Soul — LPs  

A mid 80s classic from Atlantic Starr – at the height of their catchy commercial fame – bouncing along with rhythms that crossover nicely to the mainstream, yet still keep a bit of their previous funky edge intact! The groove here is almost in the style that Atlantic Starr inspired in so many other younger groups in the earlier part of the 80s – although it's also a bit more polished too. Most instrumentation is electric, and tunes are mostly written by the team of David and Wayne Lewis – both of whom sing on the record. Barbara Weathers also handles female vocals, and titles include "Once Lover At A Time", "Let The Sun In", "My Mistake", "I'm In Love", "Always", "Don't Take Me For Granted", and a version of Sam Dees' "All In The Name Of Love".

A super huge hit for George – the record that took him from being a funky jazz guitarist into an R&B superstar! The album features George playing and singing over arrangements by Claus Ogerman – some of Ogerman's best of the 70s, ones that mix together his trademark pillow of sound with a slightly funky bounce. The result is incredible – and the album is filled with loads of great songs – including George's excellent version of Bobby Womack's "Breezin", the hit version of "This Masquerade", and the cuts "So This Is Love", "Six To Four", and "Affirmation".

Yipes! This one made everyone a bucket of money – especially Quincy Jones, whose new Qwest imprint the record was one of the first to grace. George has come a long way from his roots with Jack McDuff here – but in a way that kind of has us impressed, as he's grooving away slickly on guitar, laying down some smooth vocals that we never would have imagined from his mid 60s recordings. Includes the massive hit "Give Me The Night", a cover of "Moody's Mood", and the tracks "Star Of A Story (X)", "Midnight Love Affair", "What's On Your Mind", and "Dinorah, Dinorah". The sound of a million supermarkets and elevators during the 80s!

Bootsy's still keeping the P-Funk flag flying high at the end of the 70s – arguably stepping out here with a sound that's got more of the Parliafunkadelicment elements intact than some of George Clinton's other spinoff groups! The tracks are long, and plenty jamming – still with plenty of star power from Bootsy upfront – but also some wonderfully tight rhythms from the rest of the players too, all in that mix of hard-rolling, and light-tripping funk modes that still set the P-Funk groups apart from the pack of imitators who'd cropped up in their wake! Titles include "Jam Fan (Hot)", "Bootsy Get Live", "Under The Influence Of A Groove", "Chug-A-Lug", "Oh Boy", and "Shejam".

The classic debut from Change – and the start of an amazing run of groovers in the early 80s! The set's got a tight, jazzy feel throughout – a stripped-down approach to disco modes, with the same focus on the basslines that you'd find in work by Chic – but a style that's almost even more instrumentally focused overall, given the great range of studio players who worked on the set. Yet there's also some key vocal moments, too – work by Luther Vandross that really helps make some of the best tracks sparkle, and which went onto catapult Vandross into a rich solo career on his own. The set's filled with sharp rhythms and sweet jazzy changes – and titles include the classics "The Glow Of Love" and "Searching", both with Luther, plus "Lover's Holiday", "Angel In My Pocket", and "The End".

A weird little record from Bill Cosby – a set that's not as all-out funky as some of his other vocal albums, but still pretty nice overall! The style here is more bluesy than soul-based, but production is still by Fred Smith, of 103rd Street Rhythm Band fame – and the album has a sense of grit that's a lot stronger than you might guess. Many of the tunes are covers from an older R&B era, and Cosby takes them with an approach that's a bit tongue-in-cheek at times – kind of garbling the lyrics and muddying up the sound, even though we know he can sing a bit more clearly from other records! There's certainly a few tracks that have a nice gritty soul sound, and titles include the great "Little Ole Man" which is basically Bill doing a skit over the "Uptight" rhythm – plus "Bright Lights Big City", "Big Boss Man", "Hush Hush", "Baby What You Want Me To Do", "Mojo Workout", "Doncha Know", and "Place In The Sun".

