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Some of the funkiest punk ever recorded! A Certain Ratio were an incredible band -- coming out of the Manchester scene that spawned Joy Division and other Factory Records bands -- working in a dark-tinged mode that was every bit the bleakness of late 70s England. But they also were tremendously... read more

One of the first artists to take the then burgeoning house sound into the top of the charts, this is Abrams' first LP. A lot of it is kind of middle of the road 80s groove soul, but we still love the huge hits "Trapped" and "I'm Not Gonna Let", with their synth melodies and... read more

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A tremendous debut from Ace Spectrum -- a harmony quartet who never cracked the charts as much as some of their east coast contemporaries, but who were every bit as great as the bigger names on the east coast scene! The album's got a soaring sound that's strongly influenced by Philly, but recorded... read more

A tremendous debut from Ace Spectrum -- a harmony quartet who never cracked the charts as much as some of their east coast contemporaries, but who were every bit as great as the bigger names on the east coast scene! The album's got a soaring sound that's strongly influenced by Philly, but recorded... read more

A masterpiece of east coast harmony soul -- and worth it for the title cut alone! Ace Spectrum are always pretty great, but on this album, they really bust out of the box with some of the most wonderful harmonies they've ever recorded -- set to impeccable arrangements by Patrick Adams, who hits... read more

A masterpiece of east coast harmony soul -- and worth it for the title cut alone! Ace Spectrum are always pretty great, but on this album, they really bust out of the box with some of the most wonderful harmonies they've ever recorded -- set to impeccable arrangements by Patrick Adams, who hits... read more

The second chapter in a mighty 70s trilogy from Ace Spectrum -- a killer set recorded for Atlantic Records, and easily some of the best group soul issued by the label in the decade! Ace Spectrum change things up a bit here from the obvious -- hitting a variety of modes that move between tightness... read more

The second chapter in a mighty 70s trilogy from Ace Spectrum -- a killer set recorded for Atlantic Records, and easily some of the best group soul issued by the label in the decade! Ace Spectrum change things up a bit here from the obvious -- hitting a variety of modes that move between tightness... read more

An excellent second album by Barbara Acklin -- filled with some wonderful original material, plus a few covers, redone in Barbara's killer Chisoul style! The album includes the great cut "Am I The Same Girl", a loping soul groover that was all set to be a big single for Barbara -- but... read more

Beatiful soul from one of Chicago's greatest female soul artists! Barbara Acklin was not only a great singer, but she also wrote an incredible batch of tracks during her years at the Brunswick label -- most of which were sung by her, and some of which became huge hits for other artists. This set... read more

An obscure soul group, but a great one -- equally at home with a fragile harmony tune as they were with more uptempo groovers for the dancefloor! This one and only album from Act One is a perfect illustration of the best two sides of the east coast indie soul scene of the early 70s -- because some... read more

Brilliant stuff -- and one of the greatest P&P singles ever! Marta Acuna's "Dance Dance Dance" is one of those tracks that we never tire of -- a sublime blend of Latin rhythms, warm disco vocals, and that great spacey P&P approach to production! Sweet female vocals glide in and... read more

TK produced disco track about the return of Darth Vader. Lots of upotempo disco grooves, and some synth sounds reminiscent of special effects from Star Wars.... read more

Art's sure making sure his lady gets her due on this one! But apart from an unweildy title, the album's a great set of smooth mellow soul numbers -- very much in the vein you'd expect from having "love" repeated so many times in the title. Backing is tighter than on Arthur's earlier... read more

Rootiser material than usual for Prelude -- recorded with a mix of southern soul and modern groove styles, a great platform for the vocals of Gayle Adams, one of the label's best singers! A few numbers are definitely aimed at the dancefloor -- like the moogy groover "Love Fever",... read more

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A massive look at the mighty pairing of Cannonball Adderley and David Axelrod -- a partnership that's way more than just jazz musician and producer! Axelrod's talents in the studio are many, but his greatest heights were possibly reached in collaboration with Cannonball -- a relationship that... read more

A killer album of Afro Funk -- with a very unusual origin! In the wake of Manu Dibango's big hit (and some kind of failure to register the copyright), many many versions of "Soul Makossa" were recorded and released, some good, some bad. This album is a good example of that situation --... read more

Smoking grooves from an incredible group -- the amazing Afro Blues Quintet, a combo with a sound like no other! These guys were never one for stardom, but during the mid and late 60s, they burned up the west coast scene with an incredible blend of vibes, piano, and reeds -- often kicked up nicely... read more

