Warmly recommended set of sweet soul floaters and ballads, recorded by inmates of Powhatan Correctional Centre, Richmond, Virginia, in 1979.

Terry Ork was an absconder from Warhol’s Factory. Starting in 1975, his label issued the debut 45s of Television and Richard Hell, as well as landmark recordings by The Feelies and Lester Bangs, not to mention Big Star’s Alex Chilton and the dBs’ Chris Stamey, and such acts as Marbles, Prix, Mick Farren, Cheetah Chrome, the Idols, the Erasers, the Revelons, Student Teachers etc etc.
The deluxe 190-page hardback book is stuffed with terrific photos. The exquisitely sleeved bonus 45 features two previously unreleased tracks by The Feelies — The Boy With The Perpetual Nervousness from 1978, and a cover of Bacharach and David’s My Little Red Book, recorded live at CBGB, late 1976.

Early-eighties R&B. (Previously unreleased, though Charles Davis cut a version for Sutra.)

Gorgeous, unheralded, sweet soul from Chicago.
School-friends Clifford Curry and LaSalle Matthews started the group in 1965, with Walter Jones and Robert Thomas, all in for the long haul. They waited till 1970 for a hit — I’m Still Here, produced by Syl Johnson for Twinight — and had to ride out the label’s demise before signing to Curtom’s new Gemigo imprint in late 1973. (Super People was 1975.)
Unmistakably Chicagoan and stamped by Curtis, classically schooled but on the cusp… with its roots in the chivalric harmonies of doowop, its bad self in dapperly distraught r&b balladry, and its eye on the new social consciousness of soul and funk.
Typical Numero loveliness.

‘Numero does it again: a whole new discovery. Made some music between ’79 and ’82. Never came out until now, so the backing tracks were mixed by the Phenomenal Handclap Band’s Sean Marquand. You know what I love about that period? Around that era, it’s like jazz, funk, and disco mixed together… you get this unique sound… bands like Light Of The World and Hi-Tension… This could almost be British from that era. It’s my album of the week’ (Gilles Peterson).

Like Saturday night on a Sunday morning. Patsy on Jesus. Elvis-no-pelvis. With four celebrated Nashville sidemen fresh from June 1958 Presley sessions.

Sublime soul and funk by the Cleveland legend, 1967-77. Including the LPs Hot Chocolate and Understand Each Other, rare-groove holy grails; plus an unreleased live album.