Randy Crawford at the height of her powers – working here with a sweet jazzy vibe! Windsong features Randy singing with relatively full arrangements – smooth, but never too slick – and done in a way that really lets her vocals take command of the entire set. Titles include "Look Who's Lonely Now", "Letter Full Of Tears", "He Reminds Me", "Windsong", "One Hello", "Don't Come Knockin", "We Had A Love So Strong", and "This Night Won't Last Forever".

An instant classic the day it was released – and a perfect blending of the group's older freaked-out style with a slick late 70s funk sound that started showing up in the work of many other groups. "One Nation Under A Groove" is a monster cut with a hook that won't quit, and the LP version runs way over 7 minutes long. Other tracks are equally great, and the whole thing's woven together with the same sort of skill as some of the best Parliament albums from the mid 70s. Tracks include "Into You", "Grooveallegiance", and "Cholly".

Killer early soul by Leroy Hutson – and a record that really shows him opening up as a vocalist and songwriter! Leroy's style is not as smooth and polished as on later albums, and the record's got a bit of a rougher soul edge and a strong early 70s radio sound. Includes the wonderful soul classic "So In Love With You", a sweet mellow ballad that's extremely catchy, plus the moog-based funky instrumental "Gettin It On", a totally great number that often gets overlooked – and the cuts "Love Oh Love", "As Long As There's Love Around", and "Time Brings On A Change". Solid, mellow soul from Chicago in the seventies, with a sweet soul vibe, and great Curtom production. This is the second pressing – on Warner/Curtom, from the mid 70s.

Titles include "Laying Beside You", "Only Women Bleed", "Lovesick Blues", "Piece Of My Heart", "Strange Man", and "Blind Girl".

A massive set from Al Jarreau – a set that gave the singer one of his smoothest hits of all time, yet still kept him very firmly in the sort of sophisticated territory that set him apart from most of his contemporaries! The sound here is often a lot more understated than you'd expect – mellow jazz, with light instrumentation, and less of the too-commercial modes that other singers were being hung with at the time – an approach that preserves all the wonderful lightness in Al's vocals – that mix of jazzy scatting roots and warmly flowing soul that makes most of the early Jarreau albums well worth tracking down. The set leads off with the classic "Mornin" – and other cuts include "I Will Be Here For You", "Step By Step", "Black & Blues", "Not Like This", "Love Is Waiting", and "Trouble In Paradise".

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 a very classic Prince sound, plus a jazzy tinge that's all their own. The cuts are titled simply "1", "2", "3", etc – and the cover is worth the price alone!

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 To Say Goodbye", "Monster Fun", "Don't You Want To Give Me Some", "Got To Stop Wanting It", "Let The Music Take Your Mind" and "Linda".

Mike's come a long way from his early soul days with Dennis Coffey – working here to lay down a set of spacious disco tunes with a dreamy finish – really stretching out with the same sort of glide you'd find in the best Philly club at the time! The record's actually quite strong on the disco side of the spectrum – well-crafted work with a sound that's full and rich, but never cliched – definitely Theodore's moment to shine in the 70s, taking the torch from his old partner Coffey, who had his time in the sun a few years before! Titles include "Cosmic Wind", "The Bull", "Moon Trek", "Brazilian Lullaby", and "Belly Boogie".

A dramatic disco classic from Detroit legend Mike Theodore – stepping out here with all the force you'd expect from the title! "High On Mad Mountain" is a symphonic disco classic – using strings, congas, and lots of percussion to set up the groove – as guitar and keyboards come into the mix to bring out a nice degree of funk. The rest of the album follows in a similar feel – with a bit of moogy solo work, and some female vocals on the choruses – and titles include "Disco People", "Dragons Of Midnight", "High On Mad Mountain", and "Wonder Man".

Excellent electric 70s work from The Mystic Moods! The record moves way past the sleepy sexy easy sound of their early albums – and it's got some great keyboard work and a few great funk tracks. "Honey Trippin" is one of these – a great groover with a sound that's almost in a sound library vein! Other tracks include "The Magician", "Midnight Snack", "Your Place Or Mine", and "The Other Side Of Midnight".

