Cherry Red's SoulMusic Records imprint has continued its collection of artist-focused anthologies with another batch of releases drawn from the Sony Music family of labels.  This group includes 2-CD sets for the smooth vocal group The Manhattans, jazz/R&B soul man Norman Connors, and funk band Mother's Finest.

Though they were named The Manhattans, their story is actually a tri-state one.  The group came together in Jersey City, New Jersey, took their name from the city across the Hudson in New York, and found their greatest successes with a producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  New Jersey's Winifred "Blue" Lovett, Edward "Sonny" Bivins, and Richard Taylor (baritone) came together in the late 1950s during their time together stationed in Germany serving in the U.S. Air Force.  With the addition of George Smith and Ethel Sanders, the quintet made their recording debut as The Dulcets. Minus Sanders but with Kenny Kelly, The Dulcets soon became The Manhattans and recorded for the Enjoy label before joining Newark, New Jersey's Carnival Records.  At Carnival, the group charted eight singles, and in 1969, they moved onto King Records' Deluxe imprint.  Sadly, George Smith fell ill, and had to be replaced by Gerald Alston.  Smith died on December 16, 1970, two days before he would have turned 31.  The group persevered, parlaying the success of the Deluxe single "One Life to Live" (No. 3 R&B) into a deal with major label Columbia when King Records folded.

The Columbia brass sensed that the quintet's smooth vocal interplay and way with a ballad would translate well to The Philly Sound, and so the label sent The Manhattans to Sigma Sound Studios to work with Bobby Martin, one of Philadelphia International's key arrangers, and the musicians of MFSB.  So began the most successful chapter of The Manhattans' career.  Martin remained at the helm for five albums between1973 and 1978, and the next year, MFSB's Jack Faith took over production duties.  Leaving Philadelphia, the group later recorded for Columbia with such luminaries as Leo Graham and Bobby Womack.  I Kinda Miss You - The Anthology: Columbia Records 1973-1987 features selections from twelve LPs including the two pop crossover classics on which The Manhattans' considerable reputation still rests: 1976's chart-topping "Kiss and Say Goodbye," and 1980's "Shining Star."  The collection reveals there was quite a bit more to The Manhattans than those two hits, however, as it also takes in Top 10 R&B successes like "Don't Take Your Love," "Hurt," "I Kinda Miss You," "It Feels So Good to Be Loved So Bad," "We Never Danced to a Love Song," and "Am I Losing You."  It takes in Philly soul, disco, pop, and even smooth eighties R&B, though the group's romantic style was consistent through all of those changes.  (Note that "Here Comes the Hurt Again," from 1979, is heard in its promotional "X-rated version" with an off-color spoken-word rap containing certain four-letter words.)

At 35 songs, this collection is generous if short of Shout! Factory's 2008 3-CD, 45-track collection Sweet Talking Soul, which also included 15 pre-Columbia sides.  I Kinda Miss You is nonetheless the most definitive account of The Manhattans' Columbia years.  Charles Waring has provided new liner notes with fresh insights from MFSB guitarist Bobby Eli, and Nick Robbins has remastered.

Atlanta, Georgia's Mother's Finest was founded by the duo of Joyce "Baby Jean" Kennedy (vocals and percussion) and Glenn "Doc" Murdock (vocals and percussion), together with Gary "Moses Mo" Moore (guitar and background vocals), Mike Keck (keyboards and percussion), Jerry "Wyzard" Seay (bass and background vocals) and Donny Vosburgh (drums), in 1970.  Combining hard rock and funk, the multi-racial group attracted the attention of RCA Records.  But the relationship was not to last, and Mother's Finest moved onto the Epic Records label with the personnel change of Sanford "Pepe" Daniels on drums.  (Daniels played on the first Epic sessions, but by the time of the debut album's release, he, too, had departed, to be replaced by Barry "B.B. Queen" Borden.)   SoulMusic has brought together 37 tracks from both the RCA and Epic years on The Anthology 1972-1983.

