100 Proof Aged In Soul - 1971 - Somebody's Been Sleeping In My Bed

100 Proof Aged In Soul

1971

Somebody's Been Sleeping In My Bed

01. Somebody's Been Sleeping 4:09

02. Love Is Sweeter (The Second Time Around) 3:32

03. One Man's Leftovers (Is Another Man's Feast) 2:44

04. I've Come To Save You 2:59

05. Ain't That Lovin' You (For More Reasons Than One) 6:32

06. Not Enough Love To Satisfy 3:22

07. Age Ain't Nothing But A Number 2:51

08. She's Not Just Another Woman 3:20

09. Too Many Cooks (Spoil The Soup) 2:51

10. I Can't Sit And Wait (Til Johnny Comes Marching Home) 3:04

11. Backtrack

Steve Mancha

Eddie Holiday

Joe Stubbs

Carlis McKinley "Sonny" Monroe

Donald "Don" Hatcher

Donnell "Doni" Hagan

Herschel Hunter

100 Proof Aged In Soul -- what a name! This Detroit group is classified as one-hit wonders since they only cracked the pop Top 40 once with the alarming "Somebody's Been Sleeping In My Bed." They did, however, have some R&B hits that didn't cross over. The original lineup included Steve Mancha (born Clyde Wilson), Joe Stubbs (Levi Stubbs' brother), and Eddie Holiday. Joe and Steve handle the leads; their voices are so similar that it takes a good ear and lots of listening to discern who's who. This LP is a cornucopia of soul. The title song finds a cheated lover discovering evidence of his woman's infidelity; written by General Johnson (Chairmen of the Board), Greg Perry and Angelo Bond, the song was their second release on the Hot Wax label. Joe Stubbs does a scintillating version of Luther Ingram's "Ain't That Lovin' You (For More Reason Than One)" that's better than the original; Stubbs can be heard persuading his date to stop by his place for some fun, and she does. Steve gets to lead "She's Not Just Another Woman," a lively tune with an odd jumping beat sung in testifying fashion. Ironically, this same recording hit by another Invictus/Hot Wax group called the Eighth Day -- the same song, track and vocal; it was never released under the name 100 Proof Aged In Soul. "Too Many Cooks (Spoil the Soup)," their debut single, has a nice horn section that's complemented by a stinging rhythm section. None of the songs are fillers or stiffs; the titles are creative and the lyrics will make you chuckle. The album cover is strange: the front depicts a bird's nest holding one egg with a question mark stamped on it; the back cover depicts an empty nest with a bird lying outside flat on its back, dead. A picture of the group would have been appreciated more.

100 Proof Aged in Soul must have looked like a sure fire bet after this resounding overture. Sadly they seem have faded from view once their second album came out. Of these eleven tracks, the majority are very much killer cuts, 'I've Come to Save You' among those sweet reasons Northern Soul came to be. Nice expressive arrangements and real-sounding drums, it's good to know that a lot of modern soul takes its inspiration from this sound.