Soul — In Stock — LPs  

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Mainstream disco more along the Peter Brown axis than the Patrick Adams side of the New York/New Jersey sound, which is more than okay by us! This is an early outing from Gino Soccio, working here alongside Peter Alves and recruiting the Muscle Shoals Horns, with a sound that is a bit more uptempo... read more

An unlikely contender to the throne of king of electro, this early 80s effort from Eddie Grant helps to prop him up there quite nicely. Heavy synth driven grooves bubble along nicely with that crisp Linn Drum sound, and though this album benefited from some wider pop appeal, there's more than a... read more

Al Green's first major album, and a killer batch of Memphis soul tracks with a sound that's a bit rawer than later years. The formula for the hits is firmly in place – and Al's beautiful voice is swept up wonderfully in very sympathetic production by the great Willie Mitchell. Although... read more

Al Green's first LP – with a very different feel than his later work on Hi. The record's got a harder southern soul groove – almost in a Wilson Pickett/Arthur Conley mode, but with some sweeter elements in the backing. Al's voice is still incredible, although different than later, in... read more

Al Green, 1973 – what could be better? The king of Memphis soul is at the height of his powers here – working in a setting that yielded less chart hits than some of his other albums for Hi Records, but which is still as sublime as the rest – thanks to an undeniable studio magic... read more

Hard to go wrong with Al Green at this point – 1973, when the mighty one was at the height of his secular soul powers – and when the sweetly compressed production style of Willie Mitchell just couldn't miss! There's a homey, earthy feel to the record that's really great – a sound... read more

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A stone classic in the post-Miracles career of Billy Griffin – solid 80s groove all the way, and a real showcase for his wonderful vocals! The album boasts the stellar tune "Hold Me Tighter In The Rain" – a snapping bit of boogie that never gets old, and which is one of the... read more

Smooth 80s soul from Billy Griffin – formerly of The Miracles, but emerging here as a solo artist on his own, with a strong bid for stardom, dressed in a slick narrow-tie linen-jacket-with-collar-turned-up 80s stab at crossover fashion! Billy's voice is a lot better than his choice of outfit... read more

Smooth 80s soul from Billy Griffin – formerly of The Miracles, but emerging here as a solo artist on his own, with a strong bid for stardom, dressed in a slick narrow-tie linen-jacket-with-collar-turned-up 80s stab at crossover fashion! Billy's voice is a lot better than his choice of outfit... read more

Heavy funk from the Mexican scene of the early 70s – a great little combo that blends together equal parts soul, rock, and jazz! Grupo Oz are clearly influenced by some of the jazzier groups going down on the west coast Latin scene of the time – and like many of those groups, they also... 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

A rocketing bit of South African funky soul – and of the few great records released on Ahmad Jamal's short-lived Jamal label! The session's a lot hipper than some of the South African work that was issued in the US around the same time – and the feel here is almost more in a London... read more

Some of the funkiest, clubbiest work we've ever heard from the African scene of the 70s – great grooves that would be right at home on the New York dancefloors of the time! The style here is definitely drawn from disco, yet is a lot more funk-based too – more in the farther reaches of... read more

A killer debut from Curtis Hairston – an overlooked 80s soul singer who should have made it big, given the strength of this set! The album's got a tight groove, but is never too commercial – a bit away from other Atlantic soul of the time, thanks to some solid studio help from Kae... read more

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A wonderful step forward for the team of Hall & Oates – and a set that has them moving more into soul than ever before! The album's a tremendous collaboration with the legendary Arif Mardin, who takes the pair's well-crafted vocals into territory that's much more slinkily soulful than... read more

African grooves meet European club – in a totally sweet session with a very unique feel! Sandra Hallvey sings in French, sometimes with a breathy Euro style – but arrangements are by Jo Tongo, and have lots of funky undercurrents – offbeat grooves that electrify some deeper... read more

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The classic jazz vibes of Lionel Hampton meets the soulful arrangements of the Chicago Brunswick studios – and the result is a great batch of funky instrumentals that have a similar sound to some of the classic Cadet albums from the same time. Willie Henderson and Tom Tom Washington did the... read more

Later stuff, but a pretty unique album from Herbie! The sound's a bit smoother than some of the groundbreaking electric albums, but the playing's top-shelf, and the record features a number of jazz funk numbers with soulful vocals – including work by Gavin Christopher and The Waters. Think... read more

Afro Funk meets 80s groove – and the band's not a bad extension of some of the Afro Funk jams of the 70s. Sipho Mabuse produced, and sings lead vocals. Tracks include "Soul Fire", "Dance", "Liven Up", "Get Funky", and "Party".... read more

