Various Artists - What It Is! Funky Soul and Rare Grooves (2006)

You know I love reissues from Rhino Records. Those folks know how to do things right. When I saw this box set advertised, I ordered it immediately. Rhino describes the set as "an unprecedented shadow history of funk, pulling together rare sides from well-known artists and definitive grooves from less-known but supremely gifted masters of the art form." The tracks are heavy on the years '68-'72, culled mainly from the vaults of Atlantic, Atco, and Warner Bros. Records. With a few exceptions, these are deep tracks and rare finds, many released digitally here for the first time. I'm just guessing, but I'd say that over 60% of the tunes are instrumentals. 4 CDs, 91 tracks, and, in an 84 page booklet, wonderful liner notes that break down each track. While I'll listen to these tracks in order for the blog, I recommend experiencing this music by shuffling all 91 tracks along with some other funk/soul music of the time.

As many of these songs were originally released only as 7" 45 rpm singles, it is appropriate that the box that holds all the goodies is the size of those old records. They've even put a picture of one of those old 45 adapters in the afro of the cover picture. Good stuff. The packaging even won the Grammy for Best Boxed/Special Limited Edition at the 50th annual awards. As with any Rhino product, buy it when you see it because you never know how long each release will be in production.

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DISC ONE
27 tracks, 76:25

Tracks on the first disc cover the years 1967-1969. There's two tracks here I had heard before: The Bar-Kay's Soul Finger and Rufus Thomas singing The Memphis Train. Both are top notch. Of the other 25 tracks, the keepers are a Hammond B-3 organ instrumental cover of The Shadow Of Your Smile by Brother Jack McDuff, Gangster of Love (Parts I & II) by Jimmy Norman, Snatching It Back by Clarence Carter, Sexy Coffee Pot by Tony Alvon & The Belairs, a funktastic cover of the Isley Brothers' It's Your Thing by the group Cold Grits, and Funky Canyon by Phil Moore, Jr. (I just can't resist a good Hohner clavinet part).

Warning! Without question, the instant earworm is Pig Snoots, Part I by Natural Bridge Bunch. "Cute pork sure is good pork."

I'm not wild about the sequencing, but there's nothing I skip on this disc. The contribution by the Commodores (yes - those Commodores) certainly isn't their best effort, but I can't resist the syncopated drum part.

Song	Artist	Year
Spreadin' Honey	The Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band	1967
Soul Finger	Bar-Kays	1967
The Shadow Of Your Smile	Brother Jack McDuff	1967
Gangster Of Love (Parts I & II)	Jimmy Norman	1968
Memphis Train	Rufus Thomas	1968
Get Out Of My Life Woman	Grassella Oliphant	1967
Live Right Now	Eddie Harris	1968
Pig Snoots, Part I	Natural Bridge Bunch	1968
Soul Sound System	The Freedom Sounds feat. Wayne Henderson	1968
Snatching It Back	Clarence Carter	1969
Stoned Soul	Artie Christopher	1968
Getting The Corners	The T.S.U. Tornadoes	1968
Sexy Coffee Pot	Tony Alvon & The Belairs	1969
Don't Come Around Here Anymore	Mark Putney	1969
Keep On Dancing	The Commodores	1969
Right On Brother (Part I)	The Southshore Commission	1969
Pop, Popcorn Children	Eldridge Holmes	1969
It's Your Thing	Cold Grits	1969
It's All In Your Mind	Soul Angels	1969
Funky John	Johnny Cameron & The Camerons	1969
Help Me Make Up My Mind	Joyce Jones	1969
Rock Me Baby	Lou Johnson	1968
Sing A Simple Song	The Noble Knights	1969
Do You Dig It	Titus Turner	1969
Funky Canyon	Phil Moore, Jr.	1969
Jan Jan	The Fabulous Counts	1969
Tampin	The Rhine Oaks	1969

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DISC TWO
21 tracks, 74:12

Tracks on the second disc cover the years 1968-1971. There's one track here I had heard before: a cover of Jumpin' Jack Flash by Ananda Shankar (previously reviewed here). This is a strong disc throughout, but if I had to pick the top tracks, I'd pick Gossip by Cyril Neville (who would later join the Meters), Somebody In The World For You by The Mighty Hannibal, Sookie Sookie by Don Covey & The Jefferson Lemon Blues Band, the cover of I Can't Get Next To You by Afro-Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaria, and Feelin' Alright by Lulu.

We're also treated to a couple of recordings from Sly Stone (delivered under pseudonyms on his short-lived Stone Flower label because he was under contract to Epic): Stanga by Little Sister and I'm Just Like You by 6ix (pronounced "six"? "six-nine"? "six-eye-ex"?).

