All Categories — LPs  

Great work from Earl Hagen – one of TV's better composers, as you'll hear from this tight set of tracks! The core mode of the music is crime jazz, but Hagen also adds in a lot of dramatic flourishes and contemplative passages – and the show's exotic locales (Mexico, Japan, Burma, Hong Kong) makes for some added musical touches that bring a groovy global aspect to the work. And given that Bill Cosby was a key member of the show, you can bet that things sound pretty darn hip! Titles include "Angel", "Hi Yo Scotty", "I Spy", "Ah So", "Away We Go To Mexico", "Made In Hong Kong", and "Fiesta Del Sol".

Very unusual – a rare 10" promo – with shorter versions of songs, with markings for live copy to be added by local announcers! One sided too!

Warm, mellow, and completely sublime – the mighty America at the height of their powers – working with a quality that nobody else can match! The trio wrap together all the best ideas that were bubbling under in the LA scene of the late 60s – vocal harmonies, studio perfection, and even touches of rootsy instrumentation – yet find a space to work all these elements together in a rich sound that's completely unique – amazingly understated at times, despite a near-perfect level of production! The whole album's great – even their original version of "Muskrat Love" – nestled in here next to "Rainbow Song", "Submarine Ladies", "Molten Love", "Green Monkey", and "Goodbye".

A mix of moods, colors, and feelings – handled with the full range of talents of David Amram, who's one of the few composers who could pull this one off! A number of the tracks have weird instrumentation that gives them a sound that's almost "eastern", and certainly exotic – and they're mixed here with some lightly jazzy touches, and a few mellower, more tender tunes that offset the rest of the album nicely. Titles include "Other Dreams", "Definitely Blue", "Anatolia", "Old Country Soul", "Sunny Days", "Blue Tomorrow", and "Love Is Never Out Of Style".

One of the greatest albums to come from the New York underground of the early 80s – even if it was a relatively big "hit" on a major label! Laurie Anderson is in perfect form here – drawing on a strong tradition of avant garde performance, but without any of the indulgences that would mire down performance art in years to come. Instead, she's got a clean, clear style that's simply amazing – spoken passages that are poetic and pointed, but which also have a slight undercurrent of wit – a charming quality that never takes itself too seriously, even when the sounds and styles are somewhat dark. Instrumentation includes some great rhythm passages from David Van Tieghem, plus surprising performances from Rufus Harley on bagpipes and George Lewis on trombone. Titles include "From The Air", "Big Science", "O Superman", "Born Never Asked", "Walking & Falling", "Example #22", "Let X = X", and "It Tango".

Recorded live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York City, February 7-10, 1983. A HUGE amount of material! Includes the tracks "Say Hello", "Walk The Dog", "Violin Solo", "Closed Circuits", "For A Large And Changing Room", "Pictures Of It", "Language Of The Future", "Reverb", "If You Can't Talk About It, Point To It", "City Song", "Finnish Farmers", "Democratic Way", "Private Property", "Neon Duet", "Difficult Listening Hour", "So Happy Birthday", "Dance Of Electricity", "Sax Duet", "Born, Never Asked", "From The Air", "Beginning French", "Talkshow", "Cello Solo", "Blue Lagoon", "Stiff Neck", "Hothead", "Telephone Song", "Sweaters", "We've Got Four Big Clocks", "I Dreamed I Had To Take A Test", "Big Top", "It Was Up In The Mountains", "Big Science", "Red Map", "Strike", "False Documents", and many, many more!

The first full length album recorded by the legendary Association – a classic bit of Sunshine Pop that would forever change the sound of the 60s! Although familiar, the album's got an amazing depth that still never fails to surprise today – odd production twists and turns, courtesy of a young Curt Boettcher; personally youthful harmonies that slip as often as they soar; and just the right touches of flower power to move the group away from their folkie roots into the new sun of a changing decade! The hits "Along Comes Mary" and "Cherish" are almost worth the price of admission – but lesser-known cuts are even better, and show a wealth of great work penned by members of the group! Other titles include "Standing Still", "Message Of Our Love", "Changes", "I'll Be Your Man", "Blistered", "Round Again", "Remember" and "Enter The Young".

