Mabu's Madness M-Square (LP, colored Vinyl, Ltd.)

(Marpel Record) 8 tracks, colored vinyl in orange/black stripes, limited edition of 1400 copies.

Another insanely rare and highly sought-after soul-funk gem from the tiny Maple label that was part of Sylvia Robinson's all-platinum empire and punched way above its weight when it came to '70s R&B.

The one creative constant on the label was producer Johnny Brantley, who worked with everyone from Lee Moses to the Ohio Players to Lou Donaldson, and even produced some early sides with Jimi Hendrix. Brantley is also behind the microphone on this one-off 1971 recording, which was directed by drummer/vocalist/arranger Brad "Mabu" Young; it's full of funky surprises, not the least of which is the horn section, which is in full glory on Do the Best You Can! and Sparks.