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One of the funkiest blacksploitation soundtracks of the 70s – a rare indie gem from Nat Dove & The Devils! Dove's got a style that's a lot rougher and rootsier than other soundtrack artists of the 70s – an approach that's more based in the modes of the indie funk underground of the time, and less in the more polished studio funk you'd find on bigger film releases. The grit in the grooves is wonderfully welcome here – and it's a quality that really sets this one apart from the pack, and keeps it in heavy rotation over the years! Most of the tracks on here are instrumentals, and a few of the cuts have vocals by Mary Love – and titles include "Joy", "Petey Wheatstraw", "Steve's Den", Junkie Chase", "Zombie March", "Ghetto Street USA", and "Loving You".

Fab early work from unsung British studio genius John Carter – 2 albums from his Ministry Of Sound group in the 60s! Carter's best known for his later, more baroque productions – but here he's working in a great blend of jangle pop and trippier influences – almost the British equivalent of some of the hipper LA groups of the time, but with bits of Hollies and Kinks-era pop in the mix as well! Tracks are relatively short and straightforward – based around catchy choruses, but often hitting on deeper themes, especially on the later work represented on the set. The 2CD package features the full tracks from the albums Men From The Ministry (1966) and Midsummer Nights Dreaming (1968), plus 11 more bonus singles from the group's Sunny Records sessions of the time. Titles include "I'm Coming Home", "Something Very Good", "Goodbye To Rosalie", "White Collar Worker", "In The Sky", "Sequin Sally", "Rain Raiin Rain", "Roberto Billow", "Love Equals Love", "Memory", "Turn Around", "Time & Motion Man", "Sunday In The Park", and "Magic People".

Thelonious Monk wrote the title tune, but Miles Davis makes it almost his own here – blowing with a subtly moody magic that makes the album one of his true treasures from the early Columbia years! John Coltrane's along on tenor sax – helping Davis expand the sound the pair first forged on Prestige – and also present is the rhythm trio of Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones – impeccably recorded here with a wonderful sense of space. Titles include Miles seminal take on "Round Midnight", plus "Tadd's Delight", "Dear Old Stockholm", "Bye Bye Blackbird", and "A Leu Cha". The first disc also features 4 bonus tracks too – "Sweet Sue", "Little Melonae", "Budo", and "Two Bass Hit". The second disc are live recordings from '55 and '56.

A wonderful overview of soundtrack work from some of Francois Truffaut's greatest films – all scored by Georges Delerue, a composer who Truffaut felt was his greatest collaborator! Delerue's genius with Truffaut is a little hard to sum up in words – because, like the films, the music has a kind of subtle magic that isn't exactly earth-shattering – but which somehow manages to find a space quietly close to the heart, and then work in beautiful and gentle ways. The recordings begin with early Truffaut classics like Tirez Sur Le Pianiste and Jules Et Jim, and work their way through 60s and 70s gems that include La Peau Douce, L'Amour A Vingt Ans, Un Belle Fille Comme Moi, and Les Deux Anglaises Et Le Continent. The set's capped off by music from some of Truffaut's early 80s standout films – including Le Dernier Metro and Vivement Dimanche – and as usual for this series, there's a great set of notes to accompany the huge amount of music on the disc!

Really dark sounds from the enigmatic Igor Wakhevitch – even darker than his previous albums, and that's saying a lot, given the nature of those sets! This one was done in collaboration with American dancer Carolyn Carlson – but given the moody, offbeat quality of the sounds on the disc, we're damned if we can figure out how anyone could physically interact with the music! Some passages are very abstract and electronic – while others seem to use atonal acoustic instruments, but with a vibe that's still quite electric – and even the few female vocal passages come across with a sharp, striking quality – a bit like Cathy Berberian with Berio. Titles include "Eve Speaks", "Henry The Fool Of The Doll", "Ritual Of The Master Of The Doll", "Arrival Of The Magic Doll", and "Twilight & Call Of The Ascending Spirit".

A cool collection of funky grooves from the Caribbean – tracks that take a strong influence from American soul and funk, then blend it heavily with hip rhythms from the islands! A few of the names here are familiar, but most are relatively obscure – and put together, the tunes on the set illustrate a hugely under-tapped scene that's filled with wonderful tunes – tracks awash in jazzy rhythms, skittish percussion, and a range of styles that move past much more familiar Jamaican sounds from down south. Drums here are often quite heavy, and matched by other percussion as well – not to mention jagged guitar lines and bass bits that really send the whole thing home! As with other Strut compilations, the overall package and liner notes are as great as the music on the disc – and the set features a total of 20 tracks that include "Of My Hands" by The Goretti Group, "Calypsoul" by Clarence Curvan & His Mod Sounds, "You Tink It Sorf" by Lancelot Layne, "Magic Fever" by Magic Circle Express, "Independent Bahamas" by Biosis Now, "Move Up Blackman" by Tyrone Taylor, "Guanavaco" by Marius Cultier, "Raycan" by The Hondells, "You Don't Love Me" by Gemini Brass, "Woman" by Sambo, "We See Jah" by Wadadli Experience, "Freedom In Africa" by Duke, "Red Light Lady" by Ophelia, and "It's A Feeling" by St Maartens The Rolling Tones.

A pivotal album for the group – released at a time when Black Ivory, like so many other east coast vocal groups, was making the transition away from an older sweet soul style to a more sophisticated club vocal sound. The group's producing themselves here – and we're guessing that most of the real work is being done by Leroy Burgess, although Patrick Adams still appears to be working with the group on the string and horn arrangements – giving things just the right sort of underground disco twist to make things groove! The record includes the great club track "Walking Downtown (Saturday Night)", a longtime fave around Chicago – plus "White Wind", "Making Love In My Mind", "Could This Be Magic", "Longer Ride", and "Can't You See".

Libidinous grooves from the great Stelvio Cipriani – a set of tracks that hangs nicely between a late 70s club style and some of the slinkier sounds we've heard on Stelvio's other work! The album's got a vibe that definitely lives up to its image and title – and although the first few numbers are groovers with a definite disco flavor, the real charmers on the set are the mellower numbers – which slide along gently, with vocals from Nora Orlandi and Edda Dell'Orso – breathily singing amidst gentle grooves and some sweet keyboard lines! The style of these tracks is more early 70s Cipriani than anything else – that great dose of amore that always makes his music so great. Titles include "Sweet Sweet Love", "The Magic Touch", "Souvenir D'Un Soir" – and a number of "Libidine" tracks.

