Soul — In Stock — CDs  

One of the crowning achievements of Alexander O'Neal – a set that uses cool little intro tracks to help structure the standout songs on the set – giving the whole thing a much more well-conceived approach than other mainstream soul albums of the time! Some of the cuts draw from O'Neal's... read more

The overlooked collaboration between Human League singer Philip Oakey and producer Giorgio Moroder! The duo initially worked together on the outstanding "Together In Electric Dreams" single – a surprise hit from Moroder's soundtrack for a forgettable movie – and given The... read more

Excellent early albums from Billy Ocean – 1975's Billy Ocean and 1980's City Limit – back-to-back with some solid bonus tracks, too! Billy Ocean is his first, and probably best album ever – a mix of uptempo anthemic r&b tunes and sophisticated ballads that are truly Motown... read more

A crossover classic from the late 70s – a record that was born in the clubs, but bred in the mainstream – and the start of a very good relationship between Odyssey and RCA! The album will forever be known for its classic cut "Native New Yorker" – a seminal groover that... read more

Fuzzy funk from some of the all-time greats – one of the key Westbound Records classics from the mighty Ohio Players! This album's got the Players working at their all-time best – a bit jazzy, with a more sophisticated undercurrent than some of their contemporaries – a righteous... read more

A massive batch of stoned-out funk from the Ohio Players – recorded here during their legendary years at Detroit soul powerhouse Westbound Records! At this point, the band have a style that's a mix of psychedelia, funk, and harmony soul – similar to labelmates Funkadelic, but perhaps... read more

A true pleasure indeed – easily one of the greatest records ever by the Ohio Players, and a perfect summation of all things great in their groove! The album's a landmark effort – even for the heady days of the early 70s – as the Players manage to bring together a fair bit of jazz... read more

A landmark album for the O'Jays – a set that moved them from the indie ranks to 70s megasoulstatus! After years of bumping around on a variety of labels, and in a variety of styles, the group really exploded with this wonderful set – an album that has them soaring along in the... read more

Origianlly issued in the late 70s as a double LP retrospective of some of the best O'Jays tracks from their Philly years, this disc includes 14 tracks in all, including "Darlin' Darlin' Baby", "Love Train", "Back Stabbers", "I Love Music", "Give The... read more

Fantastic early O'Jays! The album's the first to feature the group meeting up with the Gamble/Huff team – a significant shift from their earlier work on Imperial, with a style that still retains all the vocal hardness of those days, but which makes a shift into a sweeter soaring soul groove!... read more

A pivotal album from The O'Jays – and an undeniable Philly classic! The record was the third the group cut for the Philadelphia International label – but it was really the first one that pushed their strong righteous soul agenda, sort of a mix of message-oriented lyrics and heavy soul... read more

A pivotal album from The O'Jays – and an undeniable Philly classic! The record was the third the group cut for the Philadelphia International label – but it was really the first one that pushed their strong righteous soul agenda, sort of a mix of message-oriented lyrics and heavy soul... read more

Oliver Cheatham sounds wonderful here – in that best bouncy style that made him a big favorite on the dancefloors in the early 80s – a groove that's still pretty darn great all these years later! The set features key songwriting help from Al Hudson and Kevin McCord, both of whom help... read more

A killer set from Omar – an artist we've loved right from the start, and someone who's never ever let us down! The record's got a great lean feel – almost a return to the modes that Omar first released on his classic material for Talking Loud – that tight, no-nonsense approach to... read more

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A stone burner from 100 Proof Aged In Soul – a group who really take off with this tight second record! The album's a classic from the days when soul music ruled AM radio on both sides of the tracks – and the rest of the album is equally great – packing that tight post-Motown... read more

Lost grooves from Spanish Harlem – an incredible set of Latin Soul from The 107th Street Stickball Team! With a name like that, the group certainly aren't as well-remembered as contemporaries like Joe Bataan or Willie Colon, but they've got a soulful groove that definitely fits the style of... read more

A dancefloor soul classic – one of the strongest albums ever by Al Hudson, Alicia Meyers, and the whole One Way crew! The record's got a sweet soulful feel that provides a nice counterpoint to its bass-heavy grooves – popping along at that midtempo pace that was Al's popular remedy for... read more

A dancefloor soul classic – one of the strongest albums ever by Al Hudson, Alicia Meyers, and the whole One Way crew! The record's got a sweet soulful feel that provides a nice counterpoint to its bass-heavy grooves – popping along at that midtempo pace that was Al's popular remedy for... read more

