An excellent collection of rare female soul from the 60s – a set that not only features overlooked 45rpm singles from Warner Brothers at the time – but also some great gems from their famous Loma Records imprint too! If you think you know this territory, think again – as there's a huge amount of tracks here that are completely fresh to our ears – the kind of material that a label as big as Warner was able to cut with their ample staff and studio time, then never did a think to promote the singles at all – leaving a space of decades before all these 7" gems were finally able to get exposure on a set like this! The package moves between catchy group soul and deeper-burning solo material – and the whole thing's done with the usual high quality we love from Ace, from the sound quality right down to the notes in the book. Titles include "There He Goes" by The Royalettes, "We Can Find That Love" by Vickie Baines, "He's Good" by Barbara Jackson, "Contact" by Three Degrees, "Wounded" by The Cookies, "My Soul Concerto" by The Apollas, "I Taught Him (part 1)" by Gloria Scott & The Tonettes, "All Because I Love Somebody" by Barbara English, "Don't Come A Knockin" by Mary Lee Whitney, "Here I Come" by Joyce Alexander, "Jive Jimmy" by The Socialites, "The Reason Why" by The Dolls, "Bright Lights" by Delilah Kennebreuw, and "Oh Eddy My Baby" by Brenda Hall. CD

An incredibly cool collection – one that offers up all sorts of weird and wonderful soul music covers of mainstream mellow 70s hits – new versions of the famous tunes that pull them strongly over to the world of R&B, often with results that are better than the original versions! The set is both a great demonstration of how much soul there was lurking in the original AOR productions of the mid 70s, and how strongly those currents could be unlocked even more in the right hands – as you'll hear in these sublime takes on tunes by Hall & Oates, Toto, Seals & Crofts, The Doobie Brothers, and other 70s pop giants. Titles include "Dirty Work" by Pointer Sisters, "Minute By Minute" by Peabo Bryson, "Georgie Porgy" by Side Effect, "He's Gone" by Dee Dee Bridgewater, "Summer Breeze" by Main Ingredient, "Lazy Nina" by Greg Phillinganes, "In The Way" by Brothers Johnson, "This Is It" by Millie Jackson, "Takin It To The Streets" by Quincy Jones, "I Hope You'll Be Very Unhappy Without Me" by Tavares, "God Only Knows" by Betty Lavette, "Let Em In" by Billy Paul, and "A Love Of Your Own" by The Ebonys. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

More hit magic from the Brothers Johnson – still working with Quincy Jones at this point, and virtually setting up the blueprint for jazzy soul in the 80s! Backings are by an all-star team, and Rod Temperton's helping out Quincy with arrangements – going for that snapping groove approach he worked to best effect with Heatwave. The sound is tight, but never too slick – and The Brothers keep a nice funky undercurrent on the bottom of most tracks. Titles include "Smilin On Ya", "You Make Me Wanna Wiggle", "Light Up The Night", "Stomp", "This Had To Be", and "Closer To The One You Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Mid 70s genius from the Isley Brothers – a record that has them firmly hitting their superstar mode with a fantastic blend of mellow soul and guitar-heavy funk! The record's got a sense of class, care, and poise that's head and shoulders above most of the group's contemporaries – an ability to rock out one minute, then slow things down for a beautiful ballad the next – all while maintaining enough credibility to still hold onto older fans, yet also reach out to a much bigger audience in the mainstream. Titles include the sublime "Ain't I Been Good To You (parts 1 & 2)", a long track with a sinister bassline and a dark groove that really makes it great, a great cover of "Hello It's Me" that's even better than the original, and the key mellow cuts "Lover's Eve" and "Brown Eyed Girl" – plus "Live It Up (parts 1 & 2)", "Need A Little Taste Of Love", and "Midnight Sky (parts 1 & 2)". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent lost bit of funky soul! The Turner Brothers were an obscure Indianapolis combo who played hard funky instrumental grooves – similar to hometown contemporaries like the Nineteenth Whole or Funk Inc – and they mixed up tight ensemble playing with good jazzy soloing on sax, keyboards, and guitars. They also sang pretty well, too – and different members of the group take over lead vocals on about half of the tracks on this debut release by the band. The style of singing ranges from sweet to deep, but it's pretty good overall, and is always a great match for the style of instrumentation used on each track. Highlights include the killer drum breakbeat at the beginning of "Sweetest Thing In The World", the spacey keyboards of "Sound Of The Taurus", the tight ensemble grooves of "Running In The Rain", and the strident soulful feel of "Cause I Love You". Very nice – and one that we never see on the original vinyl! LP, Vinyl record album

A great great great collection of rare soul tracks – all pulled from the east LA powerhouse Rampart Records – a key force for fresh sounds in the 60s! Rampart was at a crossroads between soul and Latin scenes in the larger Los Angeles area – and as such, was able to grab music from both sides of the fence – including artists who had this amazing power to reach out for new styles to bridge previous gaps between different audiences! Make no mistake, the sound here is soul throughout – but it's also soul that helped set the stage for a bigger wave of soul, rock, and Latin changes to come from LA at the start of the 70s – and the positive force of this music is stunning, especially when taken together in a big serving like this. Titles include "Come Swim With Me" by Little Ray, "Girl I Love You" by Ron Holden, "Tracy" by Barry White & The Atlantics, "I'm In Love With Your Daughter (part 1)" by Thee Enchantments, "Hey Joe Where You Gonna Go" by Sammy Lee & The Summits, "The Panther" by The East Bay Soul Brass, "Listen To The Wise Man" by East Side Kids, "Poquito Soul" by One G Plus 34, "Evil Ways" by The Village Callers, "One Like Mine" by The Salas Brothers, "I Had A Strange Dream" by Four Tempos, and "Chinese Checkers" by The Mixtures. CD

Jackson 5, move over – because the folks at Numero Records have uncovered a whole host of rare kid soul acts from the 70s – most of them a fair bit funkier than their Motown contemporaries! The tracks here all clearly follow the lead started by Michael and his brothers at the end of the 60s – but the music is way more than just a simple copycat of Jackson modes – as each of these artists have a really individual approach, and a heck of a lot of personality in their music – despite their youthful years. In true Numero fashion, most of the cuts here are from tiny little labels – issued only as singles back in the day, but produced with a great deal of enthusiasm for the music – and a confident, competent sound that's quite striking, given the age of the performers. The package comes with complete notes on the music – opening up a whole world of lesser-known kid soul acts – and titles include the amazing "Trust Your Child" by Patrizia & Jimmy, plus "I'm Not Ready For Love" by Promise, "One Is Enough For One" by Jack & the Mods, "Now That School Is Through" by Cindy & The Playmates, "Jersey Slide (part 1)" by 3 Stars, "You Are My Dream" by 3 Simmons, "Can't Let You Break My Heart" by Quantrells, "If You're Looking For Love" by Triads, "Yellow Ribbons" by Atons, "Sweet Pea" by Altyrone Deno Brown, "Time After Time" by Step By Step, "Time" by Otis The 3rd, and "Little Girl" by Michael Washington. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

