Seminal work from the lovely Basia – and an album that's a wonderful hybrid of jazz, soul, and pop – all put together at a level that really goes beyond most of her contemporaries! There's a vibe here that's almost like Swing Out Sister at their best – catchy, but never cloying – and done in an 80s style that refers strongly back to 60s and 70s styles, yet still keeps things quite contemporary overall. And although most of the tunes are pretty poppy, they're also pretty great, and really hold up over the years – thanks to slight undercurrents of jazzy instrumentation, of the sort you'd get from Brit artists like Working Week or Sade. Titles include "Promises", "From Now On", "Freeze Thaw", "How Dare You", "Astrud", and "Miles Away". 2CD version is amazing – and features 5 bonus instrumental tracks, plus 8 more remix tracks, and 5 more single versions, and the non-album track "Give Me That". 30 titles in all! CD

A nice bit of space age disco fantasy from Boney M – a set that's got a few more electronic touches than some of the group's other records, but which still continues in a straight ahead poppy vein! There's a sound here that's arguably a bit more sophisticated than before – especially on some of the rhythms, which almost hint at Bohannon like complexity at the bottom. There's almost a bit more club appeal than you might expect – although other tunes are definitely more the stuff of hotel lobby dancefloors than warehouse parties in New York. Titles include "King Of The Road", "Nightflight To Venus", "Voodoonight", "Brown Girl In the Ring", "Heart Of Gold", and the hit version of "Rivers Of Babylon". LP, Vinyl record album

Four classic albums from UK singer Tina Charles – an artist who mixes older vocal touches with the swirling sounds of the legendary Biddu – in a groove that's got a heck of a lot to offer! Tina never was one of the most underground singers of her generation – but it's her confidence in that fact that makes this music so great – an unabashed love of the poppier sounds of the dancefloor, in a way that beautifully mixes together 70s AM sensibilities with the growing sounds of the disco movement. Biddu's a great choice for the project – as the use of light strings and disco grooves resonates with his own solo work, but also maybe has more of a crossover focus, thanks to Tina's poppy vocals in the lead! The 2CD set features the full albums I Love To Love, Dance Little Lady, Heart N Soul, and Just One Smile – with a total of 40 tracks in all. CD

A record that was an instant classic from the moment it was first released – and a set that's still pretty darn pleasing all these many years later! At a time when mainstream soul was often too smooth or too poppy, D'Angelo came along and not only found a way to return the music to the years of its power with singers like Al Green or Marvin Gaye – but also managed to bring in some of the best hip hop elements of his generation too, at a level that was far more successful than most other blends that had been tried before! Production is nice and lean, and super-crispy – at a level that so many folks are still copying all these years later – and the set's full of classics that include "Cruisin", "When We Get By", "Smooth", "Me & Those Dreamin Eyes Of Mine", "Brown Sugar", "Alright", and "Jonz In My Bonz". CD

One of Arthur Baker's shining moments – a poppy little tune, to be sure, but with a tight electro groove that's stood up a lot more than we would have thought at the time! Not strictly Hip Hop, but definitely an '80's breakin'/electro/dance classic (like the tracks on the Tommy Boy Perfect Beats compilations.) Anything from 1982 produced by Arthur Baker and mixed by Jellybean is bound to be dope and this one is no exception. With production and sung vocals similar to the Planet Patrol records from that time. Complete with an instrumental/dub version if you don't want the vocals. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A great package – one that features the self-titled Taana Gardner album from the legendary New York club act on West End Records – plus lots of bonus material too! The core record is the only full length album cut by singer Taana Gardner – quite a surprise, given how much impact she had on the clubs with her 12" singles at the start of the 80s! The album's got Gardner as a much richer singer than you might expect – able to lay back on a mellow track as well as step out on a groover – always with that higher range of vocals that really made her a standout at the time, but in ways that are never gimmicky or poppy at all. And in fact, there's a lot more depth to the record than you'd guess from the dated exercise cover image – a classic soul approach that's also quite a surprise for the mostly disco West End label too. Tracks are all nice and long – and backings are by Sunship, with Bernard Wright on Fender Rhodes. Titles include "Work That Body", "We Got To Work It Out", "When You Touch Me", "Paradise Express", and "Just Be A Friend". 2CD set features lots of bonus material – Kenton Nix extended mixes of "When You Touch Me", "Just Be A Friend", and "Work That Body" – plus two key non-LP singles, "That's The World (12" club)" and "Heartbeat (12" club) – and lots of later mixes that include "No Frills (Larry Levan mix)", "I'm Comin (radio mix)", "Work That Body (MAW re-edit)", "When You Touch Me (MAW re-edit)", "Work That Body (wing it for the A-Man Tom Moulton edit)", and "Paradise Express (Gomi's tribute vocal)". CD

