Numero Group Rolls Out New 'Eccentric Soul' Collections

BY Gregory AdamsPublished Apr 9, 2014

Archival specialists the Numero Group have recently put the focus on '70s "wizard rock" and '90s post-hardcore heroes Unwound, but the cornerstone of the record label's empire remains its Eccentric Soul series. Helping push out some more old-school R&B rarities, the imprint has now announced the next pair of entries into the catalogue.

Due June 24, Eccentric Soul: Capital City Soul comes 10 years after the label's first release, Eccentric Soul: The Capsoul Label, and acts as a companion piece filling out the gaps left after the original collection. Once again, this latest Eccentric Soul title puts the focus on the music tracked at Bill Moss' Columbus, OH studio before it shut its door in 1974.

According to a press release, friends and admirers of Moss got in touch with Numero following the studio head's death in 2005, with a number of previously unheard recordings surfacing over the next decade.

Soul group the Four Mints are highlighted again, weighing in with four of the 20-song collection's cuts, with Kool Blues also returning. Other acts showcased on the set include the Chandlers (whose masters had apparently sat untouched on a shelf for close to 50 years), Soul Partners, Dean Francis and the Soul Rockers, Love Maximum and more. You can check out the full tracklisting for the double LP and sample its sounds over here.

Also dune June 24 is Eccentric Soul: The Way Out Label, which puts the focus on the Cleveland, OH record label of the same name. Press materials explain that the imprint "offered asylum for a rising crop of rogue soul men, rust-belt vocal ensembles, and trial-by-fire producers."

Way Out was apparently funded by "a friendly consortium of hustlers, police officers," and Cleveland Browns running back Jim Brown, with the stable working with Motown arrangers, gospel choirs and the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra.

The collection features multiple tracks from artists like the Sensations, Volcanic Eruption, the Exceptional Three and Bobby Wade, chronicling Way Out's 11-year history across two CDs and three LPs. The vinyl version features double-gatefold packaging showcasing era-appropriate photos, with the CD edition featuring a different set of pictures. Both editions include liner notes pertaining to the label.

You can see the tracklisting and hear previews of the 40-song set over here.

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