Jackson 5, move over – because the folks at Numero Records have uncovered a whole host of rare kid soul acts from the 70s – most of them a fair bit funkier than their Motown contemporaries! The tracks here all clearly follow the lead started by Michael and his brothers at the end of the 60s – but the music is way more than just a simple copycat of Jackson modes – as each of these artists have a really individual approach, and a heck of a lot of personality in their music – despite their youthful years. In true Numero fashion, most of the cuts here are from tiny little labels – issued only as singles back in the day, but produced with a great deal of enthusiasm for the music – and a confident, competent sound that's quite striking, given the age of the performers. The package comes with complete notes on the music – opening up a whole world of lesser-known kid soul acts – and titles include the amazing "Trust Your Child" by Patrizia & Jimmy, plus "I'm Not Ready For Love" by Promise, "One Is Enough For One" by Jack & the Mods, "Now That School Is Through" by Cindy & The Playmates, "Jersey Slide (part 1)" by 3 Stars, "You Are My Dream" by 3 Simmons, "Can't Let You Break My Heart" by Quantrells, "If You're Looking For Love" by Triads, "Yellow Ribbons" by Atons, "Sweet Pea" by Altyrone Deno Brown, "Time After Time" by Step By Step, "Time" by Otis The 3rd, and "Little Girl" by Michael Washington. LP also contains a bonus track – part 2 of "Trust Your Child" by Patrizia & Jimmy! (Funky Compilations, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Features music from Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Rose Royce, the Brothers Johnson, Curtis Mayfield, the Spinners, the Jackson 5, the Emotions, Lou Rawls, Labelle, Isaac Hayes, Chic, Al Green, the O Jays, Kool & the Gang & more. CD

The second killer set in this series – a wonderful blend of AOR hits and soulful singers – wrapped up in a stunning style that's a great subgenre in itself! Many of the tunes here are familiar, but served up in versions you might not know at all – done by soul artists who were clearly inspired by the warmer styles of mid 70s AOR, but who also bring the modes back to soul music, and really open up the tunes with fantastic vocals and mighty nice grooves! The set is particularly heavy on that late 70s/early 80s moment when things were really coming together in the modern soul scene – and the set features titles that include "Dedicate This Heart" by Dionne Warwick, "Dreams" by Richie Havens, "Monkey See Monkey Do" by Patti Labelle, "Euphrates" by Main Ingredient, "Sara Smile" by Impact, "Listen To The Music" by Isley Brothers, "Gringo" by Arnold McCuller, "What You Won't Do For Love" by Roy Ayers, "Tin Man" by John Edwards, "It's Too Late" by Billy Paul, and "I Hope You'll Be Very Unhappy Without Me" by Esther Phillips. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

One of the best funky soul albums to come from the LA scene of the 70s – a relatively obscure indie set, but one that's shone brightly for years, thanks to attention from a host of global DJs! The style here is partly clubby, partly funk – with lots of jazzy touches that come from the super-tight instrumentation on the record – played by a lineup that includes some excellent guitar from the great David T Walker! Vocals are often balanced equally with instrumental passages – which themselves sometimes hit this excellent vibe that feels like a funky 70s soundtrack. Titles include the killer "She Puts The Ease Back Into Easy" – served up in two great parts – plus "Take A Little More", "Girl I Need You Too", "Baby You Really Got Me Going", and "Young Single & Free". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the biggest albums ever from The Chambers Brothers – a set that helped them cross over big into the mainstream – shaking off their previous folksy roots with a rumbling approach to psychedelic soul! The record's got a much heavier groove than any of the group's previous work – a way of hitting a track that still holds onto their gospel-influenced roots, but which also brings in plenty of the fuzzier, funkier touches that were sparking in soul music during the late 60s – especially over at Columbia Records, where their labelmate Sly Stone was capturing a big audience with a very similar sound. The record features the full-length version of the group's massive "Time Has Come Today", an excellent psychedelic soul number that's been lifted for movies and TV shows more times than we can count – and other tracks include "People Get Ready", "Please Don't Leave Me", "In The Midnight Hour", "What The World Needs Now Is Love", "All Strung Out Over You", "I Can't Stand It", "So Tired", and "Uptown". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful album from this enigmatic soul group! Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose were one of a handful of early 70s groups – like Chairmen Of The Board or 100 Proof Aged In Soul – who had a sound that was incredibly hard to peg. There were bits of southern rawness in the vocals, but the overall approach also had plenty of elements of smoother Northern Soul, and wasn't afraid to use strings or uptown arrangements when they were needed. This album's their best, and features 10 tracks written by Eddie Cornelius, plus a great little cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together". Tracks include the sublime easy soul number "Too Late To Turn Back Now", choppy odd groover "Treat Her Like A Lady", and the cuts "Gonna Be Sweet For You", "Let Me Down Easy", and "Lift Your Love Higher". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary record from one of the most unique Latin groups of their time! In an early 70s world where many Latin combos were going for class and poise, the Ghetto Brothers moved in another direction entirely – working here with a fair bit of electric guitar alongside more familiar Latin rhythms – all to push along some wonderfully soulful vocals! The record's got a very different feel than most east coast Latin work of the time – one that's a bit like some of the Chicano soul of the west coast, but not nearly as smooth, and with a definite nod towards both funk and singer/songwriter work of the mainstream! The guitar's really upfront in the mix – riffing off at the start of most tracks – and the vocals have a slightly sweet quality, supported by harmonies from the rest of the group at times – making for a wicked blend of modes that's extremely compelling. A record that's as filled with soul and feeling as it is with hard-edge groovers – featuring titles that include "You Say You Are My Friend", "Ghetto Brothers Power", "I Saw A Tear", "Girl From The Mountain", "There Is Something In My Hearth", "Got This Happy Feeling", and "Viva Puerto Rico Libre". (Latin, Soul) CD

Great work by The Heath Brothers – a lot slicker and smoother than their earlier album for Strata East, but still filled with a soulful jazzy approach that befits their rich talents! By the point of this set, Jimmy Heath, once a rougher talent on the tenor, had emerged as one of the smooth soul maestros on the instrument – ranking next to Grover Washington Jr and Stanley Turrentine for a mellifluous sound and well-timed approach to the solo. Heath's written some great tracks here that are underpinned nicely by brother Percy's strong work on bass – still acoustic amidst some added electric instrumentation on some of the tracks. Titles include "Passion Flower", "Move to The Groove", "Feelin Dealin", "Project S", "The Voice Of The American Saxophone (from Afro American Suite of Evolution)", and "A Time & A Place (There's)". (Jazz, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing record! This one's probably our favorite Isley Brothers album of all time – and it's a perfect blend of all the styles they were into at the time – heavy funk, sweet soul, folksy rock, and rolling uptempo grooves! The Brothers handle all styles equally well, and the album's a real delight as it skips effortlessly from track to track – always bringing a fresh sound to the experience of listening, and continuing to delight us year after year with the Isley's greatness! Includes the classic extended cut "Love Put Me On the Corner", a baroque soul symphony in itself; an amazing remake of "It's Too Late" that's way different than the original; the middle-class anthem "Work To Do"; and the funky cuts "Pop That Thang" and "Layaway". CD

