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With the promo-only "Dreams", better known as "Dreams Of F*cking An R& B B#tch", that was never released because they couldn't clear the James Brown sample. The verses have Biggie rhyming about, well, what the title says. Typical line: "I'd f*ck RuPaul before I'd f*ck... read more

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A stone classic from Jeffrey Osborne – and a real standout in mainstream soul at the start of the 90s! Osborne's legendary vocals have never sounded better – as there's a warmth in the production that returns him to the grace and power he had when first going solo – a style that... read more

A cool collection of space-themed club tracks from Gene Page – and possibly one of his greatest albums of the 70s – dispite a gimmicky approach! There's a tightly soaring feel to most of the cuts that's Page at his best – arranging fully with styles borrowed from Barry White, but... read more

A pair of great albums from one of the coolest soul arrangers of the 70s – back to back on a single CD! Close Encounters is a cool collection of space-themed club tracks from Gene Page – and possibly one of his greatest albums of the 70s – dispite a gimmicky approach! There's a... read more

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Plenty of control here – as Ray Parker's at the height of his 80s hitmaking power, scoring strongly on one of his key classics from the decade for Arista! The tunes have a bit more of that catchy, rhythm-heavy sound that Parker was forging at the start of the decade – a quality that... read more

The start of Ray Parker's big hit run of the 80s – a set that has the Raydio group stripped down to just a duo behind Ray, and Parker very firmly out in the lead on vocals! The title hit's a smooth standard that's kept on going for many years – just the kind of cut that crossed Ray... read more

80's compilation of their best hard soul tracks from the 60's, most of which are very elusive on wax these days! The boys sing hard rockin' duo tracks, in the best sort of vein of Sam & Dave, and other male duets from the time. Includes their classic break track "I'm Your Puppet",... read more

Tight funky soul from Quazar! This relatively overlooked group is one of the lesse-remembered P-Funk-linked acts of the late 70s – which is a shame, as it's a great little side project from the team of Glenn Goins and Jerome Brailey – and one with a bass and drums-heavy party groove! ... read more

Tight funky soul from Quazar! This relatively overlooked group is one of the lesse-remembered P-Funk-linked acts of the late 70s – which is a shame, as it's a great little side project from the team of Glenn Goins and Jerome Brailey – and one with a bass and drums-heavy party groove! ... read more

Tight funky soul from Quazar! This relatively overlooked group is one of the lesser-remembered P-Funk-linked acts of the late 70s – which is a shame, as it's a great little side project from the team of Glenn Goins and Jerome Brailey. It's got a with a bass and drums-heavy party groove all... read more

Tight funky soul from Quazar! This relatively overlooked group is one of the lesser-remembered P-Funk-linked acts of the late 70s – which is a shame, as it's a great little side project from the team of Glenn Goins and Jerome Brailey. It's got a with a bass and drums-heavy party groove all... read more

The first 2 albums from Ray Parker's Raydio – in a great single CD set! The self-titled Raydio appeared in 1978– after Parker had honed is craft in countless session gigs, which gave him more than enough chops to get things right from the start! The sound is tight and definitely aimed... read more

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A brilliant record – much more straight forward, and straight ahead, than much of Rudd's other work, which is why we like it so much! The album's an ingeniously subtle affair – with Rudd on trombone and French horn, working with a small group that features Sheila Jordan on vocals, Hod... read more

One of the last great albums that Rudd played on before going into retirement! The group features Rudd on trombone, Enrico Rava on trumpet, Dve Burrell on piano, Stafford James on bass, and Harold White on drums – and the overall feel is similar to some of the best ESP work of the 60s. The... read more

Patrice Rushen in a crisp 80s soul mode! Watch Out finds Patrice really cutting down the keyboards in favor of stronger vocals right out front – breaking all the rules, as the title of the second song tells it – and it works really well! Most of the arrangements, synth and drum... read more

A beautiful little record by Pharoah Sanders – quite different than most of his other recordings of the 70s, and done in a smoothly jazzy mode that also features plenty of soul! Sanders did the set in collaboration with Norman Connors – and the style is in that same great mix of mellow... read more

A pretty darn nice record that is one of the best that both Pharoah and Norman cut around this time! The album features Connors in the lead, playing with a warm jazzy groove that returns to his spiritual soul jazz recordings of the early 70s. Sanders is the main soloist on 3 tracks, and Bobby... read more

A great one from Gil Scott-Heron – and another wonderful collaboration with Brian Jackson – who handled all the arrangements on this set, and gave the record that sweet jazzy sound that makes Gil's work from this time some of his best ever! There's loads of excellent electric piano... read more