This UK Afro Funk group is slicking things up a bit for this 1973 album – but not in a bad way, because it actually kicks up the groove considerably. In fact, it almost sounds like they've been listening to a bit of War – because the the best tracks on the album have lots of that funky clavinet and stepping bass that you get in War's best moments, filtered through the group's own dubby brand of African rhythms, vaguely like the work of Cymande, but a bit more straight ahead. Titles include "Somaja", "Fire", "Kotoku", "We Want To Know", "Take Your Trouble Go", "Bassa Bassa", and "Adwoa".

An overlooked record in the grand scheme – which is unforgivable in our book! This self-titled album Prince's second LP, and already his vision is becoming a little more focused, and you could really hear the seeds of his later efforts – and really remarkable, unique, and fascinating record that stands up with some of his best work, and bucks all late 70s trends and cliches in pop, soul and funk. In some ways this is one of our favorite Prince LPs, as it has a kind of intimacy that was lacking on later LPs, or maybe it's because the hit "I Wanna Be Your Lover" has such a mad groove! "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad" has the sly sound that would run throughout the rest of Prince's better work for years to come and Chaka Khan would later cover "I Feel for You" and hit large with it in the 80s. Also includes "Sexy Dancer", "With You" and "When We're Dancing Close And Slow".

One of the greatest crossover albums of the 80s – and the record that catapulted Prince very firmly into the mainstream! There's a tightness here that surpasses even that of Prince's early classics for Warner Brothers – an unabashed love of a pop hook that makes for some incredibly catchy tunes that are still delivered with a nice funky undercurrent. The whole Prince family is at the top of their game at this point – and titles include "Darling Nikki", "Let's Go Crazy", "I Would Die 4 U", "When Doves Cry", "Baby I'm A Star", and "Purple Rain".

Crisply popping funky grooves from Roger – an underappreciated mid 80s solo record from the voice of Zapp! The Saga Continues finds Roger still rocking his trademark effects laden vocals and vamping guitar work well into the middle of the decade – with even tighter syncopated percussion, and funky keys & synth bursts – sailing in a killer groove throughout! Roger produced the record along with Larry Troutman – and they bring in Maceo Parker for a horn solo and Ohio Player Billy Beck for keys! Tracks include "In The Mix", "Play Your Guitar, Brother Roger", "The Break Song","I Keep Trying", a vocader funk reading of Wilson Pickett's "Midnight Hour", "Bucket Of Blood", "T C Song" and "Girl, Cut It Out".

David Ruffin at Warner Brothers – a very good thing, thanks to some sublime production from Detroit soul legend Don Davis! As with other key productions in the 70s, Don pitches Ruffin with a sound that's smooth, but still has a great sense of humanity – a style that's a bit like late 70s Marvin Gaye and Leon Ware, and which proves to be a perfect fit for David – giving him a new sense of focus here that's totally great! Those classic Ruffin vocals sound wonderful here – flowing, glowing, and getting a sense of warmth without getting too slick. A few cuts feature backup vocals from Leon Ware and Ronnie McNair, and female singer Laverna Mason brings in some great duets that really help deepen the sound of the record! Titles include "Love Supply", "I Wanna Be With You", "I Got A Thing For You", "Don't You Go Home", "Can We Make Love One More Time", and "All I Need".

A lost bit of mid 70s soul from Candi – an album that's often eclipsed by the Young Hearts hit before it, but which actually comes across stronger than that one! The groove is funky southern soul on the best cuts – tight and full, but still with a harder edge on the bottom, and rhythms that are more funky soul than the disco used on some of Candi's other late 70s albums. The set was recorded in California, with lots of sweet jazzy touches alongside the vocals – and titles include "Nights On Broadway", "Cotton Candi", "A Dreamer Of A Dream", "You Are", "Listen To The Music", "Music Speaks Louder Than Words", and "One More Chance On Love".