Excellent live work by The Association – quite different than their earlier pop hits, but still with the same great harmony feel! The style here is in the rougher, more guitar-based mode of albums like Birthday and Stop Your Motor – and the band really sounds great in this live setting, which helps us to understand just how much of their magical sound came from the group itself, and not just Warner Brothers studio tricks. The set's got 22 tracks in all – 2LPs worth of music – and titles include "Dream Girl", "Goodbye Columbus", "I'll Be Your Man", "Never My Love", "Seven Man Band", "Cherish", "Requiem For The Masses", "Are You Ready", "Just About The Same", and "Along Comes Mary".

A mid 80s classic from Atlantic Starr – at the height of their catchy commercial fame – bouncing along with rhythms that crossover nicely to the mainstream, yet still keep a bit of their previous funky edge intact! The groove here is almost in the style that Atlantic Starr inspired in so many other younger groups in the earlier part of the 80s – although it's also a bit more polished too. Most instrumentation is electric, and tunes are mostly written by the team of David and Wayne Lewis – both of whom sing on the record. Barbara Weathers also handles female vocals, and titles include "Once Lover At A Time", "Let The Sun In", "My Mistake", "I'm In Love", "Always", "Don't Take Me For Granted", and a version of Sam Dees' "All In The Name Of Love".

Not quite the Wild Style soundtrack, but still not a bad one, and with a good assortment of popular hip hop cuts. Features tracks like Beastie Boys "She's On It", LL Cool J "I Can't Live Without My Radio", Kurtis Blow "If I Ruled The World" (with the chorus Lauryn Hill sings on the new Nas single), Fat Boys "All You Can Eat", Krush Groove All-Stars (Run-DMC, Fat Boys, Kurtis Blow, Sheila E) "Krush Groovin'", Chaka Khan "Krush Groove" and 4 more!

A super huge hit for George – the record that took him from being a funky jazz guitarist into an R&B superstar! The album features George playing and singing over arrangements by Claus Ogerman – some of Ogerman's best of the 70s, ones that mix together his trademark pillow of sound with a slightly funky bounce. The result is incredible – and the album is filled with loads of great songs – including George's excellent version of Bobby Womack's "Breezin", the hit version of "This Masquerade", and the cuts "So This Is Love", "Six To Four", and "Affirmation".

Yipes! This one made everyone a bucket of money – especially Quincy Jones, whose new Qwest imprint the record was one of the first to grace. George has come a long way from his roots with Jack McDuff here – but in a way that kind of has us impressed, as he's grooving away slickly on guitar, laying down some smooth vocals that we never would have imagined from his mid 60s recordings. Includes the massive hit "Give Me The Night", a cover of "Moody's Mood", and the tracks "Star Of A Story (X)", "Midnight Love Affair", "What's On Your Mind", and "Dinorah, Dinorah". The sound of a million supermarkets and elevators during the 80s!

1976 recording of the score – done in London with the Royal Philharmonic!

Biz's second LP from 1989 – what can we tell you about the Biz that you don't already know? As far as we're concerned there's a lot of MC's that could learn a lesson or two from the Biz, and producers too. Good time middle school hip hop, with nice sample based production and a great sense of humor, that makes us nostalgic for the late 80s early 90s glory days of hip hop. 13 tracks in all, with the cuts "Spring Again", "Just A Friend", "A Thing Named Kim", "The Dragon", "Things Get A Little Easier", "I Hear Music", "Biz In Harmony", "Check It Out" and more.

Bootsy's still keeping the P-Funk flag flying high at the end of the 70s – arguably stepping out here with a sound that's got more of the Parliafunkadelicment elements intact than some of George Clinton's other spinoff groups! The tracks are long, and plenty jamming – still with plenty of star power from Bootsy upfront – but also some wonderfully tight rhythms from the rest of the players too, all in that mix of hard-rolling, and light-tripping funk modes that still set the P-Funk groups apart from the pack of imitators who'd cropped up in their wake! Titles include "Jam Fan (Hot)", "Bootsy Get Live", "Under The Influence Of A Groove", "Chug-A-Lug", "Oh Boy", and "Shejam".

The classic debut from Change – and the start of an amazing run of groovers in the early 80s! The set's got a tight, jazzy feel throughout – a stripped-down approach to disco modes, with the same focus on the basslines that you'd find in work by Chic – but a style that's almost even more instrumentally focused overall, given the great range of studio players who worked on the set. Yet there's also some key vocal moments, too – work by Luther Vandross that really helps make some of the best tracks sparkle, and which went onto catapult Vandross into a rich solo career on his own. The set's filled with sharp rhythms and sweet jazzy changes – and titles include the classics "The Glow Of Love" and "Searching", both with Luther, plus "Lover's Holiday", "Angel In My Pocket", and "The End".