Rare work from the Circle City Band – the first-ever full length album from the group – and a set that brings together their few club singles and a host of previously unreleased tracks! The CCB are well remembered for the roller skating jam "Magic" – and the rest of this set is equally great – with lots of bouncing basslines, snapping beats, and warmly soulful grooves that really sparkle with lots of early 80s funky touches – from the sweet keyboards over the top right down to the crackling rhythms on the bottom! The package is a great discovery – one of those moments when you realize there's a lot more to a group than you'd ever heard before – and the album's way more than a reissue, given the treasure trove of previously unheard 80s grooves in the set! Titles include "Love", "Time Tunnel", "Hello Stranger", "Magic", "Gladiators", "My Place", "Party Lights", "Lonely", and "Hold On".

Rare work from the Circle City Band – the first-ever full length album from the group – and a set that brings together their few club singles and a host of previously unreleased tracks! The CCB are well remembered for the roller skating jam "Magic" – and the rest of this set is equally great – with lots of bouncing basslines, snapping beats, and warmly soulful grooves that really sparkle with lots of early 80s funky touches – from the sweet keyboards over the top right down to the crackling rhythms on the bottom! The package is a great discovery – one of those moments when you realize there's a lot more to a group than you'd ever heard before – and the album's way more than a reissue, given the treasure trove of previously unheard 80s grooves in the set! Titles include "Love", "Time Tunnel", "Hello Stranger", "Magic", "Gladiators", "My Place", "Party Lights", "Lonely", and "Hold On".

A damn great little record from Clifford Coulter – a set that's much tighter and more soul-based than his earlier funk albums for Impulse Records – but which comes together beautifully, too – thanks to help from Bill Withers in the studio! Bill produced, and the record has this perfect sort of balance – never too slick or uptight, but really focused too – that great warm groove that Withers found with his own music at Columbia – but set up here as a perfect foil for Coulter's truly amazing voice! The singer's got a depth that comes through right away – on both the ballads and the groovers – and the record's one of those under-discovered gems that we've dug for years – proof that some really amazing soul music was coming out on major labels, between the hits. Withers plays lots of keyboards on the record – and titles "Another Day", "You And I Together", "Nothing In The World Is Free", "Don't Wanna See You Cry", "Magic Carpet Ride", "Maybe It's Better To Go", and "The Better Part Of Me".

Pure magic from the lovely Maria Creuza – a singer who only seems to get more soulful as the years go on! The set's got a different feel than some of Maria's earlier work – rootsy some minutes, but with a soul-styled sophistication at others – often arranged with jazzy undercurrents that really seem to let her vocals take off nicely. Arrangements are by Sivuca (who also makes a guest appearance on the set) – plus Gilson Peranzzeta, Carlos Kalunga, and Luiz Roberto – and titles include "Coracao Vira Lata", "Ifa Uma Canto Pra Subir", "Luz", "Pura Magica", "Delicado Perfume", "Sou Rei", and "De Tentacao A Cantada".

Prime symphonic disco from the mighty John Davis and his well-named Monster Orchestra! The set's got a dramatic flourish that still mixes in plenty of live instrumentation – including keyboards and flute from John, plus some nice congas from Larry Washington! John sings lead vocals on most cuts, but uses some cool processing to kind of space out the sound – making for a compressed and flanged-out sound that's poppy, but really compelling. And although the whole thing sounds hokey, the quality of the grooves is actually pretty great from an instrumental standpoint. Titles include "Once Upon A Time", "We Can Fly", "Up Jumped The Devil", "You Gotta Give It Up", "You're The One", "The Magic Is You", and "Recapitulation".

One of the best 70s mellow soul talents at Atlantic Records – sounding completely sublime here in a full set of Philly arrangements! The set was recorded at Sigma Sound – and is a great reminder that even during the disco years, the studio was still a great place to cut a heartbreaking ballad – the sort of number that younger Philly groups would have done for indie labels at the start of the 70s – polished up and given some real maturity here by The Major! There's also a few great groovers on the record too – but with that Philly poise that also still holds onto all the personality of the singer – and the arrangements are great throughout – handled by Norman Harris, Ron Kersey, and Bobby Eli – a perfect Philly team. Titles include "Walkin In The Footsteps", "Jealousy", "I Got Over Love", "Tynisa", "It's Got To Be Magic", and "What's The Use In The Truth".

Sexy soul magic from LJ Johnson – not to be confused with ex-Dramatic LJ Reynolds, but a great singer in his own right! LJ's got a sweet vocal approach that's almost that you'd hear from earlier years, on east coast vocal group records – but here, he's working in a fuller, richer mode that often dips into disco-based territory with full arrangements, driving percussion, and a set of female voices behind LJ's own. And these upbeat tracks are all pretty nice, thanks to some Danny Leake arrangements – but our favorite numbers are the mellower ones – especially the tunes "Staring in Space" and "Things Will Work Out in the End" – both of which have this great stretched out feel, with a heavenly spacey quality that we just love!

A trio of Blue Note albums from guitarist Stanley Jordan! First up is Magic Touch – a crucial album for the jazz guitar in the 80s – the debut effort of Stanley Jordan, and a set that exploded with a very fresh sound! Jordan has a really unique way of handling his instrument – playing up and down the fret board with both hands – in ways that are often so lyrically compelling and musically complicated that Blue Note had to package the album with a "warning" that there were no overdubs or production tricks on the set – as you might find from other contemporary players on labels like ECM! Instead, Stanley's got a sound that's surprisingly warm and personal – and which, in a way, is recorded with a style that echoes the legend of his initial discovery by the label, while playing in the subway. Titles include "A Child Is Born", "Fundance", "Angel", "The Lady In My Life", "Round Midnight", and "Eleanor Rigby". On Standards Vol 1, guitarist Stanley Jordan takes on a set of standards – not just older tunes from the American songbook, but also some gorovy soul and pop numbers as well! Jordan plays solo throughout – in that open, lyrical style that we loved on his debut – and titles include "Sunny", "The Sound Of Silence", "Send One Your Love", "Moon River", "Guitar Man", and "My Favorite Things". Flying Home features Stanley Jordan in a new sort of soulful setting – one that takes his guitar from the previous solo setting of initial Blue Note albums, and gives it a fuller and smoother groove overall! The production and arrangements are by Preston Glass – a master of smooth jazz in these early years, and one of the few who could still keep things deeply soulful, even while adding in some more mainstream elements – in this case just the right touches to help get Jordan's guitar across to the same 80s audience that was digging cats like Earl Klugh or Bob James. Glass plays a fair bit of keyboards in the set – and titles include "Tropical Storm", "Can't Sit Down", "The Music's Gonna Change", "Flying Home", "The Time Is Now", and "Brooklyn At Midnight".

