An obscure soul group, but a great one – equally at home with a fragile harmony tune as they were with more uptempo groovers for the dancefloor! This one and only album from Act One is a perfect illustration of the best two sides of the east coast indie soul scene of the early 70s – ... read moreCD
A nice batch of modern pop sound collage. More traditional song structures are poking through the cool po-mo facade here. With "Opus 4", "Eye Of A Needle", "Backbeat", "Instruments Of Darkness", "Peter Gunn" and "Beatback". CD
(Out of print.)
Erykah Badu —
Baduizm ... CD Universal, 1997. Used ...
$3.99
A landmark debut from the mighty Erykah Badu – a record that really set the world on fire when it first appeared – and which continues to blow our minds all these many years later! There's a simple, straightforward grace to the album that comes through immediately – as Erykah ... (Neo Soul, Soul)read moreCD
Sexy is right! Hank may have been a half-pint wonder, but he had a voice that was like no other – high and raspy, but with a fierce growl that made you instantly take notice. Plus, his thuggish aproach to vocals really put a bit into the vicious R&B tunes that he cut with The ... read moreCD
The even more obscure second volume to the great soul/gospel classic Do Not Pass Me By – and like the first, the product of a wonderfully spiritual setting on Chicago's south side – music created in the church, but with all the same vibe as the hippest secular soul coming from the Windy ... (Gospel, Soul)read moreCD
A bit blues, a bit jazz – and a singer with a style unto her own – the amazing Big Maybelle, one of the greatest artists to record for Okeh Records in the 50s! This well-done collection pulls together every single Maybelle recorded for the R&B powerhouse back in the day – a ... read moreCD
Terry Callier —
Alive ... CD Mr Bongo (UK), 2001. Used ...
$7.99
Brilliant work by Terry Callier – and his greatest album in years! If you, like us, have loved Terry's older work, but been a bit disappointed by the heavy production of recent albums, then you'll probably love this excellent live set – recorded recently at London's Jazz Cafe, with ... read moreCD
Terry Callier —
Lookin Out ... CD Mr Bongo (UK), 2004. Used ...
$6.99
A lovely album from the legendary Terry Callier – another spacious set of gorgeously composed soul for Mr. Bongo! Lookin' Out was largely recorded in the Chicago area, with players that sit in with Terry in his residences at the Green Mill, and the easy, jazzy feel reflects it. What really ... read moreCD
The genius of Terry Callier – remixed! One of the greatest things to happen to Chicago soul legend Callier in recent years was his discovery by a host of cutting edge producers and DJs on the European scene – important talents who took his work to a whole new audience, by fusing Terry's ... read moreCD
Sweet girl group classic stuff from the 50s, most of it recorded for George Goldner's End label. This 18 track set includes many of their big singles like "Prayer", "He's Gone", and "Every Night (I Pray)", but it's also got a number of b-sides and unreleased tracks ... read moreCD
Sublime stuff! Sure, it's easy to sit back and say that you don't really dig Ray Charles albums that mix together country music and soul, and that you prefer his hard raw raunchy Atlantic recordings from the earlier days. But let's be honest, Ray really made his biggest splash with this stuff ... read moreCD
(Includes slipcase and book – all in excellent shape!)
Dee Clark —
Raindrops ... CD Neon, Late 50s/Early 60s. Used ...
