"Eccentric Soul: The Tragar & Note Labels" – Amazing collection of rare funk and soul from Atlanta,GA in the late 60s through mid 70s. Wow! This is a very thorough collection of songs from the Tragar and Note labels that came out of Atlanta. While none of these became huge hits, there are some serious killers in here. The songs range from full lush soulful arrangements to raw funky grooves with singing styles that go from sweet smooth soul to tough and sassy. There are 50 tracks in all and each is good. Check out the extensive liner notes for more details. If you like soul or funk at all you must check this out! Fcc clean.
My Picks: disc1: 4, 10, 16, 17, disc2: 1, 2, 3, 10, 22
Katie P. 6/25/08

Disc 1:
1) Starts with a count-off. Uptempo bouncy funky groove. Guitar, bass drums, and a full horn section. Male vocals are rough with a James Brown quality, but mostly talking/shouting.
2) Organ and guitar soul groove. Raw male vocals with female backups. Uptempo and fun.
3) Slower midtempo soul. Female vocals with horns, and string section. Has a Motown feel to it but a bit more raw.
4) Slower and dramatic. Wow!! Full string section with guitar accents. Lowdown and bluesy. Interesting lyrics – “I have played the part of a foolish clown much too well.”
5) Slower midtempo with a harsh funky guitar lick. Smoothes out at times with some sweet soul male vocals and female backups.
6) Uptempo funky bounce. Tight drums, organ and sax along with a steady bass line. Oooo, killer organ solo. Instrumental.
7) Uptempo with some jazzy drums. Steady funky bass and full horn section. Strong female vocals.
8) Hard bouncy soul groove with heavy bass. Nice horn section with a sax solo. Male harmonized vocals.
9) Guitar, organ, and horns with a light fun bounce. Smokey smooth female vocals.
10) Lowdown with blues guitar. Soulful female vocals. Pleading.
11) Slower dragging midtempo. Guitar with some horn hits. Raw soulful male vocals.
12) Piano and guitar. Slower midtempo. Male vocals trade back and forth.
13) Smooth sweet soul ballad. Full string arrangement. Female vocals. Elaborate and lush.
14) Midtempo ballad with horns, guitar, and flute. Full band sound with strong female vocals.
15) Hard funky bounce with heavy bass and guitar. Strings come in with horns part way through. Instrumental.
16) Hard-driving uptempo funk. Solid guitar groove and raw male vocals. Fun!
17) Light fun and bouncy soul. Male duo using mostly falsetto. Cute string plinks. Wow!! This is great!
18) Steady uptempo walk. Funky organ and bass. Nice horns and male vocals.
19) Lowdown serious funk. Full band with sweet female vocals.
20) Fun, light and bouncy. Full horn section with male vocals.
21) Slow bouncy waltz. Guitar and horns with strong female vocals.
22) Slow soul ballad. Piano and guitar with some organ in the background. Male vocals with female backups.
23) Full band sound with strings, guitar, and horns. Female vocals. Light airy feel.
24) Uptempo steady walk. Tight horns and male vocals. Fun bouncy soul.
25) Solid midtempo soul. Full string section with a fun bouncy beat. Sweet female vocals.

Disc 2:
1) Hard and heavy funk. Solid midtempo groove. Sassy female vocals and great horn section. Hot damn!
2) Faster midtempo light fun soul. Lovely male vocals with female backups. Nice full band sound. Sweet love song.
3) Fun funky-soul party music. Cool organ and guitar with talking in the background. Basically an instrumental with some shouts of “messing around” here and there. Great breakdown section, and plenty of cowbell!
4) Driving uptempo soul. Full string arrangement with a steady grooving bass line. Female vocals.
5) Smoothed out uptempo soul song. Piano and strings. Male vocals in lots of layers and different harmonies.
6) Funky smoothed out soul with a touch of disco. Solid midtempo with male vocals.
7) Slower sweet soul ballad. Full band with horns and strings. Female vocals.
8) Slow dragging soul ballad. Horns along with a smaller band of guitar, drums, and bass. Female vocals with plenty of backups.
9) Slow soul ballad with full band including horns and strings. Female vocals with plenty of backups.
10) Sassy funky swagger. Driving midtempo beat builds with guitar and bass and added strings. Tough female vocals.
11) Raw guitar, piano, and tambourine. Cute, fun, and bouncy. Sax solo about half through. Instrumental.
12) Organ and guitar along with horns. Strong driving uptempo. Female vocals.
13) Faster midtempo with piano, bass, and what sounds like full orchestration. Bright full soul sound. Female vocals.
14) Funky smoothed out sounding disco. Nice tight horns and male vocals.
15) Dramatic slow beginning with strings and cymbals. Smooth male vocals. Slow soul ballad. Has a bit of a modern soul feel.
16) Slow full strings with “ooo-ooo” backup vocals. Falsetto/high-pitched male vocals.
17) Slow soul ballad. Strings and flute along with female vocals.
18) Slower midtempo ballad. Strings and horns along with the rest of band. Martha & the Vandellas cover.
19) Slower midtempo with strings and what sounds like glockenspiel or some kind of bells. Female vocals. Cute and sweet.
20) Slower dragging midtempo. Sassy tough female vocals. Nice horn section.
21) Light funky bounce with sax out front. Fun instrumental.
22) Uptempo party dance funk. Piano and guitar with horns. Hard charging male vocals. Great breakdown section. Nice!
23) Solid midtempo walk with raw funky horns. Sassy female vocals.
24) Soul jazz sound to start with full string section and organ. Sax is quite loud in the mix over the light airy female vocals. Dreamy feel to it.
25) Acoustic guitar picking with simple bass and drums. Female vocals. Almost has a folky sound.