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Rave-up soul treasures from the late 50s through the 60s – one of the best compilations we've seen from Outta Sight! Age Of Northern Soul pulls together great material that blends Northern Soul, Popcorn and R&B – all of it pretty wonderful It's got lesser-remembered tunes from famous names that sound as glorious in our ears as some of the more beloved hits – including Etta James, Jimmy Ruffin, The Temptations and The O'Jays – as well as some great stuff from singers and groups most known to collectors. It's also jam packed with songs – 27 in all! Titles include "Seven Day Fool" by Etta James, "Don't Feel Sorry For Me" by Jimmy Ruffin, "Don't Mess With My Man" by Irma Thomas, "Mr Johnny Q" by The Bobbettes, "Oh My Soul" by Garlon Davis, "The Day Will Come" by Freddie Gorman, "Faded Letter" by Satintones, "Hard Times" by Royal Jokers, "Romance Without Finance" by The Temptations, "Heard Hearted Woman" by Eddie Burns, "Drip Drop" by The Drifters, "It Keeps Raining" by Fats Domino and many more.

The blueprint of a generation – a set that brings together a huge amount of rare singles from the start of the 60s – most of which helped form the groove for years to come! The set's got a great early soul feel – tracks that show a genre still in formation – as bits of R&B, vocal jazz, blues, and other styles are pulled together in the new groove of the time – not yet as upbeat as the Northern Soul you'd know from a few years later – but definitely cooking with a similar sort of energy. There's plenty of numbers here to appeal to a mambo soul crowd – and titles include "You Ain't So Such A Much" by Blanche Thomas, "Feelin Kind A Lonesome" by Willie J Charles, "She Knocks Me Out" by Harold Burrage, "My Heart's On Fire" by Billy Bland, "Good Enough" by Bobby Guy, "He's The One That Rings My Bell" by Sherri Taylor, "I Think I Love You" by Helen Troy, "Little Annie" by Anna Bell Caesar, and "You Don't Have To Go" by Sam Myers.

A wonderful collection from the soul treasure hunters at Outta Sight – essential grooves from a pivotal period – late 60s and early 70s soul singles that bridge the raw, driving vibe of the previous era to the more sophisticated arrangements of dancefloor soul to come! It's got some legendary names and comparably obscure ones alike – a great, stylistically varied set of soul tunes by Bobby Womack, The Electrifying Cashmeres, The Carlettes, Philharmonics, Three Shades Of Soul, Johnny Adams, Deniece Chandler, The Identities and more. Superb soul singles all the way – a bunch of which we've never heard before now! 24 tracks in all: "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)" by The Electrifying Cashmeres, "Lost Without Your Love" by The Carlettes, "Tried And Convicted" by Bobby Womack, "Mama, I Wish I Stayed Home" by Deniece Chandler, "I Can't Get Along Without You" by Judy Green, "When Love Slips Away" by The Identities, "Crying Time Is Over" by Tony Love, "You're A Bad Habit, Baby" by Johnny Adams, "Patience" by Rokk and more.

Classics and rarities from the Windy City Soul scene that gravitated around the great Curtis Mayfield and his studio! The set features tracks from Curtom, plus the Thomas, Mayfield and Gemigo labels along with Paramount and Polydor – with numbers by The Fascinations, Five Stairsteps & Cubie, The Mayfield Singers, Major Lance, Chuck Ray, Ruby Jones, Notations, Linda Clifford, Gene Chandler and many more! 26 tracks in all: "Girls Are Out To Get You" by The Fascinations, "Don't Start None" by The Mayfield Singers, "You Got The Power" by Mamie P Galore, "I Spy (For The FBI)" by Jamo Thomas & His Party Brothers Orchestra, "Lucky" by The Mayfield Players, "Don't Have To Be Lying Babe" by Gene Chandler, "You Better Run" by Ruby Jones, "Can't Get Enough" by Linda Clifford and more.

Rockin soul from the start of the 60s – a great batch of upbeat numbers that definitely show the rougher side of the Northern groove! Lots of these tracks sit perfectly in a space between early soul music and R&B – and strut along with the heavier grooves of the latter, yet soar with the bold vocals of the former – making for a mix of modes that's mighty nice! There's loads of rare singles here we might not have heard otherwise – and titles include "Somebody Else's Sweetheart" by The Wanderers, "Puddentane" by Lula Reed, "I'm Hurting" by Billy Gales, "You Crack Me Up" by Charlie Baker, "This Little Love Of Mine" by Buddy Ace, "The Snake" by Maximillian, "Boys Will Be Boys" by Joe Tex, "Wait" by Sidney Barnes, "You're A Little Too Late" by Danny Owens, "That's A Good Idea" by Grover Mitchell, and "That's Why I Cry" by Varetta Dillard.

Dancefloor cookers from the prime Northern Soul years – all instrumental numbers on this sharp compilation on Kent – 45 sides from a labels like Money, Villa, Swan, King, Epic and Warner Brothers! For all the wonderful Kent soul compilations we've gotten our dusty fingers on over the years, it's a wonder they're never been one devoted to instrumentals – until now! Rhythms roll along at a tight tempo, the tight guitars punch it up, some strings soar, and a pounding Northern beat keeps it all stomping! Those core elements are key, but others weave in an out, from hand claps on the beat, to organ grooves, bursts of brass and more. 24 tracks in all: "Double Cookin" by Checkerboard Squares, "Make Me Yours" by Arthur Wright & His Orchestra, "Festival Time" by San Remo Golden Strings", "The Sounds Of Lane" by Tracks To Your Mind, "Champion Pt 1" by Willie Mitchell, "The Guys From Uncle" by The Spy, "Stirrin Up Some Soul" by The Mar-Ketts, "Hey America (Sing Along)" by James Brown, "California Montage" by Young-Holt Unlimited and more.

A sprawling, double-sized set of Northern Soul singles – compiled by Richard Searling and with a focus on the pivotal mid 60s period – from the vaults of labels/imprints both big and small! It's got great singles issued at the time on Roulette, Capitol, United Artists, Sue, Veep, Minit, Liberty and more – mostly from '65-'68 – with some fairly famous names and comparably forgotten ones. Most of these tunes became rarities quite soon after they appeared – and it's s a massive set, too – with 50 tracks on 2CDs! Includes "Better Use Your Head" by Little Anthony & The Imperials, "Dance Dance Dance" by The Casualeers, "I'll Do Anything" by Doris Troy, "He Always Comes Back To Me" by Clydie King, "Movin' Away" by Kenny Lynch, "The Drifter" by Ray Pollard, "Breakout" by Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels, "My Dear Heart" by Shawn Robinson, River Of Tears" by by Barbara Banks, "She Blew A Good Thing" by The Poets, "I'm On My Way" by Dean Parrish and more.

A soulful testament to the towering talents of songwriter, bandleader, producer and singer Richard Popcorn Wylie – a killer collection of singles that Richard had a hand in by Tommy Neal, Mighty Lovers, Luther Ingram, Betty Boo, Tony Hester, Mighty Lovers, Detroit Executives, Jimmy Soul Clark and Popcorn himself! A somewhat grittier, but still sweet as can be side of Motor City soul of the mid-to-late 60s. Includes "Goin' To A Happening" by Tommy Neal, "Get It Babe" by Stanley Mitchell, "Stop That Boy" and "Spellbound" by Betty Boo, "Hanky Panky" by Richard Popcorn Wylie, "Spaceland" by Tony Hestor, "Savin' My Love For You" by People's Choice, "Quit Twistin' My Arm" by Stanley Mitchell "Cool Off" by Detroit Executives and more. 25 tracks in all.

Hard-burning soul from the great stretch of the 60s – that magical latter half of the decade when the genre really exploded – and turned out thousands of amazing tracks on smaller indie labels! This package pulls together some of the best groovers of that generation – all hand-picked by Northern Soul expert Kev Roberts, and served up here with fidelity that's a lot better than most of the beat up 45s we've got in our collection! And with a massive 31 tracks on the set, the whole thing's a heck of a great deal too – with cuts that include "Do You Love Me Baby" by The Masqueraders, "Change Your Ways" by Willie Kendrick, "I Need You" by Shane Martin, "I Got My Heart Set On You" by The Toys, "Let's Get Back Together" by The Honeybees, "You Can't Keep A Good Man Down" by The Gentlemen Four, "Tightrope" by Inez & Charlie Foxx, "In The Long Run" by Curtis Blandon, "I Got What It Takes" by Brooks & Jerry, "One In A Million" by Maxine Brown, "Walk Like A Man" by Johnny Moore, and "I'll Always Need You" by Dean Courtney.

Rare soul galore, but great soul too – a smoking selection of rare nuggets from the late 60s, including a fair bit of cuts that have never been on CD before! The package seems to be nicely heavy on talents from the Chicago scene – which is A-Ok with our Windy City ears – but also features great bits from down south and out west too – and the tunes step and soar along with grooves that break way past obvious 60s modes, and show that there's a continued great run of music to be discovered from this really amazing time! The whole thing's great – not a bit of filler at all – and titles include "I'm Stuck On You" by The Poets, "Just What Do You Plan To Do About IT" by Little Jerry Williams, "You Never Do Right" by The Fi-Dels, "Soon As Darkness Falls" by Roscoe Shelton, "Wonderful Nite" by Ruby Andrews, "All I Need" by June Conquest, "I Can't Hear You" by Betty Everett, "New Guy" by The Dynettes, "My Love Is Gone" by The Shadows, "Good Lovin Man" by Delores Hall, "The Night The Angels Cried" by Johnny Dynamite, "If There's Anything Else You Want" by Roddie Joy, "That I Love You" by Paul Johnson, and "I'm Walking Away" by Denise Chandler.

The heaviest side of the Chicago soul scene of the 60s – served up in a massive batch of rare tracks from the indie label underground! The collection is a great tribute to the depth of the Windy City scene back in the day – the huge range of local artists who were working hard to keep Chicago grooving – often with a style that was nice and gritty, with a bit less polish than work from Detroit – but with an equal sort of punch on the dancefloor! All tunes here are upbeat and grooving – and the range of artists is wonderfully representative, and includes a few rare tracks from singers who'd crack later fame on bigger labels. Titles include "I Can't Forget" by Bull & The Matadors, "I'm A Big Man" by Big Daddy Rogers, "Swing Your Love My Way" by No No Starr, "Disillusioned" by Marvin L Sims, "Check Her Out" by The Idols, "Spring Song" by The Accents, "All The Way" by The Danderliers, "Lovely Ladies" by Jimmy Hughes, "All Of My Life" by The Ringleaders, "I'm A Good Guy" by The CODs, "A Lonely Boy" by Lee Wilson, and "Speed Up" by Betty Moorer.

Uptempo soul from Jewel, Paula and Ronin labels – the Shreveport, LA base of Stan Lewis – record store and label opener, distributor, and all around behind-the-scenes wizard of the 60s & 70s independent soul scene! The singles are wonderful throughout, bridging the mid 60s to the 70s very nicely – with tracks by Billy Joe Young, The Objectives, Cliff Wagner, Peppermint Harris, Montclairs, Barbara West, Jay Jay Taylor and many more. The liner notes have a reprint of a cool vintage feature on Stan's empire from Billboard in 1973 – and the titles include "Got You On My Mind" by Billy Joe Young, "I'm Waiting" by Bill Bush, "Love Went Away" by The Objectives, "Wait Until It Happens To You" by Peppermint Harris, "Not Too Long Ago" by The Uniques feat Joe Stampley, "I'm A Fool For You Baby" by Barbara West, "Fight Fire With Fire" by Shay Holiday, "Hung Up On Your Love" by Montclairs, "Sugar Coated Words" by Miki Honeycutt, "I'm Not Tired Yet" by Jay Jay Taylor and more.

