All Categories — LPs  

Recorded live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York City, February 7-10, 1983. A HUGE amount of material! Includes the tracks "Say Hello", "Walk The Dog", "Violin Solo", "Closed Circuits", "For A Large And Changing Room", "Pictures Of It", "Language Of The Future", "Reverb", "If You Can't Talk About It, Point To It", "City Song", "Finnish Farmers", "Democratic Way", "Private Property", "Neon Duet", "Difficult Listening Hour", "So Happy Birthday", "Dance Of Electricity", "Sax Duet", "Born, Never Asked", "From The Air", "Beginning French", "Talkshow", "Cello Solo", "Blue Lagoon", "Stiff Neck", "Hothead", "Telephone Song", "Sweaters", "We've Got Four Big Clocks", "I Dreamed I Had To Take A Test", "Big Top", "It Was Up In The Mountains", "Big Science", "Red Map", "Strike", "False Documents", and many, many more!

What can we say? This is one of the greatest soul soundtracks ever! In a market that was dominated by the big-selling Shaft and Superfly albums, Roy slipped in this masterful blend of jazzy vibes and wah wah funk that's easily one of the best-composed records of the blacksploitation genre! The album's much more unified than your average funky soundtrack – and each track moves between styles that you'd hear on any of Roy's great albums from the time. There's heavy funk on the track "Brawling Broads", cool vibes and electric piano on "Aragon", off-beat jazz on "Coffy Sauna", and great soul on cuts like "Coffy Is The Color" and "Coffy Baby". Wonderful all the way through – and another jewel in the already-big crown of the great Roy Ayers!

Very raw, very rootsy stuff from Big Bill Broonzy, issued by Columbia (strangely enough) as part of their Adventures In Sound series. The packaging and the notes have the usual smug Columbia "serving up the best in roots culture for white liberals" tone – but the set's actually a pretty decent batch of material that includes nice numbers like "Texas Tornado", "Key To The Highway", "When I've Been Drinkin", and "Goobye Baby Blues".

Great early genius from the Clarke Boland Big Band – proof that Kenny and Francy were onto something great, right from the start! The album really has the group hitting the heights of their MPS years – stretching out way past earlier big band modes, into the hip mix of rhythms and soulful solos that made the ensemble unlike any other group in the 60s – a really groundbreaking approach to their music, delivered by a range of top-shelf players! Arrangements are by Boland, who also plays piano – and other group members include Benny Bailey and Jimmy Deuchar on trumpets, Derek Humble on alto sax, Carl Drewo and Zoot Sims on tenor, Sahib Shihab on baritone sax and flute, and Ake Persson on trombone – plus rhythm from the rock-solid duo of Jimmy Woode on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums. Titles include the Latin-tinged "Los Bravos", and more great originals by Boland – including "Volutes", "The Styx", "Charon's Ferry", and "Box 703 Washington DC" – plus versions of "Gloria" and "Last Train From Overbrook".

A landmark LP of guitar-based funk! Dennis Coffey had been playing, arranging, and producing all over the Detroit soul scene by the time this album came out – so it wasn't like he really needed a hit to get paid or anything – but the record forever marked him as a guitar player to be reckoned with, and it was a perfect showcase for Coffey's fuzzed-out funky style, instantly recognizable and still extremely popular today! The album contains the monster breakbeat cut "Scorpio" – kind of a seminal text of hip hop – plus plenty of other groovers like "Getting It On", "Garden Of The Moon", "Big City Funk", and "Sad Angel".

Great early work from Andrae Crouch & The Disciples – just the kind of soulful set that made the group a big crossover act at the time! Although gospel at heart, the record's got a nicely secular feel in approach – a style that's a bit like some of the other larger group soul of the time – particularly the 5th Dimension, whose bright, sunny sound Crouch seems to be reaching for here! But there's also a slightly groovier feel too – that undercurrent of hip that was bubbling under on some of the best Light Records productions in the 70s. Titles include "I'm Gonna Keep On Singing", "I'm Coming Home Dear Lord", "Take A Little Time", "What Ya Gonna Do", "My Tribute (To God Be The Glory)", and "I've Got Confidence".

Tremendous work from trumpeter Ted Curson – and one of the few records that shows up often in his oeuvre, but which is every bit as great as his rare and expensive albums! Side one features killer material from Curson's group with tenorist Bill Barron – three cuts recorded in Paris in 1964, all of them razor-sharp, and overflowing with modern ideas – tracks that include "Searchin For The Blues", "Desolation", and "Light Blue". Side two features Curson in another European mode – working as the bold soloist in front of a larger Yugoslavian big band – with searing readings of his classics "Straight Ice", "Flip Top", and "Quicksand".

Don't pass this one up! Although lots of other albums by Eddie Lockjaw Davis are laidback quartet and quintet sessions, done in a soul jazz organ/tenor mode – this session features Eddie working with stunning bigger band backings, in a searingly soulful sound that's simply incredible! The leadoff track, "Trane Whistle", has Lockjaw really working new waves of sound into his tenor sax – screaming the horn in a way that you thought you'd never hear, and playing with tones that are a lot darker than usual! The set moves on from there in a nice batch of material that includes "Whole Nelson" and "Stolen Moments", two fantastic originals by Oliver Nelson, who also arranged the album – and takes a great deal of responsibility for the strength of the set. The record shows a whole new side of Davis' talents – one that was barely if ever recorded like this again – and which is made even better by the presence of freshly modern players that include Eric Dolphy, Richard Williams, Melba Liston, and Roy Haynes. Great stuff!

Sweet keyboard soul from Deodato – a set that steps off nicely from the strengths of his big hits on CTI, hitting a similarly flowing groove that's really great! The instrumentation here is a bit more expanded than before, but never in a way that buries the keyboards – and Deodato's right out front on a range of electric keys that get some great support from John Tropea's finely-honed work on guitar! Titles include "Havana Strut", "Whirlwinds", "West 42nd Street", and a nice cover of Steely Dan's "Do It Again". And heck, even the album's version of Glen Miller's "Moonlight Serenade" manages to come off like a funk tune!

A great Riverside LP that brings together early material from the 78rpm generation!