A great self produced album from Jimmy Cliff – very soulful, but with a rootsy political edge you might not expect from a pop reggae star like Cliff. Recorded in Jamaica at Dynamic Sounds, with a great lineup that includes the Heptones on backing vocals, and issued in the US by Warner as part of a big push on Jimmy's work when the film The Harder They Come was released. Titles include "Black Queen", "Be True", "Oh Jamaica", "Commercialization", "The Price Of Peace", "Poor Slave", and "Rip Off".

The third album from Alice Cooper and perhaps the first great one – starting the 70s sleaze show win streak with the massive "I'm Eighteen" and an LP full of great, gritty and grimy rock and roll. Bob Ezrin's producing for the first time, and if the songs and the whole show isn't yet as menacingly theatrical as it would get to be in the following couple of years, the angry anthemic vibe is here and it's heavy! Other tracks include "Caught In A Dream", "Hallowed Be My Name", "Black Juju", "Is It My Body", "Second Coming", "Ballad Of Dwight Fry" and "Sun Arise".

A weird little record from Bill Cosby – a set that's not as all-out funky as some of his other vocal albums, but still pretty nice overall! The style here is more bluesy than soul-based, but production is still by Fred Smith, of 103rd Street Rhythm Band fame – and the album has a sense of grit that's a lot stronger than you might guess. Many of the tunes are covers from an older R&B era, and Cosby takes them with an approach that's a bit tongue-in-cheek at times – kind of garbling the lyrics and muddying up the sound, even though we know he can sing a bit more clearly from other records! There's certainly a few tracks that have a nice gritty soul sound, and titles include the great "Little Ole Man" which is basically Bill doing a skit over the "Uptight" rhythm – plus "Bright Lights Big City", "Big Boss Man", "Hush Hush", "Baby What You Want Me To Do", "Mojo Workout", "Doncha Know", and "Place In The Sun".

Randy Crawford at the height of her powers – working here with a sweet jazzy vibe! Windsong features Randy singing with relatively full arrangements – smooth, but never too slick – and done in a way that really lets her vocals take command of the entire set. Titles include "Look Who's Lonely Now", "Letter Full Of Tears", "He Reminds Me", "Windsong", "One Hello", "Don't Come Knockin", "We Had A Love So Strong", and "This Night Won't Last Forever".

One of the groovier soundtracks that Mike Curb ever recorded – a light batch of easy numbers with some electric bass and/or guitar at the bottom – tripping with a bit more punch than you might expect, and floating with some really wonderful instrumental touches at times! In a way, this is almost an easy version of Curb's biker/soundtrack albums – a bit cheesy, a bit hip, and featuring a few vocal numbers. Titles include "His Name", "The Big Bounce", "Once In A Lifetime", "The Boss Man", "Little Pickle", and "Throwing Rocks".

Compilation of the earlier years of Deep Purple. Twelve tracks, including "Hey Joe", "Hard Road (Wring That Neck)", "Kentucky Woman", "The Shield", "Hush", "The Bird Has Flown", and "Mandrake Root".

Titles include "Rainy Night In Tokyo", "When Sly Calls", "How The Garden Grows", "Sunday Morning Here With You", "Amazon", and "Never Satisfied".

An instant classic the day it was released – and a perfect blending of the group's older freaked-out style with a slick late 70s funk sound that started showing up in the work of many other groups. "One Nation Under A Groove" is a monster cut with a hook that won't quit, and the LP version runs way over 7 minutes long. Other tracks are equally great, and the whole thing's woven together with the same sort of skill as some of the best Parliament albums from the mid 70s. Tracks include "Into You", "Grooveallegiance", and "Cholly".

Very groovy stuff! This is the music that was used in the 60s Peanuts cartoons – made famous during the same stretch through its use in goofy Dolly Madison commercials! The album's way better than any of the Peanuts stuff that was on Fantasy, as Vince plays electric harpsichord on a number of cuts, and gets some electric guitar backing by Eddie Duran – for a very groovy sound! Tracks include the classic "Linus & Lucy", plus "Red Baron", "Peppermint Patty", "Great Pumpkin Waltz", and "Rain Rain Go Away".

