Funky Compilations — CDs  

Uptempo soul from Jewel, Paula and Ronin labels – the Shreveport, LA base of Stan Lewis – record store and label opener, distributor, and all around behind-the-scenes wizard of the 60s & 70s independent soul scene! The singles are wonderful throughout, bridging the mid 60s to the 70s very nicely – with tracks by Billy Joe Young, The Objectives, Cliff Wagner, Peppermint Harris, Montclairs, Barbara West, Jay Jay Taylor and many more. The liner notes have a reprint of a cool vintage feature on Stan's empire from Billboard in 1973 – and the titles include "Got You On My Mind" by Billy Joe Young, "I'm Waiting" by Bill Bush, "Love Went Away" by The Objectives, "Wait Until It Happens To You" by Peppermint Harris, "Not Too Long Ago" by The Uniques feat Joe Stampley, "I'm A Fool For You Baby" by Barbara West, "Fight Fire With Fire" by Shay Holiday, "Hung Up On Your Love" by Montclairs, "Sugar Coated Words" by Miki Honeycutt, "I'm Not Tired Yet" by Jay Jay Taylor and more.

Way more than just "hits" – given that this hip box set features tracks from every single 12" released by the legendary P&P family of labels – a massive amount of underground dancefloor work from the late 70s and early 80s, and a set that gives new meaning to the word discography! If you know even just a bit of the P&P sound, you'll know you've got a revolutionary listening experience in store – music that goes way beyond conventional club and disco, with lots of weird little twists and turns – in both the instrumentation and production, which often use these cool little homemade spacey touches! Vocals are often right in synch with the offbeat grooves – and just about every cut on here is massively funky, too. Package features work by Cloud One, Milton Floyd, Sons Of Darkness, Jesse Gee, Scoopy, Rudy Stuart, Little Scotty, Henry Brooks, Fly Guy, Ahzz, Super Jay, Otis Turner, Sherod, The Destiny Orchestra, Bobby Mann, and many others – from singles that originally appeared on labels like Queen Constance, La Shawn, Land Of Hits, Golden Flamingo, Heavenly Star, Clarence, Destiny, Mr Brown, P&P, Sound Of New York, and others. 185 songs, on 15 CDs, packaged in cool slim sleeves in a tight box set – over 18 hours of music, and all of it great!

A great mix of 70s grooves and later numbers – and a set that perfectly illustrates the move towards more contemporary work as the Chicago steppers scene moved on! The package has the usual great ear for under-discovered cuts that we love in the Steppin Muzak series – tracks that have strong appeal to Chicago steppers, but which are also plenty worth discovering for any fan of rare soul – particularly soul of the smooth, modern variety. Titles include "Be Happy" by Kellee Patterson, "Playing On You" by Jerry Butler, "Please Say You Want Me" by Johnny P, "TSOB" by Master Jay & Michael Dee, "Always Find A Way (Jay Dee mix)" by Nine Yards, "Key To The World" by Truce, "That's The Way I Feel" by Main Attraction, "What's Going On" by Bobby Jones, "Long Stroke" by ADC Band, "Sing A Love Song" by Norman Connors, "Heavenly" by Merge, "Change The World" by Alfonzo, "If I Was Your Man (rmx)" by Stephen Simmonds, and "I Destroyed Your Love" by Special Delivery.

We're not sure where "uptown" is in the Nashville scene – but the location hardly matters, given the strength of the grooves on this set! The package brings forth a whole host of Music City soul gems we've never heard before – lots of work from the Ref O Ree and Tee Jay labels, some of which has the care and class to match the uptown soul sound that was coming from New York in the 60s, although overall, the set's got even more charm as a southern-styled soul collection! You can definitely hear echoes of other Tennessee soul of the time – bits of Sound Stage Seven and Stax – yet the work here also has its own flavor, too – and is a welcome rediscovery in a world of familiar reissues. Titles include "I Still Remember You" by Gene Allison, "Sugar (alt)" by Thomas Henry, "Sweet Way Of Living" by Peggy Gaines, "Clean With Your Dirty Work (alt)" by Rufus Hunter, "I Hear A Melody" by Spice Of Life, "I'd Like To Try It One More Time" by Larry Birdsong, "Let The Funk Get Next To You" by Eddie & Freddie, "You're Still The One" by Roscoe Shelton, "It Has To Be Love" by Freddie Waters, and "Love Is A Wonderful Thing" by Levert Allison.

