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Two excellent Patrick Adams produced numbers get a little extra mixing help from Francois K on this nice little dance 12".... read more

A great little album – even if it tries to promise too much! The set bills itself as "the swinginest Hammond organ album since the birth of psychedelia" – and while that sort of a claim is so high that nobody could ever match it, the album is a great batch of offbeat soul... read more

A funky session headed up by wayward P-Funkster Jerome Brailey – a cooking little record with a quality that's right up there with some of the other George Clinton projects of the time! George didn't have anything to do with this one – at least not from what we can tell from the notes... read more

Bubbling euro-electro disco from Italy, and if you're anything like us, this stuff is like popcorn – we just can't get enough!... read more

The amazing legacy of Alicia Myers – two classic MCA albums, back to back on a single CD! First up is the self-titled Alicia – a set that's right up there with Myer's recordings with the group One Way, but with some deeper, more personal touches as well! Production is by Kevin McCord... read more

A great record by east coast funky soul group Mystic Merlin – and a diverse one, with some jazzy uptempo club tracks, and others on the funkier edge of that style – excellent work from this oft-overlooked band on Capitol! There's a bit of that nice, smoothed out group soul sound that... read more

A standout classic from one of the all-time overlooked greats – the sublime Mystic Merlin, a group who cut a handful of killers in the early 80s! The group's biggest claim to fame is a young Freddie Jackson on vocals – but they're honestly much more an ensemble act than a backup for a... read more

One of the best new soul records we've heard in years! An independently produced first effort – filled with rich warm jazzy production, and a sweet mellow soul sound that brings to mind some of our favorite records of the old days. N'Dambi has an incredible voice – and although she... 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... read more

Amazing harmony soul – two massive albums, plus bonus cuts too! Natural Four's first self-titled album on the Curtom label has an amazing "rough with the smooth" quality that really sets them apart from east coast groups of the time! Part of the strength of the set has to do with... read more

The second great Donald Byrd soul project of the 70s – a group who hailed from the music department at North Carolina Central College, and who are produced by Donald here with a groove that's similar to his more famous work with The Blackbyrds! Like The Blackbyrds, these guys started as... read more

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Definitely the sort of album to make you feel better – given the tight, soulful sounds of Ndugu Chancler and this Chocolate Jam Company! The album's got roots in jazz – Ndugu's a drummer with work on countless other albums – but also steps out with plenty of soul, too –... read more

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The legendary vocals of Aaron Neville – heard here in one of his most old-school sessions in years! The songs are all vintage R&B – material that even pre-dates Neville's famous years in New Orleans soul, and which goes back to a late 50s/early 60s genre that seems to fit Aaron's... read more

A vivid visual follow-up to Aaron Neville's album of the same name – a sweet set in which he takes on classics from the 60s soul generation, all with a different vibe than any older music Aaron ever made! The live performance features a guest appearance by Paul Simon on one track, but... read more

2 long-overdue classics from New Birth – back to back on a single CD! Ain't No Big Thing 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... read more

A classic album by this righteous soul collective – and one that shows them taking a strong step away from their work at RCA with Harvey Fuqua. This one has the group (ever-enormous as always!) absorbing some of the other elements of modern soul that were floating around at the time –... read more

Way more than just another soul group – as The New Birth are almost big enough to be their own sort of soul music village – complete with different neighborhoods along the way! Vocals are handled by the combined groups of The Mint Juleps and Now Sound – gals and guys that soar... read more

A poppy record, but a great one too – and a surprisingly enduring pleasure from the Streetwise scene of the 80s! This is the album that started it all – the wave of younger groups that would come into play in 80s soul strongly by the latter half of the decade – New Edition with... read more

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A dark classic that broke out of the underground and forever transformed the world of dance music! "Blue Monday" has this infectious bass/keyboard riff that you'll recognize immediately – and which you've heard emulated a million times in electro house tracks from later on in the... read more

A breakin' classic – and the record that almost got Arthur Baker into a lot of trouble! This is the US issue of New Order's classic electro-driven "Confusion" – offered up here on Baker's Streetwise label in a semi-legit release, with some extra mixes that take the tune past... read more