Damn, One Way never lets us down – and although the group cut many albums back in the day, all of them have some great standout moments! The groove here seems even tighter than ever, but never slick or commercial – a very important distinction, given that so many of One Way's... read more

A sweet set of remix tracks from Alexander O'Neal – and a package that takes the already-great soul vibe of his Hearsay album, and helps give it some deep new energy for the dancefloor! The album's different than the US version of All Mixed Up – with a different cover, title, and track... read more

A weirdly great little record! At first glance, you might think that this album's just another version of the super-huge moog hit "Popcorn" – but it's a lot more than that! The group has sort of a sing-song funky feel – hard piano, some nice drums, and grooves that remind us... read more

A Philly soul treasure trove – two rare albums from The Orlons, back to back on a single CD! First up is Wah Watusi – a soulful classic from The Orlons – a wonderful vocal group that mixed together the sweet harmonies of three female singers, and one bass-heavy male! The result... read more

A really wonderful third album from Osibisa – and a record that really crystallizes the group's sound into a trademark blend of African roots and more progressive-styled jamming! There's a mode here that's perfect for the cross-cultural London of the post-colonial 70s – a style that... read more

A treasure trove of rare funk – a massive package that not only includes the legendary Inspiration Information album by Shuggie Otis, but which also adds in four bonus tracks to that classic – plus a full other album of unreleased vintage work! Shuggie Otis is the son of Johnny Otis... read more

Sublime southern soul from The Ovations – a group with a really unique approach to their music! Unlike other southern groups of the time, The Ovations had a somewhat sweet style overall – one that was informed by their great love of the older music of Sam Cooke, and turned onto a... read more

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A pair of killers from Ozone – back to back on a single CD! Jump On It is filled with jumping grooves from Ozone – a smoking little set that's tight and right – and completely wonderful throughout! The set's got that perfect blend of funk and groove that always made Ozone so... read more

The first two albums from Ozone – back to back on a single CD! Walk On is the great debut of Ozone – a group who'd worked previously as the backing band for Billy Preston – which should give you an idea of how great they are! The group have a razor-sharp way of putting things... read more

Deadlier than Dracula – and a lot funkier too! This is the original soundtrack for the classic blacksploitation horror flick starring the baaadest Drac ever to grace the screen of all those shabby downtown theaters that were still around in the 70s – a wicked batch of wah wah tunes... read more

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A completely unique little set from singer Steve Parks – a set cut in the Bay Area scene of the early 80s – but done with a righteous 70s vibe that mixes jazz, soul, and bits of Latin influences as well! The overall approach is definitely soul, but there's plenty of jazz inflections in... read more

An amazing album that's probably one of the most unified albums that George Clinton ever recorded! The band's rawer style has been firmed up and economized – but a lot of the best elements are still in place, including a strange approach to vocals that has male and female voices interacting... read more

An oft-overlooked gem from Parliament – released during the year 1976, and sometimes hidden between monster LPs like Funkentelechy and Mothership Connection – but every bit as great as those two classics! The album's got that tightened-up P-Funk sound that was working so perfectly at... read more

An insane bit of fuzzed-out funk! This is Parliament's rare first album – a trippy batch of tunes that come off of Clinton's experimentation in the Detroit soul scene, infused by the rock-heavy energy of the city at the time – and probably a heck of a lot of cannabis, too! The record... read more

A sweet disco set from the late 70s – the only one we've ever seen by the Partners, who we're guessing were some sort of European studio combo! The sound is mighty nice – exactly what you'd guess from the title – the best sort of funky Euro disco style of the time, with some... read more

One of the best soul records to come out on the Paula label in the early 70s – one with a number of beautifully soulful moments – and a few surprisingly funky ones, too! Although Bobby did a lot of work for other singers, this is one of the few albums he actually cut under his own name... read more

Funky soul from Bobby Patterson – a smoking set of music that's easily some of the funkiest ever cut for the Paula label in the 70s! Bobby's a southern soul singer, but he's got a righteousness that feels much more Detroit or Chicago – and some of the best cuts here have this sharp,... read more

Beautifully sweet soul by Billy Paul – perhaps a bit more pop soul than some of his other albums, but no less great! Gamble & Huff were firmly in the control room on this one – and the results show on excellent cuts like the huge hit "Me & Mrs. Jones", the funky... read more

