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Hot on the heels of its recent Super Rare Doo Wop Box, RockBeat Records is turning its attention to another corner of the rhythm and blues world and further advancing into the 1960s with a new four-CD box set.  Groove and Grind: Rare Soul 1963-1973, due in stores on Friday, August 18, is packed with 112 songs – the vast majority of which have never been reissued on CD!

Groove and Grind, compiled by RockBeat’s James Austin and annotated in its hardcover 127-page book by Bill Dahl, has divided its rare sides into four sets – one per disc.  CD 1 is dedicated to Urban Soul, spotlighting some of the most hard-to-find sides out of New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles and Detroit.  CD 2 spotlights the vocal groups that hoped to follow in the footsteps, and languished in the shadows, of groups such as The Temptations.  The third disc covers the deep, emotional grooves of southern soul, and the fourth turns up the heat with a look at the funky, danceable side of soul.

By intention, no hits appear on Groove and Grind, but that doesn’t mean that the set doesn’t feature familiar artists alongside the most elusive.  You’ll hear cuts from Big Dee Irwin, Ike and Tina Turner, Kenny Gamble, Bettye (then Betty) LaVette, King Floyd, Tommy Hunt, Candi Staton, Sam Dees, Betty Wright, Carla Thomas, Sir Mack Rice, Jessie Hill and other favorites of R&B connoisseurs.  Even The 5^th Dimension makes an appearance under the group’s original moniker of The Versatiles, with 1966’s Bronco single “You’re Good Enough for Me.”

More marquee names can be found behind-the-scenes.  Bobby Darin and Rudy Clark (the latter of “Good Lovin'” fame) wrote Little Charles and the Sidewinders’ “Got My Own Thing Going,” produced by Luther Dixon (The Shirelles).  Gene Page arranged The Tempos’ “Countdown (Here I Come)” while Leon Ware produced and co-wrote The Holidays’ “Love’s Creeping Up on Me.”  Van McCoy wrote, arranged and produced The Sweet Things’ “I’m in a World of Trouble,” and Nashville’s great arranger Bergen White worked his magic on Buddy Grubbs’ “I’m Telling You,” penned by Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield.

Some master tapes were not available for this project, and RockBeat kindly informs listeners that certain tracks mastered from vinyl may contain surface noise.  But that should hardly be a deterrent considering the  wealth of rare soul tracks here.  Groove and Grind: Rare Soul 1963-1973 will arrive from RockBeat Records on August 18 and can be ordered at the links below!

Various Artists, Groove and Grind: Rare Soul 1963-1973 (RockBeat, 2015) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

CD 1: Urban Soul

1. My Baby Likes To Boogaloo- Don Gardner
2. I’m Hip To You- The Jelly Beans
3. You Had Me Fooled- Danny Woods
4. They’re Laughing At Me- Gail Anderson
5. Please Consider Me- Tyrone (The Wonder Boy)
6. Are You Gonna Leave Me- Jessie James
7. Almost- Betty Lavette
8. My Baby’s Gone- Donald Height
9. Got My Own Thing Going- Little Charles & The Sidewinders
10. Everybody’s Talking – Joan Baker
11. Follow My Heart- Big Dee Irwin
12. Suffer – Cookie Jackson
13. You Brought My Heart Right Down To My Knees- – Alvin Robinson
14. The Queen- Big Ella
15. Walkin’ And Thinkin’- King Floyd
16. Mr Shy- Billy McGregor
17. Do You Know What Life Is All About- Hoagy Lands
18. Searchin’ For Love- Tommy Hunt
19. No One To Love- Pat Lewis
20. I’m Mad About You- Lou Courtney
21. Love On A Two Way Street- Lezli Valentine
22. You Can’t Miss Nothing That You Never Had- Ike & Tina Turner
23. Don’t Hurt Me No More- Tony Mathews
24. He’s Coming Back To Me- Theola Kilgore
25. Hard To Find The Right Girl- Kenny Gamble And The Romeos
26. Big Train- The Soul Shakers
27. Love That Guy- Jackie Owens

