Soul — In Stock — LPs  

An incredible funky soundtrack – one of the best of the blacksploitation generation, and one of the rarest too! Johnny Pate did the orchestrations for this excellent lost film, and he brought the same sort of energy to it that he did with his soundtrack for Shaft In Africa. There's some... read more

One of the greatest blacksploitation soundtracks ever – a massively beautiful record that goes beyond any cliches of the genre, and serves up a fantastically unique batch of tracks! Chisoul arranger Johnny Pate did the music for the film – and (dare we say it?) it's even greater that... 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 early album from Billy that has him singing in a mixed jazz and soul vein, with a sound that's similar to some of Nina Simone's great live albums from the time! Billy's singing with a small piano trio, and his voice is rich and soulful in a way that you don't always get on his later... read more

A weird one, but pretty compelling. Cyril Paul is an African American folk singer – less in the mode of jazz/soul folkies like Terry Callier or Oscar Brown, than in the style of the New York/Boston new traditionalists of the early 60s. At most levels, the album's a straight folk one –... read more

A heck of a cool group – with a really wonderful sound! The Peddlers were a late 60s British trio, with a sound that's part soul, part jazz, part supper-club vocals – all done with a clean, clear, hard-grooving approach – and strong instrumentation that often includes a heavy... 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

As perfect a summation of the Teddy Pendergrass genius as you'll ever hope to find – a magnificent maturation of that incredible sound he first forged with Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, set forth in even more confident, sophisticated soul territory! As with the Melvin albums, there's a... read more

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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

The second album by this sublime 70s soul harmony group – and a real treasure trove of under-discovered soul numbers all the way through! Most tracks are written by group member Bobby Poindexter – making for a fresh, unified batch of tunes – handled by the quartet in a style that'... read more

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Unlike a lot of the group's other records from the early 70s – most of which are all-acapella – this one features the group's rich harmony vocals backed by some heavier funk arrangements. Far from wrecking their sound, this approach actually makes them sound a lot better – and... read more

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George Clinton may have pretty well disbanded Parliament and Funkadelic by the time the 80s came around, but the Mothership is still soaring highly on this first album from the P-Funk All Stars project – featuring some (but not all) of George Clinton's better players from various groups! ... read more

The great Luv N' Haight album of unreleased material by legendary Chicago soul jazz group Pharaohs – live tracks that serve as a vital document of the group outside the studio! There's 5 long tracks here, 4 of them recorded live, plus an unreleased gem from the Awakening sessions. Standouts... read more

One of the deepest soul sets from Esther Phillips' 70s years on Kudu Records – a set with some nicely gritty grooves and a surprisingly earthy feel at times – especially when compared to some of her other albums of the time! Backings are by James Brown's old reedman, Pee Wee Ellis... read more

One of the deepest soul sets from Esther Phillips' 70s years on Kudu Records – a set with some nicely gritty grooves and a surprisingly earthy feel at times – especially when compared to some of her other albums of the time! Backings are by James Brown's old reedman, Pee Wee Ellis... read more

A pretty amazing, and too long overlooked set from Esther Phillips – here final album for Kudu – and a beautiful mix of soaring soul sounds from one the most unique, emotionally inflected and diverse soul vocalists of her era! Esther's in prime Kudu mode here – working with jazzy... read more

One of our favorite-ever albums from Esther Phillips – an album that really helped her transform her sound for the 70s! The approach here is a lot more jazzy than before – served up with a good dose of funk, thanks to arrangements from Pee Wee Ellis – fresh from his work with... 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

Not as completely sublime as some of Phillips' other records from the 70s, but with some jazzy touches that takes it past the hippy folk sound, into the farther reaches of the cosmic soul universe. Includes the jazzy instrumental "Planscape", which has a heavy fusion groove – plus... 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

There's no knocking Wilson Pickett here – as his funky groove is still right on the money, set up in some sweet Muscle Shoals arrangements, at a level that's right up there with his first recordings for Atlantic Records! Production is by Brad Shapiro and Dave Crawford, who bring in a few... read more

