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A soaring classic from The Emotions – thanks to some supreme help from the Earth Wind & Fire side of the soul spectrum! This set has the trio really sounding great – with Kalimba Productions by Maurice White and Charles Stepney – and a good deal of EWF help on the instrumentation as well! The girls break out of the rootsier style used on their earlier Stax recordings, and manage to fit perfectly with the jazzy tinges of the new grooves – and, along with Ramsey Lewis and EWF, the Emotions were part of a hugely successful trinity during the late 70s – one that took the indie soul roots of the Chicago scene and turned it into landmark big business for Columbia Records. The album's got a new approach to female group soul that would go onto shape R&B for years to come – and titles include "Flowers", "I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love", "We Go Through Changes", "Special Part", and "You've Got The Right To Know". CD features a bonus single version of "Flowers".

The overlooked collaboration between Human League singer Philip Oakey and producer Giorgio Moroder! The duo initially worked together on the outstanding "Together In Electric Dreams" single – a surprise hit from Moroder's soundtrack for a forgettable movie – and given The Human League's move towards a dancefloor sound around the same time, the timing was perfect to team up! Moroder lays down a soulful synth backdrop that rarely lets up – in fact, the first five tunes flow together almost like a continuous suite! Ultimately, this is a sweet slice of quintessentially 80s sounds – in a style that's endured – especially when you consider its influence on groups like Passion Pit a good 25 years later! Other tracks include "Now", "Why Must The Show Go On", "In Transit", "Goodbye Bad Times" "Brand New Lover (Take A Chance)", "Be My Lover Now", "Valerie" and "Shake It Up". Bonus tracks on this CD version from Gold Legion include an extended version of "Together In Electric Dreams", "In Transit/Goodbye Bad Times (12" Remix)" and "Be My Lover Now (12" Remix)".

That's quite a Village People cover on the front – no surprise, as The Ritchie Family are also another key project from VP creator and disco wizard Jacques Morali! All the best Morali modes are firmly in place – that hard-driving, long-grooving style that's perfect for the clubs – with extended grooves that blend core instrumentation with larger soaring strings – all at a length that's bound to get most clubgoers as steamy as the guys on the cover! A newly-recast Ritchie trio of Vera Brown, Jacqui Smith-Lee, and Dodie Draher handles the vocals with a boldness that matches the grooves – and titles include "Sexy Man", "Put Your Feet To The Beat", "Bad Reputatin", and "It's A Man's World/Where Are The Men".

Vickie Sue Robinson hits a great groove here – thanks to production and arrangements from T Life, who seems to bring a deeper soul to the music! There's a fullness here that goes way beyond the usual – a soaring vibe that works perfectly with Robinson's famous vocals, and a well-rounded style that goes way beyond pop disco and easygoing soul! T Life wrote almost all the tracks on the set, and the studio combo is nice and tight – still very much in the best live riffing approach to soulful club in the late 70s. Titles include "Never Stop Loving Me", "Can't Accept The Fact", "What's Happening In My Life", "Hope Your Feelings Are Like Mine", "High On Your Love", "Shine Your Love On Me", and "Movin On".

The only full length record we've ever seen from singer Suzi Lane – and a catchy batch of late 70s disco produced by Giorgio Moroder, but also featuring arrangements by Harold Faltermeyer – in a tuneful, hook-styled mode that's as sweet as can be! Suzi's vocals are the seductive and soulful icing on this Moroder-produced treat – and overall, it's a nice mix of dancefloor soul and some of the more futuristic funky synth sounds Giorgio would carry on into the 80s. Suzi's vocals keep it grounded in soul, though – as do some occasional strings and brass. Nice! Titles include "Morning Noon & Night", "Free Me", "Harmony", "No One Home In The City", "Givin It Up", and "Ooh La La". CD bonus tracks include 12" versions "Harmony" and Ooh La, La", plus a 7" version of "Harmony".

A sweet collection of grooves from the legendary Salsoul label – easily one of the hippest imprints on the New York scene of the 70s! Salsoul's grooves go way beyond the usual disco – crafted with roots that go back to soul and salsa of the earlier part of the decade – and often mixed to perfection with a sound that holds up strongly, even on a crowded dancefloor! This package features ten of the best-remembered gems from the label – most in long mixes that echo their strong popularity as 12" single – titles that include "Doctor Love" by First Choice, "Runaway" by The Salsoul Orchestra with Loleatta Holloway, "Jingo" by Candido, "Dreamin" by Loleatta Holloway, "By The Way You Dance" by Bunny Sigler, "Love Is You" by Carol Williams, "Dance A Little Bit Closer" by Charo, "I Love New York" by Metropolis, and "Rio De Janeiro" by Gary Criss.

Great post-Curtom work from Linda Clifford – an album that has her nicely shaking off the excesses of the disco years, and going for a warmer, more sophisticated sound! The style here is almost a bit like the Jones Girls at the time – full modern soul, often grooving in a midtempo mode – but not nearly as over the top as late 70s club. Linda's really nicely laidback on the vocals – rolling warmly with most of the grooves – and the arrangements are by Leon Pendarvis and James Mack, with some especially great vocal arrangements by Luther on some of the best numbers – done in a way that buoys Clifford's vocals up with just the right bit of backing! Titles include "Build A Fire", "Never Say Never", "Let It Ride", "I Lied", "I'll Keep On Loving You", "Don't Come Crying To Me", "Ain't You Glad", "Only The Angels Know", and "All The Man I Need". This CD edition has 2 bonus tracks: 12-inch versions of "I'll Keep On Loving You" and "Don't Come Crying To Me".

