... CD

Although Motown wasn't necessarily the best place for an artist like Jose to be recording at the time, they actually did a pretty decent job of keeping the same sort of vibe that you'd hear on some of Jose's best work for RCA during the mid 70s. Titles include "Free My Freedom", "Ain't That Peculiar", "I Second That Emotion", "The Drought Is Over", and a great version of "I Wanna Be Where You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A great little set from the 70s run of Motown albums from Rare Earth – an album that's sometimes overlooked, but which still has the group very much at the top of their game! Here, they're working with production from Stewart Levine – who handled the wonderful Adventures In Paradise album for Minnie Riperton – and the sound has a way of being more sophisticated than their roots, but nicely lean too – never cluttered, and always focused – at a level that's great when things are funky, and equally wonderful when they're more directly soulful! Titles include "Walking Schtick", "City Life", "Keeping Me Out Of The Storm", "It Makes You Happy", "Let Me Be Your Sunshine", "Boogie With Me Children", and "Happy Song". CD

Titles include "What'd I Say", "I'm Losing You", "Nice To Be With You", "Get Ready", "Born To Wander", "Hey Big Brother", and "I Just Want To Celebrate". LP, Vinyl record album

A strange one for Motown – for a number of reasons: The group's European, for one, and they're more of a spacey rock group than a soul outfit. The vocals are a bit lackluster, but the group does have a wonderfully jazzy sound to their playing – and on the best cuts, they hit some strident grooves that really take off nicely, with a bit of a funky prog feel. Highlights include "Keepsake", "Pollution", "Words & Music", and "Time Is A Good Friend". (Soul, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Rare Earth get some super-heavy help on this set from Norman Whitfield – who wrote all the tracks for the record, and produced the whole thing with a thundering intensity to match his best work with The Temptations! Given Rare Earth's more rock-styled bent, the sound's a bit different here – but the record has an undeniably soulful quality that really makes it stand out – even amongst other excellent early work by the group. Titles include the super-extended jammer "Ma", which runs for over 17 minutes in length – plus great versions of "Hum Along & Dance", "Smiling Faces Sometimes", and "Big John Is My Name". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes selections by Shangri Las, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Mary Wells, Dixie Cups, Shirelles, Velvelettes, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, and The Angels. (Soul, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A great little set from the 70s run of Motown albums from Rare Earth – an album that's sometimes overlooked, but which still has the group very much at the top of their game! Here, they're working with production from Stewart Levine – who handled the wonderful Adventures In Paradise album for Minnie Riperton – and the sound has a way of being more sophisticated than their roots, but nicely lean too – never cluttered, and always focused – at a level that's great when things are funky, and equally wonderful when they're more directly soulful! Titles include "Walking Schtick", "City Life", "Keeping Me Out Of The Storm", "It Makes You Happy", "Let Me Be Your Sunshine", "Boogie With Me Children", and "Happy Song". CD

Get Ready, the first really major album from Rare Earth, is 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 level a batch of blue-eyed funky soul, with keen appreciation for the grooves coming out of the headier end of the Motor City indie spectrum! There's lots of tripped-out guitar work on the set – reminiscent of contemporary work by Dennis Coffey and George Clinton – mixed with a Mitch Ryder, R&B-inspired vocal style that actually comes across pretty darn well. Added to this is the group's flat-out ability to jam – showcased best in the side-long title cut "Get Ready" – a massive jammer which runs for nearly 22 minutes, and takes up all of side two! Other tracks include "Train To Nowhere", "Magic Key", "Tobacco Road", and "In Bed". Ecology is some blue-eyed soul from Detroit's Rare Earth. The most popular track from this record was "Born To Wander" but there are some other good ones like "(I Know) I'm Losing You" by the Temptations – Norman Whitfield produced the track for this album and it clocks in at over ten minutes long. Other titles include "Long Time Leavin", "Satisfaction Guaranteed", "Nice Place To Visit", "No 1. Man", and a version of "Eleanor Rigby". CD

(Cassettes, Rock) Cassette

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... CD

A stone smoker from Rare Earth – recorded a a time when they were able to easily handle a groove made up of equal parts funk, rock, and soul! The vibe here is almost like War at times – not for the LA touches in the mix, but for the heady and heavy way these guys roll forward – pulling together all the best elements of the underground at the time, and bringing them into their own smoky groove. Instrumentation is wonderful – and some of the cuts have a really great jamming sort of feel – especially the 11 minute reading of "(I Know) I'm Losing You" – originally done by the Temptations, and produced by Norman Whitfield for the album! Other titles include "Long Time Leavin", "Satisfaction Guaranteed", "Nice Place To Visit", "No 1 Man", and a sweet version of "Eleanor Rigby". LP, Vinyl record album

A stone smoker from Rare Earth – recorded at a time when they were able to easily handle a groove made up of equal parts funk, rock, and soul! The vibe here is almost like War at times – not for the LA touches in the mix, but for the heady and heavy way these guys roll forward – pulling together all the best elements of the underground at the time, and bringing them into their own smoky groove. Instrumentation is wonderful – and some of the cuts have a really great jamming sort of feel – especially the 11 minute reading of "(I Know) I'm Losing You" – originally done by the Temptations, and produced by Norman Whitfield for the album! Other titles include "Long Time Leavin", "Satisfaction Guaranteed", "Nice Place To Visit", "No 1 Man", and a sweet version of "Eleanor Rigby". Also included are nine bonus tracks – "When Joanie Smiles", "One World", "The Feeling", "Here Comes The Night" – plus alternate versions of "Eleanor Rigby", "Nice Place To Visit", and "Satisfaction Guaranteed"! CD

