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A great album that Roy Ayers cut after his co-led record with Fela Kuti – and one with the same sort of hard-driving Afro-Funk grooves that you'd find in Fela's classic recordings! The songs are shorter than Fela's, and with more of Roy's usual smooth jazzy production style – but the... read more

A great little album from Roy Ayers' early years with Polygram – often overlooked amidst some of the bigger records in the catalog, but a very soulful set that's got some wonderful funky numbers! There's a really jazzy feel going on here – Roy's nod back to his older roots in music,... read more

What can we say? This is one of the greatest soul soundtracks ever! In a market that was dominated by the big-selling Shaft and Superfly albums, Roy slipped in this masterful blend of jazzy vibes and wah wah funk that's easily one of the best-composed records of the blacksploitation genre! The... read more

What can we say? This is one of the greatest soul soundtracks ever! In a market that was dominated by the big-selling Shaft and Superfly albums, Roy slipped in this masterful blend of jazzy vibes and wah wah funk that's easily one of the best-composed records of the blacksploitation genre! The... read more

What can we say? This is one of the greatest soul soundtracks ever! In a market that was dominated by the big-selling Shaft and Superfly albums, Roy slipped in this masterful blend of jazzy vibes and wah wah funk that's easily one of the best-composed records of the blacksploitation genre! The... read more

What can we say? This is one of the greatest soul soundtracks ever! In a market that was dominated by the big-selling Shaft and Superfly albums, Roy slipped in this masterful blend of jazzy vibes and wah wah funk that's easily one of the best-composed records of the blacksploitation genre! The... read more

One of Roy Ayers' biggest albums ever! The whole thing's an incredible album of mellow jazzy soul – and it shows Roy at the crossroads, perfecting his earlier funk style with a sweet mellow R&B edge, getting a bit slicker, but still staying on the righteous path, and opening up a whole... read more

A great little album by Roy Ayers – one that features none of his hits, but which has great examples of both sides of Roy's talents at the time. The dancefloor side of Roy kicks in with "Love Will Bring Us Back Together", an extremely catchy groover that's very much in the mode of... read more

Late 70s club work from Roy Ayers – a rare promo single that brings together 2 upbeat tracks from the mostly-mellow You Send Me album! "Get On Up Get On Down" is a perfect example of the way that Roy could hit the clubs without losing his soul – a cut that still retains all... read more

One of the rarest and greatest Roy Ayers albums of all time – the sly, funky and spiritual masterpiece He's Coming from 1971 – really the beginning of the funk years from Roy Ayers Ubiquity! This one's a totally solid mix of soulful jazz, jazzy soul and righteous funk – and it's... read more

One of the rarest and greatest Roy Ayers albums of all time – the sly, funky and spiritual masterpiece He's Coming from 1971 – really the beginning of the funk years from Roy Ayers Ubiquity! This one's a totally solid mix of soulful jazz, jazzy soul and righteous funk – and it's... read more

Pure magic from the height of Roy Ayers' classic 70s run on Polydor – a record that's filled with warm, jazzy grooves – all served up in that unique style that Roy was forging at the time! The album perfectly balances dancefloor tracks with mellower numbers – stepping out one... read more

One of Roy Ayers' best-remembered albums of the 70s – a sublime blend of mellow numbers and some of his more club-oriented grooves of the time – all wrapped together with a genius that we can only describe as Ayers-like! The album's a beautiful example of the balance that Roy was... read more

An archetypal album by Roy – and one that really shows him at the turning point! Gone are the trippier jazz funk moments of earlier albums – and in their place are some tight grooves and wonderfully spacey soul. Roy hits the dancefloor with one of his first uptempo funk numbers "B... read more

An archetypal album by Roy – and one that really shows him at the turning point! Gone are the trippier jazz funk moments of earlier albums – and in their place are some tight grooves and wonderfully spacey soul. Roy hits the dancefloor with one of his first uptempo funk numbers "B... read more

An archetypal album by Roy – and one that really shows him at the turning point of his sound! Gone are the trippier jazz funk moments of earlier albums – and in their place are some tight grooves and wonderfully spacey soul. Roy hits the dancefloor with one of his first up-tempo funk... read more

Seminal early funk work from Roy Ayers! The record catches him at that perfect point when he was turning from a straight jazz player into a sinister force in 70s funk – and the group on the session includes super-hip soul jazz giants like Charles Tolliver, Sonny Fortune, and Harry Whitaker,... read more