Bizarre is right – and incredibly hip too! This was the group's second album – and while it has a lot of similarities with the first, it's also a lot deeper of an expression of their strange blend of harmony vocals, sweet 60s pop, and the nostalgia for the early 20th century that was running through the Burbank Warner scene that included a young Van Dyke Parks, Randy Newman, Lenny Waronker, and other LA underground of the mid 60s. The whole record fits together beautifully – beginning with an old-timey radio kind of announcer, then sliding into sublimely crafted harmony tunes that include originals from the LA luminaries and the group, plus a few other surprising covers. Titles include the hit version of "Anything Goes", plus "The Biggest Night Of Her Life", "Milord", "Virginia City", "High Coin", "Jessie", "This Is Only The Beginning", and "You Need A Change".

Not as much of an all-out funk party as some other kung fu soundtracks of the 70s – but a really great record that's filled with plenty of great spoken bits too! The album's the soundtrack to the Kung Fu TV show, which starred David Carradine – and it's mostly made up of "Eastern" sounding cuts that have a moody soundtrack feel, done in a traditional orchestral mode – spare, brooding numbers that almost feel like they're pulled from 60s Italian westerns and peplum films, but with some exotic twists and turns too! But almost best of all are the spoken bits – dialogue from the show with hokey takes on Eastern philosophy – completely charming from today's perspective, and a great counterpart to the music. Titles include "Sign Of The Dragon", "Dark Angel", "Time Of The Soul", "An Eye For An Eye", "Caine's Theme", "The Ancient Warrior", and of course, "Grasshopper"!

Killer early soul by Leroy Hutson – and a record that really shows him opening up as a vocalist and songwriter! Leroy's style is not as smooth and polished as on later albums, and the record's got a bit of a rougher soul edge and a strong early 70s radio sound. Includes the wonderful soul classic "So In Love With You", a sweet mellow ballad that's extremely catchy, plus the moog-based funky instrumental "Gettin It On", a totally great number that often gets overlooked – and the cuts "Love Oh Love", "As Long As There's Love Around", and "Time Brings On A Change". Solid, mellow soul from Chicago in the seventies, with a sweet soul vibe, and great Curtom production. This is the second pressing – on Warner/Curtom, from the mid 70s.

Hard to believe how important this soundtrack was, back in the day. One of the first good hip hop soundtracks, and a motherlode of great cuts like "Paid In Full (7 minute Cold Cut remix)" by Eric B & Rakim, "Butcher Shop" by Kool G Rap, "Colors" by Ice T, "Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste" by M.C. Shan, and "Go On Girl" by Roxanne Shante. More by Salt N Pepa, Big Daddy Kane, 7A3, and Rick James. Marley Marl produced the motherlode of these cuts, and this was the early days of the Cold Chillin/Warner alliance.

Titles include "Laying Beside You", "Only Women Bleed", "Lovesick Blues", "Piece Of My Heart", "Strange Man", and "Blind Girl".

A massive set from Al Jarreau – a set that gave the singer one of his smoothest hits of all time, yet still kept him very firmly in the sort of sophisticated territory that set him apart from most of his contemporaries! The sound here is often a lot more understated than you'd expect – mellow jazz, with light instrumentation, and less of the too-commercial modes that other singers were being hung with at the time – an approach that preserves all the wonderful lightness in Al's vocals – that mix of jazzy scatting roots and warmly flowing soul that makes most of the early Jarreau albums well worth tracking down. The set leads off with the classic "Mornin" – and other cuts include "I Will Be Here For You", "Step By Step", "Black & Blues", "Not Like This", "Love Is Waiting", and "Trouble In Paradise".

A wickedly wonderful album by Jobim – recorded in LA in the mid 60s, and a perfect meeting of styles that makes for one of his most compelling albums of the 60s! Jobim sings and plays over pillowy-soft arrangements by Claus Ogerman – lightly dancing numbers that weave strings and woodwinds into a wave of sound that dips, turns, and sometimes hits a surprisingly nice groove. Dick Hyman plays a bit of organ on the set – which we always love – and Dom Um Romao's working in the group somewhere on drums. Lyrics are in English, sung in a warm and fragile style by Jobim – and the album's got a great organy version of "Surfboard", plus "Zingaro", "Bonita", "Off-Key", and "Photograph".

