Soul — In Stock — LPs  

A lost album from 70s funk diva Betty Davis – and one that's every bit as essential as her music released back in the day! The set was recorded hot on the heels of Betty's classic Nasty Gal album – but it's got a groove that's almost more in the territory of her first two records on... read more

Killer work from Betty Davis – one of the most impressive female funk talents ever! If you ever needed a definition of funk, this record may well be it – snapping drums, sharp-edged guitars, and sex-filled basslines that slink and slide all over the bottom of the grooves – a... read more

Sweet disco and soulful jazz – the only album we've ever seen from Copeland Davis, a great talent on the piano, and a mellow soul singer with a clear inspiration from Marvin Gaye! The album's a pretty unusual one – in that the overall groove is instrumental, mostly tight rhythms and... read more

The debut album from Tyrone Davis – a supreme achievement for the Chicago soul scene of the late 60s, and a record with a sound that would set the standard for years to come! Tyrone had been bumping around as a blusier singer before this set – but here, working with arrangements by Don... read more

A massively wonderful album from Dayton – an album that has the group really getting their groove together – still sticking a bit in the older funk mode from the past, but also bringing in some warmer, deeper touches to their music too! There's a solidness here that's undeniable –... read more

The only full album ever recorded by the legendary Sam Dees – an artist who's probably best known for his songwriting skills on other records, but who really shines here as a lead star on his own! Dees' approach is wonderful – a bit rootsy, with some slight southern soul elements... read more

The third album in an amazing early run from The Delfonics – the kind of work that set a whole new standard for group soul in the 70s! A number of the tracks here had already risen to fame before the album's release as singles – and these are mixed with some additional tracks that are... read more

A groundbreaking album of vocal group soul – right from the first note! The record kicks off with the sublime "Ready Or Not, Here I Come" – which starts with fierce stepping strings that are actually funky, then soars into some of the best harmonies the group ever put to... read more

Raw funk and southern soul from DeRobert & The Half-Truths – a combo from Murfreesboro, TN who've knocked us out with a few very promising 45s – delivering in full on Soul In A Digital World! The title sums up the group's mission pretty well – blending raw, dirty live funk... read more

Funky Bo Diddley – one of Bo's key early 70s sessions for Chess Records – all of which have him stepping out in a much harder groove than years past! The sound here is relatively tight – with Diddley guitar and vocals on top of some larger arrangements from Bob Gallo –... read more

Heavy funk from the legendary Bo Diddley – one of his amazing comeback albums from the early 70s for Chess, all of which are plenty darn great! For this set, Bo's traded in the scratchy guitar mode of his classic work for a sweeter, tighter funk-based sound – a groove that's supported... read more

A wicked reinvention of the sound of Bo Diddley – a set that electrifies his groove even more than before – and takes him into the same mix of funk and blues that Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf were exploring at the time! This album's right up there with the two Cadet/Chess classics by... read more

Bo Diddley tearing it up in the mid 80s – with a fairly raucous, hard-charging presentation of his iconic sound, plus more electric bluesy numbers with sax and a more stretched out groove. Titles include "Intro/Bo Diddley", "Doctor Jekyll", "Everleen", "I... read more

Nasty nasty funk from the great Bo Diddley – one of his rare funky 70s classics for Chess – produced by Johnny Otis with a really tripped-out groove! The album's got an edge that seems to go even farther than some of Bo's other Chess work at the time – and picks up the full-on... read more

An incredible album from Dinosaur L – the legendary New York dancefloor project of Arthur Russell! – fleshed out and expanded more than ever before by Sleeping Bag and Get On Down Records! The group's core sound is a punky, funky, chunky amalgam of bass thumping, guitar riffing,... read more

A long-overdue recognition of the blues contributions of Willie Dixon – a set that pulls him out of the indie ghetto and pushes him firmly into the mainstream with this key release on Columbia Records! Yet despite that placement, the style is nicely down home – a strong recreation of... read more

Smoking stuff – and one of Bill Doggett's best albums away from the King record label! The style here is even tighter than on King – somewhere in a space between 60s soul jazz and soul instrumental modes – with Doggett's organ right out front in the mix, stepping along some great... read more

