Soul — In Stock — LPs  

A monumental meeting of the majors – R Kelly and Jay Z, Jive and Def Jam, in a landmark record. Tracks include "Take You Home With Me aka Body", "Get This Money", "Best Of Both Worlds", "Naked", "It Ain't Personal", "Shake Ya Body"... read more

One of the greatest albums of all time – a masterpiece of moody soul, spacey vocals, and jazzy vibes – all produced by the legendary Roy Ayers! Ramp take their name from the anagram Roy Ayers Musical Productions – and in a way, the group's the summation of all the genius that Roy... read more

A great lost bit of mellow soul from this obscure group who had a very spiritual sound, and a keen bent for the Hare Krishna. The record has a lot of nice tight smooth production, good keyboards and bass, and a vocal style that's vaguely similar to Donald Fagan (which is a plus for us!) Includes... read more

Nothing too peaceful here – at least not in a sleepy sort of way – as The Rascals are really hitting on all burners, and starting to mix a bit of funk in with their groove! The record's a great extension of the group's last work on Atlantic – and it takes that already-righteous... read more

Stone cold LP of killer seventies funky soul from Chicago! Rasputin Stash made some other recordings that had more of a rock feel, but this one is cold, hard, and funky, with some nice Gemigo/Curtom soul touches. There's a nice breakbeat on the cut "Devil Made Me Do It", plus great... read more

An obscure bit of Chicago jazz – featuring vocalist Luba Raushiek, kind of a self-styled spiritualist, with an approach that hits both traditional modes, and more far-out soulful ones – running through styles that range from Leon Thomas to Billy Eckstine, as was typical for a small club... read more

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One of the greatest albums to ever sum up the genius of Lou Rawls in the 60s – a brilliant live set put together with the talents of David Axelrod! The record perfectly captures the easy-going soul of Rawls in the early years – a natural approach to his music that made him one of the... read more

Some of the tightest funky 70s jamming ever – a lost gem from Ray & His Musical Court, a group that perfectly fuses JB/Horny Horns funk with beat-heavy Afro-Cuban groove! Ray and the group are one of the more obscure funky combos of the era, and it's a damn shame, because the group's... read more

An excellent album by Isaac Redd Holt – one half of the incredible Young-Holt rhythm team, bursting out nicely here on his own! This is Redd's second album – first for Paula, as the other one was a jazz effort on Argo back in the 60s – and it's a wild blend of jazz, funk, and a... read more

This was Redd's second album after the breakup of the Young-Holt team – and it's also the tightest. The best cuts have this hard funk sound that features tightly stepping drums by Redd, and a classic choppy groove that's best summed up in the cut "Do It Baby", a favorite with hip... read more

A very important crossover soul album – a huge hit for Otis Redding that was released after his tragic death in December 1967 – but it's also hard to say if it would have had the impact it did had Redding not passed while the LP was still in production. In a way, the record sort of set... read more

A very cool idea – and a set that works together almost as a "lost" Otis Redding album – from the cover art right down to the grooves on the disc! The package focuses on the deepest, bluest side of Otis Redding – his amazing talent for a heartbreaking song and a sad-ting... read more

One of Otis Redding's greatest LPs! Unlike some of his others – which either had some filler, some gimmicks, or were collections of material released after his death – this one is a totally solid batch of southern soul tracks that ranks with some of the best work to come out of Memphis... read more

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Bouncing bass, snapping rhythms, and plenty of full on groovers from the Reddings trio – a set that has their vocals tightly wrapped around rhythms that are heavy on the boogie and mainstream funk modes of the time! Bass is handled by Dexter Redding, and is pretty upfront in the mix on most... read more

Seminal work from the legendary Jimmy Reed – spare and bluesy numbers that were some of the best work coming out of Chicago at the time! There's a snapping quality to the rhythms here that was a keen inspiration to generations of better-known artists – and in a way, it's amazing to go... read more

Not just Jimmy Reed – as the album features work by Phil Upchurch on bass and Al Duncan on drums, plus some great uncredited organ too – but the album's still a great chance to hear the great one at all his stripped-down best! Jimmy really dominates on vocals and guitar, and some... read more

A great bit of soul from Clarence Reid – otherwise known as Blowfly – and a key album in the Miami scene at the end of the 60s! Clarence is working here in a very classic Atlantic records style of soul – with all the rootsy southern elements of the previous southern work at... read more

