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What It Is!  Funky Soul And Rare Grooves (1967-1977)
Various Artists
What It Is! Funky Soul And Rare Grooves (1967-1977)
Genres: Pop, R&B
 
  •  Track Listings (27) - Disc #1
  •  Track Listings (21) - Disc #2
  •  Track Listings (21) - Disc #3
  •  Track Listings (22) - Disc #4

91 tracks deep and five hours long, this multi-artist, 4CD set mines rare, renowned, legendary, and little-known grooves from the vaults of Atlantic, Atco, and Warner Bros Records!

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Various Artists
Title: What It Is! Funky Soul And Rare Grooves (1967-1977)
Members Wishing: 10
Total Copies: 0
Label: Rhino / Wea
Original Release Date: 1/1/2006
Re-Release Date: 10/3/2006
Album Type: Original recording remastered
Genres: Pop, R&B
Styles: Funk, Soul
Number of Discs: 4
SwapaCD Credits: 4
UPCs: 081227763527, 603497149568

Synopsis

Album Description
91 tracks deep and five hours long, this multi-artist, 4CD set mines rare, renowned, legendary, and little-known grooves from the vaults of Atlantic, Atco, and Warner Bros Records!
 

CD Reviews

Good stuff, but could be better
Moses Gunn | way over yonder | 01/02/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)

"So, I was pretty excited about this box set, but I must admit, I'm a little disappointed, mainly with some horrible edits. I guess you run this risk with most box sets, but some of the edits just broke my heart. The worst of them all was the chop job they did with Curtis' "Don't Worry...". I don't really consider this song a "rare groove," considering it's the lead song on his greatest hits cd, which is very easy to find. The edit of Eddie Hazel's "California Dreamin'" was pretty bad too; "Games, Dames and Guitar Thangs" has been rereleased, pick it up. Please. Also, "Funky Nassau, pt. 2"? Why? It's not even 2 minutes long, and pales in comparison to Part 1. Not a good representation of Beginning of the End's work.



All right, enough of my griping. I just love long, drawn-out jams, and absolutely loathe edits. But this box set does have some really awesome stuff going for it. Faze-O's "Riding High" is superb, as is "Stepping Stones" by Johnny Harris. "Cosmic Sea" by the Mystic Moods is really great too. I'll admit that I've never heard of 90% of this stuff, and most of it is reall good. I just have to skip over those edits...



But in my own opinion, if you want more bang for your buck, go with the Superfly Soul series. You can get all 3 2-cd sets for less than you'll pay for this 4-cd set, and I think the music choice is superior. And they actually have some rare, unedited Curtis, like "Billy Jack" and "Big Mac.""
WHAT IT IS ?.....NOTHING BUT A NON STOP PARTY!
Patrick Frierson | 02/10/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This set right here could very well be the holy grail of rare and hard to find grooves. This box set is funkier than a high school locker room! Every track on here is certified stank(aka funky). The most amazing thing about these tracks is that they capture the spirit of the times better than a lot of their more popular comtemporaries(at least in my opinion). "What it is" feels like an audio documentary of underdogs making the funkiest music and having a great time doing it. If you listen to how these tracks are sequenced, you'll feel like a story is being told - rather than just listening to another compliamation of vintage r&b music.



I'm only 25 years old. Every time I play this set, I feel like I'm at a 70's block party, chillin' in a long black cadillac fleetwood and scoping out some foxy mamas with hot pants and thigh high leather boots

(that's how good the music sounds). With 20 plus tracks each per disc, you can't help but be amazed with the consistent quality of the music.



All I gotta say is buy this set and let the funk be your guide to love, happiness, and your rites of passage to throw it on down and dance your

a-- off!!! If you ain't diggin on this, you're diggin a hole for yourself!



Long live the funk baby!



"
Now THIS is what I'm talkin' about!!!
Katherine McCarthy | Forest Hills, NY United States | 12/23/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I counted - I had heard 5 of these songs previously. A couple, "Keep On Dancing" and "Sookie, Sookie" I'd heard as covers by garage bands. Many of the performers catalog I thought I knew. WRONG! This collection bubbles and percolates and keeps on keepin' on for the duration. If you love funky soul music, or music period, this is a very worthy collection. I fully intend on having the Curtis Mayfield song about seeing you in Hell played at my funeral. I know all my friends will be joining me there. Great job, Rhino, super songs. They're out there somewhere but they were nearly all missed by me."