Fatback flying like the Phoenix – but hardly rising from the ashes, given that the group's always on top! The sound here is a bit different – slightly leaner than before, but in a good way – with lots of core keyboards from Bill Curtis, who also handles most of the lead vocals – although as with most Fatback sets, there's plenty of sharing on that front with the rest of the group members – a bit of harmony here, a switched lead there – all keeping things nice and fresh! And this time around, there almost seems to be more of a focus on the mellower cuts, which we like a lot – because we've always enjoyed the more laidback numbers tucked in amidst the group's funkier sets – so this album's a real treat, with plenty of mellow and midtempo groovers. Titles include "The Drum Song", "Lover Man", "Call Out My Name", "You've Got That Magic", "Big Brother", "Jump Up Baby Jump Up", and "I Love You So".

The hard wailing trumpet of Maynard Ferguson gets a perfect showcase on this obscure MPS session from the 60s – a record that offers up a nice bridge between his earlier albums on Roulette, and his more famous funk sides for Columbia! The sound here is mostly acoustic, but definitely hard-grooving – in ways that are similar to other MPS big band projects of the period, such as records by Gustav Brom, or the Clarke Boland Big Band! Like the latter, there's a great ensemble working with Maynard here – and even though he's the main soloist, the sense of the larger ensemble always helps shape the sound nicely. Deiter Reith plays piano on the date – and arrangements are by Slide Hampton, Don Sebesky, Bill Holman, Willie Maiden, and Mike Abene – on cuts that include a great reading of Slide Hampton's "Got The Spirit", plus the tracks "Knarf", "Ole", "Dancing Nitely", and "Whisper Not".

No hangin out here – because these guys are tighter than ever, and right on the money from the very first note of the set! A snapping drum break opens up the album – followed by a wickedly stepping bassline, a rolling conga part, and a vamping dance between Hammond and tenor sax – all to set the scene for a batch of grooves that's easily one of the finest ever from this Indy combo! The album's got a sharpness and tightness that balances beautifully between funky jazz and instrumental soul – a territory that's a bit like Kool & The Gang at times, but which has a much more jazz-based approach on the solos. The big cuts include "Smokin' At Tiffany's" and "Dirty Red" – and other tracks include a sweet cover of Curtis Mayfield's "Give Me Your Love", plus "We Can Be Friends", "I Can See Clearly Now", and "I'll Be Around".

One of those records that no home should be without – not only a pivotal album in the growth of bossa nova in the 60s – but a set that also really helped set the career of tenorist Stan Getz on fire! The real credit here might almost go to guitarist Charlie Byrd – as Byrd was a big early proponent of bossa nova rhythms, and had already been experimenting with them on his records of the time – yet also gets a key extra "umph" here in the presence of Stan's tenor – a bold, rich, soulful sound that really helps give the music a lot of direction – in ways that still resonate strongly all these many years later! Getz is completely sublime – a master of tone and timing throughout – and perfectly fit to these tunes. Rhythms are mostly from Byrd's trio, augmented with some extra percussion – and titles include the classic "Desafinado", plus "E Luxo So", "Samba Dees Days", "Samba Triste", "O Pato", "Samba De Uma Nota So", and "Baia".

Titles include "Heartbroken Booper", "Smoke Big Factory", "Hi Rockers", "Herbert's A Loser", and "Back To The City".

Although Lionel Hampton's always best remembered for his storming swing days in the early 40s, we love him on records like this one – an easy open-ended straight jazz session from the 50s, with lots of room for soloing in a much more jazz-oriented vein than you'll hear on Hamp's early records. The group's a small all-star combo that features Roy Brown, Buddy Rich, and Oscar Peterson next to Hamp's vibes – and the set list includes long takes of "Midnight Sun", "That Old Black Magic", and "Blues For Norman".

Stellar soul from Isaac Hayes – just the sort of overblown masterpiece that made his early solo work on Stax Records so great! The record features only 4 long tracks – all of which go on in that slow-building style that Ike forged at the time – a mode that takes a few simple musical elements, slowly adds more instrumentation, then builds the whole thing up subtly and slyly while Hayes is talking rapturously over the top! There's a feel here that's nicely dramatic, but never in a kitschy, cloying way – a new statement of male soul masculinity, just right for the sophistication of the 70s. Titles include Ike's 12 minute covers of "Something" and "I Stand Accused", plus "One Big Unhappy Family", and "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself".

Hodges leads a large group of Ellington players that includes Willie Cook, Clark Terry, Cat Anderson, Jimmy Hamilton, Harry Carney, Ray Nance, and Jimmy Woode. The overall sound has that Ellington-minus-Ellington, plus-Hoges feel of similar Verve sessions like these – with lots of nice strong Hodges tenor work in the foreground. Titles include "Digits", "Viscount", "Segdoh", "An Ordinary Thing", and "Little Rabbit Blues".

One of the strangest albums ever issued on Philly International – a set of tunes by Dick Jensen, who was part blue-eyed soul singer, part easy male vocalist – sounding here as if he'd almost hit the market about 5 years too late to make a difference. The record's the kind that would be more at home on late 60s Capitol than early 70s Philly – but they must have had big plans for it, as all the tracks are originals by Gamble & Huff, who also do the production with Thom Bell and Bunny Sigler. Bobby Martin, Vince Montana, and Norman Harris all arrange, so the backings are top-shelf too – it's just that Dick can't seem to figure out what he wants to be from track to track on the record. Titles include the funky "Fat Mama", plus "Peace Of Mind", "Going Up To The Mountain", "I Don't Want To Cry", "32nd Street", and "Tamika".

Not the Hello Dolly album you might guess from the title, but instead a wonderfully groovy batch of tracks from pianist Pete Jolly – an album done with great larger arrangements from Dick Hazard and Dick Grove, and a tight vibe that makes the set one of Pete's grooviest albums ever! Pete's incredibly fluid on the keys of the piano – hitting with a hard punch on the left hand to really underscore the snapping rhythms of the tunes, but flying free on the right with these lyrical lines that are simply beautiful – really on a par with the best 60s work from Vince Guaraldi, and the kind of record that should have more folks talking about Jolly's genius. The core group features Howard Roberts on guitar, Chuck Berghofer on bass, and Nick Martinez on drums – and Jolly's one hell of a pianist in this sort of setting – and it always seems that when he's got a big group behind him, he really lets loose with some great solos, freed from the rhythm of the tracks so that he can skate over the top of the songs in a magical way! Tracks include "Hard Day's Night", "People", "Moment Of Truth", "First Of May", "Blues Two Ways", and "The Grass Is Greener".

