Wilson Pickett - In Philadelphia / Don't Knock My Love (2016)

England's Edsel Records are no strangers to Soul-reissues. Across the decades they've touched on major retrospectives for Philadelphia International (O'Jays, Billy Paul, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes), Holland-Dozier-Holland's HDH Label and Invictus Records (Chairmen Of The Board, Freda Payne and The Glass House) as well as anthologies for Ann Peebles, The Chi-Lites and Al Green covering their Hi Records label output.

For 2016 - our Demon Group heroes are tackling the whole of Wilson Pickett's ten-album stay between 1964 and 1972 at the legendary Atlantic Records. This fifth and final '2on1' set issued 26 November 2016 in the UK (see full list below) deals with his ninth and tenth studio LPs from 1970 and 1971 and comes bolstered up with a huge seventeen Bonus Tracks on 2CDs.

Across these five digipak-releases (three come with extras) - you also get exclusive single mixes and many unreleased tracks formerly only available on 2009's "Funky Midnight Mover..." – a 6CD mail-order set from Rhino Handmade – an item that is now long deleted and extremely pricey into the bargain. The booklets also feature new liner notes from noted Soul writer and uber-fan Tony Rounce. Here are the details for Alabama's finest Midnight Mover...

Each of these five card digipaks comes in a gatefold with Volume 5 being the only double-disc issue. Like the four others it sports a comprehensive 16-page booklet in the left flap with new liner notes from legendary Soul writer TONY ROUNCE – a man whose name has graced literally hundreds of quality CD reissues. He goes into all the chart statistics for 1970 and 1971 - his Gamble & Huff project "In Philadelphia" with the second LP embracing Rock artists like Free and Randy Newman - the concert at Accra in Ghana that resulted in the "Soul To Soul" Soundtrack LP in 1972 (Atlantic SD 7207) – his progression to RCA Records and recording at Muscle Shoals and finally to Little Richard attending his funeral in 2006 paying homage in his sermon to one of the Soul greats. Mastered by PHIL KINRADE – the tracks are licensed from Warners and are therefore the US 1996 Rhino versions of old and those 2009 Rhino Handmade rarities – full and punchy Bill Inglot and Dan Hersch CD Remasters from original tapes.

The "Wilson Pickett In Philadelphia" LP (called "Engine No. 9" in the UK after the song became a hit) is dominated by two song writing forces – Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff and a team of four other staff writers which included Bunny Sigler. Gamble & Huff threw three tunes into the ring – the opener "Run Joey Run", the two-parter single and hooky-as-Hell Bobby Eli guitar-fuzz of "Get Me Back On Time, Engine Number Nine" (a No. 3 R&B hit in October 1970 for Pickett on Atlantic 45-2765) and the final LP cut "Ain't No Doubt About It" – a mid-tempo stroller with choppy keyboards and sweet brass accompaniment (could even have been another 45). Bunny Sigler had his hands in the melodrama of "Days Go By", the don’t worry baby pluck of "Come Right Here" (used as B-side to "International Playboy" in May 1973 on Atlantic 45-2961) and one the album's genuine gems - "Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You" – co-written with John Bellmon, Reginald Turner and Jerry Akines who also contributed "Bumble Bee (Sting Me)". The LP peaked at a respectable No. 12 on the US R&B charts with Atlantic in fact taking advantage of the hits on it and pumping out "The Best Of Wilson Pickett, Vol. II" in May 1971 – rewarded with an even higher No. 8 placing (the last time Pickett would break the Top 10).

As you can imagine - the Bonus Tracks are a mixed bag of killer vs. throwaway. It’s not surprising that Atlantic returned to the catchy legend-in-my-own-time "International Playboy" song in 1973 with a remix where Wilson lists ladies in Rome and New Orleans all too willing to cook more than egg fu yung for the Wicked Alabama lad (one of the Bonus Tracks on CD1). It’s very cool to hear the band count-in "Pray For The Rain" (one of the 6CD Rhino Handmade outtakes) but the vocal never quite takes off – better is the six-minutes of "Heaven" – all strings and 'reach out and touch me' lyrics. Sung half in Italian and the rest in English "Un Avventura" is clearly dubbed off a disc and is a weird hybrid that’s interesting but not much else. "Can’t Stop A Man In Love" dates from 23 Feb 1972 and is excellent. But best is the non-album track "Funk Factory" that was paired with the ballad "One Step Away" on Atlantic 45-2878 – a No. 11 R&B hit in June 1972. "Funk Factory" is a truly great Pickett groove co-written by him with Brad Shapiro and Luther Dixon – ending Disc 1 on a bit of a high.