Don't judge a CD by its cover, because this one is incredible – all-solid, filled with rare soul tracks all the way through, with a quality level and depth of material that runs way way past the strange appearance of the cover image! The package was put together by the author of the book The Soul Of New Orleans – and it's a wonderful trip through a sound of that city that's not always featured on reissues: the more upbeat, uptempo soul recordings of the 60s – faster tunes that easily fall within the Northern Soul style. The Crescent City soul scene is usually represented with slower, sleepier tunes that build off the "triplets" heavy sound of 50s New Orleans R&B – and although that stuff is great, and really unique, it's wonderful to hear this different side of the New Orleans scene, especially when it's represented by music this great! 18 tracks in all – packaged with a book that has great notes on the music – and titles include "Please Don't Go" by Willie Tee, "Who Can I Run To" by Gerri Hall, "Being Without You" by Maurice Williams, "Do You Love Me" by Senator Jones, "I Caught You In A Lie" by Robert Parker, "Lucky Fellow" by The Jades, "Take Me Home" by Donna King, "Mean Man" by Betty Harris, "You Don't Mean It" by Curly Moore, "Omar Khayyam" by The Rubaiyats, and "In My Corner" by Ray Algere.

Hard uptempo soul stuff from this classic independent label from Philadelphia – briefly home to the Beatles in the early 60's, but best known to collectors for their tight northern soul catalog which features many classic Philly artists in their early days. Cuts include "Driving Me Mad" by The Three Degrees, "In Paradise" by The Showmen, "Watch Your Step" by Sammy Sevens, "The Spy" by Guys From Uncle, "Empty World" by Modern Redcaps, "Put Yourself In My Place" by Azie Mortimer, "And In Return" by Sheila Ferguson, "It Will Be Done" by Eddie Carlton, and lots lots more. 25 cuts in all!

A stunning look at a legendary London club of the 60s – presented here in a really well-done book-style package – with a CD that's brimming over with the American soul that made it groove so great back in the day! The set does a great job of showing the roots both of Northern soul, and the UK mod scene – as most of the work here is from that early cusp of soul – when R&B still figured strongly into the mix, and the groove also had some strong inflections from blues and jazz as well! The photos and images in the book are totally great – laid out over a full-color 24 pages – and the CD features 28 smoking tracks – including "Ain't That Loving You Baby" by Jimmy Reed, "Jaywalking" by The Upsetters, "Who Can I Run To" by Geri Hall, "I'll Take One" by Harold Burrage, "Song Called Soul" by Gene Chandler, "Let The Good Times Roll" by Alvin Robinson, "Question" by Roscoe Shelton, and "I've Got A Claim On You" by Betty Everett.

Stellar soul singles on Brunswick – nearly all of which come from the prime mid-to-late 60s period at the legendary Chicago label – with Jackie Wilson, Billy Butler, Barbara Acklin, Gene Chandler, Erma Franklin, Lavern Baker and many more! There's a tight focus here on mid-to-late 60s Brunswick – all of them great – and many are quite rare. There are some modest or regional hits in the set, but most might have been forgotten if not for the devotion of the Northern Soul scenes to come. It's got a number of uptempo stormers, midtempo groovers and some sweet surprises. Soul galore, indeed! Includes "Soul Galore" by Jackie Wilson, "Have More Time" by Marvin Smith, "Oh Linda" by Leroy Taylor, "I'll Bet You" by Billy Butler, "There Was A Time" by Gene Chandler, "Sweet, Sweet Revenge" by Alvin Valentine, "A Strange Way" by The Loreleis, "Just Ain't No Love" by Barbara Acklin, "I'm The Only One To Do It" by Lavern Baker, "California Montage" by Young-Holt Unlimited and many more.

A motherlode of rare Detroit soul – all pulled from the small Sidra label imprints, and put together here in a package that features nearly every Northern Soul groover from the company! This set goes way deeper than most Northern collections – and many of the cuts here are ones we haven't seen on other compilations, at least not in recent years – which makes the whole thing a massive discovery in music – maybe even more when you consider the nice notes and colorful package, which also features a load of rare label scans too! Titles include "We've Got Each Other" by Ronnie & Robyn, "I'm Sure" by Two Plus Two, "I Lost A Good Thing" by Gwen Owens, "So Real" by Barbara Mercer, "Please Stay" by Pearl Jones, "Let My Baby Go" by The Embraceables, "Baby You're Mine" by Lou Ragland, "How To Make A Sad Man Glad" by The Capreez, " Love's What You Want" by Marisa Gatti, "Keep On Going" by Gary Haines, "The Other Side" by 5 Of A Kind, "Open Up Your Heart" by Profonix, and "God Must Have Created Love" by Flery Bursey.

A killer selection of rare soul tunes from the EMI catalog of the late 60s! The cuts on here originally appeared on labels like Liberty, Imperial, Capitol, and United Artists – and they're selected by Dean Rudland with a very strong UK soulboy vibe. There's loads of stuff on here that we've never ever seen on wax, and the quality of the compilation is extremely high. Titles include "Don't" by Marva Josie, "The Drifter" by Ray Pollard, "Love & Desire" by Patrice Holloway, "She Blew A Good Thing" by The Poets, "Looking For You" by Garnet Mimms, "Fortune Teller" by Benny Spellman, "Dance Dance Dance" The Casualeers, "Ski-ing In The Snow" by The Invitations, "Dr Love" by Bobby Sheen, and "Seven Days Too Long" by Chuck Woods.

We never stopped ourselves to ask what "stonking" means – but with tunes this great, who cares! The set's the third in a really great batch of Northern Soul compilations from EMI UK – featuring rare tracks pulled from EMI-owned labels like Capitol, Liberty, and other companies that don't necessarily jump to mind when thinking "classic soul" – but who cut some really great singles back in the 60s! The set's a real treasure trove – and features tons of tracks we'd never heard before. Titles include "Kissin Her & Cryin For You" by The Checkmates, "River Of Tears" by Barbara Banks, "I Feel Good" by Bettye Lavette, "One Day Love" by Tommy Dodson, "60 Minutes Of Your Love" by Homer Banks, "Good Little You" by Joey Dee, "I Hurt On The Other Side" by Jerry Cook, "In The Same Old Way" by Scotty Williams, "Turn Around Baby" by Lena & The Deltanettes, "My Heart Is In Danger" by Alder Ray, "She Blew A Good Thing" by Donald Height, "It's A Sad Thing" by Ray Pollard, "Why Did You Do It To Me" by The Thieves, and "I Can't Do It" by Eddie & Ernie.

Another in the great series of driving Northern greatness from Stateside – a MASSIVE batch of cuts from a scene so deep they can probably keep digging great ones up for decades and still never run dry! The set's the fourth in the Talcum series of compilations from EMI UK – featuring rare tracks pulled from EMI-owned labels like Capitol, Liberty, United Artists and other companies with names both well known and almost completely obscure – all of which cut some really great singles back in the 60s! Per usual, it's a treasure trove of tunes – many of which we've never heard until now! 26 tracks including "Please Don't Go" by Kathy & The Calenders, "Nothing Can Help You Now" by Lenny Curtis, "What Are You Trying To Do" by Irma Thomas, "World Without Sunshine" by Sandra Phillips, "He's Got The Nerve" by The True Tones, "Turn To Me" by Chris Towns Unit, "Help Me" by Honey & The Bees, "Movin' Away" by Kenny Lynch and lots more.

Another in the great series of driving Northern greatness from Stateside – a MASSIVE batch of cuts from a scene so deep they can probably keep digging great ones up for decades and still never run dry! The set's the fourth in the Talcum series of compilations from EMI UK – featuring rare tracks pulled from EMI-owned labels like Capitol, Liberty, United Artists and other companies with names both well known and almost completely obscure – all of which cut some really great singles back in the 60s! Per usual, it's a treasure trove of tunes – many of which we've never heard until now! 26 tracks including "Please Don't Go" by Kathy & The Calenders, "Nothing Can Help You Now" by Lenny Curtis, "What Are You Trying To Do" by Irma Thomas, "World Without Sunshine" by Sandra Phillips, "He's Got The Nerve" by The True Tones, "Turn To Me" by Chris Towns Unit, "Help Me" by Honey & The Bees, "Movin' Away" by Kenny Lynch and lots more.

The stonking keeps on going – and the Northern Soul rarities never stop! In this great sixth volume to the long-running Talcum Soul series, the tunes are even more obscure than before – really rare nuggets from the mighty EMI catalog – placed alongside a few more familiar tunes, but tracks that are still a long way from 60s chart hits! The grooves are uptempo throughout – very much in the classic Northern mode, but also showing some of the evolution of the scene's tastes in recent years – its ability to allow some deeper soul modes, and rhythms that change things out a bit more than before. Titles include "Lonely Man" by The Outsiders, "They'll Be Coming" by Sam Ambrose, "Spread Your Love" by Jimmy Holiday, "Yes You Did" by Herman Hitson, "Love Man From Carolina" by Bird Rollins, "Take Your Time & Love Me" by Grover Mitchell, "Who's It Gonna Be" by D & Joe, "Love Slipped Thru My Fingers" by Sam Williams, "Isn't It Just A Shame" by Kenny Wells, "Stop Hurting Me Baby" by Purple Mundi, "Lonely Girl" by Annabelle Fox, "Teardrops Are Falling" by Little Natalie & Henry, "Two Sides To Every Story" by Jimmy Love, and "Perfect Love" by The Diplomats. 26 tracks in all!

The story of one of the most legendary soul clubs in the UK – home to the great wave of Northern Soul enthusiasm that burst big in the 60s – plus a fair bit of hanky panky as well! This collection shows a decidedly raw side of the club's roots – American soul from the 60s, plus a fair bit of R&B as well – a groove that's rougher than you might find on other Northern Soul collections – which often tend towards some of the tighter Detroit productions of the period. The CD features a whopping 28 tracks in all – with lots of tracks from Chicago and the Motor City – and the package is a cool book-style one, with 24 pages of full-color images and photos, plus notes as well. Titles include "Road Runner" by Bo Diddley, "Good Times" by Gene Chandler, "Turn On Your Lovelight" by Bobby Blue Bland, "Do The 45" by The Sharpees, "Get Down With It" by Bobby Marchan, "I Spy For The FBI" by Jamo Thomas, "And Get Away" by The Esquires, "I Can't See Your Love" by The Ballads, "Searchin" by Alvin Robinson, and "You Shot Me Through The Grease" by Alvin Cash.

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.

