Soul — In Stock — LPs  

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A self-titled set from the mighty Music Machine – a studio ensemble who were as important to the sound of European club music in the 70s as Instant Funk and MFSB were to the Philly scene in the US! The Machine features a host of players who'd previously backed Donna Summer and other Giorgio... read more

One of the more unusual records on Sue from the 60s – an all-instrumental outing, recorded by Juggy Murray in tribute to the late Dr Martin Luther King Jr! The music is done in a larger orchestral mode that's much more soundtrack-oriented than Juggy's other work – with less (or none)... read more

Clearly riding on the success of the Memphis Horns' LPs of the mid 70s – but not a bad bunch of funky tracks! The famous horn section from Muscle Shoals takes the helm – or is at least taken to the helm by Barry Beckett, who played keyboards, produced, and arranged the LP. The tracks... read more

A super-huge hit for Musique – quite a soulful group of singers, despite the strange and cheesy cover of the album – which makes them look like a bunch of roller disco porn stars caught in the studio! The group actually features great vocals by a young Jocelyn Brown, and the record's... 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

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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

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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

One of the biggest moments of the New York club scene of the early 80s! The Peech Boys cut their teeth at the Paradise Garage during the classic Larry Levan years – and this album has them working with Levan to forge a record of crossover club grooves filled with linn drum beats and DMX... read more

A really beautiful little album from NYCC – the name-shortened version of the New York Community Choir, stepping out here with a sound that's even better than their RCA debut! NYCC draw on a strong secular/spiritual tradition of work by The Art Reynolds Singers or Voices Of East Harlem... 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

A tremendous album from Laura Nyro – a real return to the soulful style of her roots, thanks to help from Labelle on backing vocals, and the team of Gamble & Huff on production! If Nyro only ever gave the world this record, that would more than be enough – because the whole thing'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

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

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

Great early work by The O'Jays – with a much different sound than their later work on Philly International! The cuts are quite hard-edged, with a mixture of Northern Soul grooves and mellower uptown styles – and the album's got a split set of arrangements, both of which work well for... 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

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

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

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... 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

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... 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

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

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... read more

Excellent funky LP cut by Johnny Otis and his late 60's version of "The Johnny Otis Show". Shuggie's playing guitar, Delmar Evans is singing, and Sugarcane Harris even shows up on a few tracks. The LP contains two excellent funky 45 cuts, "Cuttin Up", an instrumental with... read more

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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

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... read more

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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... read more

Classic funky disco material from George Clinton and the trio of lovelies that recorded under the name Parlet. The backing's by the rest of the P-Funk empire – with arrangements by Bernie Worrell and Fred Wesley. Titles include "Mr. Melody Man", "Cookie Jar", and "Pl... 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... 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 edgieness and naughtiness of... read more

Cool picture disc of the Motor Booty album, with a photo of George Clinton water skiing on two dolphins on one side, and a sketch of him fighting a bird on the other. Housed in a sleeve that lists the tracks on the album, but which doesn't have the same pop-up landscape as the non-pic disc version.... 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

Beautifully sweet soul by Billy – perhaps a bit more pop soul than some of his other albums, but no less great! Gamble & Huff were firmly in the control room on this one – and the results show on excellent cuts like the huge hit "Me & Mrs. Jones", the funky groover... read more

An amazing early album from Billy Paul – the start of a rich career of sophisticated soul, and a record that really put Paul on the map right away – making him one of the most soulful interpreters of song in the 70s! There's a mix of modes going on here that's a bit similar to the... read more

An excellent early album from Billy that has him singing in a mixed jazz and soul vein, with a sound that's similar to some of Nina Simone's great live albums from the time! Billy's singing with a small piano trio, and his voice is rich and soulful in a way that you don't always get on his later... read more

A weird one, but pretty compelling. Cyril Paul is an African American folk singer – less in the mode of jazz/soul folkies like Terry Callier or Oscar Brown, than in the style of the New York/Boston new traditionalists of the early 60s. At most levels, the album's a straight folk one –... read more