An amazing early album from Billy Paul – the start of a rich career of sophisticated soul, and a record that really put Paul on the map right away – making him one of the most soulful interpreters of song in the 70s! There's a mix of modes going on here that's a bit similar to the... read more

An excellent 80s set from one of the greatest voices in 70s soul – the sublime Billy Paul, sounding great here with a bit of electro groove in the rhythms! The album's approach is a bit different than Billy on Philly International – but the strength of Paul's presence is still very... read more

A stone treasure from one of the greatest soul singers of the 70s – and a set you'll regularly find in the coolest of record collections from back in the day! Billy Paul was always one of the hippest talents on Philly International – mixing together soul and jazz influences with a... read more

A landmark album from Freda Payne! Freda had been knocking around a bit as a more jazz-oriented singer, and had cut one album for Impulse and one for MGM before this one – but when she hooked up with the hitmaking Holland-Dozier-Holland team for this record, her career really went over the... read more

Killer early work from Freda Payne – an early album recorded for MGM many years before her later hit "Band Of Gold" – and a set with a great mix of soul and jazz modes, all arranged by the mighty Benny Golson! The record's got a really classy feel – one that has a lot... read more

It's a few years after Freda's big hit "Band of Gold", and she's recording here in a very different mode! The record is produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland, with arrangements by a number of different talents, like McKinley Jackson, Tony Camillo, and Michael Smith – and the overall... read more

A wonderful chapter in the career of Freda Payne – a gem of a set recorded for Capitol – and put together a sweet modern soul groove, thanks to tight production work from the legendary Skip Skarborough! Skip's getting a bit of help here from David Crawford on arrangements, who brings... read more

Mindblowing funk from one of the greatest combos on the New York scene of the early 70s – Pazant Brothers Eddie & Al, heard here on a host of their greatest recordings! The package goes way past any other Pazant reissues we've seen – and features not only work from the group's... read more

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One of the best albums by offbeat jazz singer Annette Peacock – one with a loose, very innovative vibe in arrangements – with some pretty darn cool electronics! Annette not only has a strong voice, she's fearlessly creative in her use of it – and on this album, her vocals are... read more

Easily our favorite album ever by Ann Peebles – not just for the beathead title track, but also because it seems to be the one record where she brings a bit something extra to the studio! The sound is certainly in the classic Hi Records mode here – thanks to production by Willie... read more

A great litle early album from Ann Peebles – rawer than most of her more familiar stuff, with a gutbuckety soul quality that really keeps things fresh! Willie Mitchell produced and arranged (of course!), and the record's got some sweet backing vocals by Rhodes, Chalmers, & Rhodes –... read more

Tracks include "Joy", "2 AM", "Good To You", "Love is The Power", "Can We Be Lovers", and "I'm Ready".... read more

A wild batch of soul novelty tracks – recorded by the HDM label in the late 70s, and issued here for the first time as a full album! The work grew out of a side project for the group Black Ice, and features a fair bit of vocal and songwriting help from labelmate Eddie Horan – who sings... read more

Funky Philly! People's Choice were a group who later went onto smooth soul fame at Philly International – but during their early years, they were a great little funky group who recorded some tasty singles for the Phil-LA of Soul label. Their funky 45s are some of the most quickly sold from... read more

A long-overdue collection of smooth 80s soul from the lovely Perri – a female vocal quartet who cut a few albums for MCA years back, and who have reemerged in recent years as Anita Baker's backup group! On their own, though, the Perri sisters are a heck of a great outfit – one of the... read more

One of the best things to ever happen to The Persuaders – a wonderfully rich album that has the group still sparkling strongly, long after their early hits! The harmonies are wonderful – very much on par with the bigger names at Philly International at the time – and recorded... read more

Greg's definitely showing off all his chops on this one – working with help from a huuuge array of famous guest stars – including The Pointer Sisters, James Ingram, Howard Hewett, Jackie Jackson, Michael Jackson, Robbie Nevil, and others. And while the bulk of the record really shows... read more

Some of our favorite work ever by Esther Phillips – served up on a compilation that does a great job of sorting through her classic 70s sides for Kudu, CTI, and Mercury! Back in the 60s, Esther sung in a sad and bluesy sort of soul style – but in the 70s, at the time of these... read more

Not a live album – as you might think from the title – but a tight batch of tunes that shows the full funk and soul talents of the legendary Esther Phillips! The album's got a nicely dark undercurrent at times – a sound that's not as smooth as some of Esther's other Kudu albums... read more

