JR WALKER AND THE ALL STARS/SHOTGUN TML 11017 (-65) UK MONO

In the mid seventies disco was blooming. An era of glitter, fashion, steady beats and high pitch voices. Dance floors got larger and lights brighter and new methods of production and reproduction allowed a clean sharp audio fitting big arenas. This is from just a decade earlier. The group started in the fifties and their music had been formed by years of playing in small clubs and murky dance joints. It's tight, raw and dirty with roots deep down in the blues tradition - more sweat and smoke than tinsel and Pina Coladas. Their songs were floor fillers back then. I remember when a '45 from the group was sneaked in at a school dance dance, among records from Alma Cogan and tidy pop wonders, it felt exciting and almost dangerous - a reminder of wilder things outside my world. I still like it a lot - mostly live in the studio, with minimal use of limiters and compression and only few overdubs, makes it sound like a club gig and place you there on the dance floor just below the stage. It was their US debute on Motowns "Soul" label (SS/SM 701) reaching Billboard #105, six of the tracks were released as '45:s with title track peaking at #4 and the rest doing well. First UK issue in mono only with label as shown here and laminated flip/back cover. (TÖMÖ*)