Soul — In Stock — LPs  

Sure, this one's got "boogie" in the title – but don't let that scare you off! The album's carved in the same hard funky style as mid 70s hits like "Hollywood Swinging" or "Jungle Boogie" (both from earlier albums) – and in fact, the "boogie" in... read more

Way more than just a "boogie" album – as you might think from the title – and much more a hard-hitting batch of funky tunes, mixed with some even cooler laidback numbers! The album follows heavily off the style of Wild & Peaceful – mixing together the group's older... read more

After this one, there was no turning back for Kool & The Gang! The record has them bringing their underground funk sound to the masses – with a choppy riffy groove that stands out almost as a public challenge to all the other pretenders that had been cropping up on major labels during... read more

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Includes "Love Symphony", "Living Double", "Look To The Rainbow", "What Can I Do For You", "If You Don't Know Me By Now", and "Where I Wanna Be".... read more

The first album by the second group to call themselves the Last Poets – and as fierce a document of their rich talents as you'll ever find – bursting forth with anger and righteousness at a level as tight as Gil Scott-Heron's first album! The group here is the key second lineup of the... read more

One of the Last Poets greatest albums – and one of their most sophisticated as well! Gone are the rough-hewn rhymes of the group's first album, and in their place are better arranged, more thought-out tracks that mix in a wealth of musical influences – and which expand the group's... read more

Latimore couldn't help being a soul genius – and even on a record like this, which didn't really yield any hits, he still comes through loud and clear, with a deep rich soul voice, backed by some great mellow soul arrangements. The album includes a great slow mellow version of "I Get... read more

Latimore's first album – and a classic bit of Miami soul! The record's something of a groundbreaker – as it mixes older southern soul with some bluesy inflections – using small combo instrumentation and a warm sweet sound on production to create a new groove that pushed soul... read more

A real move forward in the career of Stacy Lattisaw – an album that has her coming across with a much more mature feel than before, even though she was still quite young at the time! The record's got an unabashedly poppish sensibility, but one that also has some of the more complicated modes... read more

Bettye Lavette's best record yet for Anti- – a modern classic from a bonafide legendary southern soul singer – and she sounds as wonderful as she has in years! If her voice has picked up some grit over the years, it's no less beautiful – and the experience only enhances the... read more

Titles include "Red Bulbs", "Menage A Trois", "Sugar Babe", "Love Is All I Need", "Brown Eyes", and "It's Me".... read more

A wicked little soundtrack that's about as badass as you can get for the 70s – the obscure score for the black answer to Warren Beatty's famous Shampoo! The music on the set is really great – sparer than usual for a blacksploitation soundtrack, with lots of nice instrumental tracks... read more

A 60s LP that compiles Julia's earlier sides for Capitol – a mixture of jump blues, swing, and R&B, recorded with players that include Red Norvo, Benny Carter, Vic Dickenson, and Baby Lovett. Titles include "Last Call For Alcohol", "After Hours Waltz", "King Size... read more

A 50s LP that compiles Julia's earlier singles for Capitol – a mixture of jump blues and early R&B, done with some nice jazzy touches that give the tracks a Kansas City groove. Titles include "Last Call For Alcohol", "I Was Wrong", "Tell Me Daddy", "Ain'... read more

A beautiful batch of gospel work from Shirley Ann Lee – a vocalist who originally worked the spiritual circuit in a trio with Candi Staton! The album's an unusual one – put together partly as a way of promoting Shirley's music to a larger audience – which means it's got a few... read more

Early grooves from Leon Pattillo – later a club maestro, but working here in a much rootsier style at the head of Leon's Creation – an ultra-cool funk combo from San Francisco! The album's got a groove that really lives up to the promise of its title – a heady brew of funky... read more

An album that follows nicely in Ketty's style of the 60s – mixing together soul with more serious vocal work – but handled here with some groovier 70s touches! Ketty's clearly heard the work of singers like Nina Simone and Melba Moore by this point, and is going for a more righteous... read more

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Some very nice pop soul tracks by this lovely vocalist from the 60s! The record features a core group of backing by the Ronnie Brown trio, plus some larger arrangements by Lincoln Mayorga. The sound is nice and soulful, with a bit of a jazzy touch – in the manner of some of Nancy Wilson's... read more

One of the best-ever albums by this lovely soulful singer! Linda Lewis had an amazing style that was somewhere in between Minnie Riperton, Joni Mitchell, and Ellen McIlwaine – meaning that she mixes soul, folk, and a bit of jazz into her own unique vibe. This album's a gem, and is filled... read more

