All Categories — LPs  

Sly's leaping into the air on the cover of this one – and for good reason too, given the overall groove of the set! The album's a bit more stripped-down and upbeat than the previous few – almost more of a return to the simple funky style of the first albums, but with a slightly more electric sound than before – especially in the keyboards, which almost slide into the mix here with a Stevie Wonder-like quality. The electricity bubbles and brews wonderfully at the bottom of the rhythms – charging things up a bit, but still hanging back with a super-cool, laidback quality that few other groups could muster! There's a great sense of balance here that's brilliant – and which makes the album one of Sly's undisputed masterpieces from the Columbia years. Titles include the incredible "If You Want Me To Stay" – one of our favorite Sly Stone cuts ever – plus "Keep on Dancin", "Babies Making Babies", "Que Sera Sera", "If It Were Left Up To Me", "In Time", and "Let Me Have It All".

One of the fullest-sounding albums ever cut by Lonnie Liston Smith – but one of the greatest albums too! The set has Smith really taking off a bit more than on his work for RCA or Flying Dutchman – hitting some fuller sounds in the studio, thanks to backings arranged by Berg DeCoteaux, who's clearly trying to push Lonnie's groove a bit more towards a soul fusion audience of the time, yet always without losing any of the righteous energy that makes the music so great. There's a wonderful blend of acoustic and electric keyboards on the set – wrapped up in bits of strings, and propelled strongly to the skies with some great rhythms that include bass work from a young Marcus Miller, who also wrote some of the tracks on the set. Vocals aren't often in the lead – usually just sung by a chorus, if at all – and some of the best numbers here have a laidback groove that's totally wonderful – nice and mellow, with lots of room for the keys! Tracks include "Quiet Moments", "Space Princess", "Night Flower", "Mystical Dreamer", "Magical Journey", "Singing For Love", and "Exotic Mysteries".

Pure genius – not just from Stephen Sondheim, but also from Columbia Records – who are really revamping their style for recording shows here! Production is excellent, with some of the groovy twists and turns you'd expect in some of the John Simon projects for the label – including some great guitar in the instrumentation, and these fab arrangements that really make the tunes pop! Includes the sublime sound collage "Tick Tock" – plus "Ladies Who Lunch", "The Little Things You Do Together", "Another Hundred People", and "Barcelona". One of the finest moments ever for Elaine Stritch – and Dean Jones is great in the lead!

Titles include "Rosalita", "New York City Serenade", "The E Street Shuffle", "Kitty's Back", and "Wild Billy's Circus Story".

Solo Stephen Stills on Columbia – with titles that include "The Loner", "Soldier", "Different Tongues", "Stateline Blues", "No Me Niegas", and "Ring Of Love".

An obscure 7 track EP from Johnnie Taylor – almost a 12" single, but with more than enough going on to make us think of it as a full album! Johnnie's in prime Columbia Records form here – and the tunes are a mix of the "Disco Lady" style of his earlier hit for the label, plus some of the mellower southern soul of his roots! The set was recorded in both Detroit and Muscle Shoals – with Don Davis at the helm in the former, and Brad Shapiro in the latter – both of whom really help Taylor hit the heights with effortless ease here, all in a new sense of sophistication that he might never have found in his music, had he stayed at Stax! Titles include "She's Killing Me", "Pulling The Train", "I Can't Leave Your Love Alone", "Play Something Pretty", "The Users", and "Love Account".

Peter Tosh's great, militant, second solo LP, one of the best of his career! Equal Rights is up to par with the finest Wailers LPs, although this is a bit heavier than the groovy, mellow Legalize It, the predecessor. A vital, hugely important, essential set of mid-to-late 70s reggae on Columbia. Lots of classics – including "Stepping Razor" and "Get Up, Stand Up", plus "I Am That I Am", "Downpressor Man", "Jah Guide", "Equal Rights", and "African".

Heavy funk from Tower Of Power – almost more back in the group's earlier mode, which might be what they mean by the title! The sound's not exactly "street", but it's got a nice sense of funk on most numbers – production by Richard Evans and McKinley Jackson that helps keep a focus on the rhythms, and also does a good job of bringing out the best qualities from vocalist Michael Jeffries. Some tracks were recorded in Chicago, and these almost show a bit more sophistication at points – that warmer Chi-soul sound of the late 70s, although still with a TOP sort of touch. Titles include "Rock Baby", "Our Love", "It Takes Two", "Heaven Must Have Made You", "And You Know It", "Something Calls Me", and "Nowhere To Run".

Tight funky work from Tower of Power – produced here by Steve Cropper, but sounding a lot more like Average White Band than on earlier albums – with a great mix of mainstream funk and warmer, mellow cuts! The group takes advantage of the studio work to let the best funky sides of their instrumentation come to the forefront, and the record's got plenty of great keyboard and guitar riffing, and some well-miked drums that have a nice jazzy flourish on the best cuts. Vocals are a bit weak – but hey, once Lenny Williams left the group, what were they going to do? Titles include "We Came To Play", "Ying Yang Thang", "Let Me Touch You", "Share My Life", "Bittersweet Soul Music", and "Love Bug".

A great late 70s set from Weather Report – a record that's certainly got more polish than the early years, but which still sounds plenty darn great to our ears – thanks to a really free-flowing sense of imagination! The tunes here have a wonderfully chunky sort of approach to the groove – that kind of building, pulsating quality that always marked Weather Report as organic, even when electric – and which gave their music a sense of soul, even when it was sometimes smooth. There's enough dark corners here to shake off any of the more commercial touches – and it's wonderful to hear the way that Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul have evolved the original Weather Report ethos into something new and fresh. Titles include "Punk Jazz", "Mr Gone", "The Elders", "Young & Fine", "River People", and "The Pursuit Of The Woman With The Feathered Hat".