Bobby Williams – Funky Super Fly

Bobby Williams' Funky Super Fly is a prized 1974 deep-funk set that earns its reputation through feel as much as rarity: raw grooves, punchy horn charts, tight guitar lines and bass-heavy rhythm tracks that keep everything moving. The album later found a second life with sample-driven listeners when DJ Shadow drew from the title track for "The Number Song" on Endtroducing..... in 1996, and Coldcut used "Soul Brother Party" on More Beats & Pieces a year later.

What makes this record stand out is how direct it is. The James Brown influence is there, but the performances are very much Bobby Williams' own, driven by an unpolished, from-the-heart energy that suits the material perfectly. "Funky Superfly" and "Soul Brother Party" are major dancefloor cuts, while "Morning Of Love" slows the pace into a soul ballad with real ache behind it. At the close, "Fair Trade" turns toward wah-wah-heavy soundtrack funk, giving the album one more angle without breaking its momentum.

That mix of hard rhythm, soulful depth and breakbeat-rich playing helps explain why Funky Super Fly has stayed a favourite with funk collectors for decades. This Mr Bongo edition brings back an album that has long circulated as a coveted rarity, and one that still sounds built for both DJs and anyone chasing the tougher end of 1970s soul-funk.

Features

• Tip-on sleeve