Soul — In Stock — LPs  

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Heavy dancefloor funk from ADC Band – grooving in a bass-heavy mode that almost seems like a mainstream take on P-Funk – but which also has some really great mellow soul elements on the mellower tunes! There's a great ensemble Detroit groove going on overall – and as an added... read more

They're not kidding with the name of this group – because the set's a masterpiece of 70s Afro Funk – totally great all the way through! The combo has African origins, but they're recording here in London – which makes for a really wonderful criss-crossing of cultural modes –... read more

An album that definitely lives up to its title – as congolero Francisco Aguabella comes on hard, hitting strong throughout – and serving up a wicked blend of Latin, funk, and soul! The mid 70s set is a standout recording from Aguabella – done after he left the group Malo, and one... read more

A return to Stax by Rance Allen – his first album for the label after a stellar set for Capitol, and a much smoother set than before! Rance has learned from his work with Larry Mizell on Capitol, and is using a warmer glide on his tracks on this set – arrangements mostly done by... read more

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The major label debut of Amuzement Park – almost more obscure than the indie set that preceded it, and kind of in a different mode altogether! There's still a boogie groove to most of the set, but the group are also funking things up a bit more – possibly following a Minneapolis... read more

Righteous soul, but with a wicked groove too – a killer set from Aquarian Dream, made even better by some great Norman Connors production! In a way, Aquarian Dream were to Norman Connors what Ramp were to Roy Ayers – in that the group wasn't really that dominated by Connors, but they... read more

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Bass heavy funk from Arrington – picking up where that Slave groove left off, moving into a mode that's also picked up bits of 80s groove and old school rhythms. Titles include "Nobody Can Beat You", "You Meet My Approval", "Speak With Your Body", "Weak At... read more

A mid 80s classic from Atlantic Starr – at the height of their catchy commercial fame – bouncing along with rhythms that crossover nicely to the mainstream, yet still keep a bit of their previous funky edge intact! The groove here is almost in the style that Atlantic Starr inspired in... read more

The first album by Atlantic Starr – a tight set of modern soul tunes with a very different feel than their later work! Part of the credit goes to Bobby Eli – who arranged and produced the set, giving it a feel that's almost late Philly – tight, sophisticated, and right on the... read more

Unreleased soul from Vince Broomfield – a singer and saxophone player with a warm and smooth style! The work here is all from private recordings of the late 80s and early 90s, and has a sound that echoes mainstream R&B of the period, but which is served up in a much more stripped-down... read more

No honking here, as Sil Austin takes his deeply soulful tenor sax, and turns it to a set of creamy late-nite tracks – all done over some very "pretty" backings, ala the Verve strings work of Ben Webster or Lester Young. Most cuts have voices in with the orchestrations – and... read more

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If you need to own one album by Average White Band, this is it! The album features the band at their funky best – playing hard and chopping away with a strong crossover sound that put them firmly on the map during the early 70s. Loads of tight rolling basslines and hard drums – all... read more

What can we say? This is one of the greatest soul soundtracks ever! In a market that was dominated by the big-selling Shaft and Superfly albums, Roy slipped in this masterful blend of jazzy vibes and wah wah funk that's easily one of the best-composed records of the blacksploitation genre! The... read more

What can we say? This is one of the greatest soul soundtracks ever! In a market that was dominated by the big-selling Shaft and Superfly albums, Roy slipped in this masterful blend of jazzy vibes and wah wah funk that's easily one of the best-composed records of the blacksploitation genre! The... read more

What can we say? This is one of the greatest soul soundtracks ever! In a market that was dominated by the big-selling Shaft and Superfly albums, Roy slipped in this masterful blend of jazzy vibes and wah wah funk that's easily one of the best-composed records of the blacksploitation genre! The... read more

One of Roy Ayers' biggest albums ever! The whole thing's an incredible album of mellow jazzy soul – and it shows Roy at the crossroads, perfecting his earlier funk style with a sweet mellow R&B edge, getting a bit slicker, but still staying on the righteous path, and opening up a whole... read more

A great little album by Roy Ayers – one that features none of his hits, but which has great examples of both sides of Roy's talents at the time. The dancefloor side of Roy kicks in with "Love Will Bring Us Back Together", an extremely catchy groover that's very much in the mode of... read more

Roy Ayers in a seductive mid 80s mode – his first for Columbia – and a record with some incredibly nice moments that blow away most of his contemporaries! The synth soul and drum machine era might seem like an odd fit for Roy's jazzy vibes, but it actually works really well here! You... read more

