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One of many brilliant 2-3 minute long, ‘sized for 45’ tracks ‘Beverley’ by Makie JJ & Rob has wonderful energy-fuelled drums and exquisite vocal harmonies. More vocal treats feature in songs by Cal Green and Carmelita, before a queen of this scene Spanky Wilson’s ‘Fancy’, tells the tale of a transition from ghetto to glam over wonderful funk and choral accompaniment.

Bass and tambourine begin the engaging instrumental grooves in the LAPD’s ‘Big Herm’ while David Glover singing and vocalese skills are shown in ‘We Got To Get It Together’ as he prophesies on how mankind needs to shape up soon, else it will all end abruptly, touché! Eddie Jefferson’s ‘Psychedelic Sally’ is reworked instrumentally by the Gow Do Experience, who also bookend the album with two versions of ‘Compared to What’, a lovely steady soul funk track with plenty of horn crescendos and tremendous vocals sounding like Marlena Shaw. Rodney Trotter (pre-Only Fools & Horses!) adds some P-Funk sounds with ‘Space Nigga’.

My favourite song from the whole album is Darondo’s ‘Such a Night’. The slick-haired and seriously sharply dressed Bay Area singer has gained prominence with ‘Didn’t I’ featuring on Gilles Peterson Digs America . As with the other songs from Darondo’s Legs EP the master tapes for ‘Such a Night’ spent 30 years in an attic before getting released by Ubiquity. The result is the sexiest of sultry bedroom songs as breathy vocals flirt with “Cha cha cha…”

It is wonderful to hear these vintage recordings, which have been out of earshot for decades. The artists who feature, along with more prominent names such as Shuggie Otis, War or Sly & the Family Stone have influenced numerous modern acts from Sharon Jones to The Sweet Vandals. Original copies of many tracks on the compilation will fetch four figured sums, yet the real delights are not the rarity of the songs but the uplifting outstanding music which brilliantly chronicles the work of skilled musicians who have not reserved all the plaudits they deserve.

In case you missed it first time around, the original volume of California Soul is also available from Luv N’ Haight, featuring Adele Sebastian’s Nimbus masterpiece ‘Daydreamer’ and more funky cuts such as Sweet Stuff’s ‘Freaky (To You)’.

Links:
Super Cool, California Soul II — soundclips & info
California Soul (Volume 1)
Shuggie Otis
War (the band)
Sly & the Family Stone