Titles include "Love Is A Gamble", "You Are My Trophy", "That's The Way It Is", "Somebody Messed Up (parts 1 & 2)", and "Drifting Apart".... read more

Unreleased work from Air -- aka the duo of Googie & Tom Coppola -- working here in a mode that's definitely got lots of 80s touches! Googie's vocals are as soulfully bold as on the pair's Columbia sides, but the instrumentation here is heavier on 80s keyboards, fuzzy guitar, and beats -- all... read more

Beautiful grooves from Googie & Tom Coppola -- working here under the name of Air, which hearkens back to their wonderful album for the Embryo label -- but sounding a lot more like their self-named duo who recorded for Columbia Records at the end of the 70s! The material here is previously... read more

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Weird funky rock album by this obscure band on Kama Sutra. The music's pretty funky and instrumental at times, but at other times, there's sort of these bad soulful rock vocals. The best tracks on here are the minute-long interludes between songs. They're all pretty funky, and they have no vocals... read more

One of the catchiest groovers ever to come from the P&P studios -- a snapping little tune that never gets old! There's a playfulness to the bassline here that we totally love -- a riffing quality that sounds great at the very first spin -- and which is followed up by vocals from Clyde that... read more

An overlooked set from the Bay Area scene -- one of the only albums cut by Lillian Alexander, a vocalist who'd previously worked with both the Grateful Dead and Marvin Holmes & The Uptights! Don't let her work with the Dead put you off, because this set's all-soul, all the way through -- a... read more

An overlooked set from the Bay Area scene -- one of the only albums cut by Lillian Alexander, a vocalist who'd previously worked with both the Grateful Dead and Marvin Holmes & The Uptights! Don't let her work with the Dead put you off, because this set's all-soul, all the way through -- a... read more

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Sublime soul by one of the 70s most overlooked artists! Rance Allen was a powerhouse -- born out of the gospel scene, and picked up by Stax records during its hip post-Atlantic years. Rance recorded for the label's Truth subsidiary, where he crafted a unique blend of gospel and soul that was some... read more

A beautiful mix of gospelly soul and heavy Memphis production -- and the kind of heavy soul album that made Rance Allen one of Stax's best new artists during the 70s! David Porter produced and arranged, and the album has some great electric keyboard work by Rance that provides a perfect... 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 producer Henry... read more

An amazing array of Afro Funk from the legendary Tony Allen -- 4 of his greatest albums ever, packaged together in a single set! The work here was all recorded hot on the heels of Tony's key years with Fela Kuti -- and shares a very similar approach to the groove -- long, stretched out passages... read more

Trumpety genius from Herb Alpert -- a cut that gave him one massive hit to close out the 70s, and a tune that crossed over big into clubs, radio, and plenty of shag-carpeted rec rooms too! And hey, it worked for BIG, right?... read more

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A fantastic album from Gerald Alston -- a tribute to the mighty Sam Cooke, but one that's sung with lots of Alston's own charm as well! We're normally not big fans of tribute sets like this, but the setting turns out to be a perfect one for Gerald -- a batch of classic tunes, recorded with a... read more

Early work by Amanda Ambrose -- Chicago-based singer who sang in a variety of styles that approached work by folk/soul/jazz singers like Oscar Brown Jr. and Nina Simone. This rare Dunwich album was recorded live at Chicago's Mother Blues nightclub, and it features Ambrose running through material... read more

Ok, we'll admit that most of this album is kind of weak -- and Amanda's a sort of Nina Simone wanna-be -- but there are a few nice songs on here with a pretty good groove! Both "Sad Songs" and "That's It" have some great arrangements that mix complicated guitar/bass/drum parts... read more

Ameega's a contemporary soul singer, but one with a real love for an 80s groove -- as you'll hear in this sweet second set! Amiga Lobo's the vocalist, arranger, and producer here -- and his groove is totally great -- a very authentic mix of beats, basslines, and keyboards that conjures up the best... read more

Rare funk from the Indy scene of the early 70s -- the long-overdue release of material recorded by a really hard-jamming, horn-heavy combo! Amnesty have a sound that's awash in the best large group influences of the time -- a bit of Earth Wind & Fire, a bit of Parliament/Funkadelic, but also a... read more

Great boogie from Amuzement Park -- a group that should have lasted longer than they did! "Groove Your Blues Away" is a snapping little jammer that builds up wonderfully -- bass hooking you in, snippets of horn adding soul, and ensemble vocals that really send the tune over the top! A... read more

