Edsel has recently continued a pair of box set series with the release of Disco Discharge Presents More Sin (1980-1989) and David Hepworth: More Deep '70s.

In late 2023, Edsel revived the long-dormant Disco Discharge series with the first Box of Sin.  This second volume, More Sin: Full Length Gay Clubbing, follows the template of the first, taking listeners on a journey through the gay club scene of the 1990s and tracing the development of dance music from disco to house.  As Ian Wade puts it in his introductory note, "These are the soundtracks to a proud generation and an aural history of lives often lived in the shadows."

As with the first volume, the artists chosen by compiler Mark Wood are happily eclectic.  Stage and screen legend Eartha Kitt opens the set, appropriately enough, with her international hit from 1983, "Where Is My Man."  (Television comedy veteran Bruce Vilanch is among the song's co-writers.)  Another familiar Hollywood presence, Raquel Welch, is heard on the extended vocal remix of "This Girl's Back in Town," co-written by the artist, Paul Jabara ("Enough Is Enough (No More Tears)"), and Bob Esty (Cher's "Take Me Home") and co-produced by Michael Zager (The Spinners).  There's plenty more delicious camp here, too.  Drag queen, actor, and frequent John Waters collaborator Divine works her magic on the 12-inch version of "Native Love (Step by Step)," while The Village People are heard with the title track to their notorious 1980 box office flop Can't Stop the Music.  (For Bruce Vilanch's account of the film's development, see his new book It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time.)

Among the other divas represented here are Donna Summer ("Love Is In Control"), Sylvester ("I Need You"), Gwen McCrae ("Keep the Fire Burning"), Laura Branigan ("Self Control"), Lisa Stansfield ("This Is the Right Time"), Jean Carne ("Was That All It Was"), Grace Jones ("Love on Top of Love"), and Natalie Cole ("Pink Cadillac").  They're joined by such groups as Expose ("Come Go with Me"), Pet Shop Boys ("Paninaro," "Heart"), Bronski Beat ("I Feel Love" medley with Marc Almond), New Order ("Sub-Culture"), and Dead or Alive ("That's the Way (I Like It")").  The presence of so many diverse and disparate artists and groups reveals another throughline here - that the clubbing world blurred lines of race, gender, ethnicity, and age, bringing participants together to celebrate individuality and personal liberation.  More Sin takes in Hi-NRG dance, Philadelphia soul, rock, cabaret, Eurodisco, pop, funk, and more, yet the 53 songs assembled on these five discs feel unified.

The slipcased set has a 32-page booklet with Wade's introduction and track-by-track liner notes, though no artist photos or memorabilia. As with the first Box of Sin, there are no remastering credits, though sound is strong throughout.  The discs are held in slots within a ten-panel foldout digipak.  Though More Sin is sure to fire up nostalgia for those who were there, these throbbing sounds make for a compelling and relevant listen that's both of its time and timeless.

Longtime rock journalist and television presenter David Hepworth has also teamed with Edsel for another volume of Deep '70s.  Housed in a hardcover book-style format, More Deep '70s pairs 73 songs with pithy commentary from Hepworth found in the 36-page book.  There's no "guilty pleasures"-style branding here; instead, the author has selected songs which he feels represents an era which "has never been bettered."  These four discs certainly make a strong case for that.

The tunes are organized thematically.  The first disc, Re-Make/Re-Model, presents 21 cover versions.  These run the gamut, from Ramones' high-octane version of "Let's Dance," a 1962 hit for Chris Montez, to Nina Simone's slow-burning, reggae-fied interpretation of Randy Newman's wry, shattering ode to "Baltimore."  Randy gets another airing with Harry Nilsson's tender reading of "Vine Street," and the songs of the young Jackson Browne is also featured twice - with Terry Melcher's fine take on "These Days" and Joe Cocker's "Jamaica Say You Will."  Along the way, Hepworth reveals affection for the early songs of Bruce Springsteen (The Hollies' "4th of July Asbury Park (Sandy"), Greg Kihn's "For You") and for Todd Rundgren's spot-the-difference version of The Beatles' "Rain."  With nods to classic rock-and-roll and Brill Building pop, this disc showcases how earlier sounds reverberated into the '70s - and continue to do so today.

Hepworth's tour continues with Skinny Tie Music, featuring many of the usual suspects: Joe Jackson ("It's Different for Girls"), Dwight Twilley ("I'm on Fire"), and Graham Parker ("Local Girls") among them.  This is power pop at its finest, from influential progenitors such as Cheap Trick ("Surrender"), The Cars ("Double Life"), Raspberries ("Go All the Way"), Squeeze ("Up the Junction"), and XTC ("Life Begins at the Hop").  Of course, one can argue with how deep some of these selections are, but even the ultra-familiar "Go All the Way" didn't chart in Great Britain.

