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A tremendous debut from Ace Spectrum -- a harmony quartet who never cracked the charts as much as some of their east coast contemporaries, but who were every bit as great as the bigger names on the east coast scene! The album's got a soaring sound that's strongly influenced by Philly, but recorded... read more

A masterpiece of east coast harmony soul -- and worth it for the title cut alone! Ace Spectrum are always pretty great, but on this album, they really bust out of the box with some of the most wonderful harmonies they've ever recorded -- set to impeccable arrangements by Patrick Adams, who hits... read more

The second chapter in a mighty 70s trilogy from Ace Spectrum -- a killer set recorded for Atlantic Records, and easily some of the best group soul issued by the label in the decade! Ace Spectrum change things up a bit here from the obvious -- hitting a variety of modes that move between tightness... read more

Beatiful soul from one of Chicago's greatest female soul artists! Barbara Acklin was not only a great singer, but she also wrote an incredible batch of tracks during her years at the Brunswick label -- most of which were sung by her, and some of which became huge hits for other artists. This set... read more

An obscure soul group, but a great one -- equally at home with a fragile harmony tune as they were with more uptempo groovers for the dancefloor! This one and only album from Act One is a perfect illustration of the best two sides of the east coast indie soul scene of the early 70s -- because some... read more

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Titles include "Love Is A Gamble", "You Are My Trophy", "That's The Way It Is", "Somebody Messed Up (parts 1 & 2)", and "Drifting Apart".... read more

A beautiful mix of gospelly soul and heavy Memphis production -- and the kind of heavy soul album that made Rance Allen one of Stax's best new artists during the 70s! David Porter produced and arranged, and the album has some great electric keyboard work by Rance that provides a perfect... read more

A return to Stax by Rance Allen -- his first album for the label after a stellar set for Capitol, and a much smoother set than before! Rance has learned from his work with Larry Mizell on Capitol, and is using a warmer glide on his tracks on this set -- arrangements mostly done by producer Henry... read more

An amazing array of Afro Funk from the legendary Tony Allen -- 4 of his greatest albums ever, packaged together in a single set! The work here was all recorded hot on the heels of Tony's key years with Fela Kuti -- and shares a very similar approach to the groove -- long, stretched out passages... read more

Trumpety genius from Herb Alpert -- a cut that gave him one massive hit to close out the 70s, and a tune that crossed over big into clubs, radio, and plenty of shag-carpeted rec rooms too! And hey, it worked for BIG, right?... read more

Amazing work by a group that you've probably never heard of! The Ambassadors are an incredible Philly soul harmony group -- of the sort that never made it out of the city in the pre-Philly International years, but who had a polish and quality that was every bit as great as bigger-name acts from... read more

Great boogie from Amuzement Park -- a group that should have lasted longer than they did! "Groove Your Blues Away" is a snapping little jammer that builds up wonderfully -- bass hooking you in, snippets of horn adding soul, and ensemble vocals that really send the tune over the top! A... read more

Two albums back to back from Carl Anderson -- an overlooked singer from the early 80s, finally getting his due! Absence Without Love is a wicked little set from Anderson -- a singer who first found fame on the state, later sung in a spiritual world, but does an especially great job here! Anderson'... read more

High-stepping disco from Arpeggio -- an album of longer tracks with a really soaring feel! The groove here is tight, but never schmaltzy -- with arrangements and production by Simon Soussan, and an overall feel that's more powerfully driven by the instrumentation in the set than the group's sweet... read more

By this point, Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson are firmly holding the foreground as artists in their own right after many years of acting as songwriters for other soul and R&B hitmakers, and this self produced album continues in their tradition of sophisticated soul and rich balladry. With a... read more

Excellent work from Ashford & Simpson -- with some modern soul groovers that are among the best they ever did! The album includes their original reading of "Top Of The Stairs", a great sexy soul duet that was later done by Collins & Collins -- and it's also got a fantastic... read more

Radiant grooves indeed from Atlantic Starr -- a group who really make things sparkle throughout this magnificent set! The group are at the height of their powers here -- skirting a perfect line between mainstream soul and upbeat club -- never falling too much into one style or the other, and never... read more

