Hot Chocolate

I originally know this CD when music was still on LP (vinyl) 1974/1975. I received this LP from a dear friend. "A child's prayer", "Love's coming on strong" and "Lay me down" where so "not Hot Chocalate" but ooh so good. They where my favorite. I am so happy to have found this CD at Amazon and it was shipped to me so quickly. Great, glad to have found this CD again.Try it, you'll love it.Peggy

That only 500 copies of the original album were pressed, and over the years, as far as the writer has observed "offered for sale copies" secured +$1,000 closings! Rarely, did the original album make it to record shows, alternative venues of sale fetched higher numbers! In the world of old-school record collecting this album, originally released in 1971, is classified as one of the best "lost" funk records to slip under the U.S. radio airplay radar charts! This cd (released by UK's "Soul Brother" label) is the reissue of the album, and as usual has a limited life span! This group should not be confused with the band from England, who many are familiar with, they are not one and the same! This group hailed from Canada. "The Sound Of Motown" was prevalent in Toronto during the label's glory years, "cookin" from not too far away Detroit, thus the strong influence it had on the Toronto music scene, is common sense. This "Hot Chocolate" was a funk band. The band was led by the great guitarist Lou Ragland, whose solo work also carries hefty price tags! The album, never really considered by U.S. soul & r+b radio programmers, the limited number of copies produced, and lack of national distribution coverage, insured at time of release it was destined to become a lost funk classic. The album contains some heavy guitar led funk instrumentals, as well as some excellent soul vocals, with a nice, raw soul vibe. For sure, copies of the records when first released were being scurried out of the U.S. years ago (the majority of the records were shipped to the U.S. side of the border), and a number of the writer's record collecting/dealing Japanese/English counterparts secured their copies long ago. Took an English record company to reissue this album onto cd! Early 70s funk and soul, super rare lp. If one's musical taste is, it's Buy Time, while there is time!

the item arrived very fast. the packaging was original and the cd plays better than what i had on a tape. i have been listening to the cd ever since and it even has four bonus tracks.

For most of my adolesence? I only knew of Hot Chocolate (as many Americans likely do) as being associated with one song. Little did I realize something important about funk era bands around the world: it's popularity was peppered unevenly across different regions of the world. Different cultural interests. In the case of this band? The UK seemed to be this bands major source of success. Until tonight? I haven't heard any of their albums all the way through. And still a bit surprised as to just what I found within. "Hello America" opens the album with a grinding rhythm guitar/horn call and response,anthemic dance jam. "The Street" is built around a loping reggae/soul rhythm with sax/organ and percussive bells. "Call The Police" is a full on,instrumentally collective funk jam very much in the Sly Stone vein. Of course there's "You Sexy Thing",their most internationally renowned song with it's gurgling rhythm/lead guitar and strings. "Dollar Sign" is a slow,organ and horn led gospel oriented soul ballad. "A Child's Prayer" is a Philly style dance number-heavily and beautifully orchestrated. "A Warm Smile" has a bluesy soul/rock organ led groove while "Amazing Skin Song" has another insistent dance rhythm with it's fanfaring horns. "Love Coming On Strong" is a rather marching,mid-tempo rock/soul/reggae number. The most amazing thing about this album is how instrumentally clean yet totally direct everything is. Each of things songs blend elements of soul,funk,reggae and symphonic pop into songs that each tell a story. Even more icing on the cake is the "people music" nature of much of it-focusing strong only topics such as poverty,inequity,police brutality,exploitation and interracial romance. As a full on album? I very highly recommend this cinematic funky soul masterpiece!

In all honesty, I have not listened to it. This was an Alexa mix-up when I tried to reorder my Oak Grove Hot Chocolate.

I bought vinyl version of this compilation. Altough song set is excellent, I cannot say it about sound quality.Manufacter placed so many on each side of LP, so in result soundq quality is very poor, very flat. I wish I could return this record. One more time, I am taking about vinyl record.