Blistering funk rock and raw, tightly grooving psych soul from small town Victoria, TX – trailblazing material from Kool & Together. This is an amazing anthology from Heavy Light/Light In The Attic that pulls together material from private press 45s the group put in the early-to-mid 70s and previously unreleased tracks recorded by Texas music legend Huey P Meaux. There's a raw soul, funky drums & percussion core to Kool & Together's style that's really great! Singer Tyrone Sanders doubles as the group's conga player, which is a great touch! There's a demonstrable level of gritty psych soul and rock in the mix, too – wah wah guitar, in particular – but they're much more into a tight, heady groove than the kind of lumbering heft and solo-heavy styles of other Hendrix disciples. It's a family band – the earliest tracks on the set feature Charles Sanders Sr on vocals, with Charles Jr on guitar, Tyrone on conga and Joe Sanders on drums – with the boys trading lead vocals and instrumentation on other later recordings, along with additional players. A great discovery from Heavy Light Records! 19 tracks in all: "Sittin' On A Hot Red Stove", "I Know", "If You Can", "Wino Man", "Magic Words", "Peace Is At Hand", "Better Days", "Fly So High", "Electronic Funk", "Reaching Out", "Hooked On Life", "Blow It Out Your Mind", "Get Your Feet Off The Ground" and more, plus 4 demos: "Escapism Beat", "Hot Pants", "Nassau Beat" and "Wino Man".

A magic carpet ride of funky soul from Kool & The Gang – classic Open Sesame from '76 – one that took the group to a higher level! It's not as rawly funky as some of the group's earlier albums, but they do still bring it, just with a cooler spirtual vibe that we never expected – one that opens up their sound even further! The best example of this is the great cut "Little Children", a very righteous jazzy soul number that's been sampled to great use, and one that introduced a great mellow sound for the group. Other cuts include the dancefloor classic "Open Sesame", "Whisper Softly", "L-O-V-E", and "Sunshine". This remastered edition from Big Break UK includes 3 bonus tracks: "Open Sesame (Groove With The Genie) – Part 2 (Single Version)", "Super Bad (Single Version)" and "Open Sesame (Groove With The Genie) (Promotional 12" – Special Disco Version)".

The best-ever collection of work we've ever seen from Barbara Lewis – and the first set to really give the soul singer her due! Lewis was a hell of a vocalist back in the 60s – an artist who could be classy one minute, and gutsy the next – often working with key production from the great Ollie McLaughlin – a Detroit talent from the time, and one who crafted a really unique groove with Barbara! The result is a batch of tracks that go way beyond familiar 60s soul – and way beyond Barbara's better-known hits too – a wealth of under-discovered tunes that really shows a lot of development, especially as the 60s move on. There's loads of tracks on here we've not heard in years – and titles include "Fool Fool Fool", "On Bended Knees", "You're A Dream Maker", "I'm All You've Got", "I'll Keep Believing", "Don't Forget About Me", "It's Magic", "Make Me Belong To You", "I Remember The Feeling", "I'll Make Him Love Me", "Sho Nuff", "Make Me Your Baby", "Love To Be Loved", "Think A Little Sugar", "My Mama Told Me", "Snap Your Fingers", "Pushin A Good Thing Too Far", "Come Home", "Baby I'm Yours", and "I Say Love".

Oh how we love this album – and we think it may well be the best album ever from Charles Mingus! The set was recorded in that magical Mingus year of 1957, but oddly not released until 1962 – missing some of the initial frenzy of his discovery during the Atlantic and Columbia years. But the album's actually a treasure that predates the better-known latter sides – with a sharpness and intensity that Mingus hardly ever matched again! The group is one of his strongest ever – with Shafi Hadi on alto, Clarence Shaw on trumpet, Jimmy Knepper on trombone, and Bill Triglia on piano. There's a slight Latin vibe, as you might expect from the title – but it's very slight overall, and most of the tunes are in that sharply angular, fully expressive style that flowered most strongly for Mingus in the late 50s. There's not a wasted moment of music on the whole album – with tight solos and incredible rhythms that dominate every second of the extended tracks – and titles include "Dizzy Moods", "Flamingo", "Los Mariachis", "Ysabel's Tabel Dance", and "Tijuana Gift Shop".

Neon bright electro disco pop from the late 70s – the pulsing, thumping Magic Fly by Space – a vessel for French keyboard groover and composer Didier Marouani! The Space project actually started as an experimental, genre splicing cosmic keyboard focused demo – but others rightly saw and heard the future in these synth soul soundscapes and the title track became an international hit! A genuine precussor to the spacey soul 80s to come. Other tracks include "Velvet Rape", "Tango In Space", "Fasten Seat Belt", and "Ballad For Space Lovers".

A mid 70s classic from Donna Summer – and a follow up to her huge, chart-toppiong Love To Love You Baby – and once again produced by Giorgio Moroder! The record didn’t hit the commercial heights of the preceding one, though they did utilize the same sort of Euro-disco approach – and it sounds just as great to us! The first half is a longer suite of 4 tracks – "Try Me", "I Know", "We Can Make It" and "Try Me, I Know We Can Make It", and side 2 features 4 more numbers "Prelude To Love", "Could It Be Magic", "Wasted" and "Come With Me".

Plenty of Magic here from T-Connection – a clubby set of tracks, yet one that's still put together more like a funk combo record from the mid 70s! The instrumentation is mindblowing – impeccable guitar and basslines, set to snapping rhythms that really capture the best Miami funk mode before smoother disco took over – especially impressive on the longer tracks on the set! The whole thing's great – more like a pile of fast funky 45s than the usual disco record – and titles include the long "Do What You Wanna Do", plus "Disco Magic", "Got To See My Lady", "Peace Line", "Monday Morning", and "Mothers Love".

Funky club from the always-great T-Connection – all extended numbers, served up in one dancefloor-packing set! T-Connection are easily one of our favorite groups from the late 70s club years – and although they played big in discos, the combo also had a core instrumental sound that was steeped in funk – with lots of raw acoustic percussion, tight guitar and bass riffing, and a razor-sharp groove that was always at the top of its game! The package brings together some of T-Connection's best dancefloor tracks from their great run at TK Records – mostly numbers from the late 70s and early 80s, all presented in full or extended versions. Titles include "Disco Magic", "At Midnight", "Do What You Wanna Do", "Saturday Night", "Let Yourself Go", "On Fire", "Everything Is Cool", "Love Odyssey", "Totally Connected", and "Do What You Wanna Do (94 remix)".

