Freda Payne "Unhooked Generation" The Complete Invictus Recordings (1969-1973)

Killer soul from Freda Payne – one of the first new powerhouses of the 70s soul scene! Freda broke big early on with the hit "Band Of Gold" – and she was a heck of a talent who worked for Holland-Dozier-Holland's Invictus label to craft some sublime soul gems that ranged from funky grooves to mellow ballads to classy groovers, and a lot more! This 41 track set features all of Freda's recordings for the Invictus label – tunes cut between the years 1969 and 1973, easily her best period – and a great fold-out booklet with notes, discography, and rare photos! Titles include funky classics like "Unhooked Generation" and "The Easiest Way To Fall" – plus loads of other great numbers like "Deeper And Deeper", "Band Of Gold", "Misery's Favorite Child", "Reaching Out", "Goodbye", "Through The Memories Of My Mind", "Two Wrongs Can't Make A Right", "Rock Me In The Cradle", "Love On Borrowed Time", "You Brought The Joy", "Just A Woman", and "He's In My Life".  © 1996-2015, Dusty Groove, Inc.Freda Payne was one of the great female soul singers of the early '70s -- her voice was powerful enough to rank highly among her contemporaries, but what set her apart was her daring material, its consistency, and the wonderful, ambitious production given her by the Invictus label. All of this is apparent on a mere single-disc collection, but for the best appreciation of the full scope of her achievements, the 41-track collection Unhooked Generation: The Complete Invictus Recordings is necessary for any serious soul collection. Though this is a lot to ingest at once, part of the reason for that is that it's dense, layered music; there's a lot going on in the lyrics and music is busy, filled with glorious details that help elevate this music ahead of much of the soul music of the time. As her biggest hits suggest, Payne pushed the subject material of soul further: "Band of Gold" dealt with a marriage falling apart because of male impotence; "Bring the Boys Home" was an anti-Vietnam protest song. This hints at what's covered on the rest of her albums for Invictus, all available here. What's remarkable is how Payne and her team of writers sound fearless throughout these recordings, pushing the boundaries of contemporary soul forward -- even if the songs don't cover new thematic ground, or are merely good generic pieces, there's something in the arrangement, production, or performance that elevates it above its peers. So, while this is a lot of music, it's worth exploring -- music this rich deserves such an exhaustive, loving presentation and any serious soul fan will be well-served by acquiring this. (Stephen Thomas Erlewine , Allmusic)trax disc 1:

01 unhooked generation 02 the easiest way to fall 03 band of gold 04 i left some dreams back there 05 deeper and deeper 06 rock me in the cradle (of your lovin' arms) 07 love on borrowed time 08 through the memories of my mind 09 this girl is a woman now 10 the world don't owe you a thing 11 now is the time to say goodbye 12 happy heart 13 cherish what is dear to you (while it's near to you) 14 i shall not be moved 15 i'm not getting any better 16 suddenly it's yesterday 17 you brought the joy 18 he's in my life 19 you've got to love somebody (let it be me)

trax disc 2:

01 instrumental prelude 02 the road we didn't take 03 bring the boys home 04 odds and ends 05 mama's gone 06 how can i live without my love 07 just a woman 08 come back 09 you're the only bargain i've got 10 we've gotta find a way back to love 11 two wrongs don't make a right 12 rainy days and mondays 13 if you go away 14 right back where we started from 15 mood for love 16 reaching out 17 for no reason 18 the man of my dreams 19 mother misery's favourite child 20 you brought the joy 21 band of gold (alternative version) 22 deeper and deeper (single version)

...Many Thanks To Jillem For The Share! served by Gyro1966...