An oft-overlooked jazzy gem from Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson – and a beautifully swinging session that has Gil toning it down a bit, and working into a nicely musical groove that gets past the heavy politics of earlier years! The record's a great showcase for the more upbeat side of... read more

An oft-overlooked jazzy gem from Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson – and a beautifully swinging session that has Gil toning it down a bit, and working into a nicely musical groove that gets past the heavy politics of earlier years! The record's a great showcase for the more upbeat side of... read more

Gil Scott Heron's first album for Arista – very much in the mellow soul jazz work of his legendary album on Strata East! The record features some wonderfully moody jazz backing that really marks a shift in Gil's style – never going too far over the top, but hitting a sweet groove that... read more

Gil Scott Heron's first album for Arista – very much in the mellow soul jazz work of his legendary album on Strata East! The record features some wonderfully moody jazz backing that really marks a shift in Gil's style – never going too far over the top, but hitting a sweet groove that... read more

A 70s soul classic – and the closest that Gil Scott-Heron ever came to having a hit! The album's best known for its anthemic classic "Johannesburg" – one of the first popular tunes to really push the cause of a free South Africa – but the whole album's a winner, filled... read more

A 70s soul classic – and the closest that Gil Scott-Heron ever came to having a hit! The album's best known for its anthemic classic "Johannesburg" – one of the first popular tunes to really push the cause of a free South Africa – but the whole album's a winner, filled... read more

A 70s soul classic – and the closest that Gil Scott-Heron ever came to having a hit! The album's best known for its anthemic classic "Johannesburg" – one of the first popular tunes to really push the cause of a free South Africa – but the whole album's a winner, filled... read more

A standout set from Gil Scott-Heron – and that's saying a lot, given the strength of his other 70s work! This album's a double-length live set – one that has Gil taking on the familiar format of the 70s, and using it to really push the boundaries of his own music too! Most tracks are... read more

One of Gil's later records, from the period that often tends to get overlooked, but which actually hides some real gems! Gil and the band hit a lot of nice mellow electric grooves with a good jazzy tip – not as angry as on earlier albums, but hitting a strongly soulful vibe which really... read more

One of Gil Scott-Heron's best albums from later years! The record's got some wonderful mellow cuts – the kind that send chills up our spine, and which remind us of Gil's stripped-down jazzy work on the album Winter In America. And in fact, Gil does an excellent remake of the classic track... read more

One of Gil Scott-Heron's best albums from later years! The record's got some wonderful mellow cuts – the kind that send chills up our spine, and which remind us of Gil's stripped-down jazzy work on the album Winter In America. And in fact, Gil does an excellent remake of the classic track... read more

A great little album that's often overshadowed by its hit – the 15 minute "B-Movie", which was sort of an overly-wrought protest piece about how the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 was going to turn America into a bad b-movie. Not that that track's bad – although its... read more

A key crossover set from Gil Scott-Heron – still every bit as political as his earlier work, but with a stronger sense of soul as well! The great Brian Jackson is firmly in tow here – bringing warm keyboards and a nice little groove to most of the tracks – and the previous... read more

A key crossover set from Gil Scott-Heron – still every bit as political as his earlier work, but with a stronger sense of soul as well! The great Brian Jackson is firmly in tow here – bringing warm keyboards and a nice little groove to most of the tracks – and the previous... read more

A key crossover set from Gil Scott-Heron – still every bit as political as his earlier work, but with a stronger sense of soul as well! The great Brian Jackson is firmly in tow here – bringing warm keyboards and a nice little groove to most of the tracks – and the previous... read more

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One of Ben Sidran's biggest records from the 70s – a smooth combination of jazz, fusion, soul, and a bit of New Orleans groove! There's still a very unique feel to Sidran's music here – a sense of personality that really makes the whole thing sparkle – and which keeps the record... read more

Among the best of the best of early Patti Smith albums – the Easter LP from 1978 – also her biggest hit ever! Easter splits the difference between accessible, if rawly impassioned rock & roll and more raucous and in yer face rebellious poetry. There's a stylistic gulf between the... read more

Patti Smith's first album and one of greatest rock albums of the 70s! Pure, driving passion powers Patti as profoundly as it ever would here on horses. The musicianship is famously top notch, too, making for one of those amazing moments in rock when a great voice – not just a great sounding... read more

Patti Smith's first album and one of greatest rock albums of the 70s! Pure, driving passion powers Patti as profoundly as it ever would here on horses. The musicianship is famously top notch, too, making for one of those amazing moments in rock when a great voice – not just a great sounding... read more

