Review: Previously unearthed and delivered to the world by Kenny Dope on his Kay-Dee imprint, the school band-turned-funkateers Mel-O-Madnezz self-released this energetic "45 in 1977. Usually passing hands for over $1000, Tramp have now democratised it for us all. Two raw, driving cuts with full instrumentation and harmonies, you can feel the room they were recorded in and feel the momentum of the live recording. "What You Getting High On" has more of push to it that builds up to a strong horn lead while "Beautiful Day" touches on more of a jazzy tone with a big chorus and some fantastic slap bass action. It doesn't get more authentic than this.
Review: The prestigious Movements series, like all its predecessors on Tramp contains rare groove nuggets recorded between the early 1960s and the late 1970s. Over a hundred great unknown songs have been re-released on the first eight volumes in the series, the majority of which can not be found elsewhere and this is is no exception. There are two cover versions: "Fever" by Gee Gee Shinn & The Boogie Kings and "I'm A Woman" by Connie Kaye Trio. Bus Brown, Earl Demus and Chuck Finney remain on the same vibe - their contributions are slightly jazzier. Chick Willis' gut-wrenching "Sometime Soon" and recordings by Australia, J.R. and Joe Akens are beautiful examples of privately produced soul from the 1970s. The latin-soul of "Cho Cho San" by Hummingbird 4 takes the sound in another direction for the next three tunes, highlighted by one more stunning cover version: Oscar Brown Jr.'s "Brother, Where Are You?". The album closes with some pre-disco tracks from the late 1970s: Mel-O-Madnezz' "What You Getting High On" and Hot Cakes' cover of "Harlem Shuffle".
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.