Eccentric Soul: The Forte Label

Overview

One part tireless scavenging for hard-to-find records and one part extensive research and documentation, Numero Group's Eccentric Soul series turns over every stone to offer in-depth looks at microscopically tiny independent soul labels, usually active for only a short time in the '70s or '80s. Their spotlight on long-running Kansas City label Forte finds a replication of the imprint's entire catalog, which consisted mostly of 45s of various productions written by label head Ellis Taylor in conjunction with singers Lee Harris and Marva W. Taylor. The 21 tracks included (28 released on the vinyl version of the compilation) are raw, greasy soul intertwined with some slinky instrumental funk and a fair amount of truly bizarre approaches to popular music. For collectors of funk 45s, highlights will be many, starting with the super-elastic groove of would-be dance craze "The Hen" by Louis Chachere and leading into organ-heavy Fauxtown soul rippers like "You Confuse Me Baby" by the Rayons and "Baby Your Love Is Amazing" by the Four Darlings. As the label burned on from the late '60s into the early '70s, it shifted focus from Motown-referencing soul-pop to more Afro-cosmic funk such as the psychedelic near-prog groove of "Super Black" by Everyday People, which offers a more spaced-out take on the blaxploitation soundtracks that were popping up around its 1972 release. As with many volumes of this series, the most remarkable moments are also the most outlandish. Tracks like Marva Whitney's "Daddy Don't Know About Sugar Bear" and Lee Harris' "Lookin' Good" offer some of the more head-scratching moments of the comp, the latter including an incoherently mumbling backing vocalist and random squelches of electronic tones, not unlike a censor's "bleep," disrupting the full-band workout for reasons unknown. The label left behind a relatively small catalog, with sides here dating between 1967 and 1980 and changing in sound with the times. With some classic unheard gems, some solid tunes, and some genuine weirdness, the Forte Label volume falls in line with the high bar set by the rest of the Eccentric Soul series. ~ Fred Thomas

Product Details

Release Date:	08/27/2013
Label:	Numero
UPC:	0825764104722
Rank:	138094

Tracks

1. Don't Let Your Love Fade Away  - Gene Williams
2. I'm Gonna Get Your Thing  - Lee Harris
3. I'm Gonna Get You  -  Tear Drops
4. The Hen, Pt. 1  - Louis Chachere
5. Cry Night and Day  -  Fantasticks
6. I've Lived the Life  - Marva W. Taylor
7. Mini, Mini Afro Twist  -  Faboulous Rythm Makers
8. I'll Never Be Satisfied  -  Ashcraft  -  Tony Ashley & the Delicates
9. You Confuse Me Baby  -  Rayons
10. Baby Your Love Is Amazing  -  Four Darlings
11. Lookin' Good  - Lee Harris
12. Daddy Don't Know About Sugar Bear  - Marva Whitney
13. Whatever You Do (Do It Good)  - Gene Williams
14. Is It Really That Bad  -  Everyday People  - C. Taylor
15. Baby Be Good  -  Rayons
16. All Along I've Loved You  -  Ashcraft  -  Tony Ashley & the Delicates
17. I've Got to Have Somebody's Love  - Lee Harris
18. Super Black  -  Everyday People
19. With Fun in My Life  - James Whitney
20. Reaching for Our Star  - Sharon Revoal
21. Nothing I'd Rather Be (Than Your Weakness)  - Marva W. Taylor

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Gene Williams   Primary Artist
The Rayons   Primary Artist
Tony Ashley & the Delicates   Primary Artist
The Four Darlings   Primary Artist
The Faboulous Rythm Makers   Primary Artist
Sharon Revoal   Primary Artist
Marva W. Taylor   Primary Artist
Louis Chachere   Primary Artist
Everyday People   Primary Artist
Unknown Artist   Primary Artist
Les Tear Drops   Primary Artist
James Whitney   Primary Artist
Lee Harris   Primary Artist
The Fabulous Rhythm Makers   Primary Artist
The Tear Drops   Primary Artist
Marva Whitney   Primary Artist
The Fantasticks   Primary Artist
Ellis Taylor   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Jeff Lipton   Mastering
Jim O'Neal   Photo Courtesy
Ashcraft   Composer
C. Taylor   Composer
Ellis Taylor   Producer
James Trotter   Photo Courtesy
Kevin Coombs   Photo Courtesy
Maria Rice   Mastering
John Ridley   Photo Courtesy
Ken Shipley   Liner Notes,Reissue Producer
Dante Carfagna   Research,Photo Courtesy
Rob Sevier   Research,Liner Notes,Reissue Producer
Tom Lunt   Reissue Producer