Soul -- In Stock -- LPs  

Rudy brings new meaning to the phrase "the stockings were hung with care"! Even the sacred date of December 25th is no match for Rudy -- who works his usual raunchy magic on the Christmas season.... read more

One of the best of the Rudy Ray Moore raunchy party albums from the 70s, and one that must be seen to be believed! The cover has "Rudy" standing nude with "The Madam" -- but the man on the front really isn't Rudy, as you can plainly see that his face has been pasted over the... read more

Quite possibly THE mother of all funky soundtracks -- the legendary score to Rudy Ray Moore's classic first Dolemite film! The record's been referenced for years, and all the hype is totally right -- because the whole thing's overflowing with funky tracks both vocal and instrumental -- cut with a... read more

Sweet grooves from this Jodie Foster/Scott Baio pic from the late 70s! Titles include "On The Radio", sung by Donna Summer -- plus "Valley Of The Dolls", "Hollywood Dreams", "Fly Too High", and an instrumental take on "Radio" by Giorgio -- and... read more

One of Mtume's sweet mellow soul records for Epic from the early 80's. Like Norman Connors, another soul jazz drummer who decided to go for a smooth soul approach, Mtume has a nice laidback feel on here, with good jazzy production backing up a number of vocal tracks aimed at the modern soul crowd.... read more

Quite different than Idris' funky drumming on early 70s jazz records -- but not a bad little album on its own terms. As you'd guess by the title, the album's more of a disco/club effort than before, but thanks to some good arrangements by Dave Matthews -- who'd worked some good magic with other... read more

Mad funk from Ethiopia -- classic work by the legendary Mulatu, one of Africa's heaviest artists of the 70s! Mulatu's been kind of a beathead secret for years -- as most of his exotic grooves were never issued properly outside of Africa, and have only been the province of collectors who had the... read more

Songs include "Be Free", "No More", "Go On Without You", "Danger Zone", "Teaser", and "The One I Need".... read more

A little bit funk, a little bit soul -- Mickey Murray was one of the underrated talents working in the SSS label during the company's glory years, and had a sock-hard southern soul style that was really outta site! Mickey first hit big with the tune "Shout Bamalama" -- originally... read more

One of the nicest solo records by Alicia Myers -- formerly a vocalist with Al Hudson and The Soul Partners, but sounding even better here on her own. The record's got a strong smooth midtempo groove -- with the beat toned down a bit from earlier days, in a style that works perfectly for Alicia's... read more

After working with Al Hudson on earlier records, Alicia struck out on her own a bit more for this album -- a tasty batch of smooth soul tracks, with a few uptempo numbers in the tradition of her earlier work. Titles include "I Fooled You This Time", "Here's the Ticket", "I... read more

One of the best of the late soul groups on Captiol, and a tight professional combo who never got the fame they deserved. This album's got a bit more uptempo stuff than earlier albums, but the band handles the tracks the right way, and keeps things moving along nicely. Includes the groovers "G... read more

A fantastic bit of spiritual jazz funk -- and one of the rarest 70s albums on Fantasy Records! The group's headed up by Nat Adderley Jr (son of the famous Nat Sr) on keyboards and vocals -- and the ensemble is a hip, young collective with an approach that reminds us of work by Oneness Of Juju,... read more

A large-ish group that more or less takes off from the model of popular soul groups like the Ohio Players or Earth Wind & Fire with either disco-influenced uptempo numbers or polished ballads. Nothing extraoridinary here, just a batch of tightly played late 70s commercial soul jams, like "... read more

2LP promo vinyl set of the first Me'Shell Ndegeocello album -- and darn tough to find, even when it first came out! The record, as we're sure you know, is a spunky bit of hip hop-inflected R&B, with the kind of sinister groove that got her noticed immediately after the record was released. ... read more

An excellent early album from this massive soul collective! The album captures the group near the beginning of their career -- when they were sort of a funky soul army, featuring the instrumental talents of The Nite-Liters, the vocal strength of a number of excellent members, and the raw... read more

