In the 1970s black music took on a different edge. Although soul had always been about love, heartbreak, loss and cheating, men and women doing what men and women do, it had also been down home or at least raw. Even the big city soul of the 60s kept this feeling. As the 70s dawned it brought on a different aspect. Whether it was through an increasing sense of affluence among a substantial chunk of black America, or an escapism foisted on the whole nation through television's ability to bring the consumerist ideal into anyone's home, is anyone's guess. But it was undoubtedly helped by an increasingly sophisticated set of production values and studio technology.

Isaac Hayes and, later, Barry White, were the most obvious manifestations of this phenomenon - all furs, Rolls Royces and champagne - but even records such as Stevie Wonder's greatest albums, or Marvin Gaye's I Want You could not have happened even five years previously. Motown's 60s attempts at elegance had a distinctly white feel to them-.-what happened next was on different terms.

This compilation takes this change to heart - even the most traditional record here, It Hurts So Good, has a distinct sheen - and appreciates these records for what they are. And that is some of the mightiest slices of soul ever recorded, allied to a sense of production - big drums, plenty of space, lots of strings - that makes them an essential hunting ground for today's producers.

 Tracklist
A1     –Dennis Coffey     Sweet Taste Of Sin     
A2     –Phillip Mitchell     I'll See You In Hell First     
A3     –Betty Everett     Keep It Up     
A4     –The 3 Pieces*     Backed Up Against The Wall     
B1     –The Fantastic Four*     Don't Risk Your Happiness On Foolishness     
B2     –The Detroit Emeralds*     Set It Out     
B3     –Eddie McLoyd     Baby Get Down     
B4     –Natural Essence (2)     Killing Time     
C1     –Shirley Brown     Love Starved     
C2     –Isaac Hayes & Millie Jackson     Sweet Music Soft Lights And You     
C3     –Eramus Hall     Your Love Is My Desire     
C4     –Millie Jackson     It Hurts So Good     
D1     –Isaac Hayes     I'm Gonna Have To Tell Her     
D2     –Johnny 'Guitar' Watson*     If I Had The Power     
D3     –Caesar Frazier     I Got To Have Your Love     
D4     –Fatback*     Do It To Me Now

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