Albums Eccentric Soul: The Saru Label

[Dead End]

If you're not aware of this, the Numero Group is a label in Chicago who dig around the United States for lesser known, forgotten or nearly lost American music from the early 1960s until 1990s. Their Eccentric Soul series is now 20 strong and really excellent. The physical releases usually include a booklet with background, pictures and interviews. This is the latest in the series, which came out last Friday, 3/23/18.

The 20th volume of our flagship Eccentric Soul series has all the boxes checked: Gun-toting, skip-tracing record producers, child stars, rip-offs, the “World’s Greatest Bail Bondsman,” swindles, soaring falsettos, and a dwindling rust-belt cityscape offering mere glimpses of hope before the record industry escaped for the coasts. Helmed by the O’Jays Bobby Massey, Saru was a creative vortex that pulled Cuyahoga County’s greatest talent in, making a strong case for Cleveland to contend with Detroit, Philly, and Memphis as America’s soul music’s capital. Deluxe compact disc includes 25 obscure and unknown sides from the Out of Sights, the Elements, Pandella Kelly, David Peoples, Sir Stanley, the Ponderosa Twins + 1, Ba-Roz, Bobby Dukes, and of course, the O’Jays.