$6.99
A funky trip through the classic Warner Brothers recordings of P-Funk maestro Bootsy Collins! The set's a pretty great introduction to Bootsy's work, and includes some of his best numbers, plus a great set of notes that will really help you navigate his rich career. There's a total of 14 tracks, ... read moreCD
Titles include "Girl, Girl", "You Send Me", "Over The Rainbow", "I'm Spinning", "Don't Be A Fool", "Cold Feet", "Watching The Moon", "Cry Baby", and more – 36 tracks total. CD
One of the coolest collaborations between the mighty Dells and the great arranger Charles Stepney – a studio talent who really brings some magic to their fantastic harmonies! Stepney adds in all these amazing touches to the record – including John Cage-styled prepared piano on two ... read moreCD
At last! Someone's finally put out a good collection of the heavenly Detroit soul doo wops by Nolan Strong and his group The Diablos. This first volume of 25 tracks kicks off with their classic "The Wind", a heavenly ballad track that was covered by everyone, and then it leaps into a ... read moreCD
The best record in years – maybe decades – from the legendary Dr John – and a set that stands up strongly next to the messed-up Crescent City vibe of his 70s classics! Big thanks are due to Black Keys' guitarist Dan Auerbach – who produced and supervised the whole recording ... read moreCD
A pair of albums from saxophonist Wilton Felder – back to back on a single CD! We All Have A Star offers up solo sounds from Crusaders reedman Wilton Felder – a really great set that's very much in the best vibe of his larger group at the time – yet one that also offers up a ... (Jazz, Soul)read moreCD
Killer work by this fab Chicago soul group – a bunch of young kids, ala The Jackson Five, with sweet soul sound that actually predates the work of Jermaine and Michael and Tito, and which paved the way for countless 70s groups to come! The Five Stairsteps were first discovered by Curtis ... read moreCD
A classic 70s soul soundtrack – and a dream of a combination! Curtis Mayfield wrote the soundtrack and produced the album – and the result is a killer batch of 70s soul tracks that matches Aretha's strong vocals with the hip Curtom sound of Chicago! Aretha was still doing pretty well ... read moreCD
Original, rare and/or extended versions of classic chart funk by the Gap Band! The set features original vinyl versions of the cuts, many available for the first time on CD! Tracks include "You Dropped A Bomb On Me" (original 12" mix), "Burn Rubber", "Early In The ... read moreCD
One of the few cases in the history of pop music where the record is worth all the hype! Marvin blew everyone's mind when he unleashed this amazing suite of political soul tunes – not only just because he'd moved past the simple love songs of earlier years, but also because he was working ... read moreCD
(2005 Japanese pressing with 2 bonus tracks – comes in a cool gatefold sleeve, just like the original LP!)
One of the first great R&B artists on the New Orleans scene in the 50s – and one who never got the same sort of fame as some of his contemporaries! Yet that doesn't stop Paul Gayten from being one of the greats – as you'll hear on this excellent collection that brings together a ... read moreCD
A massive collection of numbers spanning nearly 5 decades from the Isleys! 50 tracks in all, spread over 3 discs, plus a very nice, thick, well-annotated booklet! CD
Chuck Jackson —
Any Day Now ... CD Instant/Charly (UK), 1960s. Used ...
$5.99
... CD
(Out of print.)
Durand Jones & The Indications —
American Love Call ... CD Colemine/Dead Oceans, 2019. Used ...
$8.99
Man, these guys just keep on getting better – and this time around, Durand Jones & The Indications deliver a record that's way more than just another funk band with a lead singer! Instead, there's a depth and complexity to this set that takes us back to our favorite indie soul albums at ... (Deep Funk, Soul)read moreCD
The fourth album from Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – solidifying what we learned pretty early on from the indomitable soul spirit that is Sharon and her impeccable combo the Dap-Kings – it's that this is not some retro soul revival novelty act, what they are is the greatest active ... (Deep Funk, Soul)read moreCD
Amazing work from Kool & The Gang – from a period when they were pushing past their tight early funky sound, into a super-dope mix of electronics and spacey jamming that is still pretty darn revolutionary today! Although you might think the album would be a bit disco by the date, it's ... read moreCD
(Out of print original US pressing with a punch through the barcode.)
An early collection of singles from one of Motown's first standout vocal groups – the mighty mighty Marvelettes, one of those groups who put a rough edge on the female trio sound! The set's filled with loads of catchy little numbers that really define the early Motown approach – and ... read moreCD
Eugene McDaniels —
Outlaw ... CD Atlantic/Water, 1970. Used ...