Two disco albums from Evelyn Thomas – back to back on a single CD, with tracks from an unreleased third album as well First up is I Want To Make It On My Own – a Casablanca stormer from Evelyn Thomas – a set that makes mighty full use of her strong vocals for the clubs, but which also features some quick-stepping production from Ian Levine! There's a nice polish to the record, but in an older sort of style – so that the lead singer is respected when the lyrics are flowing free, yet the tracks are also more than long enough to step out with plenty of longer disco modes too. A few tracks have some nice hooks that would more than make them stand on their own as soul singles – and titles include "I Want To Make It On My Own", "Back To Reality", "Thanks For Being There", and "It's The Magic Of Your Touch". Have A Little Faith In Me is filled with tight long tracks that work perfectly with the bold vocals of singer Evelyn Thomas – grooves that build up long before the lyrics come into the mix – in the best style of club classics on the AVI label! Ian Levine's at the helm once again – guiding Thomas in the studio – but the arrangements have an even tighter punch than before – a nice touch of Chicago groove from arrangers Danny Leake and Fiachra Trench. All titles are nice and long – and tracks include "My Head's In The Stars", "Love Isn't Just An Illusion", "Have A Little Faith In Me", and "No Time To Turn Around". CD features three unreleased bonus tracks that are all mighty nice – recorded after the second album, but never released – including the slinky groover "Sleaze", plus "Summer On The Beach" and "Love In The First Degree".

A killer package – two full albums, plus bonus tracks too! First up is Maybe – amazing early work from the Three Degrees – tracks cut before their more famous disco years in the 70s – but already showing a whole new approach to girl group soul! At some level, the trio take off strongly from the best late 60s styles of The Supremes – taking the most righteous elements, and working them into a hip new take on female soul – often using slight undercurrents of funk, in ways that are a bit like Honeycone, but even groovier! Arrangements are by Sammy Lowe and Steve Swanson – who bring in a nice east coast bite – and titles include "Sugar On Sunday", "Rosegarden", "You're The One", "The Magic Door", "Collage", "Maybe", and "You're The Fool". Next is So Much Love – a great illustration of the way the female trio could really take off – even without the disco grooves that would later bring them fame! There's a bouncy sound to most numbers here – a bit of Northern Soul here, some 60s mod there – and the girls' vocals are even more amazing than we remember them in later years – really at the top of the girl group pack for the time. Arrangements are by Hutch Davie, Tony Camillo, and Bert DeCoteaux – and titles include "Maybe", "Trade Winds", "I Do Take You", "Who Is She (And What Is She To You)", and "Magic Mirror". 2CD set features a whopping 23 bonus tracks – including "Handle With Care", "Shades Of Green", "Requiem", "Isn't It A Pity", "Yours (long single version)", "There's So Much Love All Around Me (mono)", "Through Misty Eyes (mono)", and mono takes of many album tracks!

An overlooked gem from Voyage – maybe the best album ever from this Euro Disco lineup, but a set that never fully got its due, given that it was initially released after the end of the disco generation! The style here is even tighter and funkier than previous outings from Voyage – definitely done with echoes of 80s club, yet more disco than 80s groove in the long run – thanks to the strong emphasis on rhythms the group always had from the start. As before, the keyboards and drums lay out most of the structure of the tunes – but there's also some great riffing guitar, and plenty of catchy vocals too – possibly even more hook-heavy than before. Titles include "One Step Higher", "Let's Get Started", "Come & Get It", "I Surrender", and "Follow The Brightest Star". Massive 2CD edition also features 15 more bonus tracks – including the previously unreleased "Almost Made It" – and lots of mixes of "Nowhere To Hide", "Let's Get Started", "Magic In The Groove", "I Surrender", and "One Step Higher".

A tight collection of uptempo funk and disco-driven soul tunes – with a selection that goes way past the usual dancefloor favorites! We're not sure how to read the title (which seems to have some sort of "inside take" on black culture in America) so we'll write that off to the overzealous imagination of the British compilers of the set – but we will say that the package includes some great numbers that we wouldn't have thought of otherwise, including a few previously unissued tunes by artists on the Westbound label! The groove is upbeat on most tracks, with plenty of jazzy flourishes and a soulful approach to disco. Titles include "Disco Booty" by Melvin Sparks, "Love Don't Come Easy" by New Jersey Connection, "I Need Somebody To Love Tonight" by Sylvester, "Free Man" by South Shore Commission, "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" by The Clark Sisters, "Latin Disco" by The Counts, "Alvin Stone (The Birth & Death Of A Gangster)" by Fantastic Four, "Moon Trek" by Mike Theodore, "Sadie" by Joe Bataan, "Sure Can't Go To The Moon" by CJ & Co, and "The Magic Man" by King Errison.

80s soul galore – most of it more than clubby enough to play on the dancefloor, although done with much sharper sounds than most of the work in the 70s disco generation! The cuts are heavy on bassy beats, guitar parts, and keyboard lines – often nice and lean, with that sharp punch you'd hear so strongly on soul tracks from the 80s. There's plenty of hits and overlooked classics here – and the double length set features "Guilty" by Yabrough & Peoples, "Back & Forth" by Cameo, "The Smurf" by Tyrone Brunson, "Electric Lady" by Con Funk Shun, "Dial My Number" by Pauli Carman, "Baby I'm Hooked" by Kathy Mathis, "Magic's Wand" by Whodini, "Let Me Be The One" by Five Star, "In Your Eyes" by James D-Train Williams, "Seduction" by Val Young, "Turn It Up" by The Conway Brothers, and "The Truth" by Colonel Abrams.

6 of the biggest late 70s singles for the Salsoul label – stretched out to form one hard-grooving LP! Nearly every cut's a super-disco winner, and titles include "My Love Is Free" and "Ten Percent" by Double Exposure, "It's Good For The Soul" and "Magic Bird Of Fire" by Salsoul Orchestra, "Let No Man Put Asunder" by First Choice, and "Catch Me On The Rebound" by Loleatta Holloway.

6 of the biggest late 70s singles for the Salsoul label – stretched out to form one hard-grooving LP! Nearly every cut's a super-disco winner, and titles include "My Love Is Free" and "Ten Percent" by Double Exposure, "It's Good For The Soul" and "Magic Bird Of Fire" by Salsoul Orchestra, "Let No Man Put Asunder" by First Choice, and "Catch Me On The Rebound" by Loleatta Holloway.