An excellent early album from this massive soul collective! The album captures the group near the beginning of their career -- when they were sort of a funky soul army, featuring the instrumental talents of The Nite-Liters, the vocal strength of a number of excellent members, and the raw... read more

Great early stuff by the New Birth -- with a sound that's a lot funkier than some of their other records! The sound of the album shows how the band had a great formula for taking original tracks and covers, and redoing them with their unique group sound that gave them a good party feel. This is... read more

Hard funky soul from The New Birth -- still sounding pretty raw at this point, and with that funky group ensemble feel that you'll hear on their best early albums. The tracks have plenty of nice guitar and clavinet work, and a shifting lead vocal approach that's pretty decent on most cuts. Tracks... read more

One of the nicest early albums by this great 70s soul collective -- featuring a strong mix of funk and mellow soul tracks, with backing by the Nite Liters on some tracks, and production by the great Harvey Fuqua throughout! Titles include "Wild Flower", "It's Been A Long Time",... read more

An obscure comilation of New Birth material on the somewhat dubious Stack-O-Hits label. Includes 7 songs -- "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me", "Dream Merchant", "Forever", "Long & Winding Road", "Why Can't I", "Hurry Hurry", and "Sure... read more

The group's second album -- with the hit team of Ralph Tresvant, Bobby Brown, and Bell, Biv, Devoe firmly in place! Features the huge hit "Cool It Now", plus "Kinda Girls We Like", "Maryann", "My Secret", "Mr Telephone Man", and "Hide &... read more

Rare work by this modern funk group from the early 80's -- a Roger Troutman side project, with a solid 80's groove similar to some of the Zapp records from the time! Roger and other Troutmans are all playing on the LP, and the tracks include "Big Fun", "Dance Frite", "U... read more

New York City Band are less of a group on their own than a combo pulled together for this album -- an ersatz soundtrack to the film Sunnyside, a disco-era production starring John Travolta's younger brother Joey! The group's mostly directed and organized by keyboardist Harold Wheeler, who gives... read more

A surprisingly great album that takes a soulful choir style, and mixes it with strident 70s arrangements by Leon Pendarvis. Richard Tee, John Tropea, and Steve Gadd are in the small backing group -- and the overall sound is a lot nicer than you'd expect from the cover! Titles include "Draw... read more

Catchy club tracks from the team of Johnny Dorazio and Tony Bentivegna -- recorded in the Montreal scene of the early 80s, a place where disco burned a lot longer than in the US! Most of the numbers have a sound that's almost like some of the European work of the previous decade, particularly that... read more

An obscure jazzy stepper from Chicago! The album was cut for the tiny Windsong label in the mid 80s -- and it's a great mix of mellow soul with jazzier undercurrents -- all served up with a very classy approach, in keeping with some of the hipper sides of sophisticated soul at the time! The... read more

A masterpiece of hard and heavy funk -- from one of the best bands of the early 70s! The Nite Liters were a legendary little funky combo that provided the backing for some of New Birth's best albums -- but on their own, they were even funkier, and had a sound that was part JBs, part Meters, and... read more

One of the best albums of funky instrumentals by the legendary Nite Liters -- and probably their hardest to find! The record's got loads of nice cuts that hit their classic funky groove in a way that brings to mind The Meters or The JBs -- but which also has the Nite-Liter's own unique brand of... read more

Cold, hard, and funky! This might be the greatest album ever by this legendary 70s funk band -- and it's got a killer sound that has the tightness of the JBs, the rawness of the early Meters, and the frenzy of a rare funky 45! Includes the incredible "Afro Strut" -- worth the price of... read more

Stone funky funky! This is an excellent reissue of the Nite Liters' classic first album, and a monster batch of funky instrumentals that we'd put up there with the great Meters records on Josie, or the classic JBs LPs on People! There's lots of hard drums, choppy guitars, and good funky grooves. ... read more

A great album filled with hard breaks, tight choppy guitars, and a deep funky sound. This is one of the best early albums by the Nite Liters, and it's filled with great grooves like "Funky-Doo", "Stinkin Charlie", and "K-Jee" -- but just about every track is a funky... read more