One of the greatest records ever cut by the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra – way way more than a big band jazz session, and a fantastically hip batch of grooves that encompasses a wealth of styles! The Jones/Lewis group could sometimes sound a bit clunky and overhashed – but on this set, they've got a surprisingly lyrical approach – free-thinking and easily grooving, but with room for complicated solos and complex rhythms. All tracks are originals by Thad Jones – and players include Roland Hanna on electric piano, David Spinozza on guitar, and a host of great talents on reeds and brass. Titles include the sweetly funky cuts "Us" and "Ahunk Ahunk", plus the tracks "Dedication", "Consummation", "Tiptoe", and "Fingers".

A tight batch of organ groovers with a raw R&B feel, recorded by the obscure St Louis organist Sam Lazar – with a very young Grant Green on guitar! The album's a bit different than Sam's other records for Argo – in that the tunes are all quite short, with a tight fast sound that's almost more R&B at times than jazz – a very unusual setting especially for Grant Green! The guitar is nice and loud – really racing to keep up with Lazar's fast work on the Hammond – and other members of the group include Willie Dixon on bass and Chauncey Williams on drums. Titles include "Mad Lad", "Space Flight", "Caramu", "Funky Blues", and "Big Willie".

The record that forever put George McCrae on the map – and a crossover bit of Miami soul from the 70s with all the key elements of the TK sound firmly in place! George's vocals are nicely flanged out in that cool production mode that TK was using with its big acts of the time (an approach that was perfect for AM radio, by the way) – the backings of the tunes have the chugging electric rhythms shared by Timmy Thomas and other acts at the label, spiced up by a bit more warm guitar to give the record a deeper southern soul vibe. The record features a 6 minute version of George's super-huge hit "Rock Your Baby", plus a "Rock Your Baby Reprise" – and it's also got a great little version of "I Get Lifted", one of those Miami funk classics that sounds great no matter who does it! Other tracks include "Look at You", "Make it Right", and "I Can't Leave You Alone".

Pretty bluesy rock from one of the hip groups on ABC's progressive Probe imprint. The tracks are electric, clearly Chicago-inspired, and have a raunchy feel on most numbers. Titles include "Good Love", "AC/DC", "Blues Jam", "Ginger Man", "Big Boy", and "Blues So Bad". Horns arranged by Bob James.

Great work from the Ohio Players – and proof that moving to a big label could be a good thing for a funky group! This was the band's first album for Mercury – and although one might have the temptation to say that the label cut down the radical funk sound of the trippy Westbound years, the move also taught the band to sharpen up their act, and get out of the repetitive sloppy groove into which they'd been lapsing during the past few years. The record's a lot smoother than earlier work – with a polished funky sound that would soon push the band right up there with Earth Wind & Fire at the top of the soul charts. And although there's familiar funky numbers like "Skin Tight", "Jive Turkey", and "Streakin Cheek To Cheek" – the best moment on the entire album is the wonderful spacey soul number "Heaven Must be Like This", a seven minute mellow groover that's got a sophisticated jazzy soul style, with voices and piano soaring into the heavens, in a way that always still sends chills down our spine! That cut shows the band's tremendous growth – and it's one of their best-ever!

The second LP by this obscure group from Chicago who never really managed to crack the big time, but who managed to be one of the bigger independent soul acts of the early 80's. Like their first, this one was recorded in Chicago with a sound that's similar to some of the other modern soul stuff that was coming out of the city's crumbling soul scene – good harmonies at the core, with all of the best songwriting elements of the glory days, but a bit more of a modern finish over the top. Still, Omni were always committed to a strong soul groove – as you can tell from their back cover thanks and endorsements to Leroy Hutson, Frankie Knuckles, and other Chicago soul giants! Cuts include "Body Groove", "Just How Bad", "Leave It Up To Me", "Out Of My Hand", and "All For The One".

Probably the most hyped hip hop album by rock critics of the last decade – but don't hold that against Stankonia, because these ghetto grooves from planet P-Funk were exactly what the world needed in 2000! The millenium blowout party jam feel throughout is surely a nice change of pace from all the doom and gloom out there, but they still manage to spit out enough reality to keep things feeling true – particularly in the playful battle of the sexes showdowns. Dre, Big Boi and Organized Noize continue to innovate, even if they are at the top of the charts! Tracks include "Gasoline Dreams", "So Fresh, So Clean", "Ms. Jackson", "Spaghetti Junction", "I'll Call Before I Come" featuring Gangsta Boo & Eco, "B.O.B.", "Xplosion" featuring B-Real, "We Luv Deez Hoez", "Humble Mumble" featuring Erykah Badu, "Red Velvet", "Gangsta Sh*t", "Toilet Tisha" "Slum Beautiful", and "Stankonia (Stanklove)".

A very nice groover from Jimmy – and a session that was recorded earlier, but not issued by Blue Note until the end of the 60s. The format is hard-wailing sextet – with Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Ike Quebec on tenor, and Jackie McLean on alto. Jimmy's usual trio at the time holds the fort on the rhythm department, and all players groove very nicely on a set of 4 long tracks that includes "Big Fat Mama", "Plain Talk", and "Time After Time". Weird cover, too – with a lady's face in a cup of coffee!

Late 70s soul fusion from masters of the groove – perhaps the best ever by the late 70s supergroup Stuff – featuring a core group that includes Cornell Dupree, Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, and Richard Tee! This time out the smooth sound is vibrantly top notch – all produced by Steve Cropper into a sweet blend of soul and jazz that has some of Aja-era Steely Dan's super tight sophistication – with a big, warmhearted soul groove in place of the Dan's more icy veneer! Many of the tracks are covers – augmented by chorus vocals – like "Mighty Love", "Dance With Me", "Since You've Been Gone", and "Love Having You Around" – but the record's also got some originals like "Stuff It", "Do It Again", and "Gordon's Theme".