CD 2: Group Soul

1. (Countdown) Here I Come- The Tempos
2. It’s You And Me- The C-Quents
3. I Don’t Love You No More- The Exsaveyons
4. A Memory Best Forgotten- The Sounds Four
5. You Stood Me Up- The Specials
6. Bingo- The Dynamics
7. Peace of Mind- The Vontastics
8. Loves Creeping Up On Me- Holidays
9. There Will Be Tears Pt. 1- The Mandells
10. Never Ending Love- The Montclairs
11. You’re A Gas With Your Trash- The Four Pennies
12. The Young Hearts Get Lonely Too- The New Young Hearts
13. Forgive Me If I Cry- Down To Earth
14. I’m In A World Of Trouble- The Sweet Things
15. Cry No More- The C.O.D’s
16. Miss Heartbreaker- The Ascots
17. But Then You Left Me- The Shades of Sensation
18. Keep Your Love Strong- The Webs
19. Just Like A Baby (Mama’s Rocking In A Cradle)- The Flint Emeralds
20. I Don’t Want To Cry- Pearlean Gray and The Passengers
21. Beggar Of Love- Little Ben & The Cheers
22. You’re Good Enough For Me- The Versatiles
23. Say You’ll Be Mine- The Vows
24. She’s the One I Love- The Delacardos
25. Savin’ My Lovin’ For You- The People’s Choice
26. Got to Be Your Lover- The Profiles
27. Victim Of Loneliness- The Pace Setters
28. I’m Not Strong Enough- The Four Perfections

CD 3: Southern Soul

1. Don’t Turn Away- Willy McDougal
2. Mr Clean- Winfield Parker
3. Now You’ve Got The Upper Hand- Candi Staton
4. Forgive Then Forget- Jay Wiggins
5. Don’t Make Me Cry- Matt “Ti” Mattison & The Minit Men
6. The James Brown Boogaloo- Little Genie Brooks
7. Mr Lucky- Betty Wright
8. I Can’t Stop Crying- Sam Hutchins
9. It’s All Wrong (It’s All Right)- Sam Dees
10. (On The) Re-e-b-o-u-n-d– Lee Edwards & His Continentals
11. I’m Telling You- Buddy Grubbs
12. Hey Now- Eddie Floyd
13. The Good Got To Suffer With The Bad- Pat Brown
14. I Gotta Come Back- Little Frankie Lee
15. A Broken Hearted Clown- Nat Hall With The Mellow 3
16. The Grass Is Always Greener (On The Opposite Side Of The Fence)- Ella Washington
17. Still My Life Through- Billy Young
18. Every Ounce Of Strength- Carla Thomas
19. I Don’t Want To Hurt Nobody- Ruby Winters
20. I’m A Good Man- Al “TNT” Braggs
21. Gotta Have My Baby’s Love – Sir Mack Rice
22. I Confess- Elijah and The Ebonies
23. Understanding- Jackie Avery
24. Show Me- Margie Joseph
25. Pretty As A Picture- Moses Dillard And The Dynamic Showmen
26. Hurry Up Little Girl- Jerry & Eddie And The Tornados
27. Everybody Makes A Mistake Sometimes- Roy Arlington
28. Get Right- Bobby Parker

CD 4: Funky Soul

1. Can You Handle It- Pep Brown
2. Free And Easy- Jessie Hill
3. Show Stopper- Richard Knight
4. Soul Affection- The Interpretations
5. The Soul Stroke (Can You Handle It)- King Earnest
6. Riccasha- Rockie Charles & The Lavonics
7. Soul Walkin’- Reggie Smith
8. Wake up- Bobby Rush
9. The Bushman- The Tenth Dymentions
10. The Funky Bandwagon- The Essene Brotherhood Band
11. L.A.- Noble Watts
12. Do It- Billy Sha-Rae
13. People Talking About Me- Sonny Green
14. Original Funky Bell Bottoms- Ironing Board Sam
15. I’m A Lonely Man- L.J. Waiters
16. I’ve Got A Habit (Of Lovin’ You)- Bobby Jones
17. Do The Bobby Dunn- Bobby Dunn
18. We Do It All Up Here (Loosen Up)- The Fantastic Epics
19. Ratty Ratty – Maskman And The Agents
20. ItMust Be Love- Roy Hytower
21. Do The Dog Funk – Isaac Clark
22. What You See Is What You Get- Little Joe Mixon
23. Do the thing- Charles Lattimore
24. The Sno-Cone- Lloyd Hendricks
25. I’ll Pay You Back- Magic Sam
26. Hep Squeeze- Mad Dog & The Pups
27. The Poo Poo Man- Chet “Poison” Ivey and His Fabulous Avengers
28. The Trip- Dave Mitchell & The Screamers
29. I Got A New Thing – Willie Smith