Soul — In Stock  

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Percolated soul from Pennye Ford – a sweet set of mid 80s grooves that's easily one of the singer's greatest moments ever! The record's got a great balance between catchy cuts and deeper soul – the latter of which really comes to the fore on some of the mellower and midtempo numbers,... read more

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Wicked late 70s work from Ronnie Foster – a rare Columbia outing that's arguably better than his earlier sides for Blue Note! There's more of a soul vibe than before in the music – but in a way that's really foregrounded, and without some of the back/forth wavering that Foster had in... read more

Wicked late 70s work from Ronnie Foster – a rare Columbia outing that's arguably better than his earlier sides for Blue Note! There's more of a soul vibe than before in the music – but in a way that's really foregrounded, and without some of the back/forth wavering that Foster had in... read more

Rare early 70s soul from Cinci! "Doon-Chang" by the female vocal combo 4 Jades has a little bit of a psych funk vibe going on thanks to the guitars – with a funky bassline prominent in the mix, some sax, nicely -grooving organ and solid drums. Still, it's the voices that shine the... read more

Massive music from one of the greatest Motown groups ever – served up here as a set of 78 singles from the 60s and early 70s – not just all the US releases for Motown, but also UK-only singles, Italian singles, and work with the Supremes as well! The lavish book-style set is done in... read more

Possibly the last big hit that the Four Tops ever cut for Motown – and proof that they could still turn out strong material, as was later proven by their work at ABC. The title cut – "Still Waters (Run Deep)" – is one of those always enjoyable, surprisingly... read more

A mix of pop and soul – but in the hands of the Four Tops, just about any song takes on a new soulful life! The record features their minor hit "Yesterday's Dreams" – plus groovy versions of "Sunny", "Never My Love", "Daydream Believer", and... read more

Way more than disco, a bit different than funk, and a lot cooler than you might guess from the image on the cover – a stone classic from Miami groovers Foxy, and easily one of their best records ever! The set's nice and tight right from the start – not really disco, but more of a... read more

A live take on the Foxy sound of the clubs – served up here without any studio support at all, at a level that really showcases their talents as a funk band! There's still a strong sense of compression in the grooves – that Foxy way of laying down the lyrics right along with the guitar... read more

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Aretha Arrives in great style – and a mixture between her earlier vocal jazz years at Columbia, and her later southern soul sides of the 60s! Arif Mardin is already arranging Aretha's work at this point, and the backing group includes southern soul studio giants like Spooner Oldham, Tommy... read more

One of a handful of crucial early Aretha Franklin albums for Atlantic – and a key example of her genius pairing with arranger Arif Mardin! Instrumental backing is by a hard burning Memphis/Muscle Shoals lineup that includes Spooner Oldham on electric piano and organ, Tommy Cogbill on guitar,... read more

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A real standout from Aretha Franklin's years on Arista – a set produced by Luther Vandross, with a soaring groove that really opens Aretha up nicely! Luther's more in the mode here of his 70s club productions than his 80s hits – that warm, midtempo vibe that's full of lush moments, but... read more

A sweet overview of the early years of Aretha Franklin's career – her formative days at Columbia Records, when she was working in a variety of styles before heading over to bigger fame at Atlantic! Even at this early stage, Aretha's one hell of a singer – and, despite what folks who... read more

A sweet overview of the early years of Aretha Franklin's career – her formative days at Columbia Records, when she was working in a variety of styles before heading over to bigger fame at Atlantic! Even at this early stage, Aretha's one hell of a singer – and, despite what folks who... read more

Aretha's grooving sweetly on a record that's produced by Luther Vandross – and a damn strong one, too! Aretha wasn't the first, or the last classic soul singer to embrace the modern sounds of the early 80s, but relatively few outshined their younger peers as brilliantly as Aretha does here. ... read more

One of Aretha's undisputed classics – a seminal session that furthered her deep soul agenda with key backings from Arif Mardin and Tom Dowd! The Sweet Inspirations provide sublime backing vocals behind Franklin's maturing delivery of the lyrics – and the music is by an all-star group... read more

Aretha Franklin and electric piano – a really great combination that makes for a whole new level of soulfulness in the 70s! The album's one of Franklin's greatest of the decade – a deepening of the sound she first brought to Atlantic in the 60s, and a maturation of that groove –... read more