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A great little album of smooth soul cuts from Greg Perry – an extremely talented arranger, producer, and songwriter whose credits includes work in soul, pop, and country – appearing here in one of the few sessions he ever cut under his own name! There's a bit of a southern soul feel... read more

One of the best things to ever happen to The Persuaders – a wonderfully rich album that has the group still sparkling strongly, long after their early hits! The harmonies are wonderful – very much on par with the bigger names at Philly International at the time – and recorded... read more

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Unlike a lot of the group's other records from the early 70s – most of which are all-acapella – this one features the group's rich harmony vocals backed by some heavier funk arrangements. Far from wrecking their sound, this approach actually makes them sound a lot better – and... read more

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One of our favorite-ever albums from Esther Phillips – an album that really helped her transform her sound for the 70s! The approach here is a lot more jazzy than before – served up with a good dose of funk, thanks to arrangements from Pee Wee Ellis – fresh from his work with... read more

Not a live album – as you might think from the title – but a tight batch of tunes that shows the full funk and soul talents of the legendary Esther Phillips! The album's got a nicely dark undercurrent at times – a sound that's not as smooth as some of Esther's other Kudu albums... read more

Not as completely sublime as some of Phillips' other records from the 70s, but with some jazzy touches that takes it past the hippy folk sound, into the farther reaches of the cosmic soul universe. Includes the jazzy instrumental "Planscape", which has a heavy fusion groove – plus... read more

One of the biggest 70s moments from underground club maestro Patrick Adams – an amazing talent who's best known for his work on his own P&P family of record labels – but who steps out here with an even tighter sound! The album's brimming with the sorts of sweet moogy touches that... read more

Quite possibly the funkiest album ever from Pleasure – and that's saying a heck of a lot! The album grooves from the very first note – and moves through some of the group's tightest, most rock-solid numbers – all of which use their trademark blend of funky and soul, but which... read more

A wonderful album from Pleasure – one of the few jazz funk bands who actually seemed to get better and better the more they recorded! Unlike some of their contemporaries, who kind of lost their edge when the production got slicker, Pleasure actually picked up more of a beat, and tightened up... read more

A great step into the 80s for The Pointer Sisters – a record that has them bringing in themes that are a bit more soulful than some of their previous efforts! The album's still got all the big crossover potential of their other hits – but the groove's got a solidly soulful vibe overall... read more

The Pointer Sisters were superstars before 1983's Break Out, and this appropriately titled album shot them to stratospheric heights in popularity – with good reason, as this is some of the catchiest, hookiest pop and/or soul of the past few decades! Stellar Pointer Sisters vocals and the... read more

Some serious slammin from The Pointer Sisters – still going strong here, near the end of an amazing run of records done with producer Richard Perry! The late 80s vibe is definitely in place – as the beats are a lot more upfront than previously for the trio – a bumpin, thumping... read more

What a weird group! Port Authority were all members of the US Navy – and the Navy evidently supported them big, because they released this album themselves! The group's got a funky sound that mixes up soul and rock – mostly soul on the instrumentation, with some occasional bad white... read more

Billy Preston & Syreeta handled the music for this slightly-lame, kind of strange Gabe Kaplan vehicle from the late 70s. The music is relatively fine, although the album lacks any totally funky moments. Instrumentals include "Books & Basketball", "Half Time", "The... read more

The title says funky, but this one's more of a batch of soul jazz tracks – largely instrumental numbers, handled in a swinging style that's got traces of soul and R&B, and which matches the backings you might have heard on Lloyd's albums from the late 50s or early 60s. The record's quite... read more

A cool Specialty Records compilation – with three cuts each by the four stars on the cover!... read more

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... read more

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... read more

A second set of Time-like groovers from Process & The Doo Rags – a near-lost mid 80s harmony group, produced and arranged by Rick James, with a sound that's clearly going for the Morris Day groove! The overall sound is actually quite nice, though – hardly the weak copycat sound... read more

A full album of Canadian disco from the mighty Suzy Q – an album that follows nicely on her hit of the same name! The tunes here almost have a slightly new wave feel at times – still disco mostly, but with some angular touches that almost hint at the artier side of the clubs –... read more

