Soul — In Stock — LPs  

One of the most compelling later albums on Philly International – a killer mix of jazzy numbers that have a very different style than most of the other Philly work at the time! Even though Leon Huff had been banging around in soul music for about 15 years – most famously as half of the... read more

Nice one! This is the obscure first album by Rhetta Hughes – who's probably better known to the world for her later album on Tetragrammon. The tracks are a mix of pop and soul titles, but they're given some nice arrangements by Chicago soul great Tennyson Stephens, who also sings on the... read more

Titles include "Marriage License", "Young Wings Can Fly", "Actions Speak Louder Than Words", "There's No Fool Like A Young Fool", "Make Him Feel Like A Man", and "Bring It To Me".... read more

An obscure little funky group from Detroit, one with a tight ensemble sound that's very much in the Earth Wind & Fire mode – complete with a really great horn section, plenty of bass-heavy grooves a the bottom, and a relatively spiritual feel that comes through strongly on the best tracks!... read more

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An amazing record – quite possibly the best ever by Chicago soul legend Leroy Hutson! The whole thing's a smooth soul masterpiece beyond compare – a stunning blend of great songwriting, sexy vocals, and buttery production that rank it up there with the best work of 70s giants like... read more

One of our favorite soul albums ever – a complete masterpiece from the mighty Leroy Hutson, easily one of the greatest soul singers of the 70s! The album's got a warmth that's amazing, yet also still manages to groove all the way through – hitting a subtle, almost mellow vibe that's... read more

Killer early soul by Leroy Hutson – and a record that really shows him opening up as a vocalist and songwriter! Leroy's style is not as smooth and polished as on later albums, and the record's got a bit of a rougher soul edge and a strong early 70s radio sound. Includes the wonderful soul... read more

A killer early album by the great Leroy Hutson! Hutson had originally been a later member of The Impressions – replacing Curtis Mayfield briefly after he'd gone solo – but he also had spent a fair bit of time noodling around the Chicago soul studio scene of the late 60s and early 70s. ... read more

A great little set from Leroy Hutson – proof that he was still going strong through all his years at Curtom! For years we passed this one by, wrongly thinking "it's late, it can't be that good" – but the album's a real winner, with a blend of clubby uptempo cuts and some... read more

The last Arista album from Phyllis Hyman – and a set that really sums up all the genius she expressed at the label! Some tunes are upbeat and catchy – the kind of tracks that had Hyman reaching a much wider audience in the early 80s – while others are more sophisticated and... read more

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80s harmony soul from Imagination – a group who always managed to sound pretty great, despite the silly costumes they chose for their album covers! The general groove here is mostly in a catchy midtempo mode – with lots of snapping basslines and synth percussion, nicely offset by the... read more

Probably the biggest album by this Chicago soul group, and the one that yielded up their big hit "The First Time We Met". The set's got some excellent Chicago arrangements by Tom Tom, and a good bunch of tracks that includes all original material, like "Here I Am", "Just... read more

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Wonderful work from Ingram – an incredibly talented soul family who'd spent more than enough time woodshedding in earlier years, and emerged to become one of the strongest mainstream acts of the 80s scene! There's a solid feel here that goes way beyond commercial soul – a great way... read more

A wicked 80s groove from the mighty Ingram Family! Ingram were one of those groups that actually got better as they got slicker – and by the time of this 1983 release, Butch, James, and William Ingram had had more than enough experience working together and with other artists to really forge... read more

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Weird album that came out in the early 70s, when Stax was getting their hands into so many other styles of music besides southern soul and funk. Margaret Singana's the lead vocalist of this group that plays in a sort of Afro Pop/Afro Funk style, and she lays down the lyrics on tracks like "The... read more

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Great work from The Isley Brothers – proof that they were still growing strongly as a group into the 80s! The Isleys are smoothing it out nicely here – going for that lean, compressed style that they used on more than a few nice records at the time. Tracks have a tight modern soul... read more

A great mix of heavy funk and sweeter ballads from the Isley Brothers – and a record that's filled with two-part tracks that really let them stretch out and groove! The tunes have a bit more bass and keyboards than before – an approach that's even more electric than Isley funk of a few... read more

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Very sweet! Ernie and Marvin Isley team up with Chris Jasper, and reinvent their sound nicely for the 80s! The record features the wonderful "Caravan Of Love", a soulful spiritual tune that's kind of to 80s soul what The Impressions "People Get Ready" was to 60s soul! The... read more

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An all-star soundtrack to this comedy film from the 70s – starring Raquel Welch, Bill Cosby, and a very young Harvey Keitel! Most of the tracks on the set are from other A&M albums, but there's a few tunes that are original to the set – including the vocal track "No Love... read more

