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A great Marcos Valle appearance from recent years – a set that captures him at the time of his excellent comeback on Far Out Records – but in a way that's different than his recordings for that label! The recording is nice and intimate, in that great Ensaio way – very classic,... read more

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The only record from this group that would sort of morph into Apollonia 6, pretty much just one of many Prince vehicles during the 80s. As you'd hope from a Prince side project, the tracks here bubble with his new wave/pop/funk crossover, though really the hit "Nasty Girl" is pretty much... read more

Very tasty funky fusion session, cut by bassist Miroslav Vitous in San Francisco – along with a group that includes Airto, Herbie Hancock, and Jack DeJohnette. The sound is very much in keeping with Herbie's early 70s funk albums – with lots of nice long electric grooves, and spare... read more

Can 60s pop get any better than this? It's hard to think so – given the near-perfect sound of this album, and its unique blend of soul, vocal, and mainstream modes! The album's only the second in the career of Dionne Warwick, but she's already at the top of her game – singing with a... read more

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A great post-Scepter album by Dionne Warwick – one that still has her working with Burt Bacharach, but at a level that's somehow more mature, more adult than even before! There's a gentle quality here that gets beyond the straighter pop of Warwick's 60s hits, and moves into the realm... read more

A unique concert album from Dionne Warwick – proof that her talents weren't always restricted to Burt Bacharach arrangements in the studio! The setting is the classy Olympia Theater in Paris, and the style is a bit more open than on Dionne's studio albums – with less material by... read more

Dionne Warwick's making a bit of a break from formula for this album – by singing a batch of tunes from films and shows, none of which were written by Burt Bacharach & Hal David! Yet despite this change from earlier records, the album's still got a sound that's strongly in keeping with... read more

An album that collects a number of groovy tunes by Dionne – some from movies she starred in, some from soundtracks she recorded, and others from films that she never had a hand in at all! Arrangements are by Burt Barcharach, Pat Williams, Garry Sherman, and Bobby Scott – and titles... read more

Although this one looks like a greatest hits set, it's actually a live show that features Dionne running through most of her big Bacharach hits during the Scepter years. The set features impersonations by Dionne on tracks like "Baby Love", "Bill Bailey", and "Falling In... read more

Dionne's working with Memphis producer Chips Moman, in a mode that's clearly designed to give her more credibility with the hipper soul scene at the end of the 60s! Burt Bacharach's still in the shadows, but Moman's the real genius on this set – working with Dionne to create a style that's... read more

Five albums into Dionne Warwick's classic run for Scepter Records, and she's still sounding great – head and shoulders above most other female pop singers of her generation, with a style that really sets a whole new standard for the time! Burt Bacharach handled most of the arrangements here... read more

Dionne Warwick's missing from the cover of this album, but the record still managed to be one of her biggest of the 60s – thanks to a near-classic selection of tunes, and sublime arrangements from the mighty Burt Bacharach! There's a confident, mature approach to the record that's arguably... read more

Wonderfully mature work from Dionne Warwick – one of her last few albums for the Scepter label,with a sense of maturity, poise, and grace that tops even Dionne's earliest classics for the label. She's still working heavily here with Burt Bacharach – who produced and arranged most of... read more

While the title may claim that Dionne Warwick is "Just Being Myself", the sound of the set is something completely different – a surprisingly great album that has the lady working with the post-Motown production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland! There's a quality here that resonates... read more

While the title may claim that Dionne Warwick is "Just Being Myself", the sound of the set is something completely different – a surprisingly great album that has the lady working with the post-Motown production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland! There's a quality here that resonates... read more

The final Warner Brothers album from Dionne Warwick – and a smooth, sophisticated affair done with full arrangements from Michael Omartian! The sound's still not as pop disco as you might expect from the time, and Dionne's gentle vocals are often cast in backings that step along nicely with... read more

Quite an unusual album for Dionne Warwick – a late 60s effort that has her returning to her gospel roots, and singing with backing from The Drinkard Sisters – a group originally founded by Dionne's mother, and which featured a young Cissy Houston! The sound here isn't as strictly... read more

It's plenty easy to make way for Dionne Warwick with an album as great as this – the kind of set that spawned countless imitators in later years, but which still sounds better than most of the rest! Hearing the record is almost like going back to the headwaters of 60s pop – especially... read more

The birth of a genius – and Dionne Warwick's first album in a mighty 60s run for Scepter Records! The album's the first full length collaboration between Warwick and the team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David – but it's already the stuff of legend – an album that easily bridges the... read more

Produced by Burt Bacharach – with a classic set of arrangements by Burt, Don Sebesky, and Peter Matz, all in that breathy gentle style that works so well with Dionne's vocals. Titles include "Promises Promises", "This Girl's In Love With You", "Where Is Love",... read more

Sensitive, but never sleepy – a perfect balance between gentle pop and deeper soul – served up with masterful arrangements and production from Burt Bacharach! The album's an early treasure in Dionne's 60s run for Scepter Records – an album that features a bit less Bacharach/David... read more

Dionne's certainly winning the "soulful" tag on this albums – working with Memphis producer Chips Moman, in a mode that's clearly designed to give her more credibility with the hipper soul scene at the end of the 60s! Burt Bacharach's still in the shadows, but Moman's the real... read more

A surprise mid 70s hit for Dionne Warwick – a warm and bubbling bit of soul, done with uptown maestro Jerry Ragovoy in a perfect AM pop style! The centerpiece of the album is the super-hit tune "Then Came You" – a duet with The Spinners produced and arranged by Thom Bell at... read more