An overlooked 60s pop gem from Margo Guryan – probably best known as the writer of the "Sunday Morning" hit for Spanky & Our Gang, but an equally great singer on her own! Margo's got a style that's towards the hipper side of girl pop in the late 60s – but one that's also free from singer/songwriter modes too – an approach that's never too serious, yet which often has a nice undercurrent of darkness in the mix. Production is somewhat poppy, but not in a commercial way – and we might well say that Guryan's work here has that same great balance of elements we love in the Mercury recordings by Spanky & Our Gang. John Hill produced, and also handled most of the arrangements – and many tunes here are Guryan originals, with titles that include "Sunday Morning", "Sun", "Love Songs", "Thoughts", "Take A Picture", "Think Of Rain", "Can You Tell", and "Someone I Know". CD features 3 bonus tracks – "Timothy Gone", "It's Alright Now", and "I Think A Lot About You". CD

A beautiful showcase both for the piano of Masaru Imada and the bass of George Mraz – the latter of whom gets really respectful treatment on this Japanese-only session – in the best tradition of the Three Blind Mice record label! TBM always had a way of showcasing the bass that was different than American jazz labels of the 70s – and that's definitely the case here, as Mraz brings forth all his warmth and depth to match the gently lyrical touches of Masaru Imada on the piano – an equally great player, and one who really holds us rapt here, without support from any other musicians save George. The set features some great originals by Imada – including "Blue Road", "Blue Rain", "Remember Of Love", and "Poppy" – plus a nice take on "Stella By Starlight". CD

One of the few rock albums on the BYG/Actuel label – and a nice one at that! The group's an early spinoff from the very first lineup of Procol Harum, but by the time this album was recorded the only thing the groups shared was drummer Bobby Harrison. The sound is stripped down blues rock with a touch of mild, poppy psychedelia – replete with plenty of guitar and organ. The sound is just raw enough to rock, but the tunes are more concise than jamming, though there's no shortage of riffery to wag your hair too, should that be your style. Includes "Time Of The Season", "Hoo Doo Man", "Enchanted Wood", "Fly", "Dusty Track", and "My Life". LP, Vinyl record album

Hi Records perfection from the mighty Al Green – slightly later than some of his key early hits, but a record that shows Green still taking fire on all burners! Production is by the team of Al and Willie Mitchell – in a mode that's slightly fuller and more updated than before, but still very much that original mode the pair pioneered during Green's first years at Hi – a smooth, rich sound that's never slick, never poppy, and never cloying – and a mode that never falls into disco or pop temptations other singers were trapped in at the time. Backings are by the Memphis Horns and Memphis Strings – with some occasional backup vocals from Rhodes Chalmers & Rhodes or The Duncan Sisters – and titles include "I'd Fly Away", "That's The Way It Is", "Glory Glory", "Always", "Full Of Fire", "Together Again", "Soon As I Get Home", and "Let It Shine". LP, Vinyl record album