The first album by The Sylvers – a hard soulful band made up of youngsters from LA, but who had a lot more going on than some of the other kiddie-soul bands of the early 70s! The group's a sextet at this point, with four male voices and two female ones – coming across as a sweet blend of tenor and soprano harmonies, in a similar mode to the Five Stairsteps. The record has a solid sound and a funky groove that gives you a hint at what stars the kids would grow up to be – as not only The Sylvers would go on to crack the charts big, but members Leon and Foster would do some pretty great soul work on their own. Jerry Peters did arrangements on the best cuts – with that slightly messed-up groove that he brought to his best 70s work. The record includes the great funky sample cut "Fool's Paradise", which has a great intro that steps along with a fierce bongo sample! Also includes some nice mellower soul material – like "Wish That I Could Talk to You", "I Know Myself", and "Chaos". All that, and Jerry Butler production too!

Grady's most obscure album – and one that's got much more of a jazzy tip than his other ones. Richard Tee plays electric piano, and the band includes Billy Butler, George Coleman, and Ron Carter – all of whom do their best to keep things hip, and not fall into some of the schmaltzier moments that you get on other Grady Tate LPs. The big track on here is Grady's jazzy cover of "Moondance" – which is a great jazzy dancer – and the LP also includes "Movin Day", "You're A Lady", and "Love Has No Pride".

A tasty live set, with a smoking raw groove that you don't always get on Joe's studio albums! The crowd really goes wild for Joe – and with only some small group backing behind him, he's got nothing left to do but go over the top with his vocals! As proof of that, the record includes the great breakbeat track "Papa Was, Too", with a hard funky beat and sample riff that you'll recognize from way back. (Not only that, but the cut's a great answer to Otis & Carla's famous "Tramp".) Other tracks include the hit "Skinny Legs & All" (an answer to "Big Leg Woman"?), plus "Wooden Spoon", "Don't Give Up", and "Show Me".

An incredible album – and one of the most revolutionary rock albums of the late 60s! The Who recorded this one as a tribute to mainstream radio at the time – linking together some solid stand alone tunes with shorter, wittier tracks that were recorded as commercials for products that included baked beans, acne cream, and deodorant – as well as cool announcer bits too! The end result is one of the most sonically complex records issued by a mainstream rock act of the time – sort of like The Who said "yeah, everyone's trying to copy Sgt Peppers with big arrangements, but we'll take this concept album thing in a whole new direction!" Brilliant all the way through, and with tracks that include "Armenia City In The Sky", "Heinz Baked Beans", "Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand", "I Can See For Miles", "I Can't Reach You", "Rale", "Sunrise", and "Silas Stingy".

Joe Williams was really reviving his career as a vocalist at this point – working with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis big band on a few well-selling records, and on this smoother set with arrangements by Horace Ott. The overall feel is kind of in a swinging Grady Tate mode, with jazziness underneath larger orchestrations that have more of a popish quality to them – and Joe stretches his style to work on songs like Milton Nascimento's "Bridges", plus "Didn't We", "You Send Me", "I Hold No Grudge", "Oh Darling", and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You".

Young & Company were an obscure New Jersey group who struck big momentarily with the single "I Like What You're Doing To Me", and got a brief chance to cut this one and only album for Brunswick as a follow-up. The album's an interesting one, because it came at a time when the last-gasping Brunswick was showing a real talent for cutting underground cuts – mostly issued on 12" singles, and rarely drawn out to a full LP like this. There's kind of a strong roller skating groove on the best cuts – moving along at a good midtempo pace with compressed instrumentation on guitar and keyboards, never too over the top, and definitely not disco. You can hear that to best effect on the big hit "I Like What You're Doing To Me", but the album's got plenty of other nice cuts, like "Strut Your Stuff", "Checking You Out", "Love Me All Night", and "Mellow Mood".

A bit silly at times, but still pretty great! Bill Cosby teams up with old LA cronie Stu Gardner to do a set of tracks that are parodies of other big soul artists of the early 70s – and thanks to Stu's good work with the music, most of the tracks work a lot better than you'd expect! The record leads off with some sly slinky Barry White parodies – including "Yes, Yes, Yes" and "Shift Down"; then goes into a great James Brown funk number, "I Luv Myself Better Than I Luv Myself". It's hard to figure out where some of the other tracks are going – but the album also features a great spacey jazz number with lots of keyboards, "You're Driving Me Crazy".

Fresh and modern big band work – with a nice dash of soul, and some of the early traces of funk that would later show up heavily in Ellis' 70s work! Tracks are long, and in compelling time structures – as indicated by the titles – and groove with an MPS-like approach to the work – strong solos bursting out from the larger band, and very strong rhythms pushing most of the tracks nicely over the top! Players include Ira Schulman, Ruben Leon, Dave Mackay, and Ron Starr – and titles include "Barnum's Revenge", "Upstart", "Thetis", "Orientation", and "Freedom Jazz Dance".

A striking little record – and the kind that both players could only have made with the new freedoms in jazz recording of the 70s! Although Peterson and Gillespie had played together before on earlier Verve albums, the setting was never like this – because the album's only a duet between trumpet and piano, with no other instrumentation at all – yet the sound is amazing swinging! Peterson works almost as a one man rhythm section here – bouncing the tunes with plenty of hard inflections on his left hand – and setting up a swing that Dizzy blows over with warmly muted tones. There's a quality here that's personal – but not in that "oh look at us, we're such big stars" sort of way – and titles include "Mozambique", "Caravan", "Dizzy Atmosphere", "Blues For Bird", and "Con Alma" – always a treat to hear in a setting like this!

One of Tito Puente's finest albums for RCA, with a tight hard bunch of cuts that have a Cuban big band sound, and a lot more drive to them than some of Tito's other work for the label. Ray Bryant wrote the great track "Cuban Fantasy", and Tito contributed most of the other tunes on the set – a really unique batch of material that includes "Yambeque", "Elegua Chango", "Que Sera", and "Cha Cha De Pollos". The percussion is nice and hard, and the band grooves in tight ensemble playing throughout!

One of a nuber of repackagings and collections of Coltrane's work for Impulse. Loads of great players are involved on some of the better recordings of his later career, for Impulse, including McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, Elvin Jones, Pharoah Sanders, Freddie Hubbard, Eric Dolphy, Archie Shepp and more. 10 tracks in all: "Greensleeves", "India", "Miles' Mode", "Big Nick", "The Promise", "Chim Chim Cheree", "Manifestation", "Ogunde" and edited portions of "Ascension" and "The Father Son And Holy Ghost".