The first really major album from Rare Earth – issued on their own self-named subsidiary of Motown! The set's a perfect blend of the rich undercurrents of the heady Detroit scene of the late 60s – at one level a tripped-out rock record with styles that almost hint at MC5, at another... read more

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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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A pretty great little live set – recorded in Central Park in the late 60s, before a very large crowd! Lou sounds great, as always – and the Ramsey Lewis material is very much in the spirit of the live mid 60s Cadet recordings. Maxine Brown is the real treat, though, as the live... read more

Sweet silky harmony soul from the trio of Harry Ray, Billy Brown, and Al Goodman – the group's first album under a new name – after some previous indie work as The Moments! The album's got the group really stepping up with a rich new sound – drawing on all the best elements of... read more

Probably the best album Ray, Goodman, and Brown cut after they dissolved The Moments, and moved to Polydor. Despite some more modern soul production than their classic recordings, their harmonies are excellent, and their voices are in totally top form. The LP includes their classic "Happy... read more

Not much rock here, but a definite guitar-driven groove – that Ray Parker vamp cooked up in a long legacy of work for other artists – really sparkling here in the frontline of Raydio! The bass is pretty strong too, with that mainstream funk sound that was popping strongly from the west... read more

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Della swings it hard this live set from the 60s – with backing from John Cotter, in a style that's jazzy, bouncy, and swinging! Even the mellower tracks are done in a tightly snapping style that's every bit the best approach that Della brought to vocals – a bit of soul in the... read more

Arranged by Peter Myers and Sammy Lowe – with cuts that include "Daydream City", "Something", "Simple Song Of Freedom", "Leftover Wine", "Billy My Love", "Skip A Rope", and "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life".... read more

Martha and the girls' entry into Motown's well-done series of 70s multi-LP collections – this one only a double-length set, but still filled with plenty of great bits by the group! The set features a solid decade's worth of work – material from the trio's 1962 start at Motown, up to... read more

Sure, it's the 70s – but this album's still got some excellent moments on it, like the amazing track "Bless You", which is worth the price of the album alone! The cut was written by The Corporation, and it's got this incredible wall of sound arrangement, with Martha singing verse... 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

The first full length from Rene & Angela for Capitol – a tight batch of modern soul that sounds great to this day! There's a mixture of sweet duet soul with the best kind of 80s grooving – clearly inspired by Ashford & Simpson, but also with a strong sound of its own. Skip... 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

A killer album of modern soul from ex-Dramatics singer LJ Reynolds! The album's in a modern Detroit mode all the way through – with top-shelf production by Reynolds, Don Davis, and Ronnie McNeir – and Ronnie, who'd been lost to the industry for a few years, also re-emerges as a writer... 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

A great mix of symphonic disco and Latin hustle – one of the more compelling moments from The Rice & Beans Orchestra, served up with some tight arrangements by Hector Garrido! There's a nice blend of New York and Miami modes going on here – and the proceedings are largely... read more

Sweetly stepping funk from The Rimshots – here moving from their rawer early sound into a tighter mode that was much more in keeping with the Philly scene of the time! The set's got a really full ensemble group feel – similar to other All Platinum classics by Brand New Funk and Wood... 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

After Minnie Riperton's heavenly first album on Cadet – the sublime Come To My Garden – this one's got to be her most perfectly realized full LP! The album's a sparkling work of jazzy soul, with touches of the heavenly production that Minnie got in years past, and lots of smooth mellow... 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's last LP – or at least the last LP released while she was alive – and a wonderful batch of jazzy modern soul cuts that gives a good indication of the direction that Minnie might have gone in the 80s. The album's got plenty of great guest players – including Minnie's... 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

Along with Perfect Angel and Adventures In Paradise, this is one of the key albums of Minnie's career – recorded when she was at the height of her power, forging a whole new soul sound that mixed her incredible voice with jazzy modern arrangements that were a few years ahead of most of the... 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

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

Great work from the wonderful Rockie Robbins – a smooth soul singer who cut some great sides at the start of the 80s, but who hardly ever gets his due! Bobby Martin's working with Rockie on this effort – giving the set that warmly gliding mode that made Martin's productions some of the... read more