A Brian Auger double-header -- two great albums back to back in a single set! First up is Definitely What -- Brian Auger's first album away from singer Julie Driscoll -- and a landmark batch of funky organ work that made big waves in both the rock and jazz worlds at the time! Auger's really... read more

A sweet little album of funky instrumental guitar! The record's one of the most obscure on the Westbound label -- and it features guitar player Donald Austin going to town on 13 short little cuts with a tripped-out funky groove -- sometimes fuzzy, usually funky, and always with that heavier kind... read more

Sublime mid 70s work from The Average White Band -- and a record that really has the group deepening their groove a bit -- moving past the heavier funk of their roots, into some mellower grooves that are totally great! There's a great undercurrent of jazz in some of the playing here -- a real... read more

A great album that Roy Ayers cut after his co-led record with Fela Kuti -- and one with the same sort of hard-driving Afro-Funk grooves that you'd find in Fela's classic recordings! The songs are shorter than Fela's, and with more of Roy's usual smooth jazzy production style -- but the overall... read more

One of the rarest and greatest Roy Ayers albums of all time -- the sly, funky and spiritual masterpiece He's Coming from 1971 -- really the beginning of the funk years from Roy Ayers Ubiquity! This one's a totally solid mix of soulful jazz, jazzy soul and righteous funk -- and it's straight up... read more

Seminal early funk work from Roy Ayers! The record catches him at that perfect point when he was turning from a straight jazz player into a sinister force in 70s funk -- and the group on the session includes super-hip soul jazz giants like Charles Tolliver, Sonny Fortune, and Harry Whitaker,... read more

Doobie-doo doobie-doo! One of the catchiest Roy Ayers dancefloor tracks ever -- a bassy bumping thumper that wonderfully skirts the line between clubby and funky! The track's got female vocals singing along with the hook -- all in a mode that's quite similar to the most uptempo work by Ramp --... read more

A masterpiece -- and don't pass it up! Sure, the date's a bit later than some of Roy's classic work, but the record's got a sound like no other -- with a slow mellow jazzy style that shows Roy working at the height of his powers! There's some wonderful spacey production on the record -- bringing... read more

Excellent bit of west coast Latin fusion -- featuring an all star band that includes such massive talents as Pete Escovedo, George Muribus, Paul Jackson, Lenny White, Coke Escovedo, and Victor Pantoja. The groove is nice and smooth, with a Bay Area early 70s sound on the production tip -- and in a... read more

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Nothing but good, and it's all pretty darn great -- an amazing array of wonderful music from the mighty Hank Ballard! The set starts with Hank's key early years with The Midnighters -- at a time when the group were cutting some mighty raunchy R&B -- then it moves up to Ballard's surprisingly... read more

An excellent album by one of the greatest Brazilian funk bands ever! Band Black Rio were the stuff of legends back in the 70s -- an all-funky powerhouse, with inspiration from American groups like Kool & The Gang and Ohio Players, but a uniquely Brazilian approach that also threw in some added... read more

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2 killers from The Bar-Kays -- a heavy funk spectacular all the way through! First up is Gotta Groove -- amazing work from the new version of The Bar-Kays -- a group who reformed to become a combo as heavy as any of the best funky groups from Detroit, LA, or New York at the time! There's a style... read more

One of the best instrumental records to come out of Memphis, and a real kicker by the funky band that went down with Otis Redding in the tragic plane crash in 1968! The leadoff track is the group's amazing hit "Soul Finger", a stormin' instrumental with a wailing brassy sound that... read more

Classic Chicago soul from this hard hitting diva who predated Aretha Franklin's Atlantic soul sides by a few years, and who sang with as much fire and fury as the Atlantic soul sister. This early LP is a great set of hard soul tracks with razor sharp Chess production, and a strong batch of tracks... read more

The last true classic from the masters of the 80s groove genre -- a post-Capitol effort for Elektra, but one that's still awash in great keyboards and snapping electro beats! Some of the jazzier sound from the past is gone here, but in its place is a leaner, cleaner sound that's still a fair bit... read more

