Soul — In Stock — LPs  

A killer early album by the great Leroy Hutson! Hutson had originally been a later member of The Impressions – replacing Curtis Mayfield briefly after he'd gone solo – but he also had spent a fair bit of time noodling around the Chicago soul studio scene of the late 60s and early 70s. ... read more

A great little set from Leroy Hutson – proof that he was still going strong through all his years at Curtom! For years we passed this one by, wrongly thinking "it's late, it can't be that good" – but the album's a real winner, with a blend of clubby uptempo cuts and some... read more

The last Arista album from Phyllis Hyman – and a set that really sums up all the genius she expressed at the label! Some tunes are upbeat and catchy – the kind of tracks that had Hyman reaching a much wider audience in the early 80s – while others are more sophisticated and... read more

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Righteous late 60s soul from The Impressions – the group's last album with Curtis Mayfield in the lineup! The sound here follows heavily from the Young Mods and This Is My Country years – a heavier take on the trio's soul stylings than their work over at ABC in the mid 60s –... read more

The Impressions are wearing their politics much more on their sleeve at this point – what with a cover that shows them standing in the rubble of the ghetto, and a title that is both a bold proclamation of ownership, and a sad comment on the state of affairs. Curtis Mayfield's pen is in... read more

Quite possibly our favorite-ever album by the Impressions! The record is a key transitional one – and it has them opening up the politics that were often hidden by spiritual metaphors on earlier ABC albums, into a righteous soul groove that hints a lot at the overblown direction Curtis... read more

Probably the biggest album by this Chicago soul group, and the one that yielded up their big hit "The First Time We Met". The set's got some excellent Chicago arrangements by Tom Tom, and a good bunch of tracks that includes all original material, like "Here I Am", "Just... read more

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Wonderful work from Ingram – an incredibly talented soul family who'd spent more than enough time woodshedding in earlier years, and emerged to become one of the strongest mainstream acts of the 80s scene! There's a solid feel here that goes way beyond commercial soul – a great way... read more

A wicked 80s groove from the mighty Ingram Family! Ingram were one of those groups that actually got better as they got slicker – and by the time of this 1983 release, Butch, James, and William Ingram had had more than enough experience working together and with other artists to really forge... read more

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A record that really lives up to its title, given the sweet Philly grooves of the set – a real surprise, given that the album was recorded in Germany! The session's a rare studio project in the early years of the German disco scene – and comes off with the best soulful styles that were... read more

A cheesy cover, but a rock-solid record – kind of a later version of the Five Stairsteps, heard here in groove that's much more grown up! The album's got a feel that really shows the evolution of the Burke family – way past their kiddie soul roots, and even some of their offshoot... read more

Weird album that came out in the early 70s, when Stax was getting their hands into so many other styles of music besides southern soul and funk. Margaret Singana's the lead vocalist of this group that plays in a sort of Afro Pop/Afro Funk style, and she lays down the lyrics on tracks like "The... read more

Weldon Irvine's last album for a major label – and a key set that marks the debut of the legendary Don Blackman! Irvine's still very much in charge of the session, but Blackman's emerging here with the strength that would show up on his later soul sessions – singing lead vocals on some... read more

Massively funky work from the mighty Weldon Irvine – sublimely cosmic and filled with soul throughout! The vibe here is a bit more focused than on some of Weldon's earlier albums – a moody blend of electric keys, heavy percussion, and some slight bits of jazzy solo work by trumpeters... read more

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Hard soul genius from The Isley Brothers – a set that has the group sounding quite different than their smooth hits from later years – with a hard-burning quality that's mighty nice all the way through! The vocals are still tremendous – and in fact, given that these guys are... read more

An amazing record! This one's probably our favorite Isley Brothers album of all time – and it's a perfect blend of all the styles they were into at the time – heavy funk, sweet soul, folksy rock, and rolling uptempo grooves! The Brothers handle all styles equally well, and the album's... read more

