Released in 1975,
Come and Get Yourself Some boasts one of
Leon Haywood's biggest hits: the sexy, alluring "I Want'a Do Something Freaky to You," which L.A. gangsta rappers
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg sampled on their 1993 smash "Nuthin' but a G Thang." A teen-age hip-hopper of 1993 might not have known the name
Leon Haywood -- who is someone the hip-hopper's Baby Boomer parents were more likely to be familiar with -- but he/she no doubt knew
Haywood's unforgettable melody from the Dre/Snoop single. Back in 1975, "Freaky" made
Come and Get Yourself Some one of
Haywood's best selling albums. "Freaky" and the title track were the album's biggest hits, although the rest of the material is also well worth hearing. Smooth, laid-back northern soul items like "Consider the Source" and "This Feeling's Rated Extra" appealed to
Haywood's diehard fans, many of whom he had won over with his 1967 hit "It's Got to Be Mellow." But a tougher, less sleek approach prevails on "Who You Been Giving It up To," which recalls
the Isley Brothers' "It's Your Thing." ~ Alex Henderson