Killer cuts from Carnival Records – a New Jersey indie from the 60s that turned out some mighty wonderful music! Carnival's possibly best known as the original home of The Manhattans, before their later fame at Columbia – but back in the mid 60s, the label was a hotbed of activity – and recorded a whole host of really great artists, most of whom are featured on this set! As you'd guess from the Northern Soul title, the package focuses on upbeat groovers from Carnival – the kind of hard-hitting soul tracks that bubbled under in the American underground in the 60s, but finally got their due later, as overseas collectors picked up on their genius. The set's overflowing with really wonderful cuts – and we'll be honest in saying that in all our years of crate digging, there's loads of numbers here we've never been able to find in good shape. Titles include "Little Miss Soul" by The Lovettes, "Wishes" by The Metrics, "I Wanna Be Your Everything" by The Pretenders, "Hey Girl" by The Topics, "Love Has Passed Me By" by Phil Terrell, "Lost Love" by Lee Williams & The Cymbals, "Please Come Back" by Harry Caldwell, "I'll Catch You On The Rebound" by Leon & The Metronomes, "Why Did She Lie" by Vick & John, "I Call It Love" by The Pretenders, "I Say Yeah" by The Pets, "My Love Is Yours Tonight" by The Turner Brothers, "Me Myself & I" by Norma Jenkins, and "Leave Me If You Want To" by Curby Goggins.

Rare dancefloor soul on King Records – and another crucial look at a side of the label that's beloved by the most devoted of 60s & 70s soul seekers – but it's deeply overlooked by the mainstream! Volume 3 is the best yet in the series – partly because they're found some stellar proto-funk treasures that work just as strongly with the Northern Soul community – and also because there's some really great stuff here that paves the way for some of our favorite 70s soul! It's heavy with singles released from 1968 to 1971 – by Marva Whitney, Mill Evans, Charles Spurling, Mary Johnson, Royal Flush, The Presidents, Willie Hatcher, The Brownettes and many more! 24 tracks in all: "Unwind Yourself" by Marva Whitney, "Right Now" by Mill Evans, "Popcorn Charlie" by Charles Spurling, "Thunder" by Lord Thunder, "Name In Lights" by Freddie Williams, "You Have My Blessings" by Mary Johnson, "Mama's Baby" by Royal Flush, "Something You Didn't Done" by Mike Williams, "When We Get Together" by Otis Williams & His Charms and many more.

Don't judge a CD by its cover, because this one is incredible – all-solid, filled with rare soul tracks all the way through, with a quality level and depth of material that runs way way past the strange appearance of the cover image! The package was put together by the author of the book The Soul Of New Orleans – and it's a wonderful trip through a sound of that city that's not always featured on reissues: the more upbeat, uptempo soul recordings of the 60s – faster tunes that easily fall within the Northern Soul style. The Crescent City soul scene is usually represented with slower, sleepier tunes that build off the "triplets" heavy sound of 50s New Orleans R&B – and although that stuff is great, and really unique, it's wonderful to hear this different side of the New Orleans scene, especially when it's represented by music this great! 18 tracks in all – packaged with a book that has great notes on the music – and titles include "Please Don't Go" by Willie Tee, "Who Can I Run To" by Gerri Hall, "Being Without You" by Maurice Williams, "Do You Love Me" by Senator Jones, "I Caught You In A Lie" by Robert Parker, "Lucky Fellow" by The Jades, "Take Me Home" by Donna King, "Mean Man" by Betty Harris, "You Don't Mean It" by Curly Moore, "Omar Khayyam" by The Rubaiyats, and "In My Corner" by Ray Algere.

A stunning selection of Chicago soul – with many many rare singles from the legendary Okeh label, one of the best-ever for the Chi-soul sound! Titles include "End Up Crying" by The Vibrations, "Let Me Show It To You" by The Fundamentals, "You Can't Take It Away" by Azie Mortimer, "Yesterday Is Gone" by The Variations, "Hello Heartaches, Goodbye Love" by Joyce Davis, "Can't Live Without Her" by Billy Butler, "You're Gonna Be Sorry" by The Opals, "Cool Breeze" by Gerald Sims, "Memories" by The Triumphs, and "After You There Can Be Nothing" by Walter Jackson.

Massive music from the Northern Soul years of the 60s – American tunes that played heavily on British dancefloors – and went on to fuel the all-night energy of the scene! The sound is upbeat soul throughout – killer tracks from Detroit, Chicago, New York, and other US locales – most of which were overlooked at the time by most US audiences, but discovered and brought to life overseas. This massive 2CD package brings together two classic Charly Records compilations dedicated to the glory days of the scene – put together by collectors who really know their grooves, and expanded here with lots of bonus tracks that weren't on the original versions! There's a whopping 56 tracks in the set, packaged in a hardcover book-style cover, with great color notes and images in the middle – and titles that include "Sweet & Easy" by Van McCoy, "You're Gonna Need Me" by Ted Ford, "Why Don't You Write" by Lee Bates, "But I Couldn't" by Willie Harper, "Touch Me Hold Me Kiss Me" by The Inspirations, "That Other Place" by Wade Flemons, "Come On Train" by Don Thomas, "Lonely For You Baby" by Sam Dees, "Omar Khayyam" by The Rubaiyats, "I Can't See Your Love" by The Ballads, "So Blue" by Joe Murphy, "Gonna Take A Journey" by Barrett Strong, "Shake Off That Dream" by Eddie Billups, "Just Like The Weather" by Nolan Chance, "Mr Bang Bang Man" by Little Hank, "Young Man Old Man" by The Stokes, "Halos For The Angels" by Blanch Carter, and "Momma's Gone" by Little Johnny Blair.

A heady batch of soul from the Nashville scene – music from a place normally associated with country and western, but a surprisingly great source for funky sounds in the late 60s! Most of the cuts here appear to come from the Sound Stage Seven family of labels – music that still holds its southern roots, but which also has a feel that's a bit more upbeat, and sometimes more northern than other work of the time – especially given that the set's heavy on groovers for the dancefloor! Titles include "That One" by Fantastics, "Just Another Heartache" by Little Richie, "Breakaway" by Valentines, "Me & You" by The Fantastics, "Lover Come Back" by Jackie Beavers, "Suzy's Serenade" by Bob Wilson, "You're Gonna Need Me" by Ted Ford, "I Still Love You" by Ann Sexton, "Til I Get It Right" by Willie Hobbs, "If You Really Need A Friend" by Bobby Foster, and "Shake Off That Dream" by Eddie Billups.

A massive amount of rare Northern Soul cuts – almost all of them from the Heritage Records empire of producer Jerry Ross! There's plenty of Philly elements in the mix, but the set also shows Jerry's good ear for crossing over into other camps too – and some of these tunes also have a sound that would have been right at home in the Detroit scene of the late 60s. A few numbers are even rock/pop cuts, but still work very well in the context of the soul material – and the CD features 20 titles that include "Green Grow the Lilacs" by The Festivals, "Ain't Nothin' But A House Party" by The Showstoppers, "I Dig Everything About You" by The Mob, "You Gave Me Somebody To Love" by The Dreamlovers, "Loan Shark" by Chapter One, "I Get By Without You" by Kenny Gamble & Tommy Bell, "Baby Show It" by The Festivals, "Bok To Bach" by Father's Angels, "Eeny Meeny" by The Showstoppers, "Pick Up My Toys" by The Devonnes, "I've Been Hurt" by Bill Deal & The Rhondels, and "You Aint' Sayin' Nothin' New" by Virgil Henry.

A rare set from Detroit soul legend JJ Barnes! Although Barnes originally started as a lighter, groovier northern soul singer, this "comeback" album from the early 70s has him singing in a very heavy, full-on righteous style, with lots of slow soulful tracks. Surprisingly, this style works well – and uncovers a side of Barnes that we wouldn't expect. Patrick Adams, Deodato, and Tony Bell handled the arrangements – and tracks include "Time Is Love", "Good Men Don't Grow On Trees", "You Owe It To Yourself" (in two parts), and "I Just Make Believe (I'm Touching You").

The Brown Bombers come on here with plenty of firepower – soaring with the groove on "Wait For Me" – which has an upbeat Northern soul groove and some great harmonies to match! "Just Fun" follows in a similar spirit – an instrumental groove that echoes the vocal number on the a-side, but with some cool strings and guitar getting a bit more room to open up in the mix!

The complete Okeh label recordings of Billy Butler – Jerry Butler's lesser-known brother, but an even more grooving artist on the Chicago soul scene of the 60s! Billy's work at Okeh is easily some of the best of the all-great imprint – tracks that step, slide, and groove along in a flurry of tight-edged Chi-soul rhythms – nearly all of which are produced by the legendary Carl Davis, with arrangements from Johnny Pate and Riley Hampton! Billy's in the lead on vocals, but nearly all numbers have a strong harmony soul component too – support from The Four Enchanters or Chanters – in a mode that echoes The Impressions' style of the time somewhat, but which also carries more of the Butler-family emotive quality, thanks to the stronger lead. This is the first time all this material has ever been brought together so well – and the package features great notes and a number of previously unissued titles as well – including some rare versions and instrumentals that are sure to get some play from Northern Soul listeners. Titles include "Found True Love", "Lady Love", "Gotta Get Away", "Can't Live Without Her", "Right Track", "Boston Monkey", "Does It Matter", "Fighting A Losing Battle", "To Be Or Not To Be", "Singing The Blues", and "You're Gonna Be Sorry".

A really cool little tune – a northern soul killer at the heart, and served up with soaring vocals from Candy & The Kisses – a group who seem to have almost the full power of a choir, given the richness of the arrangement here! "Bok To Bach" is spelled weirdly here, and has an equally quirky sound too – electric harpsichord strutting away over a "Bend Me Shape Me" sort of groove – soul instrumental, but with a catchy pop twist, too!

Razor-sharp funk from The Chapparals – an Atlanta group from the 70s, and one with a great balance of ensemble grooving and deeper soul roots! There was really something special in the Atlanta scene at the time – an approach to large group funk that was different than most northern scenes, and which could still come across with a lean sort of energy, even when hitting tight on the money for the dancefloor! These guys are a perfect summation of that groove – and the album's a blistering blend of bassy rhythms and tight instrumentation – including some mighty sweet keyboards that snake wonderfully alongside the guitar and horns, sometimes with some wild moogy touches that are almost P&P funk. The whole thing's great – one of those albums that's rare, but mighty satisfying too – and titles include "Juicy Fruit", "Shake Your Head (parts 1 & 2)", "Stop Cheating On My Lady", "Country Girl", "Hittin It", "Jam Around The World", and "The Brew".

Slammin early soul from the great Lou Courtney – an artist who's recorded so much excellent work over the years, that we're never surprised when we find a overlooked chapter like this! The record's quite different from Lou's raspier southern soul of the 70s – filled with killer uptempo cuts, and really snapping a groove with some monster sock-boogaloo and shing-a-ling numbers that are sure to send any fan of 60s Northern! Production is by Robert Bateman and The Funk Brothers – and titles include the singles "Skate Now" and "Do The Thing", plus "Psychedelic Shing-a-Ling", "Me and You (Doin' the Boogaloo)", "Another'n Like The Other'n", and "I've Got Just the Thing".

