Soul -- In Stock -- LPs  

Classic Stax stuff from Johnnie, with great arrangements that mix blues and soul, and which offer a perfect backing to his soulful voice. Al Jackson produced the session, and the track list includes "Where There's Smoke There's Fire", "That Bone", "That's Where It's... read more

A nice batch of titles from Johnnie's early big hit years at Stax -- back when he was cracking the charts with his home-styled bluesy soul tunes that just wouldn't quit! Plenty of nice numbers on here -- including the huuuuge hit "Who's Making Love", plus "Love Bones", "Tak... read more

The bluesy soulster in a modern outing from 1976. Includes some re-recordings of classic southern soul tracks, given a little bit of a modern blues sound. 10 tracks in all, including "Somebody's Getting' It", "Steal Away", "Standing In The Wings Of A Heartache",... read more

A mix of styles and moods -- with some righteous funky numbers, ala the Norman Whitfield days, and a few others done in a more modern soul mode. James Carmichael handles most of the heavy soul tunes, and the rest are done by Steve Cropper and HB Barnum, working together in a mode that seems to... read more

Meet The Temptations -- a group who already sound great at this early point in their career! There's a nicely dark edge to most numbers here -- a sound that's more early 60s than you might guess from The Temps' 60s reputation -- almost a transitional Motown mode that has equal parts doo wop and... read more

A late 60s Motown classic -- with a deep heavy soul sound that mixed psychedelic elements into a rolling righteous groove -- with a style that was perfect for the political tenor of the times! The formula worked extremely well for The Temps, and shifted them from being just a regular Motown vocal... read more

The Temps give love at Christmas -- and manage to do it with a heck of a lotta soul! The set's got some surprisingly nice late Motown arrangements from Harold Johnson, Gil Askey, and Teddy Randazzo -- supporting the group's mellow seasonal harmonies nicely! There's a few nice Motown numbers on... read more

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The second LP from Ten City, with great vocals by Byron Stingley and nice production courtesy Marshall Jefferson. One of the brighter lights in the commercial Chicago house scene, probably due to their R&B crossover appeal. 9 tracks, including "Livin' Easy", "Whatever Makes You... read more

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Southern soul from one of the all-time greats -- the incredible Joe Tex, a singer like no other! The set brings together 12 of Joe's classic tunes recorded during the Dial/Atlantic years -- tracks that really helped define the soul sound of the south, and which blended together soul and country... read more

An excellent record from Joe -- recorded slightly before his "Gotcha" hit, but with a mellow southern soul sound that's much more in keeping with his work of the 60s. The session is a laidback one, done at Muscle Shoals with a small combo -- and a deep soul approach that's got some of... read more

Lots of funky tracks in the mode of Joe's "I Gotcha" hit, and less of the southern soul material that he did on his earlier records. Definitely aimed at the dancefloor, and with titles like "Loose Caboose", "Finger Popped Myself Into The Poor House", "How Do You... read more

A pivotal album for Joe -- and one in which he turned his previously mellow southern soul style into a heavier funkier sound for the 70s! Includes the title cut, which a whole generation rediscovered in Reservoir Dogs, plus "Give the Baby Anything the Baby Wants", a big sample cut from a... read more

Carla's grown up from her little girl years -- singing in a mature style that has none of the "Gee Whiz" of earlier days. The production is sophisticated southern, with arrangements by Marvell Thomas and Johnny Allen -- and a righteous sound that's more in keeping with the new pride of... read more

Here's a record that really takes its title seriously -- as Memphis Queen features Carla Thomas working in a proud, bold mode that really inherits the crown of the scene she helped usher in during the 60s! The record's got a deeper soul feel than previous work, yet still also uses some full... read more

A real 80s groover from Lillo Thomas -- plenty of keyboards, snapping rhythms, and a sweetly gliding rhythm that beautifully supports Thomas' high-pitched vocals! The sound is one that dated quickly back in the 80s, but sounds surprisingly great after all these years -- a style of soul that's... read more

