Senor Soul - What It Is, y'all (The Best Of Senor Soul)

TRACKS >
1. Senor Soul - Don't Lay Your Funky Trip On Me (3:31)
2. Senor Soul - Get On Up (2:43)
3. Senor Soul - Hypnotizer (2:04)
4. Senor Soul - I Ain't Got No Soul Today (What It Is, Y'All) (3:58)
5. Senor Soul - I Dig Rock & Roll Music (2:23)
6. Senor Soul - I Heard It Through The Grapevine (2:44)
7. Senor Soul - It's Your Thing (2:26)
8. Senor Soul - El Loco (2:38)
9. Senor Soul - Lovey Dovey Kinda Lovin' (3:15)
10. Senor Soul - Make The Funk Jump (2:53)
11. Senor Soul - The Mouse (2:31)
12. Senor Soul - Pata Pata (2:22)
13. Senor Soul - Poquito Soul (2:48)
14. Senor Soul - Psychotic Reaction (2:06)
15. Senor Soul - The Sneak (3:03)
16. Senor Soul - Some Got It, Some Don't (2:16)
17. Senor Soul - Soul Fiesta (2:26)
18. Senor Soul - Spooky (2:32)
19. Senor Soul - Sunshine Superman (3:08)
20. Senor Soul - Uptight (Everything's Alright) (4:40)


This "best of" compilation is derived from Senor Soul's only two lp's...

LP-DSS-5004 - Señor Soul Plays Funky Favorites - Señor Soul [1968] Pata Pata/Lovey Dovey/I Heard It Through The Grapevine/Gimme Little Sign/Psychotic Reaction/Get On Up//Spooky/Poquito Soul/Sunshine Superman/Mucho Funky/Up Tight




LP-DSS-5005 - It's Your Thing - Señor Soul [1969] It's Your Thing/Love Has Two Faces/Hypnotizer/Working In The Coalmine/Make The Funk Jump/Soul Sermon//The Mouse/Proud Mary/Soul Fiesta/By The Time I Get To Phoenix/Some Got It, Some Don't/El Loco



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Any connoisseur of 60's soul instrumentals would be remiss in not acquiring the easily forgotten "Pata Pata" that was released as a 7"-45 rpm...or it's b-side - "Poquito Soul", both included on this recording. I would venture to say that these two items were at least equal - if not superior - to any other instrumental track featured on the urban charts in the 60's. Even most "Northern Soul" advocates have allowed this version of "Pata Pata" to slip through their fingers. I consider that track as having set the trend for what was to be later categorized as "Afrofunk"...in spite of the fact that its flavor was decidedly Latin-tinged. And the smooth and classy "Poquito Soul" compares favorably with the equaly rare version by One G Plus Three. The author of "Poquito Soul" - Charles Miller - was to later become an original member of War...and you can hear it in the flavor. The track "Don't Lay Your Funky Trip On Me" was a collaboration between "(Papa D.) Allen, Thomas Sylvester/Charles Miller/Harold Brown/Howard Scott/Lee Oskar/Lonnie Jordan/Morris Dickerson"...that's War, ladies and gentlemen. And who knows...you just might like some of the other tracks also.
- DJ Baltimore Boogie Man

If you are reading this, you still have an opportunity to make up for lost time. DON'T PROCRASTINATE!

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(Certainly, however, you can hear the seeds of some of War's future ideas, particularly in the Latin R&B flavor and the flute parts of Charles Miller... A little more personality and originality come through on the tunes penned by Miller or producer Maurice Rodgers. By far the most solid indication of Miller's future direction in War is the 1970 single "Don't Lay Your Funky Trip on Me"/"I Ain't Got No Soul Today (What It Is, Y'All)," both because it has vocals and it most likely features the original lineup of War (most of whom get the songwriting credits for both numbers). In fact, those two slyly humorous tracks sound enough like War's early records that they could slot in on an early bona fide War album with little problem.
~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide)

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[But after grooving to los Senors' whacked-out acid jazz interpretations of toons like Psychotic Reaction and Sunshine Superman for many a moon, imagine my surprise when I learned that this relatively obscure outfit was in fact the precursor to those long-lived denizens of Los Angeles multi-racial funk and soul, War. You'll find little if any mention of Senor Soul in the history books pertaining to War-.-unsurprising when, decked out in ponchos and sombreros for the promo pix, the Senors' label, Double Shot, promoted the band with a pseudo-Chicano image that they would probably rather forget (though like the pidgin Spanish on their early records, in retrospect it's sorta charming). However, the sounds Senor Soul produced were anything but novelty: a hip synthesis of Latin-flavoured jazz and dead-on-the-one psychedelic funk.

What It Is, Y'All is the first ever Senor Soul retrospective and it leans heavily on the most floor-friendly numbers from their two albums - the aforementioned Play Funky Favourites and It's Your Thing. Whilst future War-rior Chuck Miller defiantly helmed the combo for the first record, by the time of It's Your Thing there didn't really appear to be a Senor Soul, seeing as the album is composed partly of outtakes from the first LP sessions, or recycled backing tracks from other Double Shot/Whiz releases. Not that that's a problem - the choice cuts are all represented here, including Hypnotizer, Make The Funk Jump and The Mouse, the latter two and half minutes of pounding, fatback groove issued as a now much sought-after single in July 1969.

However the kicker, historically speaking, is the last Senor Soul release - the writer credit for the cracking Don't Lay Your Funky Trip On Me is indeed none other than the nascent War, a couple of months from Spilling the Wine with Eric Burdon. When I ran into Lee Oskar a few years ago, he acted like he'd never heard of Senor Soul, but hey, his harmonica is plainly in evidence on both Funky Trip and the relaxed I Ain't Got No Soul Today (What It Is Y'All). These are all killer grooves that no War-monger should be without. Did I mention there's a couple of unissued sides from the vault too? I don't speak a word of Spanish, but I can tell you los Senors are mucho funky. And then some.]
- Alec Palao

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