Soul — In Stock — CDs  

Amazing sounds from The Stark Reality – an obscure group from the early 70s, but one who've really risen to fame over the years – thanks to their groundbreaking ear for new music, and their freewheeling way with a funky groove! This package brings together all the incredible work... read more

A real breakout album for Edwin Starr – and the kind of full-on set that really helped give his music a bold new focus! Starr had already scored nicely on some playful tracks from the Motor City scene of the late 60s – but here, he emerges as a singer with a lot more depth than before... read more

Massive massive work from Starship Orchestra – a trio of talents from the Norman Connors universe, but one who get some heavy help in the studio from arrangers Bobby Lyle, McKinley Jackson, and Jerry Peters! There's a real Aquarian Dream sound at play here – all the best energy of... read more

A 2CD set of Candi Staton – the complete Fame masters recorded by the female southern soul great and producer Rick Hall at the fabled Muscle Shoals studios – including a dozen previously unreleased tracks! It's one heartbreaking, soul stirring masterpiece after another on this set... read more

The best secular soul work in years from Candi Staton – and the first album in decades that recalls the strength and raw power of her early work on Fame Records! The set was done in Nashville with a rootsy, earthy feel – and a fair bit of country soul touches in the mix – an... read more

A legendary album from the Texas scene of the 70s – exactly the kind of set that helps the city of Austin live up to its massive reputation for music! The group's got a wonderful blend of jazz, soul, and funk – a unique blend that reminds us of our favorite funky Fantasy Records sides... read more

Back to back killers from the legendary Billy Stewart – two great albums for Chess in one sweet set! First up is Unbelievable – a truly unbelievable album from Billy – maybe his standout moment of the 60s, and a record that set him apart from every other singer of his time! ... read more

Uptempo east coast club soul – not entirely disco, and more like the indie work of the immediate generation before – a time when groups were picking up their groove a bit more than before, creating some lean, soulful tempos for the dancefloor! Arrangements are by Bert DeCoteaux and... read more

A classic indie cooker from Sugar Billy – a bit funky, a bit clubby – and a really great batch of grooves done in a pre-disco mode! The tracks are all pretty darn upbeat – somewhat warmer than the funk of Fatback or Kool & The Gang, but still with a nicely rough-edged feel... read more

Ahh, the dancefloor soul perfection of the beautiful Donna Summer – and classic late 70s production by Giorgio Morodor and Pete Bellotte – songs that are played often, even to this day, but will never be played out! Was this the one that coined the phrase "shipped gold, returned... read more

A double-length, 4 act disco fantasy from Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder – both very much at the height of their powers here – and able to keep up enough energy to make it through what was originally 2LP set! The work's a unified sort of story – kind of a disco opera of sorts... read more

One of the greatest records ever cut by Sun – the late 70s funk group who some excellent albums for Capitol Records – a group whose records never made the charts as strongly as their contemporaries, but not for lack of quality! This set's a great batch of heavy ensemble funk with an... read more

A pair of stormers from Sun – back to back on a single CD! Wanna Make Love is one of the greatest records ever cut by Sun – a group whose records never made the charts as strongly as their contemporaries, but not for lack of quality! This set's a great batch of heavy ensemble funk... read more

A great batch of lost funky club tracks – heavy moog in the mix, making some great wikki-wikki sounds over the album's smoothly grooving tunes! The group's got Gregg Phillinganes and Roger Smith in the frontline on keyboards – they also play Arp and Fender Rhodes next to moog –... read more

Cream Of The Crop may not have been a huge hit for The Supremes, but the record has them handling a variety of interesting work – mostly done in modes that bring the best Motown styles of the 60s into closer contact with the label's more expansive sound to come in the 70s! There's a really... read more

One of the great mid 60s Supremes album – at a time when they could really do no wrong – and featuring a couple of their bigger hits! I Hear A Symphony was produced by the team of Holland & Dozier – and Holland-Dozier-Holland are the credited composers for most of it –... read more