A real standout Christmas soul session from the 80s -- a decade when the soul Christmas album seemed to almost fall by the wayside! Alexander's working here with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis -- and although the sound's a bit contemporary, the spirit of the holiday more than shines through, thanks to... read more

Ok, so these goofy guys got us all a bit annoyed when they hit the charts big in the early 70s -- but this album also includes a monster breakbeat: a totally great spare drum riff that happens right at the beginning of their big hit "Put Your Hand In The Hand". The break is worth the... read more

... read more

A bit pop soul, a bit disco -- and a record that contains the group's biggest hit, "Native New Yorker". That track probably needs no introduction, but if you know it, we should say that the album also includes some other mellow soul tracks that are a lot better -- with a mellow modern... read more

Funky madness from the early version of the Ohio Players! The album features work by the group that was most likely recorded before their move to Mercury, collected here in an album that's right up there with their trippiest work for Westbound. Highlights include the heavy groovers "Food... read more

... read more

A true pleasure indeed -- easily one of the greatest records ever by the Ohio Players, and a perfect summation of all things great in their groove! The album's a landmark effort -- even for the heady days of the early 70s -- as the Players manage to bring together a fair bit of jazz with their... read more

A collection of funky tracks recorded by The Players when the were with Westbound, but released later, when they hit Mercury. Sort of a "cleaning house" effort, and not really a unified album, but that doesn't stop it from having some nice moments. Titles include "Introducing the... read more

Great work from the Ohio Players -- and proof that moving to a big label could be a good thing for a funky group! This was the band's first album for Mercury -- and although one might have the temptation to say that the label cut down the radical funk sound of the trippy Westbound years, the move... read more

Great work from the Ohio Players -- and proof that moving to a big label could be a good thing for a funky group! This was the band's first album for Mercury -- and although one might have the temptation to say that the label cut down the radical funk sound of the trippy Westbound years, the move... read more

A landmark album for the O'Jays -- a set that moved them from the indie ranks to 70s megasoulstatus! After years of bumping around on a variety of labels, and in a variety of styles, the group really exploded with this wonderful set -- an album that has them soaring along in the righteous Philly... read more

A great sense of righteousness and groove -- the key mix that made the O'Jays so great back in the day -- and which really helped put the Philly International enterprise on the map! The album's miles from the group's simple harmony soul roots -- even though those were pretty darn great -- and it... read more

10 tracks from one of the biggest vocal groups of the 70s! The O'Jays had been knocking around other labels for some time during the mid and late 60s, but when they hooked up with the Gamble & Huff team at the burgeoning Philadelphia International label, things really started taking off! ... read more

Although we've seen plenty of this one around on CD, we didn't actually know that they'd done US vinyl on this recent release until we saw one pass through the shop. They've been around forever, but they still have a way with harmonies that few newer groups can match. Includes "No Can... read more

Proof that the O'Jays fire can never die -- because even though the instrumentation is slightly dated at times, this set sill has the group shining strongly on the vocal tip -- hitting some great harmonies on the mellow cuts, and stepping out boldly on the more upbeat ones. Things are very much... read more

Although they didn't have as big of chart success as in earlier years, the O'Jays managed to do alright as the 80s moved in on them. Their sweet vocal style was a perfect match for Philly International's move to more modern soul production, and this album has them nicely set up by McFadden &... read more

Fantastic early O'Jays! The album's the first to feature the group meeting up with the Gamble/Huff team -- a significant shift from their earlier work on Imperial, with a style that still retains all the vocal hardness of those days, but which makes a shift into a sweeter more strident soul groove.... read more

A pivotal album for The O'Jays -- and one that's an undeniable Philly classic! The record was the third that the band cut for the Philly International label -- but it was really the first one that pushed their strong righteous soul agenda, sort of a mix of message-oriented lyrics and heavy soul... read more

Nice Philly work by the O'Jays -- one of their key "second period" albums, and a lost little gem filled with great harmony soul tracks. The political agenda of early 70s Philly albums is mostly gone, and the group's returned to themes of love and romance -- often done in a strident... read more

