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Way more than you might expect from the legendary Big Maybelle – a smoking collection of soulful tunes that goes way beyond her early blues of the 50s, and shows the lady to be one heck of a funky singer – on a par with the best 60s work from Etta James at Chess! The cuts here are pulled from Maybelle's Rojac recordings – rare indie tracks that hardly got much circulation at the time, but which make tremendous use of her powerful voice – re-fitting it for a whole new groove in the 60s – including socking soul numbers with plenty of punch, and a few laidback ballads that are dripping with deep soul! There's a total of 22 tracks in all on the set – not just rare singles and album tracks, but a few others we'd never seen before – a beautiful package that also features very detailed notes as well! Titles include "Careless Love", "Mama", "Love Is A Hurtin Thing", "Big Sweet Daddy", "I Can't Wait Any Longer", "Quittin Time", "Cold Cold Heart", "I Am Lost", "That's Life", "Why Was I Born", "Blame It On Your Love", and "Old Love Never Dies".

A deluxe box set of rare Funky 45s on NYC producer Jack Taylor's Rojac and Tay-star labels – and featuring represses of key classic 45s, along with a bonus single with a new Kenny Dope edit – and a pair of 7" Rojac logo slipmats! It's a great batch of singles – featuring some largely lost, though legendary numbers by Big Maybelle, Third Guitar, Little Jewel, Damn Sam The Miracle Man, Chico Buddy and others. The set is well chosen to highlight the crème of the crop of Rojac and Tay-ster's releases from the late 60s to early 80s – with raw and slightly more tender soul singles, some wicked 70s funk, and a couple post disco groovers. Great stuff all the way! The box itself is nice, too, with a faux alligator skin texture and a handled fliptop lid. It includes seven old school Rojac and Tay-ster 45s – plus a bonus red colored vinyl 7" featuring a pair of Kenny Dope edits – and the twin Rojac slipmats. Titles include "Can't Wait Any Longer" and "Quittin' Time" by Big Maybelle, "A Thing Call The Jones" and "Can You Dig It" by Chico And Buddy, "I Want To" and "It Doesn't Matter" by Little Jewel, "Been So Long" and "Down To The River" by Third Guitar, "Damn Sam The Miracle Man" and "Give Me Another Joint" by Damn Sam The Miracle Man & The Soul Congregation, "I've Got It" and "Lucky Man" by Tolbert, "Are You Experience" and "Whip You" by Chuck-A-Luck & The Lovemen LTD. The bonus single is on red vinyl – and features a Kenny Dope edit of "Baby Don't Cry" by Third Guitar, with a flipside instrumental.

Funky sounds from the Harlem scene – an incredibly rich collection of work from the Rojac and Tayster labels – a set so massive, it's like finding a box of rare funky 45s and deep soul singles in the back of some old record store! The package offers up way more work than we might have expected from our knowledge of a few key funk classics from the labels – a treasure trove of under-discovered gems from the grittiest years of the New York scene – most of them cut in the pre-disco years, with raw edges that almost feel more like southern soul and funk than other work from the Big Apple! This overstuffed set also comes with a sweet booklet of notes – really telling the tale of the labels and related enterprises – plus 44 tracks that include "Where Were You" by Kim Tolliver, "Meet Me Halfway" by Lillie Bryant, "Old Love Never Dies" by Big Maybelle, "Something Special About My Baby" by Clarence Reid, "I Love My Baby" by International GTOs, "No Better For Ya" by Jo Armstead, Love Love Love" by Chuck Flamingo, "Christmas In Vietnam" by Private Charles Bowens & The Gentlemen From Tigerland, "Everybody's Going Wild" by Curtis Lee & The KCPs, "Lovin Lies" by Third Guitar, "This & That" by Jo Armstead, "Don't Lose Your Groove" by Lavell Hardy, "Nwanne Nwanne Nwanne" by Aleke Kanonu & Tolbert The Miracle Man, "Lucky Man" by Damn Sam The Miracle Man, "Baby Don't Cry" by Third Guitar, and "Whip Ya" by Chuck A Luck & The Lovemen Ltd.

