Some people are obsessive about buying records. A select few, such as
Abe Epstein of San Antonio, Texas, used his income to feed a less common obsession: starting record labels. From the early '60s through the early '70s,
Epstein founded a deluge of them. Not one of the bunch came close to rivaling
Stax or
Motown, but his
Dynamic imprint -- supported by licensing to
Columbia a
Jox label single,
Rene y Rene's 1964 single "Angelito," which narrowly missed
Billboard's Top 40 -- was productive enough to be anthologized by
Numero. Active from 1965 through 1968,
Dynamic was home to a Latino, black, and white mix of R&B artists who churned out a considerable sum of decent-to-stellar material. The top highlight is
the Commands' winsome 1966 A-side "No Time for You," laced with undeniable background harmonies and exceptional instrumental support from Latino youngsters
the Dell-Tones. It didn't become a big hit, but it went national;
the O'Jays released a cover the same year on
Imperial. Just beneath that, there's "I Gotta Know," a peppy cult favorite of England's Northern soul community, from a group of young women dubbed
the Tonettes. Dust collectors from flame throwers
Bobby Blackmon & the Soul Express, Naval buddies
Doc & Sal (whose "Can't Get You Offa My Mind" answered
James & Bobby Purify's "I'm Your Puppet"), the charmingly ragged
Little Jr. Jesse & the Tear Drops, the promising-sounding
Don & the Doves, and Galveston's storming
Webs are also featured. In March 2013, when this typically generous and in-depth package was released,
Numero planned other
Epstein-related anthologies. Perhaps one of them will include "Angelito," which was covered by
Herb Alpert and quickly forgotten by the pop world. ~ Andy Kellman