A wonderful album from Dionne Warwick – probably her greatest record after the early years! The session was recorded with production by Thom Bell at Sigma Sound in Philly – and the style is a sweet blend of Philly modes, from fragile ballads to midtempo groovers, all done in a warm and... read more

Not so much a soundtrack, as it is a great set of Bacharach/David tunes, with arrangements by Burt, Manny Albam, and Pat Williams, structured around the title hit, and featuring tunes with a similar somber quality. Gone is the dreamy optimism of some of Dionne's earlier albums – and in its... read more

Dionne Warwick's last Bacharach album for Scepter Records. Burt's still very much at the helm on Very Dionne – working with Warwick in an ever-maturing mode that's expanded a bit with some help on arrangements from Marty Paich and Larry Wilcox. The mood is adult, but still has some of the... read more

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Seminal later work from Dionne Warwick – an album that perfectly sums up her evolving genius at Scepter Records! Windows Of The World continues the very successful Bacharach-led arrangement scheme – but also features Dionne deepening things a bit more vocally, and also hitting some... read more

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... read more

Killer funky stoner soul from LA! This album is one of the best by Charles Wright and his legendary funky group – and it features some straighter soul material, like the big hit "Loveland", or their mellow take on "Light My Fire" – plus some great heavy funk numbers... read more

Mad mad funk, and the fantastic second LP by the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band – the group that proved to everyone that LA could be just as funky as any other city in the 60s! The record draws strongly from the group's indie roots in the funky 45 scene – and the album's filled with... read more

Fantastic funk from the 60s LA scene – and the first-ever album by a group who would dominate the west coast groove of the time! This first outing by the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band takes off nicely from the group's funky 45 years – using larger arrangements to expand upon their... read more

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One of the string of hard grooving swamp rock LPs Tony Joe White cut for Monument early on – charismatic, swaggery sounds from a master – a killer blend of southern rock steeped in soul! On some records, Tony's vocals take on a bit of a laconic storyteller vibe, a la Bobby Bare and... read more

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A wonderfully weird record from the mighty Mason Williams – a set that's filled with lots of cool little surprises at each new twist and turn – yet which also comes across with a really solid, tuneful feel overall! The album's got a bit of folk, a bit of moog, and a bit of kitsch... read more

Amazing stuff – one of those records you see for years, and always pass by – but which yields some real surprises once you dig in! Mason Williams is one of the cooler cats in the Warner Brothers stable of the late 60s – but he's also one of the more subtle, too – a folkie... read more

From that period in the mid 90s when major labels were signing groups who did mellow, thoughtful hip hop. Of course they dropped them all soon after, but they still managed to put out a few nice tracks in the meantime. This one uses Phife's line "A funky introduction to how nice I am"... read more

A masterpiece of messed-up LA funk – and one of the crowning moments in the career of Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band! Charles and crew do an excellent job with all the tracks – most of which are more open ended than some of their earlier ones, and run on for... read more

The last album recorded by Charles Wright with the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band – and a set that's even more stretched out and trippy than their other albums! Gone are the tight short cuts of earlier days, and in their place are longer messed-up funky numbers that have more of a jamming... read more

A beautiful record that's not only an excellent soundtrack – it's also one of the best-ever Malcolm X records you can find! The record brings together tracks from the 1972 film on Malcolm's life – and it combines fantastic original speeches, like "N_ggers", "American... read more

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Bootsy and Roger went all the way to the bank with this one – a classic electro funk groover without which, most of west coast late 80s/early 90s hip hop would not exist! The cut's a monster – and still sounds wonderful whatever the context.... read more

Bootsy and Roger went all the way to the bank with this one – a classic electro funk groover without which, most of west coast late 80s/early 90s hip hop would not exist! The cut's a monster – and still sounds wonderful whatever the context.... read more

Zapp at the height of their powers – a bit more focused than before, but every bit as funky! Roger's production here is impeccable – done with a great ear for the most soulful side of the group's talents, which keeps them far from some of the more commercial groups who were copping... read more

The classic first album by this legendary funky combo – a group who not only went onto change the sound of funk in the 80s, but also went onto have a huge impact on generations of hip hop as well! The album burns from the very first note – the wicked snapping funk of "More Bounce... read more

The classic first album by this legendary funky combo – a group who not only went onto change the sound of funk in the 80s, but also went onto have a huge impact on generations of hip hop as well! The album burns from the very first note – the wicked snapping funk of "More Bounce... read more

The classic first album by this legendary funky combo – a group who not only went onto change the sound of funk in the 80s, but also went onto have a huge impact on generations of hip hop as well! The album burns from the very first note – the wicked snapping funk of "More Bounce... read more

Seminal work from Roger Troutman and Zapp – a killer batch of cuts that forever changed the sound of funk! The group's "wheeeeeeet/whomp!" sound is very firmly in place by the time of this release – and the sound here is even more electric than their debut – a... read more

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A collection of two wonderful early 70s albums from Tom Ze, recorded just after the Tropicalia years! Estundando O Samba is one of Tom Ze's best albums ever – a fantastic blend of post-Tropicalia styles – and it features some strange arrangements that perfectly illustrated Ze's insane... read more

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Great Latin grooves from Atlantic Records! It's a little known fact that Atlantic Records actually had a pretty hot Latin catalog at one time – and even though the label was best-known for their soul and jazz releases, they also took the time to cut a rare few Latin sides, all with the same... read more

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