The Young Mods' Forgotten Story

Released

The production on the penultimate Impressions album from 1969 was expansive with lush orchestration and Mayfield’s falsetto is more-than-ably backed by his band members. They generally stick to an innocent, mid-sixties soul sound while all around them funk and psychedelia were taking over the soul world. However, the wonderfully buoyant brass arrangements of Johnny Pate and Donny Hathaway and Mayfield’s warming, uplifting songs make for a classy soul outing nonetheless, and the funky wah wah of final track ‘Mighty Mighty (Spade & Whitey)’ pointed toward the tougher direction Mayfield was about to take as a solo artist.

Harold Heath

The last Impressions LP featuring Curtis Mayfield as lead singer is also one of the group’s best. Mayfield’s songwriting shines on such love/heartbreak tunes as “The Girl I Find” and “My Deceiving Heart” while staying engaged on the civil rights front with “Mighty Mighty (Spade & Whitey)” and “Choice of Colours.” The music is no less extraordinary — one of the best late ‘60s soul LPs out there — thanks to sophisticated arrangements by a young Donny Hathaway and veteran Johnny Pate.

Oliver Wang

Suggestions
20 Greatest Hits cover

20 Greatest Hits

The Chi-Lites
Feel the Spirit cover

Feel the Spirit

Leroy Hutson, The Free Spirit Symphony
Sings Top Ten cover

Sings Top Ten

Jimmy Ruffin
Come Get It! cover

Come Get It!

Rick James
Reach Out cover

Reach Out

Four Tops
People Get Ready cover

People Get Ready

The Impressions
Talking Book cover

Talking Book

Stevie Wonder
Loving Explosion cover

Loving Explosion

The Eliminators