One of the greatest Roy Ayers albums of all time – and one of the rarest! The record is right in the same vein as Roy's groundbreaking He's Coming LP – a righteous mix of soul jazz, subtle funk, and some of the cosmic wisdom that Roy was spreading among the jazz funk underground –... read more

One of the greatest Roy Ayers albums of all time – and one of the rarest! The record is right in the same vein as Roy's groundbreaking He's Coming LP – a righteous mix of soul jazz, subtle funk, and some of the cosmic wisdom that Roy was spreading among the jazz funk underground –... read more

Doobie-doo doobie-doo! One of the catchiest Roy Ayers dancefloor tracks ever – a bassy bumping thumper that wonderfully skirts the line between clubby and funky! The track's got female vocals singing along with the hook – all in a mode that's quite similar to the most uptempo work by... read more

Doobie-doo doobie-doo! One of the catchiest Roy Ayers dancefloor tracks ever – a bassy bumping thumper that wonderfully skirts the line between clubby and funky! The track's got female vocals singing along with the hook – all in a mode that's quite similar to the most uptempo work by... read more

A cool collection of work from one of our favorite artists ever – literally one of the guys whose music was so great, it inspired us to start Dusty Groove! The package brings together a really hip assortment of Roy Ayers' best work for Polydor in the 70s – really incredible tracks that... read more

One of the best early soul albums by Roy Ayers! Roy's working here with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Edwin Birdsong, William Allen, Harry Whitaker, and other hip players – a perfect crew to forge Roy's unique blend of jazz and soul. This is perhaps the first record to really have Roy stretching out... read more

One of Roy Ayers' greatest albums of the 70s – a set that tightens up the groove from previous Polydor productions, yet still keeps all the soul intact! The record picks up the style begun with the Mystic Voyage album, and pushes it to some slightly tighter territory – a more focused... read more

One of Roy Ayers' greatest albums of the 70s – a set that tightens up the groove from previous Polydor productions, yet still keeps all the soul intact! The record picks up the style begun with the Mystic Voyage album, and pushes it to some slightly tighter territory – a more focused... read more

A great little album from Roy Ayers – a very funky record that's almost all instrumental all the way through! The sound is a bit in the vein of Roy's Live At Montreux set – but funkier overall, thanks to some very heavy rhythms on the bottom – and an approach to the tunes that's... read more

A masterpiece – and don't pass it up! Sure, the date's a bit later than some of Roy's classic work, but the record's got a sound like no other – with a slow mellow jazzy style that shows Roy working at the height of his powers! There's some wonderful spacey production on the record... read more

Talk about a meeting of the minds! At the time of this album, Henderson & Ayers were probably the biggest names in the jazz funk business – both with a smooth soulful style that was pushing the genre onto whole new levels, while still keeping firm roots in jazz – a rare blend that... read more

Talk about a meeting of the minds – a pair of ultra-amazing classics from the team of Roy Ayers & Wayne Henderson – back to back in a single set! At the time of Step Into Our Life, Henderson & Ayers were probably the biggest names in the jazz funk business – both with a... read more

Raw early Beatles – recorded in Hamburg at the beginning of the 60s when they were backing up singer Tony Sheridan – surprisingly well-preserved recordings, assuming that no one knew that this little backing band was going to take over the entire pop music world in a few years! We... read more

Raw early Beatles – recorded in Hamburg at the beginning of the 60s when they were backing up singer Tony Sheridan – surprisingly well-preserved recordings, assuming that no one knew that this little backing band was going to take over the entire pop music world in a few years! We... read more

A dancefloor classic! The album's the second by Gregg Diamond's Bionic Boogie, and head and shoulders above the rest – a sublime blend of soul and club that's hardly been matched again! Diamond manages to make things groove, but never loses sight of the soulful styles that make the record... read more

A fantastic record – one of Birdsong's rare early ones, with a messed-up approach to funk that he rarely matched again! The album was cut at the time Birdsong was working with Roy Ayers – but it was produced by Birdsong himself, and he also handled all the keyboards on the set. The... read more

A killer from James Brown – and one of his best instrumental albums of the King years! The record has James working with the pre-JBs James Brown Band – a tight assemblage of players who really know how to craft an off-kilter groove. The guitar's popping on the beat here as much as the... read more