Sublime stuff from Chuck – a mix of iceman soul and New York uptown production, crafted in a heartbreaking mode that was hardly ever matched by other singers of his day! This is a perfect one to bookshelf next to your Jerry Butler and Walter Jackson albums – and it includes Chuck's... read more

Lost bit of soul by Chuck Jackson, recorded in LA in the early 70s, between his Wand hit years, and his later stuff on All Platinum. The sound is sort of a rootsy studio soul sound, if that makes any sense – but some of the tracks are also a bit funky. There's a great sample on the cut... read more

A breakout album for Janet, with prime New Jack, or should we say New Jill, Swing production from the then unstoppable Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Flyte Tyme production team. Includes "Control", "Nasty", "What Have You Done For Me Lately", "The Pleasure... read more

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The third great album in the trilogy that includes Off The Wall and Thriller – and a set that still has Michael Jackson running strong at the height of his solo powers! Quincy Jones is still at the helm, and Michael more than proves that he can still come up with a pop tune without going too... read more

Early Michael Jackson at his best – a brilliant solo album that sparkles with honest warmth and sweet soul energy! There's a gentleness to the tunes that's quite striking, but never childish – a simple and effective approach to the material that's sung in a manner that's years beyond... read more

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Arguably the last true moment of genius in Michael Jackson's career – a record that sold a bazillion copies around the world – and for plenty good reason! Michael's still working here with Quincy Jones – in territory that steps nicely from the Off The Wall groove, into territory... read more

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Pure genius – like just about every other early Motown album by the Jackson 5! The vocals are sublime – almost even more perfect than on the first few records – and the group have some great help in the studio from arrangers like The Corporation, Willie Hutch, Johnny Bristol, and... read more

Titles include "Laying Beside You", "Only Women Bleed", "Lovesick Blues", "Piece Of My Heart", "Strange Man", and "Blind Girl".... read more

Think what you might about Rick James, this is actually a pretty darn funky album – with lots of tight bass-heavy grooves! Rick's working here with the Stone City Band, in a style that's leaner and less commercial than some of his later work – going for a mainstream funk approach, but... read more

Rick James fires it up at the end of the 70s – stepping out at full star power that has him rivaling the strength of Bootsy Collins at Warner, and paving the way for the rise of Prince in the early 80s! As with Prince, James' version of funk here is a bit offbeat – lots of riffing... read more

One of the all-time great Rick James albums – a return to funkier sounds for Rick that worked both artistically and commercially – and actually got over far better than his more blatant attempts at crossover material on other records! The mix here is perfect – a true summation of... read more

The only album we've ever seen by Janice – aka Janice Barnett – a set that's got some great smooth production from the legendary Harvey Fuqua! The set's got a sound that's almost in a Salsoul mode at times – not totally disco, but with some uptempo elements – mixed in with... read more

A massive set from Al Jarreau – a set that gave the singer one of his smoothest hits of all time, yet still kept him very firmly in the sort of sophisticated territory that set him apart from most of his contemporaries! The sound here is often a lot more understated than you'd expect –... read more

An incredible album – a landmark piece of funk that nobody should be without, funk fan or not! The album is the second to feature James Brown's famous backing combo of the early 70s – and unlike their first one, which was really more of a collection of singles, this album has the group... read more

One of the strangest albums ever issued on Philly International – a set of tunes by Dick Jensen, who was part blue-eyed soul singer, part easy male vocalist – sounding here as if he'd almost hit the market about 5 years too late to make a difference. The record's the kind that would be... read more

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One of the few albums ever from Bubber Johnson – one of the classiest singers to work for King Records during the 50s! Bubber's got a sophisticated style that mixes in plenty of jazz with his R&B vocals – a style that's much more like some of the postwar singers on the west coast... read more

Stone smooth grooves from the overlooked Danny Johnson – a mellow soul masterpiece from the 70s – and one that's well worth checking out! Danny's got a hell of a sweet voice – nice and high, almost in an Eddie Holman style – which is perfect for the album's mellow ballads,... read more

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The great Syl Johnson – doing his thing for Hi Records on a record that's more shiny diamond than it is rough – his second album for the label and a truly underappreciated gem from the Chi soul great! Diamond In The Rough is a much sweeter set of tunes than Syl's Chicago work on... read more

A Japanese-only release – and a much-needed LP collection of work from Syl's own Shama Records label – really great stuff that's compiled here from some excellent singles!... read more

A wicked explosion from the legendary Syl Johnson – one of his smoking sets for Hi Records – done with solid soulful help from Willie Mitchell! Mitchell's familiar Memphis groove is firmly in place here – tightly compressed rhythms and horns, vamping perfectly for Syl's raw... read more