It's the end of the 70s, and the Isleys are still going strong – keeping it real by dropping some of the fake funk of a few years before, and going for a smooth soul sound that would be one of their biggest strengths during the early 80s. This sound can be heard to perfection on the tracks "Say You Will" and "Here We Go Again", both wonderful numbers that have this strident groove that's part "Harvest For The World", part compressed guitars and keyboards working in a smooth wall of sound. Those two alone are more than worth the price of the record, and other titles include "Pass It On", "Go All The Way", and "The Belly Dancer" – all done in the Isleys' trademarked "part 1 & 2" style! LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic Isleys from the mid-70s! The record has the group dropping their heavy funk style (which was sounding a bit tired by this point), and picking up a strident soul groove that buoyed their tracks with a spiritual sound that reminds us of some of the best moments from the Brother Brother Brother album! This one includes the incredible song "Harvest For The World", one of the most anthemic soul songs of the 70s – and a monster groover that mixes message-driven vocals with some tight guitar work. Other tracks include "You Still Feel the Need", "Let Me Down Easy", and "People of Today" – and the whole album's one of the group's best from the 70s! LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of Isleys classics, making their debut on SACD! Heat Is On features a great mix of heavy funk and sweeter ballads from the Isley Brothers – and a record that's filled with two-part tracks that really let them stretch out and groove! The tunes have a bit more bass and keyboards than before – an approach that's even more electric than Isley funk of a few years back, and which steps out in some tightly vamping rhythms that still crackle with plenty of warmth and soul – especially on the mellower numbers, which dominate side two of the record, and really make this one worth having! Mellow tracks include "For The Love Of You (parts 1 & 2)", "Sensuality (parts 1 & 2)", and "Make Me Say It Again (parts 1 & 2)" – and funkier numbers include "Fight The Power (parts 1 & 2)", "The Heat Is On (parts 1 & 2)", and "Hope You Feel Better Love (parts 1 & 2)". Harvest For The World is fantastic Isleys from the mid-70s! The record has the group dropping their heavy funk style (which was sounding a bit tired by this point), and picking up a strident soul groove that buoyed their tracks with a spiritual sound that reminds us of some of the best moments from the Brother Brother Brother album! This one includes the incredible song "Harvest For The World", one of the most anthemic soul songs of the 70s – and a monster groover that mixes message-driven vocals with some tight guitar work. Other tracks include "You Still Feel the Need", "Let Me Down Easy", and "People of Today" – and the whole album's one of the group's best from the 70s! CD

The Isley Brothers in prime 70s mode here – hitting a warm and wonderful blend of soul and funk throughout – always delivered with that sweet talent for smooth understatement that makes them so great! The costumes on the front cover may be freaky, but the grooves are nicely restrained – and by this point in the decade, the brothers have definitely learned that their strongest suit is often their mellow one – tracks that groove, but often in more subtle ways! Titles include the massive slow jam track "Groove With You", plus "Take Me To The Next Phase (parts 1 & 2)", "Love Fever (parts 1 & 2)", "Fun & Games", "Ain't Givin Up No Love", and "Coolin Me Out (parts 1 & 2)". LP, Vinyl record album

Deep deep deep soul from The Knight Brothers – a wonderful duo who cut some fantastic sides for Chess Records in the 60s! The Brothers originally hailed from Washington DC, and came to Chicago by way of New York – somehow managing to pick up all the best bits of these geographic influences in the meantime! At one level, the Knights have a sound that's got lots of touches of southern soul – a pre-Sam & Dave approach to vocals that usually has one singer out front, and the other egging him on. But as they grew – and for a brief while adapted into the vocal group The Carltons – they also started to harmonize a lot more, and moved into a realm that was a lot like The Impressions at their best – sweet harmonies sung with a lot of depth, and often done with a heartbreaking quality that was really wonderful! This Japanese-only album is the closest thing the group ever came to having a full length set on Chess. LP, Vinyl record album

A recent set by Marlena Shaw – still going strong in her fourth decade as a singer! The album's got a slightly stiffer feel than some of Shaw's best-known recordings of the 60s or 70s – but it's still quite nice overall, with jazz-tinged backings that are often cut with a bit of added keyboards to charge things up. The core group features David Hazeltine on piano, plus some guest tenor from Stanley Turrentine on a few tracks. There's a slightly bluesy quality to a few numbers, but the focus is still mostly jazzy soul overall – and tracks include "Your Mind Is On Vacation", "Where Do You Start", "Why Oh Why", "Brothers", "Once Again We've Begun To Love", "I'm Alone Again", and "Paint Your Pretty Picture". CD

The great first album from the Yates family – a set that mixes family funk energy with bits of southern soul and club – in a really well-rounded groove that's way more than just a gimmicky brother and sisters set! The album was recorded both in Alabama and on the west coast – and there's a sound here that shows traces of both locales in the groove – the warmth of southern soul on the vocals, but a more modern, more sophisticated approach overall on the music – a style that's not really disco or club, but which has some of the best elements of styles that would flower more strongly in the 80s. Titles include "The World Makes The World What It Is", "Mama Said", "Stick In The Mud", "Just Can't Fight The Feeling", "I Could Love But One Boy", "What Goes Around Comes Around", and "Disco Drummer". LP, Vinyl record album

Funky soul from Detroit – the second foray into the uber-rare and unreleased funk treasures recorded at Dave Hamilton's Motor City studio – and an even deeper look at what's turning out to be one of the greatest long-buried funk catalogs to come to light in recent years! The collection includes some singles released on Hamilton's own TCB and other imprints, some that were licensed to other labels, plus a wealth of unreleased material. There's straight ahead funk vocals and instrumentals, and numbers that have more of a freewheeling, adventurous vibe – albeit with a raw funk backdrop! Includes numbers by The Deacons, Prophet & His Disciples, Chico & Buddy, Billy Garner, OC Tolbert, Little Ann, Dave Hamilton himself, The Webb People, The Pepper and more. 22 tracks in all: "A Drop In The Bucket" by The Deacons, "You Fool, You Fool Pt 1" by Prophet & His Disciples, "A Thing Called The Jones" by Chico & Buddy, "The Bad Things (You Said To Me)" by The Barrino Brothers, "Ghetto Stride" by Dave Hamilton, "Who" by Jackie Dee, "Love Bandit" by OC Tolbert, "Simon Says' by The Future Kind, "Clap Your Hands" by The Tokays, "I'm Sending Vibrations" by The Webb People and more. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

Music from Robin Wilson, the Escorts, the Hy Boys, Kiki Dee, the Tricks, Kenny & the Accents, the Righteous Brothers, Maria Dallas, Denny Belline, the Teardrops, the Louis Brothers & more. CD

A sweet little dip into the catalog of the LA-based Kent/Modern label – the legendary imprint that started in the R&B years, and stayed strong in the soul generation – providing inspiration and a name for the Kent branch of UK-based Ace records, home to some of the best reissues in the Dusty Groove catalog! And while Kent issued some great material back in the day, they also recorded a fair bit of work that never hit the pressing plants – some of which is on this collection, which mixes unreleased numbers with rare singles from back in the day! The set features 28 sublime numbers – a mixture of sweet soul, hard soul, group harmony, and a bit of funk – rare tunes all of them, most never issued on any full length albums. Titles include "I Got Love" by The Other Brothers, "I've Got To Win Your Love For Me" by The Sims Twins, "Baby You're Alive" by The Styles, "The Hunch" by Gene Taylor, "Come Back Baby" by Tami Young, "I'm Gonna Be Sweeter" by Clay Hammond, "You've Got It" by Johnny Williams, "Gimme Some Of Your Lovin" by Arthur Adams, "I Dig It The Most" by Jackie Day, "Down In The City" by The Marvellos, "Make A Little Love" by Lowell Fulsom, "New Lease On Life" by The Universals, "The Sun Don't Shine Every Day" by The Saints, and "That's A Rockin Good Way" by Vernon & Jewel. CD

