The first definitive box set of the complete Archie Bell & the Drells albums, plus an additional disc of Bonus Tracks. Archie Bell was born in 1944 and hailed from Houston Texas, he formed the band The Drells at high school. In the mid-60s they were billed as Archie Bell & the Drells. At the age of 22 Archie was drafted into the army, but before he was shipped out his roommate and fellow Drell Billy Butler came in the room, put on the radio, and started dancing to music, showing off the moves of the latest dance craze. Remembered Bell: "I said to him, 'What are you doing?' He said, 'I'm doing the Tighten Up. ' It cheered me up and made me forget about my problems with Uncle Sam. So we decided to write a song about the Tighten Up. " The record took off and was picked up by Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records, three months into Archie's two-year stint in the U. S. Army. In order to capitalise on the single's success, Atlantic wanted an album post-haste, but the group didn't have enough unreleased tracks in the can to fill an album. Luckily, Archie Bell was granted leave to return to the US specifically to record. "I travelled from Germany two times on a weekend pass because we didn't have that much material," he recalled. "I flew to New York, recorded all day Saturday, got on a plane Sunday, and flew back to Germany before reveille. " "Tighten Up" went to #1 on the Hot 100 and earned the group a Gold Disc. But Archie Bell & the Drells were not a flash in the pan, other notable hits for the group were '(There's Gonna Be A) Showdown', 'Dancing To The Music', 'I Can't Stop Dancing' and 'Here I Go Again' all hits on Atlantic Records. Having worked with legendary producers Gamble & Huff over the years it seemed an obvious move to their Philadelphia International label, where they scored more Hits like 'Let's Groove', 'Soul City Walking' and 'Strategy' to name but a few.

Track List

1. Tighten Up (Part 1)
2. Tighten Up (Part 2)
3. I Don't Wanna Be a Playboy
4. You're Mine
5. Knock on Wood
6. Give Me Time
7. In the Midnight Hour
8. When You Left Heartache Began
9. A Thousand Wonders
10. A Soldier's Prayer 1967
11. I Can't Stop Dancing
12. (Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay
13. Do the Choo Choo
14. You're Such a Beautiful Child
15. Monkey Time
16. Do You Feel It?
17. I've Been Trying
18. Jammin' in Houston
19. Love Will Rain on You
20. Sometimes I Wonder
21. I Love My Baby
22. Houston Texas
23. (There's Gonna Be a) Showdown
24. Giving Up Dancing
25. Girl You're Too Young
26. Mama Didn't Teach Me That Way
27. Do the Hand Jive
28. My Balloon's Going Up
29. Here I Go Again
30. Go for What You Know
31. Green Power
32. Just a Little Closer
33. Let's Groove
34. I Could Dance All Night
35. I Won't Leave You Honey Never
36. Dance Your Troubles Away
37. The Soul City Walk
38. Let's Go Disco
39. I Love You But You Don't Even Know It
40. Don't Let Love Get You Down
41. Where Will You Go When the Party's Over
42. Right Here Is Where I Want to Be
43. Dancin' Man
44. Everybody Have a Good Time
45. I Swear You're Beautiful
46. Nothing Comes Easy
47. I Bet I Can Do the Dance You're Doin'
48. Glad You Could Make It
49. Disco Showdown
50. Disco Fever
51. On the Radio
52. It's Hard Not to Like You
53. There's No Other Like You
54. Real Good Feeling
55. I've Been Missing You
56. Show Me How to Dance
57. I Can't Get Enough of Your Love
58. How Can I
59. We've Got Something
60. Tighten Up at the Disco
61. Strategy
62. You're the Only One
63. We Got 'Em Dancin'
64. A World Without Music
65. Deal with Him
66. Dog Eat Dog
67. Wrap It Up
68. Don't Let the Music Slip Away
69. Get It from the Bottom
70. I Wish
71. Love at First Sight
72. I Just Want to Fall in Love
73. Archie's in Love
74. Let the World Know You Got Soul
75. I Can't Face You Baby
76. Let's Groove - 7" Version
77. The Soul City Walk - 7" Version
78. Dancin' Man
79. Old People (The Philadelphia International All- Stars)

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