There are countless bands called We The People. This isn’t the Florida garage-rock outfit; this is the early-’70s soul vocal group who cut a handful of beautifully arranged singles between the tail-end of the ’60s and mid-’70s. Their crown jewel is “Making My Daydream Real,” originally issued on Lion (an MGM-manufactured imprint) in 1973, now freshly reissued in the UK by Expansion Records on a 7" with its killer flip, “Watcha Done For Me, I’m Gonna Do For You.”
The 2025 reissue: what you’re getting
Expansion has brought “Daydream” back as a properly pressed 45, paired with the original B-side. Retailers list catalogue number EXUMG21, with copies landing from late October into early November 2025. Some shops even carried both the regular dinked centre and a limited full-centre DJ copy, a nice nod to working selectors who prefer cue-stable centres. Pricing has been in the £13–£16 bracket at UK/European outlets. In other words, you no longer need to gamble on a tired US styrene original.
A record built by insiders
“Making My Daydream Real” is the brainchild of writer/producer Landy McNeal, with Bert DeCoteaux on arrangement, the same DeCoteaux whose elegant strings graced records by The Main Ingredient, Marlena Shaw and Roy Ayers. This is important context: DeCoteaux’s charts always carried a humid, orchestral lift without tipping into syrup, and you hear that immediately in the string voicings and the disciplined horn stabs through “Daydream.” Credits on contemporary listings and archival databases align on McNeal (writer/producer) and DeCoteaux (arranger), with Pat Jaques co-producing.
How it actually sounds
Musically, “Daydream” is modern soul before the term became branding: mid-tempo stepper’s pace, a pocket that glides, strings that rise in restrained arcs, and group harmonies that keep it gentlemanly rather than showy. It’s a “bridge-the-room” tune, smooth enough for a sweet set, punchy enough to change gears at peak time, which explains why it’s been a quiet favourite for modern soul DJs for years. The flip, “Watcha Done For Me, I’m Gonna Do For You,” trims the sentimentality and leans a shade tougher, with a shorter runtime that makes it perfect for tight, high-energy segues. You can see why contemporary soul shops have been flagging it as a “modern soul dancer” on arrival. (expansionrecords)
The original life of the single
Back in the day, this 45 didn’t smash the charts, but it made a dent where it counted: US R&B radio. Digging through soul discographies and scene research, the single is cited as the group’s only charting side, bubbling up to a modest R&B placing in 1974 despite a 1973 label date, a not-uncommon lag for independent soul. It’s exactly the sort of record that ages better than its first-week numbers: under-exposed, musically sophisticated, and prime for rediscovery once the rare groove/modern soul continuum sharpened its ears.
Who were We The People, anyway?
This We The People was a soulful vocal quartet active roughly 1969–1976, recording across a small cluster of labels: Map City (late ’60s/early ’70s), Verve (a one-off in ’71), and Lion/MGM in ’72–’73. Early singles like “If We Can Fly To The Moon (Ain’t Nothin We Can’t Do)” and “We Can Survive (We The People)” show the group’s roots in harmony-heavy, message-tinged soul, more street-corner grit than ballroom gloss, before the Lion era dialled up the orchestration. That arc makes perfect sense for the period; post-Philadelphia soul, arrangers like DeCoteaux were giving harmony groups a widescreen finish.
Crucially, several sources connect the Lion single’s manufacturing to MGM and place the session squarely within Los Angeles’s ecosystem. That explains some of the record’s sheen: L.A. studios, A-list string players, and arrangers who knew how to make radio float.
Landy McNeal’s fingerprints
Landy McNeal isn’t a household name, but he’s one of those behind-the-boards figures you’ll stumble over if you follow ’70s soul rabbit holes: writer, producer, A&R hustler, occasionally tied to projects that later became DJ catnip. The credits for “Daydream” and its flip sit squarely with him, and contemporaneous write-ups highlight his role in defining the single’s sound. If you’re crate-digging, McNeal’s name pops up elsewhere in mid-’70s soul/disco; a reliable breadcrumb for tasteful arrangements and radio-ready dynamics.
Why the reissue hits now
Reissues live or die on timing. Right now, dancefloors are rewarding mid-tempo sophistication again, steppers, two-steppers, crossover soul with real strings and adult emotions. “Daydream” is basically a masterclass in that lane. Expansion’s reissue strategy in late 2025 has leaned into precisely this pocket, which is why you’ve seen the single charting on specialist store “best-sellers this week” pages and popping up in crates of broadcasters like Craig Charles and boutique labels’ in-house playlists. It’s the sort of record that DJs can programme in multiple contexts: warm-up finesse, peak-time relief, or that last half-hour where you want to send people home feeling unruffled.
Pressing/collectability notes
If you’re picky about sources: the original US 45 was on Lion 164, typically styrene (common for US plants of the era) and consequently prone to cue burn if abused. The UK 2025 reissue gives you a fresh, vinyl-pressed copy with clean, loud cuts of both sides. Shops have listed it with sensible price points and real-world stock (no artificial scarcity drama). If you’re a completist, there are also 1973 US promos that surface from time to time, but unless you’re archiving label copy, this new UK 7" is the play.
So… is it worth it?
Yes. If you live in the modern soul/crossover world, “Making My Daydream Real” is one of those “how did this never blow up?” records, a three-minute glide that makes your system sound expensive and your set feel effortless. The B-side isn’t mere ballast either; “Watcha Done For Me…” is a tidy, punchy counterpoint, and together they make the kind of two-sider you can build a room around. The reissue finally removes the two barriers that used to hold people back - scarcity and styrene fatigue - while keeping the original arrangement intact.
If you’ve been rinsing Main Ingredient deep cuts, Ace Spectrum, early Lonnie Liston Smith vocal sides, or you just want one 45 that can move a mixed crowd without shouting, this is it. Grab two: one for the bag, one for the home turntable. And if anyone asks where you found it, tell them you finally stopped daydreaming and made it real.
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