A celebration that's a decade in the making – compiling some of the best material from the producer-centric series of hip hop albums on BBE/Beat Generation – timeless boombap from Jay Dee, Madlib, DJ Spinna, King Britt, Marley Marl, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Pete Rock and others! The 2CD compilation features sets compiled and mixed by DJ Spinna and Mr Thing – which not only feature stellar beats by the producers at the helm, but rhymes and vocals from the likes of Talib Kweli, Slum Village, Jill Scott, Bahamadia, Guilty Simpson and many more. One thing we appreciated from the get-go with albums in the Beat Generation series was the effort to make records that were built to last – and as much as 10 years later, it holds up really well! The 2CD version features sets deftly mixed by Spinna & Mr Thing, and a sprawling set list that includes "Stop" by Madlib, What It Do" by Madlib feat Talib Kweli, "Are You Ready" by DJ Jazzy Jeff feat Slum Village, "Hummin'" by Marley Marl feat Roy Ayers & Edwin Byrdsong, ""Live Us Sold" by DJ Spinna feat Abdul Shylon, "Galactic Soul" by DJ Spinna, "Transcend" by King Britt feat Bahamadia, "Give It To Y'All" by Pete Rock feat Roc Marciano & Trife, "African Rhythms" by Jay Dee, "Lay Me Down" by Will I Am feat Terry Dexter and many more.

A soaring collection of dancefloor classicsw from the late 70s and early 80s – true gems from the years when disco was really going strong – with many tracks presented on full length album or 12" versions! We'll be honest and say that the cover and title don't look like much on the front – but the CD's very well put-together, and features a detailed book of notes, with a fair bit on each tune included in the set! The collection's pulled from a variety of different labels – and titles include "With Your Love" by Donna Summer, "Dance Disco Heat" by Sylvester, "Star Love" by Cheryl Lynn, "Haven't Stopped Dancin' Yet" by Gonzalez, "Heaven Must Have Sent You" by Bonnie Pointer, "Wear It Out" by Stargard, "Everybody Get Up" by Ren Woods, "#1 Dee Jay" by Goody Goody, "Saturday" by Norma Jean, "This Time Baby" by Jackie Moore, and "I Got the Feeling" by Two Tons O Fun.

Rave-up soul treasures from the late 50s through the 60s – one of the best compilations we've seen from Outta Sight! Age Of Northern Soul pulls together great material that blends Northern Soul, Popcorn and R&B – all of it pretty wonderful It's got lesser-remembered tunes from famous names that sound as glorious in our ears as some of the more beloved hits – including Etta James, Jimmy Ruffin, The Temptations and The O'Jays – as well as some great stuff from singers and groups most known to collectors. It's also jam packed with songs – 27 in all! Titles include "Seven Day Fool" by Etta James, "Don't Feel Sorry For Me" by Jimmy Ruffin, "Don't Mess With My Man" by Irma Thomas, "Mr Johnny Q" by The Bobbettes, "Oh My Soul" by Garlon Davis, "The Day Will Come" by Freddie Gorman, "Faded Letter" by Satintones, "Hard Times" by Royal Jokers, "Romance Without Finance" by The Temptations, "Heard Hearted Woman" by Eddie Burns, "Drip Drop" by The Drifters, "It Keeps Raining" by Fats Domino and many more.