Early stuff by Rufus -- not hard and funky, like his later work for Stax in the early 70s, but with a nice growling R&B sound that's pretty great all the way through! As in all of his work, Rufus puts a keen emphasis on uptempo material -- storming hard through highly danceable numbers with... read more

A landmark album from Timmy Thomas -- one that mixes together electronics and soul, in a style that's hardly been matched since! Timmy's working here in a very unusual format -- one that takes spare drum-machine beats, adds in warm keyboard chords, and graces the whole thing with smooth vocals to... read more

Titles include "Street Scene", "Memories", "Latin Disco", Givin' Up On Love", "Time To Dance", and "Zoot Suit Boogie".... read more

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A standout set of British soul from the 80s -- and an early production from Steve "The Scotsman" Harvey! The set's got a nicely chunky sort of groove -- one that draws heavily from American indie modes of the early part of the decade, but focuses things a bit more towards the charts --... read more

A bit of a change for Allen Toussaint -- the kind of an album that makes good use of all the connections he was making during the early 70s, when he was becoming the darling of the Warner Brothers scene in LA. Overall, Allen's getting pretty smooth by this point -- so smooth that even some rootsy... read more

Tight funky work from Tower of Power -- produced here by Steve Cropper, but sounding a lot more like Average White Band than on earlier albums -- with a great mix of mainstream funk and warmer, mellow cuts! The group takes advantage of the studio work to let the best funky sides of their... read more

A landmark album from The Trammps -- and a record that broke the group firmly out of the Philly ghetto, yet still carried all the best touches of the Sigma scene! Sure, the title track was a super-huge hit -- thanks to a plug in Saturday Night Fever -- but the record itself is Philly club soaring... read more

The first full album cut by The Trammps -- and a landmark bit of Philly club sounds! The group had already been grooving the burgeoning east coast disco scene for years, which is why the album's called The Legendary Zing Album (the group's version of "Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart"... read more

Quite possibly the best record ever by The Trammps -- halfway between their roots in the early 70s east coast indie club scene, and the smoother approach of their later disco hits! The set is prime Sigma Sound disco -- with strong harmonies by the group in a post-Spinners mode, and plenty of help... read more

Long lost post disco soul from Trilark! Trilark keeps the tight, smoothed out and soaring groove of the late 70s club soul into the mix here, a really sweet and gleamingly funky batch. Every song here's got a great hook -- if the early 80s era was a bit more forgiving to groups that carried the... read more

The first album from guitarist John Tropea -- ace 70s session guitarist, but a surprisingly great leader and arranger in his own right too! Tropea's working here in a vibe that's clearly influence by the CTI sound -- smooth but funky fusion -- laid down in prime studio conditions, but still nicely... read more

Probably the best album ever cut by this DC funk group that defined the Go Go sound of the early 80s! The record features tracks that are a bit tighter than usual, with some nice heavy moments, and the occasional nice drumbreak. Titles include "Pump Me Up", "Drop The Bomb",... read more

This was the moment when it seemed like Go Go was really going to break out huge -- Trouble Funk recording for a major label, with lots of wide exposure, and plenty of critical acclaim that made GoGo seem like it really was the next big thing in black music. The album captures the group live --... read more

They may be one-album wonders -- but Trussel were a strong group who cut this enduring soul classic at a fortunate time when Elektra was really trying to break into the modern soul market. The record's got a nice midtempo jazzy groove, augmented by production by Fred Wesley, and a sound that hints... read more

Livin' the "Bon Bon Vie", with this classic uptempo groover from T.S. Monk! You'd hardly guess that this guy was Thelonious Monk's son -- but who cares about his roots when the album grooves so hard? This Monk plays drums, not piano, but the best tracks on the record have a tight... read more

A killer classic from the mighty TS Monk -- one of the key forces in the evolution of groove during the post-disco years! Monk's increasing the size of his group a bit for this album, but the overall sound is still nicely focused -- and very much in the snapping 80s groove of his debut! As before... read more