More of a David Matthews album than a Hank Crawford one – as Matthews handled the arrangements in that slick funky big band style he was using at the time, letting Crawford come into solo over the top, but not really leading the session in any sort of obvious way. Titles include "Funky Rooster", "Tico Rico", "Lady Soul", "Lullaby Of Love", and "Lament".

A big hit for the group – and a great album of smooth funky soul! Spirit is a perfect example of the way that Earth Wind & Fire could tighten things up, yet still keep them real – holding onto the deeply spiritual side that first made them great – but also focusing their energy towards a wider audience that showed their influence for years! Of course, with Charles Stepney helping out on production, it's hard to miss – and he's one of the few cats who could handle a blend like this so well. The compression in the band's playing is impeccable – with just the right mix of spacey spiritualism, sophisticated jazzy playing, and a straight ahead love of the soulful hook. Includes the instrumentals "Biyo" and "Departure", plus the vocal tracks "Earth Wind & Fire","Burnin Bush", "Spirit", "Imagination", and "Getaway", all produced to perfection by Maurice White and Charles Stepney!

Maybe the grooviest album ever from the team of Les & Larry Elgart – as you can probably guess from the title! The set's awash in groovy tunes from the late 60s – not just the fab title cut, but a host of other sweet numbers that are given an inventive new take on the Elgart horn style! The style is pretty great – kind of a 60s update of older big band modes – lean at points, full at others – and given some sweet Bobby Scott arrangements on some of the album's best tracks. Titles include "Music To Watch Girls By", "That's Life", "The Spy With A Cold Nose", "Girl Watchers", and "Girl Talk".

One of the best albums ever in Verve's classic set of recordings from the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival – a set that captures the Dizzy Gillespie group of the decade in top live formation! The ensemble here is plenty hip – with a young Lee Morgan joining Dizzy on trumpet, and a host of other great players who include Melba Liston and Al Grey on trombones, Benny Golson and Billy Mitchell on saxes, and rhythm from the trio of Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul West on bass, and Charlie Persip on drums! Although big, the band often had the sharper groove of a small combo – and even when hitting some older moments from Gillespie's earlier years, they still kept a modern edge in their approach – thanks to arrangements by AK Salim, Tadd Dameron, Benny Golson, Quincy Jones, and Dizzy himself. Titles include "School Days", "I Remember Clifford", "Manteca", "Dizzy's Blues", "Cool Breeze", and "Doodlin".

A great lost bit of funk – and a pretty mysterious record, too! The record came out hot on the heels of Manu Dibango's big original version of "Soul Makossa" – and while it's got a groove that definitely leans towards Afro Funk, it's also got plenty of Caribbean touches too – a wicked blend of funk and island styles that's almost like The Beginning Of The End at some of the best moments – but with a touch of New York underground as well! We've never been entirely sure if the group wasn't just a Winley Records studio project – maybe The Rimshots under another name – but whatever the case, the record's a damn funky classic – filled with lots of original-sounding grooves that make the whole thing well worth tracking down. Titles include a version of "Soul Makossa", with a groove that's harder than the original – plus "Skin N Soul", "Good Groove", "Mozambique", "Finger In It", "Dance Girl", and the extended "Bahamas Melody".

This groovy pair didn't last long on the pop charts, but they did score relatively big with the swnging "Cinderella Rockefella" – a mad late 60s pop tune that's included here on this US album. The cut's a great one – pretty silly, but always enjoyable, and the kind of stunner that makes you wonder why everyone these days is so serious about pop music. Other tracks include "Hora", "Your Heart is Free Just Like The Wind", "True Love Can Never Die", and "Wanderlove".

Skyy is still shining brightly in the mid 80s – delivering nicely thumping, dancefloor ready soul on From The Left Side! After a number of sweet sets for Salsoul, the group moved on up to Capitol Records for this one set – embracing the era's synth soul production sheen more than ever, but their by now veteran status as a funky soul group on top of disco and dancefloor act informs the sound. The beats thump harder, the electronics resonate that much deeper, and overall they create a thoroughly contemporary mid-to-late 80s style groove that should have made this record bust out huge for them. Includes "Givin It (To You)", "Love Attack", "Non-Stop", "Big Fun". "Love Illogical", "Jealousitis" and "Rock It".

A stunner from Jimmy Smith – and quite possibly one of his greatest records for Verve! The set has Jimmy working with arranger Oliver Nelson – in a setting that's got big band backings, but done in a style that's cool enough to cut through all the BS of similar sessions. There's no hoke at all – just a lean and soulful approach that has Nelson serving up a powerhouse jazzy groove underneath – and Jimmy soloing madly over the top! The album's filled with great tunes too – including a fab cover of "Mission Impossible", the original "Big Boss Man", a version of Richard Evans' "Burning Spear", and great takes on "Valley Of The Dolls" and "The Gentle Rain". Great stuff throughout!

One of the classics, and an album that's filled with a sense of majesty and power that will knock you dead – despite the stupid cover of Stevie sitting on a hill, playing in the dirt! By this point, Stevie knows he's on top of the world – and he's honing the sophisticated experiments of the previous few albums into a tightly woven pop sound that would pay Motown a huge dividend for letting him take chances with his music! Includes the big hits "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" and "Superstition", plus the amazing mellow synthesizer classic "You've Got It Bad Girl" and the fuzzy funky "Maybe Your Baby". Great stuff, and one that won't let you down!

A classic from Merry Clayton – and a record whose title follows from her big fame of singing on the original version of "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones! The sound here is a lot more soul-based, as you'd guess – arranged beautifully by Gene Page, with a really righteous feel that's perfect for Merry's deeply soulful vocal approach – and produced to perfection by Lou Adler, with some surprising help from Curtis Amy – one of our favorite saxophonists ever. Music is by a hip cast of top-shelf talents from the coast – including Billy Preston on organ, Joe Sample on piano, David T Walker on guitar, and Paul Humphrey on drums – all nice and tight, but totally right in the pocket with their grooves. Titles include Merry's classic version of "Gimme Shelter", plus "Tell All The People", "I've Got Life", "Here Come Those Heartaches Again", and "Good Girls".

