New Music From Ohio Players

Founded in 1968 by Armen Boladian, Detroit’s Westbound Records proved to the world that thrilling sounds were still coming from Detroit, after Motown left the city. From humble beginnings, this important independent label soon grew to be a powerhouse that influenced music worldwide. Now, the legendary label has teamed up with vinyl specialist label Org Music to re-launch with a series of remastered, celebrated funk and soul albums. Funkadelic’s debut album would be enough to secure Westbound’s legacy, let alone a roster that includes Ohio Players, The Detroit Emeralds, Denise LaSalle, The Counts, Dennis Coffey and so many more who continue to deeply influence soul, R&B, rock, funk and beyond.  Westbound eventually expanded to include the experimental offshoot Eastbound Records and Sound of Gospel, one of the largest independent gospel labels in the world that set off seismic changes in faith-based music.

The reissue campaign begins with the Ohio Players’ landmark 1973 LP Pleasure. Formed in Dayton, Ohio in the 1960s, the Ohio Players backed up the OJays before a string of powerful funk-soul albums for Westbound—Pain, Pleasure and Ecstacy—led by Walter “Junie” Morrison, who later joined Parliament-Funkadelic. Restored from the original tapes, Pleasure includes “Funky Worm,” hailed by Complex as “one of the foundational sample sources of West Coast hip-hop, typifying the G-Funk sound popularized in the early ’90s.” “Funky Worm” has been sampled by N.W.A., Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Redman, De La Soul, Kendrick Lamar, Nipsey Hussle, Beastie Boys, DMX and countless more. At the time of its initial release, the song hit the top of the Billboard R&B charts in 1973 and #15 on the Hot 100. Upcoming reissues in the series include releases from The Counts, Dennis Coffey, Assemblage, Eramus Hall, and Funkadelic, with many more to be announced.

FCC Clean

Recommended Tracks: Track 8, “Funky Worm,” Track 3, “Pride and Vanity,” Track 1, “Pleasure,” Track 9, “Our Love Has Died”

Label: Westbound Records / ORG Music

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