Fantastic Isleys from the mid-70s! The record has the group dropping their heavy funk style (which was sounding a bit tired by this point), and picking up a strident soul groove that buoyed their tracks with a spiritual sound that reminds us of some of the best moments from the Brother Brother... read more

A great mix of heavy funk and sweeter ballads from the Isley Brothers – and a record that's filled with two-part tracks that really let them stretch out and groove! The tunes have a bit more bass and keyboards than before – an approach that's even more electric than Isley funk of a few... read more

A strong extension of the Isley Brothers' funky 70s style – moving into a more compressed mode that had been taking hold of the group's style over the past few albums – giving them a smoother finish in the end, but one that actually brings out a deeper level of soul in the music! The... read more

Authentic 80s grooving from the Isleys – mostly an album of upbeat, electro-grooving numbers that change up the style a bit more from their 70s funk work! The grooves are nice and upbeat at times, but as usual for this period, they actually sound best on the ballads – clocking in with... read more

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The Isley Brothers in prime 70s mode here – hitting a warm and wonderful blend of soul and funk throughout – always delivered with that sweet talent for smooth understatement that makes them so great! The costumes on the front cover may be freaky, but the grooves are nicely restrained... read more

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An all-star soundtrack to this comedy film from the 70s – starring Raquel Welch, Bill Cosby, and a very young Harvey Keitel! Most of the tracks on the set are from other A&M albums, but there's a few tunes that are original to the set – including the vocal track "No Love... read more

Sublime stuff from Chuck – a mix of iceman soul and New York uptown production, crafted in a heartbreaking mode that was hardly ever matched by other singers of his day! This is a perfect one to bookshelf next to your Jerry Butler and Walter Jackson albums – and it includes Chuck's... read more

Lost bit of soul by Chuck Jackson, recorded in LA in the early 70s, between his Wand hit years, and his later stuff on All Platinum. The sound is sort of a rootsy studio soul sound, if that makes any sense – but some of the tracks are also a bit funky. There's a great sample on the cut... read more

What the what?!? Soul sides so great they'll blow your mind – even though none of them have ever been issued before! George Jackson is one of the great lost talents of southern soul – an artist who often stayed in the background, lending his talents to others in the studio, or as a... read more

A breakout album for Janet, with prime New Jack, or should we say New Jill, Swing production from the then unstoppable Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Flyte Tyme production team. Includes "Control", "Nasty", "What Have You Done For Me Lately", "The Pleasure... read more

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One of our favorite albums of all times – and a legendary testament to the greatness of the Chicago music scene in the late 60s! Melvin Jackson was the bassist in Eddie Harris' very successful group of the time – and his playing on Eddie's trippy and funky records for Atlantic is one... read more

The third great album in the trilogy that includes Off The Wall and Thriller – and a set that still has Michael Jackson running strong at the height of his solo powers! Quincy Jones is still at the helm, and Michael more than proves that he can still come up with a pop tune without going too... read more

The third great album in the trilogy that includes Off The Wall and Thriller – and a set that still has Michael Jackson running strong at the height of his solo powers! Quincy Jones is still at the helm, and Michael more than proves that he can still come up with a pop tune without going too... read more

The third great album in the trilogy that includes Off The Wall and Thriller – and a set that still has Michael Jackson running strong at the height of his solo powers! Quincy Jones is still at the helm, and Michael more than proves that he can still come up with a pop tune without going too... read more

Early Michael Jackson at his best – a brilliant solo album that sparkles with honest warmth and sweet soul energy! There's a gentleness to the tunes that's quite striking, but never childish – a simple and effective approach to the material that's sung in a manner that's years beyond... read more

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The return of a legend – or maybe more accurately, the first time this legend's ever really gotten his due! Ralph Jackson's been working in the Alabama soul underground for decades – yet this smoking album may well be the first time he's ever really gotten out front, and able to do his... read more

Pure genius – like just about every other early Motown album by the Jackson 5! The vocals are sublime – almost even more perfect than on the first few records – and the group have some great help in the studio from arrangers like The Corporation, Willie Hutch, Johnny Bristol, and... read more

