Soul -- In Stock -- LPs  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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 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

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

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

Sublime mid 70s work from The Average White Band -- and a record that really has the group deepening their groove a bit -- moving past the heavier funk of their roots, into some mellower grooves that are totally great! There's a great undercurrent of jazz in some of the playing here -- a real... 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

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 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'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

Hey, we can't ever find fault with Roy Ayers -- and even though this record's not up there with the classic ones, it's still got some incredibly nice moments that blow away most of his contemporaries! The bad news is that some cuts have a bit too much Linn drum and DMX work for Roy's smooth soul... 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 minute with a... read more

One of Roy Ayers' best-remembered albums of the 70s -- a sublime blend of mellow numbers and some of his more club-oriented grooves of the time -- all wrapped together with a genius that we can only describe as Ayers-like! The album's a beautiful example of the balance that Roy was striking in his... read more

One of Roy Ayers' best-remembered albums of the 70s -- a sublime blend of mellow numbers and some of his more club-oriented grooves of the time -- all wrapped together with a genius that we can only describe as Ayers-like! The album's a beautiful example of the balance that Roy was striking in his... 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 numbers... read more

An oft-overlooked funky soul gem from the incredible Roy Ayers -- taking turns with both uptempo material and more smoothed out soul sounds -- all done with Roy's trademark jazzy approach to the dancefloor! No Stranger To Love is a sly, and often funky set that deserves to be mentioned with his... 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

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

A really great little album from Roy Ayers -- titled after a famous 60s pop hit, but with a much hipper feel than you'd expect! The group on the album features modernist soul jazz musicians like Herbie Hancock, Gary Bartz, Charles Tolliver, and Hubert Laws -- all of whom work nicely with Roy on... 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 in... 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 Roy Ayers... read more

A great little album from Roy Ayers -- a very funky record that's almost all instrumental all the way through! The sound is a bit in the vein of Roy's Live At Montreux set -- but funkier overall, thanks to some very heavy rhythms on the bottom -- and an approach to the tunes that's short, tight,... read more

A great set of straight jazz from Roy, recorded for Atlantic, and with a feel that's a lot edgier than some of his other work from the time! The groups on the record feature some of the hippest soul jazz players of the time -- including Charles Tolliver, Jack Wilson, Joe Henderson, Harold Land,... read more

A masterpiece -- and don't pass it up! Sure, the date's a bit later than some of Roy's classic work, but the record's got a sound like no other -- with a slow mellow jazzy style that shows Roy working at the height of his powers! There's some wonderful spacey production on the record -- bringing... read more

Fantastic! The lost link in the Chicago soul scene of the 60s was Baby Huey -- and he was a pretty darn big link too, if you've ever seen him in pictures! Weighing in at about 300 pounds, Baby Huey was sort of a rockin' soul star who played clubs on both sides of the city, to audiences of all... read more

Classic Atlantic work by Lavern Baker -- forged in the pre-soul years, but with plenty of gutsy vocalizing, and a killer sound that transcends the age of the recordings. Loads of great cuts -- including "You'll Be Crying", "Of Course I Do", "Lots and Lots of Love",... read more

Beautiful stuff from LaVern -- and a record that combines the mellow hit "Saved", with some more R&B material like "Shake A Hand", "Bumble Bee", "Senor Big & Fine", "Must I Cry Again", and "For Love Of You". The cover's got a... read more

A lost classic in the funky poetry mode of the 70s -- and right up there with the best work from the time by the Last Poets, Jim Ingram, or Gil Scott Heron! Bama's got a rough-edged voice that works very well with the funkier backings of the set -- handled by a team that includes Bernard Purdie on... read more

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The Bar-Kays definitely groove as one on this tight little set -- with amazing choppy guitar, bumping basslines, and brassy horns -- all wrapped up with some wonderfully warm production! The group have come a long way from their fuzzier funk roots by this time, but they're still sounding great --... read more

A tasty bit of political funk by one of the best groups on Stax! The record's got that heavy guitar-driven funk sound that was the group's calling card at the time -- but it's also infused with a righteous sense of social consciousness, clearly influenced by Curtis Mayfield and Sly Stone. The mix... read more

Tightly grooving work from The Bar-Kays -- a set that's light years away from the sound of their Memphis roots, but still plenty darn funky overall! The album's got a tight bass-heavy approach to the music -- the well-forged ensemble sound that graced the later years of the Bar-Kays' career, with... 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

An excellent collection of work from Spanish combo Barrabas -- and one that really has a focus on the group's most groove-heavy tracks! Barrabas were as much of a rock group as a funk combo -- but their more soulful sides managed to cross over big here in the US in the early 70s -- and a good... read more

A stormer from the days when the New York scene was bursting all over, and Ray Barretto had a big contract with Atlantic. Ray dropped his first name for the albums, and emerged as the sexy "Barretto", at the helm of a tight Latin club sound that was part disco part salsa, and very nicely... read more

Sweet mellow soul from Keith Barrow -- a great little 70s soul singer who began his career doing gospel work, and then moved on to cut some great secular LPs for Columbia. This one's his second, and it features some great smooth arrangements by Johnny Allen, with a few original tracks by the great... read more

Very righteous work from Fontella Bass -- an album done after her time at Chess Records, and after her work in Paris with the Art Ensemble Of Chicago -- in a heartfelt, southern soul mode that's totally great! Fontella's back working with producer Oliver Sain, who first brought her fame back in... read more

