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An excellent album of smooth soul tracks, and maybe Van's best record of the 70s! The record shows Van sitting at the piano in an intimate setting – ala Barry White – and it's got a similar Love Unlimited Orchestra approach, with much large backing behind Van's voice, and a very full instrumental sound. Van sings lead vocals, which aren't always that great – but he more than makes up for it with some great piano and keyboard work, and some wonderful soul songwriting and arranging that recall his best uptown moments of the late 60s. The record has a few uptempo hustle-type tracks, but they're all pretty darn great soul songs, and there's loads of great mellow soul moments woven in to make the record a nice album of ballads and groovers. Titles include "Before & After", "Wings Of Love", "My Favorite Fantasy", "That's The Story Of My Life", and "You're So Right For Me".

This is it! The record that helped put disco over in a huge way, with a sound that would go on to be heavily imitated for years to come. Sweeping disco production from Hugo & Luigi arranged and conducted by Van McCoy, already a studio mainstay by this point, coupled with a set of accessible numbers paved the way towards huge mainstream appeal for tracks like "The Hustle". This album also includes the title track, "Get Dancin", "Spanish Boogie", "Turn This Mother Out" plus covers of the Ohio Players' "Fire" and AWB's "Pick Up The Pieces".

A landmark album of vocal jazz – and one of the few sessions that John Coltrane ever cut with a singer! In a way, the album's more Hartman's than it is Coltrane's – given that Johnny's warm, mellow style of singing isn't as free and open as Trane at his most adventurous – but at another level, the album's got a great approach to Coltrane's gentler side, one that wasn't showing up on a lot of his Impulse albums of the time. Overall, the album's got an extremely haunting quality, and McCoy Tyner's piano adds as much to Hartman's hip voice as Coltrane's mellow tenor. Titles include some well-chosen moody standards – including "Lush Life", "Dedicated To You", and "Autumn Serenade".

Arranged by Van McCoy – with tracks that include "I'm Ready For A New Love", "Keep Me Baby", "Don't Pity Me", "You Never Were My Friend", "Find What You Need", and "People In Love Oughta Be Together".

Good album by this female-male-female soul trio, with a lot of tracks written and arranged by Van McCoy, with the good New York soul sound that he was laying down with groups like this in the days before he hit the disco. Zulema's on vocals, and she also wrote a few tracks. Cuts include "God Bless The World", "I Worship The Very Ground You Walk On", "Heavy Love", "I Was There", and "We Can Change The World".

A album of club tracks, as you might guess from the title, but every bit as strong as Melba More's other work from the late 70s! The album's got some top-shelf club help throughout – including production from Van McCoy and McFadden & Whitehead, the latter of whom also contributed a few key tracks – and the whole thing's also mixed by Richie Rivera with a soaring, spacious sound, and one that's never too cloyingly commercial. Melba's strong vocals are right at home in the setting, and even the longer tracks don't seem to dampen her enthusiasm at all. Titles include "Standing Right Here", "Free", "Play Boy Scout", "Promised Land", and "Make Me Believe In You". CD features a bonus 12" version of "This Is It".

Soaring soul from Melba Moore – a singer who really came into her own with this sweet 70s album! Melba always had a great voice, right from the start – but here, she's working with arrangements and production by Van McCoy – updating her sound with a bit of a clubby groove, in a way that helps Moore reach even greater heights than usual – and cross over to a big audience with ears for the growing disco sounds of the time! McCoy really knows how to pitch things right – and overall, the album's got a much deeper feel than some of his own disco work of the time – thanks, no doubt, to Melba's rich vocal approach. Titles include "So Many Mountains", "Good Love Makes Everything Alright", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "The Greatest Feeling", "Mighty Clouds Of Joy", and "Ain't No Love Lost".

The early 70s sweet soul masterpiece by The Presidents – a great album that kicks off with a title track of that was a huuuuuuuge hit back in the day, but the full length album by the group just about never shows up! It's just beautiful stuff, with lots of tasty harmony soul tracks with production by Van McCoy, who also wrote and arranged the bulk of the material. The vocals are great and the strings soar pretty grandly, without compromising the group soul backdrop. Includes the big title hit, of course, plus "Gotta Keep Movin", "For You", "Sweet Magic", "This Is My Dream World", and "How Can You Say You're Leavin". This Fuel CD is subtitled Their Greatest Hits – which it essentially is, but it's the complete original album, plus one more, "The Sweetest Thing This Side Of Heaven". We're just thrilled to see this worthy material finally get a real reissue!