Philly soul man Bobby Eli arranged and produced this batch of righteous tracks for the early version of WMOT Productions in the city. The sound of the group is sort of a rumbling, slightly funky one -- with ensemble vocals on a number of tracks, and a bass-heavy soul groove. Titles include "Y... read more

Hard heavy stuff from Ike & Tina -- very much in their earlier style, with perhaps a bit of bluesiness thrown into the mix. Tina's on vocals on most cuts -- and titles include "I Can't Believe", "Get It Get It", "Strange", "My Babe", "Rooster",... read more

A collection of some of Ike & Tina's last, and biggest-selling work together -- recorded for the United Artists label, and very much in the rocking mode that made the duo big with the crossover crowd. Titles include "Nutbush City Limits", "Sexy Ida (Part 2)", "Proud... read more

Ike and Tina go hard and loud on this 10 track set of some of their great soul work for the Loma label! The set may not be their ultimate greatest hits, but it does offer some strong highlights from one of their best periods ever -- when they were really tightening up the act, but not yet hitting... read more

Great stuff -- and the only truly funky album that Ike Turner ever recorded! This set's a batch of obscure funky instrumentals -- and sounds like a strong compilation of rare 45s, filled with hard funky drums, nice breaks, and plenty of super-tight grooves. Nearly every cut's a winner -- and... read more

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A collection of 40s sides by the Kansas City team of singer Joe Turner and pianist Pete Johnson -- recorded a few years after their initial rise to fame in the 30s, but still very much at the height of their early powers! The style is bluesy jazz -- with Johnson providing the core groove on piano,... read more

One of the best ever records from Twennynine -- produced and arranged by Lenny White & Larry Dunn-- jazzy modern soul at it's dawn of the decade finest! Twennynine With Lenny White is way at the front of the pack of a lot of the 80s groove elements to follow in its wake -- with popping... read more

Jazzy soul all the way through -- and a great little album from Lenny White and the Twennynine combo -- a group that features some especially great keyboards from the great Don Blackman! The style here's a bit like some of Blackman's own work -- rooted in fusion, but focused towards soul -- with... read more

An amazing musical discovery -- the lost second album from 24 Carat Black -- recorded right after the band's legendary debut for Stax Records, but unissued for over 30 years! All the righteous styles of the group's famous Ghetto Misfortune's Wealth classic are fully in place here -- and if... read more

Strangely packaged selection of tracks by Fantasy's hit soul duo Two Tons -- Martha Wash & Izora Armstead, who went on to record as the Weather Girls on Columbia. The record includes their big hit for Columbia -- "It's Raining Men" (in a different version? -- we're not sure), plus... read more

Soaring soul from The Tymes -- arguably their biggest album ever, and a key RCA Records soul set from the 70s! Like others at the time, the group get a hip new style here with help from the Sigma Sound Studios -- working with Richie Rome arrangements, conducted by group member Billy Jackson -- in... read more

A relatively dynamic set of vocal tracks by actress Leslie Uggams -- one of two albums she made for Atlantic during a bid as a singer during the 60s. The arrangements are by Peter Matz, and they've definitely got a bit of Copa in them -- not too showy, but flashier than you might expect for... read more

Dynamic disco work from Ultimate -- a trio of lovelies from the Philly scene, recorded here with a sound that's a bit different than some of their Casablanca contemporaries! The record's not nearly as polished as some of the rest -- arranged by Michael Forte with a style that's certainly clubby,... read more

A very sweet little album by this great Motown group! The record was produced by Norman Whitfield, and it's a perfect example of the rumbling funky soul sound that he was developing at the time -- a mixture of heavy bass, rumbling percussion, fuzzy guitars, and a stone righteous sound that pushed... read more

A perfect example groove that got The Undisputed Truth big hit fame in the early 70s -- sort of a rumbling funk, full-on approach, using male/female vocals in kind of a "wall of soul" approach. Includes the huge hit "Smiling Faces Sometimes", plus lots of covers of cool tracks... read more