A magical assortment of music from Archie Bell & The Drells -- the legendary Texas funk who first got on a Philly groove with early help from the team of Gamble & Huff on Atlantic -- here returning the favor with 3 really wonderful albums done for the pair's Philly International label! If... read more

A second chapter for boy band 80s soul! After Bobby Brown set off on his own, the remaining three members of New Edition decided to remain a group and give it a go, and far from being a sad collection of the leftover members, their debut album was actually one of many successful New Jack Swing... read more

Wow, we never thought we'd see this one reissued! But then again, Bey's had a nice comeback these days, and his work from the past more than deserves another look. Andy Bey was originally a member of the jazz group Andy & The Bey Sisters -- but by this time, he'd gone solo, and had done... read more

A searing debut from Black Heat -- one of the best funk acts to record for Atlantic during the 70s, and a tight little group with a sound that's a mixture of New Orleans funk and New York heavy! The album's got a bit of vocals -- figuring in on about half the tracks -- but the main focus here is... read more

The third album from Black Heat -- and quite possibly the funkiest of the bunch -- thanks to an even tighter sound than before, and lots of emphasis on the bottom of the groove! The group's got a few more members than before, but their sound is somehow even leaner -- a really tight approach to... read more

2 incredible albums from The Blackbyrds -- back to back on a single CD! First up is the self-titled Blackbyrds record -- a funky jazz treasure, and the band's landmark first album! The Blackbyrds were a legendary 70s combo that were discovered by Donald Byrd while he was teaching at Howard... read more

One of Bobby Blue Bland's best albums ever -- a stunning mix of blues and soul that's the kind of killer stuff that will make you a fan of his forever! There's no beating Bland at this point in his career -- and the record is one of the finest illustrations of the power he brought to his work,... read more

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One of the hippest groups of the Nigerian scene of the 70s -- presented here in two classic albums, back to back on a single CD! Chapter One is a landmark set of African grooves -- very unusual in both conception and execution -- with a feel that's unlike anything we can think of! There's... read more

Bloodstone moving into a whole new thing -- a funkier groove than before, and one that really points the way towards the group's clubby direction at the end of the 70s! Although best known as a sweet harmony group, Bloodstone shine equally well in this upbeat mode -- a territory that's somewhere... read more

Philly soul magic -- recorded in New Jersey! This unique little set offers a wonderfully different look at the hit Philly sound that was bubbling strongly on Atlantic Records during the 70s -- as it features 3 of the label's best acts in the genre, caught live in a special performance at New... read more

A brilliant set of jazzy Latin fusion -- one of Willie Bobo's best of the 70s, and a seminal crossover LP! The album takes the heavy Latin soul of Willie's earlier work, and gives it a sweet 70s twist -- adding in larger arrangements, impeccable production, and plenty of space to let the jazzy... read more

An album that further cements Angela Bofill's relationship with Narada Michael Walden -- as Walden produced almost every track in the set, and does a fair bit of songwriting too! The style is electric 80s soul, with a fair bit of keyboards and beats in the mix -- but as usual with Bofill, there's... read more

A killer bit of early funk from the great Hamilton Bohannon -- and quite possibly his best album! The album's much better than some of his later LPs -- with a slower funk sound than Bohannon's fast disco of the late 70s, and a wild approach to rhythm that mixed together scatter-shot drums with... read more

One of the biggest and best albums ever for Hamilton Bohannon -- filled with quirky rhythms and really unusual grooves! Bohannon was one of the key forces in setting the scene for disco in the early 70s -- and by the time the rest of the country was hitting the dancefloor in the middle part of... read more

An excellent album of 70s funk, recorded by Booker T during a brief by well needed reunion with the MGs! Steve Cropper's guitar is still super fine, and Booker's picked up some more keyboards than usual, giving the record an excellent spacey jazz-funk groove that's similar to some of the more well-... read more