A fab collection that's casting light on one of the neglected eras in soul reissues, the cusp of the 80s, with an emphasis on great, soulful disco numbers. All the tracks here have a nice pumping 4/4 beat underneath, but the tempos on most numbers sit nicely in the middle, building a set of great 80s boogie numbers, roller skating soul and sophisticated club tracks that fill in some gaps in your 12" collection! There's a number of styles represented, with some nice moogy bits on a few tracks and soaring strings on others, but every cut's a gem, 12 of them in all, with Charme "Georgy Porgy", Harvey Mason "Groovin You", Melba Moore "Standing Right Here", Vaughn Mason "Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll", Young & co "I Like What You're Doing to Me", Dunn Pearson "Groove On Down", "New Jersey Connection "Love Don't Come Easy", James Perry "April Lady", Garfield Fleming "Don't Send Me Away", Goldie Alexander "Show You My Love", Hipnotic "Are You Lonely" and the Circle City Band "Magic".

The immortal collection of psychedelic era garage rock and proto-punk gems – originally released on Elektra in 1972, where it influenced many of the great 70s underground pioneers, long before being reborn as an expanded box set in the late 90s! Lenny Kaye and Elekra Records big wig Jac Holzman put Nuggets together in 1972, mixing a bunch of great buzzsaw rock singles, indiscriminately melding hits and underground cuts alike – 27 great tracks by the likes of the Amboy Dukes, Standells, Castaways, Magicians, the Seeds, the Electric Prunes, Sagittarius, the Magic Mushrooms and many more! Tracks include "I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)" by Electric Prunes, "Dirty Water" by the Standells, "Respect" by Vagrants, "No Time Like The Right Time" by Blues Project, "Invitation To Cry" by Magicians, "You're Gonna Miss Me" by Thirteenth Floor Elevators, "Psychotic Reaction" by Count Five, "Baby Please Don't Go" by Amboy Dukes, "My World Fell Down" by Sagittarius, "Open My Eyes" by Nazz and more! One of the first great rock anthologies!

The immortal collection of psychedelic era garage rock and proto-punk gems – originally released on Elektra in 1972, where it influenced many of the great 70s underground pioneers, long before being reborn as an expanded box set in the late 90s! Lenny Kaye and Elekra Records big wig Jac Holzman put Nuggets together in '72, mixing a bunch of great buzzsaw rock singles, indiscriminately melding hits and underground cuts alike – 27 great tracks by the likes of the Amboy Dukes, Standells, Castaways, Magicians, the Seeds, the Electric Prunes, Sagittarius, the Magic Mushrooms and many more! Tracks include "I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)" by Electric Prunes, "Dirty Water" by the Standells, "Respect" by Vagrants, "No Time Like The Right Time" by Blues Project, "Invitation To Cry" by Magicians, "You're Gonna Miss Me" by Thirteenth Floor Elevators, "Psychotic Reaction" by Count Five, "Baby Please Don't Go" by Amboy Dukes, "My World Fell Down" by Sagittarius, "Open My Eyes" by Nazz and more! One of the first great rock anthologies!

Another incredible batch of soulful disco – a set curated by legendary DJs/groove junkies Joey Negro and Sean P! Joey and Sean previously served as the architects of BBE's stellar Disco Spectrum series – and they've brought their A-game over to Z Records from what we can only hope will be another long-living series! The set skews to the obscure numbers – applying the disco tag liberally, really focusing on tight, punchy string-laden soul numbers – mostly from the tail end of the 70s and even spilling into the early 80s for a few numbers! It's that incredible period with Curtom and Stax influenced soul, funky drums and percussion, groovy early fusion, first school hip hop and the deeper dance music of the era melded into pure magic! 23 tracks on 2CDs, featuring a handful of Joey Negro re-edits for consistency! Titles include "Got To Keep On Trying (Joey Negro re-edit)" by Tenderness. "Ebonite (Joey Negro re-edit) " by Disco Fox, "La Sunshine" by Aura, "Changes" by Chain Reaction, "You Got Me Hung Up" by King Tut, "Happy" by Sandi Havens, "Kilimanjaro" by Letta Mbulu, "Manhattan" by Laura Greene, "My Chance To Dance" by Mahogany, "Love Message" by Sargeant & Malone and more!

A damn classic entry in the Super Breaks series from BGP – one that's filled with crucial sample cuts from the old school – some really wonderful funky nuggets, brought together here as a great reminder of the tracks that first got us digging back in the day! There's less of the totally obscure numbers here than you might find on other Super Breaks volumes, but things aren't totally mainstream either – and the compilers have not only done a great job of pulling together tracks that were really important for hip hop, but have also managed to put a really fresh spin on the music altogether – reminding us once again that even in the age of digital music, nothing beats a well-done compilation! Titles include "Shifting Gears" by Johnny Hammond, "Mary Mary" by The Monkees, "Scratchin" by Magic Disco Machine, "It's Just Begun" by Jimmy Castor, "Africano" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Apache" by Incredible Bongo Band, "Got To Get A Knutt" by New Birth, "Get Up & Dance" by Freedom, "Super Sporm" by Captain Sky, "Who Is He & What Is He To You" by Creative Source, "Funky President" by James Brown, "Blow Your Head" by The JBs, "Johnny The Fox" by Thin Lizzy, "Let A Woman Be A Woman Let A Man Be A Man" by Dyke & The Blazers, "The Clapping Song" by Shirley Ellis, and "Get Ya Some" by Melvin Sparks.

Groovy soul from Westbound Records – the Detroit imprint that's best known for its heavy funk from groups like Funkadelic or The Counts, but which also cut some killer Northern numbers in their early years too! The package features loads of under-discovered Westbound nuggets, including a few unreleased tracks too – and the overall feel is almost in the same territory as the HDH/Invictus camp of the early 70s – soaring soul that's clearly informed by the Motown generation, but which comes across with a lot more righteous overtones, thanks to some heady production work! A few names here are familiar, but most of the work should be pretty darn fresh, even if you've got other collections of Westbound work – and as usual, Kent have really knocked it out of the park with a great job on the notes and overall packaging. Titles include "Third World" by Joe Matthews, "Love Love Love" by Damon Shawn, "Till Another Day (Tom Moulton 7" edit)" by Caesar Frazier, "Ain't No Telling" by Houston Outlaws, "Happy Days" by The Magictones, "Gonna Spread The News" by Unique Blend, "Ain't That Lovin" by Denise & Abe, "Lonely In A Crowd" by Superlatives, "My Baby Ain't No Plaything" by The New Holidays, "Can't Shake It Loose" by Funkadelic, "I Can't See Myself Doing Without You" by Bob & Harold, "Never My Love" by Emanuel Laskey, "I'm Slowly Moulding" by The Magictones, and "I Am So Thankful" by Eddie Hill.