Groovy late 60s work from Diana Ross & The Supremes – a record that has them breaking the Motown mold a bit, and hooking up with a nice variety of modder soul and pop modes! Tracks on the set include a few Motown-penned numbers, but the trio also tackle hits like "Everyday... read more

Really one of the nicer late 60s efforts by the Supremes – now with Cindy Birdsong in the group in place of the departed Florence Ballard – with the now well known title track, and a number of other great pop soul numbers, with the classic Motown sound! The Supremes could arguably... read more

One of the later Supremes albums with Diana Ross as the headliner – and the final Supremes album with Holland-Dozier-Holland pulling the strings – and led of by the incredible title track! "Reflections" is a straight up incredible tune – one of those late 60s Motown... read more

The Supremes take on the classy Copa nightclub – and really bring down the house with a stunning mix of warmth, charm, and soul – especially on this incredible expanded edition from Hip-O Select! The original album is perhaps one of the "livest" of Motown live albums from... read more

A record that might be easy to write this off as a mistake or inessential session – but thanks to some great arrangements by HB Barnum, Paul Riser, and Gene Page, plus great vocals by the groups, the record shines as much as any other Motown set from the time! The vocals are traded back and... read more

Great waves of sound here from Surface – a set that has the trio sounding even tighter and more fluid than ever – perfectly blending midtempo rhythms with their warm and sweet harmony vocals! The vibe's a bit classier than the usual mellow soul of the time – almost with a jazzy... read more

Swamp Dogg's on the cover, riding a giant rat out of the ghetto – an image that definitely hints at some of the politics on the record! The album's one of Swamp's key classics from the early 70s – recorded at a time when he was still super-sharp – and when the character was a... read more

A tasty bit of late P-Funk! The album was recorded in 1980, on the wane of the main P-Funk groups – and it features Bootsy and Fred Wesley teaming up on the arrangements, in a set of bass-heavy, mostly instrumental tracks that groove hard like the best early work by Zapp! There's a great... read more

A great back-to-basics set for the Sweet Inspirations – now working here as the trio of Estelle Brown, Myrna Smith, and Sylvia Shamwell – and working with David Porter in a strongly Memphis mode! The arrangements on the set are a bit more ambitious than usual for Stax at the time... read more

The Sweet Sweet Sweet Inspirations get the Gamble Huff treatment – and as it worked with Archie Bell, so it works with these guys – really well! The Philly sound gives the girls the right push that they need to keep from being just another snoozy Atlantic stable band, and it pushes... read more

Wonderful soul by one of the best female groups of the 60s! The Sweet Inspirations work here in a southern-tinged style similar to their classic backing work for Aretha Franklin – a sound that was already great behind Aretha, but which is even better here on its own – warm, spiritual,... read more

A sweet sweet groover from Switch – post-Motown, but still sounding great – and if anything, maybe finding a whole new groove in the process! The quintet have all the warm modes of their best previous tunes – a touch of funk at times, but a vibe that's even stronger on tunes that... read more

A seminal bit of seventies soul from Switch, and a record that really helped set the tone for countless others to come in the 80s – no surprise, given that the group's got members from both the DeBarge and Ingram families! There's a warmth here that few others can match – an earnest,... read more

A seminal bit of seventies soul from Switch, and a record that really helped set the tone for countless others to come in the 80s – no surprise, given that the group's got members from both the DeBarge and Ingram families! There's a warmth here that few others can match – an earnest,... read more

Quite possibly the best album ever from Ohio funky soul combo Switch – and certainly proof that the hope of Motown in the 80s was in ensemble group funk! This second album holds up really well, and thanks to some sweet production by Bobby DeBarge and Jermaine Jackson, the record's got a warm... read more

One of the last records Switch recorded before Philip Ingram went solo, and the rest of the guys broke off into DeBarge – and an album with some surprisingly sweet soul moments! The funky side of Switch is still stringly in place, but this record has some great little ballads ballads too... read more