Sublime soul from Brenda & The Tabulations -- wonderful group soul work that we'd take over Gladys Knight & The Pips any day of the week! The set brings together all of the group's early singles for the Dionn label -- prime 60s Philly work with a great blend of gentle ballads and more... read more

Amazing second-wave soul from Brenda & The Tabulations -- a mighty look at the group's years on the Top & Bottom label, a time when they really upped their game tremendously! Most tracks here still stay in that beautifully fragile harmony style that first brought the group attention in the... read more

Incredible early work from Brenda & The Tabulations -- one of the best male/female soul groups of their era, yet one that's often sadly overlooked! This album will more than display why the group are so great -- as they have a unique quality that's soft and sweet, yet also deeply soulful at... read more

Great stuff -- and possibly the best album ever by this classic harmony soul group! The style is wonderful -- with Brenda's sweet voice in the lead, and backing by the all-male Tabulations. The overall approach was used by Gladys Knight & The Pips for years, but we've always liked Brenda's... read more

Sweet blue-eyed club from Brooklyn Dreams -- a trio who take some of the stronger vocal harmonies of mainstream 70s pop, and fuse them with some upbeat grooves for the dancefloor! The group's sound is pretty great -- compressed, warm, and quite soulful -- without any too-commercial overtones --... read more

Rare 80s soul from Al Broomfield -- a nice little modern soul set with lots of groovy keys and soulful vocals from Broomfield! Broomfield is a sweetly grooving set with the bubbling synthy touches of the era in full force, with a warmth and genuine soul that keeps it fresh years later. The warm... read more

A funky classic from the Brothers Johnson -- sweet funky soul, done with a polish few could match! The pair are still working with Quincy Jones at this point, and the record's filled with lots of tight jazzy grooves that certainly show Quincy's touch -- and which set the record apart from a number... read more

Not the great older Christmas songs Brown recorded for King, but still a nice R&B holiday record, made years later. 9 great Christmas numbers in all: "Coming Home To Mama For Christmas", "Peace At Christmas", "What A Christmas For Me", "No friend This... read more

Excellent funky Christmas! Not everyone knows it, but James Brown cut a fair number of Christmas albums during the 60s -- 3 albums, and a bunch of singles to be exact! They're all super-rare, but this great comp brings together some of the best material from those years -- and nearly all the... read more

Damn, is this a great record! The album's not only one of the best blacksploitation soundtracks ever recorded, it's also one of James Brown's funkiest outings of the early 70s! Nearly every cut's a winner, and James gets some very funky help from The JBs, who groove hard on the best instrumental... read more

Funky funky funky! A nice one on King that shows the direction James Brown would take in the 70s -- a bit harder and more funky than before, with even more of a focus on the instrumental talents of the ensemble! The band here is super-sharp -- playing with that tightly focused, highly funky... read more

A definite mother from James Brown -- the kind of all-funky album that few of his contemporaries could ever hope to match! If you've ever doubted the sheer raw power of James at the end of the 60s, the first few notes of this one will definitely make you a convert -- and the stretched-out grooves... read more

Not as well-known as James Brown's live albums from the Apollo, but a really cooking set from the 60s that keeps up a plenty hard groove all the way through! As with most of James' live dates, the tracks here move at a clip that's often even faster than the studio work -- played to perfection by... read more

A tremendous turning point in the career of James Brown -- and an album that points the way strongly to the even deeper funk of the 70s! The album's a hard-wailing batch of instrumental tracks played by the legendary James Brown Band of the late 60s -- the pre-JBs ensemble that's gone onto have... read more

James Brown cooking it live -- recorded (as the cover says) "live at home in Augusta, Georgia with his bad self"! The groove here is a nice extension of earlier Apollo modes -- one that shows the increasing funkiness of the James Brown Band, captured with a raw power that few other... read more

A great little album by The Godfather -- one that takes the core James Brown sound of the "Sex Machine" generation, and serves it up with a tighter mid 70s twist! Fred Wesley is still very firmly at the helm of the band -- and there's a power here that's equal to the later JBs work on... read more