Plenty of Magic here from T-Connection – a clubby set of tracks, yet one that's still put together more like a funk combo record from the mid 70s! The instrumentation is mindblowing – impeccable guitar and basslines, set to snapping rhythms that really capture the best Miami funk mode before smoother disco took over – especially impressive on the longer tracks on the set! The whole thing's great – more like a pile of fast funky 45s than the usual disco record – and titles include the long "Do What You Wanna Do", plus "Disco Magic", "Got To See My Lady", "Peace Line", "Monday Morning", and "Mothers Love".

A damn classic entry in the Super Breaks series from BGP – one that's filled with crucial sample cuts from the old school – some really wonderful funky nuggets, brought together here as a great reminder of the tracks that first got us digging back in the day! There's less of the totally obscure numbers here than you might find on other Super Breaks volumes, but things aren't totally mainstream either – and the compilers have not only done a great job of pulling together tracks that were really important for hip hop, but have also managed to put a really fresh spin on the music altogether – reminding us once again that even in the age of digital music, nothing beats a well-done compilation! Titles include "Shifting Gears" by Johnny Hammond, "Mary Mary" by The Monkees, "Scratchin" by Magic Disco Machine, "It's Just Begun" by Jimmy Castor, "Africano" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Apache" by Incredible Bongo Band, "Got To Get A Knutt" by New Birth, "Get Up & Dance" by Freedom, "Super Sporm" by Captain Sky, "Who Is He & What Is He To You" by Creative Source, "Funky President" by James Brown, "Blow Your Head" by The JBs, "Johnny The Fox" by Thin Lizzy, "Let A Woman Be A Woman Let A Man Be A Man" by Dyke & The Blazers, "The Clapping Song" by Shirley Ellis, and "Get Ya Some" by Melvin Sparks.

Two club corkers by Black Ivory – back to back on a single CD! The self-titled Black Ivory album is a pivotal set for the group – released at a time when Black Ivory, like so many other east coast vocal groups, was making the transition away from an older sweet soul style to a more sophisticated club vocal sound. The group's producing themselves here – and we're guessing that most of the real work is being done by Leroy Burgess, although Patrick Adams still appears to be working with the group on the string and horn arrangements – giving things just the right sort of underground disco twist to make things groove! The record includes the great club track "Walking Downtown (Saturday Night)", a longtime fave around Chicago – plus "White Wind", "Making Love In My Mind", "Could This Be Magic", "Longer Ride", and "Can't You See". Hangin Heavy is filled with killer grooves from Black Ivory – a trio who've really come a long way here since their roots – stepping out with proud, soulful tones that are a perfect fit for the upbeat grooves of the set! There's still a touch of fragile harmonies at times – but overall, the group have a much more mature, adult vibe – set to tight late 70s club arrangements from Patrick Adams and Leroy Burgess – both of whom stay far away from any mainstream disco cliches, and really hit a sweet underground vibe for the set! Titles include the classic club track "Mainline", plus "Peace & Harmony", "Get Down (Comin' Down)", "You Turned My Whole World Around", and "Rest Inside My Love".

A damn great little record from Clifford Coulter – a set that's much tighter and more soul-based than his earlier funk albums for Impulse Records – but which comes together beautifully, too – thanks to help from Bill Withers in the studio! Bill produced, and the record has this perfect sort of balance – never too slick or uptight, but really focused too – that great warm groove that Withers found with his own music at Columbia – but set up here as a perfect foil for Coulter's truly amazing voice! The singer's got a depth that comes through right away – on both the ballads and the groovers – and the record's one of those under-discovered gems that we've dug for years – proof that some really amazing soul music was coming out on major labels, between the hits. Withers plays lots of keyboards on the record – and titles "Another Day", "You And I Together", "Nothing In The World Is Free", "Don't Wanna See You Cry", "Magic Carpet Ride", "Maybe It's Better To Go", and "The Better Part Of Me".

A sexy Euro soundtrack from the 70s – penned for a film that's apparently filled with lots of scantily clad showgirls! The style is totally sweet – often heavy on the keyboards, or on the strings – slightly slinky one minute, then soaring to the skies in a Love Unlimited Orchestra mode the next. Most numbers are relatively short, but manage to groove nicely – and a few numbers break from the porn and disco overtones to hit some slightly more playful melodies from an older Italian comedic period. Edda Dell'Orso sings a bit on the record – and Gianni Dell'Orso plays keyboards and directs the orchestra. CD features 21 tracks in all – including "Night Magic", in a few versions – plus "BR Sex", "Yellow Duck", "Roar", "Police Station", "Soul Meeting", "Pijamas Tops", "Summer Fashion", "Day In Rio", and "Torte In Faccia".

A crucial album for the jazz guitar in the 80s – the debut effort of Stanley Jordan, and a set that exploded with a very fresh sound! Jordan has a really unique way of handling his instrument – playing up and down the fret board with both hands – in ways that are often so lyrically compelling and musically complicated that Blue Note had to package the album with a "warning" that there were no overdubs or production tricks on the set – as you might find from other contemporary players on labels like ECM! Instead, Stanley's got a sound that's surprisingly warm and personal – and which, in a way, is recorded with a style that echoes the legend of his initial discovery by the label, while playing in the subway. Titles include "A Child Is Born", "Fundance", "Angel", "The Lady In My Life", "Round Midnight", and "Eleanor Rigby".

Ahhh . . . It takes a record like this one to remind us just what a magical crossover time the post-disco, post-punk days of the early 80s could be! Take two white guys from Denmark – Tim Stahl and John Guldberg – give them a drum machine and some funky beats, and out comes the breakdance classic "White Horse", which was one of the more sinister dancefloor numbers of its time. Sure, it's super-kitschy, but it hit pop-and-break crowd bigtime, and had kids from The Bronx to Bed-Stuy ripping up linoleum everywhere, and dragging it out into busy sidewalks where they could block off traffic! The other tracks on the album aren't as great, but ok electro pop – and titles include "Sunshine Reggae", "Elevator Boy", "Slowmotion Girl", and "Walking In The Sunshine".