Two albums back to back from Carl Anderson -- an overlooked singer from the early 80s, finally getting his due! Absence Without Love is a wicked little set from Anderson -- a singer who first found fame on the state, later sung in a spiritual world, but does an especially great job here! Anderson'... read more

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Some of the funkiest female soul ever recorded -- the near-complete work of James Brown diva Vicki Anderson, compiled here officially for the first time ever! Vicki was one of the first female singers to work with James -- replacing the sweeter style of vocalist Anna King in the James Brown Revue... read more

One of the few rare recordings by west coast vocalist Ernie Andrews -- a great little singer with an extremely soulful sound! Ernie's got a feel here that's quite a bit like that of his contemporary Lou Rawls during his Capitol years -- a mix of jazz and soul with traces of earlier R&B -- all... read more

An obscure little disco album from singer Ann-Margret -- one put together with the help of club maestro Paul Sabu, whose jamming little combo provide some of the nicest moments of the set! Ann-Margret herself is in that lusty 70s mode -- singing very breathily, very much from below the belt --... read more

Swingin Brazilian soul from Eduardo Araujo -- a late 60s groover that's steeped in the styles of Memphis and Muscle Shoals, but which also has a unique twist that's all its own! Eduardo's definitely in the "boogaloo" mode referred to in the title, as the album's a blend of the hard sock-s... read more

High-stepping disco from Arpeggio -- an album of longer tracks with a really soaring feel! The groove here is tight, but never schmaltzy -- with arrangements and production by Simon Soussan, and an overall feel that's more powerfully driven by the instrumentation in the set than the group's sweet... read more

High-stepping disco from Arpeggio -- an album of longer tracks with a really soaring feel! The groove here is tight, but never schmaltzy -- with arrangements and production by Simon Soussan, and an overall feel that's more powerfully driven by the instrumentation in the set than the group's sweet... read more

Post-Slave, post-Hall Of Fame -- but Arrington's still going strong, and really working that 80s groove that he helped invent back in the day! Tracks are leaner and simpler than you'd expect -- not a lot of nonsense, and a good focus on rhythmically catchy numbers. Titles include "Dancin In... read more

A nice little 80s groove single by Steve Arrington -- recorded back in the days when he could still kick it enough, and before his music had disintegrated into the cliches that he helped to form!... read more

An incredibly wonderful record from The Art of Noise -- their first full LP, following off of the ep Into Battle With -- and a much more open-ended array of beats, sounds, and that wonderful chunky Trevor Horn production! The album's got versions of some of the older singles -- like "Beat Box... read more

Killer work from this Chicago soul group -- a set that brings together all the beautiful best the Artistics recorded for Brunswick Records! At the label, the group had that soaring, lilting vibe that virtually defined the Chicago group sound at the end of the 60s -- a bit more punch than some of... read more

One of the first albums by this excellent Chicago vocal group -- a group who made it big on a track or two, but who managed to put out a great deal of excellent sides in their career! This album's from 1967, and it features a tight rendition of the band's sweet/sour style -- with great vocals by... read more

A rare effort by the excellent Chicago vocal group -- with some tasteful strings in the mix this time out -- bring a sophisticated soul approach to their indelible vocals! The 1967 album features a tight rendition of the band's signature sweet/sour style -- perhaps with a bit more emphasis on the... read more

Incredible work from the amazing Dorothy Ashby -- a brilliant set of funky and spiritual tunes, set to full backings from Chicago soul arranger Richard Evans! This album is easily one of Ashby's greatest, and it's dedicated to the writings of Omar Khayyam -- one of the forces guiding Dorothy's... read more

Always-great work from the team of Ashford & Simpson -- the kind of a record that has them at the top of their game, even though they'd changed their overall sound over the years! The vibe here is more in an 80s groove mode than some of the duo's Warner albums, but they've still got an... read more

By this point, Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson are firmly holding the foreground as artists in their own right after many years of acting as songwriters for other soul and R&B hitmakers, and this self produced album continues in their tradition of sophisticated soul and rich balladry. With a... read more

Excellent work from Ashford & Simpson -- with some modern soul groovers that are among the best they ever did! The album includes their original reading of "Top Of The Stairs", a great sexy soul duet that was later done by Collins & Collins -- and it's also got a fantastic... read more

Lost funky soul from Jersey -- incredible work by Tyrone Ashley & The Funky Music Machine -- a rare batch of gritty harmony soul and some mighty funky numbers! Tyrone, aka Sonny Campbell, and the Machines were contemporaries of the Parliaments and future P-Funkers George Clinton and Bernie... read more

