A subsidiary of Fantasy, the Galaxy label recorded a diverse assortment of soul and R&B in the 1960s and early '70s. This is a 26-track compilation of highlights from the company's output, covering 1962 to 1972. Landing the occasional minor R&B chart hit, Galaxy couldn't be said to have an especially distinctive label sound, though their efforts were on the whole bluesier than much soul of the era. But this is still a decent grab bag of odds and ends from soul's vintage period, with obscure sides by well-known performers like
Betty Everett,
Little Johnny Taylor,
Lenny Williams,
Charles Brown,
Johnny "Guitar" Watson,
Merl Saunders, and a host of unknowns. Especially good are the three sides by
Rodger Collins, whose 1966 single "She's Looking Good" (which leads off the CD) was one of the better regional soul hits of the '60s, and was covered by
Wilson Pickett for a Top 20 smash a couple of years later. ~ Richie Unterberger