All Categories — CDs  

An 80s soul classic from Kashif – an artist who really helped transform R&B at the time, all without the benefit of a last name! The album's completely arranged and produced by Kashif himself – cementing the reputation he'd begun working behind other artists in the earlier part of the decade before going onto greater fame as a solo act on his own – a rock-solid approach to soul music that bristles with the best innovations of the 80s soul generation. Most tunes are heavy on beats, but use them in just the right ways – and keyboards provide a good amount of the rest of the instrumentation, but fleshed out strongly so that they work well next to the vocals. Tunes are a nicely balanced blend of mature male soul and some slightly catchier groovers – and titles include "Botha Botha", "Dancing In The Dark", "Movie Song", "Say You Love Me", "Stay The Night", and "Condition Of The Heart".

Even at this early point in their career, the Modern Jazz Quartet were plenty proud of their relation to and reception in Paris – almost rubbing their international fame in the faces of other American combos with the title and cover of this record! The set's still got the quartet at their crisp early best – before any of the sometimes too academic or too serious tones of later sides – and tracks are mostly shortish, ringing out with especially nice vibes from Milt Jackson. Titles include an early reading of the title cut "Concorde", plus an extended "Gershwin Medley", and the tracks "All Of You", "I'll Remember April", "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise", and "Ralph's New Blues".

A standout classic from one of the all-time overlooked greats – the sublime Mystic Merlin, a group who cut a handful of killers in the early 80s! The group's biggest claim to fame is a young Freddie Jackson on vocals – but they're honestly much more an ensemble act than a backup for a lead star – and have this wonderfully-crafted blend of soul, jazz, and funk that never lets up – a really sophisticated groove, yet one that still knows how to be straight ahead and funky too! This classic set is wonderful all the way through – far from cliche, and head and shoulders above most of their contemporaries – with a wonderful array of grooves that includes the killer cut "Mr Magician", plus "Your Love", "Rock The World", "Full Moon", "Back To Zero", "Mindreader", and "Love Is What You Need".

Pretty nice work from Joe Quijano – a Latin musician who never hit the bigger fame of some of his 60s and 70s contemporaries, but who always comes out sounding pretty great! The record's a nice back-to-basics session from the mid 80s – recorded in an older pachanga groove, but with a slightly more complicated feel – jazzier touches and more complicated arrangements than you would have heard 20 years before – almost an Eddie Palmieri influence at times, which is pretty darn great! Titles include "La Lluvia II", "Como El Alamo Al Camino", "Pa La Habana", "Cuidate Juan", "La Salsa Se Impone", and "El Jibaro En Nueva York".

Quite possibly the biggest early moment of US fame for Roxy Music – thanks to the classic "Love Is The Drug", which kicks off the album and is easily one of the group's best-known tunes of the 70s! The album tightens things up slightly from the sound of Country Life before – not as many dark corners, but still plenty of the offbeat styles that make these early Roxy Music albums so great – with none of the softer styles that took over during the early 80s years. Other tracks include "End Of The Line", "Sentimental Fool", "She Sells", "Could It Happen To Me", "Both Ends Burning", "Just Another High", and "Whirlwind".

Songs of Mose Allison by Van Morrison, Georgie Fame, Ben Sidran and Mose himself.

Includes the songs "The Magnificent Seven", "Hitsville UK", "Junco Partner", "The Leader", "Police On My Back", "Midnight Log", "The Call Up", "Washington Bullets", "Broadway", "Rebel Waltz", "Look Here", "The Crooked Beat", "Somebody Got Murdered", "Lose This Skin", "Charlie Don't Surf", "Kingston Advice", "Corner Soul", "Let's Go Crazy", "The Sound Of Sinners", "Living In Fame", "Silicone On Saphire", "Career Opportunities", and some more.