A lost chapter in the career of cellist Fred Katz – an album recorded after his small combo work with Chico Hamilton, and sort of a larger group take on the whimsical sound of the classic Hamilton Quintet! The tracks are all older folk tunes, adapted by Katz to fit a chamber jazz mode – and featuring shifting instrumentation from track to track, in order to fit the African, American, or Jewish origins of the tunes. Although the concept may sound a bit gimmicky, the record's actually pretty darn great from a jazz perspective – and is one of the few to show the real depth of Katz as a leader! Players include Billy Bean on guitar, Gene Estes on vibes, Jack Costanzo on percussion, Pete Candoli on trumpet, and Paul Horn on flute and alto – all great talents for this sort of work, especially Horn, whose reed lines help keep things lively. Titles include "Mate'ka", "Chili'lo", "Mathni-ki", "Old Paint", "Foggy Foggy Dew", and "Rav's Nigun".

Hard to imagine Anita Kerr being turned on – especially given her school marm-ish look on the cover – but the album's a pretty darn groovy set, and one that certainly shows Kerr picking up some of the best easy elements of the 60s! The Burt Kaempfert touch is heard here especially in the album's use of electric bass – a nicely bouncing element that gives most of the tunes a lot more of a bottom than some of Kerr's other work – used in that trademark stepping style that Burt first laid down himself a few years before on worldwide instrumental hits, and made even better here by Anita's great quartet and their warmly-crafted vocal harmonies! Titles include many tunes presented in a Kaempfert-styled way – but with vocals – and tracks include "Love", "I Can't Help Remembering You", "Two Can Live On Love Alone", 'Spanish Eyes", "Remember When", "Danke Schoen", "Strangers In The Night", "Wonderland By Night", and "A Swingin' Safari".

Warm wonderful whitebread work from the King Family! A great example of the way the large King ensemble really shone in the space of a concert performance – filling up the space well with all the different voices in the extended family, and shifting into different groupings that keep things interesting throughout! Titles include "The Men In My Little Girl's Life", "What The World Needs Now", "On A Clear Day", "I Said No", "Why Did I Choose You", "Guadalajara", and "Baby Sitter's Blues".

A beautiful late chapter in the jazz journey of Rahsaan Roland Kirk – and an album of subtle genius that's really opened up to us over the years! The setting here isn't as "hit you over the head" as on some of Kirk's Atlantic Records – because at one level, the tunes are mostly straight, and free of gimmicks – yet also still manage to conjure up the warmth, spirit, and soul that Roland brought to his best work. There's a slightly electric vibe running through some of the tunes, thanks to keyboards from Hilton Ruiz – and the album also benefits from organ work by Trudy Pitts and guitar from Billy Butler – both of whom are wonderfully restrained, in a way that matches the subtlety of the entire conception of the set. Titles include "Theme For The Eulipions", which features a great recitation from Betty Neals, plus cool chorus vocals – and other titles include "Goodbye Porkpie Hat", "Giant Steps", "Loving You", and "I'll Be Seeing You".

Possibly the only Liberace album you'll ever see at Dusty Groove – mostly because it's plenty darn groovy! As you might guess from the date and the title, the record presents a hipper Liberace than on earlier sets – a late 60s approach to his earlier piano stylings, with tunes that are more contemporary, and backings from arranger Emory Gordy, done in a style that moves towards the cooler side of easy listening at the time. Liberace plays all the acoustic piano lines in the set, but the arrangements are what really make it work – coming off with some cooler sounds that update the more flowery piano stylings nicely. Titles include a great remake of Johnny Harris' "Footprints On The Moon", plus "Traces", "Suite Judy Blue Eyes", "Parks & Recreation", "A Brand New Me", "Mixed Emotions", and "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye".

A later album from Little Feat – and one that adds some new dimensions to their ever-searching vibe! On Time Loves A Hero, Little Feat takes some surprising steps – even for them – into a bit of a fusiony rock vibe some of the time. Still, the soulful boogie rock and stripped down folky elements they always worked with are still in play. As always, they make these far-flung styles work together into a cohesive whole! Includes "Time Loves A Hero", "Hi Roller", "Old Folks Boogie", "Red Streamliner", "Rocket In My Pocket", "Missin' You", "Day At The Dog Races" and more.