A legendary album – and for good reason too – a set that's as mysterious as it is funky, and a record that's stayed at the top of our crates for years! The album features a really unusual collective of musicians, pulled together under the guidance of producer Paul Winley – a... read more

Easily one of the best albums by Sugarcane Harris – thanks largely to Johnny Otis, who produced and arranged the set with the same messed-up, genre-crossing style of his own work! Given that Harris both played electric violin and sung in a raunchy bluesy style, it would take a genius like... read more

A weird and wonderful album from Tribe Records giant Wendell Harrison – an obscure electric set from the start of the 80s! There's still a strongly spiritual feel on the record, but Wendell also adds some Fender Rhodes and vocals to his work on tenor and flute – bringing in the same... read more

One of the best albums ever by this legendary Chicago soul star! The album's masterful blend of spiritual soul tracks that plumb the depths of Donny's dark soul – done with a level of sophistication that you won't hear in other soul albums from the time! Classic cuts include "A Song... read more

Perhaps Donny Hathaway's greatest album from the 70s, and certainly the one with the most amazing arrangements! The record was Donny's last studio session, and it's got him working at a level that's far advanced from even his groundbreaking earlier work – using complicated rhythms and... read more

Perhaps Donny Hathaway's greatest album from the 70s, and certainly the one with the most amazing arrangements! The record was Donny's last studio session, and it's got him working at a level that's far advanced from even his groundbreaking earlier work – using complicated rhythms and... read more

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Baroquely beautiful work from the Stax soul master – one of Isaac Hayes' heaviest albums of the 70s – and a record so massive, they needed 2LPs to contain the whole thing! The record's a culmination of the rich, full style of soulful arranging that Hayes had pioneered in his early solo... read more

Wonderful later work from Isaac Hayes – a gem from his Polydor years that has a good mix of mellow cuts and more upbeat numbers! The record has 3 long "quiet storm" tracks that take off on Ike's earlier expanded ballad style (forged on tracks like "Walk On By") –... read more

After leaving Stax, Ike seemed to be trying to turn himself into more of a Barry White-style artist – with more emphasis on original tracks about love and loving, instead of his older method of transforming pop hits into little baroque symphonies. On a record like this, the approach meant... read more

Amazing stuff from Isaac Hayes! Although Ike had first appeared on LP with the album "Introducing", this was the first record to really expose his true soul genius – and it was also the first release on Ike's successful sub-label at Stax, Enterprise Records. The record shows that... read more

Stellar soul from Isaac Hayes – just the sort of overblown masterpiece that made his early solo work on Stax Records so great! The record features only 4 long tracks – all of which go on in that slow-building style that Ike forged at the time – a mode that takes a few simple... read more

One of the funkiest Isaac Hayes albums for Stax – thanks mostly to the extended title cut! The tune "Joy" is a monster – running for nearly 16 minutes long, and starting with a killer drum break on the intro – then full, proud, bad-stepping Isaac Hayes grooves... read more

A landmark album that hardly needs any introduction – as it's one of the most famous soundtracks, if not soul records, of the 70s! Isaac Hayes had already surprised music fans with the sophistication of his first few solo albums, which had been issued before this one – but with Shaft,... read more

Don't hold the "disco" in the title against Isaac – because the album's still a pretty nice one, and by no means a cheap sell-out affair! The set was recorded in Memphis, with backings by the classic Movement combo – and although the tunes do have a "sweetened"... read more

The second album by this legendary 70s funk combo – best known as Herbie Hancock's backing band, but sounding great here on their own. The album's much more of a solid soul effort than the first one – which was great, but felt more like Herbie had stepped out of the studio for a minute... read more

A landmark bit of jazz funk – from one of the greatest backup groups of the 70s! Herbie Hancock first brought The Headhunters to light – working with the San Francisco-based combo that included Bennie Maupin, Mike Clark, Paul Jackson, and Bill Summers – using their sound to give... read more

A landmark bit of jazz funk – from one of the greatest backup groups of the 70s! Herbie Hancock first brought The Headhunters to light – working with the San Francisco-based combo that included Bennie Maupin, Mike Clark, Paul Jackson, and Bill Summers – using their sound to give... read more

Obscure mellow midtempo soul LP on Buddah from 1973. The record's got an easy mellow feel that's quite nice and a bit folksy – and Heath has a progressive righteous approach that reminds us a bit of Terry Callier. The songwriting's a bit varied, but the nicest moments have that kind of hip... read more