Funky sounds from the Harlem scene – an incredibly rich collection of work from the Rojac and Tayster labels – a set so massive, it's like finding a box of rare funky 45s and deep soul singles in the back of some old record store! The package offers up way more work than we might have expected from our knowledge of a few key funk classics from the labels – a treasure trove of under-discovered gems from the grittiest years of the New York scene – most of them cut in the pre-disco years, with raw edges that almost feel more like southern soul and funk than other work from the Big Apple! Vinyl version has 30 tracks on 2LPs: "Tuesday's Child" by Kim Tolliver, "Quittin' Time" by Big Maybelle, "Something Special About My Baby" by Clarence Reid, "I Love My Baby" by International GTOs, "No Better For Ya" by Jo Armstead, "What's My Chances" by Chuck Flamingo, "Get In My Bag" by Curtis Lee & The KCPs, "Lovin Lies" by Third Guitar, "This & That" by Jo Armstead, "Don't Lose Your Groove" by Lavell Hardy, "Nwanne Nwanne Nwanne" by Aleke Kanonu & Tolbert The Miracle Man, "Smash" by Damn Sam The Miracle Man, "Baby Don't Cry" by Third Guitar, and "Whip Ya" by Chuck A Luck & The Lovemen Ltd.

Way more than you might expect from the legendary Big Maybelle – a smoking collection of soulful tunes that goes way beyond her early blues of the 50s, and shows the lady to be one heck of a funky singer – on a par with the best 60s work from Etta James at Chess! The cuts here are pulled from Maybelle's Rojac recordings – rare indie tracks that hardly got much circulation at the time, but which make tremendous use of her powerful voice – re-fitting it for a whole new groove in the 60s – including socking soul numbers with plenty of punch, and a few laidback ballads that are dripping with deep soul! There's a total of 23 tracks in all on the set – not just rare singles and album tracks, but a few others we'd never seen before – a beautiful package that also features very detailed notes as well! Titles include "Careless Love", "Mama", "Love Is A Hurtin Thing", "Big Sweet Daddy", "I Can't Wait Any Longer", "Quittin Time", "Cold Cold Heart", "I Am Lost", "That's Life", "Why Was I Born", "Blame It On Your Love", and "Old Love Never Dies".

Funky sounds from the Harlem scene – an incredibly rich collection of work from the Rojac and Tayster labels – a set so massive, it's like finding a box of rare funky 45s and deep soul singles in the back of some old record store! The package offers up way more work than we might have expected from our knowledge of a few key funk classics from the labels – a treasure trove of under-discovered gems from the grittiest years of the New York scene – most of them cut in the pre-disco years, with raw edges that almost feel more like southern soul and funk than other work from the Big Apple! This overstuffed set also comes with a sweet booklet of notes – really telling the tale of the labels and related enterprises – plus 44 tracks that include "Where Were You" by Kim Tolliver, "Meet Me Halfway" by Lillie Bryant, "Old Love Never Dies" by Big Maybelle, "Something Special About My Baby" by Clarence Reid, "I Love My Baby" by International GTOs, "No Better For Ya" by Jo Armstead, Love Love Love" by Chuck Flamingo, "Christmas In Vietnam" by Private Charles Bowens & The Gentlemen From Tigerland, "Everybody's Going Wild" by Curtis Lee & The KCPs, "Lovin Lies" by Third Guitar, "This & That" by Jo Armstead, "Don't Lose Your Groove" by Lavell Hardy, "Nwanne Nwanne Nwanne" by Aleke Kanonu & Tolbert The Miracle Man, "Lucky Man" by Damn Sam The Miracle Man, "Baby Don't Cry" by Third Guitar, and "Whip Ya" by Chuck A Luck & The Lovemen Ltd.

Raw late 60s grooves from Third Guitar – one sweet and one heavy funk! "Been So Long" is tender ballad by the group, but it's got a looseness and a gritty sound underneath the sweet lead and harmony vocals to give a really unique, completely great feel! The rawly recorded guitars and some eerie R&B organ stands out nicely, too. "Down To The River" is another beast entirely – this one an uptempo funky stomer with some killer percussion and psych soul guitars and heavy horns on the mix!

A great bit of modern soul from Tolbert! The tune's got a hell of a lot of warmth – a glowing sort of glide that's completely seductive, and much more late 70s than you'd guess from the date of the cut. Tolbert's vocals break nicely with a southern soul crackle, making for a very nice contrast to the smoother grooves of the tune! "Lucky Man" is a bit more down home – not bluesy, but with a nice southern soul vibe.

Big Maybelle doesn't show any signs of quittin here – and in fact, the single may well be key proof that she was still raring to go at the end of the 60s! The groove is fast – almost triple-time, like Maybelle's on the third shift – with fast piano stepping over tight drums – all running away with plenty frenzy! "I Can't Wait" is a great cut too – more slow funk, with some sinister piano lines that shade in some darkness underneath the vocals!