Two gems from The Sylvers – back to back on a single CD! Showcases is filled with great groovers from The Sylvers – a set cut when the group were firmly in their disco years – a great setting for their playful family-style vocals! In fact, moving to disco may well have been one... read more

Beautiful spacey soul from Syreeta – and proof that she was one of Motown's great lost talents of the 70s! Leon Ware did the production, and Syreeta's high Minnie Riperton-esque voice is backed by a smooth set of mellow grooves with lots of cool electronic bits and weird moogy parts that... read more

Plenty of Magic here from T-Connection – a clubby set of tracks, yet one that's still put together more like a funk combo record from the mid 70s! The instrumentation is mindblowing – impeccable guitar and basslines, set to snapping rhythms that really capture the best Miami funk mode... read more

Funky club from the always-great T-Connection – all extended numbers, served up in one dancefloor-packing set! T-Connection are easily one of our favorite groups from the late 70s club years – and although they played big in discos, the combo also had a core instrumental sound that was... read more

A soaring stormer from T-Connection – and a set that has them sounding even better than before! There's a perfection here the group didn't have with earlier releases – a quality that goes way past indie funk ensemble, into the realm of some of the best mainstream acts on the bigger... read more

Great work by one of the funkiest disco bands of the late 70s! T Connection were always a step above most of their contemporaries, especially some of the weaker pop disco acts on the TK family of labels – which was the group's home during these years. They brought a really solid conception... read more

Ten years in for the Tabou Combo – and the group's sounding funkier than ever! The album's got a groove that's even tighter than some of their earliest records – and there's a definite funky feel to the music at times – not just Haitian styles, but a nice US influence too –... read more

Soulful fusion by one of the best groups of their genre! The CD contains both albums recorded by Tarika Blue for Chiaroscuro Records in the 70s – both of them wonderful fusion records that have an incredibly soulful sound. The group features work by soulful luminaries like Justo Almario,... read more

A Def Jam classic from Tashan – and a record that really helped bridge the gap between male soul and hip hop in the 80s! The style's still as warm and soulful as most of Tashan's contemporaries, but the record definitely shows a bit of street soul in the rhythms too – often just a bit... read more

Incredible southern soul from Tommy Tate – work recorded in the 70s for the Koko label, a good deal of which was never issued at the time! Koko never released a full album by Tommy back in the 70s – just a smattering of singles – so although his talents are mighty, he's been... read more

One of Capitol's biggest soul bands of the 70s – and a strong sweet group who made the shift from mellow soul to the disco years. Includes the band's massive "Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel", but we prefer their mellower stuff – like their sublime version of "She's... read more

Always-great work from Tavares – one of those groups who never seemed to miss, and who seemed to weather the disco era a lot better than most of their contemporaries! This 1980 album is key proof of that fact – a tremendous little set, done at a point when Tavares could have rested on... read more

Tavares chill things out nicely, definitely heading for the "new directions" in the title, and going for more of a mellow sound that was clearly going to help them reach new audiences in the post-disco years. The harmonies are as great as they always were in the early days, taking a... read more

A smooth batch of modern soul from this great 70s vocal group! By this point in their career, Tavares have already had great fame on both the radio and dancefloor charts – moving effortlessly between sweet harmony tracks and more strident disco ones. This set has the group working in a... read more

The early 80s debut from singer, songwriter Gary Taylor – also playing Rhodes, piano and synth on this set – filled with nicely grooving 80s soul! The songs are solid, and though he'd go on to write songs for a number of soul and R&B stars, he lets these numbers build slowly into... read more

A massive double header – two great albums back to back! Rated Extraordinaire is our favorite album ever from Johnnie Taylor – an incredible set from the late 70s that really has Taylor reinventing his sound – and coming across as a great talent for a mellow groove! The album... read more

Johnnie Taylor's first album for Stax – and a tremendous little set that easily stands as one of his greatest records ever! Sure, we love Johnnie in all his incarnations – but there's a special sort of something here – a rawness and earnestness – that makes the whole thing... read more