Damn, is this a great record! The album's not only one of the best blacksploitation soundtracks ever recorded, it's also one of James Brown's funkiest outings of the early 70s! Nearly every cut's a winner, and James gets some very funky help from The JBs, who groove hard on the best instrumental... read more

One of the few James Brown 12" singles ever, and a rare promo issue that features 2 cuts from James' Jam/1980s LP. Both cuts have an uptempo funk sound, and "The Spank" is a pretty decent attempt by James to capture the modern dancefloor.... read more

A great double-length album from James – filled with a wide range of cuts that are brought together only by his genius, creating an insane mix of grooves that's totally entertaining throughout! Features a long version of "Get On The Good Foot", plus other excellent bits like "T... read more

James Brown screams at the beginning of the record – "I'm Back! I'm Back!" – which is his proclamation that he was ready to take on a whole new generation of funk music – grooving with a new sound that was guaranteed to hit as big as it did in earlier years! The... read more

Reissue of JB's wildest album, with a crazy cover that shows him running away from the devil, and great gatefold inner photo with him standing amidst a bunch of declarations of "Hell". Weird mix of music, but includes the epic 13 minute version of "Papa Don't Take No Mess", as... read more

Reissue of JB's wildest album, with a crazy cover that shows him running away from the devil, and great gatefold inner photo with him standing amidst a bunch of declarations of "Hell". The record was originally a double album filled with lots of different styles from James' funky bag. ... read more

A real killer from James Brown – and one of his most open-ended LPs of the early 70s! The record's got tracks that kind of go a lot further than those on many of James' other albums (except maybe Payback, which has loads of long cuts) – and it includes an extended 9 minute reading of... read more

Shouting storming uptempo funk from JB – and a track that really hints at his work at the end of the 70s! The cut screams dancefloor all over the place – and believe us, when James has bugs in his pants, he sure knows how to scream! Plus, this single also includes the oddly-numbered... read more

Funky funky funky! A nice one on King that shows the direction James Brown would take in the 70s – a bit harder and more funky than before, with even more of a focus on the instrumental talents of the ensemble! The band here is super-sharp – playing with that tightly focused, highly... read more

Funky! This oft-overlooked funky number features James shouting "pick up on this" a few times at the beginning – no instrumentation, just shouted vocals, in a great way that's excellent for dropping into a mix! The groove is in that bouncy style he was using in the 75/76 years,... read more

Massive – and one of the best James Brown compilations ever, filled with rare and unreleased material! This completely essential set features tracks pulled from James' best years ever – the mighty early 70s, when he was working with the JBs, and laying down tracks that would forever... read more

A definite mother from James Brown – the kind of all-funky album that few of his contemporaries could ever hope to match! If you've ever doubted the sheer raw power of James at the end of the 60s, the first few notes of this one will definitely make you a convert – and the stretched-out... read more

At the end of the 70s, James was combatting the disco movement by forging his own brand of dancefloor music – a super-heavy fusion of straight-on funk, but with a more up-tempo twist and extended in a style to compete with some of the hit 12" singles being issued at the time. This album... read more

A landmark album that forever changed the face of live recordings! As has been told and retold often, King records not only had the genius idea of bringing recording equipment into the Apollo Theater to catch James in a smoking live setting – but they also went out of their way to record and... read more

A lost treasure from James Brown & The JBs – a vintage live performance from the early 70s, and one that captures the group at the height of their powers! The format here is very similar to the excellent Revolution Of The Mind set – a totally funky, totally righteous live... read more

A stunning set of rare and unreleased grooves by James Brown – nearly all of which were cut during the classic early 70s years with the JBs, but never issued before this cool compilation! The set's got some essentials for any fan of JB – including the lost soul classic "She's The... read more

A late 70s effort from James, perhaps not as all out funkdafied as the rest of that era's output, but not a total sleeper either, with a few pretty darn funky moments. Includes the tasty cut "If You Don't Give a Doggone About It", done with the JBs, one that has a nice choppy "Doin... read more

Excellent funk from the JBs! The single – featuring parts 3 and 4 of the track – is a perfect example of the "party" style that James would use in the studio. Side one cuts right into the band, who've clearly already been jamming for a few minutes before the record starts. ... read more

