Soul — In Stock — CDs  

Post-disco work from The Emotions – breaking free a bit here from the Earth Wind & Fire influence, and grooving nicely with a sweet 80s feel! The girls' voices are still quite wonderful – some of the deepest harmonies in the female soul world at the time – and the tunes kick... read more

The legendary lost album by Stax/Volt female soul combo the Emotions – officially issued for the first time ever, with a wealth of bonus material! The Songs Of Innocence & Experience album was slated for release in 1972, and for whatever reason, the album didn't come out – leaving... read more

A great little album from The Emotions – largely because it sounds a lot like prime mid 70s Earth Wind & Fire, with female vocals added over the top – ultimately, pulling away with a soulful charm all its own! Maurice White produced the whole set, and it's got a soaring spacey... read more

One of the last great soul albums on the Westbound label! Eramus Hall have a vague P-Funk connection – and according to legend, the band were given their name by George Clinton, who had seen a building in Chicago named Eramus Hall – but the sound is a lot smoother than any of the P-Funk... read more

A collection of club tracks from the Erotic Drum Band – a group with a sound that definitely lives up to their name! Most of the numbers here build up heavily from percussion on the bottom – sometimes raw congas layered in among the basslines and keyboards, sometimes rhythms that are a... read more

A sublime set of soul instrumentals – very funky work, and sort of a 70s follow-up to the Soulful Strings albums on Cadet Records from the 60s! Maestro Richard Evans is at the top of his game here – stepping out with that hip Chisoul mode he first forged at Chess, tuned here towards... read more

Rare grooves from Evans Pyramid – a sweet set of cosmic disco from the end of the 70s – recorded with a lean, almost spiritual vibe – quite similar to some of the great tracks reissued in the Soul Cal series! There's a definite ear for the dancefloor here – lots of upbeat... read more

Incredible work by The Exciters – material we totally love to death, most of which is a lot harder-hitting than the group's earlier hits in the 60s! The package pulls together their post-UA recordings for the Bang, Shout, and RCA labels – the first to of which are represented by... read more

A perfect follow-up to Exuma's first album on Mercury – and like that one, a really rootsy blend of soul, funk, and other global sounds! Percussion and acoustic guitar dominate most of the instrumentation – just right for the rough-edged vocals on the set – in ways that help... read more

An incredible album, and very unique! Sarah Webster Fabio was a hip 70s poet with a very righteous sound – and she's working here with funky backings by a tight group that includes family members, in a style that's similar to early 70s work by artists like Wanda Robinson and Camille... read more

Seminal 70s work from Sarah Webster Fabio – an amazing blend of poetry and music, and incredibly hip all the way through! Fabio's got a depth that goes beyond other commercial poets of the time – a righteousness that's right at home in the spiritual jazz scene of the 70s, and which is... read more

A hip little rock group from the upstate NY scene – and heck, they had to be hip, to record on the Just Sunshine label! The sound here has a bit of a funky rock approach, colored by a Band-like hominess – but thanks to some strong famous guests on the session, the instrumentation steps... read more

A treasure trove of southern soul – the complete Kayvette Recordings of Facts Of Life – a really unique trio with a great talent for mellow songs about life, love, and messing around! The work was recorded in Muscle Shoals by Brad Shapiro and Millie Jackson – and it's often got... read more

A killer album of southern soul harmony from The Facts Of Life – a trio with one female singer, two guys, and a great sound overall! The album's actually produced by Millie Jackson – and has that great blend of modern and southern modes that she was hitting in her best mid 70s years. ... read more

Rare funk from the New Orleans scene of the late 70s – work by an obscure combo with a great ear for the dancefloor! The overall sound is much more like music coming from Chicago, Detroit, or New York at the time – a post-Earth Wind & Fire style of funk that's got lots of tight... read more

The cover's a silly one, but the record is rock-solid all the way through – a wonderful blend of funky jazz and warmer soul, and a real lost treasure from the 70s TK Records empire! Fat is Fats Gallon – who plays drums on the record, and also sings lead vocals a bit too – with... read more

