THE INVADERS Vinyl & CDs

Review: Emerging from the vibrant but devilish Bermuda scene of the early 70s, Spacing Out stands as a gleaming instrumental lapis. The entirely self-taught band recombined the raw chi of OG instrumentation with pre-spirited arrangements by The Meters, The Temptations, Aretha Franklin and The Isley Brothers. This one cemented the Invaders as a finely polished instrumental ensemble, gilding the slabs for the retro-soul and funk scenes to follow, and which were in turn incubators of hatchlings Daptone and Big Crown. The reissue, a collaboration with the band and their full participation, comes complete with an expansive booklet by Jefferson "Chairman" Mao, offering an in-depth look at the group with rare photos. With expository, reverb-laden percs, ridin' breakdowns and low strung brasses, the record arouses a mood of loose-girdled passion.