One of the wilder James Brown instrumental LPs from the late King period. The James Brown Band is fronted by a heavy fuzzy guitar sound, which gives the LP a sort of rock-break feel, with nice fuzzy electric tones. All tracks are by James and Dave Matthews, and the record is sort of a second... read more

Super Bad is right! This is hard-hitting funky James -- from the badass cover right down to the extended tracks on the record, which point the way towards the hard live jamming of the classic Payback years! Everything wonderful is in place on the set -- from the band's grooves at the bottom to... read more

One of Oscar Brown's 70's efforts for Atlantic, when he was stretching his groove a bit, and trying to give it more of an soulful feel, and less of a theatrical one. Oscar's longtime accompanist Floyd Morris is on piano, and other musicians include Seldon Powell, David Spinozza, Chuck Rainey, and... read more

A super-huge moment for Miami funk guru Peter Brown -- a record instantly recognized by the silhouetted cover image of a perky nude in a window on the front, and for the very famous title hit, "Do You Wanna Get Funky With Me?" Despite its hit status, the record's actually a pretty nice... read more

Many years after his huge club hit "Do You Wanna Get Funky With Me?", but still a nice club groover, with more of an 80s jazzy feel and some nice production assistance from Jellybean Benitez.... read more

A wonderful album of breezy jazzy soul from the sweet voiced Sheree Brown! The record is one of two that Brown cut for Capitol, and it was produced by Richard Rudolph -- husband and collaborator of the late Minnie Riperton -- in the immediate years after Minnie's death, leading us to wonder if... read more

A killer blend of African roots and American rhythms -- and a set that definitely lives up to the disco promised in the title! Buari's working here with a host of New York musicians -- jazzy players who include Randy Brecker and Jon Faddis on trumpet, Barry Rogers on trombone, and Michael Brecker... read more

A standout solo moment from the amazing Keni Burke -- an artist who's come a long way from his youthful start in the 5 Stairsteps! Keni had recorded other adult work by the time of this early 80s set, but Changes is easily his best-remembered album -- a masterpiece of 80s groove, all arranged and... read more

A pretty sweet record from one of the best soul singer ever -- the mighty Solomon Burke -- a fairly stripped down set that finds Solomon backed in the studio by some huge names and session veterans alike -- who handle the material with taste, restraint, and soul! The title track kicks it off -- a... read more

The complete Okeh label recordings of Billy Butler -- Jerry Butler's lesser-known brother, but an even more grooving artist on the Chicago soul scene of the 60s! Billy's work at Okeh is easily some of the best of the all-great imprint -- tracks that step, slide, and groove along in a flurry of... read more

Perhaps the greatest record Jerry Butler made in the 70s, and a very tight bit of baroque Chicago soul with arrangements and production by Samuel F. Brown III. The tracks are a good mix of originals and covers, and they all show Jerry going way past his Gamble & Huff/Mercury years -- into the... read more

Rare 70s work by Bobby Byrd -- sides done for the Brownstone and International label, most of which feature work by members of the James Brown universe, and some production by James Brown himself! The best tracks on the set are from the early 70s -- and feature Bobby working in that incredibly... read more

An incredible record that was one of the highest points of Donald Byrd's career! The album's the third one he cut with producer/arranger Larry Mizell -- and of all Byrd's work with Mizell, this one's the funkiest, the tightest, the most soulful, and the most perfectly realized vision of the smooth... read more

Funky electric groove from Donald Byrd -- a post Mizell effort that's still burning in a crisp groove similar to his classic 70s Blue Note work -- one that's absolutely dripping with keys! Isaac Hayes produced this one, and also played a lot of those keyboards on the session with Byrd's 125 St... read more

One of the best albums that Terry Callier ever recorded -- and a masterpiece of the baroque soul crossover style that was going down at the Chess/Cadet label at the time! Terry's own folksy singing and playing would be more than enough to make this record great -- but it's given an amazing edge by... read more

Terry Callier's first album for Cadet -- and the kickoff of one of the greatest three album runs that any soul artist ever recorded! This one's got a different feel than the later two, as it takes songs by Terry, and structures them with these little musical "seque" tracks in between... read more