An excellent bit of 80s groove! Unlimited Touch have a cool 2-female lead vocal style -- and they keep it tight and soulful on grooves that have a nice tight club sound, in a style that often reminds us of Roy Ayers produced albums, like Ladies Of The 80s, or some of the more uptempo tracks on the... read more

Plenty of darkness here from Phil Upchurch -- those great tones and notes he worked so well back in the 70s -- all with that near-perfect quality that made him one of the most in-demand players of his day! The style here is a bit different than some of Phil's previous work in Chicago -- as the set... read more

An incredible album from one of the greatest talents on the Chicago soul scene of the late 60s -- guitarist Phil Upchurch, a player with an amazing sound! Phil could work in worlds that were equal parts soul and psychedelia -- making his guitar a perfect accompaniment for the best Chicago soul of... read more

One of the most soulful albums ever recorded for the Kudu label -- and one of the few full LP releases to feature vocal work by Chicago soul singer Tennyson Stephens! Tennyson's working here with Phil Upchurch, the legendary Chicago guitar player whose talents graced countless soul, jazz, and funk... read more

Easily the greatest album ever from brothers John and Billy Valentine -- a seminal 80s groove classic, produced with a sweet jazzy touch from keyboardist Bobby Lyle! The record's a real standout from the time -- a solid soul effort that still manages strong dancefloor appeal -- thanks to a range... read more

Surprising (but lucky!) reissue of this great lost album of funky organ grooves, originally recorded by Earl Van Dyke for Motown's Soul subsidiary. The groove is very hard and funky, with organ instrumental renditions of tracks like "Cissy Strut" and "Thank You Falletinme Be Mice... read more

Amazing stuff from Melvin! Like all of his films, this is a mad mix of insanity and wisdom -- put together with enough violent clashes of culture to shake anyone up. Funk, soul, poetry, and righteousness blend into a great batch of tracks! Includes groovy cuts like "Lilly Done the Zampoughi... read more

A musical -- but a pretty darn soulful one, as you might expect from the mighty Melvin Van Peebles! The soundtrack features tunes from Van Peebles early 70s stage production Don't Play Us Cheap -- an attempt to bring the modes explored in his film work to the theater -- and given the range of... read more

Lean, clean work from Luther Vandross -- an album of gentle grooves and warmly romantic tones -- offered up as part of Luther's hit run in the 80s! The sound is quite electric at times, but Vandross' vocals provide enough human warmth to offset the beats and keyboards -- and given that Marcus... read more

Classic 80s work from Luther Vandross -- the kind of record that catapulted him from the soul music shadows into the major mainstream of the time! The style here is a fair bit more electric than some of Luther's music of the 70s, but the sound is still silky, soulful, and sensuous -- thanks to... read more

Luther Vandross at the top of his game -- sitting right at the height of that crossover space in soul he virtually owned back in the mid 80s! The work here is certainly more commercial than Vandross albums of the past, but the soul is no less deep -- thanks to Luther's amazing vocal approach,... read more

The power of love, and the power of Luther -- working here with all of his hitmaking talents in place! The album's possibly a bit more commercial and crossover than some of the earlier work from Vandross -- but there's no denying Luther's amazing vocal talents, which shine and shimmer beautifully,... read more

An obscure group from Oakland, CA -- with a tight jazz funk groove on the best cuts, courtesy of Perfect Circle, the group that comprised the band's rhythm section! The group features one female vocalist, Samaki -- but the majority of the tracks have the three male singers working in a harmony... read more

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More soul than blues, with some great funky touches too!... read more

Man, if Sesame Street sounded this groovy, we'd still be at home, sitting on the couch watching TV! Think of the album as kind of an alternative take on the Sesame Street sound of the early days -- one that went past the easy multiculturalism of Gordon and Maria, into a style that was much more... read more