One of James Brown's all-time greats from the early 70s – an extended funky romp that's as great as anything on The Payback or Doing It To Death – and played in a similar stretched-out jamming style! The cut's long, lean, and very mean – with a vamping funky groove that's outta... read more

A masterpiece of funky soul – and one of the greatest albums of the early 70s! It all comes together on this one – funk, soul, politics, and production – and the record is still one of the clearest examples of James Brown's genius that you'll ever find! Recorded during the same... read more

A masterpiece of funky soul – and one of the greatest albums of the early 70s! It all comes together on this one – funk, soul, politics, and production – and the record is still one of the clearest examples of James Brown's genius that you'll ever find! Recorded during the same... read more

A masterpiece of funky soul – and one of the greatest albums of the early 70s! It all comes together on this one – funk, soul, politics, and production – and the record is still one of the clearest examples of James Brown's genius that you'll ever find! Recorded during the same... read more

Nice stuff from James! "Public Enemy" is a wonderful track, with a long spoken monologue that shows a great side of James' progressive ideas. Nice message about heroin, and a good backing with a mellow feel. "I Got A Bag Of My Own" is pretty nice too – a fast funky cut... read more

One of the last great albums from James Brown! Not as totally sublime as Payback or some of the others from the 70s – but James is still working here with Fred Wesley and Dave Matthews – and many of the cuts retain the funk of a few years past. Case in point is the sublime "Funky... read more

Subtitled "Live At the Apollo Vol 3", but waaay better than any of the earlier volumes, this monster 2LP live set has James and the JB's wailing away in a freewheeling live set of hard hard hard funky grooves. Excellent work by the band, and a great way to see how sharp they were out of... read more

Subtitled "Live At the Apollo Vol 3", but waaay better than any of the earlier volumes, this monster 2LP live set has James and the JB's wailing away in a freewheeling live set of hard hard hard funky grooves. Excellent work by the band, and a great way to see how sharp they were out of... read more

Subtitled "Live At the Apollo Vol 3", but waaay better than any of the earlier volumes, this monster 2LP live set has James and the JB's wailing away in a freewheeling live set of hard hard hard funky grooves. Excellent work by the band, and a great way to see how sharp they were out of... read more

A bomb! The title of this one says it all – a burning anthem of pride and power, issued in 1969, at the end of one of the most troubling decades in America. James answers all the Uncle Tom cries from his critics – and comes up with "Say It Loud", an instant chant that was... read more

James Brown cooking it live – recorded (as the cover says) "live at home in Augusta, Georgia with his bad self"! The groove here is a nice extension of earlier Apollo modes – one that shows the increasing funkiness of the James Brown Band, captured with a raw power that few... read more

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One of the wilder James Brown instrumental LPs from the late King period. The James Brown Band is fronted by a heavy fuzzy guitar sound, which gives the LP a sort of rock-break feel, with nice fuzzy electric tones. All tracks are by James and Dave Matthews, and the record is sort of a second... read more

Easily one of the funkiest albums that James Brown ever recorded – and one of his few entries into the blacksploitation genre of the 70s! James really outdid himself for this one – working at a hard burning pace that had the JBs cooking up some killer funk for just about every number... read more

Easily one of the funkiest albums that James Brown ever recorded – and one of his few entries into the blacksploitation genre of the 70s! James really outdid himself for this one – working at a hard burning pace that had the JBs cooking up some killer funk for just about every number... read more

One of James' best, and a killer funky track with a great riff by the JBs! Both parts are excellent, and the track never stops grooving! The 45 mix is different than the LP, too!... read more

Super Bad is right! This is hard-hitting funky James – from the badass cover right down to the extended tracks on the record, which point the way towards the hard live jamming of the classic Payback years! Everything wonderful is in place on the set – from the band's grooves at the... read more

The cover says it all: a painting of James, kicking back on a couch with a disco Godfather outfit on, while two topless girls dance in front of him – clearly, the old days are past! Still, despite this trashy effort to be a clubtime player, James still manages to funk things up a bit –... read more

One of the best James Brown soul LPs from the 70's, with a great mix of funky tracks and deeper soul tracks. The latter is represented by the classics "Public Enemy #1" and "King Heroin", both hard soul political tracks. The funk is represented by "Talkin' Loud &... read more

2 of James Brown's best duets – on one original funky 45! "What My Baby Needs Now" is a sweet soul groove, with a nice swinging midtempo pace. "This Guy-Girl" is probably the most soulful version of the Bacharach track you'll ever hear! Both sides nice, and not on any... read more