We remember when this one came out, everyone sort of put it down and said that Prince was caught in a crisis of overproduction. Now, though, from the perspective of his crap work in the 90s, this album stands as a beautiful bit of 80's jazz funk – and a cool batch of instrumentals that have a very classic Prince sound, plus a jazzy tinge that's all their own. The cuts are titled simply "1", "2", "3", etc – and the cover is worth the price alone!

A late Norm Whitfield production from the 80s, with a slick commercial soul groove, that's a bit more lean than a lot of his other work. A bit of an odd sidebar sort of record, but not without a few nice moments. Includes "Dance With Me, Baby", "What You Gonna Do", "Easier To Say Goodbye", "Monster Fun", "Don't You Want To Give Me Some", "Got To Stop Wanting It", "Let The Music Take Your Mind" and "Linda".

Steve Martin at the height of his mid 70s stand up popularity, long before he ever thought of making sappy movies. Includes "Ramblin Man", "Vegas", "Let's Get Small", "Smoking", "One Way To Leave Your Lover", "Mad At My Mother", "Excuse Me", "Grandmother's Song" and "Funny Comedy Gags".

Sunshine pop from late 60s Florida – a cool little set from Mercy, a group that features a sweet mixture of guy and gal vocals over some nicely gentle rhythms! Production is by Brad Shapiro and Steve Alaimo, but the Warner release of the album seems to give it a cool sort of sophistication too – almost a darker take on more mainstream pop styles of the time, with a wry undercurrent that's hard to describe, but which sets the album apart nicely. Instrumentation includes organ and 12 string guitar underneath the vocals – and titles include "Love Can Make You Happy", "Forever My Love", "The Morning's Come", "Sounds Of Silence", "Love Is Blue", and "Do I Wanna Live My Life With You".

Mike's come a long way from his early soul days with Dennis Coffey – working here to lay down a set of spacious disco tunes with a dreamy finish – really stretching out with the same sort of glide you'd find in the best Philly club at the time! The record's actually quite strong on the disco side of the spectrum – well-crafted work with a sound that's full and rich, but never cliched – definitely Theodore's moment to shine in the 70s, taking the torch from his old partner Coffey, who had his time in the sun a few years before! Titles include "Cosmic Wind", "The Bull", "Moon Trek", "Brazilian Lullaby", and "Belly Boogie".

A dramatic disco classic from Detroit legend Mike Theodore – stepping out here with all the force you'd expect from the title! "High On Mad Mountain" is a symphonic disco classic – using strings, congas, and lots of percussion to set up the groove – as guitar and keyboards come into the mix to bring out a nice degree of funk. The rest of the album follows in a similar feel – with a bit of moogy solo work, and some female vocals on the choruses – and titles include "Disco People", "Dragons Of Midnight", "High On Mad Mountain", and "Wonder Man".

Excellent electric 70s work from The Mystic Moods! The record moves way past the sleepy sexy easy sound of their early albums – and it's got some great keyboard work and a few great funk tracks. "Honey Trippin" is one of these – a great groover with a sound that's almost in a sound library vein! Other tracks include "The Magician", "Midnight Snack", "Your Place Or Mine", and "The Other Side Of Midnight".

This UK Afro Funk group is slicking things up a bit for this 1973 album – but not in a bad way, because it actually kicks up the groove considerably. In fact, it almost sounds like they've been listening to a bit of War – because the the best tracks on the album have lots of that funky clavinet and stepping bass that you get in War's best moments, filtered through the group's own dubby brand of African rhythms, vaguely like the work of Cymande, but a bit more straight ahead. Titles include "Somaja", "Fire", "Kotoku", "We Want To Know", "Take Your Trouble Go", "Bassa Bassa", and "Adwoa".

An overlooked record in the grand scheme – which is unforgivable in our book! This self-titled album Prince's second LP, and already his vision is becoming a little more focused, and you could really hear the seeds of his later efforts – and really remarkable, unique, and fascinating record that stands up with some of his best work, and bucks all late 70s trends and cliches in pop, soul and funk. In some ways this is one of our favorite Prince LPs, as it has a kind of intimacy that was lacking on later LPs, or maybe it's because the hit "I Wanna Be Your Lover" has such a mad groove! "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad" has the sly sound that would run throughout the rest of Prince's better work for years to come and Chaka Khan would later cover "I Feel for You" and hit large with it in the 80s. Also includes "Sexy Dancer", "With You" and "When We're Dancing Close And Slow".

