Tomorrow’s People Open Soul

Description

Deep in South Chicago, a band of four brothers raised on doo-wop and flea-market instruments made a record during the mid 70s that did not only mark a seminal point in their youthful careers, but would go on to become a true collectors favourite. Open Soul is quite simply one of the best examples of raw, stripped down soul in its purest form, and for this reason has become a highly sought after rarity. – Bandcamp

Tomorrow’s People consisted of 4 brothers (Kevin, Maurice, Gerald, and Timothy Burton) from South Chicago, and the soul-funk group released Open Soul through Stage Productions in 1976. The record has since become a holy grail for collectors, and Japanese reissue powerhouse P-Vine has brought back the 5-tracker (feel free to check prices on vinyl marketplaces for og copies) with the original cover for the first time ever.

Much of the conversation concerning the LP starts around the epic 20-minute title track, which apparently was not a written piece and/or rehearsed. It begins with cosmic-soul vibes created by warm keys and guitar riffs, then around the 2-minute mark, the funk explodes with percussion, simple-yet-effective bass work, and the catchy chanting that gets at the burning question: “What is soul?” The answer lies in tunes like “Lovers To Friends,” “It Ain’t Fair,” and “Hurry On Up Tomorrow,” but also, don’t sleep on the funk-disco bump of “Let’s Get Down With The Beat.” -Turntable Lab