Various Artists - Eccentric Soul: The Shoestring Label (Black Vinyl)

Operating in a basement studio at the
confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri
rivers, pipeline man Howard Neal and his
appropriately named Shoestring label was
Alton, Illinois’ answer to a question no
one asked. Pressed in minuscule numbers
and barely outside the 62002 zip code, the
singles by The James Family, Jimmie Green,
Pete & Cheez, and Carletta Sue are prime
examples of cosmic midwestern disco in
search of a break. This heavy weight 10-song
LP is housed in a tip-on sleeve, and includes
an essay and imagery that complete the
picture of this pure expression of smalltown soul.