Rare funk from the same Minneapolis scene that gave the world Prince – a legendary indie set from the end of the 70s, put together by Lewis brothers Pierre and Andre! Despite their French names, the duo have a mighty American groove on the set – a wicked approach to funk that's very... read more

Fantastic stuff – incredibly hard and incredibly funky, and a masterpiece all the way through! Long before there was any talk of gangster rap, Jalal of the Last Poets recorded this album of gamblin', pimpin', and hard double dealin'. It's a fantastic album-long ride through the dark side of... read more

A classic bit of Chicago house goes mainstream – and a suprisingly big hit from the late 80s. The main reason most folks bought this album was for Louis' "French Kiss", a sex-sound infused house cut with a "fast-then-slow-then-fast" groove that was endlessly dropped into... read more

A mixture of fusion and soul – with some hard-jamming tracks that bring sometimes brings more of a focus on the groove than the vocals – and other cuts that steer it into a solid pop soul approach! There's a warmth and depth to the production and the songwriting that's a pretty big... read more

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Anthony and crew were one of the few groups who actually got better when they moved from the raw indie scene to the slicker major label one – as you'll hear perfectly on this set of some of their best work for the Veep/DCP/United Artists label. Teddy Randazzo handled all the arrangements and... read more

Incredible funky guitar – an all-instrumental gem from the legendary Little Beaver – quite different than his other vocal albums of the 70s, and a fair bit funkier too! The sound here is amazing – lots of snakey compressed guitar parts, nice wah wah moments, and a dope laidback... read more

An excellent early album from the amazing Little Beaver – a set that's also probably one of his best ever – served up with some extra-dope guitar, and nice deep Miami soul production by Steve Alaimo! Beaver handled all the arrangements – which means that there's plenty of room... read more

An excellent album of smooth soul tracks – very different than Little Beaver's earlier work, but every bit as great! The album's got a warm, mellow finish that's almost a maturation of the sound that Beaver first forged on his Party Down album – with plenty of his deep soul vocals and... read more

Funky 70s Little Richard – very much in the spirit of his Rill Thing album, although a bit more polished! The album features production and arrangements from New Orleans soul legend Bumps Blackwell – who first handled Richard way back when – and the record's sort of divided half... read more

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A comprehensive look at some great recordings from Little Walter – sides recorded for Chess Records from 1953 to 1963 – offering up a decade's worth of evolution in his style! But even at the start, Walter was better than most of his generation – a heck of a great harmonica... read more

Killer 50s work from the great Little Walter – tracks that show that he was of the greatest blues acts working for Chess Records at the time! Many of the numbers here are heavy on Walter's classic harmonica style, but they also feature plenty of rough-edged vocals with a nicely soulful... read more

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A fantastic album of funky soul – and Shorty's greatest album! Well, it's actually only one of two albums he cut – and the only one that was issued before his untimely early death – but it's a killer batch of tracks that mix together funk, Detroit soul, and a great sense of humor!... read more

An excellent funk party all the way through! Preston was Johnny Otis' tenor star in the late 60s – and this album has him grooving hard with members of Johnny's band, including a young Shuggie Otis, who's really wailing with some acid licks on guitar! The overall feel is very much in the... read more

Long lost soul from Love Apple – the only known recordings made by the female vocal trio in the late 70s – rehearsal takes made with the legendary Lou Ragland! Love Apple is Lily Pearson, Annette Warren and Avetta Henry – working here with Cleveland soul mainstay Ragland, who was... read more

Ostensibly released as a project by Penthouse Magazine, and packaged in a tri-fold cover that includes loads of nudie photos of their playmates (or is it "pentmates"?), this is actually a nice bit of extended disco grooves, with some good acoustic percussion, hard conga and kick drums,... read more

Very nice comeback album by Love Unlimited, and one that still features Barry White at the helm. The music's a nice mix of midtempo modern soul groovers, with a lot of tracks that have an excellent steppers groove to them. With the cuts "I'm So Glad That I'm A Woman", "High Steppin... read more

Great stuff from the girls who first put Barry White on the map! The record is the group's second – and by this point, Barry had developed that tight snapping drum sound that made his orchestral albums work so well. You'll hear it to good effect on most songs on the LP, which have a great... read more

Excellent instrumentals from The Maestro! Barry's in fine fine form here – and he's just about the only one who could make a record with so many strings sound so funky! The album includes the excellent groover "Bring It On Up", which has a tightly snapping rhythm underneath... read more

