Various Artists - Paul Weller Presents That Sweet Sweet Music (2LP)

Ace Records are honoured and delighted to finally release that Paul Weller curated collection which he has aptly titled, “That Sweet Sweet Music”. This 2-LP set and CD open the curtains on 26 tracks that are some of Paul’s favourite soul records most of which nestle on vinyl in his own collection.

He can still recall paying £70 for his copy of Jon Lucien’s 1971 ‘Search For The Inner Self’ 7” at a record shop in Leicester in the 90s. Some of these tracks are soul classics like James Carr’s 1966 ‘Pouring Water On A Drowning Man’ and Brother to Brother’s brilliant take on Gil Scott Heron and Brian Jackson’s ‘In The Bottle’ from 1974. 

Others are deliciously obscure wonderous gems like the A-side of Blackrock’s sole 1971 single ‘Blackrock “Yeah, Yeah”’, ‘Life Walked Out’ from the same year by the Mist or Syl Johnson’s ‘Black Balloons’ taken from his 1970 album “Is It Because I’m Black?”. There are plenty of big vocal hitters such as Darrell Banks, Spinners, Joe Simon, O.C. Smith, the Dells and Betty Davis. Whilst the core is vocal soul the music does branch out with Paul selecting a wicked instrumental from the flipside of the Isley Brothers’ ‘Twist & Shout’ from 1962 and the funky jazz of the Headhunters ‘God Made Me Funky’, the A- side of their first 1975 seven-inch.

1. GOD MADE ME FUNKY - The Headhunters 

2. SPANISH TWIST - The I. B. Special

3. BREAKAWAY - The Valentines

4. TOP OF THE STAIRS - Collins & Collins

5. DONT LET THE GREEN GRASS FOOL YOU – The Spinners

6. BLACK BALLOONS - Syl Johnson

7. SOULSHAKE - Peggy Scott & Jo Jo Benson

8. I CAN'T MAKE IT ANYMORE - Richie Havens

9. YOU GOT TO HAVE MONEY - The Exits

10. PULL MY STRING (TURN ME ON) - The Joneses

11. RUN FOR COVER - The Dells

12. ON EASY STREET - O.C. Smith

13. IT AIN'T NO BIG THING - The Radiants

14. SUMMERTIME - Billy Stewart

15. IN THE BOTTLE - Brother To Brother

16. HARD TIMES - Baby Huey

17. MAGGIE - Johnny Williams

18. WHEN - Joe Simon

19. POURING WATER ON A DROWNING MAN - James Carr

20. THAT'S ENOUGH - Roscoe Robinson

21. BLACKROCK “YEAH, YEAH” - Blackrock

22. GOLDEN RING - American Gypsy

23. SEARCH FOR THE INNER SELF - Jon Lucien

24. LIFE WALKED OUT - The Mist

25. IN THE MEANTIME - Betty Davis

26. BEAUTIFUL FEELING - Darrell Banks