Hold on Tight Blackstone

It’s been a little while since Eric Records’ acclaimed “Hard-To-Find 45s on CD” series visited the 1970s. And, we’ve never stretched into the ’80s! That makes Hard-To-Find 45s on CD Vol. 14: 70s & 80s Pop Classics a welcome addition to the family, as it celebrates the glittering decades that found popular music getting more popular – and unpredictable – than ever before. Hold on tight – or you might get whiplash as we survey nearly 20 years’ worth of pop rarities!

The James Hunter Six - Hold On! (2016) {Daptone Records DAP-040}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 126 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 74 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 17 Mb | 5% repair rar | Mono
© 2016 Daptone Records | DAP-040
Rhythm & Blues / Retro-Soul / Soul-Blues

Hold On! is the fourth album by the rocking soul man James Hunter and his stalwart sextet. Daptone's Gabriel Roth produced the excellent Minute by Minute in 2013, but this is the band's debut for the label. Hold On! was recorded live in the studio, but Roth and Hunter decided on mono to best capture the immediacy of the performances. The songwriter has recorded only original material since 2006, and these ten tracks are no exception. What separates this date from previous outings – excellent though they all were – isn't the mono production, but the diversity in songwriting, rhythmic invention, and arranging. "This Is Where We Came In" may contain a simmering organ, but doo wop-esque backing vocals from Gregory Lee, Alex Desert, and Malik Moore elevate it (and the two other cuts they appear on) beyond the early pop-soul framework that it comes adorned in. So do the cha-cha rhythms, rhumba fills, and comps from Andrew Kingslow's piano.

Various Artists - Twelve Inch Eighties: People Hold On (2016) {3CD Demon Music-Crimson TWIN80001}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.47 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 491 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 17 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2016 Demon Music / Crimson Productions | TWIN80001
Synth Pop / Hi NRG / Euro-Disco / Electronic / Soul / Rhythm & Blues / Funk / New Wave / Pop Rock

Twelve Inch Eighties is the new 3CD range by Crimson Productions, compiling extended alternate mixes of some of the biggest hit singles of the 80s. Each themed release is housed in a sleek 3CD digipak with abstract imagery representative of early dance label releases. These carefully selected titles across the range will bring together the finest eighties pop, dance and disco, amongst other genres, in all their full 12” single glory. People Hold On is a collection of some of the biggest 80s dance classics in their full extended 12” form, keeping you on the floor for longer.

Nothing dated about this fine album, produced by organist Ron Levy - Fulson sounds at once both contemporary and timeless, slashing through a mostly original set with Jimmy McCracklin helping out on piano and the sax section including Bobby Forte and Edgar Synigal.