thefifthmicrophone

Westbound Funk

What a funky treat! Came across this in a TINY record shop, and simply glancing at the tracklist encouraged me to purchase. The title's almost redundant, as the words "Westbound" and "Funk" mean virtually the same thing. From the late 60s through the mid 70s, Westbound was one of the key record labels in the sound of raw heavy funk, working with hit groups like Funkadelic, Bobby Franklin's Insanity, The Counts, and the Ohio Players to craft a sound that laid the blueprint for countless other groups of the time, and also featuring a wealth of obscurer artists with an even harder-hitting sound. The key styles of Westbound and related jazz label Eastbound were heavy and fuzzy ones, picking up off the heady and trippy styles of the late 60s Detroit scene, mixing things up with MC5 guitars, Norman Whitfield bass, and deep underground Tribe-styled jazz touches. This 20 track masterpiece is a brilliant summation of the important Westbound sound. It includes a few hits, some funky 45 classics, and an even bigger number of tracks we might not have heard otherwise. The notes are great, the tunes are super-funky, and the whole thing's one of the best funky collections you could ever hope to purchase.

Tracklisting:

1. I'll Bet You - Funkadelic
2. Hit It And Quit It - Bobby Franklin's Insanity
3. Funky World Part 1 - Silky Vincent
4. RPM - Boots
5. Stone Thing Part 1 - Robert Lowe/Alvin Cash
6. In Born Soul - Freddie Wilson
7. You Can't Miss What You Can't Measure - Funkadelic
8. Get Ya Some - Melvin Sparks
9. Crazy Legs - Donald Austin
10. Pair And A Spare - Jimmy Scott
11. Get Funky Sweet A Little Bit - Jackie Harris/The Exciters
12. Back To Funk - Robert Lowe
13. You're Messing Up My Mind - Albert Washington
14. Feeling Alright - Ohio Players (previously unreleased)
15. Why Not Start All Over Again - The Counts
16. Conga Man - King Errisson
17. I Love You - The Motivations
18. Shake Your Head - Spanky Wilson
19. I Don't Know What It Is But It Sho' Is Funky - Mighty Elegant
20. Smiling, (You Caught Me) - The 19th Whole

Lastly, due to the requests, I have re-upped Dj Chak's Keep Funk Alive mixtape.