Group soul from The Philly Devotions – a key group in the evolution of the Philly sound who were then and are to this day greatly overlooked in the city's soul heritage – but it's truly beautiful stuff! This is vocal group with talent that should have gotten them over in big way, but... read more

One of the biggest 70s moments from underground club maestro Patrick Adams – an amazing talent who's best known for his work on his own P&P family of record labels – but who steps out here with an even tighter sound! The album's brimming with the sorts of sweet moogy touches that... read more

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An overlooked gem from Wilson Pickett – recorded in the post-Atlantic years, and with some great funky moments mixed in with those undeniably soulful vocals from the Wicked Pickett! Arrangements are by Brad Shapiro, who works the same magic here with Wilson that he did with a handful of... read more

Five classic Wilson Pickett albums from the 60s, all in a single set – a heck of a lot of Atlantic soul in one sweet little package! All of the records here have The Wicked Pickett in classic form – hitting hard with a gritty, nitty, socking soul style that never lets up all the way... read more

Damn funky work from Wilson Pickett – maybe his hardest-hitting album for Atlantic Records in the early years – and that's saying a lot, given the punch of his other records! The set's sharp and tight right from the start – mostly recorded in Miami with that new approach to... read more

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The Wicked Pickett takes his groove up to Philly – and comes up with a whole new sound in the process – a raw new style for the 70s, and one that's almost even more compelling than his Muscle Shoals groove! The album was recorded at the early Sigma Sound studios in Philly – and... read more

Much more of a soul-based effort than usual from Pieces Of A Dream – a tight set of hook-heavy grooves with a sharp late 80s vibe! There's still some of the jazz of the group's roots in place – often heard on the keyboards – but the focus has shifted most strongly to vocals, and... read more

A great return to basics for Pieces Of A Dream – a set that's tightly jazzy, yet still filled with plenty of soul! The style's a great illustration of the smooth jazz roots the group first offered the world – a style that was really coming into its own at the time of this release, but... read more

An overlooked groover from late 70s Motown – served up on a record that might look more like a heavy metal outing, but which is tight clubby soul all the way through! Platinum Hook are a bit in the funky territory of early Commodores – save for the fact that they've got one female... read more

A standout classic from Platypus – one of the tightest funk acts to work for Casablanca Records in the 70s! The quintet have a razor-sharp sound right from the start – leaner than some of the bigger funk ensembles of the time, but equally powerful in the end – thanks to a great... read more

Quite possibly the funkiest album ever from Pleasure – and that's saying a heck of a lot! The album grooves from the very first note – and moves through some of the group's tightest, most rock-solid numbers – all of which use their trademark blend of funky and soul, but which... read more

Wonderfully tight work from Pleasure – a record that definitely lives up to the lean, clean image on the cover – as it's got the group honing their funky skills even more strongly than before! Wayne Henderson's at the helm, finding the group hit this razor-sharp groove that comes... read more

Joyous grooves indeed – the second album by this legendary 70s jazzy soul outfit – and a landmark album in the Fantasy Records Bay Area funk mode! The record will forever be remembered for the cut "Joyous" – a monster groover with a killer hook, strong funky playing,... read more

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Sweet soulful work from Plunky Nakabinde – a set that has him hitting a different mode than his earlier sounds with Oneness Of Juju – yet still working in a great criss-crossing of styles throughout! The vibe here is righteous early 90s soul and jazz – blended together on the... read more

A killer blend of soul and funk from Pockets – a group with a very jazzy pedigree in their roots, but who stretch forth here with some great studio help from the Kalimba Productions team of the Earth Wind & Fire empire! The groove is very much in the best 70s EWF mode – tight, but... read more

A sweet solo set from Pointer Sister June – stepping out here on her own, but with a groove that's right up there with her family group's classics for Planet Records! As with those sets, Richard Perry is at the helm here – giving the set a nice mix of class and groove, with perhaps a... read more

A huge crossover moment for The Pointer Sisters – thanks to their mega-hit version of Bruce Springsteen's "Fire", which helped sell about a gazillion copies of the record! The sound of that hit pretty much sums up the overall style of the album – as the trio delivers a number... read more

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Some serious slammin from The Pointer Sisters – still going strong here, near the end of an amazing run of records done with producer Richard Perry! The late 80s vibe is definitely in place – as the beats are a lot more upfront than previously for the trio – a bumpin, thumping... read more