David Ruffin teams with Van McCoy for this sweet little set – and the result is a great batch of grooves that swell with Ruffin's soulful sound of the 70s, but sway with the warm McCoy dancefloor modes of the time! Van wrote nearly all the tracks in the set – and handled all arrangements and production – but the record's far less disco than you'd guess, thanks to cracklingly earnest vocals from Ruffin, who's still given plenty of space to shine center stage on the record. The balance is essential, and is carried off here in a manner similar to the best Philly soul albums of its type. Titles include "First Round Knockout", "On & Off", "Good Good Times", "Ready Willing & Able", "Everything's Coming Up Love", "Discover Me", "Until We Said Goodbye", and "Let's Get Into Something".

Sweet east coast harmony group soul, in a classic 70s style, and with nice backing by Van McCoy. The vibe's the same as some of the best Stylistics records from the time, and this one's an essential complement to any collection of records in that style. The Softones later made stuff with more of a disco groove, but this album's got a great easy harmony vibe, with cuts like "The First Day", "Extra Ordinary People", "Why Why Baby", "Never Let A Woman Like That Go By", and "Everybody Knew But Me".

A great compilation of rare soul from the dual vaults of Nashville's SSS International and NYC's GSF Records – a north-meets-south collection of brilliant late 60s to mid 70s soul put together by Outta Sight UK! Both labels released a pretty diverse mix of soul styles – from gritty and funk tinged, to sweeter and more soaringly orchestrated – and the set includes incredible stuff from some of our all time favorite acts from the period overlooked by the mainstream, as well as stuff that's was heretofore unheard by our deep digging selves! 20 tracks in all: "Lonely For You Baby" by Sam Dees, "Help Is On The Way" by Van McCoy, "Baby You Got Me" by Clarence Murray, "Give Him Up" by The Whatnauts, "Love Me" by Lloyd Price, "My Hang Up Is You" by Skull Snaps, "I Got The Place If You've Got The Time" by Allison, "Do I (Love You Like You Like It)" by Jackie Ross, "I'm Your Pimp" by Skull Snaps, "Lonely Man" by Johnny Soul and more.

Warm and wonderful soul from David Ruffin – key proof that the singer could keep on going strong, long after his earlier fame at Motown! The record's got a new sense of sophistication that really breaks David into new territory – a style that's nicely different than the backings Ruffin got from Van McCoy in his later Motown years – and which opens up a more mature sound, courtesy of producer Don Davis – who's casting Ruffin in the same blend of rough and smooth that worked so well for The Dramatics! There's a sophistication here that's completely sublime – a sound that's right up there with Leroy Hutson or Leon Ware – and most tunes hit a mellow or midtempo mode that's totally great! Tracks include "Chain On The Brain", "Break My Heart", "Morning Sun Looks Blue", "Let Your Love Rain Down On Me", "So Soon We Change", and "Sexy Dancer".

A seminal meeting of the old and new generations of jazz in the 60s – put together in perfect Impulse fashion! At some level, this is actually an early 60s John Coltrane Quartet album – with Duke Ellington sitting in for McCoy Tyner on piano, as that's the lineup on about half of the album – tracks that feature Coltrane on tenor, Elvin Jones on drums, and Jimmy Garrison on bass, all working with Ellington on the keys. On other titles, though, the album features Coltrane playing with a Duke-ish trio that has Aaron Bell on bass and Sam Woodyard on drums – slightly less modern, but with a nice sense of depth throughout! Overall, the the record does a great job of balancing between the best talents of both players – and titles include "Big Nick", "The Feeling Of Jazz", "Take The Coltrane", and "My Little Brown Book".

A tremendous second step for Chicago soul legend Walter Jackson – packaged here with a huge amount of bonus tracks as well! The core album is a sublime mix of new tunes and re-imagined standards – and a set that takes Walter Jackson into even more sophisticated soul territory than before! The record is proof that the up and coming soul artists of the 60s had a key place alongside the more established mainstream acts on the other side of the fence – as Walter's working here with arranger Riley Hampton to re-cast a number of familiar tunes in his cool Iceman soul mode – changing the themes, rhythms, and inflections of the tracks for a more contemporary soul market – and also interspersing them with a few great new songs of his own! The approach is amazing – far better than even Jerry Butler or Chuck Jackson's work in a similar idiom – and the album features the sublime hit "Welcome Home", plus the Van McCoy tunes "Suddenly I'm All Alone", "Still At The Mercy Of Your Love", and "The Magic's Gone" – alongside versions of "Moon River", "Let It Be Me", "Imagination", and "My Funny Valentine". Added to the original album are 7 more rare tracks pulled from singles – some of the true gems in Jackson's 60s career for Okeh – with titles that include "Deep In The Heart Of Harlem", "Cold Cold Winter", "That's When I Come To You", "Special Love", "One Heart Lonely", "I Think It's Going To Rain Today", and "The Folks Who Live On The Hill".