The third disc of the set offers an enjoyably varied view on what constitutes Americana.  Surely these songwriting heroes chosen by Hepworth should qualify: Laura Nyro with "Stoney End," Paul Williams with "Someday Man," Jimmy Webb with the beautifully elegiac "P.F. Sloan."  Reflecting the diversity of the singer-songwriter scene of the era, he includes a healthy dose of funky blues and soul, tapping Dr. John ("I Been Hoodood"), The Meters ("Fire on the Bayou"), Taj Mahal ("Satisfied 'n Tickled Too"), Bobby Bland ("It's Not the Spotlight," from the songwriting duo of Barry Goldberg and Gerry Goffin), and Millie Jackson (her singular cover of "Loving Arms," which could have fit on Disc One here).

The fourth and final disc, Basing Street Blues, casts a simultaneously narrow and wide net - narrow because it's dedicated to the lesser-known music coming out of Chris Blackwell's Island Records (whose offices were on Basing Street) and wide because that music was so eclectic.  John Cale shows up on his own "You Know More Than I Know" and as producer of his old friend Nico's "It Has Not Taken Long."  The experimental side of Island is likewise reflected on Sparks' "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth" but in less obvious ways, too, such as the bouncy, retro "I Guess You Wish You'd Gone Home" from Peter Skellern or Jess Roden's proto-disco reinvention of "On Broadway," co-produced by Chris Blackwell and Allen Toussaint.  Island's signature reggae is on display with The Heptones' "Country Boy" and Max Romeo and The Upsetters' "Chase the Devil," and classic rock fans should be sated by Free's "The Highway Song" or Jim Capaldi's "Eve."

More Deep '70s has been mastered by Phil Kinrade.  Based on the success of these two volumes, one wouldn't mind seeing Hepworth's takes on the lesser-known gems of the '60s or the '80s.  Both More Sin and More Deep '70s are available now from Edsel at the links below.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Various Artists, More Sin: Full-Length Gay Clubbing 1980-1989 (Edsel EDSL0214, 2025) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1

1. Where Is My Man (Vocal) / Eartha Kitt
2. Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger) (Dance Remix) / Donna Summer
3. I Need You (Extended 12" Mix) / Sylvester
4. Was That All It Was (12" Version) / Jean Carne
5. Hit 'N Run Lover (Remix) / Carol Jiani
6. Caught In The Act (Vocal) / Earlene Bentley
7. Keep The Fire Burning (Club Remix) / Gwen McCrae
8. Peanut Butter (Larry Levan Long Vocal) / Gwen Guthrie
9. Come Go With Me (Extended Mix) / Exposé
10. Respect (Extended Version) / Adeva

CD 2

1. Searchin' (I Gotta Find A Man) (12" Version) / Hazell Dean
2. Native Love (Step By Step) (12" Version) / Divine
3. Pistol In My Pocket (12" Version) / Lana Pellay
4. Energy Is Eurobeat (UK Remix) / Man 2 Man
5. Fantasy ("Short" Long Version) / Hotline
6. After The Rainbow (12" Version) / Joanne Daniëls
7. The Night (La Noche) (12" Version) / Azul Y Negro
8. I'm So Hot For You (Dance Mix) / Bobby "O"
9. Colour My Love (Club Mix) / Fun Fun
10. He's A Saint, He's A Sinner (Extended Version) / Miquel Brown
11. Can't Stop The Music (12" Version) / Village People

CD 3

1. Paninaro (Italian Remix) / Pet Shop Boys
2. Sub-Culture (Remix) / New Order
3. Homosapien (Elongated Dancepartydubmix) / Pete Shelley
4. Blind Vision (Extended Version) / Blancmange
5. Peek-A-Boo (Big Spender Mix) / Siouxsie And The Banshees
6. The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight (Dominant Mix) / Dominatrix
7. Duel (Bitter-Sweet) / Propaganda
8. I Feel Love (12" Version) (Medley: Love To Love You Baby / I Feel Love / Johnnie Remember Me) / Bronski Beat with Marc Almond
9. The Anvil (Dance Mix) / Visage
10. That's The Way (I Like It) (Extended Version) / Dead Or Alive