An amazing bit of soul – and one of the rarest funk records of the 70s! This masterpiece was recorded by The Jackson Sisters, a semi-gospelly soul group that has a sound that's a bit like The Voices of East Harlem, but that's a lot harder, and that has a deeper soul sound overall! At times,... read more

Titles include "Laying Beside You", "Only Women Bleed", "Lovesick Blues", "Piece Of My Heart", "Strange Man", and "Blind Girl".... read more

Think what you might about Rick James, this is actually a pretty darn funky album – with lots of tight bass-heavy grooves! Rick's working here with the Stone City Band, in a style that's leaner and less commercial than some of his later work – going for a mainstream funk approach, but... read more

Rick James fires it up at the end of the 70s – stepping out at full star power that has him rivaling the strength of Bootsy Collins at Warner, and paving the way for the rise of Prince in the early 80s! As with Prince, James' version of funk here is a bit offbeat – lots of riffing... read more

One of the all-time great Rick James albums – a return to funkier sounds for Rick that worked both artistically and commercially – and actually got over far better than his more blatant attempts at crossover material on other records! The mix here is perfect – a true summation of... read more

An incredible album – quite possibly our favorite record by the JBs, ever! The set starts with a wonderful conversational bit – rapping and musing on the idea of "Damn Right, I Am Somebody" – showing the group in a political and righteous mode for the first time ever. ... read more

An incredible album – a landmark piece of funk that nobody should be without, funk fan or not! The album is the second to feature James Brown's famous backing combo of the early 70s – and unlike their first one, which was really more of a collection of singles, this album has the group... read more

The classic first album by The JBs – James Brown's Fred Wesley-led backing band, and the force behind most of his greatest records of the early 70s! The set collects some of the group's best early singles, and includes all of the short little funky cuts that made them a legend right out of... read more

The classic first album by The JBs – James Brown's Fred Wesley-led backing band, and the force behind most of his greatest records of the early 70s! The set collects some of the group's best early singles, and includes all of the short little funky cuts that made them a legend right out of... read more

One of the most fantastic albums by the JBs – a masterpiece of funky jamming, tight instrumentation, and that free yet tight style of the James Brown 70s years! The tracks are longer than on some of the earlier singles – especially the 8 minute jammer "(It's Not The Express) It's... read more

One of the strangest albums ever issued on Philly International – a set of tunes by Dick Jensen, who was part blue-eyed soul singer, part easy male vocalist – sounding here as if he'd almost hit the market about 5 years too late to make a difference. The record's the kind that would be... read more

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A sublime bit of indie soul from the early 70s – the one and only album by vocalist Benny Johnson, recorded with some totally great backings from funk legend Julius Brockington and his United Chair combo! For the session, Brockington chose a warm, organ-drenched sound that's a fair bit like... read more

One of the few albums ever from Bubber Johnson – one of the classiest singers to work for King Records during the 50s! Bubber's got a sophisticated style that mixes in plenty of jazz with his R&B vocals – a style that's much more like some of the postwar singers on the west coast... read more

Stone smooth grooves from the overlooked Danny Johnson – a mellow soul masterpiece from the 70s – and one that's well worth checking out! Danny's got a hell of a sweet voice – nice and high, almost in an Eddie Holman style – which is perfect for the album's mellow ballads,... read more

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The great Syl Johnson – doing his thing for Hi Records on a record that's more shiny diamond than it is rough – his second album for the label and a truly underappreciated gem from the Chi soul great! Diamond In The Rough is a much sweeter set of tunes than Syl's Chicago work on... read more

The funkiest album that Syl Johnson ever recorded – filled with short, tight cuts that play more like a stack of funky 45s than the standard soul album of the time! The record draws from the great run of singles that Syl cut for Twinight Records at the end of the 60s – some of the... read more

A Japanese-only release – and a much-needed LP collection of work from Syl's own Shama Records label – really great stuff that's compiled here from some excellent singles!... read more