It's difficult to pigeonhole Mother's Finest, as this collection attests.  The band effortlessly transitioned from funk to rock to R&B, sometimes within the same song.  In addition to original material, they reinvented the Smokey Robinson and The Miracles classic "Mickey's Monkey" in scorching metal fashion, and then with R&B great Skip Scarborough, took on disco on their own terms.  A collaboration with Blood, Sweat and Tears' Bobby Colomby and producer Jimmy Iovine yielded sizzling live renditions of songs like Jefferson Airplane/The Great Society's "Somebody to Love."  (Note that "Baby Love" is not the famous Supremes song but rather an original.)

The Anthology draws on six U.S. albums plus the 1983 Europe-only release From One Mother to Another, as well as bonus tracks from the RCA period first unearthed in the CD era.  A. Scott Galloway has provided the copious new annotation, and Nick Robbins has remastered.

The third recently-released anthology comes from drummer-composer-arranger-producer Norman Connors. Valentine Love: The Buddah/Arista Anthology collects 34 tracks from ten of his albums released between 1972 and 1981, during which time Connors refined his sensual, exploratory approach to jazz-inflected R&B.  Connors made his Buddah debut via the label's Cobblestone jazz imprint in 1972 with Dance of Magic, featuring Latin American and African influences on a mélange of acoustic and electric styles.  Its spacey fusion follow-ups Dark of Light and Love from the Sun aren't represented here, but the set instead picks up with Connors' fourth LP Slew Foot.  (It actually begins with Slew Foot, and circles back to Dance of Magic via its 1976 reissue incarnation.)

Inspired by the musical adventures of Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, both of whom had pushed the boundaries of jazz, Connors began to embrace R&B.  This was reflected on 1975's Saturday Night Special, which featured vocalists Michael Henderson and Jean Carn(e).  Henderson and Carn shared "Valentine Love," earning Connors a top ten birth on the Billboard R&B survey.  The album also featured Carn on Antonio Carlos Jobim's gorgeous "Dindi," and a cover of Hancock's "Maiden Voyage."  For 1976's You Are My Starship, Connors enlisted Phyllis Hyman as the lead female vocalist, and she joined Henderson for "We Both Need Each Other" (a top 25 R&B single) and a beautiful rendition of "Betcha By Golly Wow," the Stylistics hit written by her old friend Thom Bell and Linda Creed.  That hit the top 30 and launched Hyman on the way to her own stardom, but the album's biggest hit came with Henderson's lead on "You Are My Starship," which reached the R&B top five.

The success of Starship led Connors to "present" an album by the band Aquarian Dream, represented here by "Once Again" and the lead vocals of Gloria Jones.  Prince Phillip Mitchell and Eleanore Mills joined the Connors line-up for 1977's Romantic Journey, and soon after, Buddah was absorbed into Arista Records.  Clive Davis of Arista kept Connors, like the solo Hyman, on the roster.  Through 1981, Connors released four more albums for the label, welcoming vocalists Al Johnson, Glenn Jones, Motown veteran Miss Adaritha (a.k.a. Ada Dyer), and Beau Williams.  The dramatic, Jimmy Webb-written, Mills-led title track to Arista debut This is Your Life barely missed the R&B top thirty but remains a highlight of this period.

The Buddah/Arista Anthology, with notes by Charles Waring drawing on a new interview with Connors and remastering by Donald Cleveland, is a comprehensive look at one of the most significant artists to flourish at the crossroads of jazz and soul.  All three of these SoulMusic/Cherry Red titles are available now at the links below!

