Night Grooves (Vinyl LP)

Call the dance doctor - there's an outbreak of fever in the funkhouse! And here's the reason why - after more than two decades of deletion, Ace is once again making available the final piece in the splendid musical jigsaw that comprises the Blackbyrds' Fantasy Records catalogue - the original, seminal 1978 dancefloor-aimed compilation, Night Grooves.

Actually, to refer to Night Grooves as just 'a compilation' is to undersell it big time. Granted, it does collect up a bunch of the Blackbyrds most eminent club cuts, all of which were originally released across five of the six Fantasy albums that came out between 1974 and 1978. And, technically, that does make it 'a compilation'. But - then and now - Night Grooves offers the potential punter much more than merely a repackaging of a bunch of classy cuts that they could just as easily find on other records.

The incentives to own this set are manifold and obvious, and none more so than the fact that three of its tracks - Happy Music (lately championed off this very collection by turntable wizard/house music pioneer Danny Krivit), Rock Creek Park and Supernatural Feeling - appear here in versions that are exclusive to Night Grooves. All are specially extended re-edits that prolong the grooves, and the running times, of the original tracks by up to three minutes. None has been legally reissued before now, so even the most ardent Blackbyrds admirers will have had problems in tracking these tracks down since they were last available on vinyl.

They alone should be reason enough for any of those aforementioned potential punters to purchase Night Grooves. But there's more, as you'd expect, in the shape of four further fabulous full-length flytes of funk - including the number that's probably the group's most widely-recognised recording, Walking In Rhythm. Factor their funkiness into the equation, and you have a set that's nothing but a natural 'must' for every full-on funkateer's collection.

Whether on loud-cut, club-friendly vinyl or sweet mid-priced CD, Night Grooves more than serves its threefold purpose as a suitable overview of their glittering career, a first-class collection of their finest club moments and a mini-greatest hits, featuring - as it does - six of the nine singles they placed on the Billboard R&B chart between 1974 and 1978. If it's true Happy Music Makes You Feel Good All The Time, there's bound to be a whole lot of Feelin' Good goin' on Funkland this month...

By Tony Rounce

Condition
Media: Mint (M)
Sleeve: Mint (M)

Our Grading Standards
We grade all vinyl using the Goldmine standard:
Mint (M): Perfect, unplayed condition.
Near Mint (NM): Nearly perfect with minimal signs of handling.
Very Good Plus (VG+): Shows light signs of play but plays with minimal surface noise. The most common grade for collectable vinyl.
Very Good (VG): Noticeable marks and some surface noise, but still an enjoyable listen.
Good (G): Heavy wear — for collectors only.

All records are graded visually and by play. Media and sleeve are graded separately.

About Peckham Soul

Visit our physical store at Linnégatan 2, 413 04 Göteborg.
Mon–Tue 11:00–18:00 · Wed–Thu 11:00–18:30 · Fri 11:00–20:30 · Sat 11:00–17:00 · Sun Closed.

We're a specialist vintage vinyl shop with roots in Peckham, London. From our Swedish store we ship across Europe and the EU. Every record in our collection is individually sourced, inspected, and graded. We stock soul, funk, jazz, reggae, punk, indie, psych and beyond — always original pressings, always honestly described.

Shipping & Returns
We ship carefully packed in rigid mailers to protect your record in transit. If a record arrives not as described, we'll sort it — no hassle.