A much-needed look at the mighty Sugar Pie DeSanto – a singer who really rocked Chess Records back in the 60s! DeSanto came to the label already boasting one hell of a groove – a rock-solid sense of rhythm that made all of her tunes groovers right from the get-go – and a raw vocal power that easily rivaled, if not beat, that of Etta James – her labelmate at Chess, and partner on a few duet tracks here! The collection's a non-stop soul party throughout – as upbeat as Northern Soul, but with plenty of deep soul elements as well – and it's the first time many of these cuts have been brought together on CD, and certainly never before as wonderful as this. Kent serves up some great notes and vintage photos with the package – the latter of which show Sugar Pie in action on stage, clearly one of the sexiest singers to work the circuit back in the 60s! Titles include "In The Basement (parts 1 & 2)", "Soulful Dress", "Witch For A Night", "Ask Me", "Good Timin", "Mr & Mrs", "Mama Didn't Raise No Fools", "Crazy Lovin", "There's Gonna Be Trouble", "Jump In My Chest", "Somewhere Down The Line", "Use What You Got", "Never Love A Stranger", "I Love You So Much", "Go Go Power", and "I Don't Wanna Fuss".

A Northern soul winner – two killer cuts, back to back on a single 45! "Packing Up" has this great piano part that punctuates the groove right from the start – ringing out loud and proud, and setting the tone for Damon's quick-tempo vocals! Eddie Jones really shines on "Give Me Good Lovin" – a tune done with a vibe that's almost Ray Charles overall – slinky vamping rhythms on the bottom, and raw raspy vocals that are totally outta site!

A long-overdue collection of work by this sublime Ohio soul group of the 60s – a trio of lovely ladies with a really tremendous sound! Gigi & The Charmaines are hardly the girl group cliche you might think from their sweet name and the image on the cover – and on most of the numbers here, they're hard-rolling at a pace that's somewhere between the best Detroit Northern Soul of the time, and some of the sweeter female soul that was coming out of Chicago at the end of the 60s. Ace have really outdone themselves with the collection – and bring together the group's singles on the Columbia, Date, and Fraternity labels – as well as some other key sides that have them performing vocals on records by other artists in the lead! CD features a whopping 28 tracks in all, plus a full set of notes – with titles that include "Guilty", "Poor Unfortunate Me", "Eternally", "Girl Crazy", "If You Ever", "I Idolize You", "Rockin Old Man", "On The Wagon", "What Kind Of Girl Do You Think I Am", "All You Gotta Do", "GI Joe", "I Can't Go On This Way", and "I Don't Want To Lose Him" – plus "I'm So Satisfied" with Max Falcon, "Lucy Miloo" with Kenny Smith, "Baby Please Don't Go" with Carl Edmonson, and "Baby What's Wrong" with Lonnie Mack.

Two Philly female soul grooves – back to back on a limited 45! "My Heart Your Heart" is a soaring cut from Janie Grant – a singer who might have been pop in another setting, but who really steps out here in a cool Northern soul groove – complete with trademark Philly vibes in the mix! "Picture Me Gone" is completely sublime – classier than the usual Philly soul of the time, with a current of jazz in Evie Sands vocals that really make the whole tune sparkle!

One of the most beautiful albums that Charlie Haden ever recorded – and if he only ever appeared on one record in his life, we'd still love him tremendously for this one! The album has a feel that's very much in keeping with both the "liberation" and "orchestra" in the title – "liberation", in that the music is filled with inspiration from South American sources, and has a strongly political feel at times; and "orchestra" because the group here is somewhat large, and filled with a tremendous array of expressive players – including Gato Barbieri on tenor, Dewey Redman on alto and tenor, Don Cherry on cornet and flutes, Michael Mantler on trumpet, Roswell Rudd on trombone, Robert Northern on French horn, Paul Motian and Andrew Cyrille on percussion, Carla Bley on piano, and Perry Robinson on clarinet. Haden leads these disparate talents through a set of tremendously focused music – filled with as many ideas as it is with a sense of humanity and soul – all to brilliantly point the way forward for the new sound of Impulse Records in the years after Coltrane's death! Titles include the classic "Song For Che", plus Ornette's "War Orphans", Carla Bley's "The Interlude", and "Song Of The United Front", by Hans Eisler, and with words by Brecht!

Excellent early work by Leon Haywood – recorded way back in the mid 60s, when he was knocking around the LA indie scene with a very soulful groove! Back in those years, Leon wasn't singing as much, just playing piano and organ in a mixture of soul and jazz instrumental modes – all hard-stepping with a very strong northern soul groove, and some of the heaviest production ever to come out of the west coast in the 60s! The whole album's a killer – extremely grooving, and with a blend of styles that keeps things fresh all the way through. Titles include "Ray's Theme", "Soul Cargo", "Fat Fish", "The Sidewinder", "Spice Of The Blues", "River's Invitation", and "The Preacher".

Forget Tina Turner – we'll take Ike's backup singers, who sound great all the way through this collection! The Ikettes may never have had the fame of Tina, but back in the early and mid 60s, they were actually scoring a few more hits – and these recordings for the Modern label represent the group at their height – stepping firmly into righteous soul territory, shaking off any girl group cliches, and avoiding any of the stereotypes that could sometimes mar Ike Turner's projects. There's a really special sound here – one that's got bits of Motown, bits of R&B, and bits of Northern Soul – all wrapped together perfectly and delivered with sock-solid vocals from singers Robbie Montgomery, Jessie Smith, and Venetta Fields. The CD features all the material from the girls' full album for Modern – Soul The Hits – plus loads of other singles and even some unissued tracks! Titles include "Fine Fine Fine", "Camel Walk", "Sally Go Round The Roses", "Cheater", "You're Trying To Make Me Lose My Mind", "I'm So Thankful", "Don't Feel Sorry For Me", "Can't Sit Down Cos I Feel So Good", "Lonely For You", "Sha La La", "It's Been So Long", and "Nobody Loves Me".

Wonderful work from Ty Karim – a singer who definitely lives up to the "soul goddess" promised in the title! Ty might not be the biggest name in California soul, but she's a hell of a great talent here – starting out in the 60s with upbeat Northern Soul groovers – then moving into the 70s with material that's even deeper, and a bit more sophisticated – laidback numbers that really show a maturation in style, and which are filled with wonderful twists and turns! Ty's vocals have a burning quality that's quite surprising, given her kittenish look on the cover – and as the themes get hotter, her singing gets even more righteous – making the whole package a really wonderful journey in soul. And although most of these numbers were issued (or recorded, but unissued) by tiny indie labels, they often have a very full, spacious approach to production – one that's really trying to hit the heights of Detroit or New York at the time. A good number of these cuts weren't issued at the time, and together with the rare singles, they really go a long way towards filling in the gaps in Ty's too-short career on record – further illuminated in the detailed notes from Ady Croasdell. Titles include "Lighten Up Baby", "Help Me Get That Feeling Back Again", "Only A Fool", "All At Once", "Lightin Up", "I Ain't Lying", "You Just Don't Know", "Natural Do", "I'm Leavin You", "All In Vain", "After Your Love Has Gone", "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight", and "Don't Make Me Do Wrong".

Wonderful work from Ty Karim – an LA singer from the 60s, just waiting to be rediscovered! Ty might not be the biggest name in California soul, but she's a hell of a great talent here – starting out in the 60s with upbeat Northern Soul groovers – then moving into the 70s with material that's even deeper, and a bit more sophisticated – laidback numbers that really show a maturation in style, and which are filled with wonderful twists and turns! Ty's vocals have a burning quality that's quite surprising, given her kittenish look on the cover – and as the themes get hotter, her singing gets even more righteous – making the whole package a really wonderful journey in soul. And although most of these numbers were issued (or recorded, but unissued) by tiny indie labels, they often have a very full, spacious approach to production – one that's really trying to hit the heights of Detroit or New York at the time. A good number of these cuts weren't issued at the time, and together with the rare singles, they really go a long way towards filling in the gaps in Ty's too-short career on record. Titles include "Lighten Up Baby", "Help Me Get That Feeling Back Again", "Only A Fool", "All At Once", "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight", "Wear Your Natural Baby", and "Don't Make Me Do Wrong".

Great stuff from this oft-overlooked smooth soul singer! Lew Kirton was part of the Miami soul scene that centered around Alston Records in Florida – but he had a smooth sexy style that reminds us a lot more of northern modern soul singers, especially some of the New York club acts at the time. This album's Lew's first – as you might guess by the title – and it's a great batch of tracks that groove nicely, yet still have their roots firmly planted in soul. Lew's voice is great, with kind of a deep mellow sound, and the songwriting on the album is excellent! Titles include "Something Special", "Why Should I Get Jealous", "Love, I Don't Want Your Love", "Time To Get With It", and "Love Secret Agent".

Sublime soul from the mighty Laura Lee – one of the best deep soul singers of the 70s, even though she recorded with the mostly-northern team of Holland Dozier Holland! The set shows that the trio really knew how to change it up after leaving Motown – and although Lee had recorded for Chess in the 60s, she really finds her groove here – mixing southern soul with a dose of 70s funk – all of which really stands out from most of her contemporaries! Laura's voice is sweet and dusky, in the mode of some of the best underground singers of her day – but also rises above the rest, thanks crack arrangements by HB Barnum and Eugene Moore – who mix strings and soul into a stellar blend of styles! Titles include the breakbeat classic "Crums Off The Table", which begins with some great hard drums – plus the cuts "Every Little Bit Hurts", "I Can't Make It Alone", "Mirror Of Your Soul", and "I Need It Just As Bad As You". Features a bonus unedited version of "I Need It Just As Bad As You".

One of the greatest Northern Soul albums ever – completely great all the way through, and filled with songs that have been burning up dancefloors for years! The vocals are incredible – soaring harmonies that hold together perfectly, even when the grooves are hard and heavy – and the instrumentation is great too – handled by the Pied Piper team, who were kind of a Motown offshoot that featured Jack Ashford on vibes and percussion, Dave Hamilton and Ray Monette on guitar, and Joe Hunter on piano. Hunter and Ashford handled the arrangements – with a pitch-perfect sound that's completely sublime – sweet and grooving at the same time, and put together with the same kind of care you'd find at Motown – but with all the harder-edge qualities that always made indie work from Detroit so great. Every cut is a winner, and the set is the only full album ever done by the group – with cuts that include "Egyptian Love", "Till The End Of Time", "Since I Found My Baby", "Sweetest One", "Unlucky Sun", "I'll Never Forget You", "Do The Pied Piper", and "I'm With You All The Way". Great reissue – fully remastered from the original tapes – with new liner notes too!

Tight-stepping soul from the well-named Hank "Soulman" Mullen – a great groover that moves at a Northern pace, but has a deeper soul feel overall! Hank's vocals are totally great – warm and raspy, almost in the best Memphis tradition – and the rhythms of the track are tightly vamping with some nicely skittish guitar and horns blasting over the top! "Listen" is great too – a mellower number with a great southern soul feel – like a lost gem from the far-reaches of the Muscle Shoals recording scene!

Nothing dixie about this classic groover from The Newports – as the tune's got a jagged rhythm on the bottom, and some sweet harmonies over the top – almost a jukebox mambo vibe, with maybe a slight touch of Crescent City – not to mention a sweet tenor solo near the end! "Don't Knock It" is a stormer from Sinner Strong – a Northern Soul number with a great girl vocal in the lead – sung with an intensity that reminds us of The Exciters!