Massively soulful, massively stepping – and one of the greatest albums ever from the team of Art Farmer and Benny Golson! The record sparkles with an amazing edge – rhythm totally in place from the trio of Cedar Walton, Tommy Williams, and Albert Heath – and horns braced over the top with a clean-blown sound that's as impeccable as it is soulful! Farmer, Golson, and trombonist Tom McIntosh update the soulfully arranged style that Golson first forged in the 50s – taking it into earthier territory with more of a soul jazz flair, but still allowing for the space and modern edge that made Golson's work noticeable from the start. The album features some great originals, and key takes on jazz standards from the time – an all-great run of titles that includes "The Cool One", "Blues On Down", "Hi Fly", "Bean Bag", and "Con Alma".

A classic Blue Note groover – the funkiest album by Duke Pearson, and a killer batch of piano-heavy soul jazz tunes! Duke really blew out the box for this one – not only coming up with a great batch of original tunes, and playing them with an incredibly soulful touch – but also working with a top-shelf batch of players that includes Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, and James Spaulding! The great Mickey Roker is on drums, playing away with a nice scatter-shot modal mode that grooves in all the right parts – and titles include "Big Bertha", "Sweet Honey Bee", "Sudel", "Ready Rudy?", and "Empathy".

A great little album from Jeannie Reynolds – and her lasting contribution to underground soul! Jeannie's vocals are nice and deep – with hints of southern diva phrasing, filtered through some of the tighter soul styles coming out of Chicago and other points north at the time! Detroit talents LJ Reynolds, Tony Hester, and Don Davis produce – save for one song by Michael Henderson – and the big highlight is the slow groover "The Fruit Song", a sly seductive stepper of a track, with rolling congas, sweeping strings, and a very catchy hook from Jeannie. That number runs for about 7 minutes long – and the album also includes a number of nice shorter cuts, like "I've Still Got My Pride", "The Feelin' Ain't There", and "You Want To Get Your Hands On A Woman" – all wonderful numbers that will have you loving Jeannie as one of your favorite new discoveries in 70s soul!

A really wonderful take on Porgy & Bess and other Gershwin standards by Pearl Bailey – there's just something about her naturally rich, bluesy, husky tone on these tunes that's simply wonderful! The backing is often well measured, but, occasionally a bigger sound and chorus vocals kick in. For the most part Pearl owns this stuff, giving warmth and resonance lost on more showbizzy takes on the style and compositions. Titles include "I Got Plenty Of Nothin". "I Got Rhythm", "Summertime", "Lady Be Good", "A Foggy Day", "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "Bess You Is My Woman", "It Ain't Necessarily So", "Clap Yo Hands" and more.

One of Basie's biggest albums – but still a work of pure genius! "April In Paris" is one of the darkest jazz standards ever written, and it never sounded better than in this original version, which features that great ending in which Basie and the band stop, then start, then stop – leaving you completely unresolved at the finish. The group's a strong one – with Frank Foster, Frank Wess, Freddie Green, Sonny Payne, Marshall Royal, Henry Coker, Joe Newman, and Thad Jones – and tracks include "Shiny Stockings", "Midgets", "Mambo Inn", "Sweety Cakes", and "Corner Pocket".

Beautiful bass work from 50s LA player Red Callender – heard here on this classic side recorded for the Modern imprint. Swingin Suite is easily one of Red's tightest sessions – a date that has Callender's basslines strongly leading a nonet of players that includes Harry Jones on trumpet, John Ewing on trombone, Willie Green on alto sax, and Buddy Collette on flute and tenor. Collette's lines have a nice sharp edge throughout, and soar out beautifully amidst the bigger backings – and although a "suite", the whole session's got a much more relaxed feel than that compositional title might make you think. Tracks include "On Again", "Greenery", "Pastel", "Dancers", "October Blue", "Bihari", "Skyline", and "Outlines".

One of the biggest records ever from The Chi-Lites – thanks to the "Oh Girl" title hit that's referenced on the cover! But apart from that ballad classic, the record's actually got a heck of a lot more to offer – some incredible harmony soul tracks that show that even during their hit years, The Chi-Lites were one of those groups who could still stay true to their roots – and still come up with amazing tunes again and again! Mainman Eugene Record is at the helm producing and writing most of the tunes on the set – and some of the best numbers have that little gentle groove that was the best Chi-soul contribution to the sound of the 70s – that lilt or bounce from the 60s, turned towards slightly more sophisticated modes for the new generation. Titles include "Being In Love", "Love Is", "Coldest Days Of My Life", "Living In the Footsteps Of Another Man", "Ain't Too Much Of Nothing", and "A Lonely Man" – and a cover of "Inner City Blues".

A pretty nice record with a colorful cover that always catches our eye when crate-digging! The group's half-soul, half-rock – and plays with some righteous touches that include a bit of jazzy riffing and the occasional reggae undercurrent. Carol Stallings lays down some great lead vocals on a few tracks, and Leon Patillo seems to lead the group on keyboards and male vocals – as well as write a good portion of the tracks. The album's got a nice compressed style that sits nicely between genres, and which could have crossed the group over big – and titles include "Joy", "Facts", "Burnin Out My Youth", "I'm In Love", "Nothing Can Stop Us Now", "Survival", and "It's Gonna Be Alright".

A sweet and smooth batch of modern soul tracks – arranged and produced by Tony Camillo, and the only album we've ever seen by this obscure east coast group! The set's got a really nice jazzy flourish – part New York club, part mellow studio soul – and the overall presentation of the set is wonderful, with a solid sound that's right up there with the big name groups of the time. Plenty of great instrumental touches in the mix – popping along on an uptempo groove on cuts like "Doin' The Dog", "Nasty Street", and "Gimme Your Love" – and bubbling in a sweet mellow vibe on tracks that include "Mr. Me, Mrs. You", "I Don't Ever Wanna Love Nobody But You", and "I Will Never Stop Lovin' You". Very nice!

Fantastic soul from Lamont Dozier – his first LP as a solo artist, and one of the best debuts of the 70s! The record has a quality that's impossible to describe accurately – but it's kind of a post-Motown full-on approach to soul that mixes strings, piano, and that wall of sound groove that was one of Dozier's biggest contributions to the Motor City. Surprisingly, the album's produced by McKinley Jackson – leader of The Politicians, who provided regular backing for Dozier's HDH productions of the time. The real strength, though, is Dozier's voice – which is produced here in a compressed way that brings up the better raspy qualities of his style, juxtaposing them with the tightness of the arrangements in a mode that's similar to Bobby Womack's work of the time. However, Dozier's songwriting is way way better than Womack's by this point – and the album's filled with anthemic soul cuts like "Fish Aint' Bitin", "Out Here On My Own", "Take Off Your Make Up", "Trying To Hold Onto My Woman", and "Let Me Make Love To You".