A completely cooking little live set from Aretha Franklin – and a crowning moment not just in her career, but for Atlantic Records soul in general! Aretha's working here before a very enthusiastic crossover crowd at the Fillmore West in San Francisco – getting tight backing from the... read more

An early 80s gem from Aretha Franklin – one of the best of her years at Arista Records, thanks to solid help in the studio from the mighty Arif Mardin! Mardin's in perfect form here – the same blend of older soul and jazzier, more sophisticated styles that he was also bringing to Chaka... read more

About as classic as you can get for Aretha Franklin – a wonderful package that features 5 full albums for Atlantic Records – each packaged in a tiny LP-styled sleeve that reproduces the original cover! The work here is the stuff of legend – that key point when Franklin really got... read more

A classic 70s soul soundtrack – and a dream of a combination! Curtis Mayfield wrote the soundtrack and produced the album – and the result is a killer batch of 70s soul tracks that matches Aretha's strong vocals with the hip Curtom sound of Chicago! Aretha was still doing pretty well... read more

Aretha's tour of the south continues – recording here at Atlantic's new home in Miami, with studio work from The Dixie Flyers, Dave Crawford, Roger Hawkins, Duane Allman, and Eddie Hinton – all very much in the tradition of the Muscle Shoals work that supported Aretha on earlier... read more

Given that Atlantic's big claim to fame with Aretha was that they took her from being a supper club jazz singer and made her a hard soul act, we've always been a bit surprised at the way they chose to hook her up with some Bacharach tunes after her first few sides – giving her a classier... read more

A beautiful album that perfectly mixes both sides of Aretha – the earlier hard-hitting soulster, and the developing vocalist with a rich talent for more sophisticated material. The album features the anthemic title cut in Aretha's famous version – plus the sample favorite "Rock... read more

Damn soulful work from Erma Franklin – the lesser-known sister of Aretha and Carolyn Franklin, working here on 60s sides cut for the Epic and Shout labels! Most of the material here was only issued as singles back in the day – so the set's an essential full-length overview of Franklin's... read more

Lost funky work from one of the soulful sisters of Aretha Franklin! Erma's got a hard-hitting style that's right up there with Aretha's best for Atlantic – and on this album, she's working in Chicago with Johnny Pate, Sonny Sanders, and Willie Henderson – for a harder-hitting sound... read more

A long spoken set, produced by Pepsi, with a style that's kind of like a radio show – narration, plus sound effects, and some dramatized passages as well. The whole thing's a bit hokey and dated – but that's also part of its charm.... read more

Fusiony soul from the early 80s on Columbia – and one of the more vocal-oriented albums cut by keyboardist Rodney Franklin! The vocals are sung by Jim Gilstrap, Howard Smith, and Darryl Phinnessee – but at the heart of all the tracks are Rodney's nice soulful keyboards – which... read more

Tremendous work from Rodney Franklin – one of our favorite soulful fusion players from the end of the 70s! The album's a keyboard delight through and through – and Rodney plays both acoustic and electric piano, often on the same track – which creates this nicely expanded sound... read more

Tremendous work from Rodney Franklin – one of our favorite soulful fusion players of the era – and 2 albums back-to-back! The Rodney Franklin album is a keyboard delight through and through – and Rodney plays both acoustic and electric piano, often on the same track – which... read more

A great example of why we always reach for our Rodney Franklin records time and time again over the years – as there's few other players who could serve up a blend of soul and jazz this well! The album's got a great balance of electric and acoustic, that instantly-warm style that Franklin... read more

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Incredible work from Michael Franks – his first five albums for Warner Brothers, all packaged together in one sweet little set! At this point in his career, Franks is almost a whole genre unto itself, one that sets a whole new tone for the male voice in American music! The style here is... read more

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Nice bit of early slow jam material, with a heavy 80s vibe, and some deep soulful vocals by the enigmatic Frederick. We know little about Fred or the real source of this album, but the sound is top-notch, and tracks like "Gentle", "Somebody Won't Sleep Tonight", and "I... read more

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Early 80s clubby funk & soul from Freeez – a pretty sweet mix of period synth and boogie soul with far richer, live instrumentation and solid, hooky songwriting! Freeez recorded Gonna Get You in Manhattan – and you can certainly hear the NYC culture of the time flowing nicely in... read more

