Run by brothers Hy Weiss and Sam Weiss, New York City's Old Town Records label and its subsidiary imprint Barry Records specialized in deep soul and R&B sounds during their run in the 1950s and '60s. While they were based on the East Coast, Old Town's best material was very much in the vein of Southern soul, and Heavy Soul: Old Town & Barry's Deep Down & Dirty Sides collects two dozen of the stronger recordings they released between 1962 and 1969. The Weiss brothers were not above lifting arrangement and production styles from other popular artists of the day, and "Sugar" by Bobby & Betty Lou sounds like a lost classic from Stax's glory days, while Lester Young (no relation to "Pres") is a dead ringer for Otis Redding on a couple of cuts, both in his performance and the work of his backing band. But what these tunes might sometimes lack in originality, they more than make up for in pure passion, and Bobby Long's driving "Heartbreak Avenue," the anguished "Nobody Knows" (Bobby Byrd recording undercover as "the Flambeaus"), John Standberry, Jr.'s slinky "Marie," and the wild and funky "Dirty Old Man" from Irene Reid are superb examples of '60s soul obscurities that deserve wider circulation. While a few cuts sound as if they were rescued from old vinyl pressings, for the most part the remastering on this set sounds quite good, and John Ridley's liner notes are informative and well researched. If you're looking for hits, they're in short supply on Heavy Soul: Old Town & Barry's Deep Down & Dirty Sides, but fans of classic soul will find plenty to savor here.~Heavy Soul: Old Town & Barry's Deep Down & Dirty Sides Review by Mark Deming

2022 collection. This volume in our acclaimed Masterpieces Of Modern Soul series is as strong as ever and drips with brand new, old recordings. An amazing 12 tracks are previously unheard and a further two are very different versions of already popular numbers. Some rare-soul household names have new material featured on here. Ronnie McNeir hits a wicked dance groove with 'Let's Make A Move' and Dee Ervin offers a superbly soulful 'You Make Me Happy' - sure to become a modern classic. We've drifted into the late 70s / early 80s disco sound with numbers found on tape that were just crying out to be heard. Joe Simon cut the unknown group Cynic on 'I Want You' at Spring early in 1982.

UK collection. It's been almost three years since Sean Hampsey and the Southern (California) Soul Spinners created "This Is Lowrider Soul" for Kent Records, and the ensuing acclaim and enjoyment have made this second volume essential. Only three artists are repeated, which shows the depth of the genre, and two of those - Barbara Mason with her Philly slow-burners and Lee Williams & the Cymbals' fantastic East Coast harmonies - epitomize the Lowrider soul sound between them.

Thom Bell, along with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, was part of the holy trinity of Philly soul. Reaching an apogee in the early to mid-seventies with records for the Stylistics (You Make Me Feel Brand New), the Detroit Spinners (Could It Be I'm Falling In Love), the O'Jays (Back Stabbers) and New York City (I'm Doin Fine Now), Bell was the classically trained arranger who introduced the celeste, the French horn and the harpsichord to soul music. This is the first-ever compilation of Thom Bell's productions and arrangements. Put together by Saint Etienne's Bob Stanley, Ready Or Not combines some of Bell's biggest and best-loved hits with rarities (an original copy of Connie Stevens Tick Tock would set you back more than £200) and lesser-known work such as Dionne Warwick's seductive Track Of The Cat and Johnny Mathis epic Life Is A Song Worth Singing. Star names including Laura Nyro and Lesley Gore line up alongside soul legends Dee Dee Sharp and the Delfonics. This collection will appeal to northern soul collectors as well as pulling in fans of sixties girl singers and lovers of smooth seventies soul. Bob Stanley's sleeve notes - with a rare exclusive interview with Bell himself - and a wealth of rare photos are icing on the cake. Bell's unique and instantly identifiable Philly sound has proved timeless.