the Suss'd reissues, such as Danny Krivit. If you collect vinyl, try to get your hands on "Disco Boogie Vol. 2", which was mixed by Walter Gibbons. I would be in heaven if Suss'd reissued this on CD. It's no-gimmick mixing at its best, and takes advantage of lesser-known Salsoul records ("King of Clubs" by Chocolat's and a few Claudja Barry tunes such as "Dancin' Fever" and "Love Machine"). The first volume of "Disco Boogie" was reissued years ago (I have this one) and was a Tom Moulton Mix. The songs are edited, but it's an absolute oversight. The mixing alone makes up for it!

Happy New Year to you!

[neonlights]

If you collect vinyl, try to get your hands on "Disco Boogie Vol. 2", which was mixed by Walter Gibbons. I would be in heaven if Suss'd reissued this on CD. It's no-gimmick mixing at its best, and takes advantage of lesser-known Salsoul records ("King of Clubs" by Chocolat's and a few Claudja Barry tunes such as "Dancin' Fever" and "Love Machine"). The first volume of "Disco Boogie" was reissued years ago (I have this one) and was a Tom Moulton Mix. The songs are edited, but it's an absolute oversight. The mixing alone makes up for it!

Happy New Year to you!

Happy New Year to you too! :)

It sounds like the Marshall Jefferson CD is like the Kenny Dope- Disco Heat compilation, I got a hold of this recently and the mix portion is pure studio mixing with all kind of effects put in, it was still interesting to hear it mixed like that. Although I prefer the old school no-frills mixing, it's just a more genuine listening experience, if you know what I mean ..

I'll def. keep a look out for the Disco Boogie mixes... I've been taking a break from vinyl lately, until i get myself a good turntable and cartridge, since the one I have now is just the cheapest of the cheap :P It would be great if they put both volumes on a CD set, hopefully before they get one of these new guys to put out another salsoul mix CD...

[Salsoul1975]

Although I prefer the old school no-frills mixing, it's just a more genuine listening experience, if you know what I mean ..

So true. Mixes like that are hard to come by on disco shows that one hears on the radio these days. The only time I got to hear old-school mixing was when WKTU, a radio station here in the New York area, played mixes by Jellybean Benitez on Saturday nights (repeated Sunday at midnight) around 1996-97. His mixing style was sublime and unlike any mix I hear; when was the last time you heard a mixed set on the radio that didn't cram 10-15 songs in a 25-minute radio set? With Jellybean's WKTU mixes, there were at least 3-4 songs in a 25-minute set. Very rarely were there five. Every mix I hear on the radio today tries to put in as many songs in a 25-minute set as possible, and there are so many special effects put into them. Plus, the worst part is when the disc jockey on the radio cuts in around the time the song is about to mix into the other by talking loud and taking live with listeners on the phone. NYC-area Mix 102.7 listeners, can you say "Joe Causi"? ;-)

[Salsoul1975]

Neonlights,

You might want to check this UK Salsoul compilation I bought a few weeks ago. It's called "Crossover Flavas: When Northern Soul Met Disco". Here's the track listing:

1. "Janice (Don't Be So Blind To Love)"-Skip Mahoney (6:59)
2. "Catch Me On The Rebound"-Loleatta Holloway (3:21)
3. "So Much For Love"-Moment Of Truth (3:35)
4. "Time Will Tell"-Eddie Holman (4:30)
5. "Gamble On Love"-First Choice (2:46)
6. "Just As Long As You Love Me"-True Example (5:33)
7. "I Just Can't Give You Up"-Floyd Smith (3:58)
8. "You're So Much A Part Of Me"-Carol Williams (3:49)
9. "I'm A Fool"-Bunny Sigler (3:50)
10. "Beware, She's Pulling My Strings"-Flashlight (5:06)
11. "Put It In The Back Of Your Mind"-Love Committee (4:22)
12. "Everyman (Has To Carry His Own Weight)"-Double Exposure (2:43)
13. "Right Now (I Really Feel That I Can Change Your Mind)"-Keni Rightout (5:51)
14. "You're My Saving Grace"-Johnnie & Michael Hill (3:53)
15. "All About The Paper"-Loleatta Holloway (6:09)
16. "Cheaters Never Win"-Love Committee (3:55)
17. "Continental Square Dance"-Joe Bataan (3:42)

I have played this CD a number of times and never get tired of it.