Classic Chicago soul from this hard hitting diva who predated Aretha Franklin's Atlantic soul sides by a few years, and who sang with as much fire and fury as the Atlantic soul sister. This early LP is a great set of hard soul tracks with razor sharp Chess production, and a strong batch of tracks... read more

Funky Shirley Bassey! This is a great set tof Shirley's groove-happy work cut in the late 60s -- hip tunes arranged by UK easy maestro Johnny Harris, best known for his fantastic work on the Stepping Stones record under his own name, forever a beathead classic! Features the great, funky big band... read more

A monster bit of funk that's unlike anything else we can think of! Beginning Of The End hailed from The Bahamas, but don't hold that against them -- because instead of being a Caribbean cliche, they took the best part of the island rhythms, and used them to forge an incredible approach to funk! ... read more

A stormer from Archie Bell & The Drells -- one of our favorite soul albums ever, and a masterpiece of mid-tempo soul! Archie Bell & The Drells sound amazing here -- light years from the rougher funk of their earlier years, yet still with a groove that's undeniable -- an incredible meeting... 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 drums, and... 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 guitar,... read more

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Well, there is Something For Everyone on this album -- if you like country soul! Fortunately, we do -- and the record's a nice updating of Brook's style of the 60s, turning his countrified approach to soul music into the mellower 70s mode of the time. Riley Hampton arranged a number of the tunes -... read more

The initials, in case you don't know, stand for Ron Baker, Norman Harris, and Earl Young -- three of the best arrangers/producers/players to come out of the Philly soul scene in the 70s. The record is pretty straight Philly disco, with a lot of the club sound that characterized Salsoul albums of... read more

The title kind of says it all -- as the album's a set of 10 bluesy tracks by Maybelle, built around her perennial hit "Candy" -- a sweet and dreamy tune that's been forever kept alive by her version! The style is very much in the vein of that hit, and other tunes on the album include... read more

Tripped out funky soul from the great Edwin Birdsong -- a rare indie album released between his years at Polydor and Philly International! The set's got a wilder sound than any of his other work -- kind of a righteous funk set for the dancefloor -- recorded with lots of weird production touches,... 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 group's a... 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 focus here is... 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 razor-sharp... read more

Fantastic ballad soul from one of the greatest groups from the east coast 70s scene! Black Ivory may not have scored as big as some of their contemporaries on the charts -- but to fans of harmony soul, they'll always be kings, and this record is the sort that forever gave them keys to the kingdom!... 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 -- and the... read more

Not as funky as some of the earlier Blackbyrds albums, but one in which they've still got a pretty nice modern soul sound, of the sort that was being pushed on other Fantasy albums of the time. George Duke produced the record, and titles include "Do It Girl", "Love Don't Strike... read more

Not the band's first album -- as you might think from the "start" in the title -- but a classic batch of jazzy, funky, and soulful grooves from The Blackbyrds -- one of those combos that few groups could match back in the 70s! The set's got a beautifully put-together feel -- tight enough... read more

The queen of hip hop soul takes it back to the gutter with guest spots by Jay-Z and P-Diddy on "Love & Life", 50 Cent on "Let Me Be The One", and Method Man on "Love @ 1st Sight", but overall this one has Mary in a better mood than the last album! You've probably... read more

The queen of hip hop soul takes it back to the gutter with guest spots by Jay-Z and P-Diddy on "Love & Life", 50 Cent on "Let Me Be The One", and Method Man on "Love @ 1st Sight", but overall this one has Mary in a better mood than the last album! You've probably... read more

Includes "All That I Can Say", "Deep Inside", "I'm In Love", "Time", "Not Lookin", "Your Child" and "Give Me You".... read more

Seminal work from Bloodstone -- an album that may be the group's best-remembered effort, and for good reason too! The album sets a whole new standard for harmony soul in the 70s -- one that's tighter than some of the east coast groups, yet never too slick or polished -- kind of a slow-building... read more

Seminal work from Bloodstone -- an album that may be the group's best-remembered effort, and for good reason too! The album sets a whole new standard for harmony soul in the 70s -- one that's tighter than some of the east coast groups, yet never too slick or polished -- kind of a slow-building... read more

An obscure girl group soul album from the early 70s, recorded in LA with arrangements by such folks as Gene Page and The Paris Brothers -- and with a sound that's similar to Love Unlimited, or other West Coast combos like that. Page's work is probably the best on the album, and his titles include... 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 overt... read more

Peggie's definitely got love on this sparkling debut -- but even better than that, she's got Jerry Ragovoy helping out on production, arrangement, and composition for most of the tunes -- a top-shelf professional approach that makes the whole album sound a lot richer and more unified than most of... read more

The start of a tremendous run from Blue Magic -- easily one of the greatest harmony groups of the 70s, a quintet we'd place in a rare class with heavy hitters like The Stylistics or The Moments! The album's smooth and sweet, but never slick -- perfectly arranged by the great Norman Harris, who... read more

The start of a tremendous run from Blue Magic -- easily one of the greatest harmony groups of the 70s, a quintet we'd place in a rare class with heavy hitters like The Stylistics or The Moments! The album's smooth and sweet, but never slick -- perfectly arranged by the great Norman Harris, who... read more

A lost later set from Blue Magic -- recorded after their modern soul album for Capitol, and done in a sweetly gliding mellow groove! The sound here's quite different than their earlier records for Atco, but the vocals are all pretty darn wonderful -- maturing harmonies that are cast in some nice... read more

Blue Magic are going for more of a funky sound here -- as you'll hear on the album's opener "Freak N Stein" and the track "Mother Funk" -- but the band's real strength is still in their harmonies, which really come through best on the album's mellower songs. The faster ones get... read more