"Deep funky jazz lovers have a new release : a compilation of rare spiritual jazz and funk from the vaults of Bob Shad's Mainstream Records label. Shad was a prolific producer releasing more than 800 records in his vast career, working at numerous labels and with numerous musicians such as Charlie Parker,Art Blakey, Sarah Vaughan, Max Roach, Oscar Peterson and Cannonball Adderley. He formed Mainstream Records in 1967 and this is where this exceptional compilation full of many uncovered gems starts"

"One of American music's great unsung heroes, Bob Shad spent his early career producing the likes of Charlie Parker and Lightnin' Hopkins. He launched his own Mainstream Records label in 1964, which briefly flirted with rock music (discovering a young Janis Joplin in the process), before concentrating its roster on his first loves of jazz and soul. Over the decade that followed, Mainstream became home to a mix of old jazz acquaintances, younger players on the fringes of spiritual and fusion jazz and some outstanding female singers, many of which are compiled on this overview ... best of the bunch was Alice Clark, the little known but mind-bogglingly talented singer who's deeply soulful, Never Did I Stop Loving You provides the compilation highlight"