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Disco breaks! 2 great late 70s disco tracks, with more than a little dose of a funk, nice production courtesy Leon Pendarvis, and a great choral vocal approach that really sets them apart!... read more

One of the funkiest groups on the Invictus label – a tight combo who've got some wonderful energy throughout! The group may well be the same combo that recorded earlier as the Port Authority Band for the US Navy (we've never been sure of that) – and this album's definitely got the same... read more

A wonderful package – a set that brings together two rare funk albums by Newban, an early version of Atlantic Starr – plus bonus tracks too! The first Newban record is one of the sweetest ensemble funk albums of the 70s – and a record that's gone on to become a classic, despite... read more

Yep, it's the same Next Movement assembled by Lucky Cordell, who recorded a couple of great hard to find soul LPs. This later single features arrangements from Tom Tom and mix help from future house star Mickey Oliver on an excellent mid tempo 80s groove track!... read more

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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... read more

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A masterpiece of hard and heavy funk – from one of the best bands of the early 70s! The Nite Liters were a legendary 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

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... 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... 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

One of the best records ever from Don Nix – a legendary figure whose work on the Memphis scene of the 60s touched countless of rock and soul artists – recording here with a nicely tight sound at Muscle Shoals! Like some of his contemporaries, Nix made the move from Memphis to Muscle... read more

A funky instrumental classic – with a groove that was copied by a huge amount of other groups! Cliff and crew take the funky 45 sound into the mainstream – vamping and comping in tight choppy grooves that were perfect for dances like The Horse, The Jerk, and some of the other harder... read more

Laura Nyro's first album ever – originally issued by Verve/Forecast in the mid 60s, but brought back out on the market by Columbia, during the height of Nyro's early 70s fame for the label! Even at this early point, Nyro sounds wonderful – a fair bit more soulful than most other female... read more

Mellow O'Jays galore – a great set of some of the group's more mature ballads from later years – served up with a harmony sound that's mighty darn nice! The trio really sparkle here – taking on subjects with the all-adult approach that made them last a lot longer than most of... read more

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Amazing early work from The O'Jays – tracks recorded a decade before their big fame at Philly International – with a heartbreaking harmony feel all the way through! Even at the start, The O'Jays were a cut above – and as you'll hear here, they come across with an especially deep... read more

The start of a legendary run for vocalist Alexander O'Neal – and a set that really helped redefine the sound of male soul in the 80s! O'Neal got his start in an early version of The Time, and he's working here with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis – but the sound of the record is way deeper... read more

One of the crowning achievements of Alexander O'Neal – a set that uses cool little intro tracks to help structure the standout songs on the set – giving the whole thing a much more well-conceived approach than other mainstream soul albums of the time! Some of the cuts draw from O'Neal's... read more

The overlooked collaboration between Human League singer Philip Oakey and producer Giorgio Moroder! The duo initially worked together on the outstanding "Together In Electric Dreams" single – a surprise hit from Moroder's soundtrack for a forgettable movie – and given The... read more

The overlooked collaboration between Human League singer Philip Oakey and producer Giorgio Moroder! The duo initially worked together on the outstanding "Together In Electric Dreams" single – a surprise hit from Moroder's soundtrack for a forgettable movie – and given The... read more

One of those bright, charismatic Billy Ocean records from a couple years before his massive pop soul crossover – just a sublime 80s club groover that pumps along at a nice mid tempo clip – a real favorite around these parts! This was Billy's debut for Epic and there's plenty of... read more

A crossover classic from the late 70s – a record that was born in the clubs, but bred in the mainstream – and the start of a very good relationship between Odyssey and RCA! The album will forever be known for its classic cut "Native New Yorker" – a seminal groover that... read more

Fuzzy funk from some of the all-time greats – one of the key Westbound Records classics from the mighty Ohio Players! This album's got the Players working at their all-time best – a bit jazzy, with a more sophisticated undercurrent than some of their contemporaries – a righteous... read more

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One of the biggest albums ever for Ohio Players – a set that took their earlier funk sound and targeted firmly at the mainstream with a lean, mean groove that a million other groups copied at the time! There's still plenty of the soul of the early years in the group's approach here –... read more