Moogy keyboards, disco grooves, and sweet female vocals make this a classic session from the Rinder & Lewis team – and the album's a lot better than you might think from the silly name of the group or the throwaway disco cover on the front! The keyboards really drive the album, hitting some great funky clavinet moments or sweet moogy parts that always seem to have a nice touch of jazz – spicing up the tracks in a style that you wouldn't normally get on an album of this vintage and style. Titles include "Do You Have Any?", "Slow Down",a nd the mellow jazzy space number "No Sweat".

We love Oscar Peterson with strings – a setting he never got to use that often, given the popularity of his famous trio recordings! When Oscar gets set up with strings, he seems to play even more freely than with a combo – let loose from rhythm a bit more than before, and instead focusing strongly on melody – which often comes off with a warmly lyrical feel. This album's a rare entry into the Peterson strings category – a great 50s date with Russ Garcia backing Oscar up – giving the album just the right mix of mellow and modern to match Peterson's magical work on the keys! In a way, the album's a link between two different styles of 50s jazz – some of the warmer string-laden work of the piano mainstream, and some of the sharper sounds of the Verve modern approach to the style – served up here by Oscar in ways that bring both modes together perfectly, with just the right dash of both. Titles include "Laura" and "Tenderly" – both tracks you'd have to have on an album like this – plus "Black Coffee", "Ruby", "Stella By Starlight", "A Sunday Kind Of Love", and "I Thought About You".

Gregory Porter's a hip little singer – just the sort we love to discover in jazz, and the type that only comes around once in a blue moon! Like Jon Hendricks, Mark Murphy, or Kurt Elling – all perfect references for Porter's style – Greg has a wonderful way of coming up with his own lyrics for a tune – making him way more than just a singer of standards, and instead a richly expressive voice that has every bit to offer as you might get from a jazz instrumentalist! The arrangements are great, too – handled by Porter with help from pianist Chip Crawford and producer Kamau Kenyatta – bold, soulful, and soaring on the best tracks – all in beautiful declaration of Gregory's rich power and presence. Titles include a great version of Wayne Shorter's "Black Nile", and the original tracks "1960 What", "Lonely One", "Water", "Pretty", "Illusion", and "Magic Cup".

One of the coolest club projects of the 70s – a set of tracks based around the keyboards of Don Ray, but handled with lots of electronic disco touches from Cerrone! The pair are great arrangers on their own, but together they really make some magic – kind of a leaner take on the extended Cerrone groove – honed to a "t" in the studio, and sometimes given a nice punch with chorus vocals too. The tracks are shorter than you'd normally get from Cerrone, but still filled with all those freewheeling clubby grooves – warmly soulful undercurrents that make a great platform for the more electronic keyboards – never too cold at all, and a fair bit more personal than the sorts of keys we're used to hearing from the European scene. A really unique record – a partnership we wish worked together more like this, although we're plenty happy to have this treasure too! Titles include "Garden Of Love", "My Desire", "Body & Soul", "Got To Have Loving", and "Standing In The Rain".

A tight collection of uptempo funk and disco-driven soul tunes – with a selection that goes way past the usual dancefloor favorites! We're not sure how to read the title (which seems to have some sort of "inside take" on black culture in America) so we'll write that off to the overzealous imagination of the British compilers of the set – but we will say that the package includes some great numbers that we wouldn't have thought of otherwise, including a few previously unissued tunes by artists on the Westbound label! The groove is upbeat on most tracks, with plenty of jazzy flourishes and a soulful approach to disco. Titles include "Disco Booty" by Melvin Sparks, "Love Don't Come Easy" by New Jersey Connection, "I Need Somebody To Love Tonight" by Sylvester, "Free Man" by South Shore Commission, "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" by The Clark Sisters, "Latin Disco" by The Counts, "Alvin Stone (The Birth & Death Of A Gangster)" by Fantastic Four, "Moon Trek" by Mike Theodore, "Sadie" by Joe Bataan, "Sure Can't Go To The Moon" by CJ & Co, and "The Magic Man" by King Errison.

Here you go – everything you'll need to recreate the magic of the old days, except the cocaine! 2LPs worth of classic club tracks – including "In The Bush" by Musique, "YMCA" by Village People, "Let's All Chant" by Michael Zager Band, "Hot Shot" by Karen Young, "Got To Be Real" by Cheryl Lynn, "Hot Jungle Drums" by DC La Rue, "Le Freak" by Chic, and "Disco Nights" by GQ.

The Salsoul Orchestra at its finest, with Vince Montana at the helm, crafting some superb arrangements that have all of the positivity of the best funky club groove the band can come up with, and little of the campy disco sound that other soundalike bands were starting to hit! The group's format is still head and shoulders above most of its imitators here – a perfect balance of larger orchestrations and tighter rhythms for the club – handled with all the best Philly elements that Montana brings to play. Titles include the superb soul track "Run Away", which features excellent lead vocals by Loleatta Holloway – one of her best tracks ever – and other instrumental titles include the funky "Getaway", plus "Magic Bird Of Fire", "It's A New Day", and "Alpha Centuri".

Like finding a time machine – one that takes you back to the glory days of the New York club scene at the end of the 70s! Much has been written about Larry Levan – the genius DJ behind the Paradise Garage, and a leading force in club music who pulled the genre from the ashes of disco cliches and cold pre-programmed throwaway tracks. Levan not only had an ear for picking the most soulful tunes of the underground, buy he also had an extremely good talent for putting tracks together – a talent that got him plenty of work as a remixer in the early 80s, but which is also heard here exactly as you'd have heard it at the Paradise Garage back in 1979! The set is a magical document – a live mix performed by Levan at the Paradise, recorded with excellent sound, and spread over 2 CDs with a thick color booklet filled with notes about and photos of the Paradise Garage! The music's the best thing, though – as Levan comes up with killer groovers we've never heard, and other monsters that we'd forgotten about, and which sound even better in this stunning mix of music. Titles include "It's Music" by Damon Harris, "Put Your Body In It" by Stephanie Mills, "By The Way You Dance" by Bunny Sigler, "Right In The Socket" by Shalamar, "Here We Go Again" by Peoples Choice, "Bad Mouthin" by Motown Sounds, "Let Yourself Go" by The Supremes, "Angel In My Pocket" by Change, "Smack Dab In The Middle" by Janice McClain, "Sun Sun Sun" by Jacki, and "Erucu" by Jermain Jackson". 20 tracks in all – and all expertly mixed!

