This is the first-ever overview of Bettye Swann’s career, from Money to Capitol, Fame to Atlantic. The stuff with Wayne Shuler on our own compilation is some of the greatest soul music there is — but this is a must for its inclusiveness, and full of treasures.

Misdemeanour is an irresistible Jacksons-style rare groove classic. Nicked from Dee Clark, arranged by Jerry Peters, sampled by Dre.
Here’s Foster aged eleven, smashing it on Soul Train in 1973, with sisters Angela and Patricia. (Not to mention his bros’ ‘fros.)

Stone classic disco heaven; and a scarcely known, tripping, randy little Fuqua of an instrumental version of I Need Somebody, on the flip.
The first reissue of these two superb 7’ edits since back in the day.

Ace, freaky deaky boogie — dense, extrovert and synthy — originally out on Oil Capital.

Hypnotic, infectious space-funk from Chicago’s south side — and some bedroom funk on the flip —  produced by Staple Singer’s engineer Don Greer in 1980.

Outstanding, spiritualised jazz-funk; keenly focussed but free and warm; steeped in post-bop and wide-open to r&b; somewhere between Lonnie Liston Smith’s Cosmic Echoes and Roy Ayers’ Ubiquity. Plenty here for dancers, chin-strokers and dreamers all.
The personnel discloses generous musical co-ordinates… Marvin Blackman from the Rashied Ali Quartet is here, and Ryo Kawasaki. James Mason and Justo Almario were later collaborators. Just a couple of years before this, Tarika Blue leader Phil Clendeninn was playing in a New York funk outfit alongside Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards…

This is a system test record.

Hair-down rock and roll, artful blues balladry and deep soul, for labels like King and Checker, with musicians like Mickey Baker and Specs Powell in NYC, and Allen Toussaint and Lee Allen in New Orleans.