Soaring soul from Melba Moore – a singer who really came into her own with this sweet 70s album! Melba always had a great voice, right from the start – but here, she's working with arrangements and production by Van McCoy – updating her sound with a bit of a clubby groove, in a way that helps Moore reach even greater heights than usual – and cross over to a big audience with ears for the growing disco sounds of the time! McCoy really knows how to pitch things right – and overall, the album's got a much deeper feel than some of his own disco work of the time – thanks, no doubt, to Melba's rich vocal approach. Titles include "So Many Mountains", "Good Love Makes Everything Alright", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "The Greatest Feeling", "Mighty Clouds Of Joy", and "Ain't No Love Lost".

Yes, yes, yes – we all know the group from later years and their big hit at the end of the 70s, but back in the late 60s, they were an excellent uptown soul duo who forged some slight fame with work like this, sweet soul versions of standards and pop tunes, arranged in a strong New York style by Bert Keyes and Van McCoy. Looking at the evergreen titles, you wouldn't think the album was much – but like Ruby & The Romantics and other New York groups of the time, Peaches & Herb really manage to turn the tracks into something new, opening up old lyrics with new soul styles, creating a sound that's both fresh and familiar at the same time. Peaches sings an amazing solo version of "Time After Time", and other tracks include "Let's Fall In Love", "I'm In The Mood For Love", "Close Your Eyes", "We Belong Together", and "I Will Watch Over You".

Mid-period Stylistics, recorded after their association with Thom Bell and Linda Creed, and during the time that the group was handled by Hugo & Luigi. H&L do an ok job with them, and they've got Van McCoy handling arrangements to add a bit more soul to the mix – but the record is still down a few notches from the classic years. The album includes one last Thom Bell arrangement – the group's huge "You Make Me Feel Brand New" – plus other cuts like "Love Is The Answer", "I Got Time On My Hands", "I Got A Letter", and "We Can Make It Happen Again", perhaps the group's wish for a bigger hit.

A great album – with a really swinging groove! Stanley's soulful horn is set in a slightly larger group, in the style that would dominate his later years for the Blue Note label. Duke Pearson arranged the set, and players include James Spaulding, Blue Mitchell, Grant Green, Pepper Adams, and McCoy Tyner. Tracks are of medium length, with Stan blowing some nicely-pinched solos on titles like "Shake", "Walk On By", and "And Satisfy" – all with tight arrangements by Pearson.

Modal Coltrane at its finest – a record that almost returns the great one to the territory explored at the end of his years at Atlantic Records, but which still incorporates all of the new ideas learned afterwards! The album's actually one of the straightest that John Coltrane cut after 1964 – and it features 4 long, beautiful tracks that soar with rhythms from McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones – topped with searing, searching work on tenor and soprano sax from Coltrane! Titles include one of the greatest readings of "Chim Chim Cheree" we've ever heard – a version that remakes the tune almost as a part 2 of "My Favorite Things" – and other titles include "Song of Praise", the classic "Nature Boy" and "Brazilia".

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.

Mellow soul and soaring club – all nicely balanced together in this first album from the group Anacostia! There's a sound here that's slightly different than some of the other east coast groups of the time – a willingness to slow things down, then groove them up – all with a sound that's polished, but never in a too-commercial sort of way. In fact, most of these tunes seem to aim for a space that's pretty far both from radio, and conventional disco – despite the fact that Van McCoy supervised the production, which is mostly handled by Charles Kipps. There's a fair bit of strings in the backings, and keyboards are by Richard Tee – on titles that include "Looking Over My Shoulder", "Heartache In Disguise", "We Can't Live Life Alone", "I Can't Stop Loving Her", "Baby I'm Available", and "Face The Fact".

Anacostia make the move to Tabu Records for this sweet second set – and they seem to have picked up more of a groove along the way! The same elements as before are firmly in place here – production by Charles Kipps, with supervision from Van McCoy – but the groove is a bit more focused, in ways that slide out spaciously with that warmer modern soul feel that made Tabu a real up-and-comer of a soul label in the late 70s. There's a few nice mellow cuts, mixed with more upbeat groovers – and titles include "Take It Or Leave It", "I Don't Need", "All For You", "You've Got Love On Your Side", and "Anything For You".

