This anthology – the first to survey the lofty 60s and 70s achievements of Lee Anthony’s legendary Little Rock, Arkansas-based True Soul Records – has been 13 (!) years in the making. It’s so expansive that had to release it in two parts on CD, and as a 4 LP box set.
Download: Classic Funk “Funk’s Gonna Fly.”
Egon’s latest entry to his Funk Archaeology series at NPR digs into the records that captivated his infant son. Find out more at the link below – Happy Father’s Day!
Link: Funk For First Time Fathers: Egon’s Funk Archaeology at NPR
More: Egon’s Funk Archaeology at NPR.
The LA Weekly had some nice things to say about our 2-volume True Soul anthology. An excerpt:
“Lee Anthony grew up in that very shack in the days of violent segregation, went on to teach high school, run a record store and a recording studio and, crucially, release a string of marvelous soul and funk singles. That shack label now is sought after obsessively by collectors of the genre worldwide and big-name sample artists such as DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist.”
We’re now offering a pre-sale of the CD/DVD of Vol. 1 at Stones Throw’s webstore; Vol. 2, and the deluxe 4 LP box set will be available on Monday, July 27th.
Read: The LA Weekly on True Soul: Deep Sounds From The Left Of Stax.
Buy: True Soul, Deep Sounds From The Left Of Stax Vol. 1
Download: Thomas East “Slipping Around” (45 Version).
More Info/Pictures: True Soul, Deep Sounds From The Left Of Stax Vol. 1.
Buy it here.
Original sessions produced by Kourosh Yaghmaei.
This anthology produced by Egon.
Art direction by Errol Richardson.
Restoration and remastering by Sean C. and Dave Cooley.
CD Tracklist:
Disc One:
1. Gole Yakh (Winter Sweet)
2. Dar Enteha (At The End)
3. Hajme Khali (Empty Bulk)
4. Paiz (Autumn)
5. Leila (Same)
6. Del Dareh Pir Misheh (My Heart is Getting Old )
7. Akhm Nakon (Don’t Frown)
8. Shirin Joon (Dear Shirin)
9. Ghazal (Gazelle)
10. Tavalode Yek Seda (Birth Of A Sound)
11. Saghe (Stalk)
12. Entezar (Waiting)
13. Niyayesh (Praise)
14. Saraabe Toe (Your Mirage)
15. Reyhan (Same)
16. Baroona (Rains)
Disc Two:
17. Mosafere Shahre Baran (The Traveler Of Rain-Town)
18. Khaar (Thistle)
19. Havar Havar (Shout Shout) Tak Derakht (Single Tree)
20. Ashiooneh (Nest)
21. Bachehaye Khoobe Koocheh (The Good Children of the Street)
22. Akhtare Asemanha ( The Star of the Sky )
23. Kei Toe Miayee (When Will You Come)
24. Share Cheshmat (The City of Your Eyes)
25. Dokhtare Delkhasteye Shahr (The Heartbroken Town Girl)
26. Daas (Scythe)
27. Ghahr (Sulk)
28. Aabere Shab (Night Passenger)
29. Ghad Boland (Tall)
30. Kei Toe Miayee (When Will You Come)
LP Tracklist:
As above, excerpting these songs: Mosafere Shahre Baran, Akhtare Asemanha, Share Cheshmat, Dokhtare Delkhasteye Shahr, Daas, Ghahr, Aabere Shab, Ghad Boland, Kei Toe Miayee
7″ Box Set:
Contains faithful reproductions of Kourosh’s 4 7″ singles: “Gole Yakh/Del Dareh Pir Misheh,” “Leila/Paiz,” “Hajme Khali/Akhm Nakon,” “Saraabe Toe/Dar Enteha”
NA 5066 (CD), NA 5079 (LP), NA 5082 (7″ Box Set)
Download high res cover art here.
One of our favorite soul/funk albums is East of Underground’s near-mythical, self-titled LP. Originally produced and released by the US Army in 1972 to use as a recruitment tool, this album flew into our top ten list when Chicago-based collector Dante Carfagna first sourced a copy in the late 90s. It never left.
We were overjoyed to be able to include the paranoiac soul of their “Smiling Faces” on our Forge Your Own Chains anthology. Now, we’re readying to present a 3 LP/3 CD box set of the East of Underground’s album – as it was originally issued, as a double LP with the little-heard SOAP album – and The Black Seeds/The Sound Trek album that the US Army released the following year. A September release date has been set; more information coming soon.
