Demon/Harmless's BACKBEATS Series: Diggin' The Diggers

In simplest terms, crate digging is record collecting and looking wherever you have to in order to find a record. HERC is a record collector years and chances are you might be one too if you're reading this. (Which obviously you are.) In today's post, crate digging specifically refers to the pursuit of those lesser-heard and rarer records, often times for sampling purposes. Both CDs featured today were compiled by Dean Rudland and for those of you playing along at home, these are the discs featured today:

• #018  Crate Diggin' Fever - The Cult Of Rarity [2010]
• #032  Digger's Delight - More Rare-Grove Gems [2013]

While there is a cut from the Eighties and a pair from 1969, the majority of the songs are from the sweet spot of 1972-1976. Labels include Brunswick, Philadelphia International and Invictus, giving the collection a cosmopolitan feel rather than a strictly regional one. And according to the mad scientists over at Who Sampled these records collectively account for nearly 20 samples on more modern records. In addition, Who Sampled points out that several of these twenty-one tracks are cover versions cut within a year of the original.

The "funky" soft rock kid singled out a song that appears on this compilation way back in November 2013 while reviewing another compilation. He's not alone as that same song holds the crown for most sampled song in the whole darn tracklist.

As far as sampled songs go, Digger's Delight kicks the beats out of Crate Diggin Fever. Only three of the disc's fifteen tracks came out before 1975 and two others came from 1980-1981. What surprised HERC about the record labels the songs are culled from was the preponderance of Arista Records, home to less than funky Barry Manilow and Bay City Rollers. Compared to the album above, this one is funkier and HERC welcomes the re-discovery of both Bernard Wright and the Brecker Brothers back into his listening rotation.