Westbound Records
We're delighted to announce that we will be teaming up with Detroit's legendary Westbound Records to re-launch the label with a series of remastered, celebrated funk and soul albums, beginning with the Ohio Players landmark 1973 LP, Pleasure. Restored from the original tapes, Pleasure will be available October 6 across all formats, including digital, CD, standard black vinyl, silver metallic (Indie Exclusive), transparent red (Zia Records exclusive) and “red smoke,” exclusive to the Westbound store.
You can hear the remastered version of hit single "Funky Worm" now for a taste of the upcoming reissue. The monumental track became immortalized years after topping the 1973 R&B charts by subsequently becoming one of the most sampled songs in all of hip-hop.
Founded in 1968 by Armen Boladian, Detroit’s Westbound Records proved to the world that thrilling sounds were still coming from Detroit, after Motown left the city. From humble beginnings, this important independent label soon grew to be a powerhouse that influenced music worldwide.
After a decade-long process of rescuing and, preserving and restoring Westbound’s original master tapes, these groundbreaking recordings have been mastered at the legendary 54 Sound Studio in Detroit by award winning engineer Dave Gardner with restoration and tape transfers by archival specialist Catherine Vericolli, and additional engineering assistance from in-house 54 Sound engineer Nick King.
The Westbound relaunch is guided by a commitment to properly compensate the original performers, musicians and songwriters for their great work. Upcoming reissues in the series include releases from The Counts, Dennis Coffey, Assemblage, Erasmus Hall, Funkadelic, and many more to be announced.
Pleasure Tracklist:
A1 Pleasure
A2 Laid It
A3 Pride and Vanity
A4 Walt's First Trip
B1 Varee Is Love
B2 Walked Away From You
B3 Paint Me
B4 Funky Worm
B5 Our Love Has Died
A2 Laid It
A3 Pride and Vanity
A4 Walt's First Trip
B1 Varee Is Love
B2 Walked Away From You
B3 Paint Me
B4 Funky Worm
B5 Our Love Has Died