A long buried treasure trove of southern soul from deep deep down in the Muscle Shoals scene – gritty, beautiful, powerful work by Mary Gresham – an unjustly unknown singer who we'll put way up there with very best female funk & soul vocals of the 60s, 70s and beyond! Mary found modest success on a couple of late 60s singles with singing partner Chuck Cooper, recorded as Chuck & Mariann, for the A-Bet label at Fame Studios – tunes that start out this collection – but the vast majority of this material is seeing an official release for the first time ever! She stayed busy over the years as a session backing vocalist, but she's a wonderful leader on these tunes – backed solidly by the horn accented Muscle Shoals brand of gritty southern soul – and it's unbelievable that this great stuff is only now hitting shelves. Loads of powerhouse soul, and the best kind of natural, truthful balladry – with Mary's vocals just killing it out front! 24 tracks in all: "Let's Walk Down The Street Together", "The Woman In Me", "Going Through The Changes", "Motivation", "Just Me And You", "Spend A Little Time (Loving The World)", "Get On Back On The Right Track", "Rainin' In My Heart", "Use Me", "I Want To Be Loved", "Promises Are Not To Be Broken", "We Are So In Love", "So Many Ways" and more!

Seminal early work from Willis Jackson – two classics back to back on a single CD! Blue Gator is a massive early Prestige set from tenorist Willis – and just the kind of record that set him firmly in the soul jazz camp for the 60s! By the time of the set, Jackson had already won plenty of fame for his R&B-tinged work – but here, he stretches out a bit more, and really gets creative on his solos – working with a very hip group that includes Jack McDuff on organ and Wild Bill Jennings on guitar – both players making a similar shift in their music at the time. The tracks are lively, recorded with a bold, loud tone, and have lots of those great open-mouthed tones from Jackson – quite possibly a good reason for his "Gator" nickname! Tracks include "Blue Gator", "East Breeze", "The Gator Jumps", and "Try A Little Tenderness". Cookin Sherry is solid-sending soul jazz from the great Willis Jackson! The album features Gator blowing in a group that includes Jack McDuff and Wild Bill Jennings on all cuts – plus bass by either Milt Hinton or Wendell Marshall, drums by Bill Elliott or Al Johnson, and some tasty added conga by Buck Clarke on a few cuts! The album's got a tight, yet laidback feel to – perfect kickback jam session material, in that classic Prestige soul jazz mode. Titles include "Contrasts", "Cookin Sherry", "Mellow Blues", and "Sportin".

Super chilled, atmospheric trip hop on this meeting of Howie B and Tosh & Kudo (of Major Force West/UNKLE fame). 10 tracks of moogy bliss with some nice acoustic guitar floating around the mixes: "River Of Bass", "Seashell", "Depart", "Ghost Dance", "Next", "Shhh", "Indigo", "A", "Electric Blue" and "Six Nine".

Beautiful west coast vocal group soul by The Whispers! Although the material they had recorded for Solar and Epic around the time this compilation of earlier material was issued had earned them bigger fame, we just love this early stuff – and this album's pulls together many our favorites by them from their days recording for Soul Clock and Janus, darn tough records to find! The tracks have a soaring harmony sound, and titles include "A Mother For My Children", "Your Love Is So Doggone Good", "If You Feel Like Coming Home", "Can't Help But Love You", "Planets Of Life", "Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong" and "I Only Meant To Wet My Feet".

Mindblowing work from the legendary Hank Ballard – a set cut years after his initial fame with The Midnighters, when he was working with James Brown in some very hip, funky, territory! James produced the record, and penned most of the tunes – and he does a really great job of bringing out the nasty, sinister qualities in Hank's vocals – sharper here than even in the 50s R&B era, and perfectly suited for the mix of politics and personal themes in the tunes! Backings are by the James Brown Band of the late 60s – and the whole thing's one of the funkiest albums The Godfather ever had a hand in! CD features the full original album, plus 6 more bonus singles – with tunes that include "How You Gonna Get Respect", "Funky Soul Train", "Unwind Yourself", "Blackenized", "From The Love Side", "Butter Your Popcorn", "Come In Wit It", "With Your Sweet Lovin Self", "Which Way Should I Turn", "You're So Sexy", "Woman Is A Man's Best Friend", and funky remakes of "Annie Had A Baby", "Teardrops On Your Letter", and "Finger Poppin Time".