A huge package of work from a time when the Jewel/Paula label was a strong force in underground soul – an imprint whose home base was down in Louisiana, but who also had a reach that went up to the Windy City as well! The material here is on the deeper side of the spectrum – some New Orleans modes mixed with other southern soul styles – often recorded with nicely earthy production that really makes the singers come across at their best! Titles include "I Can't Stand To See You Go" by Joe Valentine, "Messed Around & Fell In Love" by Ricky Allen, "Nothing Takes The Place Of You" by Toussaint McCall, "What Is Love" by Jimmy Dobbins, "Cover Me" by Ted Taylor, I Want Everyone To Know" by Fontella Bass, "My Baby's Gone" by Wallace Brothers, "You've Got Me Tamed" by Clay Hammond, "Loosen These Pains & Let Me Go" by Albert Washington, "We Got A Good Thing Going" by Roscoe Robinson, and "Sweet Little Woman" by McKindley Sandifer. CD

A treasure trove of harmony soul gems – and a package that's overflowing with great numbers from a time when small group soul really sparkled in the funky 45 underground! Most of the cuts here have never appeared on CD before, and a handful are previously unreleased – and together, the set really showcases the sublime style of singing that emerged in the second half of the 60s – a new approach to harmonizing that was different from jazz, gospel, or doo wop groups in previous years – with tremendous interplay between the lead and backup parts of the group, in charts that were continually inventive and richly expressive at a level that still sounds completely great all these many years later! If you only know Motown male groups, or bigger names like The Impressions or Stylistics, you'll find plenty here to discover – a really rich tapestry of tunes that includes "Strange Voice" by The Imaginations, "Baby" by The Joneses, "Boom A Rang" by Dynamic Soul Machine, "By Your Side" by Moon & Mars, "Can't Get You Off My Mind" by Brothers Of Soul, "Waiting For Your Love" by The Love Experience, "Linda" by Salt & Pepper, "Need Someone To Love" by The Symphonies, "Take Your Time" by The Festivals, "That Day When She Needed Me" by The Performers, "We Can Make It Baby" by The Reputations, "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" by The Four Sonics, and "I'll Be Waiting" by The Lovettes. CD

Not just soul music lovers – as the set's got plenty to offer for fans of funk and jazz too – a wonderful assortment of cuts from the golden years of the music, all put together here with a really great ear for a groove! The cuts are sourced from a number of different labels – including Groove Merchant, De-Lite, Sussex, and Brunswick – and because of that, they come together with a great sense of variety – not a confused approach to a compilation, but one that really knows how to play different cuts off one another – introducing you to rare gems, and making you love familiar cuts all over again in a different way! There's a total of 23 tracks and almost 80 minutes of music – and titles include "Mr Hot Stuff" by Clarence Reid, "Ashley's Roachclip" by The Soul Searchers, "Loving Explosion" by The Eliminators, "The Fly" by The Kinfolks, "Funky Belly" by Warren Lee, "Come Back To Me" by Cheyenne Fowler, "I Won't Be Around" by Jeanette Holloway, "Chick A Boom" by The Pazant Brothers, "In The Moog" by Harold McKinney, "Gold Smoke" by Everyday People, "There Was A Time" by Dee Felice Trio, "April" by Bobby Knight, and "No Trouble On The Mountain" by Richard Groove Holmes. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

The second killer set in this series – a wonderful blend of AOR hits and soulful singers – wrapped up in a stunning style that's a great subgenre in itself! Many of the tunes here are familiar, but served up in versions you might not know at all – done by soul artists who were clearly inspired by the warmer styles of mid 70s AOR, but who also bring the modes back to soul music, and really open up the tunes with fantastic vocals and mighty nice grooves! The set is particularly heavy on that late 70s/early 80s moment when things were really coming together in the modern soul scene – and the set features titles that include "Dedicate This Heart" by Dionne Warwick, "Dreams" by Richie Havens, "Monkey See Monkey Do" by Patti Labelle, "Euphrates" by Main Ingredient, "Sara Smile" by Impact, "Listen To The Music" by Isley Brothers, "Gringo" by Arnold McCuller, "What You Won't Do For Love" by Roy Ayers, "Tin Man" by John Edwards, "It's Too Late" by Billy Paul, and "I Hope You'll Be Very Unhappy Without Me" by Esther Phillips. (Funky Compilations, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the funkiest box sets we've ever seen – and amazingly issued by an American major label! The package is a treasure trove of funky work from a decade of Warner Brothers, Atlantic Records, and related labels – tunes pulled both from mainstream releases and much more obscure 45s! This one goes way past some of the silly "decade" sets from Rhino, and really displays a new level of cool and connoisseurship – one that finally appreciates the rich depths of funky work at their fingertips, most of which has not been properly reissued in the US! Tracks include "Gangster Of Love (part 1)/Gangster Of Love (part 2)" by "Get In The Groove/Somebody's In The World For You" by Mighty Hannibal, "Tampin/Oleancler" by Rhine Oaks, "It's Your Thing/Bring It Home To Me" by Cold Grits, "Stanga/Somebody's Watching You" by Little Sister, "Gossip/Tell Me What's On Your Mind" by Cyril Neville, "Engine #9/International Playboy" by Wilson Pickett, "Funky Nassau (part 1)/Funky Nassau (part 2)" by Beginning Of The End, "Mockingbird Sally/Nuki Suki" by Little Richard, "Funky To The Bone/I Want To Dance, Dance Dance" by Freddi Henchi & The Soul Setters", "California Dreamin' (vocal)/California Dreamin' (instrumental)" by Eddie Hazel and more! CD

A really amazing project – and a totally righteous little record – a set of songs all penned by Bob Dylan in the 60s, sung by a hip spiritual choir that includes performances from soul singers Clydie King, Merry Clayton, Edna Wright, and Gloria Jones! The mix of soul and gospel here is wonderful – very much in the spirit of The Voices Of East Harlem at the same time – with this progressive, positive vibe that goes way way past the original style of Dylan's music! Gene Page handled the musical arrangements, and Billy Page helped with the vocals – and together they really transform the compositions – creating a very different setting for the great lyrics of songs that include "The Mighty Quinn", "All Along The Watchtower", "Mr Tambourine Man", "Chimes Of Freedom", and "The Times They Are A Changin". A record that shouldn't work this well – but it does, and beautifully too! LP, Vinyl record album

The Brothers Johnson are hardly out of control on this mid 80s set – as the album's got a tight groove that shows the duo are still going strong long past their 70s fame! As before, there's a bit of bounce on the bottom – that bassy groove that the pair first crafted back in their Quincy Jones days, topped with some sweet keyboards too – and punched up a bit on the rhythms, in styles that are in keeping with the changes in soul at the time. There's a nice degree of warmth on some of the best numbers here – and titles include "Lovers Forever", "Do You", "Let's Try Love Again", "Out Of Control", "Save Me", "Tokyo", and "It's All Over Now". LP, Vinyl record album