Heaven 17 soften up their politics a bit with this second album (yet still address class inequality issues with the title!) – but they also manage to replace their Marxist agenda with some groovier, more soul-based tunes – just the kind of material that helped push them out of import... read more

Excellent work from this smooth Chicago vocal group! The album may well be the best the group ever recorded – and it features some stellar ballad work produced with a nice spacey tone, almost in a Rose Royce mellow mode – by Jerry Butler's Fountain Productions team and by Clarence... read more

Classic jazzy soul from the great bassist/vocalist who worked most of the greats of the 70s – from Miles Davis to Norman Connors. This album's one of Henderson's best, and has a beautiful mix of mellow soul and jazzy instrumentation. Includes the nice sample cut "Let Me Love You",... read more

A great little album of southern funk from the 70s – cut by the team that provided musical backing on many of the classic Hi Records sessions from the time! The groove is a bit different than usual for Hi – not compressed, burning deep soul – but tight, funky, and flanged-out... read more

Quite possibly the best album ever from funky maestro Monk Higgins! The record's got some of his tighest work of the time – with plenty of tight breaks, nice keyboards, and soulful sax riffs – and Monk is going full-out on the arrangements, in the manner that he used for his best late... read more

Nice one! This obscure blacksploitation soundtrack features a hip Monk Higgins score for a Pam Grier film that's supposedly "Hotter than Coffey and meaner n' Foxy Brown". Having seen the film, we don't know if we'd totally agree with that assessment, but the music's strong enough, and... read more

Nice one! This obscure blacksploitation soundtrack features a hip Monk Higgins score for a Pam Grier film that's supposedly "Hotter than Coffey and meaner n' Foxy Brown". Having seen the film, we don't know if we'd totally agree with that assessment, but the music's strong enough, and... read more

The smoking return of Martha High – a singer who worked famously with James Brown during his funk years, but who never got the same shot at full-length fame as Lyn Collins or Marva Whitney! Martha's every bit as great – and although she did cut later records in the disco years, it's... read more

An 80s groove classic – and a killer bit of Captiol Records soul from High fashion! Of all US major labels, Capitol was probably putting out the best soul in the early 80s – and this is a tight modern batch of up-tempo tracks, right up there with other contemporary classics on the... read more

A classic deep soul set from ZZ Hill – done for the Mankind label, with production from Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Williams and Quin Ivy – recorded down at Muscle Shoals, with a sound that's one of the best that Hill ever received! There's a rootsy, personal feel to most of the... read more

One of the lasting classics on the Malaco label – and a key album in helping the company take control of the southern soul market in the 80s! ZZ Hill sounds just as great here as he did on earlier records – amazing vocally, with that trademark rasp that comes in at just the best... read more

Eddie's masterpiece LP of late sixties soul, with the classic "Hey There Lonely Girl", the title cut, and a lot of other great original compositions. The sound on here is perfect, and nearly every cut shines. There's almost no filler, and Eddie's voice is strong, beautiful, and has a... read more

A funky holy grail – one of the rarest of the rare, and the only album ever cut by funky guitarist Carl "Sherlock" Holmes! Carl's work on the guitar is incredible – fast riffing and jazzy, with a style that's dirtier and messier than some of his 70s jazz funk contemporaries,... read more

A cover record – but a great one! Unlike some of the Pickwick knock-off albums from the time, this blacksploitation effort by Cecil Holmes is top-shelf all the way – as Cecil's one of the best funky bandleaders of the early 70s. The large group on the album features funky keyboards by... read more

A brilliant early set from Honey Cone – and a perfect illustration of the way the trio really moved past simple girl group modes of the 60s! There's a bold, proud, righteous tone to the record right from the start – thanks to these soaringly soulful vocals from the girls, and these... read more

A really nice later set from legendary Texas blues titan Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins – done up for the Jewel label with a bit of the spark that was missing from the hit & miss work he did earlier in the decade for Bluesville! Blue Lightnin' also has a down and dirty style in spots,... read more

An overlooked gem from 70s soul singer Eddie Horan – an artist we only know from this great little record – which is a sweet mellow soul classic! There's a mix of tightness and easygoing soul here that's mighty nice – as Eddie sings in this confident, yet laidback style that's... read more

One of the more obscure stars in the TK Records constellation – a one-off club project, featuring the writing and production talents of Oscar Llord, and the vocals of Bobby Bushe – hence the title! The set's got a rough take on the Miami disco style of the time – a bit less... read more

Thelma's one of those singers who must have been waiting years for disco to come around and help her find a reason to sing! Her career was slightly ill-timed in the beginning, coming along with a baroque soul beginning that was great, yet somewhat out of place in the early 70s. But enter a record... read more