Norman Connors, Valentine Love: The Buddah/Arista Anthology (SoulMusic Records/Cherry Red, 2017) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Disc 1 - Betcha By Golly Wow - The Buddah Years

1. Slew Foot
2. Valentine Love (Featuring Michael Henderson & Jean Carn)
3. Saturday Night Special
4. Dindi (Featuring Jean Carn)
5. Maiden Voyage
6. We Both Need Each Other (Featuring Phyllis Hyman and Michael Henderson)
7. So Much Love
8. You Are My Starship (Featuring Michael Henderson)
9. Betcha By Golly Wow (Featuring Phyllis Hyman)
10. Kwasi
11. Aquarian Dream: Phoenix
12. Aquarian Dream: Once Again (Featuring Gloria Jones)
13. Once I'Ve Been There (Featuring Prince Phillip Mitchell)
14. Romantic Journey
15. For You Everything (Featuring Prince Philip Mitchell and Eleanore Mills)
16. Give the Drummer Some

Disc 2 - Melancholy Fire - The Arista Years

1. Captain Connors (12" Version) - Norman Connors & the Starship Orchestra
2. Say You Love Me - Norman Connors & the Starship Orchestra
3. This Is Your Life (Featuring Eleanore Mills)
4. Stella
5. Wouldn't You Like to See (Featuring Eleanor Mills) - Norman Connors & the Starship Orchestra
6. Listen (Featuring James Robinson) - Norman Connors & the Starship Orchestra
7. Your Love (Featuring Al Johnson)
8. Disco Land
9. Handle Me Gently (Featuring Miss Adaritha)
10. Invitation (Featuring Miss Adaritha)
11. Be There in the Morning (Featuring Miss Adaritha)
12. Take It to the Limit (Featuring Adaritha)
13. You Bring Me Joy (Featuring Adaritha)
14. I Don't Need Nobody Else (Featuring Al Johnson)
15. Melancholy Fire (Featuring Glenn Jones)
16. You've Been on My Mind (Featuring Adaritha)
17. She's Gone (Featuring Beau Williams)
18. Mr. C

Disc 1, Track 1 from Slew Foot, Buddah Records LP BDS 5611 1974
Disc 1, Tracks 2-5, 10 from Saturday Night Special, Buddah Records LP BDS 5643, 1975
Disc 1, Tracks 6-9 from You Are My Starship, Buddah Records LP BDS 5655, 1976
Disc 1, Tracks 11-12 from Norman Connors Presents Aquarian Dream, Buddah Records LP BDS 5672, 1976
Disc 1, Tracks 13-15 from Romantic Journey, Buddah Records LP BDS 5682, 1972
Disc 1, Track 16 from Dance of Magic, Cobblestone LP CST 9024, 1972
Disc 2, Track 1 from The Very Best of Norman Connors, BMG CD 74321-578172, 1998
Disc 2, Tracks 2-6 from This Is Your Life, Arista LP AB 4177, 1977
Disc 2, Tracks 7-11 from Invitation, Arista LP AB 4216, 1979
Disc 2, Tracks 12-16 from Take It To The Limit, Arista LP AB 9534, 1980
Disc 2, Tracks 17-18 from Mr. C, Arista LP AB 9575, 1981

The Manhattans, I Kinda Miss You: The Anthology - Columbia Records 1973-87 (SoulMusic Records/Cherry Red, 2017) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Disc 1 - Kiss and Say Goodbye (1973-1979)

1. There's No Me Without You
2. You'd Better Believe It
3. Wish That You Were Mine
4. Summertime in the City
5. Don't Take Your Love
6. That's How Much I Love You
7. Hurt
8. Kiss and Say Goodbye
9. I Kinda Miss You
10. Gypsy Man
11. It Feels So Good to Be Loved So Bad
12. We Never Danced to a Love Song
13. There's No Good in Goodbye
14. Am I Losing You
15. Everybody Has a Dream
16. Love Talk
17. Here Comes the Hurt Again
18. The Way We Were/Memories

Disc 2 - Shining Star (1980-1987)