Lost funky soul from Jersey -- incredible workby Tyrone Ashley & The Funky Music Machine -- a rare batch of gritty harmony soul and some mighty funky numbers! Tyrone, aka Sonny Campbell, and the Machines were contemporaries of the Parliaments and future P-Funkers George Clinton and Bernie... read more

An excellent CD that brings together some hard to find tracks recorded by two of the few vocal groups to record for the legendary Stax label! The Astors recorded during the mid 60's, and their work has a sound that's similar to some of the classic Stax recordings during the Atlantic years, but... read more

The title's certainly right on this one -- because Atlantic Starr serve up a really brilliant blend of electro funk and mainstream soul -- balanced with that near-perfect sound that made them one of the best groups of their generation! Despite the size of the combo, the sound is relatively lean --... read more

Radiant grooves indeed from Atlantic Starr -- a group who really make things sparkle throughout this magnificent set! The group are at the height of their powers here -- skirting a perfect line between mainstream soul and upbeat club -- never falling too much into one style or the other, and never... read more

A much funkier record than you'd guess from its tripped-out cover -- a rare bit of funk from the Austrian scene of the 70s, put together with some especially heavy drums! The album's got the appeal of some of the best obscure American indie sets from the time -- and it's got a blend of jazzy... read more

A wicked bit of 80s groove from this cool little combo -- a trio that features lead vocals from Cindy Mizelle and Stephen Miller, plus supporting vocals and keyboards from Khris Kellow! The groove here is nice and lean -- lots of bass and keys riffing out in a snapping, funky 80s groove sort of... read more

Brian Auger's first album away from singer Julie Driscoll -- and a landmark batch of funky organ work that made big waves in both the rock and jazz worlds at the time! Auger's really stretching out here -- getting past the simple R&B of his roots, and going into a bubbling funky style that's... read more

Two nice little groovers from Aura -- 80s club numbers with a sound that's less disco than some of the other work on Salsoul. "Are You Single" is really the best one here -- a catchy track with a really great hook, snapping along at a fast midtempo pace, with a clean and simple groove!... read more

Snapping beats and a really great 80s groove make "Checking You Out" one of Aurra's best tracks! The tune starts out slow, in a way that's perfect for bringing up out of a mix -- then the vocals come in with some nice electro undercurrents -- really making for a catchy appeal to the tune!... read more

The group's 3rd album for Salsoul -- still going strong in a bass-heavy 80s groove mode, with sweet female vocals by Starleana Young, and male vocals by Curt Jones that give the set a heavier soulful touch that keeps things real. Titles include "It's You", "Make Up Your Mind",... read more

A great batch of bass-heavy funk -- sweet 80s grooving from one of Salsoul's best groups of the time! Steve Washington plays bass, arranges, produces, and heads up the conceptual side of things -- and the group's a good mix of young players, with alternating male and female vocals throughout the... read more

A sweet little album of funky instrumental guitar! The record's one of the most obscure on the Westbound label -- and it features guitar player Donald Austin going to town on 13 short little cuts with a tripped-out funky groove -- sometimes fuzzy, usually funky, and always with that heavier kind... read more

A sweet blend of jazz and soul from Patti Austin -- recorded at Muscle Shoals studios, with a sound that's surprisingly rootsy on a few numbers! Patti's still got all the polish she picked up from her years with Quincy Jones, but she's also stepping out a bit more as an artist with a stronger... read more

A relatively recent set from Patti Austin, but a great one too -- an album that has her working in warmly jazzy arrangements that are much more restrained than her soul work of a few years before! There's a relaxed, easygoing feel to the set -- one that's somewhat smooth, as you might expect from... read more

Warm jazzy soul from Patti Austin -- a record that still holds strongly in the sound she pioneered with GRP Records in earlier years, proof that Austin was one of the leading lights of the label during its classic years! There's a few tinnier keyboards here than a decade ago, but there's plenty of... read more

An obscure group that we only know from this album, but one who's got some top-shelf production by 70s soul maestro Skip Scarborough, working here in more of an 80s styled blend of beats and keyboards! The style's a fair bit like more mainstream work on labels like Capitol and Atlantic -- tight... read more

Heavy funk from the glory years of Average White Band -- three albums on a single 2CD set! Cut The Cake is a killer -- and if you need to own one album by Average White Band, this may be it! The album features the band at their funky best -- playing hard and chopping away with a strong crossover... read more