Not as completely sublime as some of Phillips' other records from the 70s, but with some jazzy touches that takes it past the hippy folk sound, into the farther reaches of the cosmic soul universe. Includes the jazzy instrumental "Planscape", which has a heavy fusion groove – plus the funky "Furthermore", and the cuts "Starbright", "Breakthrough", "Troof", "Cape Barras", and "Song For Northern Ireland".

Massive soul from Wendy Rene – one of the lesser-known talents from the Stax Records scene of the 60s, and an artist who's finally getting her due! We're not sure why Wendy never hit bigger at the time – because her singles here are wonderful – excellent female soul that not only ranks with the best of the Stax sound of the time, but which also challenges the bite of some of the best Motown music too – thanks to a particularly northern groove on some of the best cuts here! In fact, it may well be this style – often closer to Detroit soul than the usual Memphis bag at Stax – that might have held Wendy back. But that's hardly an issue all these many years later – and our hat's off to the folks at Light In The Attic for not only bringing together her rare singles, but also collecting unreleased songs, other rarities, and even material performed with the group The Drapels – all recorded in the years 1964 and 1965, and supported by some great notes too. Titles include "Bar B Q", "I Wish I Were That Girl", "What Will Tomorrow Bring", "Last Love", "Crowded Park", "Give You What I Got", "Deep In My Heart", "Wondering", "First Kiss", "Reap What You Sow", "After Laughter Comes Tears", and "He Hasn't Failed Me Yet".

Massive soul from Wendy Rene – one of the lesser-known talents from the Stax Records scene of the 60s, and an artist who's finally getting her due! We're not sure why Wendy never hit bigger at the time – because her singles here are wonderful – excellent female soul that not only ranks with the best of the Stax sound of the time, but which also challenges the bite of some of the best Motown music too – thanks to a particularly northern groove on some of the best cuts here! In fact, it may well be this style – often closer to Detroit soul than the usual Memphis bag at Stax – that might have held Wendy back. But that's hardly an issue all these many years later – and our hat's off to the folks at Light In The Attic for not only bringing together her rare singles, but also collecting unreleased songs, other rarities, and even material performed with the group The Drapels – all recorded in the years 1964 and 1965, and supported by some great notes too. Titles include "Bar B Q", "I Wish I Were That Girl", "What Will Tomorrow Bring", "Last Love", "Crowded Park", "Give You What I Got", "Deep In My Heart", "Wondering", "First Kiss", "Reap What You Sow", "After Laughter Comes Tears", and "He Hasn't Failed Me Yet".

Chicago Soul/New York Underground issue. Songwriter/manager Bernice Williams recalls the early days of Gene Chandler/The Du-Kays, and the true story of "Duke of Earl"; Northern Soul legends the Conquistadors tell tales of 1960s West Side Chicago teenage R&B (plus the first soul Jesus concept album); Do "The Chimp" with Chicago 60s garage rocker/R&B singer Jerry Mundo; H. Dwight Thompson tells tales of 70s NYC punk with the Heat and Klaus Nomi's first band! Relive the early Hip Hop parties of the Disco Fever nightclub; Nardwuar meets Jay-Z and N*E*R*D*; plus great interviews with Chris Montez and Doug Randle, and amazing tributes (by those who knew them) to Lux Interior, Michael Jackson, Billy Lee Riley, Sid Lavarents, Sky Saxon and (sadly) more. And amazing comix about Lennon, Danzig, Hagar, record store clerks, hot dogs, riots, and much more by the best underground cartoonists on earth! 120 pages.

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!

"Breakaway" is a killer – a tune that leaps into the groove right at the start, and explodes with both super-tight instrumentation and soaring harmonies from The Valentines! The Ohio Players take off themselves on the flipside – in a groove that's more Detroit Northern Soul than you might expect – with a wonderful old school sound that's way different than later records!

Killer Okeh soul by this great group from the 60s! The record covers both sides of The Vibrations' bag – from mellow moody vocal group standards, to uptempo groovers – of the sort that have always made the group a favorite with the Northern Soul scene! The album's a nice departure from the group's earlier work, as it shows them really locking in some great harmonies on the mellower cuts – but still able to really let loose when they want to! Titles include great versions of the cuts "Secret Love" and "Everybody Loves A Lover" – plus the tracks "Soul A Go Go", "Gonna Get Along Without You Now", "Forgive & Forget", and "For Your Love".

Spacey, club ready remixes of ascending hip hop-gospel-soul spirits Washington Projects – plus the full Light Up The Dark album as a bonus disc! Washington Projects blend modern hip hop and R&B singing and rhymes beautifully well, with inspirational songs that are, well, genuinely inspirational. Space Time Continuum is filled heavily thumping, pulsing, floor-shaking remixes from the duos previous couple of albums. Titles include "Work (Intergalactic Public Transit Mix)", "Time (Spiral Galaxy Mix)", "My Dream (Wicker Park Mix", "Zephyr Wings (Chicago Discothaque Mix)", "Yesterday (Northern Lights Mix)" and more. Includes the Light Up The Dark album as a bonus disc, with "Light Up The Dark", "You Are Beautiful", "My Dream", "Stay", "Go", "Justus", "Momma", "Heaven Here I Come" and more.

A masterful set of old school funk & soul put together by DJ Andy Smith – who also worked some magic a few years back for the BGP label on the Northern Soul tip – this time out doing his thing with prime funk from the late 60s & early 70s! Smith does a excellent job of mixing sample classics that helped build golden age hip hop, many deeper tracks – funk nuggets from The Blackbyrds, Billy Garner, Funk Inc, Spanky Wilson and many more! Vinyl version is not a continous mix like the CD – and works as a straight up, excellent funky compilation. Titles include "Cracklin' Bread" by Dave Hamilton, "It's My Thing"by Betty Moorer, "I Don't Know What It Is But It Sure Is Funky" by Ripple, "I Got Some" by Billy Garner", "Can't Get Enough" by 87th Of Broadway, "Skunk Juice" by Pazant Brothers, "I'm A Good Woman" by The Generation", "Tighten Up" by Roosevelt Matthews and more. 24 tracks on 2LPs.

Sublime soul all the way through – really tremendous little tracks that are just waiting to be discovered – and none of them the kind of mainstream grooves you might expect from the "crossover" in the title! Instead, these tracks have a power that really helps shift perception of a genre – almost a bridge between upbeat 60s Northern Soul and smoother 70s modern – with a warmth that's undeniable, and a groove that never lets up! The vocals are sublime, and the production is perfect – totally tight, but never slick at all – just perfect for the arrangements that really help these tunes soar! The set features a whopping two dozen tracks in all – and in addition to some real gems by lesser-knowns, there's also some great overlooked tracks by bigger names too – titles that include "I'm Not Ready" by Ujima, "The Common Broken Heart" by Lou Courtney, "Let's Try It Over Again" by Willie Hutch, "Midnight Sunshine" by The Soul Children, "It's Gonna Be Alright" by Maxine Brown, "One Step Ahead" by Aretha Franklin, "Fool's Hall Of Fame" by Ike Lovely, "Wait Till I Give The Signal" by The Shirelles, "Sweeping Your Dirt Under My Rug" by Ann Bailey, "Main Squeeze" by Syl Johnson, "Satisfactorise Your Mind" by Africano, "Trapped In A Love" by Barrino Brothers, and "I Gotta Keep My Bluff In" by Freddie Hughes.

The third volume in one of the most popular soul series we've ever stocked! The CD features 25 rare soul tunes – from a variety of northern and southern sources, all of them hard-to-find gems with a deep soul sound that's dripping with sincere emotion and raw songsmithery. Brit soul DJ/collector/writer Dave Godin put the set together – and it would be hard to find a more loving collection of tunes with such a no-nonsense approach to the material. Titles include "Thanks For Yesterday" by Eddie & Ernie, "I'm Undecided" by Toussaint McCall, "Who Are You Gonna Love" by Rozetta Johnson, "I Paid For The Party" by The Enchanters, "Too Far Gone To Turn Around" by JR Bailey, "My Deceiving Heart" by The Impressions, "I'm Missing You" by Loretta Williams, "Let Me Down Easy" by Betty Lavette, "Don't Leave Me Baby" by Ray Gant & The Arabian Knights, "Like It Stands" by Robert Ramsey, and "Look At The Boy" by Jean Plum.

Jump blues, rollicking R&B, proto rock, Northern Soul and otherwise rawly stomping stormers selected by DJ Andy Smith – a cool compilation of late 50s and 60s treasures that you might hear on one of his Jump Up Twist club nights! There's some familiar names in the set list for deep digging fans of any of the above styles, but there are no tracks that come even close to being overplayed, and each one is a winner – cuts by Wynonie Harris, Wynona Carr, Al Ferrier, Toni & The Showmen, Johnny Guitar Watson, Alton Ellis, The Skatalites, Luther Ingram, Mickey Champion, The San Francisco TKOs and more. Titles include "Bloodshot Eyes" by Wynonie Harris, "Ooo Little Girl" by Floyd Dixon, "Tracks To Your Mind" by The Sounds Of Lane, "Ska Beat" by Alton Ellis, "Collie Bud" by Skatalites, "Hit, Git And Split" by Young Jessie, "Make Up Your Mind" by San Francisco TKOs and more. 23 in all.

An essential chapter of Miami soul – even if most of the work is appearing here for the first time ever! The set is a magnificent companion to Numero's Deep City collection of pre-TK Miami soul – but it's put together in such a way that it's almost a beautiful introduction to the south Florida sound on its own – served up in a batch of rare, unreleased tracks! The music is every bit as wonderful as you'd expect – Miami soul recorded at a time before cliches had started to hit that scene – and when the best artists down south were strongly resonating ideas from Memphis and Muscle Shoals with other elements borrowed from northern groups both funky and mellow. Numero have really outdone themselves with this one – and the collection is way more than a part 2 to their previous package – more of a brilliant set of soul tunes on its own, complete with a booklet that's as beautiful as the music. Titles include "One Little Piece" by The Rollers, "Don't Be Surprised" by Lynn Williams, "No Way Out" by Clarence Reid, "What's In The Lovin" by Helene Smith, "Mr Lucky" by Betty Wright, "There Goes My Baby" by James Knight & The Butlers, "Do What You're Doin" by The Rising Sun, "Do Your Stuff" by Perk Badger, "Masterpiece" by Deep City Band, "Nasty Dog (part 2)" by The Nasty Dog Catchers, "Thank You Baby" by Betty Wright, "Your Love Won't Let Me Leave You" by Snoopy Dean, "The Pot Can't Talk About The Kettle" by Helene Smith, "Show Me What You Got" by Frank Williams & The Rocketeers, "Don't Be A Fool" by Clarence Reid, and "Knockin At The Wrong Door" by The Rollers. 2LP version features a great 12 x 12 fold out color insert in the middle – and includes 4 bonus tracks – instrumental versions of "Play With Fire" by The Rollers, "True Love Don't Grow On Trees" by Helene Smith, and "There Goes My Baby" by James Knight & The Butlers – plus the cut "Frenchy The Tickler" by Johnny K Killens & The Dynamites.