Harder to find album by The Wicked Pickett, recorded in Muscle Shoals, and released with a cover that has him shooting pool with a bunch of ladies. Not really the gangster stuff the cover might imply, but still some nice modern southern soul. Cuts include "What Good Is a Lie", "I... read more

A breakout record that forever put Wilson Pickett at the top of the heap for mainstream 60s soul – thanks to the oft-covered, endlessly played "Mustang Sally" single that leads off the set! And although the groove established by that track helped Pickett establish an audience on... read more

The rare late 60s album by Plant And See! The record is a great mix of psych and soul released on White Whale – the adventurous label home of fellow funk rock/country soul genre buster Jim Ford – and another essential gem! Led by Native American guitarist and lead vocalist Willie... 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

Fantastic jazz funk by one of the best bands in the genre! This is probably Pleasure's most sought-after album, and it includes the classic breakbeat cut "Bouncy Lady", which begins with a nice hard drumbreak, and ends the same way! The record has a tight, smooth, soulful feel –... 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

A great step into the 80s for The Pointer Sisters – a record that has them bringing in themes that are a bit more soulful than some of their previous efforts! The album's still got all the big crossover potential of their other hits – but the groove's got a solidly soulful vibe overall... read more

The Pointer Sisters were superstars before 1983's Break Out, and this appropriately titled album shot them to stratospheric heights in popularity – with good reason, as this is some of the catchiest, hookiest pop and/or soul of the past few decades! Stellar Pointer Sisters vocals and the... read more

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

What a weird group! Port Authority were all members of the US Navy – and the Navy evidently supported them big, because they released this album themselves! The group's got a funky sound that mixes up soul and rock – mostly soul on the instrumentation, with some occasional bad white... read more

One of the coolest, grooviest cats who ever cut a record – an an artist with a really unique conception at the time of these recordings! Roy Porter got his start as a drummer during the bebop years, and worked hard on the LA scene of the R&B and soul scenes of the 50s and 60s – but... read more

Billy Preston & Syreeta handled the music for this slightly-lame, kind of strange Gabe Kaplan vehicle from the late 70s. The music is relatively fine, although the album lacks any totally funky moments. Instrumentals include "Books & Basketball", "Half Time", "The... read more

The title says funky, but this one's more of a batch of soul jazz tracks – largely instrumental numbers, handled in a swinging style that's got traces of soul and R&B, and which matches the backings you might have heard on Lloyd's albums from the late 50s or early 60s. The record's quite... read more

A cool Specialty Records compilation – with three cuts each by the four stars on the cover!... read more

Prince in a grand groove – actually a better record overall than Around The World In A Day, and one of our favorite Prince albums! Sure, it was the soundtrack to a film that flopped – and that might be the reason this one can get slighted in discussion of his better albums. This one... read more

An overlooked record in the grand scheme – which is unforgivable in our book! This self-titled album Prince's second LP, and already his vision is becoming a little more focused, and you could really hear the seeds of his later efforts – and really remarkable, unique, and fascinating... read more

One of the greatest crossover albums of the 80s – and the record that catapulted Prince very firmly into the mainstream! There's a tightness here that surpasses even that of Prince's early classics for Warner Brothers – an unabashed love of a pop hook that makes for some incredibly... read more

A second set of Time-like groovers from Process & The Doo Rags – a near-lost mid 80s harmony group, produced and arranged by Rick James, with a sound that's clearly going for the Morris Day groove! The overall sound is actually quite nice, though – hardly the weak copycat sound... read more

A full album of Canadian disco from the mighty Suzy Q – an album that follows nicely on her hit of the same name! The tunes here almost have a slightly new wave feel at times – still disco mostly, but with some angular touches that almost hint at the artier side of the clubs –... 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

