Benny Poole - Pearl Baby Pearl  b/w Sorry Bout That  (Solid Hit) – I’d been looking for this one for a long time and luckily found it on the cheap. Solid Hit was a small – but no less great -  Detroit soul label (not to mention the cool label design). They released no less than four classic 45s by Pat Lewis (such as the moody ‘No One To Love’ and her cover of the Parliaments ‘Look at What I Almost Missed’), and this one 1967 classic by Benny Poole. ‘Pearl Baby Pearl (Latin Boo-Ga-Loo)’ (a title that sounds like it dropped out of the Jerry-O edition of Boggle) is a funky sax-led instro with some great drums in the background that bears the influence of James Brown’s ‘I Got The Feelin’. ‘Sorry Bout That’ has a slightly jazzier feel with some nice guitar and a great organ solo about halfway through.

Flamingos - The Boogaloo Party (Philips)
Flamingos - Heavy Hips (Ronze) – The Flamingos are the perfect example of an old-school group, doing their best to stay current through the changing waves of black music through the 60’s. They recorded ‘I Only Have Eyes For You’, one of the greatest records in the history of rock and R&B (one of my all time top ten). The mid-60’s found them a long way from haunting harmony vocals, and in the groove with discs like ‘Boogaloo Party’.  The record had a heavy soul sound and is a fave with soul collectors. A few years later, they laid down the equally party-licious ‘Heavy Hips’ for Ronze, which has a bouncy feel. Their discs for Julmar are also highly recommended, though I would suggest that you refrain from laying down any major coin for their LP on Ronze, which is NOT FUNKY.