Four massive albums from Average White Band -- served up in one 2CD package! Feel No Fret is a great set that showcases the group's best second suit -- their smooth compressed late 70s soul sound -- a great evolution of their earlier groove, and one that showed them as a great mainstream soul act!... read more

Their classic double live set from the mid 70s, and as tight a batch of grooves as you'll find on their studio albums! In fact, this one might even be tighter, as it's got a good set of classic tracks performed live, with a sound that's a little bit more uptight and open than the studio versions--... read more

Three albums' worth of material in one set -- given that the first album here was originally a 2LP set! Person To Person is Average White Band's classic double live set from the mid 70s, and as tight a batch of grooves as you'll find on their studio albums! In fact, this one might even be tighter... read more

The first chapter in the career of the Average White Band -- presented here on 3 mighty albums, plus bonus tracks! First up is Show Your Hand (also issued in the US as Put It Where You Want It). Average White Band are most clearly associated with Atlantic Records during the 70s -- and that label's... read more

Ben E King joins the Average White Band for this sweet 70s set -- a killer record that not only stands as one of King's best efforts of the decade, but one that also gives the group a great new frontman! Ben's not the only singer on the record, but his presence here can definitely be felt --... read more

An excellent album by Latin Soul arranger Harvey Averne! This set is miles ahead of Harvey's work from the 60s -- a heavy set of 70s grooves that has a lot of Chicano rock influences, and which mixes together percussion, electric guitar, soulful vocals, and plenty of other tasty instrumental... read more

A wicked album of Latin Soul tunes -- recorded by Harvey Averne, one of the heaviest hitting producers of the New York scene of the late 60s! The album's one of the few that Harvey issued under his own name, and it features him on piano and vibes, working with arrangements by Marty Sheller, and a... read more

One of David Axelrod's oddest records, but still a darn great one! The whole album is sort of a concept album about slavery (hence the title "The Auction"), and it has some spiritual political vocals on a number of tracks -- but underneath is the usual great funky instrumentation of... read more

Dub auteur Bill Laswell gets Bootsy Collins together with a motley crew of Material/Axiom cohorts for this trip-hopped out take on Jimmy Hendrix's already spacey classic number. Grandmaster D St, aka DXT produces, and Blackbyrd McKnight, Afrika Bambaata, Mudbone Cooper all lend a hand for a bottom... read more

A great album that Roy Ayers cut after his co-led record with Fela Kuti -- and one with the same sort of hard-driving Afro-Funk grooves that you'd find in Fela's classic recordings! The songs are shorter than Fela's, and with more of Roy's usual smooth jazzy production style -- but the overall... read more

A great album that Roy Ayers cut after his co-led record with Fela Kuti -- and one with the same sort of hard-driving Afro-Funk grooves that you'd find in Fela's classic recordings! The songs are shorter than Fela's, and with more of Roy's usual smooth jazzy production style -- but the overall... read more

A great album that Roy Ayers cut after his co-led record with Fela Kuti -- and one with the same sort of hard-driving Afro-Funk grooves that you'd find in Fela's classic recordings! The songs are shorter than Fela's, and with more of Roy's usual smooth jazzy production style -- but the overall... read more

Roy's so great, we'd be hard pressed to sum up his genius in a simple greatest hits set -- but we love his work so much, that any sort of collection is always a treat! The set brings together 15 of Roy's hippest numbers for Polydor -- including some early funk tracks that have now become beathead... read more

A great little album from Roy Ayers' early years with Polygram -- often overlooked amidst some of the bigger records in the catalog, but a very soulful set that's got some wonderful funky numbers! There's a really jazzy feel going on here -- Roy's nod back to his older roots in music, touched with... read more

A great little album from Roy Ayers' early years with Polygram -- often overlooked amidst some of the bigger records in the catalog, but a very soulful set that's got some wonderful funky numbers! There's a really jazzy feel going on here -- Roy's nod back to his older roots in music, touched with... 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 new... 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 new... 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 new... read more

Polygram's totally cool 2 CD anthology of some of Roy's best work for the label, featuring tracks that run from the early 70's through the early 80's, with such stellar cuts as "We Live In Brooklyn Baby", "Coffy is The Color", "Pretty Brown Skin", "Africa, Center... read more

One of Roy's last for Polydor -- perhaps a bit confused as to which direction the music should go, but still with some wonderful moments, as always! The funky cuts are a bit too funky -- but the mellow cuts still have that wonderful spacey quality that Roy virtually pioneered in soul, and songs... 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