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A pretty odd little record from Gloria Jones – a great soul singer back in the 60s when she was pounding out the hard northern numbers, but not so great here, where she's in an odd style that mixes disco with a hard soul approach, and just doesn't work. The "Reunited" in the title... read more

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Great work from Grace Jones – still riding high on a disco wave here, but also finding her own space and sound too! The mighty Tom Moulton produced, ensuring some great sound for the set – and arrangements are by Thor Baldursson and John Davis, both of whom bring in nice sense of... read more

A landmark little record from Grace Jones – a set that started off as one of those "hey, let's see if this model can sing" sort of records – but which has gone onto become an enduring classic! Most of the tunes are older ones, but they're remade with a soaring Sigma Sound... read more

A strange little film with a western motif – starring Bill Cosby, Leif Erikson, and Yaphet Kotto! Fortunately, Quincy Jones was the musical supervisor – so the tracks are hip enough in the best parts – a bit rootsy at times, but with a 70s soul approach that keeps things real. ... read more

In the early 70s, Quincy Jones surrounded himself with some of the best young soul and jazz talent he could find, plus a few older pros – and the result was a great series of albums that spanned genres and created a whole new approach to modern R&B. This gem of a record was put together... read more

One of Quincy Jones' best soundtracks of the 70s – filled with some great slick electric funky crime tracks, perfectly played by LA jazzers that include Clare Fischer, Paul Humphrey, Arthur Adams, David T Walker, Milt Holland, and Jerome Richardson. A few cuts feature vocals by Little... read more

Quincy just never stopped putting out classic soulful albums! This one, from the early 80s, features a smooth jazzy blend of tracks, with a strong nod to the kinds of souped-up studio sounds that were being used by groups like The Crusaders, but also with a lot of the kind of soulfulness that made... read more

A great little set from this solo member of the Jones Girls – and one of the strongest new sets on Philly International in the 80s! Shirley delivers a warm set of sparkling modern soul tracks that really show the growth and the maturity of the Philly sound in the 80s – getting way past... read more

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Excellent work from this legendary vocal trio! The Jones Girls were probably one of the best female acts to ever hit the Philly International stable – really a cut above their contemporaries, and not just one of those acts that was kind of a backup singer set, come forward! Their vocals are... read more

Rough and raw classics from Louis Jordan – served up with a bit more of an R&B tinge than some of his work from the late 40s! There's a searing quality here that really hits hard on the instrumentation – guitar parts and saxophone riffs that clearly mark the space that Jordan... read more

Margie Joseph's really hitting on all burners here – thanks to sublime production from Lamont Dozier, working at the height of his mid 70s powers! Joseph's earlier deep soul vocals are given a nice sense of focus and righteous energy from Dozier's production – a fullness that somehow... read more

The third album in Margie Joseph's early 70s run for Atlantic Records – and like the rest, a batch of super-tight tunes arranged and produced by Arif Mardin – done with the same sense of sophisticated soul he was bringing to the work of Aretha Franklin at the time! Margie's nicely a... read more

The first album by this sweet little Hawaiian band from the 70s – a great mix of jazzy rock and smoother AOR styles, with a soulful finish that made the group one of the best of the islands! Titles include "Going Going Gone", "The Hurt", "Nightbird", "Natura... read more

Dark disco from Kano – lots of electronic drums and keyboards, with a sound that's almost equally post-punk as it is early 80s club. Tracks include the monstrous "I'm Ready", "It's A War", "Now Baby Now", "Cosmic Voyager", and "Super Extra Sexy... read more

The New York in the title is very apt – as the album's got a lot more soul, and a lot more solid club groove than some of Kano's other albums from the 80s! The overall feel is really great – moving along in a post-disco groove that's mostly based around spare rhythms, simple... read more

A monumental bit of 80s soul – the first solo album from Kashif, issued hot on the heels of a few years spent penning and producing work for a range of bigger artists! Given his experience with the pros, Kashif's emerging here as a very fully-formed talent in soul – a singer with a way... read more

Massive massive Miami funk – and a record that seems to sound better and better as the years move on! Sure, KC and crew were a chart-topping act, but this first album's a stellar batch of heavy cuts – featuring great instrumentation on clavinet, conga, guitars, and horns – all... read more

Mega-hit material from KC & The Sunshine band – an album issued firmly into the disco years, but which still had the group hitting hard in their trademark Miami sound! The tracks here are a bit longer and more hook-heavy than before – and represent the kind of material that linked... read more

Classic 70s work from KC & The Sunshine Band – a record that's not as hit-heavy as previous efforts, but still a plenty great set that's filled with catchy dancefloor funk! KC's clearly feeling the heat of the disco fire he helped to ignite a few years before – and there's... read more