Massive work from this funky Nigerian cat -- a set that offers up a key mix of James Brown funk and home-grown elements -- all in a blend that's totally unique! The 1970 album mixes together equal parts African highlife and American soul -- making for a style that's heavy one minute, lighter the... read more

One of David's smooth soul albums for Mercury, with jazzy production by Wayne Henderson that's in line with the best work he was doing at the time. David's got a strange voice that's got the depth of a baritone, but the sweetness of a tenor. It's a little tough to get used to at first, but the... read more

Smooth jazzy soul, with excellent production by Wayne Henderson and his At-Home Productions team. David Oliver's got a deep baritone voice, and it slithers sexily through tracks like "Private Secretary", "Who Are You", "Take My Emptiness", and the great mellow groover... read more

The Olympics were one of the great underrated vocal groups of the early 60s -- and they had a tight, goofy harmony style that really recalls the greatness of the Coasters in their best moments. This album for the legendary Mirwood label features the band reprising some older hits -- like "The... read more

A great little set from One Way -- post disco Detroit dancefloor soul of the first order! There a crisp, tight bubbling sound that's pretty wonderful -- and warm in the spots where so many records of the period and cold and mechanical. The tunes bounce along nicely with production from Al... read more

Classic groovers from Al Hudson and his always-popular One Way ensemble -- one of those groups that managed to hit the dancefloor big, but still keep things pretty darn soulful! This album's one of the group's best -- thanks in part because of their massive, slow groover "Something In the... read more

One Way were one of MCA's biggest (and only) soul acts during the late 70s -- and as this album will prove, they kept on going very strongly into the 80s! The strength of the group was the great work by Al Hudson -- a fearless leader who kept things funky, and who wrote in some great hooks to... read more

A lesser-known album from One Way, but a great one -- and in some ways, even fresher and more appealing than some of their more famous work from the time! The set's still got plenty of the great One Way bounce in the mix -- but there's also a deeper, more sensitive soul sound going on here -- one... read more

One of the greatest records ever cut by The Originals -- a shift from Detroit group soul to a smoother California mode, one that really works great for their harmonies! The record was produced by Freddie Gorman and the group -- and it's got some great smooth tracks that really sparkle, with hooks... read more

One of the best full albums ever cut by the Orlons -- a rough-hewn batch of tunes that provide a really nice showcase for the group's mix of three females and one male singer. Includes the chunky groover "South Street", plus a number of tunes in a similar mode, like "Big Daddy"... read more

One of our favorite funk combos take on a host of gems from the past -- all classic soul and funk numbers that really expand the sound of Osaka Monaurail! The group first got their start doing a great riff on the sound of James Brown -- but here, they move into Memphis soul, Chicago funk, and more... read more

Titles include "She's On The Left", "Can't Go Back On A Promise", "One Love One Dream", "Cindy", "The Family", "My Heart Can Wait Forever", and "La Cuenta Por Favor".... read more

Mid 80s soul from the team of Billy Osborne and Attala Zane Giles -- a short-lived duo who are probably best remembered for this set on the equally short-lived Red Label -- one of the last gasps of the Chicago soul business for many years! There's a relatively polished feel to the set -- with some... read more

These early Osibisa records always used to be fairly common years back -- perhaps because they were always a bit too hippy dippy and loose for the older funk crowd. But now, in today's blunted groove culture, they seem to have found a new appreciation for their trippy Afro funk style, and their... read more

Some of the greatest funky work you could ever hope to find by Johnny Otis! The package brings together tracks recorded by Johnny in his fantastic post-R&B years -- the late 60s and 1970s, when he was scrappling around a variety of small labels, but also getting the chance to use that freedom... read more

The second album from Shuggie Otis -- a wild and wooly batch of grooves that really stretches out the sound from the first! Shuggie's got much more of a hand in the arrangements here -- and the tunes are grooving in a sweet blend of funk, rock, and soul -- really drenched in the best cross-cultural... read more

A classic album of bluesy funk -- one that features the guitar of Johnny Otis' young son Shuggie, in a slightly tighter setting than he'd been getting on some of Johnny's own LPs! Shuggie here is still very much under the guidance of his dad -- working in a mode that really emphasizes the fuzzier... read more

