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Hard to be lonely with a groove this great – a sweet 60s stepper with a great midtempo punch – one that really works great for the deep-toned vocal approach of Jewel Akens! The cut's one of the best we've ever heard from the singer – and has an offbeat quality that's mighty nice.... read more

These guys have a great old school sort of sound – Philly production by Bobby Eli, sweet female vocals from Cherry, and guest vocals from William Hart of The Delfonics, who really makes the tune sound wonderful! "No Answer" is back to Cherry in the lead – coming across with a... read more

A stone Philly stormer from Vickie Baines – hardly the "country" promised in the title! The tune begins with this monotone bassline that's mighty nice – then rolls into piano lines and Vickie's marvelously soaring vocals! The flipside's great too – more of a midtempo... read more

Two rare Philly grooves – both from the Cameo/Parkway family of labels! "You Didn't Say A Word" is a lasting treasure from Yvonne Baker – a Northern Soul groover that soars with this great horn-heavy lead – and gets this cool crackling vocal from Yvonne that's mighty... read more

A 60s stomper from Detroit – exactly the kind of tune that makes the Motor City such a great place to dig for Northern Soul! "Hit & Run" grooves right from the get-go – and Rose Battiste sings this sweet lead with female backup – a bit like The Supremes, but nice... read more

A stunning lost Curtom track – funky mellow soul at its best, with Leroy Hutson arrangements and production that are right up there with his own best work! Arnold's got a voice that's warm and mellow, but which has a nice little crackle – sounding great on the sublime a-side that... read more

Wow, we knew almost nothing about this record! Freddy Briggs is the main force behind Coldwater Stone – as he wrote and produced all the tracks, and sings lead vocals throughout the record. His style's sort of a mix of funk and soul, and he works in the heavier style that was used by some... read more

The classic of all classics by Billy Butler! "Right Track" is a seminal Northern groover that forever put Billy's name on the lips of dancefloor requests – and it's issued here with a rare instrumental flip too!... read more

A really cool little tune – a northern soul killer at the heart, and served up with soaring vocals from Candy & The Kisses – a group who seem to have almost the full power of a choir, given the richness of the arrangement here! "Bok To Bach" is spelled weirdly here, and... read more

Two great lost numbers from one of our favorite soul artists of all time! "I Can Take Care" is a rolling midtempo number, with that loping Chi soul groove that Gene was working in afer his early Vee Jay sides. Gene's vocals really send us – especially on the the chorus, when they... read more

Northern soul treasures from Lorraine Chandler on a sweet 45 from Outta Sight UK! "I Can't Change" is a great uptempo Detroit groove to it, a great track co-written by Jack Ashford, the percussionist for The Funk Brothers. A great, Motown-worthy cut that was actually recorded for RCA. ... read more

A great late Curtom number from Gavin Christopher – a singer who only cut a handful of records back in the 70s, but manages to soar with the confidence of a much bigger star! Bobby Eli handles arrangements on both tracks – and "This Side Of Heaven" has a soaring Philly groove... read more

A tightly punctuated groover from the Philly scene of the 60s – a cut that bounces along with these hard-ringing piano notes underneath Christine's sweeter vocals – making for a mighty nice combination in the groove! "SOS" is hardly the sound of distress – and instead... read more

Rare soul from Sam Dees – Shelby Singleton productions for SSS International – starting with a nice, rumbling bassline and piano before Sam's achingly soulful voice kicks in the with the horns – with a raspy style that's completely sublime. Killer! The flip has an alternate... read more

The Dynamites get some heavy help here – vocalist Charles Walker, who's already recorded with the group, and the legendary Bettye Lavette – who works here with Charles in a real old-soul, deep soul duet! The combo slow down their action perfectly for the track – hard-burning with... read more

A pair of killer albums from The Five Stairsteps – 1967's self-titled set for Windy C – plus '68's Love's Happening by The Five Stairsteps & Cubie – together with bonus track on this great set from Outta Sight UK! The Five Stairsteps album is a landmark batch of sweet soul... read more

A Northern soul winner – two killer cuts, back to back on a single 45! "Packing Up" has this great piano part that punctuates the groove right from the start – ringing out loud and proud, and setting the tone for Damon's quick-tempo vocals! Eddie Jones really shines on "... read more

Two Philly female soul grooves – back to back on a limited 45! "My Heart Your Heart" is a soaring cut from Janie Grant – a singer who might have been pop in another setting, but who really steps out here in a cool Northern soul groove – complete with trademark Philly... read more

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Two versions of this 60s soul stormer – a great harmony track from The Incredibles, with vocals that soar mightily with the hook on the main side – then step aside on the flip, so that the Audio Arts group can groove it on up with an even more rhythm-heavy instrumental!... read more