Funky female soul galore – a killer set of rare tunes that's one of the best sets of this type we've ever stocked! The SuperFunk crew at BGP have gone through the rich array of labels handled by the company – pulling out some massive tunes that really push our understanding of female soul – taking things way past the obvious hits and girl group numbers, into hard and heavy-stepping territory that we really love! Most of the tunes on the set are completely new to our ears, and there's a great mix of northern and southern funk styles that keeps things super-fresh. Drums crackle, basslines pound, and the gals belt it out loud, clear, and funky on a set of 20 tracks that includes "Tell Me What's Wrong" by Lynn Varnado, "Listen Here" by Valorie Keys, "Know What To Do When You Get It" by The Genies, "Heavy Heavy Hangs My Heart" by Vera Hamilton, "Better Get A Move On" by Louise McCord, "Pounds Of Soul" by Betty Bibbs, "Ooh Wee Baby" by Delilah Moore, "Sunshine Of Your Love" by Spanky Wilson, "Staying At Home Like A Woman" by Lynn Varnado, "Hold On This Time" by Fontella Bass, "Mr Fix It" by Thelma Jones, "I'm Glad I Got Over You" by Jeanette Jones, "One Way Street" by Little Ann, and "It's Too Late For Tears" by Rene Bailey.

Brilliant bubbling-under soul from the late 60s – a killer package of non-hit material from a variety of well-known acts! The collection follows very strongly on Kent's excellent first volume – and like that package, it offers a fresher side fo the 60s by digging up obscure singles by artists known from bigger tunes – all top-shelf singers and groups that rank with some of the best indie soul of the 60s, represented here by lesser-known gems that are totally great! The vibe runs between Northern, uptown, and harmony soul – with a fair bit of tracks from New York and Chicago sources – and as always with compilations on Kent, the CD's got a great set of notes to prove that the track selection wasn't an accident! Titles include "Let's Copp A Groove" by Bobby Wells, "You Better Believe It Baby" by Joe Tex, "We're Doing Fine" by Dee Dee Warwick, "Water" by Geno Washington, "Earthquake" by Bobby Lynn, "I Can't Work No Longer" by Billy Butler, "Can't You Hear The Beat" by The Carltons, "With Feeling Darling" by The Spidells, "Love In Them There Hills" by The Vibrations, "The Beginning Of My End" by The Unifics, "Keep On Loving" by Otis Leavill, "Drive On James" by King George, "I'll Love You Forever" by The Holidays, and "You've Got To Pay The Price" by Al Kent.

Rare funk from one of the greatest labels in the business! King Records is known to many for its classic work with singers like James Brown, Hank Ballard, and Wynonie Harris – but during the later years of the label, they also pressed up a great amount of excellent funky 45s, including many that are some of the rarest you'll ever try to find. This 24 track set is the first to really try to document King's rich funk legacy – and it's got some amazing tracks that blend together raw southern soul, hard northern rhythms, and sweet James Brown-produced grooves. Any one of these tunes would set you back at least $50 on a single – not just because they're rare, but because they're some of the best funk cuts ever recorded. Titles include "Mr Tuff Stuff" by Toby King, "Gold Walk" by The Presidents, "Butter Your Popcorn" by Hank Ballard, "Your Thing Ain't No Good Without My Thing" by Marie Queenie Lyons, "Down Home Girl" by The Coasters, "Don't Get Funky" by Gloria Walker, "Funky Lady (parts 1 & 2)" by Soul East, "From The Back Side (parts 1 & 2)" by The Sons Of Funk, "Camelot Time" by J Hines & The Fellows, and "Papa's Got The Wagon" by Gloria Walker.

Stormin soul – and a killer set of upbeat 60s numbers! The package was put together for the UK mod scene, but it's a great batch of American tracks from the classic years of soul – not really Northern, not really southern – but kind of a hard-swinging approach to the music that makes for a really lively package overall! The set's got 20 tracks in all, all thumpin, bumpin, and gruntin-type numbers – with titles that include "Do The Whoo Pee" by Sugar Pie Desanto, "Lay This Burden Down" by Mary Love, "Make Me Yours" by Bettye Swann, "I Keep Forgetting" by Chuck Jackson, "I've Got Papers On You Baby" by BB King, "Hole in The Wall" by George Stone, "Have Love Will Travel" by Richard Berry & The Pharoahs, "Keep My Woman Home" by Danny White, "Mama Julie" by Terry & Jerry, and "I Got A Woman" by Billy Hawks.

Another blazing compilation from Pressure Sounds, but with a new twist! Unlike the more producer or label focused compilations Pressure Sounds, Blood & Fire or other boutique reggae reissue labels have made their stock in trade, this set gathers a great batch of stuff that's just plain hard, hard, hard to get and stone cold bad to boot! Like some of the best funky 45 or northern soul collections, this collection digs up a tremendous batch of tracks that only ever saw the light of day as singles, all of them top notch, the kind of stuff you'd pay a small fortune to gather up in their original format. If you're a hardcore roots fiend, this awesome disc will more than satisfy your jones for deep tones! 17 deep, soulful roots tracks in all, including "Folk Song" by Uhuru, "The Winner" by Barrington Levy, "The Way It Is" by Ricky Storm (aka I Kong), "Skyjack" by Bongo Gene, "Nuh Chuck It" by Dillinger, "Diverse Doctrine" by Ras I Buna, "We Shall Overcome" by Michael Rose, "Free Meal Ticket" by Cornell Campbell, "Free For All" by the Tafari All Stars, plus loads of versions from the b-sides too!

An absolute treasure trove of rare soul singles from Pied Piper Productions – a mid 60s Detroit soul operation that features Funk Brothers Jack Ashford, Joe Hunter, and Mike Terry – laying down sounds that rival the best Motown groovers of the period! The work is amazing throughout – soul cuts heavily focused on the groove and amazing lead vocals – recorded in ways that are similar to the best of Detroit at the time, but with some rawer aspects too – which makes for a massive package of Northern Soul gems! The package features both solo singers and great groups too – artists who include Lorraine Chandler, The Hesitations, September Jones, The Cavaliers, Willie Kendrick, Nancy Wilcox, and – heard here on rare singles and LP tracks that were originally released on labels like Karate, Kapp, Ruby and Giant – plus a number of recently unearthed titles that are seeing release for the first time ever! The set features 24 tracks in all, and the usual superb Kent notes and packaging – with titles that include "I Can't Hold On" by Lorraine Chandler, "Stuttering Sam" by September Jones, "Gambler's Blues" by Nancy Wilcox, "This Heart Is Lonely" by Rose Batiste, "Just Can't Leave You" by Tony Hesher, "Could It Be" by Micki Farrow, "I Fell In Love (Can't Help It)" by Freddy Butler, "He'll Be Leaving You" by The Pied Piper Players, "If Only You Knew" by Mike & Ray, "Time Changes Things" by Willie Kendrick, and "Lonely Too Long" by The Sandpipers.

A beautiful collection of heavy grooves from Panama and Colombia – all put together by an artist we definitely trust when it comes to all things funky! Quantic's been spending plenty of time down near the equator in recent years – turning his initial funky ear to more Latin-styled rhythms – but always with the same hard and heavy feel of his best American-styled grooves! There's a massive blend of northern funk and equatorial rhythms here – really unique little tunes that are bound to please the ear of anyone who digs a collection of funky 45s – yet with styles that are more than complicated enough to also set fire to a lover of global grooves too! The package may well be the best so far in Nascente's Experience collection – and titles include "Getting It Together" by Mauricio Smith, "El Lobo" by Wganda Kenya, "Soul Cucaracha" by The Soul Fantastics, "Full Salsa (excerpt)" by Fruko, "Bayesa" by Wganda Kenya, "Hiko Iko" by Little Grancisco Greaves, "Puyalo Ahi" by Pedro Beltran, "Caracuche Che Che" by Los Autenticos De Garmo, and "Palo Bonito" by Pedro Beltran.

A whole new set of mod soul smokers – contemporary cuts, but mostly recorded with a vibe that hearkens back to the sound of London in the 60s – which means plenty of influence from Motown and other Northern Soul sources, plus an occasional touch of jazzy Hammond too! These tracks are all recent, but really showcase the Acid Jazz talent for getting an older style right – not exactly pure 60s, but more the best Brit blue-eyed modes – of the sort you might have heard when Style Council could hit a groover like this, or when some of the more recent Acid Jazz acts are at their best. Titles include "Pandora" by Men Of North Country, "Girlfriend" by The Filthy Six, "Return To Space" by Twisted Tongue, "Ordinary Joe" by Jasmine Kara, "No More Heroes" by Night Trains, "From Now On" by Magnus Carlson, and "Sex Is On Fire" by Jerk Juice.

Funky breaks from the Stax Records – the legendary Memphis label that's had as much of an influence on the sound of hip hop as any northern company! The set brings together 19 tracks that are immediately recognizable for their use in modern hip hop – all heavy funk numbers with a solid southern groove – filled to the brim with burning horns, searing guitars, rumbling bass, and heavy funky drums! Tracks on the set have been sampled over the years by the likes of Wu Tang, Brand Nubian, Dilated Peoples, De La Soul, and others – but they also stand out equally well as funky tunes on their own, whether or not you've got an ear for who used them later. Great funky southern soul all the way through – with tracks that include "Our Generation" by Ernie Hines, "Black" by The Mar-Keys, "Tramp (inst)" by Otis & Carla Band, "Make This Young Lady Mine" by The Mad Lads, "The Devil Is Dope" by The Dramatics, "In The Hole" by The Bar-Kays, "I'll Play The Blues For You (part 1)" by Albert King, "Soul Girl" by Jeanne & The Darlings, "Itch & Scratch (part 2)" by Rufus Thomas, "Drumbeat" by Jim Ingram, "Crop Dustin" by Steve Cropper, "After Laughter" by Wendy Rene, "Memphis Sunrise" by The Bar-Kays, "Girl I Love You" by The Temprees, and "As Long As I've Got You" by The Charmels.

The world needs changing – and plenty of these tunes may well do it – thanks to infectious grooves and some very righteous message-oriented lyrics! The set's a great document of the positive, progressive energy going down in soul music during the heady days of the late 60s and early 70s – a time when the country was changing heavily, and the music was as well – moving into new styles, themes, and ideas – expressed here by a hip batch of cats who were working on some of the best indie labels of the underground! This set offers up a great mix of cool cuts from a variety of sources – a few gems from the Flying Dutchman label, some other obscure 45s, and even a few southern soul numbers that fit surprisingly well with the northern vibe of most of these numbers. Titles include "Walk Tall" by Esther Marrow, "Get Ready/Uptight" by Little Eva Harris, "All Power To The People (part 1)" by Joe Savage & The Soul People, "Soul Patrol" by The Original Soul Patrol, "Do It (inst)" by Johnny Griffith, "The World Needs Changin" by Hank Jacobs & Don Malone, "Sea Saw Affair" by Cesar 830, "Love Tones" by Melvin Sparks, "That's The Way It Goes" by Elaine Armstrong, "This Is The Me Me" by Brenda Jones with Groove Holmes, "Sissy Strut N American Woman" by The Willard Posey Reunion, and "Rudypoot" by Huck & The Soul Patrol.