A lost classic from Father's Children – the group's only album ever, but an impeccably produced set – thanks to the efforts of Wayne Henderson's At Home Productions team! The groove here is similar to that forged by Henderson over at Fantasy – soul, but inflected with plenty of... read more

Incredible stuff – a never-issued funky soul record from the 70s – but one that you'll proudly stack next to your rare classics from Ramp, 24-Carat Black, and James Mason! Like work by all three of those acts, this early set by Father's Children is massive righteous – filled with... read more

Wicked funk from Faze-O – a group who seem even tighter than before on this smoking album – yet still hold onto all the laidback modes that made them so great in the first place! There's a lean quality here that really prefaces the direction so many funk acts would take a few years... read more

A definite good thang from Faze-O – easily the masters of snakey funk at the end of the 70s! The set's got loads of great elements that echo the group's Riding High debut – a groove that never goes too far over the top, and which kicks back at a pace that so many others would copy a... read more

A spacey soul classic – with a sound that never gets old! Faze-O will be forever remembered for their massive cut "Riding High", the leadoff on this album – a stretched out slow funk jam that has amazing keyboards, floating guitars, and a super-dope groove that's stayed fresh... read more

A totally amazing little package – every single album recorded by Fela Kuti, served up in tiny LP-style sleeves, and brought together in one excellent box set – with a bonus movie as well! The collection features a total of 46 albums, most of which are paired up with crucial... read more

About as classic as you can get for 70s Fela – 2 albums that are overflowing with righteous politics, heavy rhythms, and super-extended grooves! The CD features the complete tracks from the albums Yellow Fever and Na Poi – both recorded in 1976, but compiled here with a bonus alternate... read more

A killer album of soul jazz piano instrumentals – produced by James Brown! The Dee Felice Trio were a groovy combo from Cincinnati, and James Brown took a shine to them at some point in the late 60s. They backed James on one record, but their big moment was this album – which had... read more

A holy grail of funky music – and a rare gem from the DC scene of the 70s! Keyboardist Hilton Felton cut this wicked killer for his own tiny label – Hilton's Concept – and it's a very unique blend of jazz and funk modes, done with help from members of The Blackbyrds and Three... read more

A record from the Three Of Us – but one we remember best for the heavy keyboards of Hilton Felton! The set's even more stripped-down than some of Hilton's other funky classics from the 70s – an instrumental outing that features Felton on organ and Fender Rhodes, Johnathan Settel on... read more

An incredible batch of Brazilian fusion – cut by keyboardist Manfredo Fest, and one of the few records he ever waxed in the US during the 70s! The record mixes Fest's soaring Brazilian groove with a tight soulful set of arrangements by Jerry Peters – a bit club-oriented, with a similar... read more

A pair of disco gems back to back in a 2CD set – with great bonus tracks too! First up is Evita, a loving take on the hit 70s musical – one that serves up all the best tracks in a sweet disco mode – and moves the sound from Broadway to the main floor of Studio 54! Festival... read more

Smoking soul from the mighty Lee Fields – and a set that really has him getting back to his roots, as well! The record's billed as a follow-up to the previous My World – but it's got a style that's much more deep soul, much more southern-tinged than that great record – a... read more

Early early work from Lee Fields – a set originally issued at the end of the 70s, but with a raw funky power that's much more like music from a decade before! The set was a real anomaly at the time, and was passed over for years – but through the decades, it's earned Lee legendary... read more

Tight!! Lee Fields, one of the great criminally under appreciated funky geniuses of the 70s is back with another pounding, raw funk classic that still finds the man at the peak of his powers, decades after he first made mark on the funk landscape! This is Lee's first full length effort for Soul... read more

One of the best new soul records we've heard in years – a tremendous accomplishment for the mighty Lee Fields, and a set that's quite different than any of his other work! We've always loved Lee's funk and deep soul sides, but this album's something new altogether – almost done in the... read more

A never-heard soundtrack for a never-seen film – and a record that's every bit as funky as better-known sets from the blacksploitation era! Final Solution were a small time group from Chicago's west side in the 70s, but on this wicked little soundtrack they sparkle just as brightly as Isaac... read more

