(Basement Digs/Creative Vibes)

Unearthing some flashback funk folks never got a chance to hear

When Stones Throw label boss and DJ Peanut Butter Wolf isn’t re-defining hiphop, funk, soul and groove with acts like Dudley Perkins, Aloe Blacc, Georgia Anne Muldrow and his own stuff, he’s scouring the vaults for lost classics – or, in this case, a classic that never was. Indianapolis-based Amnesty were a big, horn-enhanced psychedelic funk outfit who released only two obscure singles in the early 70s but broke up before they were able to capitalise on the buzz generating around them. But they managed to lay down a few tracks for an album that never happened. The ten tracks here draw on the singles and clean up the other tracks for a 40 minute journey into that strange world of early 70s funk. Lots of influences emerge from these songs – James Brown, of course, along with Earth Wind & Fire, Sly & The Family Stone, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield, and even white acts like Blood Sweat & Tears and pre-MOR Chicago. To be honest though, unless you’re some kind of funk archivist and appreciate the historical context of the music, those more familiar names offer more musical meat than Amnesty can at this late stage.

**^½

BILL HOLDSWORTH

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