An insanely wonderful album! Shuggie Otis is the son of Johnny Otis -- the LA R&B maestro who was moving heavily into funk at the end of the 60s -- and he has this tripped out, super-dope guitar style that he played to strong effect on Johnny's albums of the late 60s and early 70s, and on his... read more

A wicked blend of hip hop and soul from Output -- a group put together by Davy DMX to showcase the warm soul vocals of Jerome Prister! Tuff City's issued other work by Prister in the past, but this collection features a handful of rare single tracks, plus some previously unreleased live numbers --... read more

A pile of funky 45s -- stuffed into one glorious album! The record's the best-ever by The Packers -- a hip west coast combo from the 60s, with roots in the Memphis scene of the time! The sound here is kind of a variation on the Booker T & The MGs and Mar-Keys sound -- changed up in the rhythm... read more

Gene Page and Solomon Burke did the music for this obscure blacksploitation film starring Raymond St. Jacques -- and although it's not the greatest funky soundtrack you can buy, it's got more than its share of nice moments! There's a bunch of nice instrumentals by Page that are kind of in a mode... read more

British disco tunes from Larry Page -- kind of in a mode that's like work by Cecil Holmes & The Soulful Sounds from the mid 70s, a mixture of blacksploitation funk and smoother Barry White-styled tunes. The overall sound of the album's higher than you'd expect -- and there's plenty of nice... read more

Classic early work from Junior Parker -- recorded way back when he was "Little Junior Parker", but done with a full-grown sound that's totally great! The set was done for Duke Records at the same time Bobby Blue Bland was working for the label -- and the feel here is a very similar style... read more

Very nice stuff by Junior Parker -- recorded by Bobby Robinson, and produced with a style that's a lot smoother than you'd expect. The record meshes blues and soul, in a manner that gives Junior some of the best settings we've ever heard on record. Titles include "Come Back Baby", "... read more

Ray Parker steps out here with the other woman -- with a groove that's somewhat different than his earlier sound with Raydio! There's a slightly sharper edge than before -- almost a rockish influence in some of the instrumentation, which is a key factor in helping Parker's crossover in the 80s --... read more

After directing the first Shaft film, and letting Isaac Hayes have such a big hit with the music, Parks decided to handle the music for this sequel himself -- and scored the whole thing with just as much skill as Hayes! The music is conducted by Dick Hazard, and produced by jazzman Tom McIntosh --... read more

An amazing album that's probably one of the most unified albums that George Clinton ever recorded! The band's rawer style has been firmed up and economized -- but a lot of the best elements are still in place, including a strange approach to vocals that has male and female voices interacting and... read more

An amazing album that's probably one of the most unified albums that George Clinton ever recorded! The band's rawer style has been firmed up and economized -- but a lot of the best elements are still in place, including a strange approach to vocals that has male and female voices interacting and... read more

An oft-overlooked gem from Parliament -- released during the year 1976, and sometimes hidden between monster LPs like Funkentelechy and Mothership Connection -- but every bit as great as those two classics! The album's got that tightened-up P-Funk sound that was working so perfectly at the time --... read more

An oft-overlooked gem from Parliament -- released during the year 1976, and sometimes hidden between monster LPs like Funkentelechy and Mothership Connection -- but every bit as great as those two classics! The album's got that tightened-up P-Funk sound that was working so perfectly at the time --... read more

Ahhhhh . . . By this point, George Clinton and the P-Funk team were on top of the world! The record is a masterful dose of slick mothership jamming -- perfectly woven together with that tightly compressed style that really served Clinton's production work well. The tracks are long, but never too... read more

An overlooked later gem from Parliament -- a set that's very tight and funky, and which really picks up the groove first laid down on "Flashlight"! There's a tightly snapping approach here that rivals the best late 70s work by Funkadelic -- the later P-Funk mode that's even more focused... read more

An overlooked later gem from Parliament -- a set that's very tight and funky, and which really picks up the groove first laid down on "Flashlight"! There's a tightly snapping approach here that rivals the best late 70s work by Funkadelic -- the later P-Funk mode that's even more focused... read more

