In today’s vinyl market, some re-issues might seem a little unnecessary. However, when it comes to actual reissue labels that are doing the work to find overlooked gems, they are just as vital as ever to making sure that these works of art can find their audience and get the appreciation they deserve. One such label is Now-Again, who have given us a gem of a re-issue of a re-issue, East of Underground.

East of Underground is a band with a very unique backstory. In 1971, seven musicians/soldiers in the United States Army stationed in Germany enlisted in the Army’s Entertainment Division. Through this program, vocalists Bobby Blackmon, Larry Watson, and Austin Webb joined up with guitarists Lewis Hitt and Gus Marquez, bassist Ronald Hall, and Drummer George Daniels. They got to work interpreting a lot of soul and rock numbers of the day, and quickly locked into a tight-knit unit that was able to carve out their own unique sound. They entered The First Annual Original Magnificent Special Forces Entertainment Showband Contest, in which they placed second. Fortunately, the top four acts were taken to the Armed Forces Radio Network’s recording studios in Frankfurt, where they were given the chance to record. The subsequent album born of this session was never given a proper release, only really used as a promotional item by the Army, and the group broke up as they all completed their military commitments. As a result, the album was largely lost to time, until some intrepid crate diggers discovered the gem, and Wax Poetics was able to give it an official re-release in 2007. It was re-issued once again in 2011 by Now-Again as part of a box set of all four albums from that Armed Forces Radio Network session, but both of those runs have long been out of print. Knowing that this album deserves more shine, Now-Again once again released the individul self-titled album in 2023.

The great thing about East of Underground is that while the backstory can add all sorts of meaning and appreciation to what you’re listening to, it’s not required to understand that this album just absolutely cooks. All you need is two ears and a heart to get that. All of the songs are covers, ranging from Sly and the Family Stone’s “Higher” to The Impressions’ “People Get Ready,” to a killer medley of James Brown’s “Mother Popcorn” and Santana’s “Oye Como Va,” to Dionne Warkwick’s “Walk On By.” What makes this great is that the band is not just doing straight covers of anything. The group is clearly made up of trained musicians, not just amateurs trying to get out of active duty, as the rhythm section is as tight as can be, the two guitarists do great work to cover a lot of rhythmic and melodic instrumentation, and the three-part harmonies really inject a lot of personality and musical interest. Each song is born anew with East of Underground, and there is an urgency and poignancy to the music they are interpreting, whether it be political, spiritual, a love song, or an instrumental song. It’s all just oozing with soul, undeniable funk, and a sense of brotherhood between the seven musicians. It feels special from the moment you press play until you reach the end.

East of Underground is a special album that marks a very specific time and place. These seven musicians came together to create some incredibly funky and soulful and creative music that elevates all of the original material and takes it to a new place. Now-Again did some great work to make sure that this unique piece of music got the love that it deserves.