Funky 45's — In Stock  

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A classic from Nina – the original recording of "Young Gifted & Black" – arranged by Weldon Irvine, who co-wrote the tune with her. The flip's got a nice version of an Aretha Franklin song – and both sides have quite an Aretha-style approach!... read more

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Two of the funkiest cuts from Ohio's legendary Kenny Smith! "Skunkie" is a wicked little groove that's every bit as great as you might guess from the title – an instrumental that's filled with heavy snapping drum bits, as well as a mad triplet piano bit that really gives the tune a... read more

One of the greatest tunes ever from the legendary Lonnie Liston Smith – a cosmic number for the dancefloor – with a bassline and conga bit that kick things off, then a keyboard line that soars to the heavens – all while the vocals stay righteous all the way through! "A... read more

Great 40s material from this excellent altoist – with some early guitar from Les Paul too!... read more

A jazzy dancefloor classic from Pal Joey! During the late 80s, lots of UK producers and groups were working in a nu jazz mode – mixing older jazz styles with newer rhythms and production, in a mode that often was called acid jazz, but which also moved into other camps. In the US, though,... read more

A jazzy dancefloor classic from Pal Joey! During the late 80s, lots of UK producers and groups were working in a nu jazz mode – mixing older jazz styles with newer rhythms and production, in a mode that often was called acid jazz, but which also moved into other camps. In the US, though,... read more

Ahh, "The Witch" – the tense, sax-backed, fuzzed out blast of genius that put The Sonics on the garage rock map! A stone classic by one of the greatest and first bands of their kind – pre-figuring punk and otherwise primitively rhythmic rock to come – but still with an... read more

Two wonderful gems from Soul Brothers Inc – both wicked funky numbers with a very unusual twist! "Pyramid" has these sweet strings next to a Latin-esque groove that moves with a nice bassy bottom – then slides into this warm vocal that's completely heartwarming, in ways that... read more

Slow funky madness from the Soul Investigators – one of the most bad-stepping funky 45s we've heard in a long long time! The groove here is incredibly hip – and the tune starts with a very slow drum break, then rolls into a massive blend of bumping bass, rumbling organ, and trippy wah... read more

A stone funky gem that's mighty nice all the way through! The tune's got a popping, percolated drum part that's almost in "Tighten Up" territory – and other instrumentation leaps around beautifully, including cool thin organ lines, tightly blasting horns, and this backyard bassline... read more

A blazing instrumental from the Soul Surfers – a great mix of deep funk and early 60s Cali – served up with funky drums on the bottom, and some great echoey guitar over the top! The twangy lead line definitely holds up the "surf" part of the title – but the bottom end... read more

A groundbreaking track from Chicago – and one of the best tunes ever by this monumental group! "Zambezi" is a stunner written by Richard Evans and Donny Hathaway – a tune that takes African influences, mixes them with 60s soul, adds in some complicated strings and percussion,... read more

Like a lot of the Wand singles from this period, this one's got two versions of a single track – one disco and one soul. One of the bigger tracks from the South Shore Commission, with production by Bunny Sigler.... read more

Modern funky Latin Soul from Spanglish Fly! "Think" is a cover of the old school R&B staple best remembered for the killer James Brown version from the early 60s – masterfully remodeled here as a fresh live Latin Soul with vocals by Erica Ramos and a great mix of Latin... read more

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Two different versions of this tune by HB Barnum – both of them nice! Judy Street's take on "What" begins with some sparkling vibes, then rolls into a singing girl soul beat that's both sweet and catchy, with just a hint of pop! Tina Mason brings a bit more twang to the tune... read more

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Sugarman Three take on The Standells – and serve up a killer Hammond/tenor version of their classic "Dirty Water"! The tune's got all the grit of the vocal original – but cooks in a really different way – a soul jazz gem we wouldn't have expected! "Bushwacked"... read more

Funky soul from South America – groovy stuff from Usje Sukatma of Surinam! "Waiting For Your Love" is one of the rare few recordings he's sung in English, a sweet little stripped down disco styled number with guitar, bass, keys, drums, congas and more percussion – plus some... read more

