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7"
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SLSP 016EP
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Superb, soulful disco boogie 45 -- rare disco, boogie, and funk collectors will know this LP soon to be reissued on Jazzman's highly-collectible Holy Grail series. As a prelude to the main event, Jazzman thought it only right to drop the two strongest disco smashers on one 45. Neither issued as a single before and as always, no repress. What else to say? Loud, rare, and totally essential.
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SLSP 015EP
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Two overlooked rare disco masterpieces produced by soul legend Lenis Guess. When Soul Spectrum met Lenis in New York this year, the super-rare Shake LP Music Is the Only Way We Can Communicate was lying overlooked and forgotten on a dusty shelf. Lenis had the tapes there too, so it wasn't long before the label picked two of their favorite tracks for this killer 45. One for the rare disco and boogie-heads, and never before on 45, these won't be around long.
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SLSP 014EP
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This rare 45 was one obscure release bobbing along in depths of the soul scene Soul Spectrum decided to track; once they dug deep enough, they came across a HUGE find -- a wealth of quality '70s & '80s soul and funk gems -- all unreleased. As a prelude to the CD and LP is the one that started it all, a super-rare 45 valued at $2,000 for an original flipped with a real treat -- an early, previously-unreleased version recorded at the famous Brunswick studios.
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SLSP 012EP
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This is a record styled on the raunchy sound of Chaka Khan but with the subtlety, confidence and timing of Marvin Gaye. Spun since the day it was released on northern/modern soul dancefloors, the charm and sophistication has been completely lost on the rest of the world -- probably mostly because nobody ever got to hear it. There are almost no copies anywhere, unless it's a shootout on eBay.
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SLSP 010EP
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The band members of Exit 9 were incredibly young, their ages ranging from just 16-20 years old when this record came out. These young cats from New York released a highly-accomplished debut LP in 1975 on the Brunswick label. Originally known as Qualified Funk, at the time of this finely-produced record, they were nine members deep. The two standout dance tracks from the LP are featured on this 45 and are just total fire.
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SLSP 008EP
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Long the preserve of modern soul and rare disco collectors, the Tap Records label has remained on the map for one simple reason; the records are rare and expensive, seldom dipping below the $800 mark. Arnie Love & The Lovettes entered Associated Studios at the end of 1981 to cut "Invisible Wind" & "We Had Enough." "Invisible Wind" delivers an unrelenting five minutes of punchy horns, synth winds and slap bass. "We've Had Enough" kills it with flawless arrangements.
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SLSP 009EP
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Soul Spectrum presents two utterly mesmerizing sides from the young Jackie Stoudemire. Originally released on the ultra-rare Tap Records in 1983 and impossible to get unless you're prepared to fork out $1,000+. It does not get more special than this. The real nugget is "Guilty," one of the last songs Gene Redd would ever pen and some of the finest production work in a career that spanned four decades.
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SLSP 007EP
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One of Sylvester's big tunes has been criminally underappreciated for way too long. "I've Been Down" features Izora Rhodes and Martha Wash (later to become The Weather Girls) complaining about their men though the verse then fawning over them though the chorus. The record flits between street-talk and gospel highs while maintaining a solid '70s funk groove. "Tipsong" is a mid-tempo disco floater co-written and named after Sylvester's lead guitar player Tipp Wirrick, which should have been a huge rare groove spin.
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SLSP 006EP
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Two big spins from the self-titled LP Allspice from 1977. Twinspin 45 "Hungry For Your Love" and "Slipped Away" are both included here, each a sublime '70s dancer. "Slipped Away" was first played on the rare groove scene in the early '80s and you could be forgiven for thinking Deborah Shotlow was Minnie Riperton. "Hungry..." is an L.A. Boppers-style dancer with Doug Thomas on vocal duties, edited here to include the full piano breakdown and resolution.
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