Pure magic from the height of Roy Ayers' classic 70s run on Polydor – a record that's filled with warm, jazzy grooves – all served up in that unique style that Roy was forging at the time! The album perfectly balances dancefloor tracks with mellower numbers – stepping out one... read more

An archetypal album by Roy – and one that really shows him at the turning point! Gone are the trippier jazz funk moments of earlier albums – and in their place are some tight grooves and wonderfully spacey soul. Roy hits the dancefloor with one of his first uptempo funk numbers "B... read more

An archetypal album by Roy – and one that really shows him at the turning point of his sound! Gone are the trippier jazz funk moments of earlier albums – and in their place are some tight grooves and wonderfully spacey soul. Roy hits the dancefloor with one of his first up-tempo funk... read more

Seminal early funk work from Roy Ayers! The record catches him at that perfect point when he was turning from a straight jazz player into a sinister force in 70s funk – and the group on the session includes super-hip soul jazz giants like Charles Tolliver, Sonny Fortune, and Harry Whitaker,... read more

One of the best early soul albums by Roy Ayers! Roy's working here with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Edwin Birdsong, William Allen, Harry Whitaker, and other hip players – a perfect crew to forge Roy's unique blend of jazz and soul. This is perhaps the first record to really have Roy stretching out... read more

One of Roy Ayers' greatest albums of the 70s – a set that tightens up the groove from previous Polydor productions, yet still keeps all the soul intact! The record picks up the style begun with the Mystic Voyage album, and pushes it to some slightly tighter territory – a more focused... read more

A far-reaching early gem from Roy Ayers – a set that's much more jazz-based than his later work, and a record that has him touching base with the Blue Note and Strata East sides of the jazz spectrum! The lineup here is incredibly hip – a mix of players that includes a young Charles... read more

A brilliant funky soundtrack – with great work from a number of different artists! The Buddah soul stable came out in full force for this soundtrack, including Harvy Fuqua, The New Birth, Barbara Mason, and Horace Ott – as well as the little known group Badder Than Evil! They play on... read more

JR's cut some records that have a rootsier feel – but this one features smooth modern arrangements and production by Phil Medley and Buddy Scott. The set begins with an uptempo clubby remake of "Taste of Honey", and also features a nicely grooving take on "Stella By... read more

Later Atlantic work by LaVern Baker – almost more traditional than her earlier sides! The album has LaVern singing with arrangements by Clyde Otis – lusher backings than in earlier years, giving the record a classic 60s bluesy sort of approach. Titles include "Endless Love",... read more

Proof that even a move to a major label couldn't keep the Bar-Kays down – as the group are working here in a great groove that's wider, fresher, and stronger overall than any of their Stax albums! Sure, the whole thing's not guitar-based funk all the way through, but the group are also... read more

The Bar-Kays' last album for Stax – most likely recorded in earlier years – and a surprisingly funky set that still holds onto the group of the group's earlier 70s work, while also pointing the way towards the future! The overall sound isn't nearly as slick as in the Mercury years, and... read more

One of the best instrumental records to come out of Memphis, and a real kicker by the funky band that went down with Otis Redding in the tragic plane crash in 1968! The leadoff track is the group's amazing hit "Soul Finger", a stormin' instrumental with a wailing brassy sound that... read more

Quite an unusual record from New Orleans R&B legend Dave Bartholomew – arranger, producer, and trumpeter – coming off here with more of a jazz sound than on his usual records! Despite the "New Orleans" and "House Party" in the title, the album's actually set of... read more

A fantastic bit of jazz funk fusion – and one of the landmark 70s albums produced by Larry Mizell! This is Gary Bartz's second (and most amazing) collaboration with Larry Mizell – a studio genius who could focus on the best talent of a jazz artist, then expand it using additional... read more

Titles include "Promises", "From Now On", "Freeze Thaw", "How Dare You", "Astrud", and "Miles Away".... read more

The record that defined a generation, and a set with some surprisingly nice soul tracks, too – including "Open Sesame" by Kool & The Gang, "Disco Inferno" by The Trammps, "KJEE" by MFSB, "Calypso Breakdown" by Ralph MacDonald, "Fifth Of... read more

An incredible bit of southern funk – the first landmark LP by Archie Bell & The Drells, and the first big burst of energy from the Texas scene of the 60s! The album's incredible – with Archie up front on rough-hewn vocals, the band grooving in a mad tangle of guitar, bass, and... read more