Late 70s soul fusion from masters of the groove – perhaps the best ever by the late 70s supergroup Stuff – featuring a core group that includes Cornell Dupree, Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, and Richard Tee! This time out the smooth sound is vibrantly top notch – all produced by Steve Cropper into a sweet blend of soul and jazz that has some of Aja-era Steely Dan's super tight sophistication – with a big, warmhearted soul groove in place of the Dan's more icy veneer! Many of the tracks are covers – augmented by chorus vocals – like "Mighty Love", "Dance With Me", "Since You've Been Gone", and "Love Having You Around" – but the record's also got some originals like "Stuff It", "Do It Again", and "Gordon's Theme".

The groove's getting a bit smoother than on some of the group's early funk classics, but T of P still come across quite well on the set – working in their trademark blend of jazz, funk, and soul. Arrangements are by funky keyboardist Charles Thompson and trumpeter Greg Adams – and tracks include "The Soul Of A Child", "Ebony Jam", "Just Enough And Too Much", "Treat Me Like Your Man", and "On The Serious Side".

Gina Watson and Alfred Beasley sport a very new wave look on the cover of this one – and the album, although mostly a soul set, certainly echoes with some of the crossover touches that worked big at the time – heavier guitars, a harder sound in the rhythms, and lyrics that are a bit colder than the usual soul set. A few tracks here bounce with a nice 80s groove – including the standout "Don't Let Your Chance Go Bye" – and other titles include "Breakaway", "Darlin I", "Body Free", "Helpless", and "What's On My Mind".

What can we say? Bootsy's on top of the world here – not only The Player Of The Year, but also the most soulful artist in the P-Funk stable, and a master of the smooth, sly, slinky groove that would forever be taken up by bands from LA – both in the immediate soul years and in later sampling hip hop ones. The record's got a sophisticated soul approach that moves the music way past slapped basslines and funny glasses – and thanks to top-line musicianship, including some help from Fred Wesley, Bootsy avoids any cliches that might have buried this one under the mountain of P-Funk albums hitting the market at the same time. Includes the monster track "Hollywood Squares" – plus "May The Force Be With You", "Very Yes", "Bootsy?", and "Bootzilla".

A lot smoother than most of Airto's other work – and almost more of a soul record than a jazz one – but also a great batch of grooves with a really spirited feel! Airto's percussion is still relatively up front in the mix, and smooth funky LA arrangements take the album to a warm soulful place – giving the more uptempo tracks a tight dancefloor groove that's still kept a bit rootsy by all the acoustic percussion. Tom Scot lays down great solos on two tracks – "I'm Fine, How Are You" and "The Road Is Hard (But We're Going To Make It)" – and other good tracks include "The Happy People" and "Celebration Suite".

Near-perfect work from Ashford & Simpson – really grooving in full powerhouse mode here, and never missing a beat! By all rights, the team should have run out of steam by this point, but the album's another winner from their sublime Warner years – caught in a unique space between chart soul, ensemble funk, and disco – taking all the best elements of each, and really sending the whole thing home with some incredible vocals and impeccable production and arrangements! Titles include "Rushing To", "Love Don't Make It Right", "We'll Meet Again", "Get Out Your Handkerchief", and "I Ain't Asking For Your Love".

A super huge hit for George – the record that took him from being a funky jazz guitarist into an R&B superstar! The album features George playing and singing over arrangements by Claus Ogerman – some of Ogerman's best of the 70s, ones that mix together his trademark pillow of sound with a slightly funky bounce. The result is incredible – and the album is filled with loads of great songs – including George's excellent version of Bobby Womack's "Breezin", the hit version of "This Masquerade", and the cuts "So This Is Love", "Six To Four", and "Affirmation".

Titles include "Ode To A Kudu", "We As Love", "Lady Blue", "Windsong", "Weekend In LA", "It's All In The Game", and his classic take on "On Broadway".

We've never been sure if this group is the same one who recorded a few years earlier with Patrick Adams – but whatever the case, the album's a pretty great one – and equally in a top-shelf clubby mode! Keyboards, horns, arrangements, and production are all by Boris Midney – who'd be working here almost as a one-man show, were it not for the added strings and vocals by Kevin Owens and Chequita Jackson. Both sides are extended tracks that almost work like long 12" single tracks – each sort of a medley that folds two songs into one another – with "Catch The Rhythm/Charmed By You" on side one, and "You Got It Too Uptight/Love Spell" on side two.