The Temptations on Atlantic Records – sounding different than their Motown years, and still pretty darn great! The group's got some wonderful help here from the team of Brian and Eddie Holland – still very much in fine fine form, and coming up with some backings that have a warm modern... read more

A masterpiece in psychedelic soul from The Temptations – perhaps the most perfectly realized album from their years working with Norman Whitfield! The set's awash in that bottom-heavy, rumbling funk mode that Whitfield brought to the group at the end of the 60s – served up in bold... read more

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An all-star effort from The Temptations – and a well-titled set that has the group brimming over with classic vocal talent! The group's expanded to a seven-piece outfit for the album – with Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin back in the fold, singing alongside Dennis Edwards, Otis... read more

A great 80s set from The Temptations – one of the few Motown acts who managed to deliver great work again and again over the years! The production has some 80s traces that are slightly dated, but the vocals are still top-shelf all the way – strongly moved much more into a mellow and... read more

A great little solo set from Jean Terrell – a singer who's probably best known for her work as the leader of The Supremes after Diana Ross left the group, but who sounds even better here on her own! The album's still got the strong-voiced sound that Jean brought to her Motown years –... read more

Hard to go wrong with Joe Tex at this point in his career – as the singer's not only at the top of the game of southern soul, but also helping to forge great new changes in the genre as well! The set begins with Joe's classic "Buying A Book" – easily one of his best-remembered... read more

One of the strangest covers we've seen in years – and a perfect fit for this obscure session of unusual grooves! Drummer Bubbha Thomas is working here in a mode that's kind of an electrified 70s take on the Texas showband style of earlier years – a mode that has the core funky combo... read more

One of the sexiest covers ever from Carla Thomas – and one of her most sultry records, too – a set that really has her growing up, stylistically – and coming across with a new sort of boldness in her vocals! The production is prime 60s Stax, with a slightly classy touch for the... read more

The queen of Memphis soul – caught "alone" after a some earlier hit recordings as part of a duo with Otis Redding – but now on her own in the years after Otis untimely early passing! The album has Thomas strongly returning to the sound of her first few albums on Stax –... read more

An overlooked gem from Irma Thomas – and one of her deepest soul albums ever! The set was recorded with Swamp Dogg at the production helm, and he gives Irma this wonderfully rootsy feel throughout the record – the kind of vibe she definitely never got in the 60s, and a sound that seems... read more

2 of the best Rufus Thomas funky albums for Stax – back to back on a single CD! First up is Did You Heard Me – recorded in the early 70s with backing by The Movement and The Bar Kays, and with a good raw Stax sound on most cuts! Rufus is certainly in the "funky ___" mode... read more

One of the best Rufus Thomas albums from the 70s – a key record from his comeback years, and one that has him trading in his older R&B mode for a harder, funkier Memphis groove! Rufus was 52 at the time, but thanks to a never-dying fire, and some great youthful arrangements, the set... read more

A killer live set by Rufus Thomas – recorded right at the height of his funky comeback, before a very right-on crowd at PJ's Nightclub in LA! Rufus was always a great entertainer, and he really opens up in this live setting – doing some nice versions of "Do The Funky Chicken"... read more

Timmy Thomas live, in front of a massive crowd in Johannesburg – really grooving with enthusiasm that's captured beautifully in the recording! The set's a great reminder that Timmy had lots of power away from the studio – that he wasn't just drum machine bits and disco riffs, and could... read more

A massive groover from Timmy Thomas – really hitting here on all burners, and moving with a groove that's much fuller than the drum machine fills of his early years! The sound is Miami club at its best – wickedly uptempo rhythms that are played with razor-sharp intensity – still... read more

Amazing work from Timmy Thomas – a southern soulster with a groove like no other! At some level, Timmy shared the bluesy and sweet soul styles of his Miami contemporaries at the TK label – but at another, he had this wild approach that often used bits of electronic percussion, in a... read more

