Another day, another stellar compilation from Numero. This time around, we're not in the Capital City but we're still Way Out! For this latest compilation the fine folks at Numero uncovered a ton of blinding soul burners from Cleveland's home of soul: Way Out Recordings. Fueled in part by Jim Brown the label offered rogue soul men, rust belt vocal ensembles and trial by fire producers a home and a place to record. Sure the recordings coming out of the label were rough but they were pure and stunning none the less.
As the liner notes say, all sorts of people and groups were beckoned to the wrong side of the tracks to mint masterpieces for the Sensations, Volcanic Eruption and a handful of others. Spread out over three LP's or two CD's this retrospective once again proves that good soul music can come from anywhere as long as it's honest. Way Out were a special label and it's hard to find fault with any of the 40 tracks on this compilation. This is deep 60's soul that's like a Northern Soul collectors dream come true. So many great tracks are spread throughout this compilation and the rebel spirit that went into making each of these songs make this yet another essential Eccentric collection. Way Out wasn't Motown and didn't want to be, it was it's own unique take on soul music and the treasures Numero have unearthed are priceless.
The musicianship on this set is top notch, the vocals are emotional, the hooks are huge and the ballads are stirring across the board. It's hit after hit here and no matter the group or vocalist you're guaranteed a tune of fantastic quality to rival the big boys. Numero packages all that classicism in gorgeous artwork and includes a 7000 word dissertation on the label. That alone says all you need to know about how good and how important Way Out really was. Essential stuff.
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