Bootsy's tightening things up a bit from before, but still sounding plenty darn great – that classic Collins groove in all its P-Funk glory! All the best elements are certainly in place – production by George Clinton and Bootsy, horn arrangements by Fred Wesley, and the slinky soulful sound that made Bootsy's albums some of the most enduring of the P-Funk posse. The album shows a bit of the transformation in soul bass playing that Bootsy helped to foster during the late 70s – but it's still not as "whompin" as some of the many groups that were springing up in his wake – a good thing, to us, because so many of Bootsy's imitators had a way of playing their bass way too much! Titles include "Mug Push", "Is That My Song", "It's A Musical", "Sound Crack", and "Fat Cat".

Rich, proud work from Randy Crawford – sung with the mature mix of jazz and soul that made her one of the more sophisticated mainstream singers of her generation! The album's heavy on mellower cuts, but it's never too sleepy – thanks to a slow-burning sensibility that Randy uses to keep things cooking on the low burners – a style that brings out some good vocal force even when the backings are somewhat gentle. Production's by Tommy LiPuma, and somewhat slick, and tracks include "You Might Need Somebody", "That's How Heartaches Are Made", "Two Lives", "You Bring The Sun Out", "Rio De Janeiro Blue", "Time For Love", "Trade Winds", and "When I Lose My Way".

A side from Deodato's soul-based years with a nice little R&B-inspired groove! Happy Hour was done at a time when Deodato was really getting into a lot of modern soul production and arranging work with other groups – and here, he tries his hand wonderfully at the style himself – transforming his 70s jazz funk groove into a tightly snapping 80s soul approach! Most tracks on the set feature vocals – by singers who include Kelly Barretto, Eban Kelly, and Candi Staton – but the instrumentation behind them is still plenty jazzy too, thanks to some nice work by Deodato on Fender Rhodes, mini moog, Arp, and other keyboards. Titles include "I Never Get Enough", "Keep On Movin", "Happy Hour", "Just This One Night", "Tears Of A Clown", "Sweet Magic", and "Keep It In The Family".

Great songs, great vocals, great instrumentation, and another late 70s classic from Michael Franks – one of the few mainstream masters of understatement in his generation! As on all his best albums, the style here is a subtle blend of jazz and pop with a bit of a Brazilian inspiration – kind of a more mainstream take on styles that Bob Dorough and Blossom Dearie had first put forth, with all the sort of hip songwriting that sort of reference might imply. Deodato's at the helm of the arrangements here – keeping things lean and clean, and using key contributions from players like Leon Pendarvis, John Tropea, Steve Gadd, and Bud Shank to flesh out the jazzier side of Franks' sound. Titles include "Wrestle A Live Nude Girl", "In Search Of The Perfect Shampoo", "Vivaldi's Song", "Dear Little Nightingale", "When The Cookie Jar Is Empty", "A Robinsong", and "Meet Me In The Deerpark".

One of our favorite Funkadelic albums ever – a tightly grooving classic that never lets up at all! There's a sense of perfection to everything here – one that really gets the group past their tripped-out early years, and firmly into the sublime territory George Clinton hit with Parliament – an amazing sound that's wrapped up perfectly on every single track – grooves that definitely raised the bar for a huge amount of mainstream funk acts who were popping up at the time. Production is never too slick, and there's still lots of tasty guitar licks wrapped up in the mix – and titles include the classics "Freak Of The Week" and "Not Just Knee Deep" – plus "Field Maneuvers", "Holly Wants To Go To California", and "Foot Soldiers".

Larry Graham hits the slow jam generation – stepping aside from his funkier groove for this classic album – a record that gave the world a huge crossover cut in the title track! The main focus here is on Larry's vocals, not his basswork – and he does a surprisingly good job as a modern soul male vocalist on the set – one who's a bit more fragile and human at points than some of his contemporaries – still somewhat smooth, but not always as polished. Titles include the megahit "One In A Million You", plus "There's Something About You", "Forever Yours", "When We Get Married", "I Just Can't Stop Dancing", "I'm So Glad It's Summer Again", and "Sunshine Love & Music".

