"To be blunt, I think most of the music being made today is shit." - Phillip Lehman - Founder, Soul Fire Records

With the demise of DESCO records Phillipe Lehman teamed up with Jeff Silverman to form SOUL FIRE records. With the growing interest in funk becoming aparent the two set about releasing and reissueing an array of 45's and Lp's. Although the main focus was on heavy funk the label also released some afro-beat with a more left field approach. The recording methods remained the same using simple mic set ups to achieve the rough raw sound they craved. As well as using the SOUL FIRE label they released many 45's on spin off labels but the catalogue numbers remained the same for the order in which they where released. Only later did they apply new catalouge numbers (for example on the PHYSCO label).

7" 45rpm releases:

Herb Johnson 'Damph' Faint' bw 'Will You Still Love Me' (SF-001)

LABEL SCAN.

RELAESED: 1999 Arranged By - Milt Clayton Producer - Herb Johnson

Overnight Low 'The Witch Doctor' bw 'Rev. Jay' (SF-002)

LABEL SCAN.

RELEASED: 1999 on Soulfire, originaly released 1972 on De-Luxe, Written by J. Anderson, H. Glover, C. Willis

Calypso King 'compin' & smokin' bw 'damper down popcorn' (SF-003)

LABEL SCAN.

RELEASED: 1999

Speedometer 'Soul Safari' bw ' Two Beat Beast' (SF-004)

LABEL SCAN. Leigh Gracie, Richard Hindes, Chris Starmer, Matt Wilding, Sting Davies, Neil Penny, Simon Jarrett, Matt McKay, Ria Currie

RELEASED: 2000, Written by L. Gracie

Evil's Dynamite Band 'Haaa-sheesh' bw 'Just some more haaa-sheesh' (SF-005)

LABEL SCAN.

RELEASED: 2000, Written by Dynamite, Soul-tor, Youngblood.

Lee Fields 'I'm the man' bw 'Your love (is something i need)' (SF-006)

LABEL SCAN. Lee Fields : lead Vocals.

RELEASED: 2000

Third Point 'Majestic Soul' bw ' Welfare Line' (SF-007)

LABEL SCAN.

RELEASED: 2000

The Soul Command 'There It Is' bw 'Hook 'N' Sling' (SF-008)

LABEL SCAN.

RELEASED: 2000, a-side by Eddie Bo, b-side by James Brown.

Bama & The Family 'Get Up In Your Hot Pants' bw 'Don't Think...Do' (SF-009)

LABEL SCAN.

RELEASED: 2001, Dead wax markings read SF009 although this is also nr 002 in the Lenar 'African music today series'

The Soul Diggers 'Soul Dig' bw 'Soul Dig' (SF-010)

LABEL SCAN.

RELEASED: 2001

Timothy Mcnealy 'Sagitarius Black' bw 'Funky Movement' (SF-011)

LABEL SCAN.

RELEASED: 2001 on Soulfire, originaly released 1972 on Shawn, Produced by W. Jackson & T. Mcnealy. Written by T. Mcnealy

The Soul President 'Got To Have It' bw 'Get It Right' (SF-012)

LABEL SCAN.

RELEASED: 2001 Mastered By - Don Grossinger Producer - Ed McCoy

Sugarmen Three 'Solid Funk' bw 'Funky Moon' (SF-014)

LABEL SCAN.

RELEASED: 2001

Lee Fields & The Explorers 'Soul Dynamite' bw 'Ain't It Funky Now' (SF-015)

LABEL SCAN. Lee Fields: Lead Vocals.

RELEASED: 2001, b-side by James Brown.

Detroit Sex Machines 'Funky Crawl' bw 'Rap It Together' (SF-016)

LABEL SCAN.

RELEASED: 2001

Joseph Henry & The Soul Command 'Joseph Gets Down pt1' bw 'Moon Mission' (SF-017)

LABEL SCAN Joseph Henry: Lead Vocals.

RELEASED: 2001

The Whitefield Brothers 'In The Raw' bw 'The Bastard' (SF-018)

LABEL SCAN.

RELEASED: 2001, Produced by the Whitefield Brothers

The Whitefield Brothers 'Rampage' bw 'Chokin' (SF-020)

LABEL SCAN.

RELEASED: 2001, Produced by the Whitefield Brothers

Maury Baily 'Soul Popcorn' bw 'Countdown To Soul' (SF-021)

LABEL SCAN Mauri bailey: Vocals. Instuments by L. Michels & H. Steinwiess

RELEASED: 2001

The Herb Johnson Settlement 'Get It' bw 'Get It' (SF-022)

LABEL SCAN Instruments by: H. Johnson, D. Brown, N. Movshun, L. Michaels

RELEASED: 2002

Massak 'B.L.A. pt.I' bw 'B.L.A. pt.II' (SF-023)

LABEL SCAN

RELEASED: 2002, Dead wax markings read SF023 although this is also nr 003 in the Lenar 'African music today series' . Recorded live in Paris.