Jazzy dancefloor grooves from the legendary Azymuth – with remixes by Theo Parrish and LTJ Xperience – who work some magic on a couple of classic numbers from the Light As Feather record! Both producers are respectful of the original jams – with the spacey soul keys and funky bass on "Avenida Das Mangueiras" in full effect – and a nice club ready beat underneath – courtesy of Theo Parrish. The LTJ Xperience remix of "Partido Alto" is sweet, too – with a thick bassline and overall hazy, tripped out disco feel.

Two club corkers by Black Ivory – back to back on a single CD! The self-titled Black Ivory album is a pivotal set for the group – released at a time when Black Ivory, like so many other east coast vocal groups, was making the transition away from an older sweet soul style to a more sophisticated club vocal sound. The group's producing themselves here – and we're guessing that most of the real work is being done by Leroy Burgess, although Patrick Adams still appears to be working with the group on the string and horn arrangements – giving things just the right sort of underground disco twist to make things groove! The record includes the great club track "Walking Downtown (Saturday Night)", a longtime fave around Chicago – plus "White Wind", "Making Love In My Mind", "Could This Be Magic", "Longer Ride", and "Can't You See". Hangin Heavy is filled with killer grooves from Black Ivory – a trio who've really come a long way here since their roots – stepping out with proud, soulful tones that are a perfect fit for the upbeat grooves of the set! There's still a touch of fragile harmonies at times – but overall, the group have a much more mature, adult vibe – set to tight late 70s club arrangements from Patrick Adams and Leroy Burgess – both of whom stay far away from any mainstream disco cliches, and really hit a sweet underground vibe for the set! Titles include the classic club track "Mainline", plus "Peace & Harmony", "Get Down (Comin' Down)", "You Turned My Whole World Around", and "Rest Inside My Love".

Oh how we love this album – and we think it may well be the best album ever from Charles Mingus! The set was recorded in that magical Mingus year of 1957, but oddly not released until 1962 – missing some of the initial frenzy of his discovery during the Atlantic and Columbia years. But the album's actually a treasure that predates the better-known latter sides – with a sharpness and intensity that Mingus hardly ever matched again! The group is one of his strongest ever – with Shafi Hadi on alto, Clarence Shaw on trumpet, Jimmy Knepper on trombone, and Bill Triglia on piano. There's a slight Latin vibe, as you might expect from the title – but it's very slight overall, and most of the tunes are in that sharply angular, fully expressive style that flowered most strongly for Mingus in the late 50s. There's not a wasted moment of music on the whole album – with tight solos and incredible rhythms that dominate every second of the extended tracks – and titles include "Dizzy Moods", "Flamingo", "Los Mariachis", "Ysabel's Tabel Dance", and "Tijuana Gift Shop".

The third in the surprisingly strong Brownswood Electric series – in which Gilles Peterson carefully peruses the leftfield electronic underground and puts together some of the best, brightest and most worthy of discovery! We love both the eclecticism and the overall uniqueness of each track here. Gilles not only has excellent taste in modern sounds, but he has a great ear for odder, genre-defying material that avoid temporary trendiness. It's got some dancefloor ready neo-house, tripped out hip hop indebted instros, spacey keyboard textured tunes and more. Includes "Makin' Magic" by Krampfhaft, "Tiny Concrete Block" by Kidsuke, "Nothing" by Lost Twin, "Tride & Tride" by Anushka, "Girl" by Aftawerks, "Bootney Farnsworth" by Metabeats, "Hot Rain" by Pomrad, "Kick It VIP" by Frank Rodasm, "Never Been (Electr*c VIP" by Dub Phixion feat Fox and more.

A key look at the influence of Italian rhythms on American dancefloors – tracks from a magical time when Italian artists were hitting big in clubs on the US scene! The work here is from an early 80s moment when disco was on the downturn – leaving space for Italian imports to hit our shores with bigger force than before – bringing with them a range of romping rhythms, electronic sounds, and other odd touches that really set the scene for house music to come! A few cuts here have a slightly cold feel – a bit like the electronic post-punk imports from the UK or Germany – but most numbers are still quite warm and soulful, yet tuned differently than American club of the time – a bit more emphasis on the beats and basslines, even though there's still plenty of vocals and keyboards as well. The set features full notes on this time and the music by Bill Brewster – author of Last Night A DJ Saved My Life – and it features a great array of under-reissued tracks, including "Dreaming" by Rainbow Team, "Burning Love" by DD Sound, "Love" by Firefly, "Wojtyla Disco Dance (part 1)" by Freddy The Flying Ducthman & The Sistina Band, "Brazilian Dancer (DJ version)" by Kasso, "Tha Kee Tha Tha" by Five Letters, "Flor De Coca" by Number One Ensemble, "E Fatto E Sorde E (Maxessa edit)" by Tullio De Piscopo, "Tina Are You Ready (inst)" by Valentine, and "Do It Again" by Easy Going.

A second volume of underground disco and unstoppable dancefloor soul from NYC in the late 70s and early 80s – M&M Mixes Vol 2, highlighting rare and previously unreleased mixes by John Morales! It features a roster of legendary names, particularly to diggers of deeper disco tracks, but also some soul stars who worked well in that groove – a batch of tunes mixed & engineered by Morales back in the day at M&M Studios and elsewhere. Great numbers by Brass Construction, Inner Life feat Jocelyn Brown, Candi Staton, Fantastic Aleems, Teddy Pendergrass, War, Double Exposure, Salsoul Orchestra and more! CDs version includes 18 tracks on a jam packed 2CDs – many grooving on the longer side, with titles include "Caught Up" by Inner Life feat Jocelyn Brown, "Heartless" by Evelyn Thomas, "Now Is Tomorrow" by Brass Construction, "You Hearts Run Free" by Candi Staton, "Slipping Into Darkness" by War, "Dreamin" by Loleatta Holloway, "Magic Bird Of Fire" by Salsoul Orchestra, "Dancing Into The Stars" by Logg and more.

First volume in this series from WBLS jock Mr Magic. All the big early Profile hits from 1981-84, 12 tracks in all: Word of Mouth "King Kut", with the Profile big beat sound, Disco 4 " We're At The Party", Pebblee-Poo "A Fly Guy" (an answer to the Boogie Boys "Fly Girl"), Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde "Genius Rap" and "AM/PM" – their best cut by far, Fresh 3 MC's "Fresh", Run-DMC "Jam Master Jammin' (rmx)" and "King Of Rock", Masterdon Committee "Funkbox 2", Rock Master Scott & The Dynamic 3 "It's Life (You Gotta Think Twice)", Spyder D "Buckwheat's Beat", and Dana Dane "Nightmares".