Lakeside were described as “The Rolling Stones Of Funk” by lead vocalist Thomas Shelby in an interview with Funk Chronicles, We didn’t have a ton of major hits, but nobody wanted to come on after us. But the hits they did have become Funk anthems.

Lakeside hailed from Dayton, Ohio and were formed in 1969 by Stephen Shockley under the name Young Underground, using various name changes until they settled with Lakeside around early 1975.

Dick Griffey who had managed Lakeside since 1975, started Solar Records in 1978. Norman Whitfield had been courting the group to sign to his Whitfield Records, but when Dick Griffey offered Lakeside a chance to write and co-produce their own music they signed to Solar Records. Their first album was ‘Shot Of Love’ which featured ‘It’s All The Way Live’ and Lakeside were off and running.

Thus brand new The Definitive Solar collection 3CD by R&B legends Lakeside contains the R&B #1 ‘Fantastic Voyage’, and Top 10 R&B Hits ‘It’s All The Way Live’, ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’, ‘Raid’ and ‘Outrageous’ plus every other charted track the band had on Solar Records; and also comes with some rather fantastic sleeve notes by renowned journalist Charles Waring.

CD 1:
The first disc opens on the totally jammin’ Shot Of Love and then we get some wondrous arrangements and harmonies on Hold On Tight, the funky, free spirited One Minute After Midnight, the joyfully funky It’s All The Way Live. the smooth Given In To Love, the beloved Lakeside jam record Rough Rider and then we get the dancefloor killer If You Like Our Music (Get Up And Move).

Along next is the Holiday-esque I Can’t Get You Out Of My Head and the popping bass lines within Pull My Strings and then we get the funking jammer From 9:00 Until, the slide, glide, slipidy slide of Fantastic Voyage, the rhythm guitar work of Your Love Is On The One, the first disc rounding out on the fresh grooves within Strung Out and the soulful ballad I Need You.

Tracklisting: 1. Shot Of Love 2. Hold On Tight 3. One Minute After Midnight 4. It’s All The Way Live 5. Given In To Love 6. Rough Rider 7. If You Like Our Music (Get Up And Move) 8. I Can’t Get You Out Of My Head 9. Pull My Strings 10. From 9:00 Until 11. Fantastic Voyage 12. Your Love Is On The One 13. Strung Out 14. I Need You

CD 2:
The second disc opens on the bass line-led (Marvin Craig) beauty Your Wish Is My Command and the funky slap bass rhythms of Something About That Woman, before we are brought forth a very nice R&B cover of the Beatles favorite I Want To Hold Your Hand (quite like I have never heard before, in truth), the gleefully funkified Special, the smooth hand clapper Magic Moments, and then we get the disco funk of The Urban Man and the coolness found within Keep On Moving Straight Ahead.

Along next is the straight out funk of It’s You and the summer feel found within It’s Got To Be Love and then we are presented the harder disco funk of We Want You (On The Floor), the slap bass-led Back Together Again, the disc rounding out on the R&B smoothness of All For You, the gangster roll found within Raid and the brilliant bass lines together with incredible vocals on Turn The Music Up.

Tracklisting: 1. Your Wish Is My Command 2. Something About That Woman 3. I Want To Hold Your Hand 4. Special 5. Magic Moments 6. The Urban Man 7. Keep On Moving Straight Ahead 8. It’s You 9. It’s Got To Be Love 10. We Want You (On The Floor) 11. Back Together Again 12. All For You 13. Raid 14. Turn The Music Up

CD 3:
The third and final disc opens on the soulful balladry of Real Love and the Dayton-funk of Untouchable and then comes the vocally-twisted groover Tinsel Town Theory (a. k. a. The Hollywood Story), the space jam Outrageous, the old school Make My Day, and then comes the fervent Worn & Torn and the R&B late night smoothness of Show You The Way.

Up next is the hard disco funk of Relationship and the Cameo-esque space jam Power, before then unleashing luxurious ballad that reached #33 on the R&B chart in 1987, the Vandross-esque Bullseye, then comes the synth pop vibe of Still Feeling Good, before their New Jack Swing takes off in full effect with Money, the collection coming to a close on the forceful beats found within both Party Patrol and U Got It Goin’ On.

Tracklisting: 1. Real Love 2. Untouchable 3. Tinsel Town Theory (a. k. a. The Hollywood Story) 4. Outrageous 5. Make My Day 6. Worn & Torn 7. Show You The Way 8. Relationship 9. Power 10. Bullseye 11. Still Feeling Good 12. Money 13. Party Patrol 14. U Got It Goin’ On

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