The Big Mack Label

Even though it rolled off of Detroit assembly lines, the Big Mack story is no Motown or Fortune or Revilot retread. Rather, it’s an examination of the Motor City sound’s oil-stained underside. Hitched to Big Mack are no gold records, no million-dollar buyouts, and no quaint museums to visit—instead, there’s a handful of 45s, a binder stuffed with photographs, and the condemned shell of a former women’s clothing store. In Detroit’s seemingly port-less ocean of soul, the Big Mack label was a busy island, afloat for an incredible 20 years without so much as the whiff of a hit on the wind. From soulful doo-wop to blistering garage funk, to left turns into sultry R&B and a quick dodge into budget Hendrix wailing above a steel drum break, Eccentric Soul: The Big Mack Label on LP compiles 10 ace double-siders produced by Ed McCoy during an extremely fruitful period for both Detroit and popular black music. For range, this fourth Numero foray into soul’s eccentricities is tough to top: look no further than the one-two punch of Bob & Fred’s string-laden “I’ll Be On My Way,” the twin-harmony pinnacle of Big Mack product, and Soul President’s “Got to Have It,” steeped in familiar James Brown moves, nods toward Haight Street hippies, and “psychedelic guitar.”