Later stuff from the JBs and James, but still pretty good! "If You Don't Give" is a remake of an earlier track, done here with slightly more modern production.... read more

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Beautiful ballads from the mighty Don Byas – working here in a rare Paris session with backings from arranger Jacques Denjean! Denjean really brings a great spirit to the set – subtle strings that flow nicely in the background, in a manner that's similar to some of the best Verve "... read more

Stunning! Although many know Bobby Byrd as the longtime associate of James Brown, and although his singles do turn up from time to time on compilations, this one and only album by him is super-rare. The album's a live recording (although we've never been sure if it's not one of James Brown's "... read more

One of Candido's funkiest albums! The record's got a similar sound to Candido's great albums for Blue Note and Solid State – with short, hard funky tunes that have a really great 70s edge! Chico O'Farrill did the arrangements, and the record chops along nicely with some very funky tracks... read more

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A legendary batch of funky rock tracks – noteworthy not only for production by Jimi Hendrix, but also for the group's insanely great groove! There's a bluesy undercurrent here, but sharpened much more strongly for the funk generation – which takes Cat Mother way past contemporaries... read more

A legendary batch of funky rock tracks – noteworthy not only for production by Jimi Hendrix, but also for the group's insanely great groove! There's a bluesy undercurrent here, but sharpened much more strongly for the funk generation – which takes Cat Mother way past contemporaries... read more

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A mad mix of Latin and funky rhythms – a 70s classic from the Belgian group Chakachas! The album's best known for its title hit "Jungle Fever" – an insane cut that features heavy drums, choppy guitar, and a stop/start action that's peppered with sounds of female pleasure! ... read more

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A great overseas meeting of two American traditionalists – a mid 60s date that has trumpeter Buck Clayton working in a relaxed studio setting with tenorist Hal Singer! Buck and Hal both come from an earlier period in jazz, but find some great appreciation for their enduring talents in Paris... read more

Titles include "Soft & Gentle", "Imp's Welcome", "Lenore", "Reverie", "Looking At The World", and "Nite Sprite".... read more

Given that Chick Corea first got his start working in the New York Latin scene back in the 60s, the album's a bit of a return to his roots – even if the general theme here is Spanish, and not Afro-Cuban! The Corea Spanish Heart here is cast in some darker, more contemplative tones than more... read more

Smooth jazzy soul from this massively overlooked group from the 70s! Although many know their bigger recordings on Sussex, these Polydor sides are much more appealing to us, and have a nice jazzy soul sound that's similar to work of groups like Side Effect – with a mixture of harmony soul... read more

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Uptempo soul from Europe, of the sort that would soon turn into Euro-disco, but which at this point was still a melding of different musical influences showing up in the Euro clubs, a fair number of them percussive funky ones. Tracks are short, and titles include "Love To Dance This One With... read more

Ian Dury takes his spastic rhythm style to Jamaica, where he adds in Sly & Robbie to the mix, and gets produced by Chaz Jankel. Not his classic stuff, but pretty nice anyway. Tracks include "Spasticus (Autisticus)", "The (Body Song)", "Lonely (Town)", and "Fu... read more

A very groovy take on the work of Jimmy Webb – a sweet instrumental set from German maestro Kurt Edelhagen – featuring a host of hip jazz players from around the European scene, and some great arrangements by Quincy Jones! The tunes are all hits by Jimmy – but they're redone... read more

A very groovy take on the work of Jimmy Webb – a sweet instrumental set from German maestro Kurt Edelhagen – featuring a host of hip jazz players from around the European scene, and some great arrangements by Quincy Jones! The tunes are all hits by Jimmy – but they're redone... read more

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Arguably one of the greatest German albums of the early 70s prog era – the stunning debut of Faust, and a record beyond compare! The group his hitting here amazingly on all burners – stretching out long, rhythmic jams – working out weird production techniques – and blasting... read more

Inimitable early greatness from Faust – a big step from from the freer early work into more of a song based structure – but hardly more accessible, and just as hypnotic and arresting! Faust So Far, to put simply, is one the great groundbreaking albums of the era – recorded in... read more

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A classic Dutch jazz/rock outfit – with sweet guitars from Jan Akkerman, and a mix of funky flute and keyboards from Thijs Van Leer!... read more