Funky funky Hammond – a rare late 60s album from organist Bill Doggett, done with some help from James Brown – and a set that's unlike anything Doggett ever recorded before – or since! There's a blasting groove to the record right from the start – thanks to help from The... read more

The best records in years – maybe decades – from the legendary Dr John – and a set that stands up strongly next to the messed-up Crescent City vibe of his 70s classics! Big thanks are due to Black Keys' guitarist Dan Auerbach – who produced and supervised the whole... read more

A great collection of deep soul work by singer Doris Duke – one of the lesser-remembered talents from her day, but an emotive diva who could sing with the best from Memphis or Muscle Shoals. The set features 12 tracks produced by Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Willams (who also arranged and... read more

Funky funky funky! The Duke Of Burlington were a lost Italian combo from the 70s – but on their best cuts, you'd swear they were an American group like The Meters or The Nite Liters! The band mix up hard heavy piano, funky drum breaks, choppy guitar, and some nice soulful flute solos –... read more

Mad funky genius, a revolution in sound indeed! This lost album of funky piano craziness by the Duke of Burlington seems like it might be a sound library album or production music set, but it goes way beyond even the best of those! Lots of breakbeats, funky riffs, and groovy bass stuff with a... read more

Quite possibly the greatest record ever from Clifton Dyson – a solo effort that has him stepping away from his Dyson's Faces group, and emerging as a heck of a great singer on his own! The album's got a warm modern soul feel throughout – much more mid 70s indie than you'd guess from... read more

Sublime spiritual soul from Dyson's Faces – a mid 70s east coast group headed by singer/songwriter Clifton Dyson, an ensemble that was equally well suited to uptempo groovers and mellow harmony soul! The vocals here are especially great – handled beautifully by the group with an... read more

The second incredible album from Dyson's Faces – one of those underground 70s groups that should have been huge! The set's got a soaring sound that's even more righteous than the group's debut – a quality that glows wonderfully with the quartet's mix of male and female voices – a... read more

Righteous soul – and the only record ever cut by East Coast – a group led by Larry Blackmon, featuring early vocals by Gwen Guthrie! The style is very hip – a mixture of funk and progressive grooving, all held together with a sound that's young, proud, and which moves easily... read more

A pair of great albums – brought together in one super-heavy package! First up is the legendary East Of Underground record – an uber-obscure LP recorded in 1971 by a group of US Army serviceman at the Armed Forces Network studios in Frankfurt, Germany – originally used as a... read more

Monumental Afro Soul from El Rego Et Ses Commandos – El Rego's best recordings from the late 60s to early 70s – a beautifully done compilation put together by Daptone and Frank Gossner, the deep digging West African music expert behind Voodoo Funk! Theophile Do-Rego is a legend in his... read more

One of the best moments ever from Enchantment – a set that has the group still sticking with the great harmonies that got them started in the 70s, yet stretching out with a tight 80s groove that's just perfect for their energy! There's a decidedly old school feel going on here – a real... read more

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

The one and only album by Exit 9 – an obscure funk combo who recorded this rare set for Brunswick in 1975! The group is extremely tight instrumentally – working at a very fast funky clip that's kind of similar to work by Bohannon or Sound Experience – both of whom shared Exit 9's... read more

An early record by Experience Unlimited – better known to most of the world as EU, the DC funk outfit that went onto become pretty big in the GoGo scene, and who scored big with the 80s party cut "Da Butt". This one's nothing like that stuff – and instead catches the group... read more

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

Essential reissue of one of the greatest funk albums ever! This is the great LP of hard funky cuts that perfectly sums up the Fatback style that you've heard so much about – but which you can't find on much of their late 70s albums! The whole album is filled to the brim with loads of great... read more

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

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

A killer array of funky grooves from Fela Kuti – served up in a 6LP box set, with records chosen by Ginger Baker! Baker's a key choice to work on the set – given his famous recordings with Fela, heard here on the album's leadoff record – Fela & Ginger Baker Live! Next up is... read more