Detroit Sex Machines 'The Stretch pt.I' bw 'The Stretch pt.II' (SF-024)

LABEL SCAN

RELEASED: 2002, Produced & Written by T. Dudley

El Michels Affair 'Easy Access pt.I' bw 'Easy Access pt.II' (SF-025)

LABEL SCAN

RELEASED: 2002

The Malcouns 'Watou' bw 'Broken Ribs' (SF-026)

LABEL SCAN

RELEASED: 2002 Producer - Bo Baral, Written by Curulija & Myland

The Third Eye 'Children's Song' bw Zafari 'Addis Ababa' (SF-027)

LABEL SCAN

RELEASED: 2002, Dead wax markings read SF027 although this is also nr 004 in the Lenar 'African music today series'

Other Soulfire 45 releases with different cat nrs:

Soul Fire Educational Series - Vol.I 'Drums' (SFE-001)

LABEL SCAN. Various

RELEASED: ?

Bronx River Pkwy. 'Qienes Haverlo (Antes Que Hacerlo)' bw 'Chum's Pimpage' (LE-001)

LABEL SCAN.

RELEASED: ? Written by Antes Que Hacerlo

WQLJ 'Instrumental #1' bw 'Nothing Doing But Waiting On Leon' (WQLJ-001)

LABEL SCAN. Instruments by Michels, Bright, Silverman.

RELEASED: ?

JD's Evil's Dynamite Band 'Maria' bw 'Return Of The Evil D's' (PSY-001)

LABEL SCAN.

RELEASED: 2001 Official Fan Club 45

The Fabulous Three 'Answer Me Softly pt.I' bw 'Answer Me Softly pt.II' (PSY-002)

LABEL SCAN.

RELEASED:

Soul Side Records- The Explorers 'Countdown To Soul' bw 'Don't Bite The Hand (That Feeds You)

LABEL SCAN. No deadwax numbers.

RELEASED:

Raindeer Runners 'Super Smooth' bw 'Pull My Sled' (SFX-001)

LABEL SCAN. Promotional use only 45.

RELEASED:

Bama & the Family 'Feeling Good' bw Asiko 'Drums of Asiko' (Lenar-005)

LABEL SCAN.

RELEASED: ? No SF number, credited as Lenar005 in the dead wax. The last in the 'African music today series'

Soulfire LP's:

Calypso King & The Soul Investigators 'Soul Strike' (SFLP-001)

COVER SCAN ...

RELEASED: 2001, Written by J. Sarapaa, S. Kantelinen, P. Toikkanen, A. Maatanen. Recorded by D. Didier.

JD & The Evil's Dynamite Band 'Explodes Across The Nation' (SFLP-002)

COVER SCAN. ..

RELEASED: 2001, Produced by O. Youngblood, J. Dynamite, H. Soultor.

Lee Fields 'Problems' (SFLP-004)

COVER SCAN. Lee Fields: Lead vocals. Leon Michels: Flute, Keys, Tenor & baritone Sax, Guitar, Bass. Nick Movshon: Bass, Drums, Guitar, Percussion, Vocals. Olu Owudemi: Drum, Percussion. Mike Wagner: Trombone, Guitar. Homar Steinwiess: Drums. Mike Lenart: Trumpet. Todd Simon: Trumpet. Martin Perna: Baritone Sax. Fernado Velez: Congas, Percussion. Dave Brown: Drums, Percussion. Leona & Sharonda Frazier: Background Vocals.

RELEASED: 2002, Produced by L. Michels, N. Movshon & P. Lehman

The Whitefield Brothers 'In The Raw' (SFLP-005)

COVER SCAN. ..

RELEASED: 2002, Produced by the Whitefield Brothers.

Soulfire CD only releases:

'Grazing In The Trash vol.I' - The Soul Fire Funk 45 Collection (SFCD-301)

COVER SCAN. ..

RELEASED: ..

'Grazing In The Trash vol.II' - The Soul Fire Funk 45 Collection (SFCD-302)

COVER SCAN. ..

RELEASED: ..

'Up From The Vaults vol.I' - The Soul FIre Collection Of Funk Singles (SFCD-303)

COVER SCAN. Various Artists.

RELEASED: ..

SOUL FIRE records was yet another short lived label, like its predecessor Desco Records it branched out with afro-beat recordings, but also international acts. Bands such as the UK's Speedometer, Finlands Soul Investigators and Germanys Poets Of Rhythm all got releases on the label. The gritty recording techniques appealed to many (well it did me) and i think that some the best 'new' funk was released on this label. I spoke to Phillipe Lehman just before SOUL FIRE closed it's doors and he was packing up and moving away. Jeff Silverman however had other plans and went about setting up Truth & Soul records, a label that continues to this day releasing first class records. Whats interesting is that most of the artists from DESCO, SOUL FIRE through to T&S or DAPTONE have remained pretty much the same, and you can hear on the records how they have developed through the years. Gaining more ideas, taking funk and soul to the next level so to speak rather then trying to reincarnate the meters. Long may it continue...

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