One of the best records ever cut by this soulful Philly female trio! The album's one of the first on Salsoul's Gold Mind subsidiary – and it features sparkling club production by the Harris/Baker/Young team – a landmark force not only in Philly disco, but 70s female soul as well –... read more

The great debut from First Class – an east coast harmony group from the 70s, and one who work proudly here in some of the more uptempo styles of the time! Tracks here are often a bit extended, and filled with warmly clubby touches that are a nice All Platinum answer to the sound of Philly at... read more

A pair of killer albums from The Five Stairsteps – 1967's self-titled set for Windy C – plus '68's Love's Happening by The Five Stairsteps & Cubie – together with bonus track on this great set from Outta Sight UK! The Five Stairsteps album is a landmark batch of sweet soul... read more

Sweetly percolated sounds from Five Star – a great collection that finally brings together all the remix material they served up on singles during their big run for Sony Music! The group burst into prominence at a time when music formats were really expanding, especially in the UK –... read more

Bouncy, beat-heavy soul from Five Star – really stepping out strongly on this self-titled set! The music's nothing new, and very familiar to fans of mainstream soul at the time – but the group really serve things up with a stronger edge than on previous releases – handling much... read more

Sweet poppy soul from Five Star – moving strongly here on a set that's got lots of early 90s new jack elements – including a fair bit of beats that really work well with the group's trading of male and female vocals! Things are plenty catchy throughout – not the deepest soul you... read more

Mindblowing work from Roberta Flack – an album that should be in the collection of any fan of righteous soul music! Forget all the wimpier modes of Flack's later years – because here, the young Roberta is a vision of positive power and spiritual soul – a singer with roots in jazz... read more

Rock 'n' soul from South Africa's The Flames – their '67 set Burning Soul and '68's Soultime – on a single CD! Burning Soul wasn't the group's first album, but it's the first featuring vocalist Blondie Chapman, who helped steer the group's more rocking roots to a sound more indebted to... read more

A smoking little set from Flaming Ember – a rock group at the core, but one who has plenty of blue-eyed soul in the mix – thanks to great production from Greg Perry, and strong arrangements from HB Barnum and McKinley Jackson – all of whom give the record a vibe that's right up... read more

A stone classic from Flaming Ember – a combo with a sound rooted in rock, but filled with plenty of soul too – making they a key funky crossover act in the early 70s! These guys borrow the best of Motown soul and the best of the jazzier rock groups of the time – and often use... read more

Sublime 70s work from Darrow Fletcher – a singer we mostly know for his early soul singles in Chicago – but one who really hits his stride on these rare sessions from LA! The music was mostly recorded for Ray Charles' Crossover label – although a few singles also appeared on... read more

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

An incredible album of harmony soul – easily one of the best you could ever hope to find! The Four Mints were an obscure group, but they sound really wonderful here – just as great as some of the bigger proponents of the genre in the early 70s – with an especially great talent... read more

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Massive work from Aretha Franklin's ultra-hip sister – singer Carolyn Franklin, a soul artist that we'd gladly trade for Aretha any time! Carolyn got her start in deep soul modes that were somewhat similar to Aretha's work on Atlantic – but she also worked with production that was a... read more

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Two excellent albums from Funk Inc on one CD! Superfunk is one of the band's greatest albums – and a really tight batch of funky tunes given some stellar production by David Axelrod! The band's a bit tighter than on earlier releases – leaving behind the hard jazz-jam sound for a more... read more

A blistering little set from Funkadelic – one that features the return of Eddie Hazel's guitar, finely honed to the leaner, more soul-based sound of the group in the mid 70s! The title is prophetic, as the group are really "standing on the verge" here – working hard to... read more

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

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

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

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

A tight groover from The Gap Band – already past the "V" in their classic run of 80s albums, and still very might at the top of their game! The core trio work here with sweet production from Lonnie Simmons – a pairing that continues to set the group up above most of their... read more

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sweet funky jazz from the 70s! Gonzalez were an obscure UK combo – probably known a lot better over in England, but pretty darn hard to find over here in America – and they've got a tight style that reminds us of some of the more well-produced jazz funk coming out on labels like Blue... read more