It's the mid 70s, and the Ohio Players were certainly turning out a lot of gold! Their move to Mercury Records from the smaller indie Westbound was a real winning move – as it gave them a smoother soul feel that only expanded their groove, not restricted it! This tasty "best of"... read more

A massive batch of stoned-out funk from the Ohio Players – recorded here during their legendary years at Detroit soul powerhouse Westbound Records! At this point, the band have a style that's a mix of psychedelia, funk, and harmony soul – similar to labelmates Funkadelic, but perhaps... 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... 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,... read more

A pivotal album from The O'Jays – and an undeniable Philly classic! The record was the third the group cut for the Philadelphia 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

A killer bit of crossover pop from the mid 60s – and the kind of groover that brought the Carolina beach sound to the top 40 charts! Includes the group's classic hit "Girl Watcher", a groover that we always enjoy hearing, plus other nice ones like "The Soul Clap", "Lo... read more

Babatunde Olatunji's two classic percussion ensemble albums for Columbia collected in one set. The first LP was recorded in New York with a mix of drums, chants, and afro grooves. Olatunji's joined by Montego Joe and Baba Hawthorne Bey on percussion, and they're backed by a large group of... read more

Oliver Cheatham sounds wonderful here – in that best bouncy style that made him a big favorite on the dancefloors in the early 80s – a groove that's still pretty darn great all these years later! The set features key songwriting help from Al Hudson and Kevin McCord, both of whom help... read more

Two funky classics – back to back on a single CD! Put The Music Where Your Mouth Is features some of the funkiest grooves recorded in the UK during the early 70s – the wicked first album by the Olympic Runners, a group who almost got their start by accident! The combo was booked to... read more

A great batch of harmony vocal tracks – nearly all of them with an upbeat, kind of silly approach – similar to The Coasters at their best! The Olympics owed a lot to the late 50s Atco recordings The Coasters did with Lieber & Stoller – and they had a similar tight-lipped... read more

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The second LP by this obscure group from Chicago who never really managed to crack the big time, but who managed to be one of the bigger independent soul acts of the early 80's. Like their first, this one was recorded in Chicago with a sound that's similar to some of the other modern soul stuff... read more

Classic mid 80s house music from one of the architects of the style, Marshall Jefferson, and mixed by the late, great Ron Hardy!... read more

A stone burner from 100 Proof Aged In Soul – a group who really take off with this tight second record! The album's a classic from the days when soul music ruled AM radio on both sides of the tracks – and the rest of the album is equally great – packing that tight post-Motown... read more

One of the best-remembered groups from the Detroit scene of the early 70s – thanks to the massive title track on this album, and a whole host of other wonderful cuts as well! The group features the great Steve Marcus on vocals – an artist who'd cut some key Northern soul singles for... read more

A dancefloor classic – one of the strongest albums ever by Al Hudson, Alicia Meyers, and the whole One Way crew! The record's got a sweet soulful feel that provides a nice counterpoint to its bass-heavy grooves – popping along at that midtempo pace that was Al's popular remedy for... read more

One of the greatest albums ever from Al Hudson and One Way – a set that still has the group bristling with loads of funky energy – yet also hitting a groove that's wonderfully smooth as well! One Way were really one of the top of the larger funk combos of the time – and this set's... read more

A slow burning monster of a late night jam from Al Hudson & One Way! The cut pumps along in a mellow mode, with a completely infectious synth line floating underneath the haunting vocals – no syrupy ballad here!... read more

Damn, One Way never lets us down – and although the group cut many albums back in the day, all of them have some great standout moments! The groove here seems even tighter than ever, but never slick or commercial – a very important distinction, given that so many of One Way's... read more

A nicely priced collection of work from One Way and their best lead vocalist – Alicia Myers! The set features 5 tracks by One Way, including dancefloor favorites like "Push" and "Cutie Pie", as well as "Who's Foolin Who", "My Lady", and "Lady You... read more

Heavy funk, all the way through – a brilliant batch of cuts from The Original Black Sheep Of The Family – and one of the only true testaments we've ever seen to their obscure funky work! The set begins with the massive "In The Forest" – a wicked, wangly groove that... read more

