tempobet yeni adresi
like this cd review

13/08/2015 : VARIOUS ARTISTS - Sam Records Anthology

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Sam Records Anthology

MusicCD
Funk/Soul

[75/100]   

Harmless Records
13/08/2015, Paul PLEDGER

Following on from the recent Easy Street and Fresh Records anthologies, the oft-understated Sam Records comes under scrutiny ahead of an impending Sleeping Bag collection. Harmless have done well this time - Fresh Records was clumsily handled and had a couple of glaring errors but Sam have had their best mixes plucked for inclusion across the three CDs here.

Little of New York's Sam Records got licensed in the UK with Keep On Dancin' by Gary's Gang the biggest (and some might argue, most lightweight) hit of the lot. Suffice to say, with Gary and his posse included on it, disc one holds all the aces. Easily one of THE soul anthems of its decade, 1975's Woman of the Ghetto covered beautifully by Doris Duke, is a real call to arms and a great opener. Bursting with strings, a dirty bassline and edgy synth touches, Duke has a voice that would end wars given the airtime.

In fact, with just one exception, all of the first disc is jam-packed with bangers. More stone-cold classics include Mike and Brenda Sutton's groovy We'll Make It, K.I.D.'s unstoppable Don't Stop and, sorry Gladys Knight and writers Ashford and Simpson, the superlative version of Bourgie Bourgie from John Davis and the Monster Orchestra. Vicky D's This Beat Is Mine rivals Indeep's Last Night a DJ Saved My Life while Rhyze's two contributions ramp up the BPM's with some straight-up boogie-funk. John Davis's I've Got The Hots For You is pure cheddar, sadly.

The other discs are no less essential. Rhyze, Mike and Brenda Sutton and John Davis were virtual regulars on the roster with mostly pin-sharp contributions, while more-than-credible one-offs and rarities include the Linx/Narada Michael Walden-like Behind My Back by Brit-funker Underground (aka Nigel Martinez of The Real Thing) and the Shep Pettibone remixes of David McPherson's You Can't Stop and Steve Shelto's Don't Give Your Love Away. And then there's the break to end all breaks - some four minutes into I Can't Stop by John Davis, time stands still and the disco populace witnesses around a few minutes worth of the muckiest funk going. Great great track.

Some of the mastering from the vinyl is a tad touch and go but, really, if disco-funk is your bag, Sam Records probably had more great tunes than you can remember. Founder Sam Weiss left behind a considerable legacy, given the strength of the tracks on offer here - it's time to dust off your crisp outfits and boogie on down 'til the break-a-dawn

This review also appeared also on Flipside Reviews.

Paul PLEDGER
13/08/2015


Music reviews

09
10
NERO/GRIS
Silenci
07
10
SUBATOMIC STRANGERS
Resuwrecked
01
10
BLOKKONTROLL
I-II-III
28
09
SUNSHINE BLIND
Scarred but Fearless
27
09
DARK MINIMAL PROJECT
Pleasure Is A Sin
26
09
PROMENADE CINEMA
Afterlife

NEWSLETTER

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

NEWS

14
10
43 years of “Wahre Arbeit, Wahrer Lohn” by Die Krupps: A Blueprint for Industrial Resistance
09
10
Baby Turns Blue and 43 today!
03
10
BIMFEST XXIII – 2026 - Full Line-Up Announced!
28
09
De Delvers announces third full-lenght album 'Zwarte Siroop'
27
09
CURSE MACKEY Unveils ‘Imaginary Enemies’, A Darkwave Descent Into Grief & Revelation
25
09
Today, exactly 38 years ago The Klinik released 'Plague'!

Concert reviews

17
08
KRAFTWERK
Royal Palace Open Air - Brussels - August 14 2025
22
04
GAVIN FRIDAY
Live at 404 / De Vooruit - Ghent - 01/04.2025
28
11
BELGIAN ELECTROWAVE IS NOT DEAD 3
Belgian ElectroWave Is Not Dead 3

GET A COPY OF OUR MAGAZINE
SEND TO YOUR HOME

INTERVIEWS

27
09
CORPUS DELICTI
''All is quiet, the motion's cold. I face the wind as I'm taking the road.''
18
09
WHISPERS IN THE SHADOW
This album isn’t about bashing religion and faith. That would be a pretty cheap trick.
17
09
ZWAREMACHINE
We were able to secure the support slot for Front 242. Everything was looking positive until Bas’s cancer reemerged and there were complications.
27
08
BEAUTIFUL FREAKIN' WEIRDO
An Interview With UK Industrial Metal Act, Beautiful Freakin' Weirdo
29
07
EX-VOTO
“Decisions. In a modern time. Transmissions. From the inner mind.“

PHOTOS

21
09
KRUPPS
Kulttempel Oberhausen
12
09
ULTRA SUNN
De Casino St Niklaas
12
09
ULTRA SUNN
De Casino St Niklaas
08
09
AUX ANIMAUX SUPPORT SHE PAST AWAY
Kulttempel Oberhausen
07
09
SHE PAST AWAY
Kulttempel Oberhausen
17
08
NEW MODEL ARMY
Summerkultur Dinslaken
23
07
DUCTAPE
Amphi Festival Keulen

ADVERTISE
IN PEEK-A-BOO

VIDEO CLIPS

17
10
ZANIAS
Unseen (Official Video)
16
10
DOPE
Blood Money
15
10
SOFT CELL
Martin (The Hacker 2025 Remix)
14
10
DARK MINIMAL PROJECT
Schlafen !
13
10
PEAK FLOW
Don't Die In Your Sleep (Remix)
13
10
CRASH COURSE IN SCIENCE
Flying Turns (Live @ BIM 2009)
12
10
COCTEAU TWINS
Hazel