Massive soul from Wendy Rene – one of the lesser-known talents from the Stax Records scene of the 60s, and an artist who's finally getting her due! We're not sure why Wendy never hit bigger at the time – because her singles here are wonderful – excellent female soul that not only... read more

A solid smoker from the lesser-known Jeannie Reynolds – a hell of a 70s soul singer, and one who should have been huge – especially given the rich vocals on this set! Jeannie's brother LJ Reynolds handles production this time around, and he brings in a nice sharper edge to the set... read more

The third in a really great run from Rhythm Heritage – a group who continued to hold up a strong level of instrumental quality, despite the fact that they'd topped the charts, and were smack right in the middle of the LA studio scene at the time! Part of the credit goes to producer/arranger... read more

One of the heaviest funk records ever to come out of Indy in the 70s – a super-dope batch of ensemble grooving with plenty of odd twists and turns! At one level, the group work in a familiar Earth Wind & Fire-styled vibe – mixing heavy bass, funky rhythms, and lots of great horns... read more

Probably the funkiest record ever by this landmark soul combo! The Rimshots are one of these groups that you always find their later work, but in their early days they were an absolutely killer combo – with a hard funky groove that virtually defined the funky 45 sound. In fact, their... read more

Groovy album of club tracks by the team that did the classic Seven Deadly Sins LP, and so many other good ones on the AVI label. Michael Lewis is on keyboards and guitars, and Laurin Rinder handles all percussion, and a bit of vocals. Tracks include "B-17", "Vampire In... read more

An excellent bit of spacey club grooves from the enigmatic Rinder & Lewis team! The record has a sweet jazzy vibe that's different than some of their other records – and which seems to share equal parts influence from Kraftwerk, Larry Mizell, and Tangerine Dream. Includes the great... read more

Mindblowing work from Minnie Riperton – her first solo album, cut at the end of the 60s, after a number of years of work with the group Rotary Connection. The album builds off the now famous sound of Rotary Connection – but takes it to the next level, with arch-baroque production by... read more

The last album ever from the amazing Minnie Riperton – and one of her greatest records as well! The album was sadly issued after Minnie's untimely early passing from this planet – but it's a heavenly batch of tunes that definitely shows that her love of music lives forever –... read more

Minnie Riperton's first album for Epic – and the record that broke her from a hip Chicago underground artist into one of the seventies' biggest soul divas! The record moves past the baroque soul of Minnie's early years with Rotary Connection and Charles Stepney – and hits a mix of... read more

One of those funk classics that was a funk classic even back in the days when nobody was talking about funk classics! Ripple were an obscure little group of southern players, and although they later went onto cut a disco record for Salsoul, this first album is still their most enduring legacy. ... read more

A nice batch of mellow easy soul tracks that often gets overlooked! Lea Roberts cut some harder soul sides for Minit in the 60's, but this mid 70's album has her working with Wade Marcus on a set of tracks that have a smoother production sound, but which also focus on Lea's lovely soulful voice. ... read more

A sweet album of funky guitar tracks, with Freddy Robinson out front over a bunch of tight LA Monk Higgins arrangements. Kind of a sleeper that hasn't really gotten as many props in the groove scene as it ought to, with a great sunny west coast 60s soul jazz vibe running throughout. Joe Sample... read more

The only album we've ever seen by Johnny Robinson – a rare non-Hi Records set produced by Willie Mitchell, with a sound that's as deeply soulful as some of the best indie work coming out of the Memphis scene in the 60s! Willie's style here is rougher than that used with Al Green or Ann... read more

Incredible work – a record that should be in every household! Smokey breaks free of the group sound of the Miracles albums – hitting a whole new mode, and inventing the "Quiet Storm" radio format along the way! The title cut – "Quiet Storm" – is a... read more

Warm thoughts, and equally warm vocals – thanks to the legendary Smokey Robinson, who's still sounding great here at the start of the 80s! The record's surprisingly charming – and has the laidback, mellow-going sort of sound that Robinson first crafted on Quiet Storm – but... read more

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An amazing second set from Sixto Rodriguez – recorded in the legendary Landsdowne Studios in London, with a groove that's a great extension from his debut! All of Rodriguez's best elements are in place here – his folksy guitar, personal lyrical style, and surprisingly biting approach... read more

Amazing sounds from the legendary Rodriguez – the brilliant 70s singer who had a groove that was equal parts soul, funk, rock, and folk – and an overall approach that was pretty darn unique! Most numbers here have some acoustic guitar over slightly funky rhythms – perfectly... read more