Uptempo soul album with kind of a disco feel. Produced by Don Ray, who also played synthesizers on the album, and with the single "Tumble Heat". Other cuts have a similar feel, and include "Find the Fire", "Nice and Slow", and "Where'd You Get What You Got".... read more

Once upon a time we knew who was behind this great raw original acid track released on the seminal house label Trax, but honestly we can't recall right now, though that doesn't diminish how much we love this percolating Chicago classic!... read more

Frank Frost really kicks it hard on this set of classic recordings from the 60s – a batch of tracks that easily show why Frost was one of the funkiest bluesmen to record for the Jewel/Paula label! Frank sings and plays harmonica – but an equal attraction here is the rhythms –... read more

Surprisingly great work from Full Force – a set that seems to only get better with the passage of time, set apart nicely from most of its 80s soul contemporaries with a good deal of homegrown charm! Sure, there's some pretty heavy beats here – and sure, the sound is a few notches... read more

An obscure vocal jazz trio – one that features LA Bopper Augie Johnson, pianist/singer Lorraine Fender, and Charlotte Crossley.... read more

A massive bit of funky fusion from the 70s – an album that was crucially overlooked at the time, but which has gone onto become a crate-diggers classic over the years! The group's fronted by Polish jazz legends Michal Urbaniak and Urszula Dudziak – but it also features a fair bit of... read more

Funky organ, hard tenor sax, and plenty of choppy guitar make this another jazz funk gem in the crown of the legendary Funk Inc! The group are still totally at the top of their game here – stepping out with a deep, soulful Indy-bred blend of jazz and funk – a groove that was easily one... read more

A killer instrumental album of hard organ grooves and funky basslines! This was the album that broke Funk Inc out of their Indianapolis scene, and made them a force to be forever reckoned with in the history of funky jazz. The album grooves hard in the same sound as some of the classic work by... read more

No hangin out here – because these guys are tighter than ever, and right on the money from the very first note of the set! A snapping drum break opens up the album – followed by a wickedly stepping bassline, a rolling conga part, and a vamping dance between Hammond and tenor sax –... read more

A more melodic mix of modes from Funk Inc – with some cool production by David Axelrod! The band's gritty funky is stretched out this time, and overall the sound's got kind of that mid 70s Prestige feel – but the work in a variety of styles here. Includes cooking jazzy funk &... read more

A sweet little 80s groover – nice female vocals, a snapping bass-y kind of groove, and a very satisfying overall style that makes for a pretty nice tune!... read more

An insane classic from one of the wildest funk bands ever! According to reports, George Clinton and the band cut this set in a marathon 48-hour stretch in the studio – working like mad all night and day long, after dropping a motherlode of some mighty fine acid! We don't know if that story's... read more

One of the darkest records to ever come out of the Detroit soul scene! As you might guess from the title, the album is Funkadelic's first – and it's a swirling mass of psychedelic guitars, echoey drums, and bass-heavy riffing, all topped off by the band's harmony vocals, which sound like a... read more

An instant classic the day it was released – and a perfect blending of the group's older freaked-out style with a slick late 70s funk sound that started showing up in the work of many other groups. "One Nation Under A Groove" is a monster cut with a hook that won't quit, and the LP... read more

An oft-overlooked gem by Funkadelic – the group's last album for Westbound, and a record that really has them growing into a great new groove! Bootsy and Eddie Hazel have stepped aside for the set, but that gives Bernie Worrell plenty of room to work his magic on keyboards – in a way... read more

A legendary record – and one that's well worth all the anticipation it's gotten over the years! The set features rare, previously unreleased material done by Funkadelic during their classic years at Westbound Records – some songs, and some studio jams – of the sort the group were... read more

Here's a group who definitely live up to their name – a damn funky 70s act from Nigeria, with a tight, righteous groove that's completely outta sight! The Funkees have an approach that's a lot more compact than Fela, and a lot more soulful than some of their more tripped-out contemporaries... read more

Here's a group who definitely live up to their name – a damn funky 70s act from Nigeria, with a tight, righteous groove that's completely outta sight! The Funkees have an approach that's a lot more compact than Fela, and a lot more soulful than some of their more tripped-out contemporaries... read more

Fantastic funk from a group who definitely earn their name – a sweet jelly bean jar of 70s groovers – played in this great compressed bass-heavy style! The group hail from southeast Asia, but sing in English throughout – and play tunes that clearly echo their love of American... read more

