Soul Express CD Review
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FIRST CIRCLE
Boys' Night Out
US Funky Town Grooves CD, 2011
The original release on US EMI America, 1987
Workin’ Up A Sweat / Miracle Worker / In The Name Of Love / Dream You Came Back / Get Off It / Can’t Find A Love / You’re On My Mind / Boys’ Night Out / BONUS TRACKS: Workin’ Up A Sweat (Sweaty Mix) / Miracle Worker (Remix) / Can’t Find A Love (Club Mix) / Workin’ Up A Sweat (Radical Rusty Mix)
Randy Muller’s work is always such that it is reappraised, re-evaluated
and rediscovered by new generations. From the 1970s to today Randy Muller has
left an indelible footprint on the black music scene in many a genre including soul,
funk and more recently, house. I bought this album on US import when released
in the early spring of 1987 following the immense joy that the leading 12”
single release (as Full Circle) brought me.
This track – available here in its album form as well as the superb
“Sweaty Mix” and “Radical Rusty Mix” – still demands heavy play at
home and in my car and as far as I am concerned wipes the floor with any
of today’s insipid and limp-wristed youthful R&B efforts, if we can call
them that in the first place. The strong bassline, jiggly and shaky guitar
line and piano thread topped with super-soulful rough and tough vocals is
still mighty, mighty fine and as fresh today as it was – gosh! – 24 years ago.
The following single is still a classic and, again, appears in album form along
with the 12” Remix. Classic Randy Muller in every sense, fans of 80s
Brass Construction will no doubt find tracks such as this as essential.
My third, and final, choice from this album is the Quality Time beat ballad
“Can’t Find A Love”. God, how this track still smokes today!
Of my three favourite songs this song is the most downtempo and was a track
that I still very much play to death. Owning this album on CD now is
simply superb and yet again I have to thank Tony, Matt and Luke at
Funky Town Grooves for the legitimate release of this set via their
fruitful associations with EMI Records.
If you notice a lot of their releases on here then don’t cynically
think I am in their pay! The fact is they are releasing a LOT of
quality 1980s material which the labels themselves would never want
or wish to reissue, at least outside of Japan. And that is something
I wholeheartedly support!
-Barry Towler
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