Harvey Scales – Trying To Survive (2xLP)

From his beginnings in the '60s as hip shaker Twistin' Harvey to his late '70s nights on the lit dance floor in search of a "disco lady," Harvey Scales survived pop chart clashes, bankrupt record companies, walkouts, sit-ins, strikes, price hikes, layoffs and severance packages in a 40-year career.

Collected here for the first time are Scales' Cuca and Magic Touch recordings, 27 songs of hard-hitting R&B, stomping Northern soul, divorce-plagued deep soul, feverish funk and urgent disco, spread across 2 LPs and housed in a deluxe gatefold sleeve. Bill Dahl's extensive liner notes document the whole affair, supported with dozens of period photos and ephemera illustrating the accompanying 20-page booklet. So necessary.