A seminal bit of Latin funk from the Bay Area scene of the early 70s – the second album from Malo, and an even harder-hitting jam session than the first! The group are really in top form here – taking off with Santana-inspired riffs that are filled with heavy percussion, soaring organ, and guitar from Carlos' brother Jorge – all matched by some incredible horn work from trumpeter Forrest Bachtel and a young Hadley Caliman – sounding especially great here before his solo years as a jazz artist! The legendary Francisco Aguabella is on conga, and tracks include "Momolombo", "Oye Mama", "I'm For Real", "Midnight Thoughts", "Hela", and "Latin Bugaloo".

Titles include "Can't Get Over You", "Silky Soul", "Just Us", "Love's On The Run", "Mandela", and "Songs Of Love".

Here begins the period that Prince went from a fascinating, genre defying hitmaker to an unstoppable cultural force – bringing a bit of a new wave pop punch to the funky synth soul – and somehow crafting some of the most irresistible singles of the 80s! We can't imagine anyone being able to convince us that 2 better singles than "Little Red Corvette" and "1999" came out of the 80s, and both of those are on here – enough said. Titles include "Let's Pretend We're Married", "Lady Cab Driver", "All The Critics Love U In New York", "International Lover", "DMSR", and "Delirious".

Titles include "The Future", "Electric Chair", "Vicki Waiting", "Partyman", "Scandalous", and "Batdance".

Recorded in 1987, but never officially released until 1994, when Prince was trying to get out of his Warners contract. Prince's attempt to return to his more funky side after flirting with more straight pop songs was a Holy Grail amongst collectors for a time, and though we don't like it as much as his first couple of albums, there are more than a few good moments on here, and it certainly stands up better than most of what came after. 8 songs: "Le Grind", "Cindy C", "Dead On It", "When 2 R In Love", "Bob George", "Superfunkycalifragisexy", "2 Nigs United 4 West Compton" and "Rockhard In A Funky Place".

A sprawling classic from Prince – that tracks that perfect the pop, funk & soul kaleidoscope of his best 80s jams, and adding a remarkable, previously unexplored depth and breadth of styles! A lot of folks tried to designate Prince's massive, fearless, beginning-of-the-end-of-the-80s epic Sign O The Times as his What's Going On – which was never really fair to Prince, or to Marvin Gaye for the matter – but it's filled with great cuts – including the minimalist funky groover of a title track, with its superficial social consciousness that's very much of its 80s era, and all the more fascinating for that – plus massive hit "U Got The Look", "If I Was Your Girlfriend", "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man", "The Cross", "Hot Thing", and "Starfish & Coffee". 17 tracks in all.

Warm and wonderful soul from David Ruffin – key proof that the singer could keep on going strong, long after his earlier fame at Motown! The record's got a new sense of sophistication that really breaks David into new territory – a style that's nicely different than the backings Ruffin got from Van McCoy in his later Motown years – and which opens up a more mature sound, courtesy of producer Don Davis – who's casting Ruffin in the same blend of rough and smooth that worked so well for The Dramatics! There's a sophistication here that's completely sublime – a sound that's right up there with Leroy Hutson or Leon Ware – and most tunes hit a mellow or midtempo mode that's totally great! Tracks include "Chain On The Brain", "Break My Heart", "Morning Sun Looks Blue", "Let Your Love Rain Down On Me", "So Soon We Change", and "Sexy Dancer".

A great album of modern soul that always seems to get overlooked! The record was produced by Mtume and Reggie Lucas, and a lot of it has a sweet mellow vibe that reminds us of Leon Ware or Leroy Hutson. The title cut "One Way Love Affair" is a killer, and the record includes other nice ones like "Sit Up", "Love Can't Wait", "Midnight Love Dance", and "Make Up Your Mind".