Arguably the last true moment of genius in Michael Jackson's career – a record that sold a bazillion copies around the world – and for plenty good reason! Michael's still working here with Quincy Jones – in territory that steps nicely from the Off The Wall groove, into territory that's somewhat more poppy, but still quite soulful overall. And yes, the success of the album meant that cuts like "Billie Jean", "Thriller", and "Beat It" got plenty of play – thanks to both heavy radio and video rotation – but a few decades later, there's still a tremendous amount of depth here – on great cuts like "Human Nature", "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin", and "PYT" – which all hold up nicely! CD

A great little album from this overlooked singer – an east coast vocalist from the 50s, working here on one of the few sessions she ever recorded! Teal's got an exotic look on the cover, but the presentation of the music is right up there in the best mainstream jazz modes of the time – and unlike some of the other small combo vocal work on Bethlehem in the 50s, this album has the fuller feel of the sorts of records you might hear on a label like Capitol or Verve at the time. Ted Steele handles the arrangements – and is also credited with discovering Teal in Atlantic City – and the backings are a mix of jazzy flourishes and larger strings – never poppy or overdone. Titles include "Autumn Leaves", "El Cumbanchero", "Deed I Do", "For You My Love", "Who's Sorry Now", "Let's Fall In Love", and "Easy To Remember". CD also features three bonus alternate takes! CD

Wonderfully smooth soul from Evelyn Champagne King – one of her real standouts from the early days, and a tremendous collaboration with producer/arranger T Life! The sound here is upbeat and catchy, but never too poppy – done with a slight hint of that groove that King would hit more famously in the 80s, but served up here with a deeper sense of warmth, and a slightly more laidback feel. King is classy without being cloying – just like a sip of the right sort of champagne – and T Life's backings often have a slight undercurrent of funk. Titles include the club classic "Shame" – plus "Smooth Talk", "Til I Come Off The Road", "Dancin, Dancin, Dancin", "Nobody Knows", "We're Going To A Party", and "The Show Is Over". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Hugh's more poppy efforts, but still a nice batch of instrumentals with a good Afro soul groove to them, and the jaunty trumpet sound that was Hugh's stock in trade at the time. Tracks include "Actin' Like A Fool", "If I Needed Someone", "Sounds Of Silence", "Along Comes Mary", "It's Not Unusual", and "From Me To You". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet disco set from the late 70s – the only one we've ever seen by the Partners, who we're guessing were some sort of European studio combo! The sound is mighty nice – exactly what you'd guess from the title – the best sort of funky Euro disco style of the time, with some sweet harmony vocals that almost have a Bee Gees vibe – yet never nearly as poppy as their disco tunes! There's a warmth here that marks the Paris in contrast to other European club sounds of the time – and attention to lyrics that goes way past the usual "let's throw a singer at some grooves" – especially on the album's mellower cuts. Titles include "Partners", "Friday", "Dance", "Green Eyes", and "Love Meant To Be". LP, Vinyl record album

Len Barry's classic "1-2-3" is one of the alltime great pop crossover tracks of the 60s. It's issued here in an album with similar peppy poppy tracks like "Lip Sync", "You Baby", "Bullseye", "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", and "I.O.U." LP, Vinyl record album

We don't know much about this guy, but this is a pretty sweet little set – a mixture of mainstream MPB and more soulful touches – all put together with some especially warm arrangements from Lincoln Olivetti! At some level, we'd almost be tempted to call this a set of Brazilian soul – especially due to the great use of keyboards, mellow grooves, and warm vocals on the record – but the overall style is a bit more mainstream, and gets slightly poppy at times too – a bit in a Free Soul sort of groove! Titles include "Num Paraiso", "Brenda", "Pensando Nela", "Renascendo Em Mim", "Saber Viver", "Nao Quero Mais", "Curtindo O Silencio", and "Menina Mulher". LP, Vinyl record album