Sweet soul with a nice disco groove – by a singer who was brought to light during the Bee Gees' big disco years of the 70s! Teri's got a wonderful approach here – almost earlier female pop, but with a soulful range too – one that's really brought out by the arrangements, which share a similar sort of balance. Things are never too overly disco, but groove nicely too – and the album's got a lot more than some of the other crossover projects of this nature. Titles include "Save Me Save Me", "Pleasure Train", "Back In Your Arms Again", "The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of", and "Ain't Nothing Gonna Keep Me From You". CD features 2 bonus tracks – 12" versions of "The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of" and "Ain't Nothing Gonna Keep Me From You".

A nice change in sound for Debbie Harry – thanks to Chic production from Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards – who really help the solo singer find a groove that's quite different than her work in Blondie! The style's a mixture of the funky club that Chic did so well, with elements that lean a bit more towards an early 80s rockish dancefloor – almost with a vibe that echoes some of the UK imports trickling over to these shores at the time, but with a definite New York vibe underneath! The setting gives Harry's vocals a great way to hit a more playful nature – that sound that was creeping in a bit in Blondie, but which some folks thought was wrong for the group – and Chris Stein is still on hand to bring in some street-sensitive riffing guitar. Titles include "Backfired", "Military Rap", "Oasis", "Surrender", "Chrome", "Jump Jump", and "The Jam Was Moving". CD features 3 bonus tracks – "Backfired (special long version)", "The Jam Was Moving (extended)", and "Inner City Spillover (extended)".

A cool collection of grooves from the legendary TK Records label – and one that goes way past the obvious hits that topped the charts back in the 70s! The package is less the overall story of TK, than it is a great reminder that there's some really funky nuggets lurking deep in the label's mighty catalog – killer tunes that show that the Miami club sound of the late 70s was firmly rooted in funk and deep soul of the earlier part of the decade – at a level that still stayed pretty funky, even well into the disco generation! There's some great gems here – and titles include "Lady Fingers" by Tony Middleton, "Plato's Retreat" by Joe Thomas, "Funk Reaction" by Lonnie Smith, "Harlem Nocturne" by Wildflower, "Don't Turn Away" by Midnite Flite, "Star Cruiser" by Gregg Diamond, "Funk Machine" by Funk Machine, "Hey Sexy Dancer" by Rocky Mizell, "Dance To The Drummer's Beat" by Herman Kelly & Life, and "Do What You Wanna Do" by T Connection.

A huge hit for both The Emotions and Maurice White – whose Kalimba Productions handled this album in the same hit mode they'd been using for Earth Wind & Fire! There's a polished, soaring bounce her that definitely shows the Earth Wind & Fire touch – and which takes the girls miles from their rougher, rootsier soul of the Stax/Volt years – yet like all the best EWF records of the time, the sound is also plenty soulful, with lots of righteous undercurrents. The album includes the group's wonderful track "Don't Ask My Neighbors", a heavenly tune that builds on a long tradition of sweet female soul from Chicago; the super-huge "Best Of My Love", a hit on dancefloors and radios for years to come – and many other nice numbers like "Blessed", "How'd I Know That Love Would Slip Away", and "Key To My Heart".

A classic disco stormer from Grace Jones – recorded at Sigma Sound with a real Philly groove, thanks to arrangements from John Monster Davis – and produced with a full, soaring sound from the legendary Tom Moulton! The set may well be Grace's true club classic from the late 70s – a record that works both on the quirky levels of her early rise to fame, and on the more soulful expectations mainstream clubgoers had at the time – a beautiful balance that owes plenty to the input from Davis and Moulton! Titles include "Do Or Die", "Pride", "Fame", "Below The Belt", and "Am I Ever Gonna Fall In Love In New York City".

Great work from Grace Jones – still riding high on a disco wave here, but also finding her own space and sound too! The mighty Tom Moulton produced, ensuring some great sound for the set – and arrangements are by Thor Baldursson and John Davis, both of whom bring in nice sense of fullness, but never smother Grace too much – a key factor, given that her vocal approach is often a bit more restrained than some of the other disco divas of the time. There's less covers here than before, and Grace herself even penned some of the tunes. Titles include "Suffer", "Sinning", "Saved", "Atlantic City Gambler", "On Your Knees", and "Don't Mess With The Messer".

A sweet mix of 80s pop and soul from Limahl – an artist who, despite his haircut and silly name, actually sounds better here than in the group Kajagoogoo! The rhythms are usually upbeat, but in kind of an 80s crossover mode – slight echoes of new romantic touches, which are perfect for the gently cresting vocals of Limahl – and really help him hit some blue-eyed soul high points here. And we'll admit, we really only wrote off the guy as more of a top 40 artist – but there's some added depth here, in kind of a Simply Red way, that's a nice surprise. Titles include "Don't Suppose", "That Special Feeling", "Tar Beach", "Only For Love", "Never Ending Story", "Your Love", and "Oh Girl". CD features 2 bonus tracks – "Never Ending Story (12" mix)", and "Only For Love (dance mix)".

A soaring collection of dancefloor classicsw from the late 70s and early 80s – true gems from the years when disco was really going strong – with many tracks presented on full length album or 12" versions! We'll be honest and say that the cover and title don't look like much on the front – but the CD's very well put-together, and features a detailed book of notes, with a fair bit on each tune included in the set! The collection's pulled from a variety of different labels – and titles include "With Your Love" by Donna Summer, "Dance Disco Heat" by Sylvester, "Star Love" by Cheryl Lynn, "Haven't Stopped Dancin' Yet" by Gonzalez, "Heaven Must Have Sent You" by Bonnie Pointer, "Wear It Out" by Stargard, "Everybody Get Up" by Ren Woods, "#1 Dee Jay" by Goody Goody, "Saturday" by Norma Jean, "This Time Baby" by Jackie Moore, and "I Got the Feeling" by Two Tons O Fun.