Aretha Franklin's last 2 Columbia albums – back to back on a single CD! Soul Sister is a later date for Columbia Records that hints a bit at the sounds to come on Atlantic! Backings are by Robert Mersey and Belford Hendricks – both of whom use some relatively full orchestrations and occasional backing vocals – in ways that almost translate a 60s country soul aesthetic to a leaner, cleaner sound for Aretha's strong vocals. Franklin, as always, is great – the kind of singer that really illuminates any tune she gets – even familiar numbers that seem to take on new life in her hands. The material is a bit deeper-digging than before on Columbia – less covers, and more tunes that are well-suited to Aretha's sensibilities – including a few penned by Van McCoy or Hendricks. Titles include "Until You Were Gone", "Follow Your Heart", "A Mother's Love", "I'm Losing You", "Take A Look", and "Can't You See Me". On Take It Like You Give It, Franklin steps out with even more of a hard soul style than before – in a record that's a great close to her early years on Columbia Records! Arrangements are by Belford Hendricks and Clyde Otis – the latter of whom is clearly responsible for the deepening sound of Franklin's music here – although Hendricks' work also sounds pretty great too, with a leaner feel than before. Franklin's vocals really sparkle nicely on the set – sometimes supported with backing singers, sometimes all out on their own – always in that iconic style that inspired whole generation of female soul singers. Titles include "A Little Bit Of Soul", "Only The One You Love", "Deeper", "Remember Me", "Land Of Dreams", "Lee Cross", "I May Never Get To Heaven", and "Take It Like You Give It".

Mellow soul and soaring club – all nicely balanced together in this first album from the group Anacostia! There's a sound here that's slightly different than some of the other east coast groups of the time – a willingness to slow things down, then groove them up – all with a sound that's polished, but never in a too-commercial sort of way. In fact, most of these tunes seem to aim for a space that's pretty far both from radio, and conventional disco – despite the fact that Van McCoy supervised the production, which is mostly handled by Charles Kipps. There's a fair bit of strings in the backings, and keyboards are by Richard Tee – on titles that include "Looking Over My Shoulder", "Heartache In Disguise", "We Can't Live Life Alone", "I Can't Stop Loving Her", "Baby I'm Available", and "Face The Fact".

Brilliant work as a leader from McCoy Tyner – and easily one of his most righteous albums ever – a true batch of spiritual gems that really takes the John Coltrane legacy one step further! Most numbers build with a modal vibe that's more Impulse Records than Blue Note – and players on the set include Alice Coltrane on harp, Gary Bartz on alto, Wayne Shorter on tenor and soprano sax, Ron Carter on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – a wonderful lineup that really holds tightly to the soaring, soulful energy that Tyner spins from his piano – a mode that's never too far out or avant, yet which stretches to the skies with a heavenly vision. The whole thing's wonderful – and tracks include "Message From The Nile", "The Wanderer", "Survival Blues", and "His Blessings".

One of our favorite compilations of all time – a smoking batch of soulful jazz from the 60s, with a slight bit of funk and blues thrown in as well! The set's exactly what's promised in the title – jazz cuts, but with an ultra-cool mod vibe – the kind of soulful sounds that played big with the younger London crowd digging American music in the mid 60s – and also the kind of music you'd be likely to find blasting out of a backroom jukebox on the west side of Chicago! There's loads of rare single mixes of LP tracks on the set, and a number of smoking 45s from artists you might know better from more mainstream work – really hitting hard here, alongside a few special numbers from the indie underground too. Tracks are cool enough for old school hipsters – but appealing enough to bring in a new listener too – and as proof of that, we've given this one away for many years as a Christmas present. The collection features 25 tracks in all – non-stop pleasure throughout – with titles that include "Soul Shoutin" by Shirley Scott, "Tengo Tango" by Cannonball Adderley Sextet, "Whip It On Me" by Billy Hawks, "Yeh Yeh" by Mongo Santamaria, "Black Talk" by Charles Earland, "I'm Ready" by Otis Spann, "Mama Rufus" by Merced Blue Notes, "Theme From NYPD" by Johnny Hammond, "Step Out & Get It" by The Nomos, "Why Don't You Do Right" by Mark Murphy, "Collard Greens" by Freddie McCoy, "Theme From The Carpetbaggers" by Jack McDuff, "Filthy McNasty" by Eddie Jefferson, "Evil Ways" by Cal Tjader, "Kenny's Theme" by Kenny Burrell, and "Games" by Ivan Boogaloo Joe Jones.