One of Eddie's classic dancefloor groovers for Tamla, with production and arrangements by the hit team of Frank Wilson and Leonard Caston! The album keeps Eddie's hit "boogie" groove going strong – grooving mostly in a midtempo smooth soul style that would become a dominant... read more

A truly amazing album – unlike anything Eddie Kendricks ever did before, or since – and one of those records that really helped shape the sound of soul in the 70s! The music is as rich and powerful as the image on the cover – with some righteous undercurrents that really mark the... read more

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Ha! This one really takes us back! The set was a massive breakthrough for August Darnell – one of his biggest hits since his day with Dr Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, with an equally appealing approach to the dancefloor. Tracks mix early 80s New York club styles with Darnell's mad... read more

A tight date from 1977, and one that follows nicely in the spirit of King's later Stax sides, but with a slightly smoother groove. There's a bit of the Detroit 70s mode going on in the set – that rough-and-smooth quality that you'd find on a Don Davis production, which proves to be a... read more

A brilliant debut from Clydie King – a singer who worked countless backing vocal sessions on the LA scene of the 70s, but who really shines here on her own! Clydie's got a rough and raw vocal style that you might guess from the hip-looking cover – a slightly rootsy mode that's clearly... read more

Very nice record of lost soul from LA, recorded for Hanna-Barbera, who are much better known as purveyors of cartoons, not music! We don't know much about Jean, but she's got a lovely voice, and the setup for the record – which is an intimate live setting – gives her perfect space to... read more

One of the most political of Dr King's albums – recorded in 1967, but issued after his death when the Vietnam War was still going strong. The album's one of the great titles on Motown's short-lived Black Forum imprint, and is a lot stronger stuff than some of the other King albums they... read more

Surprisingly enjoyable record in which King Curtis runs through a number of C&W favorites, and turns them into R&B sax instrumentals. The album shows what a clear link there was between the two musical traditions, and includes classics like "Night Train To Memphis", "You're... read more

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Sure, they were one hit wonders – but oh what a hit! We totally love the title track "Dancing In The Moonlight" – a magical number that begins with this excellent electric piano riff, then rolls into some totally captivating blue eyed soul lyrics that really send the whole... read more

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An excellent 2nd album from Lew Kirton – a bit smoother than his first one, but still with that great mellow soul sound that we dig so much! Lew's a strong singer in a tradition that includes Leroy Hutson and Leon Ware – sweetly grooving in a warm and mellow style, but also kicking... read more

Tight 80s soul from Kleeer – one of the group's standout classics, and a set that's produced with kind of a jazzy finish by Deodato, who also plays some nice keyboards on the record! The Kleeer sound is at its height here – tight, warm, and filled with great harmonies on the vocals... read more

It's definitely winning time for Klique – as the trio grooves here with a lean, clean sound that's totally great! Despite the silly jumpsuits on the cover, the group actually have a pretty nice sound in the grooves – one that's kind of a poppy approach to the boogie, filled with plenty... read more

A wonderful mid 70s set from Gladys Knight & The Pips – a soundtrack date written and produced by Curtis Mayfield, who really helps bring a lot of depth to their music! Curtis really helps Knight and the group get out of some of their hit cliches of the 70s, and find some hipper space... read more

An amazing blend of raspy vocals, rumbling backings, and hip late 60s Motown soul – proof that Gladys Knight's move to the label was one of the smartest of her career! Thanks to top-shelf production here from Norman Whitfield, Gladys gets a newer sound that's ultra-hip – a bit deeper... read more

Rock-solid Buddah work from Gladys Knight & The Pips – still pretty righteous on the vocal tip, but often a bit fuller and more polished than before! Knight shows a great talent for a mature ballad here – no big hits, but that's part of the charm of the set – as there's a... read more

After hitting big as a singer on the soundtrack for Claudine, Gladys Knight finally got her chance in front of the camera for Pipe Dreams – a record that featured her both as the star on film and on the soundtrack! The styles here are a bit more wider-ranging than the usual 70s soundtrack of... read more

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Long heavy disco tracks with nice touches of African percussion. Cerrone produced, and the tracks include "Africanism", "Tatoo Woman", and "Dr. Doo Dah". European club disco, but not without some nice funky moments – largely due to the percussion!... read more

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A great album – even if most of the cuts are on other records! The set's designed to focus on the jazzier side of Kool & The Gang – and it sifts through the first few albums to come up with some of the more sophisticated (yet still totally funky!) numbers by the band, giving a good... read more

A shameless dancefloor cash-in move – but with a few nice touches! You all know the big title cut "Ladies Night", so we won't bother to describe it – but we can say that the group wisely hooked up with Deodato, who produced, mixed, and even played keyboards on the album. ... read more