Northern Soul from the the Harthon Records vaults – rare ones from the Philly scene! "Honey Please Stay" has nice stripped down instrumental arrangements, with piano and bass prominent in the mix with the drums – with the song really taking flight via the strong lead and sweet harmony backing vocals. "Baby Don't Do It" ups the tempo just a bit – and it'sn another great number!

The complete recordings of a wonderful soul singer who never fully got her due – Detroit diva Carol Anderson, best known for a few tracks that broke big on the UK Northern scene – but finally presented here with the full scope of her work in one set! Carol had a great approach that was very much in keeping with changes in the Detroit sound of the 70s – vocals that often shared a sense of personal, heartfelt delivery with southern soul of the period – but a tighter, more swinging approach to instrumentation that was still keeping up the Detroit groove of earlier years. The tunes here nicely skirt a distance between Memphis and Motortown – delivered with a rich, expansive heart that should have made Carol a bigger singer than she was a the time. A few of the tracks on the set are nice dancefloor groovers – both in an older style of Northern soul, and in a late 70s/early 80s boogie-styled groove – and as usual, the folks at Grapevine have done a tremendous job with the notes! CD features every single track ever recorded by Carol – 17 titles that include "Sad Girl", "You Boy", "We've Got Enough", "You've Got It Coming", "Party People", "Holding On", "Taking My Mind Off Love", "You Want It", "Ain't Giving Up", "Tomorrow Is Not A Promise", "Come On Over Tonight", and "Master Plan".

A really comprehensive look at the career of Chicago soul genius Terry Callier – and one that captures just about every phase of his career, and not just his famous albums for Chess! There's certainly a few tracks from the Chess/Cadet years here – but the record also features Terry singing 60s Northern Soul, spare traditional folk, upbeat 80s groove, and lots lots more. Titles are pulled from labels that include Prestige, Erect, Premonition, Chess, Verve, and Mr Bongo – and the 2CD set features a whopping 24 tracks that include "Look At Me Now", "I Don't Want To See Myself", "If I Could Make You Change Your Mind", "Big City (live)", "Ordinary Joe (demo)", "Be My Woman", "I'm A Drifter", "Spin Spin Spin", "You Goin Miss Your Candyman", "Midnight Mile", "Jazz My Rhythm & Blues", "Sierra Leone", "Darker Than A Shadow", "Step Into The Light (live)", "People Get Ready (live)", "Can't Catch The Trane (demo)", "Dancing Girl", "Alley Wind Song (demo)", and "Monuments Of Mars".

Hard soul genius from The Isley Brothers – a set that has the group sounding quite different than their smooth hits from later years – with a hard-burning quality that's mighty nice all the way through! The vocals are still tremendous – and in fact, given that these guys are usually moving at a pretty darn fast clip, the way they trade sounds is even more amazing – grooving to sounds that are even more upbeat than most Northern Soul – and presented with a great garagey edge! Titles include the familiar monster "Twist & Shout" – but all cuts are great, and include "Spanish Twist", "I Say Love", "Hold On Baby", "The Snake", "Don't You Feel", "Never Leave Me Baby", "You Better Come Home", and "Right Now".

Two great slices of work from vocalist Thelma Jones – her late 60s singles for the indie Barry label, and her tighter work for Columbia recorded nearly a full decade later! The first half of the set has Jones hitting hard in a tight Northern Soul mode – a socking 60s approach to the groove that's got echoes of deep soul on the vocals, but which also often bumps along with a tight sense of rhythm on the bottom – sometimes even a bit of funk as well! Titles from these years include Jones' excellent original take on "House That Jack Built" – a tight funky version that's way better than Aretha Franklin's – plus the cuts "Stronger", "Never Leave Me", "Gotta Find A Way", "I Won't Give Up My Man", "Mr Fix It", and "Give It To Me Straight". The second half of the set features material from Jones self-titled 1978 album for Columbia – a sweet blend of southern and modern soul, with some fantastic arrangements by Bert DeCoteaux, who also produced the set in a wonderful way that lets Jones retain the deeper qualities of her vocals, but also glide nicely on some warmer modern touches. There's a really unified feel to the whole record, and tracks are a range of work by 70s songwriting greats that include Sam Dees, Leon Ware, Grey & Hanks, and Gamble & Huff. Features the excellent single "How Long", plus "I Can Dream", "Salty Tears", "Stay Awhile With Me", "I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love", and "Now That We Found Love". 22 tracks in all – and a long-overdue collection!

One of the best-remembered groups from the Detroit scene of the early 70s – thanks to the massive title track on this album, and a whole host of other wonderful cuts as well! The group features the great Steve Marcus on vocals – an artist who'd cut some key Northern soul singles for smaller labels in the 60s – but who really bursts out of the box here with great presentation from the Holland Dozier Holland empire! The record features some great songs by General Johnson and Greg Perry – and Perry also handled some of the production work for the record – really pushing the group with the sort of full, rich sound the Chairmen Of The Board brought to their own work. Titles include "Somebody's Been Sleeping", "Too Many Cooks (Spoil The Soup)", "One Man's Leftovers", "Love is Sweeter", "Age Ain't Nothin' But a Number", and "Back Track". CD features five bonus tracks – "90 Days Freeze", "Somebody's Been Sleeping (UK single edit)", "If I Could See The Light In The Window (version 1)", "Driveway", and "Somebody's Been Sleeping (US single)".

A great batch of driving, early 60s soul from the Vibrations – their complete recordings for the Checker label for the first time on CD! The Vibrations never really achieved the massive popular success of some of the soul groups of the era, but they could hang with the best of them – whether they were rolling out Northern Soul stompers, frenetic dance soul, or post doo wop romantic ballads. Great stuff – and a real joy to see collected on CD! Disc one features 18 tracks, including "Watusi", "Wallflower", "So Blue", "If You Should", "Doing The Slop","Sweet Slumber", "People Say", "Talk That Talk", "I Still Love You", "The Junkeroo" and much more. Disc two features another 18 tracks, including the great singles "Peanut Butter" and "Down In New Orleans" (both originally released under their pseudonym the Marathons) plus "Don't Say Goodbye", "Let's Pony Again", "The New Hully Gully", "Hamburger On A Bun", "May The Best Man Win", "Dancing Danny", "All My Love Belongs To You" and much more!

Funky female soul galore – a killer set of rare tunes that's one of the best sets of this type we've ever stocked! The SuperFunk crew at BGP have gone through the rich array of labels handled by the company – pulling out some massive tunes that really push our understanding of female soul – taking things way past the obvious hits and girl group numbers, into hard and heavy-stepping territory that we really love! Most of the tunes on the set are completely new to our ears, and there's a great mix of northern and southern funk styles that keeps things super-fresh. Drums crackle, basslines pound, and the gals belt it out loud, clear, and funky on a set of 20 tracks that includes "Tell Me What's Wrong" by Lynn Varnado, "Listen Here" by Valorie Keys, "Know What To Do When You Get It" by The Genies, "Heavy Heavy Hangs My Heart" by Vera Hamilton, "Better Get A Move On" by Louise McCord, "Pounds Of Soul" by Betty Bibbs, "Ooh Wee Baby" by Delilah Moore, "Sunshine Of Your Love" by Spanky Wilson, "Staying At Home Like A Woman" by Lynn Varnado, "Hold On This Time" by Fontella Bass, "Mr Fix It" by Thelma Jones, "I'm Glad I Got Over You" by Jeanette Jones, "One Way Street" by Little Ann, and "It's Too Late For Tears" by Rene Bailey.

A really socking collection of 60s soul – reissued with great notes, excellent sound, and a stunning selection of tunes that includes many many rare numbers! The package is made up nearly entirely of tracks from rare singles – and the groove runs from Northern Soul, to sock boogaloo soul, to hard-stepping female numbers, and even a bit of funk! The groove is very strong all the way through, and titles include "Chain Reaction" by The Spellbinders, "A Lot Of Love" by Homer Banks, "She's Looking Good" by Rodger Collins, "My Elusive Dreams" by Moses & Joshua Dillard, "You Gave Me Somebody To Love" by The Dreamlovers, "Get It From The Bottom" by The Steelers, "I Must Love You" by The Falcons, "Shine It On" by Vernon Garrett, "Keep My Woman Home" by Danny White, "She Shot A Hole In My Soul" by Clifford Curry, "Save Your Money" by Lonnie Mack, "You Left The Water Running" by Barbara Lynn, "That's How Strong My Love Is" by OV Wright & The Keys, "Soul Serenade" by Beau Dollar & The Coins, "The Real Thing" by Tina Britt, "Hole In The Wall" by The Packers, and "Karate Boo Ga Loo" by Jerry O.

Sweet sounds from the soulful 70s – a massive batch of music that definitely earns the "masterpiece" in the title! The collection focuses on one of our favorite styles of the 70s – that warmly grooving mode that came to be known as "modern soul" – partly in contrast to the faster styles of Northern, and partly because there was a tightness of production and sophistication of arrangements that really pushed the whole groove forward! Work here is from a range of different scenes, and it's all pretty darn great – and all pretty darn obscure, too – no too-familiar tracks to clog up your listening, and instead a real discovery of gems that need to be rediscovered. Titles include "Go Away" by The Hesitations, "Pity A Fool" by Barbara Brown, "Sugar Love" by Pat Livingston, "Didn't I" by Darondo, "A State Of Mind" by James Carpenter, "This Man's Arms" by Loleatta Holloway, "So Much Love To This" by The Sweetens, "I Never Could Have Made It" by Jesse Davis, "What More Can I Ask For" by Betty Gouche, "Shake Off That Dream" by Eddie Billups & The CCs, "The Feeling Is Gone" by Rose Batiste, and "You Won't Be True" by Gloria Lucas.

The 4th volume of work to appear on the UK Sue Records label in the 60s – and quite possibly the most hard-hitting so far! This set follows strongly in the soul-based sound of volume 3 – and includes a range of key singles from American labels Sue, Okeh, Vee Jay, Fire, Enjoy, and Jamie – all issued by Sue UK in England during the mid 60s, with tremendous impact on mod, mainstream, and Northern Soul scenes! But even getting past the origin or issuing label of the music, the set's a really great one – with a hard-edged groove that mixes New York uptown with some more R&B-styled numbers – a great little all-legit collection that's presented with really great notes. Titles include "The Whip" by Alexander Jackson & The Turnkeys, "Warm & Tender Love" by Joe Haywood, "I'm Dedicating My Life" by Danny White, "Goin Home" by Rosco Gordon, "Round Midnight" by Jimmy McGriff, "Lenny Goofed" by The Naturals, "Lost In A Dream" by Buster Brown, "Pork Chops" by The Dorsets, "La De Da I Love You" by Inez & Charlie Foxx, "Good Time Tonight" by The Soul Sisters, "So Far Away" by Hank Jacobs, and "Stepping Stone" by The Anglos.