A really strong late 80s set from Regina – bringing in more smooth soul touches than the more dancefloor ready predecessor – which make for an even finer showcase for Regina's beautiful voice. Titles include "Baby Come To Me", "When Will You Be Mine", "What... read more

A super huge hit for George – the record that took him from being a funky jazz guitarist into an R&B superstar! The album features George playing and singing over arrangements by Claus Ogerman – some of Ogerman's best of the 70s, ones that mix together his trademark pillow of sound... read more

Yipes! This one made everyone a bucket of money – especially Quincy Jones, whose new Qwest imprint the record was one of the first to grace. George has come a long way from his roots with Jack McDuff here – but in a way that kind of has us impressed, as he's grooving away slickly on... read more

A great set of 70s indie blues – issued at the end of the decade, but with a sound that's much more old school overall! The album was cut at a time when Buster was a key underground figure on the Chicago scene – and it's got a solid, classic approach that's very much in the 60s... read more

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One of the wildest albums by the funky conga player. The title track, "Lion Walk" runs through all of side one, and has a weird, tripped-out sloppy funk feel, with guitar and sax solos over Big Black's moody congas. Side two has three long songs, with a groove that's not as good, but... read more

Way more than you might expect from the legendary Big Maybelle – a smoking collection of soulful tunes that goes way beyond her early blues of the 50s, and shows the lady to be one heck of a funky singer – on a par with the best 60s work from Etta James at Chess! The cuts here are... read more

A dancefloor classic! The album's the second by Gregg Diamond's Bionic Boogie, and head and shoulders above the rest – a sublime blend of soul and club that's hardly been matched again! Diamond manages to make things groove, but never loses sight of the soulful styles that make the record... read more

A fantastic record – one of Birdsong's rare early ones, with a messed-up approach to funk that he rarely matched again! The album was cut at the time Birdsong was working with Roy Ayers – but it was produced by Birdsong himself, and he also handled all the keyboards on the set. The... read more

A searing debut from Black Heat – one of the best funk acts to record for Atlantic during the 70s, and a tight little group with a sound that's a mixture of New Orleans funk and New York heavy! The album's got a bit of vocals – figuring in on about half the tracks – but the main... read more

A stone classic from Black Heat – the group's second album, and even tighter than their first! The group's size has dropped a bit between albums – but that only helps them cook even more – dropping a bit of the horn section from before, which allows even more emphasis on their... read more

A pivotal album for the group – released at a time when Black Ivory, like so many other east coast vocal groups, was making the transition away from an older sweet soul style to a more sophisticated club vocal sound. The group's producing themselves here – and we're guessing that most... read more

A pretty darn cool little record – even if it is a bunch of cover versions! As the title proclaims, the set presents the winners of a US Army competition for its members stationed in Europe in the early 70s – one that chose The Black Seeds for side one of the album, and Sound Trek for... read more

A great little sleeper from the Blackbyrds – a record that never gets as much due as their earlier records that have a hard funky feel, but offer instead a tasty batch of smoother jazz funk numbers that show the group still continuing to grow. Donald Byrd's still at the production helm... read more

A jazz funk masterpiece, and THE record by the legendary Don Blackman – the only one issued under his own name for many many years, and a famous little set that's been sampled endlessly over the years, and for good reason! The vibe here is one that's barely been matched again – a blend... read more

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A lost southern soul gem – cut at the end of the 70s, in that rare blend of southern and modern styles that few performers could really carry off well! Frederick Knight produced the album, and it really steps off of his own mellow work of earlier years – taking things even further,... read more

A fantastic bit of soul and house that was woefully overlooked at the time of its release – and one of our favorite albums of the past 25 years! The Blaze production team had been hitting the underground club scene hard for a few years with their raw New Jersey house singles – then... read more

Excellent stuff from Blow Fly – and a great bit of funk that's a hilarious parody of disco! Blow's band funks it up with riffs that you'd hear from The JBs, BT Express, or other groups of the time – while Blow himself sings these very off-color, and very funny lyrics that rip off the... read more

Here's a record we wish they would have used for the soundtrack to Happy Days – Blowfly cashing in on the 50s craze in the 70s, and offering up his own off-color version of a number of classic oldies! The sound is pretty darn goofy, but also has links to Blow's roots as singer Clarence Reid... read more

Well of course the guy's a porno freak – after all, his albums of the 70s were as close to audio porn as you'll ever get! And on this album, Blowfly's certainly keeping things below the belt – working in a style that's a bit tighter than before, and with some nice P-Funk touches, plus... read more