CD 4

1. Self Control (Extended Version) / Laura Branigan
2. Voyage Voyage (PWL Britmix) / Desireless
3. Brother Louie (Special Long Version) / Modern Talking
4. Dolce Vita (Extended Version) / Ryan Paris
5. I Just Can't Wait (Extended Version) / Mandy Smith
6. Stop... Bajon (Club Mix) / Tullio De Piscopo
7. Just An Illusion (12" Mix) / Imagination
8. Roses (Extended Version) / Haywoode
9. Get Lost Tonight (12" Version) / Fancy
10. Danger For Love (Full Length Version) / Deborah
11. This Girl's Back In Town (Extended Vocal Remix) / Raquel Welch
12. This Is The Right Time (Miles Ahead Mix) / Lisa Stansfield

Various Artists, David Hepworth: More Deep '70s (Edsel EDSL0161X, 2025) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1

1. RAMONES: Let's Dance
2. DEVO: Satisfaction (I Can't Get No)
3. NILS LOFGREN: Goin' Back
4. THE HOLLIES: Sandy (4th of July, Asbury Park)
5. DON COVAY: Memphis
6. NINA SIMONE: Baltimore
7. LOWELL GEORGE: What Do You Want The Girl To Do?
8. BILLY SWAN: Don't Be Cruel [slow version]
9. THE BUNCH: When Will I Be Loved?
10. FRANKIE MILLER: Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
11. GREG KIHN: For You
12. THIN LIZZY: Rosalie [live]
13. TODD RUNDGREN: Rain
14. NILSSON: Vine Street
15. JOE COCKER: Jamaica Say You Will
16. TERRY MELCHER: These Days
17. JOHN MARTYN: Spencer The Rover
18. IAN MATTHEWS: 7 Bridges Road
19. LEO KOTTKE: Pamela Brown
20. THE POINTER SISTERS: Grinning In Your Face
21. ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS: Psycho [live]

CD 2

1. THE RUNAWAYS: Cherry Bomb
2. CHEAP TRICK: Surrender
3. THE CARS: Double Life
4. JOE JACKSON: It's Different For Girls
5. DWIGHT TWILLEY BAND: I'm On Fire
6. MINK DE VILLE: Just Your Friends
7. SNIFF 'N' THE TEARS: Driver's Seat
8. SHOES: Too Late
9. RASPBERRIES: Go All The Way
10. GRAHAM PARKER & THE RUMOUR: Local Girls
11. JOHN HIATT: Take Off Your Uniform
12. XTC: Life Begins At The Hop
13. THE INMATES: Dirty Water
14. DEAF SCHOOL: What A Way To End It All
15. TIM MOORE: Rock And Roll Love Letter
16. SQUEEZE: Up The Junction
17. CRABBY APPLETON: Go Back

CD 3

1. ROGER McGUINN: Draggin'
2. GENE CLARK: No Other
3. JIMMY WEBB: P.F. Sloan
4. LAURA NYRO: Stoney End
5. MILLIE JACKSON: Loving Arms
6. BOBBY BLAND: It's Not The Spotlight
7. DR JOHN: I Been Hoodood
8. THE METERS: Fire On The Bayou
9. TAJ MAHAL: Satisfied 'N Tickled Too
10. DAN HICKS & HIS HOT LICKS: I Scare Myself
11. JOE ELY: Honky Tonk Masquerade
12. GUY CLARK: Desperados Waiting For A Train
13. PAUL WILLIAMS: Someday Man
14. CHIP TAYLOR: I Wasn't Born In Tennessee
15. JOE SIMON: Georgia Blue
16. MUDDY WATERS: Mannish Boy
17. TERRY ALLEN: New Delhi Freight Train

CD 4

1. HEAD HANDS & FEET: (Let's Get This) Show On The Road
2. FREE: The Highway Song
3. JOHN CALE: You Know More Than I Know
4. ULTRAVOX!: Young Savage
5. NICO: It Has Not Taken Long
6. SPARKS: Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth
7. THE HEPTONES: Country Boy
8. BURNING SPEAR: Marcus Garvey
9. MAX ROMEO & THE UPSETTERS: Chase The Devil
10. JESS RODEN: On Broadway
11. SWAMP DOGG: Did I Come Back Too Soon (Or Stay Away Too Long)
12. KEVIN AYERS: Didn't Feel Lonely Till I Thought Of You
13. 801: Rongwrong
14. JIM CAPALDI: Eve
15. RICHARD THOMPSON: Roll Over Vaughan Williams
16. BRYN HAWORTH: Grappenhall Rag
17. PETER SKELLERN: I Guess You Wish You'd Gone Home
18. MORRIS ON: Princess Royal​