Includes "Squeeze Me", "I Got It Bad & That Ain't Good", "It's The Talk Of The Town", and "My Silent Love".... read more

Includes "Memories Of You", "Deep Purple", "Moon Is Low", and "Reflections".... read more

Includes the tracks "Boot It Boy", "How Long Blues", "It's Tight Like That", "Mess Katie Mess", "Sho Is Hot", and "My Daddy Rocks Me".... read more

Tight guitars riff away beautifully on this one – picking up an nice groove right from the start, and giving the vocals of Emanuel Taylor an infectiously funky sound all the way through! Taylor dips and turns with the cut nicely – soaring one minute, snapping with the beat the next... read more

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Includes the tracks "Wailin Blues", "Barrelhouse Stomp", "I Found A New Baby", "Baby Won't You Please Come Home", and "There'll Be Some Changes Made".... read more

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Breaking drums, popping organ, and fuzzy guitar – all exploding at the start of this rare funky nugget – and setting fire to the tune right from the beginning! There's a nervous, jumpy sort of energy to "Uto Nwa" – one that not only sets it apart from other Afro funk... read more

A wicked groove from Third Coast Kings – a cut that has the same title as an old Curtis Mayfield composition, but which comes across with a totally different vibe! The track begins with these sinister dipping horns, then quickly gets into gear and unleashes a badass female soul vocal over... read more

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Jimmy James has some great bass work going on "I Can't Dance" – a line that dips, turns, and grooves amazingly – all underneath vamping horns that set the stage for Jimmy's excellent vocal – spoken at first, then sung with a raspy, gritty kind of groove! "Waiting... read more

Two sweet bossa groovers from singer Pat Thomas – both of them with backings by Lalo Schifrin! The tunes were pulled from Pat's album of the same name on MGM – issued here in a pic sleeve by Verve, with "first vocal version in English" next to "Desafinado"!... read more

A killer – an one of Rufus' first funky numbers! "Sophisticated Sissy" has a snapping, vamping groove that's every bit in the best "Cissy" mode by the Meters – with a horn popping nicely at the bottom of the beat, really setting up a great punch for Rufus' vocals! ... read more

Three dudes, but pretty darn funky dudes at that – working together here on two razor-sharp instrumentals! "777" has mad bass and crackling drums – both recorded with a slightly muddy quality, so that they blend together beautifully in the groove – and leave plenty of... read more

A great bit of modern soul from Tolbert! The tune's got a hell of a lot of warmth – a glowing sort of glide that's completely seductive, and much more late 70s than you'd guess from the date of the cut. Tolbert's vocals break nicely with a southern soul crackle, making for a very nice... read more

Cosmic bedroom funk from The Trash Company – which is actually the solo project of one Max E Monroe – who sounds right at home on Peoples Potential! Max has purportedly been making music since the late 70s, and the spacey synth funk of "Pluto" sounds like it could have been... read more

14 smoking analog dubs from the mighty King Tubby – a killer 7 X 7 inch box set from the Dubmaster – culled from the version sides of Bunny Striker Lee's original 70s 7-inch releases and bonus cuts from the first four King Tubby albums! Benchmark dubs sourced from classic tracks by... read more

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A wonderful indie groove from The Tymes – proof that these guys are well worth checking out at every point in their career! "Here She Comes" has this loping groove that's almost more Chicago than Philly – and a sing-song lyric that's sweetly punctuated by a vibes note in the... read more

Cool beans! This is the original US single version of this tasty cut by Piero Umiliani! "Mah Na Mah Na" is simply wonderful – a weird nasally vocal humming along while some female singers come around in back – organ bubbling, the whole thing sounding about as mad as it can... read more

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A soulful smoker from The Vibrations – quite different than some of their other tunes, but equally groovy too! "Searching" has this great tenor on the lead – a sax that comes in before the vocals, then sets up the promise of horn bursts that flow in on the chorus –... read more

"Watusi" is a classic groover from The Vibrations – a slowly dancing number with a hard-sock groove, one of the group's best early cuts! "Wallflower" is more uptempo, tighter harmonies and a smoother groove – kind of a sing-song playful number, with raw vocals on... read more