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An obscure bit of Chicago jazz – featuring vocalist Luba Raushiek, kind of a self-styled spiritualist, with an approach that hits both traditional modes, and more far-out soulful ones – running through styles that range from Leon Thomas to Billy Eckstine, as was typical for a small club... read more

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A pretty great little live set – recorded in Central Park in the late 60s, before a very large crowd! Lou sounds great, as always – and the Ramsey Lewis material is very much in the spirit of the live mid 60s Cadet recordings. Maxine Brown is the real treat, though, as the live... read more

Some of the tightest funky 70s jamming ever – a lost gem from Ray & His Musical Court, a group that perfectly fuses JB/Horny Horns funk with beat-heavy Afro-Cuban groove! Ray and the group are one of the more obscure funky combos of the era, and it's a damn shame, because the group's... read more

Sweet silky harmony soul from the trio of Harry Ray, Billy Brown, and Al Goodman – the group's first album under a new name – after some previous indie work as The Moments! The album's got the group really stepping up with a rich new sound – drawing on all the best elements of... read more

Probably the best album Ray, Goodman, and Brown cut after they dissolved The Moments, and moved to Polydor. Despite some more modern soul production than their classic recordings, their harmonies are excellent, and their voices are in totally top form. The LP includes their classic "Happy... read more

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An excellent album by Isaac Redd Holt – one half of the incredible Young-Holt rhythm team, bursting out nicely here on his own! This is Redd's second album – first for Paula, as the other one was a jazz effort on Argo back in the 60s – and it's a wild blend of jazz, funk, and a... read more

A very cool idea – and a set that works together almost as a "lost" Otis Redding album – from the cover art right down to the grooves on the disc! The package focuses on the deepest, bluest side of Otis Redding – his amazing talent for a heartbreaking song and a sad-ting... read more

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Not just Jimmy Reed – as the album features work by Phil Upchurch on bass and Al Duncan on drums, plus some great uncredited organ too – but the album's still a great chance to hear the great one at all his stripped-down best! Jimmy really dominates on vocals and guitar, and some... read more

Della swings it hard this live set from the 60s – with backing from John Cotter, in a style that's jazzy, bouncy, and swinging! Even the mellower tracks are done in a tightly snapping style that's every bit the best approach that Della brought to vocals – a bit of soul in the... read more

Sure, it's the 70s – but this album's still got some excellent moments on it, like the amazing track "Bless You", which is worth the price of the album alone! The cut was written by The Corporation, and it's got this incredible wall of sound arrangement, with Martha singing verse... read more

A great bit of soul from Clarence Reid – otherwise known as Blowfly – and a key album in the Miami scene at the end of the 60s! Clarence is working here in a very classic Atlantic records style of soul – with all the rootsy southern elements of the previous southern work at... read more

The first full length from Rene & Angela for Capitol – a tight batch of modern soul that sounds great to this day! There's a mixture of sweet duet soul with the best kind of 80s grooving – clearly inspired by Ashford & Simpson, but also with a strong sound of its own. Skip... read more

A solid smoker from the lesser-known Jeannie Reynolds – a hell of a 70s soul singer, and one who should have been huge – especially given the rich vocals on this set! Jeannie's brother LJ Reynolds handles production this time around, and he brings in a nice sharper edge to the set... read more

A killer album of modern soul from ex-Dramatics singer LJ Reynolds! The album's in a modern Detroit mode all the way through – with top-shelf production by Reynolds, Don Davis, and Ronnie McNeir – and Ronnie, who'd been lost to the industry for a few years, also re-emerges as a writer... read more

The third in a really great run from Rhythm Heritage – a group who continued to hold up a strong level of instrumental quality, despite the fact that they'd topped the charts, and were smack right in the middle of the LA studio scene at the time! Part of the credit goes to producer/arranger... read more

