Available for the first time on CD, this self-titled album is also known to fans (and in some discographies) as "Hot Heat and Sweet Groove" as that slogan appears clearly on the back cover. With this 1968 Warner debut, the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band outlined their loose, improvisational sound bridging the gap between the proto-funk explosiveness of James Brown and the earthy Southern grooves of the Stax/Volt stable, topped off by Charles Wright's incantatory lead vocals. Along with strong originals, the album features unexpectedly soulful covers of the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" and Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home To Me." Includes original liner notes by comedy icon Bill Cosby -- who discovered the band and used them as the backing group for his own 1967 Reprise R&B LP.