Excellent solo work by Lowrell Simon – once a singer with Lost Generation, but opening up a whole new style of Chicago soul here on his own! The album's a tasty batch of smooth soul tracks with a midtempo club groove – not disco, but with the kind of large production and loping groove... read more

Excellent solo work by Lowrell Simon – once a singer with Lost Generation, but opening up a whole new style of Chicago soul here on his own! The album's a tasty batch of smooth soul tracks with a midtempo club groove – not disco, but with the kind of large production and loping groove... read more

A cool promo-only radio record – one that features tracks from LTD's earlier albums on A&M, mixed with interview bits and dialogue – more than enough to act as a special radio show in itself! The album is divided up into five banded segments, each with a few songs, interviews with... read more

"Best Of" collection that takes tracks from Jon's Columbia releases Song For My Lady and Premonition. The set's a good batch of tracks with a sweet jazzy soul feel, and the LP includes most of the cuts you'd want from the other Columbia records. Tracks include "Hello Like... read more

Amazing work from the great Jon Lucien – and probably his best-ever record! The album has Jon hitting a totally unified vision of spacey soul – bringing in elements of Brazilian music and touches of his Carribean roots, fusing them together with a sweet jazzy style and one of the most... read more

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Cheryl Lynn and Luther Vandross – a tremendous combination that makes for one heck of a great record! Luther arranged and produced the entire set – and he does a great job here of pushing Cheryl Lynn into more upbeat territory without getting too poppy or schmaltzy! In a way, the... read more

A landmark album of the 60s – and a record that forever put Gloria Lynne on the map! The album's got a sense of poise and class that was almost a genre into itself – one that crossed Gloria over big with the title hit version of "I Wish You Love", but which was also supported... read more

Titles include "The Whisperers", "It May Sound Silly", "I Understand", "After All I've Been To You", "I Love You Yes I Do", and "It Seems To Me I'm Just A Woman In Love". Arrangements by Hal Mooney.... read more

Slow sexy grooves from Robbie M – an artist with a vibe that's just what you'd expect from his look on the cover! The tunes here are beautifully laidback, and have this slow-percolating quality that's like a mellower take on 80s club – all instrumental, and still with lots of beats and... read more

A funky classic from Galt MacDermot! The record is Galt's score for the blacksploitation film that starred Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St Jacques – and it's a mix of vocal and instrumental tunes that takes off from the sound of his late 60s work. Melba Moore sings on a few cuts –... read more

A killer-diller bit of essential funk – the only full album cut by Maceo with James Brown production! The set's got Maceo coming back strongly into the JB fold, with a fierce array of funky cuts that kick it every bit as hard as the best JBs work of the time. No surprise, the JBs are... read more

A rare gem from Maceo Parker – the second album cut with his King's Men group in the short time he was away from James Brown in the early 70s! The set was done for the Excello southern soul label, and it's got a bit of a different groove than his work for House Of Fox with the same group... read more

Incredibly great work from Machine – an album of disco tunes, but with a hipper, message-oriented feel than most of its contemporaries! The group will forever be known for their classic hit "There But For The Grace Of God Go I" – an infectious groover with a wild lyric about... read more

Some rare early Memphis soul material by this legendary Stax combo! The sound of the recording is a bit rawer than most of the stuff we know by them, but their harmonies are great all the way through, with that hard Memphis soul sound that always made them so great! It features the earliest... read more

One of two albums produced by Rudy Ray Moore – the other being The Sensuous Black Man – which define the art of making love from a gender-based perspective. Like Rudy's Sensuous Black Man, The Madam's version features one side of "instructional" dialogue – very XXX-rated... read more

Excellent little small combo record, cut by this obscure funky jazz group for 20th Century – and probably the only thing they ever did! The album's got a number of tight short cuts, played by organ, vibes, and guitar – and titles include "Soul Samba", "Mad Hatters... read more

We remember when this one came out, everyone sort of put it down and said that Prince was caught in a crisis of overproduction. Now, though, from the perspective of his crap work in the 90s, this album stands as a beautiful bit of 80's jazz funk – and a cool batch of instrumentals that have... read more

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Titles include "Over & Over", "Into The Groove", "Holiday", "Everybody", and "Physical Attraction".... read more

A well-titled album – given that Taj Mahal's music is always pretty darn rootsy – and this time around, he's also adding in a bit of Jamaican roots too, thanks to production help from Bob Marley and Aston Barrett of The Wailers! The pair help Taj out on a few numbers, mixing in some... read more