Smooth jazzy soul from the Brothers – still sounding wonderful at this point, producing themselves for the record, and using the best parts of all those lessons they learned from Quincy Jones! The bass is a bit down in the mix for this album – a good move, considering that 1981 was kind of drowning in bass-heavy soul – and the Brothers are wonderfully concentrating on their strong talent for a jazzy harmony vocal! The set's polished without ever sounding too slick – a balance that the Brothers seemed to do better than most – and titles include "The Real Thing", "Dancin Free", "In The Way", "Caught Up", "Daydreamer Dream", and "Hot Mama". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the biggest albums ever from The Chambers Brothers – a set that helped them cross over big into the mainstream – shaking off their previous folksy roots with a rumbling approach to psychedelic soul! The record's got a much heavier groove than any of the group's previous work – a way of hitting a track that still holds onto their gospel-influenced roots, but which also brings in plenty of the fuzzier, funkier touches that were sparking in soul music during the late 60s – especially over at Columbia Records, where their labelmate Sly Stone was capturing a big audience with a very similar sound. The record features the full-length version of the group's massive "Time Has Come Today", an excellent psychedelic soul number that's been lifted for movies and TV shows more times than we can count – and other tracks include "People Get Ready", "Please Don't Leave Me", "In The Midnight Hour", "What The World Needs Now Is Love", "All Strung Out Over You", "I Can't Stand It", "So Tired", and "Uptown". "A New Time, A New Day" has the Chambers working in a number of styles, sweating hard in a gritty version of Otis Redding's "I Can't Turn You Loose" and to some funky percussion and call-and-response vocals on "Do Your Thing", and grooving softly on "Guess Who" and others. Other tracks include Pete Seeger's "Where Have All The Flowers Gone", "Love Is All I Have", "You Have The Power - To Turn Me On", "Rock Me Mama", and "Satisfy You". LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible soul from the legendary Lorraine Ellison – an overstuffed package that goes way beyond the work that was featured on her three classic albums for Warner Brothers! Lorraine's a Philly singer, but one with the depth of soul sisters from much farther south – and her Warner recordings are a wonderful mix of uptown production and deeper soul vocals – a sublime mix that's finally getting its full due here! During the Warner years – roughly 1966 to 1973 – Lorraine not only recorded three albums worth of material, but also a huge number of singles, some soundtrack cuts, and even a number of tunes that never got issued – all of which are packaged here, along with a full CD of rare demo material! The 3CD package features a whopping 65 titles in all – including "Haven't I Been Good To You", "In My Tomorrow", "I'll Be Home", "Dear John", "I Got My Baby Back", "A Change Is Gonna Come", "I Want To Be Loved", "Stay With Me", "That's For Me", "Ain't That Peculiar", "Do Better Than You're Doin", "Stormy Weather", "The Road I Took To You", "Many Rivers To Cross", "Sweet Years", "Sister Love", "Caravan", and "You've Got A Friend". CD

A wonderful album from the Isley Brothers – and a real departure from their funkier sound of the 70s! The album has the group operating in a wonderful smooth soul mode – just what you'd expect from the "between the sheets" in the title, and the silky bedclothes on the cover! The centerpiece of the album is the loving title cut – a wonderfully catchy number that works well not only as a stepper's dancefloor tune, but also as a hip hop sample track (used most famously in Tribe Called Quest's "Bonita Applebum".) The whole thing's great, though – and other tracks include "Choosey Lover", "Touch Me", "Slow Down Children" and "Getting' Over". LP, Vinyl record album

The Isley Brothers at Motown – a perfect place for the groove they crafted on earlier RCA singles to blossom with some of the more sophisticated soul styles that would make the group huge in the 70s! The set's overflowing with gems – big hits like "This Old Heart Of Mine" and "Take Me In Your Arms" – plus "Take Some Time Out For Love", "There's No Love Left", "That's The Way Love Is", "One Too Many Heartaches", "I Hear A Symphony", "Why When Love Is Gone", "Got To Have You Back", and "Who Could Ever Doubt My Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from The Isley Brothers – proof that they were still growing strongly as a group into the 80s! The Isleys are smoothing it out nicely here – going for that lean, compressed style that they used on more than a few nice records at the time. Tracks have a tight modern soul approach – vocals, guitars, and keyboards all fused into one sweet snakey line that sounds better and better with each listen! Titles include "I Once Had Your Love", "Hurry Up And Wait", "Tonight Is The Night", "Young Girls", and "Who Said". LP, Vinyl record album

The Isley Brothers on Motown – a really key step forward for the group, who find a whole new level of soul with help from the Holland Dozier Holland team! There's a warmth here missing from previous Isleys material – that rough edge that was more part of their rocking years, softened a bit to let the vocals really take off with straightforward power – that mix of raw energy and sublime precision they'd explore later on the T-Neck years – helped strongly here by the Motown influence. Titles include the massive hit "This Old Heart Of Mine", plus "Take Some Time Out for Love", "Baby Don't You Do It", "Nowhere To Run", "Put Yourself In My Place", "Seek & You Shall Find", and "Who Could Ever Doubt My Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A key album in the Isley Brothers "extended funk" mode of the 70s – a style in which the group approached nearly every tune by adding in a "part 2" in order to stretch out the groove! The style here is bass-heavy funk, but less of the sort that other groups were using at the time – because the Isleys still bring in plenty of soul to the mix, and resist popping the bass too much so that they still have plenty of space for the slinky vocals that always make their work so great. Most of the titles on the album have this extended approach, and titles include "I Wanna Be With You (parts 1 & 2)", "Liquid Love (parts 1 & 2)", "Winner Takes All", "Love Comes & Goes (parts 1 & 2)", "Let's Fall In Love (parts 1 & 2)", "Let Me In Your Life (parts 1 & 2)", "Life In The City (parts 1 & 2)", "Go For What You Know", and "Mind Over Matter (parts 1 & 2)". LP, Vinyl record album

The first volume of this series was so popular, they've gone and done it again! This second volume of remixes follows very closely in the spirit of the first – in that it takes classic Motown work by The Jackson 5, and expands the grooves of the tracks with work by some of today's strongest DJs and producers. This Volume 2 of the ep vinyl series features a total of 4 mixes – "Get It Together" remixed by 4Hero, "Can I See You In The Morning" remixed by Electric Sheep, "Dancing Machine" remixed by Topless, and "It's Great To Be Here" remixed by Jungle Brothers! 12-inch, Vinyl record

An undisputed funk classic – even back in the days before anyone ever said the phrase "funk classic"! This album must have been deleted the day it came out – because even though it's attained legendary proportions with groovers worldwide, it's always been hard to find – even back in the 70s! But unlike so many other "rare-but-not great" funk albums, this one's a killer – with a hard funky wah wah sound that we'd rank up there with James Brown's best work on Polydor from the early 70s, and which should have made Joe a millionaire, not a lost legend of soul music. The band is sharp as a knife – with hard drums, tight bass, and some simply amazing guitar riffing. But the best part is Joe – as his vocals are hard and emotional, with just the right touches of righteousness to carry off the album's political messages, but not too much as to spoil the party that the band's having in the background! Every single track is a winner, and if we were ever to make a list of the top five funk albums to own, this one would be on it! Titles include "The Way They Do My Life", "I Got So Much Trouble On My Mind", "The Trouble With Trouble", "Give Me Back My Freedom", "Live Like Brothers", and "Find Yourself". This CD reissue also features some bonus tracks that weren't on the original album – including "Thanks Dad", "Get Down Baby", and "I'm A Young Man". 14 tracks in all! CD

An undisputed funk classic – even back in the days before anyone ever said the phrase "funk classic"! This album must have been deleted the day it came out – because even though it's attained legendary proportions with groovers worldwide, it's always been hard to find – even back in the 70s! But unlike so many other "rare-but-not great" funk albums, this one's a killer – with a hard funky wah wah sound that we'd rank up there with James Brown's best work on Polydor from the early 70s, and which should have made Joe a millionaire, not a lost legend of soul music. The band is sharp as a knife – with hard drums, tight bass, and some simply amazing guitar riffing. But the best part is Joe – as his vocals are hard and emotional, with just the right touches of righteousness to carry off the album's political messages, but not too much as to spoil the party that the band's having in the background! Every single track is a winner, and if we were ever to make a list of the top five funk albums to own, this one would be on it! Titles include "The Way They Do My Life", "I Got So Much Trouble On My Mind", "The Trouble With Trouble", "Give Me Back My Freedom", "Live Now Brothers", and "Find Yourself". This version is overflowing with bonus tracks – 9 more than the original album, pulled from singles on GSF and Mercury – with titles that include "How High", "Let Me Be What I Am", "You Know It's True", "I'm A Young Man", "Get Down Baby (parts 1 & 2)", "No", "This Girl Of Mine", "I'm Gonna Get You", and "Thanks Dad (parts 1 & 2)". 18 tracks on the CD. CD