Way more than the disco cash-in some folks thought at the time – and a surprisingly classic set that perfectly sums up the late 70s Stones ethos – and, in a way, the vibe of a changing New York! Titles include "Miss You", "Beast Of Burden", "Shattered",... read more

An overlooked late 70s set from Rose Royce – not as hitmaking some of their other albums, but actually pretty darn great – thanks to some rock-solid production from Norman Whitfield! The album's a perfect illustration of the way that Whitfield expanded his earlier funky sound with the... read more

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A massively beautiful piece of work by "the new Rotary Connection" – a version of this groundbreaking Chicago soul ensemble which featured Phil Upchurch, Henry Gibson, and Charles Stepney – the cream of the Chicago production scene! Minnie Riperton's still in the band on... read more

A massively beautiful piece of work by "the new Rotary Connection" – a version of this groundbreaking Chicago soul ensemble which featured Phil Upchurch, Henry Gibson, and Charles Stepney – the cream of the Chicago production scene! Minnie Riperton's still in the band on... read more

The Rubber Band turn their talents towards The Beatles – after successful earlier albums based around the work of Cream and Jimi Hendrix! The sound here is a bit more playful than the funkier sets from before – almost whimsical at times, with instrumentation that does odd things with... read more

Funky funky Hendrix! The record's a surprisingly enjoyable batch of covers – all Jimi Hendrix tunes (save one), played by a funky combo with a very raw guitar in the front! There's plenty of pyrotechnics on the guitar, and the record has lots of solos, but there's also some good funky flute... read more

David Ruffin's first solo album after leaving The Temptations – and a record that's as great as anything he ever recorded with the group! The album's got the general feel of Ruffin's lead vocal work on "I Wish It Would Rain" from the Temps years – with plenty of baroque soul... read more

A late 80s duo set from former Temptations David Ruffin & Eddie Kendricks! The Ruffin & Kendrick album for RCA (we didn't leave the -s off Eddie's last name, that's how he was billed at the time) finds both in excellent form vocally, and rather than making a neo-classic Motown vibe for the... read more

A definite masterjam from Chaka Khan and Rufus – one of the group's last key efforts together – produced to perfection by the mighty Quincy Jones! Chaka's vocals are sublime right from the start – taking on the soaring majesty she'd use on her initial solo recordings – and... read more

By the time of this release, Chaka's name had supplanted that of Rufus on the marquee – but the record's still very much in the band's classic jazzy soul style, with a production tip that's perhaps a bit larger than usual. Clare Fischer and Seawind help out on the arrangements – and... read more

An under-appreciated gem by Rufus – the group's last album before Chaka left to depart on her successful early 80s solo career – and a nice one nonetheless! There's a trace of 80s groove in the mix – especially on the bass and percussion – but these elements are handled... read more

This album gives you three sides of live material and one side of four studio tracks. The live songs include "You Got Love", "Dance Wit Me", "Sweet Thing", "Pack'd My Bags", "Tell Me Something Good", "Ain't That Peculiar", and "Do... read more

Brilliant work – one of the records that not only broke Patrice out of the jazz funk ghetto, but which also had a pretty profound influence on the progression of soul in the early 80s – really pushing the use of jazzy elements that would help take R&B to a new level with bigger... read more

Nothing Posh about this one – as the album's an all-out all-access affair! Patrice is at the height of her powers here – equally magic on keyboards and vocals, and coming up with groove after groove in a sublime blend of 70s jazz funk and Minnie Riperton-esque soul! The whole album's... read more

Brillant work from the Salsoul Orchestra – some of their most sophisticated work ever, and right in line with a soulful orchestral style that runs back through the work of Barry White into the early experiments of the Soulful Strings! Unlike some of their other poppier efforts, this one's... read more

Brillant work from the Salsoul Orchestra – some of their most sophisticated work ever, and right in line with a soulful orchestral style that runs back through the work of Barry White into the early experiments of the Soulful Strings! Unlike some of their other poppier efforts, this one's... read more

One of the best-ever albums by this incredible soul duo! Sam & Dave may have been one of the bigger names on the 60s scene, but they also had a sheer raw soul approach that blew away most of their contemporaries – a way of trading vocal lines then combining them that infused their songs... read more

Amazing funky jazz from the 70s – a completely rare little set recorded in the Bay Area scene of the time – featuring hip trumpet work from Woody Shaw, and lots of cool keyboards from Patrick Gleeson! The feel here is somewhere in the territory of work that Gleeson did with Herbie... read more