The first album by John Edwards – a richly talented vocalist who would go onto become the lead singer of the Spinners in later years, singing on some of their last big hits. This album's a very different effort – and features John singing in a deep Southern Soul style, mixed with the smoother production of the Hotlanta scene. The real strength of the record, though, is the songs – as John sings a great set of tracks by writers like Sam Dees ("I'll Be Your Puppet", "Claim Jumpin", "Stop This Merry Go Round"), Jimmy Lewis ("Careful Man"), Floyd Smith ("You Were Made For Love", and Bobby & Linda Womack ("It's A Groove"). Nice stuff, and the production and arranging's as strong as the writing!

Possibly the last big hit that the Four Tops ever cut for Motown – and proof that they could still turn out strong material, as was later proven by their work at ABC. The title cut – "Still Waters (Run Deep)" – is one of those always enjoyable, surprisingly sophisticated little pop soul tunes – and the record features a lot of other nice moments like "Love Is The Answer", "Reflections", "I Wish I Were Your Mirror", "Bring Me Together", and a reprise of "Still Waters". Nice use of moog, too!

Groovy guitar instrumental tracks by one of the biggest international talents of the 60's. Ingmann's guitar has a unique hard edged sound that's in keeping with American instrumentalists of the same type, but which has a cool overdubbed guitar sound that's a bit like Les Paul. Titles include "Margie", "Frenesi", "Qui Zaz", "Camondongo", and "Yourtel Gingando".

A monumental bit of 80s soul – the first solo album from Kashif, issued hot on the heels of a few years spent penning and producing work for a range of bigger artists! Given his experience with the pros, Kashif's emerging here as a very fully-formed talent in soul – a singer with a way of keeping things real, even when the tunes are catchy – and a producer with a great ear for the changing styles of soul at the time. The grooves are often nicely spare and stripped down, yet never without a good sense of feeling – and titles include "I Just Gotta have You (Lover Turn Me On)", "Stone Love", "Say Somethin' Love", "All", "Help Yourself To My love", "The Mood", "Don't Stop My Love", and "Rumors"

One of the biggest albums ever for Ohio Players – a set that took their earlier funk sound and targeted firmly at the mainstream with a lean, mean groove that a million other groups copied at the time! There's still plenty of the soul of the early years in the group's approach here – and sometimes, the mellower tracks show a wonderful talent for harmonies coming even more fully to the top. But the real appeal of the record has always been the bold, bassy grooves that hit strongly just as ensemble funk was exploding in the mainstream during the early years of disco – making plenty of space for the Players and their contemporaries to grab up new audiences who never would have touched a record like this five years before! There's plenty of grit in the grooves on the best numbers – a style that's maybe not as dirty as on Westbound, but still more than enough to make any real funk fan proud. Titles include "Fire", "Together", "Together/Feelings", "It's All Over", "Runnin' From the Devil", "Smoke", "What The Hell", and "I Want To Be Free".

Although he's best known for his vocal R&B hit "Heartbreak", Jon Thomas was also a darn good organist, and this mid 50s album for Mercury's a nice batch of sides in the same tradition as contemporaneous work by Bill Doggett and Doc Bagby. The tracks are short and lively, and Jon plays with most of the stops out, for a vibrato-heavy sound. Titles include "Blu Jon", "Hot Tip", "Fat Back", "Go & See", and "Jelly Belly".

Massive massive Miami funk – and a record that seems to sound better and better as the years move on! Sure, KC and crew were a chart-topping act, but this first album's a stellar batch of heavy cuts – featuring great instrumentation on clavinet, conga, guitars, and horns – all bubbled into an extremely tight mix that riffs along madly on just about every cut! Sure, we grew up grooving to this stuff out of the AM radio in the car (hmmm. . . Maybe that was the problem), but honestly, it sure stands up to a lot more funk from the time than you'd expect! Includes all the big hits – like "Boogie Shoes", "That's The Way (I Like It)", and "Get Down Tonight" – plus some nice breaks and funky intros on "I Get Lifted" and "Let It Go".

Arguably THE classic Cal Tjader album of the 60s – a landmark album that crossed over equally into Latin, jazz, and mainstream audiences – and a stone cooker that's filled with smoking little grooves! The set's probably best known for its title track "Soul Sauce" – one of the biggest jazz hits of the 60s, and a catchy groover that was built around a riff from Dizzy Gillespie, but which also featured a groovier 60s sound, thanks to Cal's use of vibes. The whole album follows in similar format – and features great work by a core combo that includes Armando Pereza on congas, Lonnie Hewitt on piano, and Johnny Rae on drums. Titles include "Soul Sauce" – also known as "Guacha Guaro" – plus the tracks "Joao", "Leyete", "Maramoor", and a killer reading of "Afro Blue" that features guest appearances by Donald Byrd, Jimmy Heath, and Kenny Burrell.

We're not normally the biggest fans of The Chambers Brothers, but this album's a cracking winner from the mid 70s. Shouldn't be so, given the date and the label, but there's a really funky track on here that's one of their best – the great break cut "Stealing Watermelons", which has a great drum part, a strong bassline, and cool harmonica on the intro! Other tracks are pretty nice too – and titles include "Stop The Train", "Miss Lady Brown", "Lotta Fine Mama", "Smack Dab In The Middle", and "Pretty Girls Everywhere".

Here's another excellent Felt reissue from our heroes at Cherry Red – the bands 8th album, originally released on Creation in 1988! The album proved that longevity was a big part of the Felt equation, bringing their pretty much timelessly appealing, Hammand organ grooving mood rock into the late 80s. It's easily one of their best late albums! Tracks include "Apple Boutique", "Ivory Past", "Until The Fools Get Wise", "Bitter End", "How Spook Got Her Man", "Christopher Street", "Under A Pale Light", "Don't Die On My Doorstep" and more.