The title's no lie – as this sweet little set features 101 Northern Soul classics – a treasure trove of upbeat soul from the 60s – with lots of rare cuts, obscure groovers, and the kinds of tracks that always got more play on UK dancefloors than back home here in the US! For the price, the set is a hell of a collection – and features killer classics from labels that include Motown, Chess, Philips, MGM, and other vintage imprints – with a nice degree of overlooked cuts that have only been discovered by the northern scene in more recent years. Titles include "Til You Were Gone" by Frank Wilson, "Love Love Love" by Bobby Hebb, "Stop Her On Sight" by Edwin Starr, "What More Could A Boy Ask For" by The Spinners, "Can't Satisfy" by The Impressions, "I'm The One Who Loves You" by Darrell Banks, "Why Am I Lovin You" by Debbie Dean, "The Night" by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, "I Got A Feelin" by Barbara Randolph, "Heaven Must Have Sent You" by The Elgins, "Dr Love" by Bobby Sheen, "Trampoline" by Spencer Davis Group, "Nothing Left To Give" by Thelma Houston, "Baby I Miss You" by Tommy Good, "I've Been Blessed" by Bobby Taylor, "Look What You Done Boy" by The Lollipops, "Friday Night" by Johnny Taylor, "Baby I Love You" by Howard Tate, "Helpless" by Kim Weston, "Moody woman" by Jerry Butler, "There's A Ghost In My House" by R Dean Taylor, "Ordinary Joe" by Terry Callier, "Wade In The Water" by Marlena Shaw, "Drop In The Bucket" by Mary Wells, "Baby A Go Go" by Barbara McNair, "Love's Gone Bad" by Chris Clark, "Run For Cover" by The Dells, "Battened Ships" by Odyssey, "Nothing But A Heartache" by The Flirtations, "Sure Is A Lotta Woman" by The Isley Brothers, and "Keep On Lovin Me" by Francis Nero. CD

Think you know the sound of Atlantic Records in the 60s? Think again – because this stunning series opens the vault to a huge amount of rare treasures from the legendary label! The package is amazing – and offers up rare tracks that were mostly only issued by Atlantic on singles – including some on the other imprints associated with the company – some by names we never even knew recorded for the label, others by bigger names, but represented here by obscure material that goes way past their hits – and which is ultra cool because of that. There's also a fair bit more deep soul than you might expect from the usual Atlantic mix – tremendous vocals, and often in less hit-heavy modes – which makes the whole thing a great revelation – and just one more reason to bow down and give even more expect to one of the key companies who helped soul music find a home in the 60s. Plus – as if that's not enough – the whole thing comes in a very cool 7" gatefold package – which emphasizes the from-singles nature of the collection. Volume 4 is filled with 50 rare tracks – loads of uncommon Atlantic singles, including some from their 50s partners – with cuts that include "Bye Bye Baby" by Ella Washington, "Sleep Good Tonight" by Sam & Dave, "What Am I Gonna Do" by Dee Dee Sharp, "Book Of Memories" by Percy Wiggins, "I've Got That Feelin" by Darrell Banks, "Let's Go Steady" by Arthur Conley, "Let Me Down Slow" by Bobby Wilson, "These Simple Reasons" by The Mad Lads, "Cool Pearl" by The Capitols, "Happiness" by The Ambassadors, "That Man Of Mine" by Jean & The Darlings, "One Plus One" by William Bell, "Left Over Love" by Mable John, "Get Down" by Harvey Scales & The Seven Sounds, "All On A Sunny Day" by Deon Jackson, "Sentimental Reasons" by Percy Wiggins, "Feels Good" by Bobby Wilson, "Bigger & Better" by Mable John, "I'll Be Loving You" by Soul Brothers Six, "Greasy Spoon" by Rufus Thomas, "Don't Say Maybe Baby" by The Capitols, "I'm So Proud Of My Baby" by The Ambassadors, "She Knows What To Do For Me" by Ben E King, "I Gotta Have My Baby's Love" by Sir Mack Rice, "Loveitis" by Harvey Scales, "Love Comes & Goes" by Arthur Conley, "The Grass Always Seems Greener" by Ella Washington, and "Behind Every Great Man There's A Woman" by Percy Sledge. CD

Killer soul from the 60s – a wonderfully rich array of hard soul grooves – all with a superb pedigree! The "At" here is short for "Atlantic" – as in Atlantic Records, the source of all the very groovy cuts on this set – as well as some from the early years of Stax Records too! But if you're thinking the collection's just another batch of overplayed Atlantic soul hits from the 60s, then think again – because the track selection is wonderful, and the compilation goes out of its way to pick lesser-known gems and rare singles – including some by artists we didn't even realize recorded for Atlantic! There's definitely a few familiar cuts on here, but there's lots more that were only briefly issued as 45s – as you'll hear on titles that include "Holding On With Both Hands" by Eddie Floyd, "Able Mable" by Mable John, "Walking Up A One Way Street" by Willie Tee, "At The Club" by The Drifters, "It Ain't What You Got" by Jimmy Hughes, "Help Me Get The Feeling" by Ray Sharpe, "Some Other Guy" by Richie Barrett, "I'm Gonna Run Away From You" by Tami Lynn, "Que Sera Sera" by The High Keys, "Keep Lookin" by Solomon Burke, and the amazing "Some Kind Of Wonderful" by Soul Brothers Six, a monster track that is worth the price of the CD alone! CD

Music from Smokey Robinson, Earth, Wind And Fire, The Isley Brothers, Deniece Williams, Gloria Loring & Carl Anderson, Aretha Franklin, D. J. Rogers, Tyrone Davis, Marvin Gaye, The Pointer Sisters, and more. CD

24 tracks from Lionel Richie, Stephanie Mills, Freddie Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Teddy Pendergrass, The Dramatics, Klymaxx, Rene & Angela, The Dells, Al Green, Peabo Bryson, Bobby Womack, The Isley Brothers, The New Birth, and more. CD

The great second volume to the monumental Breakdown series, with some of the best funky 45s you'll ever find collected on one LP! Includes "Bumpin' Bus Stop" by Thunder & Lightning, "Funky to the Bone" by Freddie, Henchi and The Soulsetters, "Why Don't You Play the Organ, Man" by Memphis Black, "Sittin' On a Red Hot Stove" by Kool & Together, "Mboga Chakula" by the Pazant Brothers, and lots lots more good stuff! (Funky Compilations, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible collection of rare Detroit soul – a good portion of which has never been issued before! As with other volumes in this series, the tunes here come from the vaults of Motor City producer Dave Hamilton – and they represent some tremendous work done in the shadow of Motown during the mid 60s! Like some of the best Detroit indie work of the time, the tracks here have a great mix of the rough and the smooth – vocals that are often earthy, set to backings that are tight, upbeat, and great for the dancefloor – especially if you've got an ear for Northern Soul! Hamilton's life, talents, and music are well explored in the notes – as are the lesser-known artists on the set – and the package features 24 tracks that include "Sweet It Out In The Shed" and "The Smile On Your Face" by Little Anne, "Until The End Of Time" by The Additions, "True True Love" by Tobi Lark, "It Takes A Lot Of Living" by The Future Kind, "I Love The Way You Do" by JT Rhythm, "Honest I Do" by The Tokays, "I Mean You Girl" by Richard Coombs, "Goodness" by OC Tolbert, "Side By Side" by The Ebonettes, and "The Bad Things You Said To Me" by The Barrino Brothers. CD

