(Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

The stunning only album ever from the great Bobby Byrd – known to many as a longtime associate of James Brown, and finally getting his chance to shine here in the spotlight! Bobby was in the game before James, and always continued to change his groove in all the right ways with The Godfather – so this late 60s recording has Byrd coming across just like the best last James Brown material on King – with production from James, and backing from the same group too! There's loads of classics here that went onto become huge funky 45s over the years – and big sample cuts too – and titles include "I Need Help (I Can't Do It Alone) (parts 1 & 2)", "Funky Soul", "My Concerto", "You Got To Have A Job (If You Don't Work, You Can't Eat)", and "Hang Ups We Don't Need (The Hungry We've Got To Feed)". LP, Vinyl record album

BB King brings in a sweet dose of jazz to his work – just a touch of the funkier backings that some of his electric contemporaries were getting at the time – maybe not as hard-wailing as some of the Chess funky blues records, but definitely somewhere in that direction! Players on the date include Mel Brown and Jesse Davis on guitars, Bobby Bryant on trumpet, Red Holloway on tenor, Plas Johnson on baritone, Clifford Coulter and Victor Feldman on piano, and the great Earl Palmer on drums. Titles include "Help The Poor", "Can't You Hear Me Talking To You", "Midnight", "I Got Some Help I Don't Need", "I've Been Blue Too Long", "Lucille's Granny, and "Can't You Hear Me Talking To You". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Funky funky female soul! Marva Whitney was one of the greatest singers in the James Brown stable of stars during the late 60s – and she sang with a hard raw style worth of The Godfather himself! Brother James produced and wrote a good part of this classic album – and the record is one of the greatest JB albums of all time! Nearly every cut's a winner – like the sample classic "Unwind Yourself", which has a crazy corkscrew sax line, or the massive two-part remake of the Isley's "It's Your Thing" (titled "It's My Thing"), or the slowly funky "Get Out Of My Life", or the massive duet with Bobby Byrd "You Got To Have A Job", or the classic instrumental "In The Middle". It's all great – and the album's one of the best funk records you could buy! LP, Vinyl record album

A killer collection of rare 60s soul – very different than you might expect from the title and cover! Remember Beach music? Once upon a time we might have argued that was a more contemporary term for an older genre, like northern soul, but this mighty fine collection from the late 60s on Atlantic shows you the sound's been around for quite some time! A great soundtrack for the beach from the Carolina scene – sweetly loping grooves that got heavy play at summer resorts on the southern shores of the Atlantic! While not all the groups originated in the south, the music's gained a special place in the hearts of folks in the Carolinas, who've come to consider the music their own because of it's slightly stepping beat and gentle kind of groove! A dozen numbers in all, including "Searching For My Love" by Bobby Moore & The Rhythm Aces, "Teasin' You" by Willie Tee, "Hello Stranger" by Barbara Lewis, "Fat Boy" by Billy Stewart, "Memphis Soul Stew" by King Curtis, "May I" by Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs, "Across The Street" by Lenny O'Henry, "Without Love (There Is Nothing)" by Clyde McPhatter, "Idol With The Golden Hand" by the Coasters, "The Entertainer" by Tony Clarke, "Nip Sip" by the Clovers, and "I (Who Have Nothing)" by Ben E King. LP, Vinyl record album

The first in a legendary run of Collectors Showcase records on the Constellation label – mid 60s efforts that pull together hard to find work from earlier years, all in a package that's almost as collectable as the originals! The set's presented by the Magnificent Montague in the liner notes, and it features work from a variety of artists, most on the Fire/Fury labels. Titles include "Do Re Mi" and "Ya Ya" by Lee Dorsey, "Wiggle Wobble" by Les Cooper, "Soul Twist" by King Curtis, "There's Something On Your Mind (parts 1 & 2)" by Bobby Marchan, "Fanny Mae" by Buster Brown, "I'm So Happy" by Teen Chords, and "Every Beat Of My Heart" by Gladys Knight & The Pips. LP, Vinyl record album

One of Aretha Franklin's undisputed classics from her late 60s run on Atlantic Records – a seminal session that furthered her deep soul agenda with key backings from Arif Mardin and Tom Dowd – both of whom handle the mix of rawness and polish that made Aretha so great at the time! The Sweet Inspirations provide sublime backing vocals behind Franklin's maturing delivery of the lyrics – and the music is by an all-star group of players that includes Spooner Oldham, Bobby Womack, Jimmy Johnson, King Curtis, Tommy Cogbill, Roger Hawkins, and even Eric Clapton – clearly the cream of the crop, more than willing to be part of such an amazing set! Cuts include "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman", "Chain Of Fools", "Money Won't Change You", "Come Back Baby", and "Ain't No Way". LP, Vinyl record album