The Staple Singers pick up a great Chicago soul groove – with production by Eugene Record and arrangements by Tom Tom Washington – all in a sound that's almost as if they'd left Stax Records and started to record for Brunswick! The groove's every bit as soaring and joyous as Record and Washington crafted a few years before in the Chicago indie scene – with perhaps just a few more late 70s elements to round things out, including some tightly funky guitar bits and a few quick-stepping rhythms that nicely push the Staples towards the dancefloor! Titles include "Family Tree", "What You Doing Tonight", "I Honestly Love You", "See A Little Further", "Color Me Higher", "Let's Go To The Disco", and "Boogie For The Blues".

One of the harder funk albums by Tower Of Power – done with a hard-driving horn-heavy groove, slathered up in East Bay Grease! The group's got a bit of the stoner funk sound that shows their Bay Area roots, but they're also a lot tighter than most of their California contemporaries, and feel more like some of the groups coming out of Memphis and Muscle Shoals at the same time. Lenny Williams is on lead vocals, Chester Thompson plays organ – and tracks include "Soul Vaccination", "What Is Hip", "So Very Hard To Go", "Just Another Day", "Clean Slate", "Get Yo' Feet Back On The Ground", and "Clever Girl".

Undisputed Truth and their late 70s space funk mode! They may have moved away from their Motown pop soul roots, but they're still getting production from Norman Whitfield, who knows how to keep the stormin sound that always worked best with the band. Players on the session include Wah Wah Watson, Walt Downing, and Jack Ashford – and the uptempo tracks have a nice, clubbier vibe that's a bit of an update of the band's approach of the preceding few years, not really disco, but more of an extended dancefloor groove hat's still pretty funky! There's also some nice moogy touches on this one!

The only record from this group that would sort of morph into Apollonia 6, pretty much just one of many Prince vehicles during the 80s. As you'd hope from a Prince side project, the tracks here bubble with his new wave/pop/funk crossover, though really the hit "Nasty Girl" is pretty much the only standout, but a great one at that. Also includes "Wet Dream", "If A Girl Answers (Don't Hang Up)", "Bite The Beat" and "3x2=6".

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 tracks that bump along in jagged rhythms, offbeat arrangements, and some slight touches of sweeter soul. Charles Wright is leading the group on vocals, and taking a stronger presence on these soul-based cuts – but as before, it's the strength of the overall group that really makes the album great – especially the bass work of Melvin Dunlap and the funky drums of James Gadson! Titles include some killer original tracks by the band – like "Do Your Thing", "Giggin' Down 103rd", "Phuncky Bill", "65 Bars & A Taste Of Soul", and "A Dance, A Kiss, & A Song" – plus great covers of "Something You Got", "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag", and "Knock On Wood".

Benson plays his guitar and also sings on some of these tracks. He is joined by Phil Upchurch on rhythm guitar, Ronnie Foster on electric piano & mini-moog, Jorge Dalto on clavinet & acoustic piano, Stanley Banks on bass, Harvey Mason on drums and Ralph MacDonald. Claus Ogerman arranged and conducted the orchestra. Tracks include "Nature Boy", Foster's "The Wind & I", "The World Is A Ghetto", "Gonna Love You More", Donny Hathaway's "Valdez In The Country", and "Everything Must Happen".

A seminal bit of crossover soul from the mid 80s – and the standout effort from California trio Club Nouveau! The album's best known for its hit remake of "Lean On Me" – one that pushes the tune along with some very heavy beats, and a version that helps us remember why Bill Withers' original is so great! Jay King arranged and produced the set, all in a similar feel – and titles include "Heavy On My Mind", "Promises Promises", "Let Me Go", "Why You Treat Me So Bad", "Jealousy", and a reprise version of "Lean On Me".

One of the high points of Larry Graham's career – a hard-jamming set of guitar-based funk that forever put Graham Central Station on the map! There's a virtuosity to the record that's really stunning – bass, guitar, and drums all dropping into place magically alongside one another – while still managing to come across with a relaxed soulful approach that definitely makes this one more heavy funk than later years. Titles include "The Jam", "It's Alright", "I Can't Stand The Rain", "It Ain't Nothin But A Warner Bros Party", and "Easy Rider".