A great groove from The Inspirations – one of those groups who can harmonize at a quick pace – which makes "Your Wish" as much of a Northern soul dancefloor stormer as it is a group soul treasure! And on the flip, the group really sound wondeful on the ballad "I'll Take... read more

A really great number from this lesser-known singer! "It's Rough Out There" has these cool strings that step in and start the tune in a rhythmic way – giving the track a bit of an uptown soul flair that's perfect for Jerry's uniquely expressive vocals – as they unfurl with... read more

A killer cut by The Metros – one of Detroit soul's best secrets in the 60s! The track is amazing – dipping, turning, and soaring with this groove that even knocks out most Motown classics – and it's backed here by an equally great number, making for one hell of a 45!... read more

Stormin Philly soul from The Orlons – a stepping groover that's got some great interplay between the female lead and the harmony vocals! There's a proud strut that makes the tune one of the Orlons' standout numbers – and "No Love But Your Love" has these great vibes that... read more

A Cameo cooker from Bobby Paris – the kind of single that makes us wish we could hear a full album from the singer! "Night Owl" has this perfection right from the start – that rare Northern Soul mix of vocals, instrumentation, and rhythms that are all right on the money... read more

Not Little Richard, but Little Richie – a heck of a great soul singer, and one who works with this great blend of the rough and smooth in his vocals! "Just Another Heartache" is a romper with a nice southern soul undercurrent – but more than enough upbeat energy to groove... read more

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A nice lost girl group single on ABC – ostensibly from the east coast, given that Jerry Ross produced the record. "Gotta Have" is a catchy little number – midtempo, a bit stomping, and with some really weird vocals from the girls, especially towards the middle, and they're... read more

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A sweet Okeh rarity from the Seven Souls – a cut that bounces along with a groove that's right up there with the bigger Chicago soul issued by the label – that gentle swing that always played big in the Windy City soul scene of the 60s, topped with great harmony vocals from the group! ... read more

A mad mod number from Dee Dee Sharp – her own unique take on the Ben Tucker tune, and one of the most soulful tracks from her early years at Cameo Records! The cut's got that mod jazz vibe that always makes it great – but its Dee Dee's vocals that really send the whole thing soaring... read more

Nothing secret about this groove – as it bursts out with a joyous, positive energy it's very hard to miss! The young Dee Dee Sharp really sounds great on the cut – soaring with righteous Philly 60s backings – and "Good" is another tasty number – but one done with... read more

Lovely numbers from Sandi Sheldon cut for Okeh and issued here by Outta Sight UK! There's a heavy drum sound and prominent bass groove underneath some tasty soul guitar on "You're Gonna Make Me Love You" – which is nice and gritty, but is sweetened up nicely when Sandi's lovely... read more

A Burt Bacharach number, but done in a really great way – given a rough, romping, all-soul groove by Roscoe Shelton – whose vocals here soar in ways we don't always usually hear! The track's got a great blend of swing and soul – and "Running For Your Life" is a nice one... read more

Early Philly soul from Bunny Sigler – two Leon Huff tracks served up perfectly by the singer! "Girl Don't Make Me Wait" has these hard vibes that soar along with the groove – a whirling frenzy that really seems to bring out some great harmonies as Sigler's lead mixes with the... read more

A different side of the Skull Snaps than their funky break classic – but a killer groove nonetheless! "My Hang Up" is tight, right, and outta sight – a tune that moves along at a plenty great clip – yet still manages to have this great blacksploitation feel too –... read more

Tari Stevens really knocks it out of the park with "False Alarm" – a tune that's got a sing-song groove that's mighty nice – pure 60s Philly all the way through, but with these dips and turns in the vocals that really make for a compelling approach! "The Way I Feel About... read more

Two different versions of this tune by HB Barnum – both of them nice! Judy Street's take on "What" begins with some sparkling vibes, then rolls into a singing girl soul beat that's both sweet and catchy, with just a hint of pop! Tina Mason brings a bit more twang to the tune... read more

A pair of "Sweet Memories" – but with a nicely unified feel! Both tracks are great – with a similar stepping sort of groove – one that's pretty spare overall, with a rough-edged approach that really helps keep the sweetness of the vocals alive – whether they're... read more

A wonderful indie groove from The Tymes – proof that these guys are well worth checking out at every point in their career! "Here She Comes" has this loping groove that's almost more Chicago than Philly – and a sing-song lyric that's sweetly punctuated by a vibes note in the... read more

Excellent work from this sweet modern soul artist – one who never issued a full album on Epic! "I'm Not Ready" soars along right from the start – a brilliant mix of strings and congas setting fire to a really warm groove – which is then topped with these wonderful... read more