A real lost chapter of 70s genius from reedman John Carter – a set done after his better-known recordings with Bobby Bradford, in a style that's much more spacious overall! The material features a trio – with Carter on both soprano sax and clarinet, both instruments he plays with an incredible dexterity and sensitivity in sound – much looser and more open to sudden shifts of inspiration than his music with Bradford – with accompaniment from Stanley Carter on bass and William Jeffrey on drums and percussion! The style is free, but never indulgently so – and Carter finds this way to always reach for melodic moments even at his most intense – creating the kind of magic that few other musicians might with his instruments. Titles include "Echoes From Rudolph's", "To A Fallen Poppy", "The Last Sunday", "Armin", and "Angles". 2CD set adds in a whole disc of extra material from the trio – with a 19 minute "Echoes From Rudolphs/To A Fallen Poppy", and a very long stretch of different improvised passages! CD

Amazing work by The Delfonics – their first 2 albums, back to back on a single CD! La La Means I Love You is a landmark album in harmony soul – one of those records that pushed the genre to a whole new level! The Delfonics emerge fully formed here as one of the most compelling groups of their time – a tremendous trio with a really unique approach to soul music – one that's heartfelt and heartbreaking, but never too sweet to be cloying or poppy – definitely just the right groove to keep things hip while also cracking the charts! The album's their first full collaboration with legendary producer Thom Bell – and it's got a sound that's summed up perfectly in the quintessential cut "La La Means I Love You" – and which is followed through beautifully on a batch of tracks that includes "Losing You", "Can You Remember", "You're Gone", "I'm Sorry", and "Break Your Promise". Sound Of Sexy Soul is an equally groundbreaking album of vocal group soul – right from the first note! The record kicks off with the sublime "Ready Or Not, Here I Come" – which starts with fierce stepping strings that are actually funky, then soars into some of the best harmonies the group ever put to record, superbly arranged by the great Thom Bell, who also wrote the track. As the album progresses, the sound expands further to encompass many elements that would become the blueprint for vocal groups over the next few years – like twangy electric sitar, cascading orchestrations, and pinched lead vocals that take a lot more chances than most group singers had been taking for years! There's still a bit of a 60s soul sound to some of the cuts, but the album's a watershed – not only for Thom Bell and the group, but for harmony soul as well! Titles include "Ready Or Not Here I Come", "My New Love", "Loving Him", "With These Hands", "Somebody Loves You", and "Everytime I See My Baby". CD also features the bonus track "You Got Yours & I'll Get Mine". CD

The only full length album cut by singer Taana Gardner – quite a surprise, given how much impact she had on the clubs with her 12" singles at the start of the 80s! The album's got Gardner as a much richer singer than you might expect – able to lay back on a mellow track as well as step out on a groover – always with that higher range of vocals that really made her a standout at the time, but in ways that are never gimmicky or poppy at all. And in fact, there's a lot more depth to the record than you'd guess from the dated exercise cover image – a classic soul approach that's also quite a surprise for the mostly disco West End label too. Tracks are all nice and long – and backings are by Sunship, with Bernard Wright on Fender Rhodes. Titles include "Work That Body", "We Got To Work It Out", "When You Touch Me", "Paradise Express", and "Just Be A Friend". CD features the previously unreleased "That's The Word (12" club)", plus "Heartbeat (12" club)", "Heartbeat (12" party)", "No Frills (12" club)", and "No Frills (12" party)". CD

Arguably the last true moment of genius in Michael Jackson's career – a record that sold a bazillion copies around the world – and for plenty good reason! Michael's still working here with Quincy Jones – in territory that steps nicely from the Off The Wall groove, into territory that's somewhat more poppy, but still quite soulful overall. And yes, the success of the album meant that cuts like "Billie Jean", "Thriller", and "Beat It" got plenty of play – thanks to both heavy radio and video rotation – but a few decades later, there's still a tremendous amount of depth here – on great cuts like "Human Nature", "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin", and "PYT" – which all hold up nicely! LP, Vinyl record album