The Ingram Family was all over this one – as Barbara Ingram handled the vocal arrangements, and Butch, John, James, and William arranged the instrumenta songs. The whole family wrote most of the tracks – and the lovely trio of 3 singers named Sassafras handle the vocals. Tracks... read more

Recorded at Muscle Shoals, with Duane Allman on dobro and Eddie Hinton on guitar! Titles include "Waiting For A Train", "Loan Me A Dime", "I'm Easy", "I'll Be Long Gone", and "Now You're Gone".... read more

If you think you know Boz Scaggs, think again – because this early Columbia album features a whole different sound! The Scaggs here is a really loose and soulful one – as Boz steps out of the freewheeling late 60s Bay Area scene with a really wonderful take on blue-eyed soul – an... read more

Boz Scaggs at the height of his early powers – still very much in the best blue-eyed soul style that first got him noticed by CBS, but also working with a stronger, richer, prouder sound that's really great! A number of the tracks on the set were recorded in Muscle Shoals, with superb small... read more

Beautiful set of polished soul tracks, sung by Freddie in his deep rich voice, amidst uptown arrangements by Gary Sherman. There's a great batch of cuts that includes Freddie's hit versions of "Hey Girl" and "I Got A Woman", plus "What Do I See In The Girl", "Wher... read more

One of the greatest soul records of all time – and an album that we'd never part with! Gloria Scott only ever recorded this one full LP – but that's more than enough, as the whole thing's a masterpiece – produced by Barry White with the best of his 70s approach, and featuring... read more

An oft-overlooked jazzy gem from Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson – and a beautifully swinging session that has Gil toning it down a bit, and working into a nicely musical groove that gets past the heavy politics of earlier years! The record's a great showcase for the more upbeat side of... read more

Gil Scott Heron's first album for Arista – very much in the mellow soul jazz work of his legendary album on Strata East! The record features some wonderfully moody jazz backing that really marks a shift in Gil's style – never going too far over the top, but hitting a sweet groove that... read more

A 70s soul classic – and the closest that Gil Scott-Heron ever came to having a hit! The album's best known for its anthemic classic "Johannesburg" – one of the first popular tunes to really push the cause of a free South Africa – but the whole album's a winner, filled... read more

One of Gil's later records, from the period that often tends to get overlooked, but which actually hides some real gems! Gil and the band hit a lot of nice mellow electric grooves with a good jazzy tip – not as angry as on earlier albums, but hitting a strongly soulful vibe which really... read more

A key crossover set from Gil Scott-Heron – still every bit as political as his earlier work, but with a stronger sense of soul as well! The great Brian Jackson is firmly in tow here – bringing warm keyboards and a nice little groove to most of the tracks – and the previous... read more

A beautiful jazzy classic, and perhaps Gil Scott-Heron's most perfectly realized album ever! The record has a completely sophisticated jazzy approach – one that's miles ahead from even Gil's previous work on Flying Dutchman, and which shows him to be one of the most distinctive and emotive... read more

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A heck of a great little guitar funk album – one of two rare sides cut by the amazing Eddie Senay! The record's all-instrumental – and Eddie's fuzzed-out guitar takes center stage over tripped-out arrangements that recall the best psychedelic funk of the early 70s – bubbling... read more

This album's like a funky 45 party! Senor Soul first started out as one of those fake Latin acts in the LA scene – kind of a soul jazz version of the Tijuana Brass – but by the time of this album, they've turned into a hot funky combo, with a really wonderful sound! The groove here is... read more

An excellent 80s groove album masquerading underneath a kind of cheesy but equally 80s looking cover. There's no shortage of popping electro grooves here, with loads of great keyboards and nice funky boogie appeal. 6 tracks in all, including "I Need A Freak", "If I Gave You A... read more

The third album by this Leon Ware side project – and possibly the best! The album's got a tight, funky sound right from the get-go – kind of a perfect 80s groove that never showed up on the group's previous records, but which really seemed to be the sound they were waiting for! And as... read more

Nothing too manic here, as the grooves are all nicely laidback – in that sweetly smooth Shakatak style! The album's definitely a bit more contemporary-styled than some of the group's earlier ones – rhythms that are mostly programmed, and keyboards that have a later 80s sound –... read more

A classic! This is one of the best-ever albums by the legendary Marlena Shaw – and it's a tremendous live set that really lives up to the righteous promise of her earlier work on Cadet Records! The album was cut with a small combo, and the overall feel is incredibly hip – a mixture of... read more