One of our favorite compilations of all time – a smoking batch of soulful jazz from the 60s, with a slight bit of funk and blues thrown in as well! The set's exactly what's promised in the title – jazz cuts, but with an ultra-cool mod vibe – the kind of soulful sounds that played big with the younger London crowd digging American music in the mid 60s – and also the kind of music you'd be likely to find blasting out of a backroom jukebox on the west side of Chicago! There's loads of rare single mixes of LP tracks on the set, and a number of smoking 45s from artists you might know better from more mainstream work – really hitting hard here, alongside a few special numbers from the indie underground too. Tracks are cool enough for old school hipsters – but appealing enough to bring in a new listener too – and as proof of that, we've given this one away for many years as a Christmas present. The collection features 25 tracks in all – non-stop pleasure throughout – with titles that include "Soul Shoutin" by Shirley Scott, "Tengo Tango" by Cannonball Adderley Sextet, "Whip It On Me" by Billy Hawks, "Yeh Yeh" by Mongo Santamaria, "Black Talk" by Charles Earland, "I'm Ready" by Otis Spann, "Mama Rufus" by Merced Blue Notes, "Theme From NYPD" by Johnny Hammond, "Step Out & Get It" by The Nomos, "Why Don't You Do Right" by Mark Murphy, "Collard Greens" by Freddie McCoy, "Theme From The Carpetbaggers" by Jack McDuff, "Filthy McNasty" by Eddie Jefferson, "Evil Ways" by Cal Tjader, "Kenny's Theme" by Kenny Burrell, and "Games" by Ivan Boogaloo Joe Jones.

Beautifully spiritual jazz from the post-Coltrane generation – a wealth of righteous grooves from the early 70s – brought together in one mighty collection! If you dig the work of Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane, and other giants on Impulse Records, this is a great way to dig even deeper – and hear the way their late 60s legacy inspired other musicians to new heights in their own music – sounds that hit a new level of freedom in jazz, yet which are still filled with enough swing and soul to avoid some of the more avant modes of the free jazz scene! If that description sounds a bit obtuse, then just plug into the collection, and let the music do its thing – as it's got a very powerful vibe throughout – the kind of inspirational, socially conscious work that flourished best during the 70s – and which is finally getting its due all these many years later. The package is new territory for Ace/BGP, but they've done a great job as usual – picking key tracks from the era, and coming up with detailed notes on each of the long tracks. Titles include "Free Angela" by Bayete, "Bridge Into The New Age" by Azar Lawrence, "Tress Cun De O La" by Joe Henderson, "Ebony Queen" by McCoy Tyner, "Peace" by Idris Muhammad, "Mother Of The Future" by Norman Connors, "Brown Warm & Wintry" by Jack DeJohnette, "I've Known Rivers" by Gary Bartz, and "Fire" by Joe Henderson & Alice Coltrane.

A core trio set from pianist Roy Assaf - but one that also features some great horn work on some tracks too – including guest tenor from Eric Alexander, flugelhorn from Roy Eldridge, and trumpet from Greg Gisbert! Assaf gets things going in a bluesy, swinging groove – but then stretches out quickly into a range of modern modes from the late 20th Century – bringing in some great post-swing, post-bop modes with bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Greg Hutchinson. Alexander soars on a great version of McCoy Tyner's "Fly With The Wind" – which also has percussion from Vanderlei Pereira – and other titles include "Prism", "Song For Abdullah", "September In Rio", "Hymn To Freedom", "Uranus", and "Textures".

Snowboy returns with another batch of grooves in the Hi Hat series – the first volume we've heard under that name in awhile – and while the sound is still great, the format here is a bit different than before! The style this time around is heavily jazzy – and pulled from records that are even more obscure than those used on previous volumes – mostly relatively recent recordings from the past decade or so, but those which were ignored the first time around – making the music here seem even more fresh! Most of the numbers are titles that were buried in more conventional records, but which stand out as modern jazz dance tracks – keeping the spirit of modal, hardbop, and Latin-styled jazz grooves alive and well on the dancefloor – as testified by the album's photos from Snowboy's Hi Hat club night! Titles include "Sunny Day (live)" by Jon Lucien, "Speed Trap" by Peter King, "If I Perish" by Terrell Stafford, "Our Man In Havana" by Cubana Bop, "Seven Steps To Heaven" by World Saxophone Quartet, "Caribbean Fire Dance" by Bobby Sanabria & Ascension, "Blue Bossa" by McCoy Tyner Latin Big Band, and "Fical Mal Com Deus" by Airto.