Blowfly changes up his groove nicely for the 80s – taking on a tightly-stepping approach to funk that's clearly inspired by some of the changes on the west coast scene – using Zapp-ish rhythms in a mode that ends up working pretty darn well for his off-color spoken lyrics! There's... read more

An Arista winner from Angela Bofill – one that has her working strongly with Narada Michael Walden – who helps Bofill on production and songwriting for part of the album, and really helps bring a nicely solid feel to the set! The tunes are more in an 80s soul mode than before for Angie... read more

A righteous bit of soul – one of the only non-jazz albums we've seen on the Muse label, and a really great session that reminds us of work by Alice Clark and Esther Marrow – two other overlooked 70s soul singers who also recorded for jazz labels! Rickie's got a deep soul approach to... read more

Excellent early funk from Bohannon – a mixture of scattershot drums and tight bass jumping grooves, very different than most other funk from the time, with a freer approach to rhythm that really makes the record unique. Bo's got a great sense of the groove – as you'll hear on the album'... read more

A nice disco record from Hamilton Bohannon. The album mainly contains uptempo dance numbers but there are a few slower songs like "Daddy's Little Son" – a dedication to his son whose picture is on the cover of the album. The other tracks are "Andrea", "But What Is A... read more

A killer bit of early funk from the great Hamilton Bohannon – and quite possibly his best album! The album's much better than some of his later LPs – with a slower funk sound than Bohannon's fast disco of the late 70s, and a wild approach to rhythm that mixed together scatter-shot... read more

One of the more guitar-driven groups on the West End label at the end of the 70s – an outfit with a really great approach to cutting longer dancefloor grooves! Tracks on the album have a nice tight feel that's echoed strongly by the guitar and keyboard work on the tracks – not as... read more

Titles include "Quarter To Three", "Dear Lady Twist", "School Is Out", and "New Orleans" by Gary US Bonds, "If You Wanna Be Happy" and "Twisting Matilda" by Jimmy Soul, "High School USA" by Tommy Facenda, "Working For My... read more

A surprisingly great album by Booker T – recorded after his Memphis years with The MGs, and his duets with Priscilla – and done in a sweetly mellow style that has Booker emerging as a whole new style of songwriter! As with all the post-MG albums, Booker sings lead vocals on all tracks... read more

The Beatles had Abbey Road – and Booker T & The MGs had McLemore Ave, the main street running outside the Stax studios, and a fitting title for the album that has them playing tunes from The Beatles' incredible Abbey Road album. If you've ever thought that Abbey Road was a soft-rock... read more

A wonderful soundtrack from Booker T & The MGs – a record that's probably much better remembered than the film for which it was written! The tunes show a whole new depth for the group – a style that still has some of the charm of their previous hits, but which also takes off in... read more

Soaring work from guitarist Michael Boothman – a record that's probably more in a soul instrumental mode than a jazz one – but which is plenty darn great, thanks to help from a variety of top-shelf talents! Boothman's working here with Leon Pendarvis – who plays keyboards on the... read more

Bootsy's still keeping the P-Funk flag flying high at the end of the 70s – arguably stepping out here with a sound that's got more of the Parliafunkadelicment elements intact than some of George Clinton's other spinoff groups! The tracks are long, and plenty jamming – still with plenty... read more

One of the hippest records ever to come out of Chicago – the sole recording by Boscoe, a group who was even more obscure and experimental than contemporaries like The Pharoahs or Artistic Heritage Ensemble! Like those groups, Boscoe has a very unique, very visionary approach – one that'... read more

Gritty, powerful raw soul from Charles Bradley – the full length debut from the 62-year-old Brooklyn singer – backed perfectly by The Menahan Street Band! It's incredible, a record that sounds just as rawly emotional and impeccably soulful in 2011 as it would have in 1971 – much... read more

Our favorite album by this overlooked 70s soul group! The album's a real club stormer from the old days – a soaring blend of upbeat tunes with a sound that's righteous and smooth, and never cloying. These guys are kind of riding on the high of an Earth Wind & Fire kind of groove –... read more

Six albums in, and these guys still aren't losing their groove – and if anything, they seem to be getting even tighter and funkier with the 80s groove generation! Randy Muller's still the main man making things happen here – giving the group their trademark horn sound, and that... read more