$9.99
An incredible step forward for 60s soul singer Gene McDaniels – so much so, that most folks hearing this album can't believe he's the same guy who recorded for Liberty Records a few years before! The album's incredibly righteous right from the start – and has a genre-busting quality ... read moreCD
The complete Malaco recordings of McKinley Mitchell – an excellent singer/songwriter whose work was a key part of the southern scene in the 70s, but who rarely ever gets his due! McKinley had a really unique voice that shared some of the warmth of northern singers – including a few of ... read moreCD
It's hard to sum up the genius of the Ohio Players at Westbound Records in words – but this set does a pretty good job of doing the whole thing with music! The group are at their trippy, early best here – much more funk and soul than on their initial psych debut, yet still not as ... read moreCD
A landmark album for the O'Jays – a set that moved them from the indie ranks to 70s megasoulstatus! After years of bumping around on a variety of labels, and in a variety of styles, the group really exploded with this wonderful set – an album that has them soaring along in the ... read moreCD
A classic session of pounding percussion – quite possibly the most successful entry into this earthy genre that hit the recording scene at the end of the 50s! Babatunde Olatunji is joined here by a great assemblage of players – including Montego Joe and Baba Hawthorne Bey on percussion ... (Global Grooves, Soul)read moreCD
Three girls and a guy – and one of the greatest 60s soul groups to ever come out of Philly! Although they started out mostly in a girl group mode, The Orlons soon expanded their sound into a harder range of soul-based work – really picking up steam on the Philly scene, and pushing ... read moreCD
An insanely wonderful album! Shuggie Otis is the son of Johnny Otis – the LA R&B maestro who was moving heavily into funk at the end of the 60s – and he has this tripped out, super-dope guitar style that he played to strong effect on Johnny's albums of the late 60s and early 70s, ... read moreCD
Parliament —
Osmium ... CD Invictus/EMI, 1971. Used ...
Just Sold Out!
An insane bit of fuzzed-out funk! This is Parliament's rare first album – a trippy batch of tunes that come off of Clinton's experimentation in the Detroit soul scene, infused by the rock-heavy energy of the city at the time, and probably a heck of a lot of cannabis, too! The record is ... read moreCD
Although these days, Parliament's best remembered for their classic studio albums, back in the 70s, the real P-Funk experience was the incredible live shows served up by George Clinton and the group! George, Bootsy, and the rest were undeniably at the top of their game at the time – rolling ... read moreCD
The fantastic debut of The Pointer Sisters – an album that's a lot deeper than most of their crossover pop from years to come! At the time of the album's release, the trio were a badass group of female singers on the Bay Area scene – out to redefine the role of the girl group in soul ... read moreCD
Recorded in 1987, but never officially released until 1994, when Prince was trying to get out of his Warners contract. Prince's attempt to return to his more funky side after flirting with more straight pop songs was a Holy Grail amongst collectors for a time, and though we don't like it as much ... read moreCD
Essential New Orleans piano from Professor Longhair – an artist who was neither a professor, nor a man with much hair! The chrome-domed pianist had a huge influence on the sound of New Orleans R&B and soul to come – as he played in a triplet-heavy way that was rooted in blues, but ... read moreCD
Nice compilation of material by Lou from his early jazzy period in the 60's. There's lots of nice straight jazz renditions of material like "Willow Weep For Me", "Nobody But Me", "Rockin' Chair", and "If It's The Last Thing I Do" – and they're all done ... read moreCD
(Out of print, promotional sticker on booklet cover and stamp on CD.)
A monster set of work by one of the greatest harmony groups ever! Smokey was one of the first singers to bring sweetness into soul – and his work with The Miracles for Motown is the stuff of legend. This 52-track, 2CD set brings together a huge amount of the group's best work – a ... read moreCD
(Out of print.)
Ruben & The Jets —
For Real ... CD Edsel (UK), 1973. Used ...
Just Sold Out!