One of the greatest crossover albums of the 80s – and the record that catapulted Prince very firmly into the mainstream! There's a tightness here that surpasses even that of Prince's early classics for Warner Brothers – an unabashed love of a pop hook that makes for some incredibly catchy tunes that are still delivered with a nice funky undercurrent. The whole Prince family is at the top of their game at this point – and titles include "Darling Nikki", "Let's Go Crazy", "I Would Die 4 U", "When Doves Cry", "Baby I'm A Star", and "Purple Rain".

Pryor's really hit his stride here, and made the transition to the mainstream, though he's still a darn funny motherf*#ker. Skits include "Shortage Of White People", "New N*ggers", "Cocaine", "Mudbone", "When Your Woman Leaves You" and "Our Text For Today". Recorded live at the Latin Casino, NJ.

Great stuff – one of Flora Purim's more R&B-sounding albums from the 70s, produced by George Duke with an appreciation for Flora's Brazilian jazz roots, but with a smoother sound that's in keeping with Duke's own work of the time! The combination is pretty sweet – a professional culmination of the mixture of fusion and Brazilian jazz that had been happening in the San Francisco scene during most of the 70s, and featuring many of the musicians who had helped make that groove so strong. Players include Airto, Sheila Escovedo, Joe Farrell, Ronnie Foster, Bobby Lyle, and Larry Williams – and tracks include "Niura Is Coming Back", "From The Lonely Afternoon", "Freeway Jam", "Beijo Partido", "Corine", and "Love Lock".

Crisply popping funky grooves from Roger – an underappreciated mid 80s solo record from the voice of Zapp! The Saga Continues finds Roger still rocking his trademark effects laden vocals and vamping guitar work well into the middle of the decade – with even tighter syncopated percussion, and funky keys & synth bursts – sailing in a killer groove throughout! Roger produced the record along with Larry Troutman – and they bring in Maceo Parker for a horn solo and Ohio Player Billy Beck for keys! Tracks include "In The Mix", "Play Your Guitar, Brother Roger", "The Break Song","I Keep Trying", a vocader funk reading of Wilson Pickett's "Midnight Hour", "Bucket Of Blood", "T C Song" and "Girl, Cut It Out".

David Ruffin at Warner Brothers – a very good thing, thanks to some sublime production from Detroit soul legend Don Davis! As with other key productions in the 70s, Don pitches Ruffin with a sound that's smooth, but still has a great sense of humanity – a style that's a bit like late 70s Marvin Gaye and Leon Ware, and which proves to be a perfect fit for David – giving him a new sense of focus here that's totally great! Those classic Ruffin vocals sound wonderful here – flowing, glowing, and getting a sense of warmth without getting too slick. A few cuts feature backup vocals from Leon Ware and Ronnie McNair, and female singer Laverna Mason brings in some great duets that really help deepen the sound of the record! Titles include "Love Supply", "I Wanna Be With You", "I Got A Thing For You", "Don't You Go Home", "Can We Make Love One More Time", and "All I Need".

Warm mellow soul from David Sanborn – a surprisingly nice early album, recorded without all the schmaltz of his later work! The style is still quite full and professional, but there's also somehow a more earnest feel to the work – as Sanborn plays with a core group that includes Victor Lewis, Jumma Santos, and Hiram Bullock – blowing alto, but also singing a bit as well! Guest vocalists on the set include Hamish Stuart of Average White Band, plus Lani Groves and Kat McCord – and the whole thing's got an easygoing LA studio sort of groove. Titles include "Promise Me The Moon", "Stranger's Arms", "We Fool Ourselves", "Morning Salsa" and "Legend Of The Cheops".

A lost bit of mid 70s soul from Candi – an album that's often eclipsed by the Young Hearts hit before it, but which actually comes across stronger than that one! The groove is funky southern soul on the best cuts – tight and full, but still with a harder edge on the bottom, and rhythms that are more funky soul than the disco used on some of Candi's other late 70s albums. The set was recorded in California, with lots of sweet jazzy touches alongside the vocals – and titles include "Nights On Broadway", "Cotton Candi", "A Dreamer Of A Dream", "You Are", "Listen To The Music", "Music Speaks Louder Than Words", and "One More Chance On Love".