One of the all-time soul classics from Atlantic – the fantastic debut of singer Arthur Conley, introduced as a protege of Otis Redding, who also produced the record! The sound is similar to Otis' own work, but often a fair bit rawer – and Redding works here with both Jim Stewart of Stax and Rick Hall of Fame Studios, ensuring that the album has equal doses of Memphis and Muscle Shoals in the mix! Otis also wrote some great tracks for the album, along with Conley and the legendary Dan Penn – and although the title track is Conley's huge single "Sweet Soul Music", the album is filled with loads of other great original tracks, including "Who's Foolin' Who", "There's A Place For Us", "Wholesale Love", "I'm Gonna Forget About You", and "Let Nothing Separate Us".

Beautiful reissue of this bossa nova classic! The album features the historic meeting of Stan Getz and Brazilian guitarist Joao Gilberto, with the surprisingly popular inclusion of Joao's then-wife Astrud. The record created a sound that was copied endlessly, and which catapulted Astrud to unbelievable fame worldwide – even though she was only included in the session at the last minute, because Joao couldn't sing in English! Includes the classic recording of "Girl From Ipanema", plus loads of other bossa classics like "Desafinado", "Cocovado", "O Grande Amor", and "Vivo Sonhando". Getz is impeccable, as he is on most of his bossa recordings, and Joao gives some of the best performances of his career. Plus, this CD reissue package includes 2 bonus cuts – and a very cool tri-fold cover!

An 80s soul classic from Kashif – an artist who really helped transform R&B at the time, all without the benefit of a last name! The album's completely arranged and produced by Kashif himself – cementing the reputation he'd begun working behind other artists in the earlier part of the decade before going onto greater fame as a solo act on his own – a rock-solid approach to soul music that bristles with the best innovations of the 80s soul generation. Most tunes are heavy on beats, but use them in just the right ways – and keyboards provide a good amount of the rest of the instrumentation, but fleshed out strongly so that they work well next to the vocals. Tunes are a nicely balanced blend of mature male soul and some slightly catchier groovers – and titles include "Botha Botha", "Dancing In The Dark", "Movie Song", "Say You Love Me", "Stay The Night", and "Condition Of The Heart". CD features three bonus tracks – "Condition Of The Heart (ext version)", "Love On The Rise (extended)", and "Love On The Rise (inst)".

From their inception in late 1956, Ramsey Lewis and his famous Young/Holt-era trio were destined for great jazz fame. This 1958 session on Mercury (then based in the group's native Chicago) catches the trio right at the beginning – when they were taking tunes that were pretty well known, and turning them into tight, jaunty, often comically-tinged soul jazz numbers that were very popular with the folks at the downtown clubs. As proof of that, the album features Lewis-arranged versions of many familiar favorites – including "Dark Eyes", "Come Back To Sorrento", "Greensleeves", and "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child". Also includes a few originals – like "We Blue It" and "Soul Mist".

Ostensibly the first album to feature Graciela as a lead act – but a set that still features the vocalist working with the band of her brother Machito, in which she'd risen to fame since the 40s! The sound here is perhaps a bit more focused on the vocals than some of the pair's previous records – with a few more romantic tunes that showcase Graciela's emotive strengths – yet the set's mostly in the rhythmic, playful mode the pair pioneered during the postwar years – and easily delivers all the charms you'd expect from an earlier Machito/Graciela pairing. Titles include "Ay Jose", "Al Fin Llegaste", "El Abanico", "Estoy A Mil", "Ya Tu No Estas", "Embriagate", and "Si No Eres Tu".

A great little small combo record that proves that Jimmy was still hitting strong in the late 60s! Although the bulk of the more famous Verve material featured Jimmy in larger settings or singing or playing pop material, there were also some nice stripped-down sides hidden in the catalog, which featured Jimmy back in his Blue Note groove from earlier days. This set's one of them – and it was recorded live at La Carousel in Atlanta, with a trio that included George Benson on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums. The recording quality's not totally great, and we wonder if the set wasn't issued just to cash in on Benson's increasing fame in the late 60s – but the overall feel is very nice, and it's good to hear Jimmy still grooving in a club. Tracks are all long, and titles include "Fingers", "This Guy's In Love With You", and "The Boss".