Funky soul from Detroit – the second foray into the uber-rare and unreleased funk treasures recorded at Dave Hamilton's Motor City studio – and an even deeper look at what's turning out to be one of the greatest long-buried funk catalogs to come to light in recent years! The collection includes some singles released on Hamilton's own TCB and other imprints, some that were licensed to other labels, plus a wealth of unreleased material. There's straight ahead funk vocals and instrumentals, and numbers that have more of a freewheeling, adventurous vibe – albeit with a raw funk backdrop! Includes numbers by The Deacons, Prophet & His Disciples, Chico & Buddy, Billy Garner, OC Tolbert, Little Ann, Dave Hamilton himself, The Webb People, The Pepper and more. 22 tracks in all: "A Drop In The Bucket" by The Deacons, "You Fool, You Fool Pt 1" by Prophet & His Disciples, "A Thing Called The Jones" by Chico & Buddy, "The Bad Things (You Said To Me)" by The Barrino Brothers, "Ghetto Stride" by Dave Hamilton, "Who" by Jackie Dee, "Love Bandit" by OC Tolbert, "Simon Says' by The Future Kind, "Clap Your Hands" by The Tokays, "I'm Sending Vibrations" by The Webb People and more. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

Dancefloor cookers from the prime Northern Soul years – all instrumental numbers on this sharp compilation on Kent – 45 sides from a labels like Money, Villa, Swan, King, Epic and Warner Brothers! For all the wonderful Kent soul compilations we've gotten our dusty fingers on over the years, it's a wonder they're never been one devoted to instrumentals – until now! Rhythms roll along at a tight tempo, the tight guitars punch it up, some strings soar, and a pounding Northern beat keeps it all stomping! Those core elements are key, but others weave in an out, from hand claps on the beat, to organ grooves, bursts of brass and more. 24 tracks in all: "Double Cookin" by Checkerboard Squares, "Make Me Yours" by Arthur Wright & His Orchestra, "Festival Time" by San Remo Golden Strings", "The Sounds Of Lane" by Tracks To Your Mind, "Champion Pt 1" by Willie Mitchell, "The Guys From Uncle" by The Spy, "Stirrin Up Some Soul" by The Mar-Ketts, "Hey America (Sing Along)" by James Brown, "California Montage" by Young-Holt Unlimited and more. CD

Music from the Wild Sound Unlimited, Vinnie Zen & the Rogues, Padded Cell, the Dinos, the Jay Walkers, the Leaders, the US Stamps, the Buckinghams, Our Brothers Keepers, Larry Henley, Steve Alaimo and more. CD

A great entry in this really wonderful series – one that's shifted a lot over the years, and in the best way possible! "Classiest" may be a tough word to peg down – but here, it refers to tracks that are well-done, and completely put-together – yet which have the kind of groove you'd expect from vintage Northern Soul of the 60s! There's a Motown influence felt throughout, but many tunes are nicely varied – a spectrum of acts from different US scenes, and a mix of arranging styles that match the well-penned songs – all handled in the usual Ace/Kent tradition, which means you'll find lots of rare singles, some unissued tracks, and great sound and notes throughout. Titles include "I Need Your Love" by Brothers Of Soul, "Girl Come On Home" by Major Lance, "I've Got To Come In" by Jean Battle, "So Glad" by The Lyrics, "Ready Or Not Here I Come" by Carolyn Crawford, "The Intruder" by Melvin Hicks & The Versatiles, "She's Supreme" by The Lovers, "I Wish I Knew" by Joe Buckner & Major IV, "I'll Fly To Your Open Arms" by The Family Brick, "Soul Kind Of Love" by The Hesitations, and "I Need A True Love" by Ray Gant & The Arabian Knights. CD

An absolute treasure trove of rare soul singles from Pied Piper Productions – a mid 60s Detroit soul operation that features Funk Brothers Jack Ashford, Joe Hunter, and Mike Terry – laying down sounds that rival the best Motown groovers of the period! The work is amazing throughout – soul cuts heavily focused on the groove and amazing lead vocals – recorded in ways that are similar to the best of Detroit at the time, but with some rawer aspects too – which makes for a massive package of Northern Soul gems! The package features both solo singers and great groups too – artists who include Lorraine Chandler, The Hesitations, September Jones, The Cavaliers, Willie Kendrick, Nancy Wilcox, and – heard here on rare singles and LP tracks that were originally released on labels like Karate, Kapp, Ruby and Giant – plus a number of recently unearthed titles that are seeing release for the first time ever! The set features 24 tracks in all, and the usual superb Kent notes and packaging – with titles that include "I Can't Hold On" by Lorraine Chandler, "Stuttering Sam" by September Jones, "Gambler's Blues" by Nancy Wilcox, "This Heart Is Lonely" by Rose Batiste, "Just Can't Leave You" by Tony Hesher, "Could It Be" by Micki Farrow, "I Fell In Love (Can't Help It)" by Freddy Butler, "He'll Be Leaving You" by The Pied Piper Players, "If Only You Knew" by Mike & Ray, "Time Changes Things" by Willie Kendrick, and "Lonely Too Long" by The Sandpipers. CD

Not just soul music lovers – as the set's got plenty to offer for fans of funk and jazz too – a wonderful assortment of cuts from the golden years of the music, all put together here with a really great ear for a groove! The cuts are sourced from a number of different labels – including Groove Merchant, De-Lite, Sussex, and Brunswick – and because of that, they come together with a great sense of variety – not a confused approach to a compilation, but one that really knows how to play different cuts off one another – introducing you to rare gems, and making you love familiar cuts all over again in a different way! There's a total of 23 tracks and almost 80 minutes of music – and titles include "Mr Hot Stuff" by Clarence Reid, "Ashley's Roachclip" by The Soul Searchers, "Loving Explosion" by The Eliminators, "The Fly" by The Kinfolks, "Funky Belly" by Warren Lee, "Come Back To Me" by Cheyenne Fowler, "I Won't Be Around" by Jeanette Holloway, "Chick A Boom" by The Pazant Brothers, "In The Moog" by Harold McKinney, "Gold Smoke" by Everyday People, "There Was A Time" by Dee Felice Trio, "April" by Bobby Knight, and "No Trouble On The Mountain" by Richard Groove Holmes. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

Heavy heavy funk from the Louisiana scene of the late 60s and 1970s – and a great collection that really gets past the dominance of the New Orleans sound! The set moves way past the Crescent City to uncover a wealth of great bits recorded in smaller studios located in Shreveport, Lake Charles, and a variety of tiny scenes in the southwest side of Louisiana – and the result is a great batch of tunes with a really gritty, down-n-dirty sound! There's a wealth of great funky styles in the set – including James Brown-inspired jammers, southern soul burners, and some other great modes that show that Louisiana's got a heck of a lot more to offer than just New Orleans funk. Titles include work from the Anla, Murco, Soul International, Goldband, and Tic Toc labels – a total of 22 cuts that include "Soul Time" by Ernest Thomas, "Soul Feeling (parts 1 & 2)" by Eddy G Giles, "Soul Brothers Testify (part 1)" by Chester Randles Soul Senders, "Soul Power" by Abraham & The Casanovas, "Put It On" by Count Rockin Sidney with The Dukes, "Fix It" by Clifton White & His Royal Knights, "Miss Hard To Get" by Dennis Landry, "No Sad Times" by Johnny Truit, "Black Water Gold" by African Music Machine, and "I Got A Groove" by JJ Callier. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