The best work we've heard in years from Terry Callier -- the legendary soul singer from Chicago who's finally getting his due! This album avoids many of the mistakes of Terry's recent comeback efforts -- and has him working with the best of the London scene -- extremely fitting, as London's always... read more

Possibly the greatest album ever by the legendary Chicago soul singer Terry Callier! Terry's rich mellow voice is mixed with superb arrangements from the Cadet studio team, with Charles Stepney at the head, and the result is completely sublime. The songs are longer than on earlier albums -- and... read more

Possibly the greatest album ever by the legendary Chicago soul singer Terry Callier! Terry's rich mellow voice is mixed with superb arrangements from the Cadet studio team, with Charles Stepney at the head, and the result is completely sublime. The songs are longer than on earlier albums -- and... read more

While it's easy to write off any funk group once they hit the mainstream, these two totally excellent mid 80s tracks from Larry Blackmon and Cameo are proof positive that you can hitthe commercial mainstream and still come up with interesting grooves that stand out from the everyday radio fodder!... read more

Although this one's the bane to Clarence's earlier reputation, it's also the album that has him earning waaaaay more money than most of his late 60s southern soul contemporaries! The record snuck onto the market in 1986, one of the many so-so releases of bluesy southern soul on the Ichiban label... read more

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Titles include "I Promise", "She's Just My Size", "What's On Your Mind", "Oldie Goldies", "Long Lasting Romance", "This Girl Of Mine", and "Playboys Holiday".... read more

One of the hippest funky jazz combos of the 70s -- stepping out here in their amazing debut for Cobblestone records! Catalyst had a groove that was unlike most of their contemporaries -- a sound that was often jazzier than some of the tighter funk artists on labels like Kudu or Prestige, with some... read more

One of Gene Chandler's later albums recorded for Carl Davis' Chi-Sound label. The poor fate of the Chi-Sound label helped this nice little modern soul gem fall into sidebar like oscurity, but the pulls from heavy Chicago soul talent like Tom Tom 84, Sonny Sanders, and Carl Davis, and it does a... read more

Excellent compilation of some of Gene's totally hard to find Brunswick soul sides from the late 60's. The arrangments are beautiful, sophisticated, and way way past the Duke of Earl type stuff that he's best know for. And the CD includes such gems as "Good Times", "Buddy Ain't It A... read more

A Chi-Sound spectacular -- a split set that features five tracks each from these two Windy City greats! Gene Chandler checks in with some great later work -- more mature than his initial hits, and even than his Mercury sides too -- tracks that include "Rainbow 80", "What Now",... read more

An overlooked set from Change -- a record that possibly wasn't as hit-worthy as some of their previous efforts -- yet one that still had the group very much at the top of their game! By this point, Change had really evolved past being just a studio project, into a rock-solid soul group with a... read more

A great holiday album from Ray Charles -- recorded in the 80s, but with a sound that's pretty classic all the way through! Ray's vocals are excellent -- with that raspy intimate quality that persists all through his later years -- and the sweetly jazzy arrangements work perfectly with the voice to... read more

Tripped out soul from Ava Cherry -- rare mid 70s sessions produced by David Bowie -- with a sound that really echoes his style from the Ziggy Stardust years! Ava Cherry's best known for her great solo album on Curtom -- but these tracks are from a much earlier point in her career -- and come... read more

Fantastic Chi-Lites is right, because the group's still going strong even after their hit years on Brunswick -- stepping forth with a sweet harmony sound that nicely fits the Philly arrangements they get on this set! There's a maturity here that gets past the fragile soul of earlier sets, and... read more

Half A Love was a fantastic album by the Chi-Lites, but it's always never gotten its due, because it featured half new material, and half tracks pulled from earlier albums. That problem's been fixed here, as it's reissued here with the 6 original cuts -- plus 9 more tracks that are rare singles... read more

In retrospect, we still can never figure out whether or not Chic deserved the derision they got, after they had their day. All we can say, though, is that we still like having this one around for "Le Freak", which despite overplaying at the time, is still one of our favorite party tracks... read more