Marlena Shaw's first-ever album – and while not as all-out righteous as some of her later work, still a really unique record that quickly put Marlena head and shoulders above the rest of the pack! The record's a mix of jazzy vocal numbers and heavier soul tunes – arranged by Richard... read more

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Side Effect's first album on Fantasy – a wonderful record that's partly soul, partly jazz vocals – and put together with a wickedly funky undercurrent, thanks to the talents of the mighty Wayne Henderson! Side Effect were way more than just another 70s harmony group – as their... read more

Quite possibly the greatest album ever from Side Effect – a wonderful set that mixes their soulful harmonies with some killer jazz funk from Wayne Henderson! The album may be the most perfect realization of the groove that Henderson was going for during his At Home Productions years –... read more

A mad bit of funk and jazz from Ben Sidran – much more tripped-out than his later work! Ben's got a great bunch of musicians on the album – with either Tony Williams or "funky drummer" Clyde Stubblefield on drums, and Phil Upchurch on bass, laying down a nice dark groove on... read more

From what we can remember, Bunny's been singing since the late 60s. Still, perhaps he forgot about his career for labels like Philly International, which might explain the title of this album. The tracks here follow on that earlier work, but they do have more of the uptempo disco sound that... read more

One of Bunny's earliest, and one of his best. Although some of the tracks have an uptempo pre-disco feel, there's none of the excesses of his later albums for Gold Mind. Instead, there's a solid Philly soul groove, and great production by Bunny, with arrangements by Norman Harris and Ronnie Baker.... read more

One of the best of Bunny Sigler's disco albums – a classic pairing with a the group Instant Funk, and a record that helped define the second generation of the Philly groove! Bunny's still got some of the sweeter touches of earlier years, but he also comes across with a much fuller vocal... read more

Great uptown early Philly soul album from the late 60's, featuring the talents of a young Bunny Sigler before he got tied up making too many uptempo records. The record features arrangements by Joe Renzetti – in a sweet uptown style that brings out a lot in Bunny's young vocals. Includes... read more

The Silver Convention are still recording in Germany here, but they're getting some great help from John Monster Davis – who seems to warm the grooves up a bit more than before, and give the album a nicely needed dose of soul! The song format is similar to their hits – three lead... read more

Wonderful work by Nina – the kind of record that once made purists turn up their noses, but which is now being rediscovered as a unique jazz/soul crossover album, filled with loads of nice moments! The instrumentation's pretty darn interesting – and includes sitar, harp, Spanish guitar... read more

A landmark album from Nina – one that broke down countless barriers with the classic tune "Four Women" – a righteous portrait of 4 different women and their struggles, unique for its time, and a key part of the early Women's Liberation movement! The rest of the album has a... read more

A masterpiece of early Detroit disco – the debut album by Sins of Satan, and a club classic all the way through! The group have a great sound that really belies their Motor City roots – one that's not afraid to use heavier guitars and funkier elements, but which also rolls along in a... read more

The second album from Sister Sledge – recorded in Munich with the team of Michael Kunze & Sylvester Levay, the guys behind the big disco hits by Silver Convention – with that tight, bright and bouncing soul groove and sultry group vocals from the sisters! The approach works very... read more

Skyy are soaring high at this point – they've dropped the space suits, but still have the heavy bass, and all those cosmic production touches that put them at the forefront of the new sound of 80s funk. The album's prehaps not as strong as some of their others for Salsoul, but still keeps... read more

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A key early classic from Slave – as the set features the group's first work with drummer Steve Arrington, who not only opened up their rhythmic concept, but also gave them a great new sound on lead vocals! Arrington's approach here is very much in the spirit of Slave's first 2 records –... read more

Tight bass-heavy funk from Slave – still working here in that excellent compressed style that was their unique contribution to soul music – possibly the best album ever by the Ohio funky soul combo! They may be be handling the vocals with just a bit more focus and care on Just A Touch... read more

A bit later than classic vintage for Slave – although most of the group's best elements are still in place! The combo's down to a quartet by this point – one that relies a bit more than before on electric percussion for their rhythms – but the overall focused Slave sound is still... read more

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Non-stop grooving from Slave – a record that has them losing the lead talents of Steve Arrington, but not missing a beat! As with Showtime, the sound here is a nicely smoothed-out approach to the bassy funk the group helped forge at the end of the 70s – a more soul-based sound that... read more