A great album of mellow modern soul tracks recorded in Chaka's post-Rufus years! The record was produced by the great Arif Mardin, the man who made so many of the 70s Atlantic soul records work so well – and he handled Chaka's voice with a sweet sweet sound that you don't always get on her other albums. Includes the great "Papillon", her remake of "Hot Butterfly", plus "Move Me No Mountain", "So Naughty", "Too Much Love", and "Clouds".

Wonderful stuff – and despite what you might think about her work with Rufus, we've always felt that Chaka Khan was equally good, if not better, during the early years of her solo career. This album's a totally solid soul effort, with production by Arif Mardin that's right up there with his best work for Atlantic – and a very catchy batch of cuts, including the hit "Any Old Sunday", plus "We Got Each Other", "We Can Work It Out", "Night Moods", and "Father He Said". Also features the cut "I Know You, I Live You", a big Chicago house cut from the old days. And hey, she went to school around the corner from our old office!

Eugene Record's best solo record, and the only one that does justice to the fabulous Chicago soul legacy that he left behind when he departed the Chi-Lites, and stopped working for Brunswick records. Eugene's vocals are right out front, and the arrangements are nice and sweet all the way through. Mellow, lovey dovey stuff, with tracks like "Laying Beside You", "Overdose of Joy", and "Putting it Down". Barbara Acklin's on background vocals, and Eugene produced the record himself.

Tower of Power head back to Oakland, after recording in Memphis for a previous album. Chester Thompson's in the group, playing monster organ and Fender Rhodes, and Lenny Williams sings lead vocals on a number of tracks. Titles include "Oakland Stroke", "I Got The Chop", "Time Will Tell", "Squib Cakes", and "Man From the Past".

Rick James fires it up at the end of the 70s – stepping out at full star power that has him rivaling the strength of Bootsy Collins at Warner, and paving the way for the rise of Prince in the early 80s! As with Prince, James' version of funk here is a bit offbeat – lots of riffing guitars in the mix, and a bad-strutting groove that's still conventional mainstream funk of the time, yet with some edgier elements that led Rick to label his music as "punk funk" (or was it "funk punk"?) Given the end-of-70s spirit, you might also say that some of the cuts were aimed at the dancefloor – although James was never really one to storm the discos as much as others. Titles include "Love Gun", "Fire It Up", "Come Into My Life", "Lovin You Is A Pleasure", and "Stormy Love".

In case you don't get the joke, the title's a play on the fact that Atlantic Records had just been acquired by Warner Communications – now fully a major label at the end of the 70s! That fact doesn't stop the album from being a good one, though – and AWB work here with Arif Mardin on a set of tunes that still have a fair bit of the funky touches of earlier records, but which also go for a few mellower tunes too – of the sort that were becoming the group's strongest suit at the time. "She's A Dream" is a great example of this style – a nicely gliding number that still has a nice groove at the bottom – and while the set doesn't include any standout hits, it's still a great example of why AWB could pull off this sort of record a lot better than most of their contemporaries! Titles include "She's A Dream", "Warmer Communications", "Price Of The Dream", "Sweet & Sour", "One Look Over My Shoulder", "Your Love Is A Miracle", and "Same Feeling Different Song".

One of the best records ever cut by this soulful Philly female trio! The album's one of the first on Salsoul's Gold Mind subsidiary – and it features sparkling club production by the Harris/Baker/Young team – a landmark force not only in Philly disco, but 70s female soul as well – as their backings for groups of this nature are always sensitive to the complexities of the vocals! The record's mostly uptempo – with plenty of soaring tracks that still retain the more soulful sound of the group's early work – and the songwriting's generally tight, a few notches above earlier albums on Warner – showing that their return to the indie fold was a very good move. Titles include the classic "Let No Man Put Asunder" – plus "Doctor Love", "Indian Giver", "Do Me Again", and a great version of Stevie Wonder's "Love Having You Around".