Raw funk from 70s Singapore – but a bunch of cats who really get their sound right! The album's got a surprisingly sharp edge – thanks to raspy guitars that work perfectly with the group's English language vocals – themselves sung with a nice sort of sharpness that makes the... read more

Soaring soul from The Futures – a Philly group who'd already worked for years in the underground before cracking the racks with this debut LP in 1975 – schooled strongly in their best vocal modes from previous singles, and ready to unleash the best side of their sound on the world! The... read more

80s groove from the Ingram Family – a record that features the core vocals of Ron Aikens and Galaxy, plus plenty of great backing funk from the Ingrams! The style here is a great mix of boogie, street soul, and bits of electro – with a style that's a bit like Aleem from the same period... read more

Peoples Potential funk from the height of the 80s cosmic groove era! "I Like The Way You Do It" is by The Loni Gamble Band feat Lisa Warrington, a funky group tune with a tighter feel than some of the more electro steeped vibes of times with a nice guitar groove and spacey keys.... read more

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Storming soul from Don Gardner & Dee Dee Ford – one of the hardest-hitting duos of the early 60s, and a pair who set the tone for countless other acts to come! The style here is definitely soul, but steeped in plenty of R&B too – partly from Dee Dee's smoking work on Hammond,... read more

A mix of post disco soul sophistication and laidback funky numbers from Gaston – a welcome approach from the early 80s era – a time when too many contemporary soul acts moved towards a more overly polished vibe! Gaston's self-titled LP is just polished enough – with a bright... read more

Killer 3LP set that brings together just about every single track you'd ever want from Marvin's early years at Motown! The gamut runs from early pop singles to the politically progressive work of his What's Going On years. Titles include "You're The Man", "Trouble Man", "I... read more

Wonderful stuff – and one of our favorite-ever Marvin Gaye albums! This is the legendary two-record set that Marvin wrote and recorded as an alimony payment to his ex-wife Anna Gordy (the story's pretty long, and we won't get into it here – suffice it to say that when stars get a... read more

Wonderful stuff – and one of our favorite-ever Marvin Gaye albums! This is the legendary two-record set that Marvin wrote and recorded as an alimony payment to his ex-wife Anna Gordy (the story's pretty long, and we won't get into it here – suffice it to say that when stars get a... read more

An incredible record – quite possibly our favorite ever by Marvin Gaye! The album is quite unique – written by Leon Ware, and recorded in collaboration with him – done as a "suite" of tracks based on themes of passion, joy, and new love – all of which were very... read more

An incredible record – quite possibly our favorite ever by Marvin Gaye! The album is quite unique – written by Leon Ware, and recorded in collaboration with him – done as a "suite" of tracks based on themes of passion, joy, and new love – all of which were very... read more

Marvin Gaye's last album for Motown – and a wonderful cap to a great run of sexy soul for the 70s – filled with great mellow grooves that rival the genius of his earlier work in the decade! There's a glowing, slow-burning feel to some of the best numbers here – a vibe that's... read more

An amazing record that stunned the world almost as much as Marvin's previous effort, What's Going On. Like that one, this album's an amazingly unified batch of tracks – with a visionary message about sex and love that is as honest and bracing as the politics and social commentary of his... read more

An amazing record that stunned the world almost as much as Marvin's previous effort, What's Going On. Like that one, this album's an amazingly unified batch of tracks – with a visionary message about sex and love that is as honest and bracing as the politics and social commentary of his... read more

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A wonderful 70s live album from Marvin Gaye – a set that was as expansive, ambitious, and sophisticated as his studio work from the time! The album's put together almost like a 3-sided portrait of Marvin – in that it begins with a long section of current work, moves into a "fossil... read more

A wonderful 70s live album from Marvin Gaye – a set that was as expansive, ambitious, and sophisticated as his studio work from the time! The album's put together almost like a 3-sided portrait of Marvin – in that it begins with a long section of current work, moves into a "fossil... read more

Marvin Gaye's last album ever – and a sensuous batch of grooves that almost return him to the sound of Let's Get It On! The style here is a bit more modern, but the sound is still great – a smoother approach to soul than most of Gaye's contemporaries at the time, recorded in a way that... read more