A Miami soul masterpiece from start to finish – and a lesser-known record from drum machine hit maestro Timmy Thomas! The album's got the feel of Timmy's classic Why Can't We Live Together album – but the overall sound is a bit fuller and richer, with a soulfulness that grabs us right... read more

A soulful set from Carroll Thompson – the debut from the sultry UK singer, and a set that went onto become a key classic in the lovers rock genre! Carroll has a great way of mixing Jamaican styles with a bit more of a London vibe – coming up with a criss-cross of modes that really... read more

A smoking disco double-header from THP Orchestra – two excellent albums back to back, with loads of bonus tracks too! Early Riser has a groove that really has the group starting out strongly – a perfect early disco approach that's funky and instrumental, but which often echoes some... read more

A killer package – two full albums, plus bonus tracks too! First up is Maybe – amazing early work from the Three Degrees – tracks cut before their more famous disco years in the 70s – but already showing a whole new approach to girl group soul! At some level, the trio take... read more

Classic! The third LP from the Time, and last before Morris Day went off and started his solo career – though by this point Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis had departed the group. Nonetheless, the sound is still tight modern funk, with Jesse Johnson and crew keeping things in the great post-Prince... read more

One of the two 80s masterpieces by this amazing Minneapolis group, before Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis left to change the face of commercial R&B! This first album and it's follow-up remain as a couple of the more enduring moments of slick, stylish American pop soul, and represent just a huge... read more

A strange name for a group that hardly stood the test of time – but a great record that's well worth discovering! Timeless Legend were a young soul group from Columbus Ohio in the mid 70s – and on this rare LP, they've got a sweet little style that's every bit as great as that of... read more

A later bit of Philly disco – recorded at Sigma Sound studios with really soaring production from Tom Moulton – and some surprising help on a number of tracks from a young Arthur Baker! The style here has that Instant Funk sort of groove – a bit more bass at the bottom than... read more

Includes "Holy Smoke & Gee Whiz", "Let Me Know", "Thinking Of You", "Top Notch", "Let's Get Down", "Lovin You", "Don't Fall In Love", and "Still A Man". Excellent harmonies, and a warm classic soul sound!... read more

One of the funkiest albums on the legendary TK Records label – and that's saying a lot, given the strength of the imprint back in the 70s! This sole album by Trama is a stone cooker all the way through – done up in a heavy ensemble funk mode of the time, with some extra sharp bits... read more

The full range of greatness from the Trammps – key gems from their years on Buddah, Atlantic, and Philly International Records – nearly every one of them a non-stop groover throughout! The Trammps were one of the most unique groups on the Philly scene of the 70s – a great harmony... read more

Killer soul from Doris Troy – a wonderful selection of classic singles from a variety of different labels – mostly smoking selections from the 60s, but a few rare gems from later years too! Doris is one of those singers who never hit the chart heights of some of her contemporaries, but... read more

An excellent group from the 70s East Coast scene – one with a heavy harmony sound that should have made them huge! The record was cut during the prime early days of the Sigma Sound Studios – and the record features arrangements by Philly greats like Norman Harris, Ronnie Baker, and... read more

Jr Parker gets some great help from Ray Parker – not that Ray's a family member or anything like that – he's just got a great ear for the kind of groove Jr's going for in his music! Ray produced and plays sweet guitar and keyboards on most tracks – giving the music that great... read more

Early 70s albums from Ike & Tina Turner – later material from the together years – 1970's Come Together & '71's Nuff Said in a single package! Come Together includes the title high profile cover and others in "Honky Tonk Women" "I Want To Take You Higherr",... read more

A pretty great collection of work by Ike & Tina – with a strong focus on their harder-hitting sides! The set compiles tunes from the group's United Artists years, plus some other sides recorded for Liberty Records – and it's a really nicely done set that's pretty appealing to the... read more

A pair of late Ike & Tina albums in a single package! Workin' Together is a pivotal album – one that has them still retaining some of the earthiness of earlier years, yet also honing their groove for the crossover audience that was digging them big at the end of the 60s! The best... read more