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Later Chess work by Howlin Wolf – but done in a rootsier electric mode that's similar to his earlier forays for the label! The set's from the years when Chess was backing off that great funk approach they brought to blues work at the end of the 60s – kind of a "back to basics"... read more

A killer album of funky blues – recorded by Howlin Wolf during the period when Chess/Cadet was backing its older artists up with some of the newer funk musicians it had working in its studios! The overall sound works quite well – and although purists at the time moaned at the way... read more

Funky blues work from Howlin Wolf – his key entry into the funked-up genre that Chess Records was cutting at the end of the 60s with other blues artists like Etta James, Bo Diddley, and Muddy Waters! As on records with those artists, Wolf's older modes are updated here for a hipper, younger... read more

Funky blues work from Howlin Wolf – his key entry into the funked-up genre that Chess Records was cutting at the end of the 60s with other blues artists like Etta James, Bo Diddley, and Muddy Waters! As on records with those artists, Wolf's older modes are updated here for a hipper, younger... read more

Classic work from Al Hudson – pre One Way, but in the same uptempo soul vein. Al's working here with arrangements by Kevin McCord, Rudy Robinson, and Dave Roberson – in a mix of club-heavy tunes that are augmented by a few welcome mellower numbers. Titles include "I Don't Want... read more

Rare Memphis soul from David Hudson – work recorded at the Royal Studios with producer Willie Mitchell – issued here for the first time ever! The material is great, and really augments David's too-small catalog of recorded works – with a style that's kind of a modern evolution of... read more

One of the most compelling later albums on Philly International – a killer mix of jazzy numbers that have a very different style than most of the other Philly work at the time! Even though Leon Huff had been banging around in soul music for about 15 years – most famously as half of the... read more

Nice one! This is the obscure first album by Rhetta Hughes – who's probably better known to the world for her later album on Tetragrammon. The tracks are a mix of pop and soul titles, but they're given some nice arrangements by Chicago soul great Tennyson Stephens, who also sings on the... read more

Titles include "Marriage License", "Young Wings Can Fly", "Actions Speak Louder Than Words", "There's No Fool Like A Young Fool", "Make Him Feel Like A Man", and "Bring It To Me".... read more

An obscure little funky group from Detroit, one with a tight ensemble sound that's very much in the Earth Wind & Fire mode – complete with a really great horn section, plenty of bass-heavy grooves a the bottom, and a relatively spiritual feel that comes through strongly on the best tracks!... read more

A monster! Foxy Brown is Willie Hutch's magnificent soundtrack for Foxy Brown – a Pam Grier blacksploitation film from the early 70s – and it's pure genius all the way through, a record filled with some of the best funky soundtrack cuts of the era! Willie's got a real Curtis Mayfield... read more

Pre-Foxy Brown, pre-Mack, this is an album of mellow souful vocals, with a bit of a pop soul twist. The arrangements are by Rene Hall and Perry Botkin Jr., and the sound is very sweet and orchestrated. Cuts include originals like "Season for Love", "The Shortest Distance", and... read more

An amazing record – quite possibly the best ever by Chicago soul legend Leroy Hutson! The whole thing's a smooth soul masterpiece beyond compare – a stunning blend of great songwriting, sexy vocals, and buttery production that rank it up there with the best work of 70s giants like... read more

One of our favorite soul albums ever – a complete masterpiece from the mighty Leroy Hutson, easily one of the greatest soul singers of the 70s! The album's got a warmth that's amazing, yet also still manages to groove all the way through – hitting a subtle, almost mellow vibe that's... read more

Killer early soul by Leroy Hutson – and a record that really shows him opening up as a vocalist and songwriter! Leroy's style is not as smooth and polished as on later albums, and the record's got a bit of a rougher soul edge and a strong early 70s radio sound. Includes the wonderful soul... read more

Killer early soul by Leroy Hutson – and a record that really shows him opening up as a vocalist and songwriter! Leroy's style is not as smooth and polished as on later albums, and the record's got a bit of a rougher soul edge and a strong early 70s radio sound. Includes the wonderful soul... read more

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 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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80s harmony soul from Imagination – a group who always managed to sound pretty great, despite the silly costumes they chose for their album covers! The general groove here is mostly in a catchy midtempo mode – with lots of snapping basslines and synth percussion, nicely offset by the... read more

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 seminal collection of work from this legendary Philly group – a set that brings together some of their best singles from the early days – all in a hip 70s package! Despite mid 70s issue of the album, most of the work here come from the group's late 60s start – and they... 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

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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