Really nice work from The Four Tops – proof that they were still going quite quite strong after Motown! The album's got a hip sound that shows the group moving through a wider range of emotions than we ever remember – crafting rich deep harmonies that still stand apart from the big wave of sweet soul quartets of the early 70s, and which sparkle with all the emotion that Levi Stubbs' voice had to offer. Includes their great theme to Shaft In Africa, the track "Are You Man Enough" – plus loads of other great ones like "I Just Can't Get You Out Of My Mind", "It Won't Be The First Time", "Sweet Understanding Love", "Too Little, Too Late", "Peace Of Mind", and "Main Street People".

Teddy Pendergrass and crew get a bit more political than on earlier releases, and adopt the righteous bubbling soul groove that had put the O'Jays over the top a few years earlier – with incredible results! The title cut – "Wake Up Everybody" – would prove to be a great example of the political Philly International hit formula applied to socially conscious themes, but the record probably scored even bigger with the club crossover hit "Don't Leave Me This Way". Other tracks include "Keep On Lovin You", "Tell The World How I Feel About Cha Baby", "I'm Searching For A Love", and "You Know How To Make Me Feel So Good" – the latter two of which also feature female vocals by Sharon Paige. Bobby Martin, Norman Harris, and Ronnie Baker did the arrangements – and this was Teddy's last LP with the group.

One of Jimmy Smith's biggest albums of the 60s – and a classic Verve pairing of his lean Hammond organ solos with the fuller, hard-swinging arrangements of Oliver Nelson! Nelson is working here at the height of his powers – backing Smith with a large group, but in a way that only seems to free him up to solo even more – pushing the tunes with an undeniable power from the all-star band, as Jimmy takes off on flights of soulful fancy over the top! Side two features some more stripped-down solo work – in the manner of Jimmy's later Blue Note sides – and the set includes the hit single "Walk On The Wild Side", plus the tracks "Bashin", "Step Right Up", and "Beggar For The Blues".

The Staple Singers are cooking on all burners at this point – and it's hard to stop them with that much power – a soaring, searing sort of energy that definitely earns them a place in the sky! The set's a totally strong batch of gospelly soul tracks – produced by Al Bell with that great early 70s Stax deep soul sound – at a point that's still without the sort of cliche that might hold back material of this type in later years. Instrumentation is by Clayton Ivey on Hammond, Barry Beckett on keyboards, and Jimmy Johnson and Eddie Hinton on guitar – and titles include "Getting Too Big For Your Britches", "Today Was Tomorrow Yesterday", "Something Ain't Right", "My Main Man", "Blood Pressure", "Who Made The Man", "Back Road Into Town", and "If It Ain't One Thing It's Another".

A masterpiece of harmony soul – one of THE all-time greats of the genre, and a lasting treasure from The Stylistics! The album really took vocal soul to a whole new level for the 70s – pushing from the sometimes fragile ballad style of the late 60s into a smoother, more mature sound that was impeccably produced, yet still had all the depth of feeling as before! Maestro Thom Bell is the man to thank for the greatness of this album – as his production and musical vision really helped The Stylistics hit levels that few other groups like this were reaching at the time. Titles include their seminal long version of "People Make the World Go Round" – which, at 6 minutes in length, was really unusual for the time. Other titles include "Stop Look & Listen", "Betcha By Golly Wow", "You're A Big Girl Now", "If I Love You", "Ebony Eyes", and "You Are Everything".

38 tracks in all, spread out over 5 pieces of vinyl, including "You Don't Want To Go To War" and "The Party Don't Stop" by Mia X, "Break Em Off Something", "How You Do Dat", "Pass Da Green", "Hot Boys & Girls", "Plan B", "Let's Get Em", "Bounce That Ass", "Thug Girl", "War Wounds", "Soldiers, Riders, G's" and "Let My 9 Get Em" by Master P, ""Get High With Me" by Souljah Slim, "No Limit Soldiers", "I'm Bout It Bout It", "Freak Hos" and "There Dey go" by TRU, "Akickdoel" and "MakinMoves" by C-Murder, "Let Me Hit It" and "I'm A Soldier" by Silk the Shocker, "Down For My N's" by Snoop Dogg, "Murda Murda Kill Kill" and "Can I Ball" by Mac, "Big Timer" by Fiend, "Money Don't Make Me" by Magic, "I Ain't Playing" by Mystikal, "Head & Shoulders" by Mr Serv-On, "Watch Me" by Kane & Abel, "I'm A Baller" by the Gambino Family, and more. . .

Incredible solo work from Roscoe Mitchell – almost even more compelling than any of his work with bigger groups! The set compiles material from a number of different concerts, and features Mitchell on alto, tenor, baritone, and soprano sax – blowing these wonderfully shaped, thoughtfully formed lines that are filled with soul and feeling – almost more inside than most of Roscoe's other work of the time, but still with some of the exploratory sensibilities you might hear in his Nessa albums. Sounds are quite fragile at points, but quite bold at others – and the range of expressions really keeps things interesting throughout. Titles include "Eeltwo", "Nonaah", "Tutankamen", and "Oobina".

Thelonious Monk meets the mighty Oliver Nelson – the hip bigger band arranger who was helping so many other artists find their groove back in the 60s! The result is less Nelson-led than some of Oliver's other albums of the time – and instead, the arranger is nicely respectful of Monk's core sound – and still manages to led Thelonious keep the frontline strong on piano, and work with familiar players are the core who include Charlie Rouse on tenor, Larry Gales on bass, and Ben Riley on drums. Nelson's touch seeks mostly to augment the Monkish lines with some larger horn shadings – sometimes a bit upbeat, but never more swinging than Monk might want. There's enough of a blue tone here to keep this one nicely in line with the rest of the 60s Columbia catalog for Thelonious – and titles include "Monk's Point", "Consecutive Seconds", "Let's Cool One", and "Rootie Tootie".

A rare alternate version of The Madison – recorded at the same time as Ray Bryant's big hit, and in a similar style that features jazzy instrumentation supported by "calls" from Al Brown! The cover's got an "everybody's doing the Madison" sort of look – but the sound here is strongly soulful, and the few non-call instrumental numbers come off with a really snapping soul jazz groove! There's no players listed on the cover, but we're willing to believe there's one or two famous jazz artists in the group. Titles include "Madison Jam", "Mo Madison", "Your Call", "Madison Party (parts 1 & 2)", and "Scotty".