A legendary bit of jazzy soul – recorded by an obscure female singer from Milwaukee! Penny's got a warm style that's pretty darn nice on its own – but it's made even better by the great arranger Richard Evans, who helped out a lot on the session. The feel is very much in the Chicago... read more

A long-overdue album from UK soul singer Jaki Graham – a vocalist who seems to have gotten better and better over the years! As you might guess from the title, a fair bit of tracks on the set are older standards – sung by Jaki in a jazzified approach to soul, with elements that are... read more

Larry Graham's definitely got his groove back – and steps out here with his funkiest album in years! Graham's not content to just recall the glory days of Graham Central Station – as he really goes for a nice range of flavors in the set – including a taste of New Orleans, heard... read more

Grand Slam take plenty of inspiration from the P-Funk universe – and as proof of that fact, they've got Gary Mudbone Cooper on vocals for a few tracks on this sweet little set – a record that definitely offers up a 21st Century evolution of the original P-Funk groove! The combo are... read more

A pair of disco gems – back to back in a single set, and with bonus tracks too! First up is the album On Such A Winter's Day by Grand Tour – a unique side project of the Canadian team who gave the world the THP Orchestra, but one that's done with a bit more Euro style overall! The... read more

Sweetly grooving early 80s UK soul from David Grant – his first solo album after the breakup of Linx – and it's a nice one! There's a leaner pop soul sound at play here, one that would have sounded right at home on the US charts of the time – but it's never too poppy – and... read more

The amazing debut of RB Greaves – a soul singer with a difference! RB struck big with this album on late 60s Atlantic Records – yet despite production at Muscle Shoals, and arrangements from Arif Mardin, the sound here is quite different than most of his contemporaries – and... read more

A tasty double-live set from Al Green – one that has him working through longer versions of tunes than you'd hear on his studio albums, and really doing great in front of an appreciative Japanese crowd! The overall approach here is a bit more modern than on some of his older Hi albums –... read more

The first-ever tribute to this overlooked genius of southern soul – a set that brings together the rare early 70s singles from Dan Greer, plus a huge amount of unreleased work as well! Dan recorded these cuts for the Sounds Of Memphis label, in a style that really shows the changes in... read more

Wonderful solo work from Billy Griffin – the man who headed The Miracles after Smokey Robinson left the group – heard here on a string of classic 80s sides for Columbia Records! Billy's got a sound that's almost as sweet as Smokey at his best – but a groove that's a bit deeper... read more

A stone classic from the great Gwen Guthrie – a singer who forged some brilliant vocals in the backdrop of other folks' soul sessions – then really exploded forth as a star on her own, with a handful of key albums in the early 80s! This cooker really shows off Guthrie's ear for the... read more

Classic work from Gwen Guthrie – a tight batch of keyboard-heavy cuts that sparkles with a strong 80s groove! Deodato's at the helm on production, and he clearly helps direct the sound of the set – giving it some of the sharpness and focus of his other 80s soul productions – and... read more

Early work from Gwen Guthrie – produced by Sly & Robbie, but with a sweet modern soul sound that's got a lot less of their influence than you'd guess! The sound is much more New York than Jamaica – and that's probably due to some great instrumental backing on keyboards by the likes... read more

An overlooked gem from the equally-overlooked Clay Hammond – a sweet 70s groover that offers up a great mix of modern and deep soul modes! Clay's vocals are still every bit as great as on some of his earlier soul singles, but the arrangements push things into tighter territory that's mighty... read more

Sax-heavy New Orleans R&B instrumentals from Herb Hardesty – the tenor player and secret weapon in Fats Domino's band – one of those incredible players whose name isn't as well known as the sound of his instrument! His sax sounds really great out front and in the lead –... read more

A legendary Latin funk album – spearheaded by Eddie Palmieri! The record is a landmark crossover album from the early 70s – cut at the end of the Latin soul era, but featuring that genre's wonderful mix of Puerto Rican soul, Spanish Harlem Latin, and New York funk. The grooves are all... read more