Northern Soul from the the Harthon Records vaults – rare ones from the Philly scene! "Honey Please Stay" has nice stripped down instrumental arrangements, with piano and bass prominent in the mix with the drums – with the song really taking flight via the strong lead and... read more

"Breakaway" is a killer – a tune that leaps into the groove right at the start, and explodes with both super-tight instrumentation and soaring harmonies from The Valentines! The Ohio Players take off themselves on the flipside – in a groove that's more Detroit Northern Soul... read more

A rare gem from The Vibrations – some obscure Epic Records tracks from the 60s – a time when the group were one of the hippest things going on the Chicago soul scene! There's a great balance between tight harmonies and fiesty rhythms here – a two-sided pleasure pack on 7"... read more

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Storming soul from Maurice Williams – two smoking tracks that feature production from Marshall Seehorn and Allen Toussaint! "Being Without You" has Williams sounding a lot more Northern Soul than you might expect – really pushed forward strongly with stomping rhythms –... read more

A wonderful little number from Al Wilson – his reading of Oscar Brown's "The Snake" – done here with these soaring arrangements from Marty Paich that really make the whole thing sound groovy! Al's almost got a Tom Jones inflection in his vocals – but that's part of the... read more

Two versions of the same tune – each cut on different sides of 1970! Cookie Woodson's got the later version, but it comes up first here – a romping groove that's almost Chicago Brunswick soul, and which lopes along with some cool horn parts and vibes that dance along wonderfully with... read more

A rare gem from the ABC run of soul singles in the 60s – and maybe the only thing we've ever heard from this sweet girl group! "Gonna Be A Big Thing" has a great groove, and a really positive vibe – one of those numbers that gets you out on the floor, then has you humming the... read more

Rave-up soul treasures from the late 50s through the 60s – one of the best compilations we've seen from Outta Sight! Age Of Northern Soul pulls together great material that blends Northern Soul, Popcorn and R&B – all of it pretty wonderful It's got lesser-remembered tunes from... read more

The blueprint of a generation – a set that brings together a huge amount of rare singles from the start of the 60s – most of which helped form the groove for years to come! The set's got a great early soul feel – tracks that show a genre still in formation – as bits of... read more

A wonderful collection from the soul treasure hunters at Outta Sight – essential grooves from a pivotal period – late 60s and early 70s soul singles that bridge the raw, driving vibe of the previous era to the more sophisticated arrangements of dancefloor soul to come! It's got some... read more

Classics and rarities from the Windy City Soul scene that gravitated around the great Curtis Mayfield and his studio! The set features tracks from Curtom, plus the Thomas, Mayfield and Gemigo labels along with Paramount and Polydor – with numbers by The Fascinations, Five Stairsteps &... read more

Rockin soul from the start of the 60s – a great batch of upbeat numbers that definitely show the rougher side of the Northern groove! Lots of these tracks sit perfectly in a space between early soul music and R&B – and strut along with the heavier grooves of the latter, yet soar... read more

A soulful testament to the towering talents of songwriter, bandleader, producer and singer Richard Popcorn Wylie – a killer collection of singles that Richard had a hand in by Tommy Neal, Mighty Lovers, Luther Ingram, Betty Boo, Tony Hester, Mighty Lovers, Detroit Executives, Jimmy Soul Clark... read more

Some of the hippest Detroit soul of the 60s – a wealth of wonderful recordings done by legendary producer Don Davis! In the 70s, Don would make some huge marks in the mainstream with groups like The Dramatics, Dells, and others – but these sides represent the initial flowering of the... read more

Rare soul galore, but great soul too – a smoking selection of rare nuggets from the late 60s, including a fair bit of cuts that have never been on CD before! The package seems to be nicely heavy on talents from the Chicago scene – which is A-Ok with our Windy City ears – but also... read more

The heaviest side of the Chicago soul scene of the 60s – served up in a massive batch of rare tracks from the indie label underground! The collection is a great tribute to the depth of the Windy City scene back in the day – the huge range of local artists who were working hard to keep... read more

Uptempo soul from Jewel, Paula and Ronin labels – the Shreveport, LA base of Stan Lewis – record store and label opener, distributor, and all around behind-the-scenes wizard of the 60s & 70s independent soul scene! The singles are wonderful throughout, bridging the mid 60s to the... read more

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... read more

Stellar soul singles on Brunswick – nearly all of which come from the prime mid-to-late 60s period at the legendary Chicago label – with Jackie Wilson, Billy Butler, Barbara Acklin, Gene Chandler, Erma Franklin, Lavern Baker and many more! There's a tight focus here on mid-to-late 60s... read more

A motherlode of rare Detroit soul – all pulled from the small Sidra label imprints, and put together here in a package that features nearly every Northern Soul groover from the company! This set goes way deeper than most Northern collections – and many of the cuts here are ones we... read more