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

A great introduction to the awesomely funky music of Hilton Felton – an artist who's got a heck of a lot to offer, and who issued some amazing albums on his own great label during the 70s! Felton's a real original – a multi-talented guy, an inspirational businessman, and an all-around... read more

The instrumentals for the smoking soul set by the mighty Lee Fields! The record's billed as a follow-up to the previous My World – but it's got a style that's much more deep soul, much more southern-tinged than that great record – a beautiful indication of Lee's rich legacy in soul... read more

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

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

Madly tripped out guitar funk – and a real turning point in the career of guitarist Eddie Fisher! Eddie began his career as a straighter guitarist on the St Louis scene – and although his first album for Cadet was a relatively traditional soul-jazz outing, this one's a wild batch of... read more

A beautiful album that perfectly mixes both sides of Aretha – the earlier hard-hitting soulster, and the developing vocalist with a rich talent for more sophisticated material. The album features the anthemic title cut in Aretha's famous version – plus the sample favorite "Rock... read more

Lost funky work from one of the soulful sisters of Aretha Franklin! Erma's got a hard-hitting style that's right up there with Aretha's best for Atlantic – and on this album, she's working in Chicago with Johnny Pate, Sonny Sanders, and Willie Henderson – for a harder-hitting sound... read more

Funky organ, hard tenor sax, and plenty of choppy guitar make this another jazz funk gem in the crown of the legendary Funk Inc! The group are still totally at the top of their game here – stepping out with a deep, soulful Indy-bred blend of jazz and funk – a groove that was easily one... read more

A killer instrumental album of hard organ grooves and funky basslines! This was the album that broke Funk Inc out of their Indianapolis scene, and made them a force to be forever reckoned with in the history of funky jazz. The album grooves hard in the same sound as some of the classic work by... read more

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

A legendary record – and one that's well worth all the anticipation it's gotten over the years! The set features rare, previously unreleased material done by Funkadelic during their classic years at Westbound Records – some songs, and some studio jams – of the sort the group were... read more

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

80s groove from the Ingram Family – a record that features the core vocals of Ron Aikens and Galaxy, plus plenty of great backing funk from the Ingrams! The style here is a great mix of boogie, street soul, and bits of electro – with a style that's a bit like Aleem from the same period... read more

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

An amazing record that stunned the world almost as much as Marvin's previous effort, What's Going On. Like that one, this album's an amazingly unified batch of tracks – with a visionary message about sex and love that is as honest and bracing as the politics and social commentary of his... read more

Marvin Marvin Marvin – just when we thought you couldn't impress us any more, you took it to the next level! Trouble Man is a heck of a wonderful surprise from an artist that most folks really only knew as a singer – a fantastically funky blacksploitation soundtrack, conceived and... read more

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

A classic underground funk set from the 70s – and a record that definitely lives up to the party time promised in the title! The group have a really festive approach to funk – still as hard-hitting and sharp-edged as other indie contemporaries – but willing to open up and push... read more

Rare material from a little-known group on the Oklahoma City scene of the 80s – most of it so obscure, the reissue had to rescue all the recordings from cassette tapes, since the masters were all lost over the years! Don't let that put you off, though, because the sound quality is great here... read more

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

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

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

What can we say? Most of the biggest hits, and many of the very best tracks cut in the prime of Al Green's career – which is to say some of the very best Memphis soul ever recorded! 10 essential tracks in all, and it's just one of these Greatest Hits packages of pure, inarguable perfection... 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

Beautiful early work by Al! The record is a haunting mix of tender soul tracks filled with love, warmth, and Al's sexy soul. It's hard to distinguish this one from other records of his at the time, because they're all so good – but we can tell you that the album features Al's stone classic... read more

A damn good bit of beautiful soul from Memphis that stands as one of Al Green's most enduring classics! There's nothing to say about the record except that it's beautiful – and that it's one of Al's most solid albums all the way through (although it's always hard to find fault with any of... read more

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A massively tripped-out set of guitar-based funk – played to perfection by the legendary Eddie Hazel, best known for his work in the George Clinton P-Funk empire! The album offers a different side of Eddie's talents – one that's produced with a smoothly compressed California groove, in... 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 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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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