A range of styles from Taj Mahal – from slow rolling, reggae tinged bluesy soul, to much bigger arrangements working in elements of funk, country soul, and more smoothed out jams on a bed of brass and backing vocals – Taj is all over the place here, and it a lot of it works surprisingly... read more

Titles include "Leaving Trunk", "EZ Rider", "Dust My Broom", "Diving Duck Blues", "The Celebrated Walkin Blues", and "Statesboro Blues".... read more

Beautiful harmony soul! Skip and the Casuals were one of the great lost groups of the 70s – and they had a classic style that was very much in keeping with groups like Soul Generation or The Whatnauts. The band hailed from Washington DC, making them one of the southernmost outposts of the... read more

Although South African vocalist Miriam Makeba had been cracking the American scene for the better part of the 60s, this was the album that really put her on the map – as her hit version of the song "Pata Pata" forever guaranteed that African-tinged grooves would have a place in the... read more

Funky b-boy classic! Sure, Malcolm was a blood-sucking vampire who was hungry enough to exploit any trend he could get his hands on – but in this case, he did all right, and came up with an album that stands the test of time in the breakdance crates. Includes the classics "Buffalo... read more

A great debut from The Malemen – a short-lived group in the recording studio, but one who spent many years on the southern scene as a well-travelled showband! The group have a more modern vibe here than they might on the stage – a sweet 80s groove approach that features plenty of tight... read more

A late Norm Whitfield production from the 80s, with a slick commercial soul groove, that's a bit more lean than a lot of his other work. A bit of an odd sidebar sort of record, but not without a few nice moments. Includes "Dance With Me, Baby", "What You Gonna Do", "Easier... read more

We have to admit we've passed this album up for years and years, as it seems to be rather ubiquitous in these parts, and boy were we mistaken! Side one is mostly instrumental, and sounds like a lost Dexter Wansel album, with sophisticated, spacey post-fusion arrangements and a quasi-futuristic... read more

Although some of the albums that Mandrill made were a bit weak, and had too much hippy-dippy stuff, this one is one of their best albums, and has a nice hard funky sound that they didn't always match. The album includes the funky break classic track "Fencewalk", plus other groovers like... read more

One is one of their best albums, and has a nice hard funky sound that they didn't always match. The album includes the funky break classic track "Fencewalk", plus other groovers like "Hang Loose", and "Don't Mess with People".... read more

Mandrill's first album of funky Latin jazz and soul – a landmark in crossover styles that still sounds remarkably fresh today! Unlike later records, which feature a tighter funk sound, this one has the band jamming out in a Latin-inflected mode that sounds like some of the best Chicano bands... read more

A tasty set from Mandrill – one of their first records away from the Polydor label, but every bit as great as later efforts for that company, especially Mandrilland. The overall sound is a bit smoother than some of their full-out funky albums – but in a way that really helps blend... read more

A sweet groover from the Marvelettes – and a record that completely re-casts their sound for the Motown of the 70s! The group's still got the great soprano harmonies that made their early hits so wonderful, but the arrangements on the set are deeper and more sophisticated – taking them... read more

A lasting classic from the funky female foursome who were one of the biggest acts on Motown in the mid-80s – working here with super tight production and arrangements from Rick James – who also wrote all the songs on the record too! The girls' look is a bit dated, but their sound has... read more

One of Hugh's more poppy efforts, but still a nice batch of instrumentals with a good Afro soul groove to them, and the jaunty trumpet sound that was Hugh's stock in trade at the time. Tracks include "Actin' Like A Fool", "If I Needed Someone", "Sounds Of Silence",... read more

Classic work from Hugh Masekela – and the album that pushed him over the top! The record features his version of "Grazin In The Grass", a runaway instrumental hit when it was issued – and a sly little groover that was based upon some earlier South African pop melodies that... read more

Overall, the sound on this album's very 80s, with lots of electro and synth moments poking through, and a very disco base to the rhythm. The best example of that is the big single, "Don't Go Lose It Baby", an awesome club track, popular with the deep house heads and loft scene here in... read more

A pivotal album for Barbara Mason – one in which she takes the little girl soul sound of earlier albums, and turns it into a sophisticated range of emotions that foreshadows later Philly work by singers like Jean Carn and Phyllis Hyman! Despite the Philly arrangements by Ronnie Baker, Norman... read more