An expanded version of Thriller – arguably the last true moment of genius in Michael Jackson's career – a record that sold a bazillion copies around the world – and for plenty good reason! Michael's still working here with Quincy Jones – in territory that steps nicely from the Off The Wall groove, into territory that's somewhat more poppy, but still quite soulful overall. And yes, the success of the album meant that cuts like "Billie Jean", "Thriller", and "Beat It" got plenty of play – thanks to both heavy radio and video rotation – but a few decades later, there's still a tremendous amount of depth here – on great cuts like "Human Nature", "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin", and "PYT" – which all hold up nicely! CD/DVD package features loads of great stuff – CD includes 6 previously unissued bonus tracks, "The Girl Is Mine 2008 (with Will I Am)", "PYT 2008 (with Will I Am)", "Wanna Be Startin Somethin 2008 (with Akon)", "Beat It 2008 (with Fergie)", "Billie Jean 2008 (Kanye West mix)", and "For All Time". DVD features the short films/videos "Billie Jean", "Beat It", and "Thriller" – plus a performance of "Billie Jean" from Motown 25. CD

An incredible album from Peggy Lee – baroquely beautiful, in a way that builds massively off of her "Is That All There Is Period" – and take her into territory that's almost equal to Lotte Lenya! The whole album was written by the team of Lieber & Stoller, in a sad, boozy, faded style that's quite different than any of their earlier pop hits – and arrangements by Johnny Mandel and Perry Botkin are handled in a style that goes more for the emotive depths than the poppy hooks – really allowing Peggy to sing in a mature style that really befits her voice at the time. The record's incredibly dark – and is the kind that probably killed her career at the time, but which now stands above most other other records of the 60s and 70s. Titles include "Some Cats Know", "Ready To Begin Again", "A Little White Ship", "Tango", "Say It", and "I Remember". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Terry Riley's most enduring works, and a haunting record that contains two extended modal minimal jams – "Rainbow In Curved Air" and "Poppy Nogood & The Phantom Band". "Rainbow" features Terry interweaving cool keyboard lines on organ, electric harpsichord, and the amazingly cool "rocksichord" – which is almost a guitar-like keyboard! "Poppy Nogood" has a similar groove on organ and soprano saxophone. Both tracks are prime material by Riley, and they have a sound that's influenced countless artists in the current electronica generation – but which never sounded better than here, on the original recordings! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the strongest albums by Rockie Robbins – and they're all pretty darn great – thanks to some sweet production and arrangements from the team of Skip Scarborough and Jerry Peters! Skip and Jerry bring a nice sense of smoothness to Rockie's Chicago-forged sound – expanding his sound with fuller arrangements than before, and creating a style here that's tight and professional, yet never slick or poppy. Titles include "Time To Think", "I Believe In Love", "My Old Friend", "Look Before You Leap", "Give Our Love A Chance", "An Act Of Love", "I'll Turn To You", "For You For Love", and "Talk To Me". CD

A poppy classic from early 80s Motown – one of those cuts you just couldn't get away from at the time! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Salt N Pepa still in their best early mode – working with Hurby Luv Bug, and turning out tunes with a nice sort of indie-level street charm! Although countless others copped the poppy hip hop groove of the pair at the time, Salt N Pepa were still the first, and still managed to do it best – striking a nice balance between girlish themes and some of the harder-edge hip hop of the Luv Bug posse. Tracks include "Spinderella's Not A Fella", "I Like It Like That", "Let The Rhythm Run (remix)", "Shake Your Thing" featuring E.U., "Hyped On The Mic", "I Gotcha", "Get Up Everybody", and more . LP, Vinyl record album