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A key bridge in soul scenes of the 80s – the second album from Maurice Starr, and a set that definitely points the way towards some of the sounds he'd influence later in the decade! There's still plenty of street electro in the mix – the sorts of grooves that Starr was forging as part... read more

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One of Braxton's most compelling albums of the 70s – a series of sonic explorations recorded with electronic music artist Richard Teitelbaum! Together, the pair laid down some excellent sax/moog improvisations that still sound pretty incredible today – and Braxton's icy tone is a great... read more

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Their second album, and though not quite as nice as Original Stylin', still an essential piece of Philly hip hop history. The group's no longer associated with the Hilltop Hustlers, and have adopted a slightly more slick approach to their sound, producing themselves on this effort. Includes "... read more

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One of those great 70s records that really reminds us that, way past Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick's a heck of a great soul singer! The album's a bit more polished than some of her other post-Scepter efforts from the decade – yet still comes off quite well, with Dionne really stretching out... read more

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Sweet 80s soul from Dionne Warwick – an album that features a fair bit of production work from Barry Gibb – and a sometime sound that definitely shows his presence! The style here is smoother than Dionne in earlier years – with a nice undercurrent of jazz in the instrumentation,... read more

Two Arista groovers from Dionne Warwick – back to back on a single CD! How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye has Dionne Warwick stepping out strongly with some great production help from Luther Vandross – who gives the lady a groove that's possibly even tighter than on her other Arista... read more

A nicely grooving set to start the 80s by The Waters – an underappreciated 2-man, 2-woman LA vocal group who did a considerable amount of backup vocals in the studio scene of the late 70s – and this is easily their best record! It's got some of the best arrangements the group ever... read more

Whodini's classic early single about the very scary Haunted House of Rock. Nice vocoder mix, for all you wikki-wikki fans out there!... read more

A slightly overlooked film score by the great John Williams – but a true classic that's every bit as great as his wildly famous work of the late 70s for bigger films! Williams is at the height of his powers here – really transforming modern film orchestrations in ways that strongly... read more

A killer bit of modern soul – one of the standout classics from the best years of Arista! Richard Evans produced and arranged this excellent set of smooth soul grooves for Linda Williams. Linda plays keyboards and sings, and the album was recorded in 2 different sessions – one in LA,... read more

Beautifully smooth soul from Robert Winters & Fall – a great mix of 80s groove and modern mellow – handled with lots of warm touches that make Winters' vocals come off wonderfully! The feel here is a bit like some of the smoother sets from DJ Rogers – as Winters' voice has a... read more

A great album from Bobby – different than his earlier albums for United Artists, but in a good way – one that revives his whole career, and takes his sound into a whole new direction! The album's got a smooth soul finish with some touches of synth funk – produced by Bobby and... read more

A masterpiece of smooth jazzy funk – and super-hip session headed up by the young keyboardist Bernard Wright! Wright's working here with an insider crowd of jazz funk players that includes Bobby Broom, Dave Grusin, Marcus Miller, and Don Blackman, whose funky style is very similar to Wright's... read more

A masterpiece of smooth jazzy funk – and super-hip session headed up by the young keyboardist Bernard Wright! Wright's working here with an insider crowd of jazz funk players that includes Bobby Broom, Dave Grusin, Marcus Miller, and Don Blackman, whose funky style is very similar to Wright's... read more

Early 80s greatness from Bernard Wright – the benchmark Nard from '81 and his Funky Beat from '83 – in a single set! Nard is a masterpiece of smooth jazzy funk – and super-hip session headed up by the young keyboardist! Wright's working here with an insider crowd of jazz funk... read more

Quite possibly the greatest Larry Young album of the post-Blue Note years – and a massive bit of funk that totally redefines his sound! Larry's working here with his hip group Fuel – an ensemble that features Laura Logan on lead vocals, giving the tunes a real focus through her lyrics... read more

Quite possibly the greatest Larry Young album of the post-Blue Note years – and a massive bit of funk that totally redefines his sound! Larry's working here with his hip group Fuel – an ensemble that features Laura Logan on lead vocals, giving the tunes a real focus through her lyrics... read more

Funky fusion in a runaway spaceship – the second album by Larry Young's cosmic heavy Fuel ensemble! The album's a perfect batch of jazzy keyboard grooves in a tradition that includes Lonnie Liston Smith, Johnny Hammond, and Charles Earland during his Mercury years – with Larry on moog,... read more