One of the greatest steel band records ever – and a hip hop sample classic from way back! Sure, there were other hip steel bands back in the 70s – but nobody else ever got as far as 20th Century – ending up on a major label, cutting some key funky covers, and crossing over with... read more

This beautiful LP was released by Stax in the early 70s, but somehow got lost in the shuffle between all the Isaac Hayes LPs. Fortunately, it was rediscovered by the international groove community about 10 years ago, and it's been at the top of everyone's playlist (and want list) ever since! This... read more

Excellent work by the Universal Robot Band – an electronic ensemble put together by producer Greg Carmichael, and featuring that great funky moog sound that he and Patrick Adams were using heavily at the time! The tracks have a funky disco groove – similar to groups on P&P Records,... read more

Probably the best jazz album that Phil Upchurch ever cut! Phil plays in two settings here – one with a funky large group, arranged and conducted by Ed Bland (who did a lot of the work for Perception records in the early 70s) – the other with a quintet that includes Wynton Kelly,... read more

One of the sweetest fusion sets ever recorded from guitarist Phil Upchurch – a set that's less trippy than his earlier albums, but one that more than makes up for that with a tightly soulful groove! Production is by John Tropea and George Benson – and you can definitely hear their... read more

One of the sweetest fusion sets ever recorded from guitarist Phil Upchurch – a set that's less trippy than his earlier albums, but one that more than makes up for that with a tightly soulful groove! Production is by John Tropea and George Benson – and you can definitely hear their... read more

One of the most soul-based albums in Michal Urbaniak's catalog – a session originally done with TK records during the height of their dancefloor years, fitted up with some really great clubby grooves! The sound here is a mix of fusion and soul – done in a way that still gives Urbaniak... read more

Two full albums, and a heck of a lot of bonus tracks too! First up is the first album in Boris Midney's USA-European Connection – and virtually a one man disco symphony in itself! The whole album comes off as one long extended track – even though the variations are given title... read more

Funky soul from the great Marcos Valle – a great blend of mellow grooves and upbeat tunes recorded at the same time Valle was working in the US with Leon Ware! The style here is very similar to Ware's 2 albums for Elektra – both of which feature work from Valle, and include tunes that... read more

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Hidden gems and otherwise – a massive collection of work from Luther Vandross – almost all of which goes way beyond his overplayed hits! The package brings together some forgotten album tracks, a few rare singles, and even sound soundtrack numbers – all to show that there's way... read more

Nothing secret about Luther Vandross at this point in his career – as the album's part of his huge mainstream run in the 90s – with a strongly crossover sound to match! At points, the record verges on adult contemporary themes and backings – but Luther's vocals remain solidly... read more

One of the only few albums to ever feature the vocals of Judy Clay – a wonderful deep soul singer who also cut a handful of excellent singles for Stax in the late 60s! Like some of that work – specifically her Stax duets with William Bell – this set really showcases Judy's... read more

An overlooked gem from the 80s soul scene – a set by a group with all the right hooks and grooves of their bigger contemporaries – yet one who also manage to put things across with their own sort of vibe as well! Some of the standout tracks have a bouncy feel that's going right for the... read more

The second US album from Euro disco outfit Voyage – a group who manage to bring in some nice progressive and jazzy elements to the mix! There's almost a jamming rock-gone-disco approach to a few of the best numbers – thanks to a strong use of heavy guitars and keyboards, and a real... read more

An overlooked gem from Voyage – maybe the best album ever from this Euro Disco lineup, but a set that never fully got its due, given that it was initially released after the end of the disco generation! The style here is even tighter and funkier than previous outings from Voyage –... read more

A standout classic of the French disco scene of the 70s – and a record that found a perfect way to bridge the gap between spacier grooves and tighter rhythms for the mainstream! The 70s French scene was often known for plenty of great keyboards – kind of an offshoot of earlier prog,... read more