They mighty "Humpty Dump" by The Vibrettes – one of the all time greatest funky songs ever! "Humpty Dump" is one of those killers that we loved even before we'd heard of the funky 45 – an instantly catchy mix of scratchy guitar, heavy bass beats, and female vocals... read more

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A rare soul single from France – but one that's sung in English! "Her Name Was Sue" is a really weird little number – slow-building soul, with Hammond underneath Cliff Wagner's odd-tuned vocals – all put together in a really blue-tinged sort of way! "Red... read more

"The London Suite" is broken up into six pieces – "Picadilly", "Chelsea", "Soho", "Bond Street", "Limehouse", and "Whitechappel".... read more

Includes "Yellow Dog Blues" takes 2 and 3, "I Would Do Anything For You", "Mean Old Bed Bug Blues" takes 1 and 2, and "Yes Suh!".... read more

Classic work by War! "World Is A Ghetto" is a great one – the title track to one of their best albums, and a soulful classic that never quits. Almost nicer is "Four Cornered Room" – a slow building tripped-out track, with percussion, weird "rocket" guitar... read more

Rare R&B on a small Chicago label!... read more

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A sweet modern groover from James Wells – almost a stomping sort of groove, but in a disco way too – perfect for the way that Wells sets up the sing-song lyrics of the tune! "Double Dose Of Love" is also another clubby track – more disco than the a-side, but with a... read more

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Rare Tejano R&B from The Wetbacks – a knowingly seedy number if there ever was one – backed by "Summertime" by the Spot Barnett Orchestra – rare tracks issued on San Antonio's Wildcat label and paired up on this great single courtesy Drop Shadow Records! "Jose... read more

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Includes the tracks "Yellow Dog Blues", "Peggy O'Neil", "Lillian Gaspergou", and "The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else".... read more

Personnel includes Fred Jackson, Grant Green, Baby Face Willette, and Ben Dixon.... read more

Annie Williams serves up a great answer to Ray Charles' "I Got A Woman" – done with a similar groove and re-gendered lyrics – and some great raw vocals that are almost grittier than Ray's! The cut's produced by the Lieber & Stoller team – as is "My Boy... read more

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One of the best singles in years from the lovely Nicole Willis – and that's saying a heck of a lot, given how much we always love her work! Both Nicole and The Soul Investigators seem to hit a new level with their work on "Tell Me" – a groove that's more mature than before,... read more

A really righteous little number from Nicole Willis – one that comes across with the funky sophistication of the best work on early 70s Curtom Records! Funky grooves from The Soul Investigators mix with a nice bit of strings on the track – elevating the tune from straight deep funk... read more

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Some great funky organ work from Reuben Wilson! "Cisco Kid" is Reuben's funky cover of the War track – done with that tightly rolling sound of the original, and made even better as an instrumental! "Groove Grease" is a tasty number too – lots of nice tight organ... read more

Mad vocals from Spanky Wilson – a great singer with a rough-edged style, sitting somewhere between soul and jazz, and nearly always backed by some really funky arrangements! These tracks are 2 of Spanky's most in-demand with funk fans – the hard-hitting "You", and a... read more

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Sublime soul from the Miami scene at the end of the 70s – a mellow groover that's totally wonderful, and done in a sound that's a far cry from the TK hits of earlier years! There's a solid stepping sophistication to the track that's totally great – a bit like Lew Kirton, but even more... read more

Includes "O Katharina", "Shanghai Shuffle", "Alabamy Bound", and "By The Waters Of Minnetonka Melody".... read more

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Despite the corny name, "Sweet Sweet Tootie" is a pretty nice sax-based instrumental by Lonnie Youngblood. Not really a funky track, but with a good soul instrumental groove, and rolling percussion.... read more

Bootsy and Roger went all the way to the bank with this one – a classic electro funk groover without which, most of west coast late 80s/early 90s hip hop would not exist! The cut's a monster – and still sounds wonderful whatever the context.... read more

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A sweet 10 year anniversary round-up of some of the best timelessly soulful releases from he Melting Pot Music team to date – and it's the best kind of "best of" compilation – one that's carefully curated and released as a limited 5 X 7" box set! It's a pretty solid... read more