Marvin Marvin Marvin – just when we thought you couldn't impress us any more, you took it to the next level! Trouble Man is a heck of a wonderful surprise from an artist that most folks really only knew as a singer – a fantastically funky blacksploitation soundtrack, conceived and... read more

One of the few cases in the history of pop music where the record is worth all the hype! Marvin blew everyone's mind when he unleashed this amazing suite of political soul tunes – not only just because he'd moved past the simple love songs of earlier years, but also because he was working... read more

One of the few cases in the history of pop music where the record is worth all the hype! Marvin blew everyone's mind when he unleashed this amazing suite of political soul tunes – not only just because he'd moved past the simple love songs of earlier years, but also because he was working... read more

THE lasting classic from Gloria Gaynor – the record that contains her tremendous hit "I Will Survive", and a great batch of disco grooves overall! The album's got a simple, honest sort of approach, despite its release in an era of overblown dancefloor sets – and arranger... read more

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Although she's best remembered for the title track to this one – a solid hit if there ever was one – Barbara's also a pretty darn good interpreter of original and standard material, with a style that shows roots that stretch back deeper than some of her other 60s soul contemporaries. ... read more

A remarkable collection of a half century of writings on James Brown – from a Variety piece way back in 1959 up to a Rolling Stone profile from 2006 – edited by Nelson George & Alan Leeds and featuring work items from trades, newspaper and magazine profiles, select liner notes and... read more

A legendary record from one of the most unique Latin groups of their time! In an early 70s world where many Latin combos were going for class and poise, the Ghetto Brothers moved in another direction entirely – working here with a fair bit of electric guitar alongside more familiar Latin... read more

A long-overdue collection of work by this sublime Ohio soul group of the 60s – a trio of lovely ladies with a really tremendous sound! Gigi & The Charmaines are hardly the girl group cliche you might think from their sweet name and the image on the cover – and on most of the... read more

An overlooked gem from the glory days of the TK soul empire – a mix of sweet soul steppers and more upbeat groovers – all set to tight arrangements from Snoopy Dean! There's a great Miami groove to most numbers – especially that modern soul style that started coming in during the... read more

Nikki G in total righteousness, surrounded by a big choir, and dropping knowledge on cuts like "Great Pax Whitey", "Poem For Aretha", and "Ego Tripping". Very spiritual stuff, with backing vocals by the New York Community Choir, who also recorded a great soul album on... read more

Nikki lays down some of her righteous poetry over a backing provided by the Sweet Inspirations and a host of Atlantic studio musicians. The groove is pretty soulful, and this is probably one of her most successful albums that blend poetry and music. Titles include "A Certain Peace",... read more

A pair of rare club groovers from the Chicago scene – reissued back to back on a sweet 12" single! "Runnin To A Disco" has a nicely bubbling sort of groove – one that's pre-house, and nicely percolated – relatively spare, with some chorus vocals – but mostly... read more

A great album by one of lost groups on the Invictus label! Glass House were a stellar male/female vocal group with a good deep soul sound – very much in the spirit of other Invictus albums of the era, with a tremendous feel for down home, gritty soul but executed with the smooth HDH vibe... read more

The sublime second album from The Glass House – even rarer than the group's first, and an overlooked gem in the Holland-Dozier-Holland treasure box of the early 70s! There's a sweetness here that you don't always find on other H-D-H projects – a touch of harmony soul that really makes... read more

Rare material from a little-known group on the Oklahoma City scene of the 80s – most of it so obscure, the reissue had to rescue all the recordings from cassette tapes, since the masters were all lost over the years! Don't let that put you off, though, because the sound quality is great here... read more

A pretty great record issued in conjunction with the cartoon version of the Harlem Globetrotters – an Archies-like Don Kirshner's co-production in which a studio band is used to provide a groove to the cartoon. A number of cuts on here are in Kirshner's straight late 60s pop mode, but there's... read more

An overlooked chapter in the Zapp/Roger story of the 80s – the only album ever issued by vocalist Bad Bobby Glover! Roger Produced, and there's plenty of Zapp talent on hand for the record, too – which means that the overall groove is heavy on the kind of funky basslines, electrified... read more

An overlooked chapter in the Zapp/Roger story of the 80s – the only album ever issued by vocalist Bad Bobby Glover! Roger Produced, and there's plenty of Zapp talent on hand for the record, too – which means that the overall groove is heavy on the kind of funky basslines, electrified... read more