Heavy heavy funk from the Louisiana scene of the late 60s and 1970s – and a great collection that really gets past the dominance of the New Orleans sound! The set moves way past the Crescent City to uncover a wealth of great bits recorded in smaller studios located in Shreveport, Lake Charles, and a variety of tiny scenes in the southwest side of Louisiana – and the result is a great batch of tunes with a really gritty, down-n-dirty sound! There's a wealth of great funky styles in the set – including James Brown-inspired jammers, southern soul burners, and some other great modes that show that Louisiana's got a heck of a lot more to offer than just New Orleans funk. Titles include work from the Anla, Murco, Soul International, Goldband, and Tic Toc labels – a total of 22 cuts that include "Soul Time" by Ernest Thomas, "Soul Feeling (parts 1 & 2)" by Eddy G Giles, "Soul Brothers Testify (part 1)" by Chester Randles Soul Senders, "Soul Power" by Abraham & The Casanovas, "Put It On" by Count Rockin Sidney with The Dukes, "Fix It" by Clifton White & His Royal Knights, "Miss Hard To Get" by Dennis Landry, "No Sad Times" by Johnny Truit, "Black Water Gold" by African Music Machine, and "I Got A Groove" by JJ Callier. (Funky Compilations, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

They call it Lowrider Soul on the west coast – and back east, it's maybe known more as sweet soul, or harmony soul – especially given that there's so many groups who are important to the sound! But whatever you want to call it, think of the work here as the perfect sort of slow-stepping, mellow moving soul cuts that sound even better when the lights go down – not because they're sleepy, but because the burning energy of the groups seems to work a very special sort of magic after dark! The collection is wonderful – every bit as sublime as the great first entry in this series – and it's full of the kind of laidback group soul tunes that never get old, presented here with superb sound and a great set of notes. Titles include "What Am I Going To Do" by Houston Outlaws, "A Man That Is Not Free" by Soul Sensations, "You Can't Blame Me" by Johnson Hawkins Tatu & Durr, "Trust In Me" by The Magicians, "That's The Way Our Love Is" by The Radiations, "My Sweet Baby" by The Mark-Keys, "Don't Take Your Love From Me" by The Perfections, "Here It Comes" by The Persians, "It Hurts So Much" by The Superbs, "Can't Nobody" by Brothers Of Soul, "Somebody Please" by The Vanguards, "Sad Sad Story" by The Ethics, and "Someone" by The Lovers". CD

The only compilation of 60s female soul trio The Apollas we've ever seen – beautiful tunes with sweet and soulful vocals, big emotions and excellent arrangements – fantastic stuff from the trio, earlier material recorded as The Lovejoys and solo numbers by singer Leola Jiles! We'd love to say we've been fortunate enough to have heard more than a handful of the great Loma and Warner 45s, but that isn't the case – so this compilation from Kent as rewarding for us as just about anything they've put together in recent years – which is really saying something! A number of the tracks are should-be anthems that really allow the girls to sing big – backed by brass and tight arrangements to suit. That said, they're diverse talents, and there's some sweeter girl group styled tunes here that come across just as strongly. Glorious! Titles include "You're Absolutely Right", "Who Would Want Me Now", "Jive Cat", "See The Silver Moon", "Pretty Red Balloons", "I'm Under The Influence Of Love", "Baby I'll Come", "My Soul Concerto" and more from The Apollas proper, plus "He Ain't No Angel" and "Wait 'Round The Corner" by The Lovejoys, "I've Got So Used To Loving You" and "Why I Was Born" by Leola Jiles and more. 25 tracks in all. CD

The American debut of an African group who recorded most of their work in France during the 70s. This set's a French one, but has been spruced up a bit at Sigma Sound, where it received a US mix from Tom Moulton – ostensibly to give it a bit more of a dancefloor groove. The tracks have a style that's kind of smoother Afro Funk – almost in the mode of Manu Dibango's work from 1976. Titles include "Black Soul Music", "Moog Melody", "Dakar Sound", "Mangous", "Africa Africa", and "Black Brothers". LP, Vinyl record album

A strong extension of the Isley Brothers' funky 70s style – moving into a more compressed mode that had been taking hold of the group's style over the past few albums – giving them a smoother finish in the end, but one that actually brings out a deeper level of soul in the music! The balance is a bit hard to describe, but it's sort of an enrichment of a soulful quality that was always there in Isleys work, moved past some of the more familiar hit modes of the time. As always, we dig the mellow cuts best – especially the two part "Don't Hold Back Your Love", and the stepper "Welcome Into My Heart". Other tracks include "First Love", "Baby Hold On", and "Inside You". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost funky treasure – never issued before! For those not in the know, The Pazant Brothers (Ed & Al) were a duo of funky hornmen that first came to fame working with Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers – and then moved onto cut some great funky records of their own in the 70s. The pair formed a very tight group that had a killer funky sound – one that we'd easily rank right up there with the JBs and The Meters for hard, raw, power – but sadly, they only ever recorded one full album and a handful of singles – which is why this previously unissued concert is even more of an important treat! We have no idea what the folks at MOMA were thinking when they invited the Pazants down to get their groove in gear – but whatever the case, this CD is totally great! Forget the silly cover – which is way too cold and modern to get at the heart of the grooves – and forget the location too, because the tracks on the set sound like they were cut at some smoky club in Harlem, not in the colder midtown setting of MOMA. The whole thing's totally great – a massive batch of instrumental funk that leaves us to wonder why the heck this thing was never issued at the time. Titles include "Groovin", "Skunk Juice", "P Soul", "Fly Vines", "Work Song", "Momma Momma", "We Got More Soul", "Clabber Biscuits", and "Greasy Greens". Totally great! CD

An excellent lost bit of funky soul! The Turner Brothers were an obscure Indianapolis combo who played hard funky instrumental grooves – similar to hometown contemporaries like the Nineteenth Whole or Funk Inc – and they mixed up tight ensemble playing with good jazzy soloing on sax, keyboards, and guitars. They also sang pretty well, too – and different members of the group take over lead vocals on about half of the tracks on this debut release by the band. The style of singing ranges from sweet to deep, but it's pretty good overall, and is always a good match for the style of instrumentation used on each track. Highlights include the killer drum breakbeat at the beginning of "Sweetest Thing In The World", the spacey keyboards of "Sound Of The Taurus", the tight ensemble grooves of "Running In The Rain", and the strident soulful feel of "Cause I Love You". CD

A rare nugget from the Voices Of East Harlem – an obscure second album of material for Elektra Records, issued after their debut on the label – but only as an overseas release! The album follows strongly in the righteous blend of gospel and soul on Right On Be Free – and the set seems to feature material that may well have been recorded at those sessions, plus some other unreleased tracks too – all pulled together in a style that could have made these guys as big as The Staple Singers on Stax! There's actually a deeper vibe here – and a sound that's even deeper than on their two later albums for the Just Sunshine label – as the group take on work by some rock acts, like Bob Dylan or Creedence Clearwater Revival – and mix the music with their own soulful music to create something really amazing. Titles include "Nation Time", "Oxford Town", "Sit Yourself Down", "No No No", "Hey Brother", "I Want To Be Free", "Proud Mary", "Freedom", and "Kind Woman". CD