The Intruders - I'll Always Love My Mama

The Intruders are a cornerstone of the Philly soul scene. They shaped the sound of Philly soul by starting as a doo-wop act and adding elements from gospel and later from the sound of Gamble & Huff. I'll Always Love My Mama is a classic soul/disco tune penned by Gamble, Huff, McFadden and Whitehead. When you have such an all-star team as writers and The Intruders performing, there's no way you could go wrong. This masterpiece was originally released in 1973 but I've the 1977 reissue that features couple of classic Billy Paul tunes on the flipside. The 1977 version is an extended mix by Tom Moulton. It was released to promote a compilation titled Philadelphia Classics.

The Intruders - I'll Always Love My Mama [320 kbps, direct link]

Natural Four - Baby Come On

I've been thinking that there should be a music genre called sunday soul. Well, maybe there is. I just don't know it. Anyways, if you looked up sunday soul from a dictionary, there should be an image of the front cover of Heaven Right Here On Earth. It's probably my all time favorite sunday soul album. Heavenly sweet soul in the spirit of Curtom Records from start to finish. Beautiful vocal harmonies and solid prodution by Leroy Hutson and Rich Tufo.

Natural Four - Baby Come On [320 kbps, direct link]

Frontline Orchestra - Don't Turn Your Back On Me

Here's a certified boogie banger for you the dance the night away. Excellent vocals and a really solid bass line. This one came out originally on Eddy Grant's ICE Records in 1981. Larry Levan made a massive remix of this which was put out by Quality Records a year later.

Frontline Orchestra - Don't Turn Your Back On Me [320 kbps, direct link]

Kings Go Forth - One Day / You're The One

Milwaukee based 10-member band Kings Go Forth released the best 7" release of the scene last year. This limited edition 45 (500 copies, all pre-sold) features two raw funky soul monsters that will cause serious dancefloor mayhem whenever played out. Just amazing stuff. Too bad the pressing was so small and now the record already trades as high as $ 200 on ebay.

We've seen a lot of retroish soul/funk combos come and go during the last couple of years but what sets Kings Go Forth apart from all the others is their amazing vocal harmonies. Sure they have an amazing analogue sound with an excellent rhythm section and great horns but their soulful harmonies by three male vocalist are unbeatable.

Don't sleep on their upcoming 45 release featuring massive tunes Now We're Gone and High On Your Love. The single will be out in late February/early March but luckily it won't be limited like One Day b/w You're The One. Their debut LP is also on its way. Really looking forward to that one.

Kings Go Forth - One Day [320 kbps, direct link]

Kings Go Forth - You're The One [320 kbps, direct link]

Fusion Beats Vol. 2 - Bozo Meko

Fusion Beats Vol. 2 is a classic Bronx cut and paste battle track/megamix supposedly recorded by Afrika Bambaataa, Afrika Islam and Jazzy Jay. Originally this came out in 1981 but I think it's taken from a cassette recording put together earlier. The rip that I'm sharing is taken from this unofficial reissue that came out a few years back. A-side features an unlicensed live cut of Flash It To The Beat. Like I said, it's a bootleg from a cassette tape so that tells you something about the sound quality.

If Fusion Beats 2 was your cup of tea, make sure to check out Afrika Bambaataa's classic Death Mix. It's available for download here thanks to the Top Billin crew. An excellent blog by the way. Lots of cool new stuff and gems from their crates.

Bozo Meko - Fusion Beats Vol. 2 [320 kbps, direct link]