Very tasty funky fusion session, cut by bassist Miroslav Vitous in San Francisco -- along with a group that includes Airto, Herbie Hancock, and Jack DeJohnette. The sound is very much in keeping with Herbie's early 70s funk albums -- with lots of nice long electric grooves, and spare tasty... read more

Amazing work from The Voices Of East Harlem -- a group with roots in gospel, but working here in a wonderfully soaring secular soul style -- complete with arrangements and production from the legendary Leroy Hutson! The style here is similar to some of Leroy's best work, and that of his... read more

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

Strident Euro disco -- with hard-jamming keyboards and guitars over string arrangements and a bit of synth. Some cuts have chorus vocals, but the main groove is instrumental, with the sweeping feel that you'd expect from such a project. Titles include "Latin Odyssey", "Bayou... read more

A definite victory for Narada Michael Walden -- a record that has him pulling all the best elements of previous albums into really sharp focus -- all to serve up some of the most soulful grooves of his career! Walden's miles from his jazzier roots here -- but that previous training also puts him... read more

A mindblowing album of electric piano tracks! Don Walker was a funky pianist from Chicago who worked briefly with the Young-Holt Unlimited group -- and who cut a rare few albums of his own for the Brunswick label. This second solo album features some excellent Fender Rhodes work by Don -- set to... read more

Jr Walker's second live set for Motown -- and a hard-wailing set with a raw edge you wouldn't expect from the label! The recording quality is nice and raunchy -- and the group's playing at double or triple-time on the set, grooving with amazing edges, twists, and turns. Many cuts feature vocals --... read more

Funky blues with a heavy guitar sound, played by Phillip Walker, who played with a number of New Orleans and southern players in the 50's, then moved to LA in the 60's. The album's one of the few rare ones on the Playboy label, and it was recorded in LA with a smooth 70's feel. Titles include... read more

Brilliant work from Philly arranger Dexter Wansel -- an album that moves the focus back to soul a bit more than on his Life On Mars set, but which also keeps in plenty of jazzy touches! Dexter's groove here is similar to the best work he did with other Philly vocalists in the same time -- and the... read more

One of their great early ones -- when the band's trademark Chicano funk sound was still hard and raw! Includes the classic "Slipping Into Darkness", with some great jazzy changes that still hold up extremely well. We put this on the other night and trippe dout a bit on how dope this... read more

A selection of tracks culled from the days when War were working with Eric Burdon -- during the years 1969 and 1970, when the ex-Animal tried to show the world that he actually had some real soul cred, and hooked up with this hip funky combo from LA to lay down his groove. The tracks are very much... read more

A repackaging of tracks put together in the late 70s, collecting some of War's "jazzier" moments. Although it was War's more succinct, funkier numbers and singles that we dug most about the band at first, it's these numbers where the group opens up a bit more that they really shine, if... read more

A monster -- and if you can only buy one War album, let this be it! The record define's the band's organ-heavy Chicano funk style perfectly -- as just about every track's a nice groover, rolling along at that low-rider pace that was War's lasting contribution to funk music. Nearly every track on... read more

War did the music for this funky soundtrack to an early Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs film, and although most of the stuff on here is just typical War stuff, there's one track called "Flying Machine" that's a long funky chase scene-type track that's worth the price of the album alone! Other... read more

Well, if Anita Ward only made one good record, that would be enough. Fortunately, she did -- the disco classic "Ring My Bell", one of those tracks that still never quits after all these years, served up here in a nice 8 minute version that means you don't even have to worry about looking... read more

We've always thought this lesser-known sister of Dionne Warwick was the much more soulful member of the family, and this nice batch of tracks recorded for Mercury is more than proof of that! Ed Townsend produced the session, and some of the arrangements were handled by Horace Ott, in the best... read more

Sweet 80s soul from Dionne Warwick -- an album that features a fair bit of production work from Barry Gibb -- and a sometime sound that definitely shows his presence! The style here is smoother than Dionne in earlier years -- with a nice undercurrent of jazz in the instrumentation, one that helps... read more