1. Shining Star
2. Girl of My Dream
3. Cloudy, with a Chance of Tears
4. I'll Never Find Another Like You (Find Another Like You)
5. Do You Really Mean Goodbye?
6. Just One Moment Away
7. Let Your Love Come Down
8. Honey, Honey
9. Crazy
10. Forever By Your Side
11. Just the Lonely Talking Again
12. You Send Me
13. Don't Say No (With B.J. Nelson)
14. Where Did We Go Wrong? (With Regina Belle)
15. I'm Through Trying to Prove My Love to You
16. All I Need
17. Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)

Disc 1, Tracks 1-3 from There's No Me Without You, Columbia LP PC 32444, 1973
Disc 1, Tracks 4-6 from That's How Much I Love You, Columbia LP KC 33064, 1974
Disc 1, Tracks 7-8 from The Manhattans, Columbia LP PC 33820, 1976
Disc 1, Tracks 9, 11-12 from It Feels So Good, Columbia LP PC 34450, 1977
Disc 1, Track 10 from Columbia Single 3-10430, 1976
Disc 1, Tracks 13-15 from There's No Good In Goodbye, Columbia LP JC 35252, 1977
Disc 1, Tracks 16-18 from Love Talk, Columbia LP JC 35693, 1978
Disc 2, Tracks 1-3 from After Midnight, Columbia LP JC 36411, 1980
Disc 2, Tracks 4-5 from The Manhattans' Greatest Hits, Columbia LP JC 36861, 1980
Disc 2, Tracks 6-8 from Black Tie, Columbia LP FC 37156, 1981
Disc 2, Tracks 9-11 from Forever By Your Side, Columbia LP FC 38600, 1983
Disc 2, Tracks 12-13 from Too Hot To Stop It, Columbia LP FC 39277, 1985
Disc 2, Tracks 14-17 from Back To Basics, Columbia LP FC 40300, 1986

Mother's Finest, Love Changes: The Anthology 1972-1983 (SoulMusic Records/Cherry Red, 2017) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Disc 1 - Give You All The Love (Inside of Me)

1. You Move Me
2. Dear Sir and Brother Mann
3. Monster People
4. Bone Song
5. Living Hero
6. Middle of the Night
7. Funky Mountain
8. Run Joe
9. Fire
10. Dontcha Wanna Love Me
11. Rain
12. My Baby
13. Give You All the Love (Inside of Me)
14. Baby Love
15. Thank You for the Love
16. Dis Go Dis Way, Dis Go Dat Way
17. Mickey's Monkey

Disc 2 - Take Me To The Middle of You (Of Your Luv)

1. Hard Rock Lover
2. Piece of the Rock
3. Truth'll Set You Free
4. Don't Wanna Come Back
5. Love Changes
6. Can't Fight the Feeling
7. Watch My Stylin'
8. Somebody to Love (Live)
9. U Turn Me on
10. Evolution
11. Secret Service
12. What Kind of Fool
13. Victory
14. Love Me Too
15. Everybody Needs Somebody
16. Big Shot Romeo
17. What You Do to Me
18. In My Baby's Arms
19. Some Kind of Madness
20. Take Me to the Middle (Of Your Luv)

Disc 1, Tracks 1-2 from Mother's Finest, RCA LP LSP-4790, 1972
Disc 1, Tracks 3-8 from Mother's Finest: Expanded Edition, Wounded Bird CD WOU-4790, 2010
Disc 1, Tracks 9-12 from Mother's Finest, Epic LP PE 34179, 1976
Disc 1, Tracks 13-17 and Disc 2 Tracks 1-3 from Another Mother Further, Epic LP PE 34699, 1977
Disc 2, Tracks 4-7 from Mother Factor, Epic LP PE 35546, 1978
Disc 2, Track 8 from Mother's Finest Live, Epic LP JE 35976, 1979
Disc 2, Tracks 9-10 from Iron Age, Epic LP PE 35546, 1981
Disc 2, Tracks 11-20 from One Mother to Another, Epic LP EPC 25363, 1983