A long-overdue look at the mighty mid 60s work of The Falcons – a group who are usually only covered during their early doo wop years, but who went onto do some tremendous group soul as well! The work here features many of the group's excellent recordings for the Big Wheel label with vocalist Sonny Munro in the lead – a really great singer who more than carries on the strong traditions started in the group by earlier singers who include Eddie Floyd and Wilson Pickett! The Big Wheel work is really great – often a bit Northern and upbeat, but with a very deep vocal style overall that's totally great. Added to the set is some additional material that Sonny Munro cut in later years – showing him to be an equally great solo act, working in some more sophisticated modern soul modes – briefly recording for Epic in the 70s, but represented here on some previously unissued tracks from the time. CD also features two tremendous Falcons-backed cuts on Big Wheel with singer Sandy Hollis in the lead – "I'm Tempted" and "Tables Will Turn" – plus the cuts "Good Good Feeling", "Standing On Guard", "Love You Like You Never Been Loved", "I Can't Help It", "Love Love Love", "In Time For The Blues", and "Standing On Guard" by The Falcons – as well as "Don't Leave Me Alone", "On The Other Side Of Pride", "Why Do I Let You Do The Things You Do", and "I'm Tired Of Being Your Play Thing" by Sonny Munro.

A great groove from The Inspirations – one of those groups who can harmonize at a quick pace – which makes "Your Wish" as much of a Northern soul dancefloor stormer as it is a group soul treasure! And on the flip, the group really sound wondeful on the ballad "I'll Take A Chance On You" – a heartbreaking number with sublime harmonies right from the start!

There's not much of a cover on this one – but the music is plenty plenty funky – and the set features a great selection of rare work recorded as funky 45s for the TK family of labels in the 60s and 70s! The groove here is much harder and deeper than you'd expect if you only know TK from its bigger hits of the time – a fiercely wailing approach that shows that the label could record some excellent funk that easily matched the best work coming out of the northern cities at the time. And in fact, there's very few "Miami" touches here overall – because the groove these guys lay down is often much more in keeping with styles we know from Ohio, Chicago, and New York groups of the time. But whatever the origin or label, we can say that the set's an excellent one for any fan of deep deep deep funk – and it features a total of 14 tracks that include "Cutting Room (Hot Pants)" and "It's Allright" byOcean Liners, "Lay It On Me Baby" by Willie Johnson, "Hey Sexy" by King Tutt, "I'm Afraid Of The Dark" by Jonny K, "Funky Cat" by James Knight, "Look What You Can Get" by Funky Nassau, "Nasty Dog" by The Mighty Dogcatchers, "Soul Food" by Franky Seay, and "I Got A Thing For You Baby" by Mr Percolator.

2 very groovy records by Mose Allison – both recorded during the early 70s, when he was hipping up his bag a bit! Western Man is a really amazing record – with some good funky tracks! The real key here is the fact that Mose plays electric piano and is working in a hip trio with Billy Cobham playing some funky and soulful drums! We don't know what kind of piano Mose is using, but on the tracks where he's playing the electric, it's got a jagged and raw kind of sound, almost recalling the one used on the Atlantic albums by Eugene McDaniels. Includes the great funky track "If You Only Knew", which has a real McDaniels kind of feel – plus the cuts "Western Man", "Mountains", "Ask Me Nice", "Night Club", and "Meadows". Mose In Your Ear is a live set – one that's a bit more back-to-basics than the first, but still grooving with a unique blend of New Orleans soul and Northern jazz influences, his own particular brand of music, timeless from the day it was born! The setting here is a live one, and Mose is playing with a trio that includes Clyde Flowers on bass and Eddie Charlton on drums. The album features a number of strong originals – including "Look What You Made Me Do", "Powerhouse", "I Don't Worry About A Thing", and "Don't Forget To Smile" – plus versions of "The Seventh Son" and "Fool's Paradise".

The complete recordings of a wonderful soul singer who never fully got her due – Detroit diva Carol Anderson, best known for a few tracks that broke big on the UK Northern scene – but finally presented here with the full scope of her work in one set! Carol had a great approach that was very much in keeping with changes in the Detroit sound of the 70s – vocals that often shared a sense of personal, heartfelt delivery with southern soul of the period – but a tighter, more swinging approach to instrumentation that was still keeping up the Detroit groove of earlier years. The tunes here nicely skirt a distance between Memphis and Motortown – delivered with a rich, expansive heart that should have made Carol a bigger singer than she was a the time. A few of the tracks on the set are nice dancefloor groovers – both in an older style of Northern soul, and in a late 70s/early 80s boogie-styled groove – and as usual, the folks at Grapevine have done a tremendous job with the notes! CD features every single track ever recorded by Carol – 17 titles that include "Sad Girl", "You Boy", "We've Got Enough", "You've Got It Coming", "Party People", "Holding On", "Taking My Mind Off Love", "You Want It", "Ain't Giving Up", "Tomorrow Is Not A Promise", "Come On Over Tonight", and "Master Plan".

Two rare Philly grooves – both from the Cameo/Parkway family of labels! "You Didn't Say A Word" is a lasting treasure from Yvonne Baker – a Northern Soul groover that soars with this great horn-heavy lead – and gets this cool crackling vocal from Yvonne that's mighty nice! Hattie Winston slows it down a bit on the flip – sounding amazing on "Pictures Don't Lie", a tune that's almost got a New York uptown sort of vibe!

Northern soul treasures from Lorraine Chandler on a sweet 45 from Outta Sight UK! "I Can't Change" is a great uptempo Detroit groove to it, a great track co-written by Jack Ashford, the percussionist for The Funk Brothers. A great, Motown-worthy cut that was actually recorded for RCA. The flip is great version of the Bond theme "You Only Live Twice" – we love us some Nancy Sinatra, but we'd love to hear this version in the flick instead!

A Cameo cooker from Bobby Paris – the kind of single that makes us wish we could hear a full album from the singer! "Night Owl" has this perfection right from the start – that rare Northern Soul mix of vocals, instrumentation, and rhythms that are all right on the money – soaring out with an upbeat, grooving sound that never lets up! "Tears On My Pillow" isn't nearly as weepy as it might sound – thanks to a vamping rhythm that hits a sock-soul groove at the start – and really offsets the sad theme of the lyrics.

Storming soul from Maurice Williams – two smoking tracks that feature production from Marshall Seehorn and Allen Toussaint! "Being Without You" has Williams sounding a lot more Northern Soul than you might expect – really pushed forward strongly with stomping rhythms – and soaring with these amazing vocals over the top! "Return" is from a few years before, and has a strutting groove that's a bit more R&B – nice tenor in the mix alongside the vocals, and a great punch that really gets the midtempo rhythms going!

A tiny label, but one with some really great sounds – a great slice of the late 60s Philly scene, and a pretty darn soulful one at that! The label started as Kayden in Philly, then moved across the river to New Jersey and switched to Merben – but had a really unified sound throughout their short run, so much so that even the few pop recordings here come across with a pretty soulful feel! Most numbers are upbeat, and move in a Northern-ish soul mode – and the male singers here are especially great, almost a bit more deep soul than usual for the Philly scene, especially some of the groups. CD features 24 cuts from both labels, including some unreleased material – and titles include "You're Gonna Miss A Good Thing Baby", "Help Me Pretty Baby", and "At The End Of The Day" by John Bowie, who's pictured on the front cover – plus "Stop Think It Over" and "A Place For Me" by Leverett Sisters, "I Wanna Know" by Bill Horton, "Seven Days Fifty Two Weeks" by Cody Michaels, "Ask Any Girl" and "What Am I Gonna Do" by Matt Sound, "Where Did You Leave Your Heart" by Sharon Marshall, "Shake Me Wake Me" by Natural Facts, "I Can Only Give You Everything" by Bram Rigg Set, "Why Did God Make Girls" by JD Rogues, "Tell Me" by Shags, "How Could You Have Known" by Bats, and "Paint It Black" by Jimmy Roma.

A sweet celebration of 30 years of Kent Records – a longtime home to rare soul from the 60s and 70s, with killer collections like these! The set is way more than a rehash of the label's work from the past three decades – as it also features a big number of previously unreleased tunes too, making the package essential to any longtime fan of the label – as well as any lover of 60s soul in general! All tunes are as upbeat and groovy as you'd expect from the Northern Soul reference in the title – and the whole thing's a smoking reminder of why we've trusted Kent with our record-buying dollars for so many years. Titles include "You Only Live Twice (orig take)" by Lorraine Chandler, "Faith & Understanding (alt mix)" by The Magicians, "What Should I Do (alt mix)" by Little Ann, "I'd Be A Millionaire" by Chuck Jackson, " Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right" by The Mayberry Movement, "True Love Is In The Heart" by Alexander Patton, "Changes" by Lilly Fields, "I'm Shooting High (alt mix)" by OC Tolbert, "I'm Stepping Out Of The Picture" by Johnny Maestro & The Crests, "Handwriting On The Wall" by Bobby Wisdom, "Baby Without You" by Gene & Gary, and "Have Faith In Me" by Sugar & The Spices.

A wonderful album from this enigmatic soul group! Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose were one of a handful of early 70s groups – like Chairmen Of The Board or 100 Proof Aged In Soul – who had a sound that was incredibly hard to peg. There were bits of southern rawness in the vocals, but the overall approach also had plenty of elements of smoother Northern Soul, and wasn't afraid to use strings or uptown arrangements when they were needed. This album's their best, and features 10 tracks written by Eddie Cornelius, plus a great little cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together". Tracks include the sublime easy soul number "Too Late To Turn Back Now", choppy odd groover "Treat Her Like A Lady", and the cuts "Gonna Be Sweet For You", "Let Me Down Easy", and "Lift Your Love Higher".

A pretty odd little record from Gloria Jones – a great soul singer back in the 60s when she was pounding out the hard northern numbers, but not so great here, where she's in an odd style that mixes disco with a hard soul approach, and just doesn't work. The "Reunited" in the title refers to Gloria and Ed Cobb – her producer on earlier records, and the force behind this effort. Gloria had previously spent time working in the group T Rex and was married to the late Marc Bolan – and she dedicates the painful number "Sixty Minutes Of Making Love" to their time together. Features a remake of Gloria's original hit "Tainted Love", plus "Body Heat", "The Touch Of Venus", and "I'm Going To Run Away With Him Tonight".

One of the best David Axelrod-assisted albums from the early 70s – a sweet batch of funky cuts with arrangements and backings handled by Axe! The record really bubbles with the warm and soulful approach Axelrod was using at Fantasy – kind of a step off his stark modern sound at Capitol, but still done with just the right amount of space and appreciation of a funky rhythm. The great Carol Kaye is on bass, and Hawes plays some totally sweeeeeeeet electric keys on the set – really stretching out on tracks that include "Sierra Morena", "Go Down Moses", "Web", "Tune Axle Grease", and "C&H Sugar".

The rootsier side of the Chicago steppers scene – and a collection that shows the strong cultural ties between the Windy City and the south! There's plenty of bluesy currents going on here – even if all the music isn't blues – and the set's a great mix of soulful styles and modern modes that really shows the way that Northern scenes like Chicago helped take sounds from back home, and tighten them up for an urban audience. And by that, we hardly mean the kids in the north side blues clubs – we mean the folks down at places like Mr G's Supper Club or East Of The Ryan – both favorite haunts of ours, back in the day. Titles include "How Can I Say Goodbye" by Sidney Joe Qualls, "I Truly Love You" by Tony Troutman, "Good Lovin" by Otis Clay, "Tell Em I Heard It" by Sandra Feva, "Sugar" by Kenny Doss, "Leanin Tree" by Artie White, "Baby You're Ready" by Willie Clayton, and "My Money Ain't Long Enough" by Al King.