okay, my 'creme de la creme' comp landed at long last on saturday.
the short story on this one is that it consists of 20 tracks culled from the period 1972-1976. there is not a single duplicated from the 'what is it' box because the 'creme de la creme' series focuses strictly on philadelphia soul, which geneally speaking, means more emphasis on arrangements and instrumentation than on the traditional funk rhythm section. however, this material is nothing if not funky. just in a philly way. if you're cool with that, and i certainly am, you'll dig this set a lot.
i like it because these are obscure artists and tracks that didn't spawn from the ubiquitous machine of gamble and huff/philadelphia international (although there are two tracks by the spinners, they're certainly lesser known gems). therefore, most of them are fresh to my ears. not even a halfway dud in the lot.
the packaging, track information, and 7 page essay on the genre are all teriffic and a cut above the standard 'i'm-a-fan-of-this-genre-and-was-asked-to-pen-the-liners' variety.
completely recommended,
-e-
ps: i hope volume 2 is this tasty.
pps: what label are the above three comps on? seems to me i've seen these and passed on them due to something...