Some people are obsessive about buying records. A select few, such as
Abe Epstein
of San Antonio, Texas, used his income to feed a less common obsession: starting record labels. From the early '60s through the early '70s,
Epstein
founded a deluge of them. Not one of the bunch came close to rivaling
Stax
or
Motown
, but his
Dynamic
imprint -- supported by licensing to
Columbia
a
Jox
label single,
Rene y Rene
's 1964 single "Angelito," which narrowly missed
Billboard
's Top 40 -- was productive enough to be anthologized by
Numero
. Active from 1965 through 1968,
was home to a Latino, black, and white mix of R&B artists who churned out a considerable sum of decent-to-stellar material. The top highlight is
the Commands
' winsome 1966 A-side "No Time for You," laced with undeniable background harmonies and exceptional instrumental support from Latino youngsters
the Dell-Tones
. It didn't become a big hit, but it went national;
the O'Jays
released a cover the same year on
Imperial
. Just beneath that, there's "I Gotta Know," a peppy cult favorite of England's Northern soul community, from a group of young women dubbed
the Tonettes
. Dust collectors from flame throwers
Bobby Blackmon & the Soul Express
, Naval buddies
Doc & Sal
(whose "Can't Get You Offa My Mind" answered
James & Bobby Purify
's "I'm Your Puppet"), the charmingly ragged
Little Jr. Jesse & the Tear Drops
, the promising-sounding
Don & the Doves
, and Galveston's storming
Webs
are also featured. In March 2013, when this typically generous and in-depth package was released,
planned other
-related anthologies. Perhaps one of them will include "Angelito," which was covered by
Herb Alpert
and quickly forgotten by the pop world. ~ Andy Kellman