The first of Bobby's highly successful Poet albums from the early 80s – wonderfully done albums that showed the world that he was still very much on top of his game at the time! The sound here is great – still with that older Womack rasp and warmth, but also done in a slightly smoother mode that grooves things up with some modern soul touches, yet never loses Bobby's charm! Tunefully, the record is one of his best in years – with some wonderful mellow soul groovers that never fail to delight – all produced with a warm California sound, and featuring some great backing vocals by The Waters and a host of other Womacks. Titles include "So Many Sides Of You", "Lay Your Lovin On Me", "Secrets", "Just My Imagination", "Games", "If You Think You're Lonely Now", and "Where Do We Go From Here". LP, Vinyl record album

A big standout set for vocalist Bobby Caldwell – a record that has him moving to Polydor and working in a style that's even tighter and more sophisticated than before! In a way, the record's still very much in the 70s AOR mode that made Caldwell's first few records so great – but Bobby's also trying to stretch out a bit more here with some of his phrasings, and almost seems to be reaching towards the solo sound of Donald Fagan. As always, there's plenty of catchy little gems tucked beneath the covers of the record – and help from George "Chocolate" Perry helps keep the soulful side of Bobby's work intact. Titles include "Catwalk", "Words", "Sunny Hills", "All Of My Love", and "You Belong to Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant later work by Bobby Blue Bland – done with backings that are much fuller than on his earlier albums – a mixture of strings and horns that really expand the sound! That doesn't keep things from being soulful, though – as Bobby's in incredible form vocally, really rising to the occasion of the session with some of his best vocal performances of the decade. Great throughout – and one of his few true classic sessions after the early Duke years. Titles include "Today I Started Loving You Again", "I Take It On Home", "I Hate You", "If Fingerprints Showed Up On Skin", and "Too Far Gone". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A key bit of jazz funk from trumpeter Tom Browne – still grooving strong here, with a sublime mix of modern soul, funky jazz, and some of the 80s groove touches that showed up on the best GRP titles from the time! The album's got a smooth compressed groove – kind of post-Donald Byrd, with Tom taking solos over the top of most tracks, and occasional vocals , wither from a backing group, or an assortment of different lead singers. Players on the set include Bernard Wright, Dave Grusin, Bobby Broom, and Marcus Miller – and tracks include "I Know", "Midnight Interlude", "Let's Dance", "Night Wind", "Making Plans", "Thighs Hihg", and "Magic". (Jazz, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Far and above the best album by sweet soul vocalist Major Harris! Harris had knocked around for years in vocal groups during the 60s, and had even sung for a bit with The Delfonics in the early 70s – but this album is his crowning achievement, a landmark of sweet Philly soul with some wonderful ballad work that he'd never be able to match again! Bobby Eli wrote, produced, and arranged most of the material – and although he had a bit of help from Norman Harris and Ron Kersey on some of the record, the core of the album is that perfect ballad style that Eli could do when he wasn't working on groovers. The centerpiece of the album is the stellar "Love Won't Let Me Wait" – a killer quiet storm soul number – and the record also features a great remake of "Sideshow", which Eli also cut with Blue Magic. Other tracks include "Loving You Is Mellow", "After Loving You", and "Each Morning I Wake Up". LP, Vinyl record album

Very righteous work from Esther Marrow – an overlooked soul singer who works with a hell of a lot of pride and power! The set's an overlooked gem in the Fantasy catalog of the 70s, and it's one of only two secular soul albums cut by Marrow – and quite possibly the best of the bunch, too! Esther's got some great help on the set from arrangers Richard Tee, Bernard Purdie, and Bobby Scott – each of whom set Marrow up with some small group backing that keeps things tight and soulful throughout – thanks in big part to the drum work, which is handled by Purdie, Jimmy Johnson, and Idris Muhammad. Other players include Tee on organ and piano, Cornell Dupree on guitar, and Ralph McDonald on congas – whose percussion really helps shape the sound of most of the grooves. There's a horn section too – used sparingly – and there's also a bit of backing vocals from The Reflections, although Esther's pretty much in the lead on all numbers. Titles include "Trade Winds", "Things Ain't Right", "Ask Me To Dance", "Woman In The Window", and "Ghetto". LP, Vinyl record album

Killer stuff – as Jerry's getting the full early Philly treatment here, with arrangements by Thom Bell, Bobby Martin, and Roland Chambers, and production by a young Gamble and Huff! The sound isn't nearly as icy as the old Vee Jay days – but that's fine with us, as Jerry is nice and soulful on tracks like "Moody Woman", "When You're Alone", "I Forgot To Remember", "Brand New Me", "What's The Use Of Breaking Up", and "Walking Around In Teardroops". Nice cover, too – with Jerry standing in a pile of fake diamonds! LP, Vinyl record album

