Says AOTN — ‘The rarest and best genuinely outsider soul 45 to come out of America. (We know that’s a controversial shout.) Lee Tracy’s super rare single outing from the outskirts of Nashville is a dream of something bigger that never came in time for him. A beautiful, haunting song cut to cassette with help from his friend Isaac Manning on Casio. Flipped with an almost unrecognizable version of Whitney Houston’s hit Saving All My Love For You. Beyond essential cut of outsider soul.’

Ace kid funk, with coolly blunted singing by the little un, and a good old-fashioned break-and-a-half.

‘When Salsoul boss Ken Cayre handed over the multi-track tapes of Hit and Run to Walter Gibbons in 1976, the burgeoning art-form of the disco edit was liberated from its previous cut & paste routine. Following on from the likes of Grasso, Burgess, Levan, Scott, and Siano, Gibbons had become a lethal beat mixer, with an ‘uncanny sense of mixing that was so accurate it was unbelievable’, according to Francois Kevorkian. After early edit work with Salsoul releases Nice ’N’ Naasty and Salsoul 2001, Gibbons had established himself as a meticulous artist, able to completely rework existing tracks into new extended amalgams of rhythm and sound. Cayre’s multi-tracks conferred the ability to thoroughly deconstruct each of the songs elements, and Gibbons transformed the cut into an eleven minute opus which fellow tape pioneer Tom Moulton would distinguish as being ‘so different from the original that it must be classified as a new record.’ The resulting 12” would go on to sell 300,000 copies; DJs and the dance-floor would now dictate runnings as never before. 

‘Whilst Gibbons transformed the original by banishing the strings and brass, Joe Claussell sets out for a different horizon entirely. The lead guitar is exchanged for a clean, chopped chucking; the vocals are promoted to a new spaciousness. The horns presage a rethinking of the rhythm, and by the time the familiar fuzz guitars are welcomed back, the coalescing orchestra has been sustained and revitalized in a complete surrender to time and pulse. As Holloway’s vocals are pulled into non-semantic expression, the track’s foundation is given a final rinse and farewell, before evaporating in delay. This is an iteration every bit inspired and fresh as Gibbons’ landmark mix.’

Terrific soulful Northern banger — a Wigan anthem — and classic Motor City fire from Jack Ashford’s Pied Piper Productions. Performed, written and produced by LC.

This is knockout.
Luminous, swinging, soaring soul music from 1971; richly arranged by Horace Ott.

Magnificent, smoking sister-funk, both sides. ‘What is wrong with the men / Trying to do us in.’ Produced by West Coast legend Miles Grayson.

Ravishing two-step rare groove from 1983; sophisticated, swinging, and heartfelt.
Backed with a bustling, super-infectious, boogie-down tribute to Muhammad Ali. Hot like classic Fatback, and sure to rock the house.
Lovely stuff, both sides; nattily sleeved.