One of our favorite Frank Zappa projects ever – an album of mixed rock and soul tracks from Ruben Guevara and his group The Jets – all done in a style that tries to recapture the sound of East LA in the 60s! Some numbers are in a rocking mode, but others hit a mellower harmony style ... (Rock, Soul)read moreCD
Joe Sample on piano and synthesizer, Jay Anderson and Marcus Miller on bass, Lenny Castro and Steve Gadd on drums, and Dean Parks on guitar. (Jazz, Soul)CD
Shades Of Brown —
S.O.B. ... CD Cadet/Dusty Groove, 1970. Used ...
$6.99
Amazing soul from Chess Records – and an album that almost feels like some lost small-label soul set, or a batch of rare funky 45s! Shades Of Brown are an ultra-hip male group from Chicago – a quartet of singers with the range and depth of The Temptations or Dells at their best, ... read moreCD
An amazing batch of sophisticated soul tracks – and a favorite with the righteous groove scene! On the surface, the record's a combination of jazz and soul tracks in the same mode that you'd find on some of Nancy Wilson's albums for Capitol during the same time – but digging deeper, ... read moreCD
A great record from the mid 70s – one that has Marlena Shaw further developing her style as a sophisticated soul diva with a sharp modern edge! Although already great in the 60s, Shaw emerges here as an all-adult, all-woman singer – dealing with issues that never would have gotten ... read moreCD
Killer work from Sly & The Family Stone – hard-grooving, fast-funking, and really setting the scene for countless groups to come! The album's a messed-up funky party, with plenty of short little tracks that have a mix of funk, soul, and rock – perfect for the crossover crowd from ... read moreCD
A great set of 50s recordings by gritty rhythm & blues singer Big Mama Thornton – whose most famous for grittier shouters – but there's some surprisingly easygoing numbers here, too! Her famous "Hound Dog" opens this set, and sets the pace strongly – for a batch of ... (Blues, Soul)read moreCD
A great overview of one of Motown's hippest soul groups! The Undisputed Truth were the brainchild of Norman Whitfield – and the group were the perfect platform for the "right on" soul that Whitfield was starting to craft in Detroit at the end of the 60s. Whitfield mixed the group's ... read moreCD
Muddy Waters —
Paris 1972 ... CD Pablo/Fantasy, 1972. Used ...
$7.99
Muddy Waters in Paris – quite far from the Windy City he called home for all of his key years, but still sounding great, in a very classic Chicago blues mode! The performance features some nice extended numbers that seem to go even farther than some of Waters' 60s live work (and definitely ... (Blues, Soul)read moreCD
(Barcode has a cutout hole, disc has a promo stamp.)
Includes a disc of songs from Chuck Willis and a disc of songs written by him from Lula Reed, Ruth Brown, The Cardinals, The Admirals, LaVern Baker & The Gliders, The Five Keys, Patti Page, Eydie Gorme & Steve Lawrence, The Clovers, Buddy Holly & The Crickets, Ernest Tubb, and more. CD
20 tracks produced by Allen Toussaint – one of the greatest talents to ever emerge from the New Orleans soul scene, working here in his earlier years, coming up with a rough and chunky groove that's virtually defined the sound of the city! Titles include "It Will Stand" by The ... read moreCD
26 tracks in all – blues, soul, and more – with work by Roscoe Gordon, Jerry Butler, The Dells, Jimmy Reed, The Spaniels, Little Richard, Fred Hughes, and more! CD
An amazing package – one that comes in a tiny replica of the original home of Motown Records in Detroit! As you'd guess from the title, the 11CD set features every single Motown track that ever hit #1 on the charts – almost 200 classic songs, running from the early 60s right up through ... read moreCD
Incredible funk from an almost-unlikely source – the legendary P&P family of record labels, mostly known for their groundbreaking disco work – but also home to some excellent funky tracks in the late 70s! Given that most of the focus on P&P reissues has often been on the label's ... (Funky Compilations, Soul)read moreCD
An excellent compilation of rare southern soul tracks, put together by Peter Guaralnick to accompany his book of the same name. The selection's great, and the album features many many tracks from small labels from Memphis and other points south. Titles include "True Love Travels On A Gravel ... read moreCD