Leider auf Seite 1 am anfang leichter sprung, aber dennoch für das Alter gut erhalten

Errol Brown(12/11/1943 - 6/5/2015)Au cœur des septantes, des londoniens décident de faire la nique à leurs cousins nord-américains dans un genre assez rare de ce côté de l'Atlantique, la soul/funk, c'est Hot Chocolate et leur divin second album, cet éponyme de 1975 qui voit une formation avec autant de conscience sociale et de sensualité qu'un Marvin Gaye, s'affirmer comme une belle surprise dont la provenance en surprit plus d'un. Il faut dire qu'à l'image de l'énorme tube de la galette, You Sexy Thing, que vous connaissez tous, c'est à une belle fête de funk bien groovy, bien cuivré mais, surtout, d'une implacable efficacité à laquelle nous nous voyons conviés. Original ? Certes pas mais avec une voix aussi crédible que celle du regretté Errol Brown (R.I.P., 06/05/2015) qu'on entrevoye régulièrement le cousinage avec quelques tauliers du genre (d'Ohio Players en passant par Earth, Wind & Fire ou Kool & the Gang) tient plus de la communion d'esprit que de la lourde référence. Parce que, voilà, que ce soit sur un funk tribal qui rappellerait presque la tribu Clinton (Call the Police), sur un autre où les tours de cuivres n'ont rien à envier à leurs collègues (écossais, eux) d'Average White Band (Hello America) ou sur une belle ballade bien larmoyante comme on aime (A Warm Smile, plus hippie que funky en fait mais pas moins intéressant pour autant), ces anglo-jamaïcains n'ont, présentement, absolument pas à redouter la concurrence. Hélas, la suite de leur aventure, pas dénuée d'intérêt, ça non, sera nettement moins satisfaisante que ce second opus dont, re-hélas, on a trop tendance à ne sortir que son épatant single. Mais Hot Chocolate était plus qu'un bête one-hit-wonder de plus... Ici, il est même chaudement recommandé aux amateurs de funk/soul typique des septantes.1. Hello America 3:252. The Street 5:093. Call The Police 3:594. Dollar Sign 2:585. You Sexy Thing 4:056. A Child's Prayer 3:527. A Warm Smile 5:248. Amazing Skin Song 4:059. Love's Coming On Strong 3:4210. Lay Me Down 3:29Bonus11. Cheri Babe 2:5212. Sexy Lady 3:2013. Blue Night 4:0214. You Sexy Thing (B-Side Version) 4:0115. Everything Should Be Funky 3:0616. You Sexy Thing (Single Version) 4:04Errol Brown – lead vocalsTony Wilson – bass guitar, vocalsHarvey Hinsley – lead guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocalsPatrick Olive – percussion, bass guitar, backing vocalsTony Connor – drums, electric Piano, backing vocalsLarry Ferguson – keyboardsThe CCS Horns – 2 trumpets, 1 trombone, alto, baritone and tenor saxophones

This U.S. band was formed in Cleveland Ohio in 1971 and released this, their only album in the same year, this got re-issued by a U.K. (London based) label called Soul Brother Records in 1999. This band is more pure funk compared to the Erroll Brown led U.K. disco/funk/pop Hot Chocolate who had a massive hit with 'You Sexy Thing'.This band was a trio made up of George Pickett (bass), Lou Ragland (guitar/vocals) and Tony Roberson (drums), this trio created pure raw funk/soul, with no horns. As for the album, most compositions are good but there is a tiny bit of filler and sometimes the songs start to sound the same, a little repetition in the rhythm hence the 4 stars. If you like proper funk I recommend this highly, if you prefer disco/funk/pop then I guess you can get the U.K. Hot Chocolate.According to the foot notes from Soul Brother Records (written in 1999) only 500 copies were made of the original L.P. and is worth £700 and as for the band, they disbanded in 1973, as far as I know Lou Ragland has recorded and released other music sporadically since but as for the other two, I'm not sure what they have done since.

I like this cd very much and I think they have been underrated for along time.

Side 2 wasn't playing well. Had to return it. It sounded like a great album tho.