Massive Miami soul from Third Guitar – a short-lived group headed by guitarist Snoopy Dean – and one who've built up a well-deserved legacy over the years! This unusual set is the first time the group's work has ever been brought together – and it's a real revelation if you only know Third Guitar from their rare funky single – a chance to finally hear the combo in all their depth and glory, music at a level to rival bigger giants from the southern scene at the time! In addition to the expected funky groove, the group also have a great way with a ballad too – and there's some wonderful harmony numbers here that are a real treat to our ears – tunes that are almost more east coast indie, or Windy City soul, than we were expecting from the pedigree of the group. Dean's lead vocals are wonderful – raspy, raw, and really heartbreaking on the mellow tunes – and his guitar is mighty darn nice as well! Titles include the classic "Baby Don't Cry", plus "Been So Long", "Sad Girl", "Lovin Lies", "Down To The River", and "Don't Take Your Love From Me" – plus a killer instrumental version of "Baby Don't Cry" – done as a Kenny Dope edit!

The third great album in the trilogy that includes Off The Wall and Thriller – and a set that still has Michael Jackson running strong at the height of his solo powers! Quincy Jones is still at the helm, and Michael more than proves that he can still come up with a pop tune without going too far over the top – catchy, compelling numbers that played well all over the world of pop – but which still hang onto just a little part of his soul roots too! That balance is a key factor to the success of this set – a record that helped re-ignite interest in Jackson's music, and introduce him to a whole new generation – while still keeping most of the older fans plenty pleased too. Titles include "Just Good Friends", "Smooth Criminal", "Bad", "Another Part Of Me", "Man In The Mirror", and "Speed Demon". 2CD version is filled with great bonus material – a huge amount of tracks that include "Free", "Song Groove", "I'm So Blue", "Don't Be Messin Round", "Streetwalker", "Fly Away", "Price Of Fame", "Todo Mi Amor Eres Tu", "Je Ne Vieux Pas La Fin De Nous", "Bad (Afrojack rmx)", "Speed Demon (Nero rmx)", and "Bad (Afrojack club)".

The third great album in the trilogy that includes Off The Wall and Thriller – and a set that still has Michael Jackson running strong at the height of his solo powers! Quincy Jones is still at the helm, and Michael more than proves that he can still come up with a pop tune without going too far over the top – catchy, compelling numbers that played well all over the world of pop – but which still hang onto just a little part of his soul roots too! That balance is a key factor to the success of this set – a record that helped re-ignite interest in Jackson's music, and introduce him to a whole new generation – while still keeping most of the older fans plenty pleased too. Titles include "Just Good Friends", "Smooth Criminal", "Bad", "Another Part Of Me", "Man In The Mirror", and "Speed Demon". Second CD is filled with great bonus material – a huge amount of tracks that include "Free", "Song Groove", "I'm So Blue", "Don't Be Messin Round", "Streetwalker", "Fly Away", "Price Of Fame", "Toto Mi Amor Eres Tu", "Je Ne Vieux Pas La Fin De Nous", "Bad (Afrojack rmx)", "Speed Demon (Nero rmx)", and "Bad Afrojack club)". Also features the CD and DVD of Michael Jackson's massive performance at Wembley Stadium in 1988 – part of the Bad world tour,a nd filled with great performances!

The third great album in the trilogy that includes Off The Wall and Thriller – and a set that still has Michael Jackson running strong at the height of his solo powers! Quincy Jones is still at the helm, and Michael more than proves that he can still come up with a pop tune without going too far over the top – catchy, compelling numbers that played well all over the world of pop – but which still hang onto just a little part of his soul roots too! That balance is a key factor to the success of this set – a record that helped re-ignite interest in Jackson's music, and introduce him to a whole new generation – while still keeping most of the older fans plenty pleased too. Titles include "Just Good Friends", "Smooth Criminal", "Bad", "Another Part Of Me", "Man In The Mirror", and "Speed Demon". 3LP version is filled with great bonus material – a huge amount of tracks that include "Free", "Song Groove", "I'm So Blue", "Don't Be Messin Round", "Streetwalker", "Fly Away", "Price Of Fame", "Todo Mi Amor Eres Tu", "Je Ne Vieux Pas La Fin De Nous", "Bad (Afrojack rmx)", "Speed Demon (Nero rmx)", and "Bad (Afrojack club)".