A jam packed collection of classic funk that formed the bedrock of the hip hop revolution – iconic breakbeat material and straight up funky treasures – a 2CD set compied by Dean Rudland! This new set celebrates the great earlier Breaks series on Harmless with a nice mix of numbers that are as classic as can be to beat diggers, but only recoginizable for the sampled bits to younger and more mainstream listeners, plus better-remembered classics that are just as important . The set features tracks by Mohawks, Liquid Liquid, Al Green, Taana Gardner, Last Poets, Funkadelic, Cymande, MFSB, Brick, Syl Johnson, The O'Jays, Average White Band and many more. 31 tracks on 2CDs: "The Champ" by Mohawks, "Space Funk" by Manzel, "Get Down With The Philly Sound" by MFSB, "Love And Happiness" by Al Green, "The Message" by Cymande, "Groovin'" by Willie Mitchell, "Tramp" by Lowell Fulsom, "Here I Go Again" by Jean Plum and many more.

Think you know Stax Records? Guess again – as this mindblowing collection offers up a whole new side of Stax we've never heard before. Forget the hits, forget the overplayed oldies – this set's brimming full of deep soul gems from the legendary Memphis label – including a fair bit of heartbreaking tracks that go way beyond any southern soul cliches! The music is amazing – proof that Ace still really knows how to put together a compilation – and in addition to some real rarities, there's also some killers appearing here for the first time ever – making the whole thing essential to any fan of Stax – or southern soul in general. A massive amount of music, all of it great – and titles include "Stay Baby Stay" by Johnny Daye, "I've Done It Again" by The Charmells, "Move Over" by Soul Children, "Hold On This Time" by Chuck Brooks, "Groovin' On My Baby's Love" by Freddie Waters, "Make A Joyful Noise" by Bettye Crutcher, "The Fault Is Not In Me" by Sylvia & The Blue Jays, "A Love Affair Theat Bears No Pain" by Shack, "Two Fools" by Willie Singleton, "Let Em Down Baby" by Jimmy Hughes, "Love Changes" by Charlene & The Soul Serenaders, and "Woman Across The River" by Little Milton.

A great take on the sound of Philadelphia International – a double-length set of re-edits of Philly gems from years back – but all done in ways that are completely respectful to the originals! The approach here is wonderful – as warm and soulful as the Philly grooves from back in the day – but often extended and reworked slightly – the way you might have heard on a vintage 12" promo – which is even more impressive once you consider that some of these tracks never came out in that format! The choice of tracks is totally right on the money – and a great demonstration of that old school edit mode that never tried to mess with the track at all – just increase the pleasure it brought to the dancefloor – and the set features 21 very long tracks, including "Satisfaction Guaranteed (Morning Star re-edit)" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, "Only The Strong Survive (J*Ski re-edit)" by Billy Paul, "Free Love (Victor Rosado re-edit)" by Jean Carn, "Life On Mars (DJ Mila re-edit)" by Dexter Wansel, "Ain't No Stoppin Us Now (The Noodleman re-work)" by McFadden & Whitehead, "Nights Over Egypt (Womack & TOT re-edit) by The Jones Girls, "Strategy (Touchsoul re-edit)" by Archie Bell & The Drells, "Let The Dollar Circulate (Scratch N Sniff's ext re-reub)" by Billy Paul, "Darlin Darlin Baby (Deep & Disco re-work)" by The O'Jays, and "Be For Real (Tim McAllister re-edit)" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes.

Massive mixes from the mighty Tom Moulton – a huge 4CD package that not only includes some classic lost and rare mixes from the 70s, but also a whopping 17 previously unreleased Moulton mixes, appearing here for the first time ever! If there's anyone who's ever been well-suited to reworking a Philly groove, it's Tom – given his long standing association with the soul scene in the City Of Brotherly Love – and his crucial role in pushing soul tracks into the clubs during the 70s. As with most of Tom's best work, the mixes here are richly faithful to the originals – and never try to overstate themselves at all, just focus on the best elements, and bring them to the forefront of the groove! 4CDs, 31 tracks, and Moulton remixes of "Back Stabbers" by The O'Jays, "Dirty Ol Man" by Three Degrees, "Trusting Heart" by The Trammps, "Do It Any Way You Wanna" by People's Choice, "Nights Over Egypt" by The Jones Girls, "I Don't Love You Anymore" by Teddy Pendergrass, "Year Of Decision" by Three Degrees, "Slow Motion" by Johnny Williams, "The Love I Lost" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, "She's A Winner" by The Intruders, "Trammps Disco Theme/Zing Went The Strings" by The Trammps, "Let's Groove" by Archie Bell & The Drells, "The Devil Made Me Do It" by Robert Upchurch, "Love Is The Message" by MFSB, "Party Time Man" by The Futures, and "See You When I Get There" by Lou Rawls.