One of the best-ever soul albums to come out of Chicago – and it may well be one of the best soul albums ever! The set's the deepest that Syl Johnson ever recorded – and it takes all the hard, raw soul he forged on previous funky 45s – and spins it out in longer album format... read more

A wicked explosion from the legendary Syl Johnson – one of his smoking sets for Hi Records – done with solid soulful help from Willie Mitchell! Mitchell's familiar Memphis groove is firmly in place here – tightly compressed rhythms and horns, vamping perfectly for Syl's raw... read more

A wicked explosion from the legendary Syl Johnson – one of his smoking sets for Hi Records – done with solid soulful help from Willie Mitchell! Mitchell's familiar Memphis groove is firmly in place here – tightly compressed rhythms and horns, vamping perfectly for Syl's raw... read more

An unexpectedly great batch of funky gospel tunes from Brother Vernard Johnson – most of which are done with a choppy little groove that goes way beyond the usual spiritual bag! Johnson plays sax on all numbers, and is often working alongside vocalists as well – but the main attraction... read more

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Excellent work by Glenn Jones – even if the record is only a 5 track EP! The set is one of those strange little records issued in the early 80s, when the music industry was trying to figure out a way to make money between the ever-escalating cost of the LP and the less-popular 12"... read more

A pretty odd little record from Gloria Jones – a great soul singer back in the 60s when she was pounding out the hard northern numbers, but not so great here, where she's in an odd style that mixes disco with a hard soul approach, and just doesn't work. The "Reunited" in the title... read more

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Great work from Grace Jones – still riding high on a disco wave here, but also finding her own space and sound too! The mighty Tom Moulton produced, ensuring some great sound for the set – and arrangements are by Thor Baldursson and John Davis, both of whom bring in nice sense of... read more

A landmark little record from Grace Jones – a set that started off as one of those "hey, let's see if this model can sing" sort of records – but which has gone onto become an enduring classic! Most of the tunes are older ones, but they're remade with a soaring Sigma Sound... read more

A strange little film with a western motif – starring Bill Cosby, Leif Erikson, and Yaphet Kotto! Fortunately, Quincy Jones was the musical supervisor – so the tracks are hip enough in the best parts – a bit rootsy at times, but with a 70s soul approach that keeps things real. ... read more

In the early 70s, Quincy Jones surrounded himself with some of the best young soul and jazz talent he could find, plus a few older pros – and the result was a great series of albums that spanned genres and created a whole new approach to modern R&B. This gem of a record was put together... read more

An excellent Quincy Jones score that stands head and shoulders above the soundtrack to the first film in this series, In The Heat Of The Night. Q is in fine fine form with this material – adding in a lot more funk than before, to fit the uptown theme of the film. There's lots of nice jazzy... read more

Sweet funky Q for the 70s – easily one of the coolest albums ever from Quincy Jones! The album's got a very heavy electric vibe – one that's kind of a laidback take on the styles that Jones was forging in some of his 70s soundtrack work – served up with massive work on the... read more

The long-anticipated second album from Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings is a stunner – undoubtedly stronger than the group's fantastic debut – and a record that not only transcends the late model funk revival genre, but stands on footing as solid as the best hard funky soul of the late... read more

The fourth album from Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – solidifying what we learned pretty early on from the indomitable soul spirit that is Sharon and her impeccable combo the Dap-Kings – it's that this is not some retro soul revival novelty act, what they are is the greatest active... read more

A great little set from this solo member of the Jones Girls – and one of the strongest new sets on Philly International in the 80s! Shirley delivers a warm set of sparkling modern soul tracks that really show the growth and the maturity of the Philly sound in the 80s – getting way past... read more

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Essential female Philly soul recorded by the Jones Girls, a group who came to Philly later than many of their big 70s acts, but who went onto become possibly the best female act who recorded with Gamble & Huff. The record's a group effort of the Philly team – with arrangements by Gene... read more

Rough and raw classics from Louis Jordan – served up with a bit more of an R&B tinge than some of his work from the late 40s! There's a searing quality here that really hits hard on the instrumentation – guitar parts and saxophone riffs that clearly mark the space that Jordan... read more