You would think with three singles off the "Don’t Knock My Love" LP – one of which was the huge title track and another US No. 1 R&B hit – that the album would have charted higher than No. 23 - but it didn’t - a sign of things to come. Like many of the smarter players of the day Wilson Pickett was quick to take on board Rock acts whose music had a swing and swagger suited to Soul - here he tackles Free by doing "Fire and Water" from their 1970 Island Records LP of the same name and Randy Newman's "Mama Told Me (Not To Come)" which had become a No. 1 rock hit for Three Dog Night. He then mixed these with Brad Shapiro songs like "Call My Name, I'll Be There", "Hot Love" and the huge title track - a co-write on Part 1 with WP. There's even a hint of Area Code 615 and Paul Butterfield in the harmonica-driven "(Your Love Has Brought Me) A Mighty Long Way" - a fantastic brassy groover that follows perfectly after "Fire And Water". A Jack Avery, Earl Simms and Carlton McWilliams song itself covered by Bonnie Bramlett in 1975 on her "It's Time" LP on Capricorn Records - the sexy little beast that is "(Your Love Has Brought Me) A Mighty Long Way" then segues into a set of strings that introduce the ballad "Covering The Same Old Ground" - a George Jackson song Atlantic used as the B-side to the November 1972 US single for "Mama Told Me (Not To Come)". The audio on this is gorgeous - full of warmth and even though the strings and girls threaten to drown the whole thing on occasion - Wilson howls his heart out and saves the day.

Edsel's decision to not separate the segue continues with the two-part title track which applies also to the lesser and ever so slightly hammy "Call My Name, I'll Be There". Another of the album's cool cuts is the fuzzed-up guitar of "You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover" - a song with a Stevie Wonder writing credit. The Johnny Ace standard "Pledging My Love" was the B-side to "Fire And Water" which made R&B No. 2 in January 1972 on Atlantic 45-2852. The album ends on another B-side with the potential of being an A. "Woman Let Me Be Down Home" was used by Atlantic as the flipside to "Call My Name, I'll Be There" on Atlantic 45-2824 in August 1971. In his quest to be 'down home' - Wilson lists off his country-boy complaints – his woman constantly telling him what to do, what to say and what to wear (oh dear).

Collectors are going to love the sheer in-yer-face fuzzed-up funkiness of "Don’t Knock My Love, Pt. 2" in Mono (one of the Bonus Tracks) coming on like a mash-up between a James Brown/Chi-Lites/Sly Stone instrumental – what a Funky Winner! Of the 1971 and 1972 unreleased recordings (and even though the vocal is not quite right) I like the mellow cover of the Bill Withers track "Hope She'll Be Happier" where the highly-polished acoustic guitars and piano make it feel more Carole King "Tapestry" than high-octane Soul. And the Wilson-penned Jesus song "Rock Of Ages" (another Bonus) is akin to Aretha's passion on the landmark "Amazing Grace" double.

The original Rhino CDs have been deleted for years and the Rhino Handmade set hard to find and liable to make your bang manager nervous – so this pairing of Pickett’s lesser-heard career is a very welcome reissue indeed. From here he would go on to limited success with RCA.

"...Start It off!" - Pickett roars to the band as they kick in with the righteous-groove of "Believe I'll Shout" – a holy-roller funk work out with a driving organ backbeat. Not everything on these two CDs is unmitigated genius by any stretch – but there are so many great moments like the above that I'm digging it big time. I suggest you dig in too and enjoy the illicit fruit of the wicked man's labours...