A mod soul classic from the great Edwin Starr – a set that bridges his years in the Detroit underground and his sudden rise to fame at Motown! The tracks here have a really deep basement grooving sort of vibe – catchy, but less poppy than the usual Motown – and more with the kind of grit you'd find on some of the smaller indies of the time – not just in Edwin's vocals, but in the overall rhythms as well! There's loads of dancefloor soul cuts here, mixed with some overlooked gems – and the whole thing's wonderful, especially if you only know Edwin's later hits. Titles include "Agent Double O Soul", "I Am The Man For You Baby", "Stop Her On Sight", "I Want My Baby Back", "Soul Master", "Headline News", and "My Weakness Is You". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most dramatically poppy albums from Yello – a set that takes their older electric groove and infuses it with a bit more theatrics and dancefloor-styled rhythms! Flag's really the record that probably sums up the mainstream vision of Yello the best – that image of mustachioed Europeans acting goofy in cleverly cartoony music videos, while referencing an imagined nostalgia in definite 80s trappings, and avoiding any real direct attempt at songwriting. Yet amidst the showiness and oddball characters, the core Yello sound is still at the bottom of the mix – lost a bit, to be sure, but still more compelling and longer-lasting than much other electric pop spawned by their generation. Titles include "Tied Up In Red", "Blazing Saddles", "The Race", "Otto Di Cantania", "Tied Up", and "3rd Of June". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes 12 tracks by Edison Lighthouse, The Tee Set, Norman Greenbaum, Marmalade, Bobbi Martin, George Baker Selection, The Poppy Family and more! CD

Tomas Milian's the scruffy guy on the cover, and the light style of illustration lets you know that you're not in the spooky territory you might expect from Fabio Frizzi – but instead the kind of quickly-done comedy that was big business on the Italian scene of the 80s! With those films, the music was often the main glue holding the narrative together – and that's definitely the case here, as Frizzi's music is filled with catchy numbers that use electro rhythms and plenty of keyboards – playful and poppy, but with maybe a bit more thought than some of the dialogue on the screen! Back in the day, the original music was only issued as two tracks on a 7" single – but this package marks the full release of other tracks from the film, along with the cuts "Jolly Sax" and "You & I" – the latter with vocals by Tommie Babie! LP, Vinyl record album

Pure pop magic from the lovely Mina – a very weird little record in which she takes on a host of mid-period tracks by The Beatles! The sound is as offbeat as the cover's take on Revolver – kind of a cross between late 60s Beatles, and early 70s Italian – trippy at points, but kind of sweetly poppy at others. And we can't tell for sure from the notes, but the album appears as if it might collect tunes from a number of different periods – although it comes across with a very unified feel overall. Titles include "Let It Be", "Fool On The Hill", "She's Leaving Home", and "Hey Jude" – plus versions of "My Love" and "Oh Darling". LP, Vinyl record album

Dig 80s electro pop? You'll find plenty to love here – as the set's a killer collection of tracks from a time when the UK scene was really exploding with new ideas and fresh music! The "radio" in the title is a reference to the fact that once-underground electronic acts were starting to get wider fame – tightening up their sound a bit, yet still sounding pretty darn great – never too poppy or overproduced, and with a quality that's pretty wonderful all these many years later! Most groups here are from the UK, but there's a few other European acts too – and the set moves between warmer coldwave to catchy electro tunes – in a selection of 56 titles, by artists who include Fad Gadget, Colourbox, Japan, Heaven 17, Thomas Leer, Communication, The Passage, Talk Talk, Thomas Dolby, Fiat Lux, New Order, Yello, Soft Cell', 'Blancmange, Poeme Electronique, OMD, Ultravox, Section 25, Endgames, Moebius, Zoo Boutique, Human League, Thick Pigeon, and many others! CD

A great one from X-Ray Spex – one of the strongest of the first generation punks of the 70s – a group fronted by the amazing Poly Styrene, and blessed with some incredibly catchy tunes! There's a poppy playfulness to most of these tracks, underneath the fierce, full-on energy of the group – a rhythmic approach to punk rock that's almost a precursor to the Bow Wow Wow sound, but more decidedly punk at its heart. Tracks include "Oh Bondage Up Yours", "I Am A Cliche", "Highly Inflammable", "Let's Submerge", "I Am A Poseur", "Genetic Engineering", "Warrior In Woolworths", "Obsessed With You", "Artificial", and "The Day The World Turned Dayglo". LP, Vinyl record album