A really standout bit of blue-eyed soul from Gino Vannelli – the kind of record that shouldn't be so great, but really holds up well over the years! The style is tight and studio-oriented – somewhere in the mode of Bobby Caldwell and some of Gino's other cross-over contemporaries – but the album avoids most adult contemporary cliches, and keeps things sounding pretty real overall with some good studio backing, and a sense of jazz amidst the tightness – a bit like Steely Dan, but more poppish. Titles include "The River Must Flow", "I Just Wanna Stop", "Love & Emotion", "Feel Like Flying", "Brother To Brother", "Wheels Of Life", "The Evil Eye", and "People I Belong To". LP, Vinyl record album

Blue Magic getting a bit bolder than before – adding in some heavier funk that takes them past the mellow moments of their earliest years – yet still serving up some great harmonies in the process! The change is a subtle one – heard on some of the album's more hard-grooving tracks, which also bring in some full arrangements that echo the trippy feel of the cover – yet which still always respect that slight heartbreaking undercurrent of the group's great vocals, thanks to arrangements from Bobby Eli! Just about every moment from Blue Magic is totally great, and this album is no exception – with titles that include "Freak N Stein", "Mother Funk", "To Get Love", "See The Bedroom", "Summer Snow", "Making Love To A Memory", and "Spark Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few full albums ever issued by McKinley Mitchell – a deep soul singer with an equal amount of blues in his approach – and this great raspy approach to a lyric that's somewhere in between ZZ Hill and Bobby Blue Bland! The date of the album is 1978, but the whole thing has a vibe that could be years earlier – a really classic southern soul approach, with backings by a sweet studio combo that's clearly getting some great directly from James Stroud, who also helped with production. Things are nicely laidback and under-polished – and Mitchell's wonderful voice really gets to shine on tracks that include "Open House At My House", "You're So Fine", "The Town I Live In", "You Know I've Tried", "Run To Love", "Dream Lover", "End Of The Rainbow", and "Follow The Wind". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent early work from Little Johnny Taylor – not to be confused with the bigger-name singer on Stax! The title's a bit of a misnomer, given that Little Johnny Taylor wasn't the biggest hitmaker of the 60s – but the album's a killer batch of his best work for the Galaxy label – work that's definitely the "soul full of blues" promised in the title! The style here's a bit like Bobby Blue Bland at his best – bluesy, but with a much more sophisticated feel overall, and certainly some jazz phrasing that comes in from time to time – all to push Johnny much more into the soul side of the spectrum for the 60s. There's almost an Otis Redding feel at times – and the backings by Ray Shanklin certainly show a Memphis influence. Titles include "Part Time Love", "Help Yourself", "If You Love Me Like You Say", "One More Chance", "I Smell Trouble", and "Somebody's Got To Pay". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique moment for Nancy – one in which she leaves the LA sound behind, and gets some special treatment from the young Philly crew of the Gamble & Huff studios! Arrangements on the set are by Thom Bell, Lenny Pakula, and Bobby Martin – and the style's an interesting mix of Nancy's pop jazz vocals with some of the lighter, sweeter sounds of the Philly scene at the start of the 70s. The result is a surprisingly wonderful album – quite different for Nancy, and with the kind of backings that really break her out of the sound of the 60s – and pave the way for the sophisticated style of the 70s. Titles include "Now I'm A Woman", "Let's Fall In Love All Over", "Lonely Lonely", "Joe", "How Many Broken Wings", and "The Real Me". (Vocalists, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

There's a huge amount of early Philly soul here – lots of tracks from the classic years of the Cameo/Parkway label, plus a few other choice bits too – all wrapped up in a Northern Soul collection that owes almost nothing to the style of Detroit! The package features great tracks by obscure artists, and obscure tracks by bigger singers – brought together with the kind of top-shelf track selection that makes us love releases on the Outta Sight label so much. There's plenty here that goes way past the obvious – and titles include "Heartaches Away My Boy" by Christine Cooper, "Night Owl" by Bobby Paris, "Country Girl" by Vickie Baines, "Envy" by The Orlons, "You Didn't Say A Word" by Yvonne Baker, "Girl Don't Make Me Wait" by Bunny Sigler, "Packing Up" by Damon Fox, "Deep Dark Secret" by Dee Dee Sharp, "My Heart Your Heart" by Janie Grant, "Picture Me Gone" by Evie Sands, "Comin Home Baby" by Dee Dee Sharp, and "It's Rough Out There" by Jerry Jackson. LP, Vinyl record album