Transition is right, as the cover has Barbara floating above a Curtis Mayfield-ish scene of drugs, war, gambling, and Satan. The music isn't nearly as dope as the cover, but the album does include the odd track with a political message, like "World in a Crisis", "Trigger Happy... read more

Smooth soulful jazz from Harvey Mason – one of his strong 70s winners for the Arista album, and a record that really brings a new level of class to his sound! There's less of the grit in the grooves than you might expect from the down-home reference of the title – and in a way, the... read more

Maybe the best album ever by this sweet southern vocal group – produced and arranged by Isaac Hayes, who'd always had a big hand in the group's sound. The record's got a style that reminds us of mid 70s Manhattans, but perhaps with more of an edge on some of the vocals, especially on the... read more

A really messed-up blend of soul, rock, and blues – done in a style that's very much in keeping with the genre-busting Fillmore scene of the late 60s! Maximillian are a trio who run through Hendrix-like guitars, deep soul styled vocals, and bluesy riffing – often in the course of the... read more

Pure genius from Curtis Mayfield – and a record that's got all the righteousness and political power you might guess from the cover! The album burns with a sense of empowerment that's every bit the best strength of Curtom in the 70s – a sublime blend of heavy soul, funky undercurrents,... read more

Pure genius from Curtis Mayfield – and a record that's got all the righteousness and political power you might guess from the cover! The album burns with a sense of empowerment that's every bit the best strength of Curtom in the 70s – a sublime blend of heavy soul, funky undercurrents,... read more

Nicely priced US reissue of this classic! This was Curtis Mayfield's first solo album after leaving the Impressions, and it's a firey album of political soul that shows just how much he was holding back when he was with the group. The tracks are longer, angrier, more experimental, and a lot more... read more

This was Curtis Mayfield's first solo album after leaving the Impressions, and it's a firey album of political soul that shows just how much he was holding back when he was with the group. The tracks are longer, angrier, more experimental, and a lot more funky. Standout tracks include "If... read more

An overlooked mid 70s gem from Curtis Mayfield – a record that's recorded with a slightly less righteous mode than his earliest work for Curtom – but still plenty darn great! The emphasis here is on warmer, sweeter styles – tunes that mix a subtle approach to funk with some great... read more

A real dancefloor set from Curtis – recorded with some sweet Philly production from the likes of Norman Harris and Bunny Sigler – in the sweeping, soaring, strings-heavy mode of the Philly disco records of the time! And yes, this isn't classic Curtis from the righteous years –... read more

A great album of mellow soul tracks from Curtis Mayfield – laidback, slinky, and almost to his earlier work what Let's Get It On was to the early 70s career of Marvin Gaye! The album's got a warm, soulful vibe that's totally great – not as all-out funky or politically righteous as... read more

Curtis Mayfield's lasting classic – and an album that the world will remember forever! Apart from being his hugely successful entry into the blacksploitation soundtrack field, this album's also a monster set of grooves that includes some of Curtis' funkiest work ever – a record that... read more

Curtis Mayfield's lasting classic – and an album that the world will remember forever! Apart from being his hugely successful entry into the blacksploitation soundtrack field, this album's also a monster set of grooves that includes some of Curtis' funkiest work ever – a record that... read more

A wonderfully wicked album from Curtis Mayfield – one that's not nearly as famous as his Superfly set, but which is every bit as great! The groove here is lean, mean, and totally righteous – a bit more stripped-down than some of the rumbling funk of other Curtom efforts, and served up... read more

A great album by Curtis Mayfield – filled with some excellent lesser-known gems! There's No Place Like America was Curtis' scathing testament to the State Of The Union – and it's got a hip political tone that's right up there with the best of his early 70s songwriting – perhaps... read more

A great album by Curtis Mayfield – filled with some excellent lesser-known gems! There's No Place Like America was Curtis' scathing testament to the State Of The Union – and it's got a hip political tone that's right up there with the best of his early 70s songwriting – perhaps... read more

It's always a sign of how huge Frankie Beverly was during the 80s that Capitol let him cut not one, but two double live albums during the early part of the decade. This one, his first, has the band grooving wonderfully before a crowd going mad in New Orleans. The tracks retain all the charm of... read more

Nice groovy Afro soul, recorded by Letta with some hip arrangements by Hugh Masekela. This record grooves much more nicely than her Capitol sessions, and includes some nice tracks that mix African rhythms with 60's LA pop soul production. Titles include "Qonqoza", "Macongo",... read more