Long before Hozier, there was Dozier – Lamont Dozier, that is, who, along with brothers Eddie and Brian Holland, made up one of the sweetest soul songwriting teams of the 1960s.
The trio worked for Berry Gordy’s Motown label during the early to mid-1960s, writing and producing a string of hits for the likes of Martha Reeves and The Vandellas, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and The Four Tops.
After a dispute with Gordy – which led to one of the longest-running legal battles in pop history – the trio left and set up the Invictus, Hot Wax and Music Merchant labels. While not quite the hitmaking machine they were at Motown, they still scored million-sellers with Chairmen of the Board's Give Me Just a Little More Time and Freda Payne's Band of Gold.
Because the trio were still locked into a contract with Motown’s publishing arm, Jobete, they had to write under the pseudonym Edythe Wayne, but the songs on this compilation of rare vinyl 45s have the unmistakable sound of H-D-H stamped all over them.
This box set comprises unreleased acetates, test pressings and remixes, neatly gathered on 10 seven-inch vinyl discs – it’s a treasure crate of rarities that will have soul boys and girls purring with delight and collectors and DJs polishing their styluses with anticipation.
Record one, side A, is Chairmen of the Board's stomping What's The Use, lead singer General Norman Johnson's distinctive rasping voice sawing through the grooves. Side B is the uplifting Where There Is Faith, There Is Hope.
Record two showcases The Barrino Brothers, who never reached Four Tops levels of fame, but deliver two great nuggets, Trapped in a Love and Something About You. Discs three and five belong to the understated – and underrated – Eloise Laws, irresistibly seductive on (You're Mine) Baby Doll, Don't Burn the Bridge, The Easiest Way to Fall and I Think You Need Love.
Satisfaction Unlimited's Why is a dollop of soulful humour, each verse ending in "why do we keep on asking these stupid questions?" Another gem that goes down smoothly is Since You've Been Gone by 100 Proof Aged in Soul.
The collection is capped by Tom Moulton remixes of the Chairmen's Give Me Just a Little More Time and You've Got Me Dangling on a String, backed by instrumental versions so you can rasp along – or just dance yourself into a Northern Soul tizzy.
The final double whammy is Moulton's vocal and instrumental remix of Freda Payne's funky, slinky and utterly hypnotic Unhooked Generation, both adding up to 10 minutes of undistilled soul bliss.
