Wow! Every so often a CD comes along that literally blows your socks off and here is one such CD. I must admit I missed volume one but having now seen the tracklisting on both CD's I am able to confirm that this one really is the business. Concentrating mainly on the sweet Philly sound that found its way onto the Atlantic label in the seventies I had forgotten about some of these songs and it was a pleasant surprise to be reminded of just what an impact the had on me back then. One point of note here is that to collect every song on this set on single would now run into hundreds of pounds so please take note and pick them all up in one foul swoop.

Opening wit the gorgeous Philly dancer 'Look Me Up' from Blue Magic whose other recordings are in the main much more slower but here we have parts 1 & 2 in their full glory. The group can be found elsewhere on this CD with their laid back sweet soul favourite 'Answer To My Prayer' and also another uptempo affair 'You & Me (got a good thing going) with the equally talented Marjie Joseph a song not too dissimilar to the style of fellow Philly favourites The Stylistics. Marjie Joseph was a class singer in her own right and recorded a couple of releases for Stax in the early seventies most notably 'Medicine Bend'.

Sister Sledge were always going to be a good bet for a hit record and the Tom Moulton mix of their 1973 hit 'Mama Never Told Me' is included for your listening (and dancing) pleasure along with 'Pain Reliever' from their 1975 album 'Circle Of Love' and prior to their collaboration with the Chic organisation who provided the backbone to their better known hits. This track is more MFSB'ish and has a very strong melody running through the whole song. Good to see that Jackie Moore's flighty dancer 'Both Ends Against The Middle' has been included here as it is still filling my own dancefloor's on our live sets.

It's time to get tough and gritty on the vocal front and Terry Collins' single on the Kwanza label entitled 'Action Speaks Louder Than Words' is almost like classic funk meets Philly and is a unusual mix of the two and a voice to kill for. The aforementioned label spawned releases from Black Ivory and the Classic Sullivans before sinking without further trace. One of my all time favourite singers from this era was the ultra smooth Major Harris whose LP 'My Way' is now a highly prized collectable and his uptempo 'Each Morning I Wake Up' features not only a sterling vocal performance but a gorgeous neatly arranged orchestration and drum patterns that make this the ultimate Philly recording.

If there is one complaint about a particular song on this set then it is directed at Moving Violation's 'Spinning Top' for being a class recording that is cut short at just under two minutes long it needs another minute to fully enjoy the sheer delight that this dainty dancer has to offer. Simple yet irresistible and sung by singers with real voices! Next up is one superb recording in the form of Holly Mawell's 'Never Love Again' and whilst the song itself is great it is the backing vocals and orchestration that make this the song what it is. The Persuaders whose recordings for Atlantic are always worth picking up had a minor hit with 'Thin Line Between Love And Hate' and their version of 'Some Guys Have All The Luck' (a song that gave UK singer Robert Palmer) a hit during the 1980's gets the original soul treatment version at a slightly slower pace, and its easy to see why Palmer chose to cover this great song.

The last two songs on this CD really are THE business. The Spinners whose original take of 'Are You Ready For Love' has a more uptempo and urgent feel to the version recorded by Elton John and this has overtaken that version at dancefloor level in recent times. Last up is a song from one real talented lady Dee Dee Bridgewater who has recorded for Elektra during the late 70's and early 80's. Best known perhaps for her Elektra recording 'Lonely Disco Dancer' which is superb, you just have to check out her 'That's The Way Love Should Feel' which sounds as if it has emanated from the same aforementioned sessions and concentrates on delivering a gentle melodious repeating chorus line - this is our kind of music at its ultimate best.

When you put together musicians like Vince Montana/Baker/Harris/Young etc. etc. then you have the ultimate cocktail for a hit record - on this disc you have 22 of them. Sheer brilliance!

Rating 11/10