Classic work from Joe Hinton – a labelmate to Bobby Blue Bland and Little Junior Parker on Duke Records, but an artist who was a bit more jazzy! The set includes his classic "Funny" – plus "If It Ain't One Thing", "Be Ever Wonderful", "The Whole Town's Talking", "Baby Please", "I'm Waiting", and "Tell Her The Truth". LP, Vinyl record album

Queen of Soul is right! Heck, on these early albums, Etta practically invented soul – or at least invented a deep soul style of singing that would be taken up by countless other female singers during the 60s, but rarely matched with this kind of brilliance. Straight up beautiful stuff! The arrangements are uncredited, but we think they're probably by Riley Hampton – who did so much of Etta's other wonderful work in the early 60s. The recordings for sure took place at points between '62 and '64, mostly in Chicago, with couple in New York and one in Nashville. One other thing that is crystal clear about the sessions is that she had access to the very best musicians and the best sound possible – all you need is a listen to know that! The album's an all-solid, all-soul record with loads of obscure tunes and not a bit of filler! Titles include "Flight 101", "Bobby Is His Name", "Breaking Point", "Mello Fellow", "Do Right", and "Somewhere Out There". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic killer from trumpeter Tom Browne – a smoking set that still has all the jazz funk touches of his earlier records, yet which also picks up a bit of an electro vibe as well! The move here is a bit like that taken by some of Browne's labelmates on GRP at the time – particularly Bobby Broom and Bernard Wright – and offers up a great mix of jazzy roots and some of the newer sounds hitting the streets in the early 80s – a vibe that's maybe one of the first moments when older genres of music were beginning to show an influence from hip hop! Maurice Starr handles most of the production, and really makes things tight throughout – but Tom himself does a great job of keeping things interesting with the solos, augmenting the electric vibe with some rock-solid acoustic playing. Titles include "Rockin Radio", "Angeline", "Brighter Tomorrow", "Never My Love", "Mr Business", "Cruisin", and "Feel Like Makin Love". (Jazz, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet keyboard grooves from Herbie Hancock – and a set that has him taking up some of the territory of younger players he'd inspired – like Bobby Lyle, Webster Lewis, or Rodney Franklin! There's a fair bit of soul in the mix here, including some great work on vocoder – blended in with Hancock's work on jazzy keyboards – all wrapped up in a cosmic level that really fits the image on the cover, and which acts as a preface for some of the electro work to come in the early 80s! The blend is great – with that sublime balance that Hancock did better than anyone else – and titles include "Trust Me", "You Bet Your Love", "Tell Everybody", "Honey From The Jar", and "Knee Deep". (Jazz, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best 70s mellow soul talents at Atlantic Records – sounding completely sublime here in a full set of Philly arrangements! The set was recorded at Sigma Sound – and is a great reminder that even during the disco years, the studio was still a great place to cut a heartbreaking ballad – the sort of number that younger Philly groups would have done for indie labels at the start of the 70s – polished up and given some real maturity here by The Major! There's also a few great groovers on the record too – but with that Philly poise that also still holds onto all the personality of the singer – and the arrangements are great throughout – handled by Norman Harris, Ron Kersey, and Bobby Eli – a perfect Philly team. Titles include "Walkin In The Footsteps", "Jealousy", "I Got Over Love", "Tynisa", "It's Got To Be Magic", and "What's The Use In The Truth". LP, Vinyl record album

After working for years in the Crusaders, then honing his production skills with excellent work for Fantasy and Mercury, Wayne Henderson put out this album of his own, which drew on a lot of the work he'd been doing during the mid 70s. The album's a showcase for his At Home productions team, and it features work by Bobby Lyle, Roland Bautista, Ronnie Laws, and others. Henderson plays trombone, but he also gets in the way a bit with some hipster vocalizing that doesn't quite work. Titles include "Lady Bug", "Foot Stompin Music", "I'm Staying Forever", and a version of the great stepper "Keep On Keepin On". LP, Vinyl record album

Massively solid boogie work from Jeffrey Osborne and LTD – still grooving beautifully at the end of the 70s, and working here with top-shelf production from Bobby Martin! The set's got that buoyant LTD groove that was a perfect foil for Osborne's soaring vocals – a sound that never fell into the cliches of some of Osborne's later solo work, and which was a perfect match between ensemble funk, dancefloor rhythms, and the charisma of a strong lead singer. There's a few smoother ballads on the set that point the way towards later years, but the bulk of the set is very much in the group's best boogie mode – and titles include "You Gave Me Love", "Lovers Everywhere", "Don'tcha Know", "Shine On", "Where Did We Go Wrong", "Getaway" and "Lady Love". LP, Vinyl record album