On the heels of the success of Darondo’s Listen To My Song: The Music City Sessions and The Two Things In One’s Together Forever: The Music City Sessions, Omnivore Recordings takes you back to the early-’70s for three volumes of various artist, vinyl-only, Bay Area funk, soul, and R&B! All three volumes are researched, produced, and annotated by Alec Palao. His essay for the 2011 boxed set, The Music City Story, was nominated for a Grammy® in the Best Album Notes category. You read right, these three compilations will be LP-only (like they should have been, had they been released back in the day), but we’ll bring it up to the modern era with a download card for each.
 

The Music City Sessions Volume 1: Richmond Experience

 

The Music City Sessions, Volume 1: Richmond Experience features mostly previously unissued, never-before-heard material, focusing on the harder funk edge of Richmond and the East Bay as a musical reflection of its working-class, blue-collar landscape. While not everyone on this compilation called Richmond home, the locale personifies the down-and-dirty gritty vibe quite clearly represented by the sounds on this collection.

LP TRACK LIST:
 
    Side 1:
1. JUST A MAN* – Chucky Thurmon & Pharris Wheel
2. GIANT HAMBURGER (Part Two)* – Victor Green
3. FREEDOM TRAIN – Kevin Burton & Peace
4. TP PAPER* – The Soul Sensations
5. GET DOWN – unknown artist
 
    Side 2:
1. GUMBO – Victor Green
2. CHECK ME OUT (Alternate Version) – Little Denice
3. WOULDN’T IT BE A SHAME* – The Soul Messengers
4. HAVIN’ FUN – unknown artist
5. RICHMOND EXPERIENCE – Kevin Burton & Peace
 
    All tracks previously unissued except *
 

The Music City Sessions Volume 2: Super Strut

The Music City Sessions, Volume 2: Super Strut explores a nightclub groove with gems from many of the top East Bay players of the time, such as Al Tanner (with Love Uprisers), Victor Green and The Two Things In One, featuring organist Kevin Burton. Both funky jazz instrumentals and soulful dancefloor items populate the tracklist, and there are notable sides cut at Music City by outside funkateers like The Houston Outlaws and Cookin’ Bag. Cult favorite Darondo can be heard chanting on Charles Doc Williams’ hip medley of “Bumpin’ On Sunset” with “We Got More Soul.”

LP TRACK LIST:
 
    Side 1:
1. SUPER STRUT – Cookin’ Bag
2. HOUSE ROCKER – Love Uprisers
3. BACKYARD – Houston Outlaws
4. BUMPIN’ ON SUNSET/WE GOT MORE SOUL* – Charles “Doc” Williams featuring Darondo
5. DRIFTING – Chucky Thurmon & Pharris Wheel
 
    Side 2:
1. I JUST GOT TO BE LOVING YOU* – Houston Outlaws
2. CITY COUNTRY CITY – Cookin’ Bag
3. LET’S GET IT TOGETHER (Alternate Version) – The Two Things In One
4. VICTOR’S THEME – Victor Green
5. IS IT RIGHT* – Kevin Burton & Peace
 
    All tracks previously unissued except *
 

The Music City Sessions Volume 3: Soul Show

 

The Music City Sessions, Volume 3: Soul Show gathers together a healthy dollop of uptempo R&B and balladry from the Music City vaults, to approximate the kinds of radio specials that the record label sponsored in the mid-1970s. Local hits from The Soul Sensations and The Ballads vie with unissued goodies from the likes of Darondo, New Generation (featuring Mary McCreary) and northern soul specialists The Performers. Spiced with vintage radio spots, the full exciting programme whisks the listener back to the magic era of FM, head-hugging ‘phones and sweet sweet soul.

LP TRACK LIST:
 
    Side 1:
1. GIRL I’D LIKE TO SEE YOU* – William Bostic
2. FAREWELL GOODBYE MY LOVE* – The Performers
3. DISCO MAN – unknown artist
4. A MAN THAT IS NOT FREE* – The Soul Sensations
5. YOU COULD HAVE TRIED – Karen Sanders Group
6. SILLY SONG (Early Version) – The Two Things In One
 
    Side 2:
1. GIMME SOME (Version 1)* – Darondo
2. TIME FLIES* – Brenda Madison
3. CHILDREN NEED OUR LOVE – The New Generation
4. LOVING YOU ISN’T ENOUGH* – The Ballads
5. GIRL I TRIED – The Performers
 
    All tracks previously unissued except *