Kool & The Gang as One

Heatwave’s sophomore LP CENTRAL HEATING (R&B #2/Pop #10/UK#26), released in 1977 on GTO Records, more than lived up to the group’s breakthrough album from the year before. All but two of the tracks were penned by Rod “Thriller” Temperton with the remainder from the hand of lead vocalist Johnnie Wilder. The stand out tracks include the funk smash and disco-era anthem “The Groove Line” (R&B #3/Pop #7/UK #12) and the quiet storm classic “Mind Blowing Decisions” (UK #12/R&B #49) as well as party grooves “Put Out The Word,” and “Party Poops” and the smooth soul of “Happiness Togetherness” and “The Star Of A Story,” which was later covered by George Benson on his Quincy Jones produced Give Me The Night album.

If you could use only one adjective to describe Heatwave's sound, it would be "smooth." The band's romantic ballads and slow jams were the epitome of smooth, and that adjective also describes many of their up-tempo funk grooves. This isn't to say that Heatwave's funk lacked grit — it had plenty of grit, but even so, it was an undeniably smoother style of funk than Parliament/Funkadelic, James Brown, Tower of Power, Rick James, or the Bar-Kays. In fact, when Kool & the Gang switched to a smoother, sleeker approach in 1979 and hired J.T. Taylor as its new lead vocalist, Heatwave was a big influence. The Kool & the Gang that emerged on 1979's Ladies' Night is certainly a lot more Heatwave-like than the gutbucket, down-and-dirty Kool & the Gang of "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging." And it isn't hard to hear the parallels between Taylor and Heatwave's Johnnie Wilder.

GREATEST EVER! is Union Square Music’s select, best-selling label, utilising the very best repertoire from key major labels, Greatest Ever’s 3CD box sets are some of the strongest multi-artist compilations on the market, with the greatest ever songs.

Brand New Selection Of Extended 12" Mixes Of Soul, Funk & Disco Classics. Soul music (often referred to simply as soul) is a popular music genre that originated in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It combines elements of African-American gospel music, rhythm and blues and jazz. Soul music became popular for dancing and listening in the United States, where record labels such as Motown, Atlantic and Stax were influential in the civil rights era. Soul also became popular around the world, directly influencing rock music and the music of Africa.

Various Artists - Old School Soul Party (2005) {4CD Set, Shout! Factory DK 33717}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.93 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 693 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 379 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2005 Shout! Factory / TJL | DK 33717
Soul / R&B / Funk / Memphis Soul / Smooth Soul

One can't venture very far into contemporary pop without hearing the echoes of '70s-'80's soul, funk and r&b; decades once mocked have seen their vibrant, groove-savvy music re-embraced – often without a trace of kitsch-savvy irony. This triple-disc, 58 track collection may come anthologized with a slightly cheesy conceit–retro-party-soundtrack-in-a-box, with discs devoted to flavoring your soulful soiree's beginning, middle and end–but its potent collection of vintage, era-evoking favorites can't be denied. Disc one/"Kickin' It Off" wends its way from expected jams like Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music" and Gap Band's "You Dropped a Bomb on Me" through such funk-fueled grooves as James Brown's sweaty "Payback" and Donna Summer's urgent, torch-song-with-a beat "Last Dance." Disc two/"Getting' Into the Groove" does just that via Top 40 stalwarts like The Spinners, Four Tops and O'Jays, while making room for legends (Al Green, Isley Brothers) and newcomers like the Brothers Johnson and Kool & the Gang alike. The set's final act winds down into late-night sultriness via Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Heraling," Delfonics' "Didn't I Blow Your Mind," Pointer Sister's "Slow Hand" and other sexy charms.