... CD

A record that gave Rare Earth one of their biggest hits ever – their hard-burning "I Just Want To Celebrate" – a killer classic that played big on both sides of the fence, and which definitely established the group as a soulful force that kept on going! At some level, the set almost seems to have them bringing in as much influence from the cultural crossroads of the Bay Area scene as the Detroit influences of their earlier work – maybe in part because the congas are really up in the mix on many tracks, which creates some slight Latin currents along with the Family Stone sort of energy that has the group rising up together on most of the cuts! Titles include "I Just Want To Celebrate", "If I Die", "The Seed", "Road", "Any Man Can Be A Fool", "Someone To Love", and very cool reworking of "What'd I Say" – plus the bonus track "Hey Big Brother"! CD

A great summation of Jose Feliciano's genius during his initial years at RCA – that unique mix of Chicano soul, acoustic folk, and Latin rhythms that made him sound unlike anyone else at the time! There's a charm to this work that's undeniable – an instantly compelling feel that makes you understand just why folks went so nuts for Jose right from the start, and why his particular growth and contribution to American music was as important from his perspective during these years as was Stevie Wonder's over at Motown! The set features a mix of live work, singles, and album tracks – and titles include his haunting version of "California Dreaming", plus "Hitchcock Railway", "Nature Boy", "Light My Fire", "Susie Q", "Hi Heel Sneakers", "Destiny", "Malaguena", "Life Is That Way", and "Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

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 level a batch of blue-eyed funky soul, with keen appreciation for the grooves coming out of the headier end of the Motor City indie spectrum! There's lots of tripped-out guitar work on the set – reminiscent of contemporary work by Dennis Coffey and George Clinton – mixed with a Mitch Ryder, R&B-inspired vocal style that actually comes across pretty darn well. Added to this is the group's flat-out ability to jam – showcased best in the side-long title cut "Get Ready" – a massive jammer which runs for nearly 22 minutes, and takes up all of side two! Other tracks include "Train To Nowhere", "Magic Key", "Tobacco Road", and "In Bed". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Classic tracks from one of the greatest songwriting teams in soul music during the 60s and 70s – the legendary trio of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland – two of whom started out as soul singers, and all three of whom left behind a huge legacy on the Detroit scene! And while the trio were a famous part of Motown before moving off to start their own HDH family of labels, the work here also expands past those roots and includes some other gems that really show the wide reach of their music – including some non-soul titles that stack up here as a real surprise! As always with Ace Records, the notes tell the huge story behind the music, along with a great set of vintage images – and the package features 24 tracks in all, with titles that include "Band Of Gold (unedited alt version)" by Freda Payne, "There's A Ghost In My House" by The Fall, "New Breed Kind Of Woman" by Lamont Dozier, "Come & Get These Memories" by Laura Nyro, "Leaving Here" by Eddie Holland, "Come See About Me" by Barbara Mason, "Helpless" by Kim Weston, "A Love Like Yours" by Dusty Springfield, "You Keep Me Hanging On" by Vanilla Fudge, "This Old Heart Of Mine" by Bettye Swann, "Take Me In Your Arms" by Isley Brothers, "Don't Do It" by The Band, "Love's Gone Bad" by Chris Clark, "How Sweet It Is" by Brenda Lee, and "Where Did Our Love Go" by Donnie Elbert. (Soul, Rock) CD

Peter Tosh joins with Mick Jagger on this late 70s reggae remake of the Motown classic, with production help from Robbie Shakespeare, and a nice dub mix on the b-side. (Reggae, Rock) 12-inch, Vinyl record

Rare post-Motown work from Chris Clark! Production by Deke Richards, and arrangements by David Van DePitte! (Soul, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

David Johansen's second post-New York Dolls solo record – and the first one where he really sheds the feral rock vibe – but with Mick Ronson on board as co-producer, it's still got plenty of pomp! David would go on to take many creative detours – but in this first real stretch, he's bringing in some Motown influences – with some R&B backing vocals here and there, along with ome sax, piano and other smoothed out touches. That said, it's not that huge of a jump – with some ruggedness and grit reminiscent of his earlier work –and it's got a bunch of really good songs. Titles include "Melody", "She", "Big City", "She Knew She Was Falling In Love", "Swaheto Woman", "Wreckless Crazy", "Flamingo Road" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Great great work from Keith – one of those overlooked pop talents of the 60s, but one who really came across with a great sound at the time – kind of a mix of Burt Bacharach arrangements with a pop psych sort of edge! The tunes are sweet, but swinging too – and Keith's got this vocal style that slides in nicely with the larger charts – at a level that's almost more A&M-styled pop than you'd guess from the Mercury Records placement of the set! Jerry Ross produced, and brings in some nice soulful undercurrents – of the sort you'd hear on his more famous material – almost a Motown sensibility, but mixed with rolling horns, piano hooks, and great guitar lines – on titles that include the wonderful hit "98.6", plus "Mind If I Hang Around", "Sweet Dreams", "Tell Me To My Face", "I Can't Go Wrong", and "Pretty Little Shy One". CD has loads of bonus tracks – 27 titles in all, including the complete Out Of Crank album – with tracks that include "Sugar Man", "Candy Candy", "Easy As Pie", "Hope Girl", "Be My Girl", "Hurry", "The Pleasure Of Your Company", and "Happy Walking Around". CD