Beloyd – “Get Into Your Life”
If you know Earth, Wind & Fire’s rocket-fuelled “Getaway”, you already know Beloyd. Bernard “Beloyd” Taylor co-wrote that 1976 hit before cutting his own sublime modern soul single a year later for 20th Century Records. “Get Into Your Life” arrived in 1977, often coupled with “Today All Day”, and over time became one of those needle-to-the-label grails, scarce, expensive, and whispered about by collectors for its bright hook, warm production and mid-tempo glide. The record’s appeal is obvious: the songwriting chops that made “Getaway” a smash are channelled into something more intimate and quietly insistent, dancefloor friendly without shouting for attention. Original US 7"s sit on 20th Century (cat. TC-2353), including promo copies with stereo/mono cuts, which is part of why clean originals are thin on the ground. Beloyd’s roots in Cleveland outfit S.O.U.L. and his later work with EWF seal the pedigree; this new 7" gives the tune the accessible home it should have had all along.
The Jackson Sisters – “I Believe in Miracles”
Few records sum up rare groove mythology better. Five sisters from Compton (based in Detroit), produced vocally by Bobby Taylor and Smokey’s Miracles alumnus Pete Moore, arranged by Gene Page, singing a Mark Capanni composition that first surfaced on Capitol as a 1974 promo. The Jackson Sisters’ version originally slipped out on Prophesy in 1973, dipped in the US, then detonated in the UK during the mid-80s rare groove wave, re-charting in June 1987 and peaking at No. 72. What you get here is an evergreen: elastic bass, sweet-as-sugar harmonies, and that indelible chorus that’s powered countless floors from Southport to Soho. It’s the sort of record you think you know until you hear it on a crisp 45 and remember why it became a scene standard in the first place.
The Nicky Newarkers – “Woman”
Blink and you’d miss their entire discography: a short-lived New Jersey group who left behind a single Mercury 45 in 1976, “Leave Me Or Love Me” backed with “Woman”. The latter is the diamond, a soulful dancer with a light, tipsy vocal hook and a rhythm section that walks the line between Jersey bar-band grit and mid-70s big-label sheen. Cuban-American producer Jesus Alvarez oversaw the session with Jerry Ross; the credit alone tells you the cut was made with ears tuned to dancefloor traction. Original promos are notoriously scarce and have fetched strong money for years, largely because “Woman” kept doing the rounds in modern/northern rooms while the group itself remained maddeningly undocumented. This fresh 7" is your chance to own the myth without remortgaging the house.
Father’s Children – “Hollywood Dreaming”
Washington, D.C.’s Father’s Children began as a late-60s doo-wop outfit called The Dreams before evolving into a sophisticated funk-soul ensemble. By 1979 they’d landed at Mercury in Los Angeles, with Wayne Henderson (The Crusaders) producing and Side Effect’s Augie Johnson co-piloting, enlisting players like Bobby Lyle and Dean Gant for extra gloss. The album’s opener “Hollywood Dreaming” is the sweet spot: lush horns, airy harmonies and a pocket that feels custom-built for rare groove floors. It didn’t trouble the charts at the time, the album under-performed, a victim of label turbulence and timing, but the tune endured, sampled and spun into cult status. On 7", back-to-back with period companions, it finally plays the role it was built for: a four-minute ticket to sun-streaked LA via Adams Morgan.
We The People – “Making My Daydream Real”
Not the garage-rock band, this is the early-70s soul outfit who cut a lone Lion Records single in 1973. “Making My Daydream Real” is the A-side and it’s all there in the title: dream-state strings, stepping drums, and a vocal that stays cool while the arrangement lifts and lifts. Written by Landy McNeal and manufactured by MGM, the record is one of those 45s that modern soul DJs quietly slip into peak-time sets because it bridges sweet and stepper without breaking a sweat. The flip, “Whatcha Done For Me, I’m Gonna Do For You”, is a tidy companion, but it’s the A-side’s combination of melody and motion that’s kept copies circulating at a premium. If your box needs a mid-tempo weapon that isn’t rinsed to death, this is it.
The Bar-Kays – “Open Your Heart”
Memphis survivors, Stax graduates, Mercury hitmakers, few bands have worn more eras than The Bar-Kays. After the tragedy of ’67, the group rebuilt and by the late ’70s were deep into a potent run on Mercury (“Shake Your Rump to the Funk”, “Boogie Body Land”). “Open Your Heart” comes from the 1980 LP As One, produced by longtime collaborator Allen Jones, and it’s a perfect snapshot of their post-disco glide phase: sleek rhythm guitars, plush synths, and Larry Dodson pleading through a hook that sticks. Some territories coupled it on 7" with other album cuts; either way it’s a fan favourite that slipped through the cracks for casual listeners while becoming a connoisseur’s choice for smooth-stepping floors. Putting it back on a dedicated 45 is long overdue.
Why these six belong together
Across these sides you can trace the soul continuum: independent hustle meeting major-label polish, regional stories cutting through industry noise, and songs that quietly refused to die. Beloyd’s cut shows how a hitmaker can bottle lightning twice, once for EWF, once for himself. The Jackson Sisters demonstrate the UK scene’s power to re-write a tune’s history a decade later. The Nicky Newarkers represent the beautiful one-that-got-away, rescued from the collector’s market. Father’s Children capture D.C.’s move from grassroots harmony to glossy West Coast soul. We The People prove there’s still gold hidden in the mid-’70s racks marked “Lion/MGM”. And The Bar-Kays remind you that veterans can pivot into the next sound without losing their bite.
This isn’t nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. These are functional records, 45s designed to move a room. Cue them up and you’ll hear why they’ve lived in the bags of working DJs for decades: proper song craft, fat grooves, and that under-the-skin feel you can’t fake. Expansion putting them back on fresh, loud sevens is more than housekeeping; it’s preservation, and it gives a new crowd the chance to drop the needle on originals without the original-only price tag.
So, whether you came up on a rare groove in ’87, caught the modern soul bug later, or you’re brand new and just hear the magic in a four-minute A-side, this run has your number. Six seven-inch wonders, built for the moment when the lights drop, the floor opens, and the chorus you thought you only knew from comps suddenly explodes from a piece of spinning black plastic. That’s the miracle. Now make it real.