Late 70s soul fusion from masters of the groove – perhaps the best ever by the late 70s supergroup Stuff – featuring a core group that includes Cornell Dupree, Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, and Richard Tee! This time out the smooth sound is vibrantly top notch – all produced by Steve Cropper into a sweet blend of soul and jazz that has some of Aja-era Steely Dan's super tight sophistication – with a big, warmhearted soul groove in place of the Dan's more icy veneer! Many of the tracks are covers – augmented by chorus vocals – like "Mighty Love", "Dance With Me", "Since You've Been Gone", and "Love Having You Around" – but the record's also got some originals like "Stuff It", "Do It Again", and "Gordon's Theme".

Hardly the surf music set you'd expect from the title – but still a set that's plenty surf-washed, thanks to a great choice of exotic numbers for the record! The Surfers are a vocal group, not a guitar-based instrumental combo – and they harmonize with a mixture of jazz and pop modes that's mighty nice – and very unique, given that many of the numbers here have a tropical theme – almost as if The Lettermen or Brothers Four decided to cut an exotica album! Titles include "Pagan Love Song", "Canoe Song", "Island Angel", "Follow Me", "Bali Hai", "Pearly Shells", and "Farewell".

The groove's getting a bit smoother than on some of the group's early funk classics, but T of P still come across quite well on the set – working in their trademark blend of jazz, funk, and soul. Arrangements are by funky keyboardist Charles Thompson and trumpeter Greg Adams – and tracks include "The Soul Of A Child", "Ebony Jam", "Just Enough And Too Much", "Treat Me Like Your Man", and "On The Serious Side".

Gina Watson and Alfred Beasley sport a very new wave look on the cover of this one – and the album, although mostly a soul set, certainly echoes with some of the crossover touches that worked big at the time – heavier guitars, a harder sound in the rhythms, and lyrics that are a bit colder than the usual soul set. A few tracks here bounce with a nice 80s groove – including the standout "Don't Let Your Chance Go Bye" – and other titles include "Breakaway", "Darlin I", "Body Free", "Helpless", and "What's On My Mind".

Scored by Ken Thorne, and produced by Giorgio Moroder.

What can we say? Bootsy's on top of the world here – not only The Player Of The Year, but also the most soulful artist in the P-Funk stable, and a master of the smooth, sly, slinky groove that would forever be taken up by bands from LA – both in the immediate soul years and in later sampling hip hop ones. The record's got a sophisticated soul approach that moves the music way past slapped basslines and funny glasses – and thanks to top-line musicianship, including some help from Fred Wesley, Bootsy avoids any cliches that might have buried this one under the mountain of P-Funk albums hitting the market at the same time. Includes the monster track "Hollywood Squares" – plus "May The Force Be With You", "Very Yes", "Bootsy?", and "Bootzilla".

Soaring piano work from the great Paul Smith – a player who's working here with a much more vibrant sound than on some of his Capitol sides of the 50s! Smith's got a much harder approach to the keys than during his "liquid sounds" years – one that's possibly a bit influenced by some of Oscar Peterson's most successful trio sides for Verve in the early 60s, but which still retains most of Smith's sense of lyricism and flowing energy. The trio features Wilfred Middlebrooks on bass and Frank Capp on drums – and titles include "Fly Me To The Moon", "That's All", "How About You", "Laura", "What Kind Of Fool Am I", "Satin Doll", and "I Left My Heart In San Francisco".

A lot smoother than most of Airto's other work – and almost more of a soul record than a jazz one – but also a great batch of grooves with a really spirited feel! Airto's percussion is still relatively up front in the mix, and smooth funky LA arrangements take the album to a warm soulful place – giving the more uptempo tracks a tight dancefloor groove that's still kept a bit rootsy by all the acoustic percussion. Tom Scot lays down great solos on two tracks – "I'm Fine, How Are You" and "The Road Is Hard (But We're Going To Make It)" – and other good tracks include "The Happy People" and "Celebration Suite".

A wonderful record from guitarist Laurindo Almeida – way way better than the title might make you think, and quite different from his albums for Capitol! The album is subtitled "electronic excursions", and while it's not exactly electronic, it does feature Almeida soloing over some nicely groovy backings that drift along in a very spacious way. There's a bit of keyboards in the mix somewhere, lots of strings, and some airy grooves that make the album dance in a magical way that most of Almeida's work does not. Arrangements are by Larry Cansler, Pete King, and Lex De Azevedo (David Axelrod?) – and titles include "The Lamp Is Low", "Till The End Of Time", "Full Moon & Empty Arms", "Moon Love", and "When I Write My Song".