One of the heaviest funk records ever to come out of Indy in the 70s – a super-dope batch of ensemble grooving with plenty of odd twists and turns! At one level, the group work in a familiar Earth Wind & Fire-styled vibe – mixing heavy bass, funky rhythms, and lots of great horns... read more

A great mix of symphonic disco and Latin hustle – one of the more compelling moments from The Rice & Beans Orchestra, served up with some tight arrangements by Hector Garrido! There's a nice blend of New York and Miami modes going on here – and the proceedings are largely... read more

Sweetly stepping funk from The Rimshots – here moving from their rawer early sound into a tighter mode that was much more in keeping with the Philly scene of the time! The set's got a really full ensemble group feel – similar to other All Platinum classics by Brand New Funk and Wood... read more

Probably the funkiest record ever by this landmark soul combo! The Rimshots are one of these groups that you always find their later work, but in their early days they were an absolutely killer combo – with a hard funky groove that virtually defined the funky 45 sound. In fact, their... read more

An excellent bit of spacey club grooves from the enigmatic Rinder & Lewis team! The record has a sweet jazzy vibe that's different than some of their other records – and which seems to share equal parts influence from Kraftwerk, Larry Mizell, and Tangerine Dream. Includes the great... read more

The last album ever from the amazing Minnie Riperton – and one of her greatest records as well! The album was sadly issued after Minnie's untimely early passing from this planet – but it's a heavenly batch of tunes that definitely shows that her love of music lives forever –... read more

Minnie's last LP – or at least the last LP released while she was alive – and a wonderful batch of jazzy modern soul cuts that gives a good indication of the direction that Minnie might have gone in the 80s. The album's got plenty of great guest players – including Minnie's... read more

Minnie Riperton's first album for Epic – and the record that broke her from a hip Chicago underground artist into one of the seventies' biggest soul divas! The record moves past the baroque soul of Minnie's early years with Rotary Connection and Charles Stepney – and hits a mix of... read more

Along with Perfect Angel and Adventures In Paradise, this is one of the key albums of Minnie's career – recorded when she was at the height of her power, forging a whole new soul sound that mixed her incredible voice with jazzy modern arrangements that were a few years ahead of most of the... read more

One of those funk classics that was a funk classic even back in the days when nobody was talking about funk classics! Ripple were an obscure little group of southern players, and although they later went onto cut a disco record for Salsoul, this first album is still their most enduring legacy. ... read more

One of those funk classics that was a funk classic even back in the days when nobody was talking about funk classics! Ripple were an obscure little group of southern players, and although they later went onto cut a disco record for Salsoul, this first album is still their most enduring legacy. ... read more

An obscure soundtrack with music by Howard Roberts – not the guitar player, but the arranger who also directed the Howard Roberts Chorale. The album is a weird blend of funk, African leanings, and gospel influences – with a heavy full-on approach that makes the best cuts groove like... read more

Although vocal arranger Howard Roberts (not the guitarist) made some nice funky records in his time, this is a fairly traditional batch of spirituals, augmented by African production, and packaged in a style that's designed to appeal to the white liberal – even though the conception of the... read more

The only album we've ever seen by Johnny Robinson – a rare non-Hi Records set produced by Willie Mitchell, with a sound that's as deeply soulful as some of the best indie work coming out of the Memphis scene in the 60s! Willie's style here is rougher than that used with Al Green or Ann... read more

Warm thoughts, and equally warm vocals – thanks to the legendary Smokey Robinson, who's still sounding great here at the start of the 80s! The record's surprisingly charming – and has the laidback, mellow-going sort of sound that Robinson first crafted on Quiet Storm – but... read more

Smokey and the group do a great job on some lesser-known numbers – all presented with that wonderful warm polish that The Miracles brought to soul, a sound that's always great, even on a lesser-hit album like this! Titles include "Give Her Up", "Special Occasion", "Ye... read more

Full on disco from Vicki Sue Robinson – a bit crossover at times, but handled with a top-shelf approach all the way through! Maestro Warren Schatz produced and arranged the set – and the tunes have a smoothly grooving approach that really lets Vicki flow out nicely in advance of the... read more

