FUNKIEST MAN, THE

(2-LP set) What made Rufus Thomas one of the undisputed dancefloor kings of his time was his ability to keep things simple and to the point, and to let the funk do the talking. Here the funk is talking so loud it's almost screaming. Included are club classics like Push And Pull, Breakdown and Itch And Scratch, not to mention some of Rufus' slightly earlier floorfillers, Sophisticated Sissy and Funky Mississippi. These five tracks were originally destined to be part of Rufus' 1975 Stax album that got shelved when the company went under in that same year. "I ain't getting older, I'm getting better" barks Rufus over the relentless, spartan funk of one of them, I'm Getting Better.