Southern Groove: Hotlanta Aware & Clintone Funk & Southern Groove: Hotlanta Aware & Clintone Funk & CD

UK collection. This series looks at the convergence of southern soul and funk. Our first volume focuses on the sound of Atlanta labels Hotlanta and Aware and their sister operation out of Birmingham, Alabama - Clintone. A trawl through the tape vaults has unearthed a number of previously unreleased numbers compiled here along with some obscure released tracks and a few classics. From the latter category we have Loleatta Holloway's 'Only A Fool' and Ripple's 'I Don't Know What It Is, But It Sure Is Funky' - both guaranteed dancefloor monsters. Ripple also give us the unreleased 'Unknown Instrumental #2' - a delicious slab of funk. From the unreleased pile, David Camon's 'Keep On Doin' Your Funky Thing' and Johnny Jacobs' 'Ain't It Funky (Doin' Your Own Thing)' provide us with two of the best unknown funk cuts to be discovered in years. The Family Plann's two tracks show a blend of disco-fied funk that point the way to the latter part of the decade. The same is true of local - but under-recorded - Atlanta heroes Maggabrain, whose 'Down At The Disco' debuts here. Throughout the compilation we are reminded of the calibre of the music being made at the Atlanta and Birmingham studios, while the in-depth sleeve notes explain how funding from porn baron Michael Thevis ensured the quality of musicians, studios and songwriters involved.

1. Keep on Your Doin' Your Funky Thing - Dave Camon 2. Ain't It Funky (Doin' Your Own Thing) - Johnny Jacobs 3. Only a Fool - Loleatta Holloway 4. Down at the Disco - Maggabrain 5. Shuckin' N' Jivin' - Family Plann 6. The Bump - Floyd Smith 7. I Don't Know What It Is, But It Sure Is Funky - Ripple 8. Help Me (PT 1) - Archie Russell 9. Help Me (PT 2) - Archie Russell 10. When I Build My World - Jimmy Lewis 11. Complain to the Clouds (But You Can't Change the Weather) - Black Velvet 12. Let's Dance - Family Plann 13. Seeds of Life - East la Car Pool 14. Spacewalking - Maggabrain 15. Unknown Instrumental # 2 - Ripple 16. Funk Pump - the Counts 17. The World Don't Owe You Nothin' - Loleatta Holloway 18. Time - John Edwards 19. Husband-In-Law - C.L. Blast 20. Shouldn't I Be Given the Right to Be Wrong - Joe Hinton 21. Claim Jumpin' - Bill Brandon 22. Checkmate - the Ebony Godfather