A sweet one from The Pointer Sisters – with an opening track that's permanently tattooed to the memory of just about anyone who lived through the era, but better than that, a bunch of great songs that are comparably slept on all these years later! So Excited is a great example of a very... read more

A surprisingly pleasing little set from The Pointer Sisters – a lot more soul than pop, and really held together with some solid production and songwriting! Despite the hit cut "He's So Shy", with its over-heard catchy chorus, the rest of the album has the trio moving in a somewhat... read more

A sweet set of Earth Wind & Fire-inspired grooves from Poison – an obscure 70s funk combo that hailed from Richmond, VA! The group's outfits, righteousness, and instrumentation clearly show a strong debt to EWF – but there's also a roughness to some of the tracks that belies their... read more

A crazy bit of funk from drummer Roy Porter – a player who first rose to fame during the LA bop years of the late 40s, but who sounds even hipper here in the 70s! The album's got a madly skittish approach to funk – one that's highly rhythmic, but often in unconventional ways –... read more

An excellent smooth soul classic – with production by the legendary Al Johnson! The group began as a harmony soul ensemble in the 60s, but by the time of this recording in the late 70s, they'd transformed into Positive Change, and were getting a very sweet soul tip from Johnson! The record... read more

Deep deep deep soul from Bobby Powell – featuring tracks from his late 60s years at the Jewel and Whit labels, all cut in a super-tuff backwoods Louisiana style! The material shows Bobby at his best – stepping out in a rough vocal mode that's backed up by some raw arrangements that... read more

The early 70s sweet soul masterpiece by The Presidents – a great album that kicks off with a title track of that was a huuuuuuuge hit back in the day, but the full length album by the group just about never shows up! It's just beautiful stuff, with lots of tasty harmony soul tracks with... read more

Billy Preston right in the middle of a classic 70s run – hitting a trademark blend of soul, jazz, and other groovy influences – all with a sound that's very much his own, and which puts him in the same company as Sly Stone or Stevie Wonder! Preston's market was a bit more mainstream... read more

Sweet keyboards and loads of wonderful 80s grooves – a great little set that perfectly balances jazzy riffing, funky rhythms, and warm soulful vocals! The cover's a bit slick, but there's a lot more depth here than some of Prime Time's contemporaries – an ear both for the mainstream... read more

A mad bit of soul psychedelia from Prince – a record that sounds better and better over the years, and which stands out from most of his 80s work thanks to some really unique production and songwriting! After Purple Rain, Prince did anything but wince in the face of living up to such a... read more

Prince in near-peak form in the mid 80 – creatively, anyway! Parade is a brilliant stand-alone album, tough it doubles as a soundtrack to a film that flopped – standing today as one of our favorite Prince albums from the 80s! Includes the massively funky "Kiss", the closest... read more

A sprawling classic from Prince – that tracks that perfect the pop, funk & soul kaleidoscope of his best 80s jams, and adding a remarkable, previously unexplored depth and breadth of styles! A lot of folks tried to designate Prince's massive, fearless, beginning-of-the-end-of-the-80s... read more

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Massive work from one of the funkiest drummers of all time – the legendary Bernard Pretty Purdie, stepping out here in a batch of instrumentals that may well be his greatest album ever! Bernard's drums are right up front in the mix – leading off all tunes with a full, funky, echoey... read more

Funky big band work from Bill Pursell – a set that's got some of the disco charm you'd expect from the image on the cover – but one that also has some other jazzy elements too! There's not really a Nashville sound to the record – at least not in country music terms – and if... read more

Wonderful grooves from Push – a funky ensemble who flourished in the Seattle scene at the end of the 70s – turning out some really massive sounds in the clubs, and in the studio! This collection's the only one we've ever seen of their work – a much-needed testament to their stone... read more

An overlooked gem from the killer soul years at Capitol Records – the only record we've ever seen from Pyrymyd, a group with grooves as angular as their name! The tunes have a mix of bassy funk and clubby rhythms – that sweet 80s groove style that nobody seemed to do better than... read more

A brilliant collection of work from this overlooked Chicago soul singer – a set that brings together his whole 1974 album for Dakar, plus bonus singles from his late 70s years at Chi-Sound Records! First up is the sublime I Enjoy Loving You – one of a rare few albums cut by Sidney Joe... read more

An undisputed funk classic – even back in the days before anyone ever said the phrase "funk classic"! This album must have been deleted the day it came out – because even though it's attained legendary proportions with groovers worldwide, it's always been hard to find –... read more