A landmark set from a group who only ever gave the world two albums – but who've gone on to have a huge influence over the years! This initial offering from Breakwater is a masterful blend of jazzy fusion and mellower soul – a sound sifted together so perfectly, it really tops the rest... read more

A landmark set from a group who only ever gave the world two albums – but who've gone on to have a huge influence over the years! This initial offering from Breakwater is a masterful blend of jazzy fusion and mellower soul – a sound sifted together so perfectly, it really tops the rest... read more

No splashdown here – as Breakwater are every bit as soaringly soulful as they were on their debut set! The groove here is that perfect blend of jazz and soul that only a few groups in the 70s really got right – maybe Pleasure, or The Blackbyrds – and most certainly Breakwater,... read more

That's Brenda & Herb, not Peaches & Herb – Herb Rooney and Brenda Reid of the excellent 60s group The Exciters – grooving together here in a really full-on vocal approach that's clearly inspired by the best aspects of Ashford & Simpson! Tracks have a lush, full feel –... read more

A killer debut from Brick – the start of a massive run at the end of the 70s, a time when the group was easily one of the biggest acts to come out of the up-and-coming Atlanta scene! Like some other Atlanta acts of the time, Brick had a way of fusing older funky soul on a tighter modern... read more

A tremendous bit of harmony soul from Chicago – one of the few cases where the Windy City really gave the east coast a run for its money – and the landmark album from teen soul quartet Brighter Side Of Darkness! Although young, Brighter Side managed to bring a depth to their work that... read more

Rough and raw work from Big Bill Broonzy – well-done sides that feature Bill on vocals and acoustic guitar, recorded in Paris in the early 50s, and issued here in a US package on the Scepter label! There's a pretty earthy feel to most of the tracks – a real "crossroads" feel... read more

Smooth ensemble funk – somewhere between Earth Wind & Fire and Average White Band – not bad on the vocals, which are mostly sung harmony style, but lacking a bit of an edge on the grooves, which never really seem to catch. Titles include "Top 40 Band", "Soul... read more

Smooth jazzy soul from the Brothers – still sounding wonderful at this point, producing themselves for the record, and using the best parts of all those lessons they learned from Quincy Jones! The bass is a bit down in the mix for this album – a good move, considering that 1981 was... read more

Damn, is this a great record! The album's not only one of the best blacksploitation soundtracks ever recorded, it's also one of James Brown's funkiest outings of the early 70s! Nearly every cut's a winner, and James gets some very funky help from The JBs, who groove hard on the best instrumental... read more

A stone classic from Brother James – a wonderful 60s album build around the incredible track "Cold Sweat", served up here in a massive two-part version, and surrounded by a good range of material that really show James in a great variety of styles! The Godfather's vocals burst out... read more

A stone classic from Brother James – a wonderful 60s album built around the incredible track "Cold Sweat", served up here in a massive two-part version, and surrounded by a good range of material that really show James in a great variety of styles! The Godfather's vocals burst out... read more

A darn hard to find album by James – one with a tight soulful R&B groove that just about never lets up! Even on these early albums, James had a great raw sound, with a kind of funk that wasn't his trademark 70s sound, but which is still nice and tasty. Titles include "Shout &... read more

A great double-length album from James – filled with a wide range of cuts that are brought together only by his genius, creating an insane mix of grooves that's totally entertaining throughout! Features a long version of "Get On The Good Foot", plus other excellent bits like "T... read more

James Brown screams at the beginning of the record – "I'm Back! I'm Back!" – which is his proclamation that he was ready to take on a whole new generation of funk music – grooving with a new sound that was guaranteed to hit as big as it did in earlier years! The... read more

A great little album by James Brown – and very different than his other work! He cut this one with the groovy Dee Felice Trio – a jazz-based combo that he recorded on their own for King, on another very rare, very excellent record. The band's in similar form here, although not... read more

Reissue of JB's wildest album, with a crazy cover that shows him running away from the devil, and great gatefold inner photo with him standing amidst a bunch of declarations of "Hell". Weird mix of music, but includes the epic 13 minute version of "Papa Don't Take No Mess", as... read more

A real killer from James Brown – and one of his most open-ended LPs of the early 70s! The record's got tracks that kind of go a lot further than those on many of James' other albums (except maybe Payback, which has loads of long cuts) – and it includes an extended 9 minute reading of... read more

A great lost album from James Brown – and totally funky! The record's got a super-hip cover that shows James standing in a blue room with three fine foxy ladies, and the words "I Can't Stand Myself When You Touch Me" are emblazoned across the top – and the whole thing's as... read more