I'd guess this release on the New Orleans Knight label was recorded between '69 and 72 - the heyday of The Meters, Professor Longhair and the many labels and pseudonyms of Eddie Bo. It features obscure soul vocalist Gary Sole over a blistering mid-tempo funk back-up track with tell-tale signs of Eddie Bo's involvement (check the "Hook & Sling" style vocal scat). Intriguingly, it has the exact same writer, engineer and producer line-up as "Rubber Band" by Eddie Bo & The Soulfinders with production and writing by Traci Borges.
But despite all the good things going for it, this song must have sank like a rock and now not even the 45 funk nerds seem aware of its existence. The only Google hit returned for Gary Sole these days is for a straight-ahead soul track "Holding On" but there's absolutely nothing for "Love Is Good For You".
I've always loved this song. It comes on like a gritty Sly Stone with hard but laid back, loose but insistent funk. Maybe it was doomed from the outset by odd mix levels and ill-advised lyrics (even in the 70s, I'm sure the idea of love "putting hair on your chest" would have sounded a bit "ew"). But if you overlook the flaws, this could have been one of the all-time best funk records ever.
Sometimes individual records like this change hands for more money on eBay than the artists probably made during their entire careers. But not this. No-one seems to have heard of it. So please help me out with a little info if you have.
Artist: Gary Sole
A: Love Is Good For You
B: Make Believe Girl
Label: Knight
Cat#: KN-102-4
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