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Nile Rodgers is working here away from Chic – but his sound here is definitely in that classic lean, mean mode – lots of compressed guitar bits riffing over the rhythms, every bit as catchy and captivating as ever! The grooves break out nicely from the standard Chic mode – almost... read more

Crisply popping funky grooves from Roger – an underappreciated mid 80s solo record from the voice of Zapp! The Saga Continues finds Roger still rocking his trademark effects laden vocals and vamping guitar work well into the middle of the decade – with even tighter syncopated... read more

The surprisingly hard-to-find Philles album by The Ronettes – and an appropriately-titled one – as this pop soul masterpiece is fabulous, to say the least! To say a bit more, this incredible record, with Ronnie Spector shining brightly out front (she's the Veronica they're featuring,... read more

An overlooked late 70s set from Rose Royce – not as hitmaking some of their other albums, but actually pretty darn great – thanks to some rock-solid production from Norman Whitfield! The album's a perfect illustration of the way that Whitfield expanded his earlier funky sound with the... read more

Rose Royce in perfect hit mode – blending older styles of harmony soul and rolling funk with some of the late 70s better advances in production. Norman Whitfield's really pushing himself here, and if he only did one thing on this planet, we'd give him a big award for his wonderful work on... read more

A solid bit of heavy funk – and one of the last strong-selling soundtracks of the blacksploitation era! Sure, you know the hit "Car Wash", but there's plenty of other great numbers that rank the 2LP set right up there with the best of its genre. There's a lot of nice instrumentals... read more

A great early solo set from Diana Ross – a record that still has some great echoes of her work with The Supremes, but an even bolder frontline approach on vocals! Most tracks here still have other female voices backing Ross up – some un-credited Supremes-esque vocals that really help... read more

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A massively beautiful piece of work by "the new Rotary Connection" – a version of this groundbreaking Chicago soul ensemble which featured Phil Upchurch, Henry Gibson, and Charles Stepney – the cream of the Chicago production scene! Minnie Riperton's still in the band on... read more

One of the best Rotary Connection albums for Cadet – with an incredible baroque spacey soul sound that still feels very fresh today! The group's vocals are especially eerie – and float around these wild arrangements by Charles Stepney, peppered with strings, soul, fuzzy guitars, and... read more

The Rubber Band turn their talents towards The Beatles – after successful earlier albums based around the work of Cream and Jimi Hendrix! The sound here is a bit more playful than the funkier sets from before – almost whimsical at times, with instrumentation that does odd things with... read more

Funky funky Hendrix! The record's a surprisingly enjoyable batch of covers – all Jimi Hendrix tunes (save one), played by a funky combo with a very raw guitar in the front! There's plenty of pyrotechnics on the guitar, and the record has lots of solos, but there's also some good funky flute... read more

David Ruffin teams with Van McCoy for this sweet little set – and the result is a great batch of grooves that swell with Ruffin's soulful sound of the 70s, but sway with the warm McCoy dancefloor modes of the time! Van wrote nearly all the tracks in the set – and handled all... read more

David Ruffin at Warner Brothers – a very good thing, thanks to some sublime production from Detroit soul legend Don Davis! As with other key productions in the 70s, Don pitches Ruffin with a sound that's smooth, but still has a great sense of humanity – a style that's a bit like late... read more

David Ruffin's first solo album after leaving The Temptations – and a record that's as great as anything he ever recorded with the group! The album's got the general feel of Ruffin's lead vocal work on "I Wish It Would Rain" from the Temps years – with plenty of baroque soul... read more

A late 80s duo set from former Temptations David Ruffin & Eddie Kendricks! The Ruffin & Kendrick album for RCA (we didn't leave the -s off Eddie's last name, that's how he was billed at the time) finds both in excellent form vocally, and rather than making a neo-classic Motown vibe for the... read more