In many ways, Baby Washington's material was the epitome of the New York soul sound of the 60's. She sang in a deep soulful style, set amdist swirling uptown production that brought a polish to the songs, but which never overpowered her beautiful voice. This hard to find United Artists LP is... read more

Two older 60s soul stars team up in this early 70s album of sweet soul duets. Don had worked previously with Dee Dee Ford, and he's going for a similar style here with Baby Washington -- with both singers trading off vocals, and one usually dominating the song more than the other. The groove is... read more

Sockin soul from Geno Washington -- an ex-American marine who recorded to big fame in the UK in the late 60s -- working with the legendary Ram Jam Band, an act that rivaled some of the best American combos of the southern party circuit at the time! The approach here is certainly soul-based, but it'... read more

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Tripped-out funk from Johnny -- very much in his "I Got To Ta Ta Ya Baby" mode, with the guitar skipping around keyboards in a mellow Bay Area kind of way! Johnny's gone way way past his bluesy roots here -- into a sublime blend of soul and funk that's all crafted with just the right... read more

Johnny Guitar Watson at the top of his game -- working here in a sublime mix of funk, blues, and soul -- all crafted into a groove that was uniquely Watson's own! Johnny may have started the 70s in relative obscurity -- down from some hit work in the 50s and 60s -- but by the time of this set, he... read more

Killer funky stoner soul from LA! This album is one of the best by Charles Wright and his legendary funky group -- and it features some straighter soul material, like the big hit "Loveland", or their mellow take on "Light My Fire" -- plus some great heavy funk numbers, like... read more

Mad mad funk, and the fantastic second LP by the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band -- the group that proved to everyone that LA could be just as funky as any other city in the 60s! The record draws strongly from the group's indie roots in the funky 45 scene -- and the album's filled with short... read more

Fantastic funk from the 60s LA scene -- and the first-ever album by a group who would dominate the west coast groove of the time! This first outing by the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band takes off nicely from the group's funky 45 years -- using larger arrangements to expand upon their hard and... read more

A rare bit of hardcore poetry by the Watts Prophets -- the legendary LA group who were kind of a west coast answer to the Last Poets! The group have a sound that's as striking as the best early work by The Last Poets -- a hard-hitting blend of poetry, rhythms, and righteous energy -- all recorded... read more

A tight little ensemble soul group from Chicago -- with an approach that's clearly influenced by Earth, Wind, & Fire, although the group also seems to be trying for more of a pop easy soul sound at times. Funky 45 artists Lonell Dantzler is on keyboards and Finis Henderson on vocals -- and... read more

Very nice spacey soul from the late 70s Columbus, Ohio scene by Norman Whiteside's Wee -- a mindblowing mix of jazz funk sophistication, harmony vocals and electric keyboard led psychedelic soul! Whiteside started Wee after the dissolution of Capsoul Records, where he was an important figure to... read more

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A mixture of disco and modern soul -- with smooth vocals by James that might do better without such strident arrangements. There's probably a decent soul record in here somewhere, but the album suffers from some of the overblown qualities that can plague the lesser releases on the AVI label. Ian... read more

A fantastic blend of two funky styles -- that of the James Brown group of the early 70s, and the always mighty P-Funk nation of the late 70s! After Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker came head to head with James Brown in the mid 70s, they broke off and formed the Horny Horns contingent -- a tight funky... read more

After Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker came head to head with James Brown in the mid 70s, they broke off and formed the Horny Horns contingent -- a tight funky backing section that's featured on a number of late 70s funk sessions, and which also recorded some extremely nice numbers on their own! This... read more

The second classic album that Fred Wesley cut with the legendary Horny Horns -- an all-star group that he led after parting company with James Brown and closing up the JBs! The group's got Fred upfront, great solos by Maceo Parker, and production by Bootsy and George Clinton -- making for a sound... read more