The most loving tribute to Philadelphia International that we've ever seen – a massive 10CD box set that also features a 60 page booklet, a full Philly International discography, and a huge amount of great tracks from the legendary label – over 12 hours of music in all! The track list is wonderful – put together by Ralph Tee, of Expansion Records fame – with a great ear for the full range of Philly sounds, not just the hits – which means that in addition to work by The O'Jays, Teddy Pendergrass, MFSB, and Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – the set also features work by The Ebonys, Bobby Bennett, Robert Upchurch, Love Committee, Kaleidoscope, Monk Montgomery, Norman Harris, Frantique, The Dells, Silk, The Ethics, The Futures, Carolyn Crawford, and others! Great stuff all the way through – and a bargain at this price.

A stunning look at a legendary London club of the 60s – presented here in a really well-done book-style package – with a CD that's brimming over with the American soul that made it groove so great back in the day! The set does a great job of showing the roots both of Northern soul, and the UK mod scene – as most of the work here is from that early cusp of soul – when R&B still figured strongly into the mix, and the groove also had some strong inflections from blues and jazz as well! The photos and images in the book are totally great – laid out over a full-color 24 pages – and the CD features 28 smoking tracks – including "Ain't That Loving You Baby" by Jimmy Reed, "Jaywalking" by The Upsetters, "Who Can I Run To" by Geri Hall, "I'll Take One" by Harold Burrage, "Song Called Soul" by Gene Chandler, "Let The Good Times Roll" by Alvin Robinson, "Question" by Roscoe Shelton, and "I've Got A Claim On You" by Betty Everett.

The title only gets it half-right, because although these 18 tracks contain some cool folksy groovers by folks like Barbara & Ernie, Christine Harwood, and Keef Hartley, they've also got some very cool stripped down jazz funk tracks with a spare sample-laden groove. Cuts like this include "Holy Thursday" by David Axelrod, "Midnight's Theme" by Manzell, "Stringtronics" by Tropicola, "Higher Ground" by Hugo Montenegro, "Crab Apple Jam" by Jayson Lindh, and more by Andre Previn, Bill Conti, Ronnie Foster, and The Heath Brothers. Nudie cover, too!

Deep, deep disco selected by Johnny "D" DeMairo – one of the more pivotal underground club music figures of the past couple decades, via his role in setting up the Henry Street imprint – here putting together an incredible set of the rare disco greatness! This the the expansive, floor-shaking, genre-straddling stuff that inspired the house and clubby soul scenes to come – and it's one of the best compilations of harder-to-find disco that's we've gotten our hands in years. The setlist features a divers mix of famous and lesser-remembered names – with styles ranging from straight forward disco stormers to strains of earlyish electro and 80s grooves – benchmark singles and inventive productions that bridge the eras! Tracks by Cerrone, Kasso, Skyy, The System, The O'Jays and more! Disc One of the 2CD edition feature 19 tracks mixed masterfully: "Ride On The Rhythm" by Mahogany feat Bernice Watkins, "Time For Live" by The Brooklyn, Bronx & Queens Band, "It's Passion" by The System, "Spank" by Jimmy Bo Horne, "Call Me" by Skyy, "Dance For Every" by Gaucho, "We're On The Right Track" by Ultra High Frequency and more. CD Two features 13 unmixed disco jams: "This Time Baby" by The O'Jays, "How To Win Your Love" by Spencer Jones, "Dub Till We Drop" by La Fluer, "I've Got To Find A Way" by Zena Djonay, "Think Fast" by Pamela Joy and more.