Here's where it all happens! George Clinton lands the mothership, forges the space-funk image, and blows the P-Funk empire into an arena-filling mega-star act! The record's got some extremely tight numbers that mix the best of the group's new slick playing with the edginess and naughtiness of the... read more

The Mothership goes under water -- as George Clinton and crew groove away nicely on this water-themed set of tracks designed to raise Atlantis from the deep! The overall sound is perhaps not as totally perfect as some of the earlier records, but the P-Funk machine is still in full effect --... read more

Although these days, Parliament's best remembered for their classic studio albums, back in the 70s, the real P-Funk experience was the incredible live shows served up by George Clinton and the group! George, Bootsy, and the rest were undeniably at the top of their game at the time -- rolling into... read more

The first album that Parliament cut after their trippy fuzzed-out headblast Osmium. The record features a much more stripped down sound -- nice and funky, with a blueprint of the bass-driven groove that would dominate the P-Funk sound of the 70s. Bootsy's on bass, and the group features Eddie... read more

Hot and heavy disco -- and a record that's perhaps most famous for its wraparound cover of two folks engaged in some back door love! The music's pretty great, though -- with long extended instrumental grooves done in the best Prelude style of the time, mixing uptempo funk, smooth disco, and even... read more

One of the greatest blacksploitation soundtracks ever -- a massively beautiful record that goes beyond any cliches of the genre, and serves up a fantastically unique batch of tracks! Chisoul arranger Johnny Pate did the music for the film -- and (dare we say it?) it's even greater that Issac Hayes'... read more

One of the greatest blacksploitation soundtracks ever -- a massively beautiful record that goes beyond any cliches of the genre, and serves up a fantastically unique batch of tracks! Chisoul arranger Johnny Pate did the music for the film -- and (dare we say it?) it's even greater that Issac Hayes'... read more

One of Kellee's smoother soul records, recorded after her initial jazz funk work, and with a more slickly produced vibe that's handled by Gene Russell. The record features a uptempo remake of "All The Things You Are", plus originals "Let Go, Let Go", "Nice Girl",... read more

Like the Sweet Inspirations, the Patterson Singers were another gospel group turned secular to cut some soul tracks for Atlantic. The Pattersons retained more of their gospel sound than the Inspirations, but they still groove nicely on this set of tracks recorded at Muscle Shoals. Titles include... read more

Billy Paul was one of the most compelling forces in 70s soul -- blessed with a unique voice that was equally comfortable in the high ranges as in the low, and wholly capable of handling a number of different styles with equal skill, including mellow jazz, catchy soul, and strident uptempo... read more

One of Billy Paul's greatest albums ever -- or perhaps the greatest! The record is an amazing blend of soul, jazz, and a strident sense of spiritualism that's not only rare for Billy Paul -- but which makes the record sound different than any other Philly International LP! Billy's way more than a... read more

Billy Paul was always one of the hippest talents on Philly International -- mixing together soul and jazz influences with a deeper sense of spirituality, and long experience as a sophisticated vocalist. This album's one of his most sublime efforts -- kind of a quasi-spiritual record with a similar... read more

12 classic tracks by 70s soul powerhouse Freda Payne! Freda first cracked the charts at the beginning of the decade with "Band Of Gold", a massive track that has a monster hook, a great groove, and the kind of production that made it pop all over the dial, on all kinds of stations. This... read more

Wonderful work from the late 60s duo of Peaches & Herb -- a pair who really sounded best at this early point in their career, when recording a string of catchy soul singles for the Date label! The duo have a great way of trading vocals back and forth -- a male/female duet mode that's different... read more

A mega-hit from Peaches & Herb -- best known for the crossover classic "Reunited", but equally great for a host of modern soul groovers! The duo first achieved fame at the end of the 60s -- through a set of key pop soul tracks that had a warm and sweet finish. Here, though, the pair... read more

Yes, yes, yes -- we all know the group from later years and their big hit at the end of the 70s, but back in the late 60s, they were an excellent uptown soul duo who forged some slight fame with work like this, sweet soul versions of standards and pop tunes, arranged in a strong New York style by... read more