Altsounds - Various Artists - What It Is! Funky Soul and Rare Grooves (1967-1977) [Box Set]

Man, this thing is so awsome. I gotta say, I really dig what Rhino does with their boxsets. "Nuggets" and "No Thanks" (covering American psychedelic/garage rock from the mid-Sixties and punk music from the late Seventies respectively) are both great sets. "Nuggets II" is probably my favorite box set in the world, covering psychedlic music from around the world from the 60's.
They've broken the mold again here. This box set covers 67-77, and it's all funky. That's the important thing. What I really love about this set is how varied it is. Some of this music is essentially jazz (especially the early stuff) with no lyrics, and played by jazz muscians like Grant Green, etc. There's more typical-sounding funk music by artists you're probably all familiar with, like Sly, Aretha & Curis Mayfield. Most of it consists of artists you have never ever heard of, however, and it all sounds great. It all sounds pretty different, however, covering different syles, and approaches, and coming from varous parts of the country. There are very few weak spots, just lots of great funky music, it's all fun, and is a great thing to put on when company's over. I have some issues with the packaging, but if you're into funky American music from the 1970's, you'll cream your bell-bottoms over this one!