A weirdly great little record! At first glance, you might think that this album's just another version of the super-huge moog hit "Popcorn" – but it's a lot more than that! The group has sort of a sing-song funky feel – hard piano, some nice drums, and grooves that remind us... read more

The Originals are hitting more of a dance-oriented groove here – a mix of disco, soul, and uptempo funk arrangements, but still maintaining their harmony sound, in the manner of other Detroit groups at the time, like The Fantastic Four or Detroit Emeralds. Titles include "Call On Your... read more

Titles include "Baby I'm For Real", "I'm Your Man", "The Magic Is You", "Share Your Love With Me", "Let Me Dance", and "Waiting On A Letter/Mr Postman".... read more

The Orlons recreate the sound of yesteryear – singing a dozen older doo wop and R&B hits, but taking the tunes in their own sweet mixture of male and female voices! The backings are a bit sparer than on other Orlons albums of the 60s – and really allow the vocals to come forward... read more

A Philly soul treasure trove – two rare albums from The Orlons, back to back on a single CD! First up is Wah Watusi – a soulful classic from The Orlons – a wonderful vocal group that mixed together the sweet harmonies of three female singers, and one bass-heavy male! The result... read more

Titles include "We Belong To Love", "Soweto", "You Should Be Mine", "Emotional", "A Second Chance", and "Love's Not Ready".... read more

A stone classic from Jeffrey Osborne – and a real standout in mainstream soul at the start of the 90s! Osborne's legendary vocals have never sounded better – as there's a warmth in the production that returns him to the grace and power he had when first going solo – a style that... read more

A really wonderful third album from Osibisa – and a record that really crystallizes the group's sound into a trademark blend of African roots and more progressive-styled jamming! There's a mode here that's perfect for the cross-cultural London of the post-colonial 70s – a style that... read more

Nice mellow LA funk, played by Lee Oskar with help from a lot of his bandmates in the group War. The sound is similar to some of War's Chicano funk grooves – but with some very nicely punctuated rhythms that have the drums snapping out more than on War's albums from the time. Oskar's... 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... 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... 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... read more

A treasure trove of rare funk – a massive package that not only includes the legendary Inspiration Information album by Shuggie Otis, but which also adds in four bonus tracks to that classic – plus a full other album of unreleased vintage work! Shuggie Otis is the son of Johnny Otis... read more

A great compilation of classic Shuggie – with 10 of the best tracks from the Here Comes Shuggie Otis, Freedom Flight and Inspiration Information records – all pressed up beautifully, with heavy wax and a great cover too!... read more

Sublime southern soul from The Ovations – a group with a really unique approach to their music! Unlike other southern groups of the time, The Ovations had a somewhat sweet style overall – one that was informed by their great love of the older music of Sam Cooke, and turned onto a... read more

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A pair of killers from Ozone – back to back on a single CD! Jump On It is filled with jumping grooves from Ozone – a smoking little set that's tight and right – and completely wonderful throughout! The set's got that perfect blend of funk and groove that always made Ozone so... read more

The first two albums from Ozone – back to back on a single CD! Walk On is the great debut of Ozone – a group who'd worked previously as the backing band for Billy Preston – which should give you an idea of how great they are! The group have a razor-sharp way of putting things... read more

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Deadlier than Dracula – and a lot funkier too! This is the original soundtrack for the classic blacksploitation horror flick starring the baaadest Drac ever to grace the screen of all those shabby downtown theaters that were still around in the 70s – a wicked batch of wah wah tunes... read more

A cool collection of space-themed club tracks from Gene Page – and possibly one of his greatest albums of the 70s – dispite a gimmicky approach! There's a tightly soaring feel to most of the cuts that's Page at his best – arranging fully with styles borrowed from Barry White, but... read more

A pair of great albums from one of the coolest soul arrangers of the 70s – back to back on a single CD! Close Encounters is a cool collection of space-themed club tracks from Gene Page – and possibly one of his greatest albums of the 70s – dispite a gimmicky approach! There's a... read more

With Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes.... read more

Blacksmith handled the remix and extra production work for this single – giving the track a nice strong London groove, circa 1990, which is about the best vintage we can think of!... read more