The third album in Margie Joseph's early 70s run for Atlantic Records – and like the rest, a batch of super-tight tunes arranged and produced by Arif Mardin – done with the same sense of sophisticated soul he was bringing to the work of Aretha Franklin at the time! Margie's nicely a... read more

One of THE indie soul treasures of the 70s – a wickedly funky record that blends together jazz, soul, and club – and which stands out with a sound that's all its own! You may well know the tag "moods and grooves" – as the record's had an influence on countless scenes,... read more

One of the greatest blacksploitation soundtracks of the 70s – and one of the rarest too! The album's a crowning achievement for the mighty Don Julian – an artist who's best known for his earlier LA soul with The Larks, but who steps out here with a hip, hard-grooving sound that's... read more

The first album by this sweet little Hawaiian band from the 70s – a great mix of jazzy rock and smoother AOR styles, with a soulful finish that made the group one of the best of the islands! Titles include "Going Going Gone", "The Hurt", "Nightbird", "Natura... read more

Wonderful work from Ty Karim – an LA singer from the 60s, just waiting to be rediscovered! Ty might not be the biggest name in California soul, but she's a hell of a great talent here – starting out in the 60s with upbeat Northern Soul groovers – then moving into the 70s with... read more

A monumental bit of 80s soul – the first solo album from Kashif, issued hot on the heels of a few years spent penning and producing work for a range of bigger artists! Given his experience with the pros, Kashif's emerging here as a very fully-formed talent in soul – a singer with a way... read more

A stunning batch of funky big band tracks from the Kashmere Stage Band – sounding a lot fuller than on their first LP – thanks to an expanded lineup that gives them a whole new sound! The group are grooving here in a mode that's a lot like classic 70s blacksploitation soundtrack work... read more

Mega-hit material from KC & The Sunshine band – an album issued firmly into the disco years, but which still had the group hitting hard in their trademark Miami sound! The tracks here are a bit longer and more hook-heavy than before – and represent the kind of material that linked... read more

Classic 70s work from KC & The Sunshine Band – a record that's not as hit-heavy as previous efforts, but still a plenty great set that's filled with catchy dancefloor funk! KC's clearly feeling the heat of the disco fire he helped to ignite a few years before – and there's... read more

One of Eddie's classic dancefloor groovers for Tamla, with production and arrangements by the hit team of Frank Wilson and Leonard Caston! The album keeps Eddie's hit "boogie" groove going strong – grooving mostly in a midtempo smooth soul style that would become a dominant... read more

A truly amazing album – unlike anything Eddie Kendricks ever did before, or since – and one of those records that really helped shape the sound of soul in the 70s! The music is as rich and powerful as the image on the cover – with some righteous undercurrents that really mark the... read more

A truly amazing album – unlike anything Eddie Kendricks ever did before, or since – and one of those records that really helped shape the sound of soul in the 70s! The music is as rich and powerful as the image on the cover – with some righteous undercurrents that really mark the... read more

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Ha! This one really takes us back! The set was a massive breakthrough for August Darnell – one of his biggest hits since his day with Dr Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, with an equally appealing approach to the dancefloor. Tracks mix early 80s New York club styles with Darnell's mad... read more

A well-titled record, as Albert King here plays with the large sound and big tone that would make him one of the best up-and-coming bluesmen of the 60s – a key player in the already-electrified generation, and possibly the greatest example of the new confidence that was coming into the genre... read more

A brilliant debut from Clydie King – a singer who worked countless backing vocal sessions on the LA scene of the 70s, but who really shines here on her own! Clydie's got a rough and raw vocal style that you might guess from the hip-looking cover – a slightly rootsy mode that's clearly... read more

Hardly the surf album you might expect from the title – although the set is a killer batch of guitar instrumentals – with more than enough power to blow any west coast groups right off the beach! At this early point in his career, Freddie King is way more than just a blues guitarist,... read more