Song	Artist	Year
Gossip	Cyril Neville	1970
Somebody In The World For You	The Mighty Hannibal	1968
Stanga	Little Sister	1970
Jumpin' Jack Flash	Ananda Shankar	1970
The Deacon	Brute Force	1970
Sookie Sookie	Don Covay & The Jefferson Lemon Blues Band	1970
Right On	Clarence Wheeler & The Enforcers	1970
(Don't Worry) If There's A Hell Below We're All Going To Go	Curtis Mayfield	1970
Stepping Stones	Johnny Harris	1970
I'm Just Like You	6ix	1970
Funky Thing (Pt I)	The Unemployed	1970
Messie Bessie	Shirley Scott	1970
Fairchild	Willie West	1970
Cold Bear	The Gaturs	1971
I Can't Get Next To You	Mongo Santamaria	1970
Feelin' Alright	Lulu	1970
Soul Bowl	Memphis Horns	1970
Tuane	Hammer	1970
Take It Off (Pt. II)	Johnny Tolbert & De Thangs	1970
Seeds Of Life	Harlem River Drive	1971
Engine Number 9	Wilson Pickett	1970

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DISC THREE
21 tracks, 77:42

Tracks on the third disc cover the years 1970-1972. The only song with which I was familiar was Suavecito by Malo, a wonderfully smooth Summertime Latin number which reached #18 on the charts in 1972. Not the strongest of the 4 discs, the other quality cuts here are Hard Times by Baby Huey & The Baby Sitters, a cover of Spinning Wheel by Wade Marcus, Goin' Down by legendary New Orleans producer Allen Toussaint, You Gotta Know Whatcha Doin' by Charles Wright, Ridin' Thumb by King Curtis, and what could be the funkiest gospel record ever released, Hang On In There by The Stovall Sisters.

The highlight of the disc, possibly the whole set, is an alternate mix of Aretha Franklin's Rock Steady, unreleased until this set. Dang, that's some fonky sanging.

Song	Artist	Year
Hard Times	Baby Huey & The Baby Sitters	1971
What So Never The Dance (Pts. I & II)	Houseguests	1971
Headless Heroes	Eugene McDaniels	1971
Spinning Wheel	Wade Marcus	1971
Bad Tune	Earth, Wind & Fire	1971
Mr. Cool	Rasputin's Stash	1971
Don't Cha Hear Me Callin' To Ya	Junior Mance	1970
Hang On In There	The Stovall Sisters	1971
Funky Nassau (Pt. II)	The Beginning Of The End	1971
Whatever's Fair	Mark Holder & The Positives	1972
Face It	Ed Robinson	1971
Wah Wah Man	Young-Holt Unlimited	1971
Rock Steady (Alternate Mix)	Aretha Franklin	1970
Won't Nobody Listen	Black Haze Express	1971
Goin' Down	Allem Toussaint	1972
Suavecito	Malo	1972
You Gotta Know Whatcha Doin'	Charles Wright	1972
Mo Jo Hanna	Tami Lynn	1972
Ridin' Thumb	King Curtis	1972
Almendra	Macondo	1972
Nuki Suki	Little Richard	1972

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DISC FOUR
22 tracks, 78:52

Easily the best of the four discs (and that's really saying something). In the words of Freddy Benson, "All I can say is WOW!" Check it:

Song	Artist	Year
Getting Uptown (To Get Down)	United B	1972
8 Days On The Road	Howard Tate	1972
Moon Shadow	LaBelle	1972
Let It Crawl	Society's Bag	1972
Wanaoh	Black Heat	1972
If It Was Good Enough For Daddy	Clarence Reid	1973
Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky	Claudia Lennear	1973
Cosmic Sea	The Mystic Moods	1973
Kissing My Love	Cold Blood	1973
Flute Thing	Seatrain	1973
Chug Chug Chug-A-Lug (Push N' Shove) Pt. II	The Meters	1972
Funky To The Bone	Freddi/Henchi & The Soul Setters	1973
Try It Again	Bobby Byrd	1973
Teasin'	Cornell Dupree	1974
(Everybody Wanna Get Rich) Rite Away	Dr. John	1974
Chicken Heads	Oscar Brown, Jr.	1974
Rien Ne Va Plus	Funk Factory	1975
Cajun Moon	Herbie Mann	1976
Improve	Darrow Fletcher	1977
Riding High	Faze-O	1977
Four Play	Fred Wesley & The Horny Horns	1977
California Dreamin'	Eddie Hazel	1977

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Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but I'm certainly game for a second box set for the years 1977-1987. This baby needs a sibling.

I don't own it (unfortunately), but Rhino also produced a limited edition of 5,000 "singles collections" which included re-pressings of twenty-five classic seven-inch singles in a package shaped like a vintage singles carrying case. All of the reissued 7" vinyl records feature the original 45's A & B sides and with faithfully replicated labels and sleeves. These sets are currently on the resale market for $75-130.