Dore L.A. Soul Sides / Various

2014 collection. Lew Bedell's Dore label dabbled with black music recordings through it's 30 year history, beginning in 1958 but the British Beat invasion of 1964 propelled him to seek out Soul acts so he didn't have to compete with the Limeys for plays on black radio stations at least. The Superbs were his main act and, despite only getting one hit from over 20 releases, he stuck with them undoubtedly enjoying their unique mix of simple soul balladry. They produced offshoot groups in the shape of the Entertainers IV, Natural Resources and the Whispers, who would become a major chart act in the '70s. Soul fans will be enamored of the unissued Natural Resources 70s soul dancer 'If There Were No You', an upbeat track which went unheard until trapped and released onto CD by Kent's soul sleuths. Uber-rare 45s by Milton James and Little Johnny Hamilton were cut by a tight outfit of musicians who eventually became War, the soul chartbusters of the 70s. Other high-quality rarities include Ray Marchand's 'Ship of Fools' and Betty Turner's 'The Wind Kept Laughing', a co-production with the Crescent label.